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Leading German institutes on Thursday downgraded their 2026 growth forecasts, in another bad sign for Chancellor Friedrich Merz whose efforts to reboot Europe's biggest economy face mounting criticism.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Thursday recounted her "extraordinary" reunion with her three children in Oslo, where she emerged from months in hiding after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Stranded Thai and Cambodian evacuees were split Thursday over the expected intervention of US President Donald Trump to end a decades-long border dispute that has turned their lives upside down.

Bulgaria's prime minister announced Thursday that his government was resigning after less than a year in office following a series of anti-corruption protests.

Austrian lawmakers on Thursday voted by a large majority in favour of a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14, a move rights groups and experts say is discriminatory and could deepen societal division.

Europe's largest steelmaker Thyssenkrupp is to pause steel production at two sites for about two weeks because of Asian competition, the German firm said Thursday, as the European Union considers tightening its steel tariffs.

Yodelling, the traditional singing of herders in the Swiss Alps, was recognised by the United Nations on Thursday as part of the world's cultural heritage.

Stock markets diverged Thursday as optimism over the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate cut was dampened by disappointing earnings from software giant Oracle, which revived concerns over sky-high AI valuations.

Israel said on Thursday Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top leader from the Palestinian Islamist movement suggested a weapons freeze.

The European Central Bank proposed Thursday simplifying rules for the region's lenders to help them compete internationally, but insisted the move would not weaken guardrails aimed at preventing crises.

The death toll in Indonesia's devastating floods closed in on the 1,000 mark Thursday as hundreds of thousands more continued to face shortages, with frustration growing over relief efforts.

A Myanmar military air strike killed more than 30 people at a hospital, aid workers said Thursday, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month.

Widespread disruption hit Portuguese air travel and trains, hospitals and schools Thursday as the unions called the biggest nationwide strike action for more than a decade against government labour reforms.

Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado will do her best to return to Venezuela to end the "tyranny" in the country, she said Thursday as she seized the spotlight in Oslo after nearly a year in hiding.

Toxic smog has blanketed Vietnam's capital for more than a week, blotting out the skyline and leaving residents wheezing as Hanoi's air quality dipped to among the world's worst on Thursday.

Asian markets were mixed Thursday as earlier gains fuelled by the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate cut were offset by indications the central bank will hold off from further reductions at the start of next year.

Mexico's Congress gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill establishing penalties of up to eight years in prison for selling electronic cigarettes and similar products.

On any Friday, when the Afghan weekend begins, dozens of drivers gather in the Kandahar desert to charge their SUVs up steep ochre dunes, kicking up rooster tails of sand to the delight of spectators.

A Myanmar military air strike killed more than 30 people at a hospital, an aid worker said Thursday, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month.

A controversial British adult film star faces deportation from Indonesia's resort island of Bali for violating immigration laws after she was arrested on suspicion of making pornographic online content, police said Thursday.

Japan said Thursday it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing.

Heart-stopping footage released Thursday by Australian authorities showed the moment a skydiver was left dangling thousands of metres in the air after their parachute caught on the plane's tail.

Survivors of a deadly 2021 typhoon in the Philippines have filed a lawsuit against British oil giant Shell, seeking financial compensation for climate-related devastation, three NGOs supporting them said Thursday.

Finance ministers from Europe's 20-country single currency area are to choose the next Eurogroup chief on Thursday, as the EU weighs a tough decision on using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

The Oklahoma City Thunder bagged a 16th straight victory on Wednesday, thrashing Phoenix 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with San Antonio, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119.

Fighting raged Thursday along the border of Cambodia and Thailand, with explosions heard near centuries-old temples ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned phone call to the leaders of both nations.

Mitch Hay scored an aggressive half-century on his Test debut to help New Zealand to a 41-run lead over the West Indies at the close of play on day two of the second Test in Wellington on Thursday.

Taiwan plans to keep making the "most advanced" chips on home soil and remain "indispensable" to the global semiconductor industry, the deputy foreign minister told AFP, despite intense Chinese military pressure.

Warmer seas and heavier rains linked to climate change, along with Indonesia and Sri Lanka's unique geographies and vulnerabilities, combined to produce deadly flooding that killed hundreds, scientists said Thursday.

Former Manchester United and England star Jesse Lingard signed off with a goal in his final game for FC Seoul before bidding a tearful farewell to South Korean football after two seasons.

Mitch Hay scored a half-century on his Test debut to help New Zealand to a 73-run lead as they were bowled out by the West Indies on day two of the second Test in Wellington on Wednesday.

A South Korean minister resigned on Thursday after being accused of receiving illegal funds from the Unification Church, a cult-like movement linked to widespread influence-peddling.