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Filipino domestic worker Marites Saliganan loves getting outdoors on her one day off a week, and after Hong Kong's government lifted a pandemic ban on gathering at beaches on Thursday, she and her friends headed for the sand.

A refugee held for eight years in Australia's hardline immigration system earned a finalist spot in the nation's top art prize on Thursday -- for a self-portrait he painted with a toothbrush.

Queen Elizabeth II, who has cut back on public appearances due to poor health and old age, will not attend this summer's royal garden parties, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

A third all-English Champions League final in four years seemed to be on the cards but Real Madrid's incredible late comeback against Manchester City on Wednesday has set up a rematch between the Spanish club and Liverpool in Paris on May 28.

Taiwan has opted out of purchasing anti-submarine helicopters from the United States because they are too expensive, its defence minister said Thursday.

Pope Francis, who has suffered from pain in his knee, used a wheelchair for the first time at a public event on Thursday.

Manchester City have become accustomed to Champions League heartache, but the manner of their latest collapse against Real Madrid might be the most painful defeat of all.

Hundreds of Philippine priests on Thursday endorsed the main rival to former dictator Ferdinand Marcos's son, just days ahead of a presidential election they called a "battle for the soul" of the nation.

Stock markets rallied Thursday after the Federal Reserve played down chances of an even bigger US interest rate hike in the near future.

British energy giant Shell on Thursday logged soaring first-quarter net profit as surging oil prices offset a sizeable charge linked to its Russia exit.

Russia said Thursday that a sprawling collection of artworks by the likes of Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse and Monet -- the so-called Morozov Collection -- has been safely returned after the show proved a runaway success in Paris.

Turkey's official inflation rate spiralled to nearly 70 percent in April, data showed on Thursday, posing a huge challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose unconventional economic policies are often blamed for the economic turmoil.

More than 1,000 Iraqis were rushed to hospital with respiratory ailments on Thursday due to a sandstorm, the seventh to hit the country in the past month, state media said.

Markets rallied Thursday after the US Federal Reserve played down chances of a huge interest rate hike in the near future, while oil extended gains as the European Union moved to ban imports from Russia.

The streets of Beijing's business district were deserted on Thursday as the government called for people to return to work remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by coronavirus curbs.

TikTok on Wednesday announced an ad revenue-sharing program with the social media platform's most prominent creators, moving closer to a model already used by its competitors.

China's strict zero-Covid policy has led to a plunge in confidence among European companies operating in the country as supply chains are tangled, revenue projections fall and staff leave, according to a business group survey released Thursday.

Draught horses Albert and Ivan trot down the streets of Windsor, hauling a barrel-laden cart as pubs stock up on beer ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and a hoped-for influx of visitors.

Like a giant elephant trunk, a huge hose sweeps above the hold of a ship in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, spilling tons of corn into the vessel before it sets sail.

Under the watchful gaze of former popes in framed photographs hanging on the walls, tailor Ety Cicioni races to stitch the brightly coloured uniforms for pontifical Swiss Guard recruits ahead of their swearing-in ceremony.

It has been 36 years since Tom Cruise donned his aviators, jumped into a fighter jet and ascended Hollywood's A-list with "Top Gun" -- and, finally, a sequel is about to land.

India's top woman discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who finished sixth at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned drug, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged a calm response Thursday after the Solomon Islands' leader cited an "invasion" threat and said his nation was being treated like an infant wielding a handgun.

The Seattle Sounders defeated Mexico's Pumas UNAM 5-2 on aggregate to win the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday, ending Major League Soccer's 23-year wait to lift the top club tournament for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Polls open across the UK on Thursday in local and regional elections that could prove historic in Northern Ireland and heap further pressure on embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Millions of people in Beijing returned to work Thursday, many remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by the coronavirus curbs.

A Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin Thursday at the besieged steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, to allow civilians to flee even as its defenders vowed to fight to the end.

Hong Kong has emerged a more unequal city, its freedoms curtailed and international shine dulled after five years with Carrie Lam at the helm, analysts say, as her turbulent leadership draws to an end.

US central bank officials announced an expected half-point lift in borrowing costs -- the biggest since 2000 -- as part of its battle to rein in inflation, while unveiling a timetable to offload its vast bond holdings.

The Bank of England is on Thursday expected to raise interest rates for a fourth time in a row to contain runaway inflation that is causing a cost-of-living crisis.

As a former beat cop who rose to become Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee is the one person China's leaders trust to run the city as their loyal lieutenant, analysts and insiders say.

A guard with a spotless record and a convict accused of murder -- this unlikely pair has vexed US law enforcement for days as they investigate an Alabama prison break seemingly planned down to the last detail.