Global stocks were mixed Thursday after China cut interest rates and President Joe Biden said "we're not there yet" on lowering punitive tariffs on Chinese goods.

London and Tokyo gained while Shanghai and Frankfurt declined.

Japan's exports and imports both reached record highs in December, largely because of surging oil prices and a weaker yen, the government said Thursday.

Japan's imports last month surged 41% from the same month a year earlier. Exports rose 17.5% from the previous year, on stronger shipments of autos and computer chips.

A powerful bombing struck a crowded bazar Thursday in Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, killing at least two people and wounding 26, police and rescue officials said. A newly formed separatist group from southwestern Baluchistan province claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast was so powerful that it damaged several shops at the famous Anarkali bazar, two witnesses, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Majeed, told reporters. Video footage from the scene showed burning motorcycles and victims crying out for help. The killed and wounded included passers-by, shoppers or local store owners.

New Zealand is among the few remaining countries to have avoided any outbreaks of the omicron variant — but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday an outbreak was inevitable and the nation would tighten restrictions as soon as one was detected.

But she also said that New Zealand would not impose the lockdowns that it has used previously, including for the delta variant.

Three Australian Federal Court judges on Thursday revealed their reasons for backing a government order to deport tennis star Novak Djokovic, explaining they did not consider the "merits or wisdom of the decision."

The judges on Sunday unanimously endorsed Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision to deport the 34-year-old Serb following an urgent court challenge on the eve of what was to be Djokovic's first match in defense of his Australian Open title. Djokovic accepted the verdict and flew from Melbourne to the United Arab Emirates hours later.

Researchers on Thursday reported the latest in a surprising string of experiments in the quest to save human lives with organs from genetically modified pigs.

This time around, surgeons in Alabama transplanted a pig's kidneys into a brain-dead man — a step-by-step rehearsal for an operation they hope to try in living patients possibly later this year.

The 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford set a world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, touching her small airplane down in western Belgium on Thursday — 155 days after she departed.

Rutherford will find herself in the Guinness World Records book after setting the mark that had been held by 30-year-old American aviator Shaesta Waiz since 2017.

Long-haul carrier Emirates said Thursday it will resume its Boeing 777 flights to the U.S. after halting its use of the aircraft there over concerns new 5G services in America could interfere with airplane technology that measures altitude.

International carriers that rely heavily on the wide-body Boeing 777, and other Boeing aircraft, canceled early flights or switched to different planes Wednesday following warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chicago-based plane maker over possible interference with radio altimeters.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. is considering restoring its designation of Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist group.

Biden's comment, made at a White House news conference, came after a cross-border strike Monday that killed three people in the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis, a former militia group that now controls much of Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack, which Emiratis say used both missiles and drones, and started fires at a fuel depot and international airport.

Egypt qualified for the knockout stage at the African Cup of Nations on Wednesday and put a stop for now to the run of surprise results that has shaken the tournament over the last few days.

Egypt saw off Sudan 1-0 in their final Group D game in Yaounde, confirming its place in the round of 16 after qualifying second in the group behind Nigeria.