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The eurozone economy narrowly avoided a technical recession in the second half of 2023 but stagnated in the final three months of the year, official data showed Tuesday.

Jamie George's 'lighter touch' is better suited to captaining an inexperienced England Six Nations squad than the more 'abrasive' manner of Owen Farrell, said former Test lock Courtney Lawes.

Uzbekistan will face hosts and holders Qatar in the Asian Cup quarter-finals after highly rated Abbosbek Fayzullaev hit the winner in a 2-1 victory over Thailand on Tuesday.

Seemingly dead, buried and completely humiliated just a few days ago, Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations dream somehow remains alive and there is suddenly a sense of optimism after the Elephants beat reigning champions Senegal to reach the quarter-finals.

A new government agency to "protect Hungary's sovereignty" which starts work Thursday will have a "chilling effect" on the country's democracy, critics warn.

European stock markets rose on Tuesday, with Paris reaching a record high as official data showed the eurozone avoided recession last year.

The eurozone economy narrowly avoided a technical recession in the second half of 2023 but stagnated in the final three months of the year, official data showed Tuesday.

French farmers were on Tuesday maintaining roadblocks on key highways into Paris for a second day, increasing pressure on the government for more concessions in an intensifying standoff.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said criticism of his team at the Asian Cup was "a sign of respect" as they prepare to face Bahrain in the last 16 on Wednesday.

Kamila Valieva's doping ban has resulted in the Russia Olympic Committee team being demoted from the gold to bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics team skating event, the International Skating Union (ISU) said Tuesday.

Deadly fighting and bombardment rocked Gaza on Tuesday as international mediators pushed for a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war.

Senegal winger Krepin Diatta may face disciplinary action after accusing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) of being "corrupt" following the reigning champions' exit from the Africa Cup of Nations on penalties to hosts Ivory Coast on Monday.

Northern Ireland's main pro-UK party, the DUP, said on Tuesday it endorses a deal with the UK government allowing it to end a long-running boycott of the province's devolved administration.

The World Meteorological Organisation confirmed on Tuesday that continental Europe recorded in 2021 its highest ever temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit), and warned that new extremes were expected.

The German economy contracted at the end of 2023, official data showed Tuesday, the latest gloomy news for Europe's export powerhouse as it battles high inflation and a manufacturing slowdown.

The EU has reached an agreement on a first step towards tapping profits from frozen Russian assets to help pay for rebuilding war-ravaged Ukraine, officials said.

Hong Kong's leader announced on Tuesday the city would urgently create a new security law to crush pro-independence threats, nearly four years after authorities extinguished a huge democracy movement.

Saudi Arabia has ordered energy giant Aramco to maintain its oil production capacity at 12 million barrels per day, abandoning a planned increase, the firm said on Tuesday.

Undercover Israeli agents, some disguised as medical staff, raided a West Bank hospital Tuesday and shot dead three Palestinians the army alleged were Hamas militants, in the first such operation in eight years.

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison, less than two weeks before the country votes in an election his party has been hamstrung from contesting.

Athens' new mayor will plant 25,000 trees over the next five years to try to cool the sprawling Greek capital, he told AFP.

Asian markets were mixed Tuesday as another record on Wall Street was unable to help extend the previous day's advance, with traders eyeing a Federal Reserve meeting, big-name earnings and key data.

Fancy watches, hunting parties and suspicions of Russian influence-buying all figure prominently in the trial of Norway's biathlon honcho Anders Besseberg, accused of accepting improper gifts during his reign as the sport's global chief.

Saudi Arabia has ordered energy giant Aramco to maintain its oil production capacity at 12 million barrels per day, abandoning a planned increase, the firm said on Tuesday.

Toyota's chairman said Tuesday he was "ashamed" of recent scandals involving subsidiaries of the Japanese auto giant, as the firm announced record vehicle sales of 11.2 million across its brands last year.

A boom in cheap crack cocaine is posing challenges to Switzerland's permissive drug strategy, not least to Geneva's safe injection rooms.

The Israeli army was preparing to shift some of its forces from the Gaza Strip to the restive Lebanese border, as international mediators pushed for a new deal to halt its war with Hamas.

Joko Widodo has led Indonesia for a nearly a decade pledging to do things differently, but he stands accused of manoeuvring to build his own political dynasty in next month's presidential vote in a country long known for its nepotistic politics.

New Zealand loose forward Luke Jacobson will captain the Waikato Chiefs in 2024, the Super Rugby franchise announced Tuesday, with All Blacks skipper Sam Cane currently in Japan.

Hong Kong will create its own national security law "as soon as possible", city leader John Lee said Tuesday, adding insurrection and other crimes not covered by existing legislation imposed by Beijing four years ago.

Japan's Toyota said Tuesday that it sold a record 11.2 million vehicles in 2023, cementing its position as the world's top-selling automaker for the fourth successive year thanks to a recovery in demand in all regions and easing semiconductor shortages.

Hong Kong will create its own national security law "as soon as possible", city leader John Lee said Tuesday, adding insurrection and other crimes not covered by existing legislation imposed by Beijing four years ago.