A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Ford Motor posts highest first-quarter profit in 13 years

Ford Motor reported its best first-quarter profit since 1998 as higher prices for redesigned vehicles, including its Fiesta, offset pressure from spiking commodity and oil prices.

The better than expected profit was Ford’s strongest first-quarter performance since the peak of the SUV boom and reassured investors after a disappointing fourth quarter.

The results also showed the success the US automaker has had in getting consumers to pay more for improved quality and technology in vehicles such as the Focus compact.

Ford’s shares rose 2.3 per cent at $15.90. – (Reuters)

Sony chases Apple with tablet launch

Sony launched its first tablet computers yesterday in an attempt to grab the second spot from Samsung in a growing market dominated by Apple’s one-year-old iPad.

The gadgets, based on Google’s Android 3.0 operating system, could be some of the Japanese company’s most important new products since the Playstation game console made its debut in 1994.

Sony is struggling to come up with hit devices and improve profit margins as it competes with Apple, Samsung Electronics and Nintendo. – (Reuters)

Money flows back into Swiss bank

UBS looks to have put the financial crisis behind it, with money pouring into its core wealth management arm in the first quarter and its struggling investment bank doing better than expected.

Inflows of 11.1 billion Swiss franc showed client trust was returning, the world’s second-largest wealth manager said yesterday.

Clients withdrew nearly 400 billion francs from the Swiss bank in recent years after it was bailed out after huge writedowns on toxic assets and hit by US charges it helped wealthy Americans dodge tax. – (Reuters)