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British energy giant Shell on Thursday logged soaring first-quarter net profit as surging oil prices offset a sizeable charge linked to its Russia exit.

Russia said Thursday that a sprawling collection of artworks by the likes of Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse and Monet -- the so-called Morozov Collection -- has been safely returned after the show proved a runaway success in Paris.

Turkey's official inflation rate spiralled to nearly 70 percent in April, data showed on Thursday, posing a huge challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose unconventional economic policies are often blamed for the economic turmoil.

More than 1,000 Iraqis were rushed to hospital with respiratory ailments on Thursday due to a sandstorm, the seventh to hit the country in the past month, state media said.

Markets rallied Thursday after the US Federal Reserve played down chances of a huge interest rate hike in the near future, while oil extended gains as the European Union moved to ban imports from Russia.

The streets of Beijing's business district were deserted on Thursday as the government called for people to return to work remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by coronavirus curbs.

TikTok on Wednesday announced an ad revenue-sharing program with the social media platform's most prominent creators, moving closer to a model already used by its competitors.

China's strict zero-Covid policy has led to a plunge in confidence among European companies operating in the country as supply chains are tangled, revenue projections fall and staff leave, according to a business group survey released Thursday.

Draught horses Albert and Ivan trot down the streets of Windsor, hauling a barrel-laden cart as pubs stock up on beer ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and a hoped-for influx of visitors.

Like a giant elephant trunk, a huge hose sweeps above the hold of a ship in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, spilling tons of corn into the vessel before it sets sail.

Under the watchful gaze of former popes in framed photographs hanging on the walls, tailor Ety Cicioni races to stitch the brightly coloured uniforms for pontifical Swiss Guard recruits ahead of their swearing-in ceremony.

It has been 36 years since Tom Cruise donned his aviators, jumped into a fighter jet and ascended Hollywood's A-list with "Top Gun" -- and, finally, a sequel is about to land.

India's top woman discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who finished sixth at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned drug, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged a calm response Thursday after the Solomon Islands' leader cited an "invasion" threat and said his nation was being treated like an infant wielding a handgun.

The Seattle Sounders defeated Mexico's Pumas UNAM 5-2 on aggregate to win the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday, ending Major League Soccer's 23-year wait to lift the top club tournament for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Polls open across the UK on Thursday in local and regional elections that could prove historic in Northern Ireland and heap further pressure on embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Millions of people in Beijing returned to work Thursday, many remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by the coronavirus curbs.

A Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin Thursday at the besieged steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, to allow civilians to flee even as its defenders vowed to fight to the end.

Hong Kong has emerged a more unequal city, its freedoms curtailed and international shine dulled after five years with Carrie Lam at the helm, analysts say, as her turbulent leadership draws to an end.

US central bank officials announced an expected half-point lift in borrowing costs -- the biggest since 2000 -- as part of its battle to rein in inflation, while unveiling a timetable to offload its vast bond holdings.

The Bank of England is on Thursday expected to raise interest rates for a fourth time in a row to contain runaway inflation that is causing a cost-of-living crisis.

As a former beat cop who rose to become Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee is the one person China's leaders trust to run the city as their loyal lieutenant, analysts and insiders say.

A guard with a spotless record and a convict accused of murder -- this unlikely pair has vexed US law enforcement for days as they investigate an Alabama prison break seemingly planned down to the last detail.

The top-seeded Miami Heat overpowered the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 on Wednesday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

OPEC+ members meeting on Thursday are expected to agree a marginal increase in oil production, bolstered by risks to demand amid coronavirus restrictions in China.

A mothballed nuclear power plant built near a fault line and volcanoes in the Philippines during Ferdinand Marcos's dictatorship could be revived if his son wins next week's presidential election.

One of Colombia's most notorious drug lords was extradited Wednesday to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, announced President Ivan Duque.

Twenty years after Vladimir Putin flattened their capital Grozny in the same way that his forces are now destroying Mariupol, Chechens refugees in Europe still live in fear of Russia's long arm.

India and France on Wednesday called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities" in Ukraine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi again stopping short of condemning Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola put his side's latest Champions League collapse down to the unpredictability of football after Real Madrid produced a stunning late fightback to reach the final.

Karim Benzema scored an extra-time penalty as Real Madrid pulled off another astonishing comeback in the Champions League to stun Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday and book a showdown with Liverpool in the final.

Carlo Ancelotti said the "history of the club" helped his Real Madrid side stage another Champions League comeback to down Manchester City on Wednesday and reach the final.