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The French government is ready to offer concessions to parliament to get through its budget, the finance minister said Thursday, in a standoff which is causing market turbulence and risks bringing down the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

Hong Kong started flight operations on its third runway on Thursday, with officials saying it will keep the city's airport competitive as an aviation hub despite its lagging post-pandemic recovery.

At 250 metres underground, the dust is thick and oxygen is in short supply at the Mramor mine in northeastern Bosnia.

A top Chinese military official has been dismissed while an investigation into "serious violations of discipline" takes place, Beijing said Thursday, the latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country's armed forces.

A Syria war monitor on Thursday said clashes between the army and jihadists killed more than 130 combatants in the worst fighting in the country's northwest in years, as the government also reported fierce battles.

A top Chinese military official has been removed from office for "serious violations of discipline", Beijing said Thursday, the latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country's armed forces.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te will stop over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during a trip to the Pacific, his office said Thursday, eliciting a fresh vow from China to "resolutely crush" any attempts for Taiwan independence.

More than a million Ukrainians were left without power in freezing cold temperatures on Thursday after a massive nationwide Russian missile and drone attack.

Equity markets diverged Thursday as investors brushed off a negative lead from Wall Street while welcoming a drop in Treasury yields and data showing US inflation was holding steady.

Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing could be hit with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, years after he led a deadly campaign against the Rohingya minority.

A top Chinese military official has been removed from office and is suspected of "serious violations of discipline", Beijing said Thursday, the latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country's armed forces.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te will stop over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during a trip to three Pacific island nations, the Presidential Office said Thursday.

Namibians were still voting early Thursday, hours after polls were scheduled to close in a presidential and legislative election set to test the ruling party's 34-year grip on power in the southern African nation.

Lucas Herbert drained an eagle at the last in a flawless eight-under-par 63 Thursday to lead the Australian Open in Melbourne and upstage LIV Golf teammate Cameron Smith who trails by two.

"Bro, I can't wait for my first dead body," wrote an 11-year-old boy on Instagram in Sweden, where gangs recruit children too young to be prosecuted as contract killers on chat apps.

Russia's army on Thursday launched a massive attack on Ukraine's energy sector, forcing emergency power outages as temperatures dropped to freezing across the country.

Paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.

Is virgin plastic production vital or completely unsustainable? For the industry lobbyists at UN talks on plastic pollution, the answer is far from unanimous.

England captured the vital wicket of Kane Williamson for 93 in a dramatic five-wicket final session to leave New Zealand 319-8 after day one of the first Test in Christchurch on Thursday.

Heavy snowfall blanketed South Korea for a second consecutive day Thursday, resulting in three deaths overall and disrupting flights and ferry services, authorities said.

Fiorentina face the first true test of their unlikely role in a crowded Serie A title race on Sunday when Inter Milan come to Florence looking to bust a seven-match winning streak.

Newly-crowned quadruple world champion Max Verstappen will switch his attention from the drivers' title race to the teams' contest this weekend when he leads Red Bull's unlikely bid to retain their crown at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Two decades after scoring a surprise holiday season global hit with "Love Actually", British filmmaker Richard Curtis is bidding to repeat the trick with his first foray into animation.

Ukraine's military said Thursday an air raid alert had been declared across the country, reporting inbound missiles targeting several regions.

Chinese defence minister Dong Jun has been placed under investigation for corruption, according to British newspaper the Financial Times.

Ireland-based budget fashion chain Primark has been criticised for its record on workers' rights and the effect of its low-cost, high-volume model on the environment.

Kane Williamson scored an unbeaten 77 as he led New Zealand to a commanding 193-3 at tea on day one of the first Test against England in Christchurch on Thursday.

The World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Norwegian chapter will have its day in court Thursday, after it sued Norway for opening up its seabed to mining before performing sufficient impact studies.

President-elect Donald Trump said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed Wednesday to "stop" US-bound migration, a claim she was quick to publicly downplay.

Asian markets diverged Thursday as investors brushed off a negative lead from Wall Street while welcoming a drop in Treasury yields and data showing US inflation was holding steady.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year, many home fixtures of Israel's national football team and clubs have been moved to Hungary.

Donald Trump's tariff threats have rattled foreign businesses and governments, with many fearing it could signal the opening salvo of an all-out trade war when he returns to the White House next year.