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AI ignites 'ignored sector' for Japan chipmaker Kioxia
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Seoul leads Asian stocks higher as US inflation eases rate fears
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Writers union sues to block US Paramount deal
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Duped or spun with juju: how sex trade trafficks Nigerian women
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UK announces social media curfew for older teens
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France fireworks fizzle as Spain advance to World Cup final
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Italy court to rule in deadly bridge collapse case
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Gibraltar and Spain end border checks
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Tuchel unfazed by history ahead of England v Argentina World Cup semi
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UK climate now hotter, sunnier: weather agency
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Scaloni says fatigue not a concern for Argentina in World Cup semi-final
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Rice declared fit to start for England in World Cup semi-final
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Mac Allister calls on Argentina to channel Maradona spirit in England World Cup clash
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'Immense disappointment': Mbappe rues end of World Cup dream
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Key battles as England face Argentina in World Cup semi-final
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Viva! Delirium in Madrid as Spain reach World Cup final
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Deschamps says France 'devastated' by defeat, questions referee
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NFL Texans co-founder McNair dead at 89
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IBM shares plunge 25% as AI spending boom disrupts business
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Spain deliver World Cup masterclass against France to reach final
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Majestic Spain stun France to reach World Cup final
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Brook upbeat about England ODI form amid Test captaincy uncertainty
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Nasdaq rebounds as cooling US inflation weighs on dollar
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Record-smashing heat wave surges from West to eastern US, Canada
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Hurdles record holder Tharp claims first win as professional in Budapest
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Wildfires that ravaged historic forest outside Paris contained
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McIlroy and Scheffler unconcerned by their place in golf history
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NY state pauses new large data center projects in US first
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Gill enjoys more Edgbaston success as India beat England in 1st ODI
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England v Argentina: World Cup battles
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IBM shares plunge as AI spending boom disrupts business
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Argentina v England in the World Cup: much more than just a game
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NY pauses new large data center projects for one year
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Green groups sue to block Trump rule gutting species habitat protections
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First day of new Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome has ended: US official
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Man Utd sign Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans
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Cuba faces third nationwide blackout in less than 10 days
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Pogacar inspired by Djokovic after Tour de France jeers
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Trump backtracks on plan to toll Hormuz ships
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Balogun admits red card furore affected US World Cup team
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France, Spain battle for place in World Cup final
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Pogacar inspired by Djokovic amid Tour de France jeers
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Pogacar inspsired by Djokovic amid Tour de France jeers
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'Gus' the T. rex fetches record $50.1 mn at US auction
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Croatia ex-international Simic held in graft case
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Dollar slides as rate hike prospects ease, oil gains moderate
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Record-smashing US heat wave surges from West to East
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England won't be drawn into Argentina World Cup rivalry: Kane
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Why does Brazil's PIX payment system bother Donald Trump?
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Swiss World Cup squad return home to heroes' welcome
Stocks mainly rise after Wall Street's AI-fuelled rally
Global stock markets mostly rose Thursday following a tech-fuelled rally on Wall Street spurred by US president Donald Trump's massive AI-investment announcement.
Investors have largely welcomed the first few days of Trump 2.0 as he held off immediately returning to the hardball trade policies of his first term.
However, warnings that China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico could be hit by tariffs as soon as February 1 have given cause for concern.
"Investors are still weighing Trump's tariff talk, though history suggests his bark often echoes louder than his bite," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
In Europe, London retreated from its record highs but Frankfurt pushed on with its winning streak and Paris also rose.
Tech titans including Nvidia, Microsoft and ARM helped lead a surge in New York on Wednesday, after Trump announced a new $500 billion venture to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence in the United States.
Tokyo-listed SoftBank, named in the venture, extended the rally Thursday, piling on more than five percent and boosting Tokyo's gains.
Elsewhere, Chinese authorities unveiled measures to bolster the country's stock markets, including allowing pension funds to invest in listed companies and pushing firms to increase share purchases.
The measures provided some support with Shanghai's stock market advancing, but Hong Kong gave up early gains to end lower.
"Recent history would suggest Beijing will need to take more radical action if Chinese shares are to enjoy a sustained recovery," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
Seoul shed more than one percent after South Korea's central bank revealed weak economic growth data for the fourth quarter as the country was hit by the fallout from impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief declaration of martial law.
The yen edged up against the dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy decision Friday, when many investors expect it to raise interest rates for the third time since March.
"Economic data continues to support the BoJ's case for a rate hike," said Gregor Hirt at Allianz Global Investors, pointing to upward momentum in core consumer prices.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,539.00
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 7,861.18
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 21,317.70
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 39,958.87 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 19,700.56 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,230.16 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 44,156.73 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0413 from $1.0425 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2320 from $1.2313
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.40 yen from 156.45 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 84.51 pence from 84.48 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $75.51 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $79.08 per barrel
L.Janezki--BTB