- 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 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- 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
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- 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
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- 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
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- 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
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- 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
Stock markets mostly fall before European interest rate decisions
Stock markets mostly dropped Thursday as profit-taking set in after recent strong gains, as traders awaited interest rate updates from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.
While the BoE is expected to hike its rate by a quarter-point to 0.5 percent, the ECB is forecast to sit tight as central banks tackle soaring inflation.
The euro and British pound were largely steady before the announcements Thursday.
"The ECB is not anticipated to make any adjustments, but the recent increase in inflation has many traders pricing in a rate hike before the end of the year," noted Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Avatrade.
Eurozone inflation unexpectedly rose to a record 5.1 percent in January, official data showed Wednesday.
Analysts viewed the figure as a potential headache for ECB President Christine Lagarde, who had ruled out a rate hike this year.
- Oil drops -
Elsewhere Thursday, oil prices fell a day after top producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia announced another modest increase in output.
Wall Street advanced Wednesday but the positivity was dealt a blow after the close as Facebook parent Meta delivered a disappointing earnings update.
Traders in recent weeks have been heavily occupied by the Federal Reserve's timetable for hiking interest rates, with speculation rife over how much it will raise them in March and how many more times this year.
Several officials have come out in recent days to soothe concerns about a hard and fast approach, while US inflation data released next week will be closely watched for an idea about the central bank's plans.
US private companies shed jobs last month for the first time since December 2020 as the Omicron coronavirus variant complicated business -- a potential harbinger of bad news for the upcoming government employment report due Friday.
"Forecasts for Friday's payrolls are now all over the place with many calling for a negative print in January," said National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.
"Depending on the magnitude of the disruption, this can potentially become a solid excuse for the Fed to wait on the sidelines after a first rate hike in March."
In Asian trade Thursday, Tokyo, Sydney, Manila, Mumbai and Jakarta all fell.
Singapore and Seoul were both up about two percent on their first day after the Lunar New Year break.
Wellington was a standout, enjoying more gains as traders cheered news that New Zealand would begin easing its strict border restrictions this month with an aim to fully reopen by October.
- Key figures around 1000 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,579.88 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.5 percent at 15,537.79
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,090.20
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.7 percent at 4,192.42
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.1 percent at 27,241.31 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
New York - Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 35,629.33 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1289 from $1.1304 late Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3559 from $1.3573
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.27 pence from 83.28 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 114.77 yen from 114.42 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.9 percent at $88.67 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $87.22 per barrel
F.Dubois--AMWN