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IAEA stresses 'urgency' to verify Iran's nuclear material
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UN urges action to prevent full civil war in South Sudan
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Hackers steal medical details of 15 million in France
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Susan Sarandon praises Spain’s stance on Gaza
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Murray adamant size isn't everything despite losing Wales place
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Messi knocked down by fan in Puerto Rico pitch invasion
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Two killed, dozens injured as tram derails in Milan
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O'Neill taken aback by Rangers boss Rohl's comments on Celtic
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Ukrainian, Slovak leaders hold call amid energy spat
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French hard-left firebrand sparks row with 'antisemitic' Epstein jibe
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Ahmed, Jacks blast England to thrilling win over New Zealand
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UK police arrest man after Churchill statue sprayed with graffiti
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Bill Clinton denies wrongdoing at grilling on Epstein ties
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Red Cross urges Afghanistan-Pakistan 'de-escalation'
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Coup role revelations revive calls for return of Spain's ex king
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Oil prices jump on Iran attack fears, Wall Street slips on AI
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TikTok disinformation: the other weapon in Mexico violence
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Carmaker BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory
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NASA announces overhaul of Artemis lunar program amid technical delays
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Golfer Pavan undergoes surgery after freak lift fall
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Bill Clinton faces grilling on extensive ties to Epstein
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For Roberto Cavalli designer, dreams come in all black
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Macron to set out how France's nuclear arms could protect Europe
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Spin-heavy England restrict New Zealand to 159-7 in Super Eights
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Starmer vows to fight 'extremes' after UK Labour election drubbing
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New Pokemon titles on horizon as 30th anniversary approaches
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Arteta backs Gyokeres to impact Arsenal's trophy charge
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55 Ghanaians killed after being lured into Ukraine war: govt
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OpenAI raises $110 bn in record funding round
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Medvedev swats Auger-Aliassime aside to reach Dubai final
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Stocks slide, oil jumps tracking AI and Iran
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France warns of 'provocation' if Russian drone buzzed aircraft carrier
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At Milan Fashion Week, industry's darker side goes unmentioned
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'Impressive' Maguire has Man Utd future says Carrick
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'Games you live for': Rosenior relishes Chelsea's PSG tie
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'Sacrificed futures': German chemical workers protest looming job cuts
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Scientists discover giant bird-like dinosaur in Niger desert
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Pakistan promise final flourish as they await T20 World Cup fate
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Kurdish Iranian groups in Iraq eye opportunity for change at home
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Suter wins as Aicher closes gap on absent Vonn in downhill title race
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Man City have learnt lessons from Real Madrid clashes: Guardiola
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Isolated Kremlin critics lament lost future at Nemtsov memorial
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India logs 7.8 percent quarterly growth after data overhaul
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UN urges action to prevent full civil war in S.Sudan
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Chemical giant BASF to shift jobs from Germany to Asia
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Duterte killed thousands, ICC prosecutors say
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Real Madrid face Man City, PSG draw Chelsea in Champions League last 16
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Liverpool boss Slot says Salah victim of 'his own standards'
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Stocks mostly rise, oil jumps tracking AI and Iran
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US allows non-emergency staff to leave Israel as Trump threatens Iran strikes
Most Asian markets rise as US data feeds rate-cut hopes
Asian shares mostly rose Thursday after soft US economic data boosted expectations the Federal Reserve will soon cut interest rates and put the focus on key jobs figures coming at the end of the week.
Investors were also keeping track of developments in Donald Trump's trade war and signs of movement on possible talks between the US president and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Wall Street provided an uninspiring lead as a report by payroll firm ADP showed private-sector jobs rose by 37,000 last month, a sharp slowdown from April's 60,000 and less than a third of what was forecast in a Bloomberg survey.
Another survey showed activity in the services sector contracted in May for the first time since June last year.
The readings stoked concerns that the world's number one economy was stuttering, with the Fed's closely watched "Beige Book" study noting that "economic activity has declined slightly".
It flagged household and business caution caused by slower hiring and heightened uncertainty surrounding Trump's policies.
However, the readings ramped up bets on a Fed cut, with markets pricing in two by the end of the year, with the first in September.
Eyes are now on the non-farm payrolls release on Friday, which the central bank uses to help shape monetary policy.
Still, there is some concern that the US president's tariff blitz will ramp up inflation, which could put pressure on the Fed to keep borrowing costs elevated.
Most of Asia rose in early trade, with Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei and Wellington up. Shanghai was flat and Tokyo fell ahead of a closely watched Japanese government bond auction.
Seoul rallied more than two percent on continued excitement after the election of a new president ended a six-month power vacuum. The won rose around 0.4 percent, building on a recent run-up.
Jakarta edged higher as Indonesia's government began rolling out a $1.5 billion stimulus package after Southeast Asia's biggest economy saw its slowest growth in more than three years in the first quarter.
The possibility of US rate cuts hit the dollar Wednesday and it struggled to recover in Asia, making small inroads against the yen, pound and euro.
Investors are awaiting news of talks between Trump and Xi, with the White House saying they could take place this week.
But while tariffs remain a millstone around investors' necks, IG's chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp said traders seemed less concerned than they were after the US president's April 2 "Liberation Day" fireworks.
"With markets still rising, the overall view appears to still be that the US is no longer serious about imposing tariffs at the levels seen in April," he wrote in a commentary.
"President Trump appears fixated on a call with China's president that might help to move the situation forward, but Beijing remains wary of committing itself to any deal.
"This does leave markets open to another sudden shock, which might replicate some of the volatility seen in April. But that manic period appears to have dissuaded the administration from further major tariff announcements."
- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.2 percent at 37,658.46 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 23,871.21
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 3,374.87
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1415 from $1.1417 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3546 from $1.3548
Dollar/yen: UP at 142.94 yen from 142.86 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 84.27 pence from 84.26 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $62.77 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $64.88 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 42,427.74 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,801.29 (close)
X.M.Francisco--PC