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This year's El Nino likely to become record-breaker: top expert
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Sign of the times: Harry Styles sets record with 12-night Wembley run
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Kenya, Tanzania shut down protest anniversaries
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France's Le Pen arrives in court for key ruling in race for president
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Women pushed back to Afghanistan pin hopes on rare private sector jobs
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Stocks mixed tracking AI concerns, as oil rises on tanker attack
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Bomb attacks wound 18 in Damascus as Macron visits
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Paris FC confirm Rosenior taking over as coach
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Cuba slowly gets power back after third nationwide blackout in six months
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Thousands without power in US Pacific islands after super typhoon
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NATO summit showcases arms deals in push to win over Trump
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Prince Harry to discover outcome of UK tabloids case
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Seoul dives on tough day for Asia as Samsung fails to ease tech woes
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Messi v Salah in World Cup last-16 showdown
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Democrats push key US Senate candidate to quit over sex assault claim
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Death toll from China storms rises to 15, hundreds injured
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As South Korean Buddhism woos Gen Z, how hip is too hip?
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Belgium boosted by Balogun furore: Tielemans
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'Disappointed' Pochettino says Balogun row no excuse for US World Cup exit
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Samsung expects 1,800% operating profit leap on AI boom
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Seoul dives on mixed day in Asia as Samsung fails to ease tech woes
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Belgium thrash USA to end World Cup dream and set up Spain showdown
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Belgium dump US out of World Cup after Balogun row
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France's Le Pen faces pivotal ruling in race for president
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How US is using cash and threats to dump migrants in Africa
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NATO allies seek to win over Trump after Iran ire
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Democrat in key US Senate race denies sex assault claim
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US leads international concern after China test-fires missile into Pacific
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Samsung expects 1,800% leap in quarterly operating profit on AI boom
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Close to tears and on his own as Ronaldo's World Cup dream ends
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Polaris Announces Execution of Mixed Investment Agreement for the Three Mexico Projects
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AM Technical Solutions Acquires Sequence, Inc., Expanding Life Sciences Engineering and Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) Capabilities
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Russian strikes kill at least 26 in Kyiv region on eve of NATO summit
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Argentina's gruelling World Cup schedule a concern for Scaloni
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Ronaldo 'won't make rash decisions' following last World Cup game
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Race to recover bodies ahead of Venezuela quake cleanup
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Paraguay govt slams lawmaker for racially abusing France's Mbappe
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Egypt coach Hassan says Palestinian suffering 'a shame on the world'
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US embraces Balogun World Cup reprieve as world seethes
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NBA Kings waive six-time All-Star forward DeRozan
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Spain win it late to give Ronaldo bitter end to World Cup career
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Greaves and Hope centuries usher West Indies towards safety
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Spain edge Portugal to end Ronaldo World Cup dream, US eye quarters
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'I celebrated in bed' -- Norway's Solbakken stays grounded after beating Brazil
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Spain win it late to bid farewell to Ronaldo at World Cup
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Canada chooses Germany's TKMS to build new fleet of submarines
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Trump's fireworks made Washington world's most polluted city
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Mbappe condemns racist abuse by Paraguayan senator after World Cup clash
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Stock markets meander as US tech stocks climb
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FIFA chief forced to defend Balogun World Cup reprieve
Stocks waver as US government shutdown ends
Stock markets wavered on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill to end a record-long US government shutdown.
Paris rose and Frankfurt fell in European midday deals.
London dropped after data showed the UK economy slowed in the third quarter, dealing another blow to the Labour government ahead of its annual budget this month.
Shares in luxury fashion label Burberry jumped around five percent on London's top-tier FTSE 100 index after the British group narrowed first half losses thanks to sizeable cost-cutting.
In Asia, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta all rose. Sydney, Wellington and Taipei fell.
"The ending of the US government shutdown has sparked risk-on sentiment with US futures pointing to a higher open," said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.
Lawmakers in Washington voted on Wednesday to end the 43-day stoppage that closed key services and suspended the release of data crucial to gauging the state of the world's top economy.
Investors are bracing for long-awaited reports that have been held up by the closure, particularly as the Federal Reserve assesses whether to cut rates next months, as is expected.
However, the White House said figures on jobs and consumer prices for October were not likely to be released as statistics agencies were unable to collect the necessary data.
Concerns also mount that this year's AI-led market rally may have pushed valuations too high and led to a bubble in the tech sector that could burst at any time.
Wall Street stocks closed mostly higher Wednesday, with the Dow climbing to a fresh record amid speculation that traders are shifting from tech into industrials.
Attention was also on Tokyo after Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Wednesday the government was keeping an eye on currency markets as the yen weakened.
The yen came under pressure following dovish comments from Japan's central bank that tempered bets on another interest rate hike and as the United States moved towards reopening its government.
Oil prices advanced after plunging around four percent on Wednesday as OPEC's monthly crude market report forecast an oversupply in the third quarter.
That came just a month after it had predicted a deficit in the period.
The commodity has come under pressure amid easing tensions in the Middle East and increasing output by OPEC and other key producers.
The International Energy Agency has estimated a record surplus in 2026.
- Key figures at around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 9,866.25 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.6 percent at 8,292.80
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 24,264.33
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 51,281.83 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.6 percent at 27,073.03 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 4,029.50 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 48,254.82 (close)
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.67 yen from 154.80 yen on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1618 from $1.1587
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3154 from $1.3129
Euro/pound: UP at 88.32 pence from 88.25 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $63.02 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $58.77 per barrel
P.Anderson--BTB