- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
Stocks rally as Fed eases fears of bigger rate hike
Stock markets rallied Thursday after the Federal Reserve played down chances of an even bigger US interest rate hike in the near future.
Oil prices steadied, one day after big gains as the European Commission proposed a gradual ban on Russian crude over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced an expected half-point lift in borrowing costs -- the biggest since 2000 -- as part of its battle to rein in inflation.
However, traders were given some much-needed cheer when Fed boss Jerome Powell said a 75 basis-point rise, which had been flagged by many observers, was not being considered.
"Relief has rippled through the financial markets as the Federal Reserve seems committed to keep to the path it had mapped out to try and tame roaring inflation," noted Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
The Fed has also indicated that it will start rolling back its massive stimulus programme by offloading bonds from its balance sheet "on a more gradual incline than some feared", Streeter added.
On Wall Street Wednesday following the Fed update, all three main indices closed up by about three percent thanks to a surge in tech firms, which are most susceptible to higher rates.
Strong gains in New York filtered through to Asia and Europe on Thursday.
At 1100 GMT, the Bank of England is expected to announce a fourth straight hike to its main interest rate as UK inflation sits at the highest level in 30 years.
News that Turkish inflation soared to 70 percent in April highlighted the battle central bankers face in controlling prices.
- OPEC+ decision -
Inflation has been dragged higher globally in large part owing to surging energy prices.
OPEC+ members meeting on Thursday are expected to agree a marginal increase in oil production as tight supply concerns caused by the Ukraine war are offset by lower demand risks triggered by China's renewed Covid lockdowns.
OPEC+ includes members of the OPEC oil producers cartel, notably Saudi Arabia, as well as key energy producer Russia.
Traders on Thursday digested also earnings updates from some of the world's biggest companies.
Shares in Airbus soared more than seven percent in Paris after the European aircraft maker said late Wednesday that its net profit more than tripled in the first quarter to 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), despite the impact of sanctions against Russia.
The results confirm the company's recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic slammed the air travel industry in 2020.
- Key figures at around 0945 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 7,551.92 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.3 percent at 14,156.82
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.5 percent at 6,493.45
EURO STOXX 50: UP 1.2 percent at 3,771.35
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 20,793.40 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,067.76 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 2.8 percent at 34,061.06 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.2 percent at $110.34 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $107.72 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0598 from $1.0625 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2567 from $1.2632
Euro/pound: UP at 84.33 pence from 84.06 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 129.63 yen from 129.05 yen
F.Carias--PC