The S&P 500 was flat on Thursday as gains in Facebook and Microsoft were overshadowed by 3M's bleak quarterly report, which sparked concerns about slowing global growth.

The death toll in Sri Lanka's Easter Day attack is around 100 fewer than the 359 originally thought, a two top government officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Ukraine's president-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy, keen to build parliamentary support, said on Thursday the election commission was preventing him from calling a snap parliamentary election by delaying the announcement of his election victory.

Sri Lanka's top defense official said on Thursday that security agencies had been working to stop militant attacks in the days before Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, and he was resigning to take responsibility for the failure.

The death toll in Sri Lanka's Easter Day attack is around 100 fewer than the 359 originally thought, a top health official told Reuters on Thursday.

Britain said terrorists were likely to try to carry out further attacks in Sri Lanka and warned its nationals to avoid the country unless it was absolutely necessary following the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people.

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was released on bail from a Tokyo jail on Thursday, said he was grateful bail had been granted but denounced conditions limiting contact with his wife.

U.S. stocks were pulled lower on Thursday by downbeat earnings from industrial companies, including 3M, although strong results from marquee names Facebook and Microsoft kept the tech-heavy Nasdaq afloat.

Sri Lanka's top defense official said on Thursday that security agencies had been working to stop militant attacks in the days before Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, and he was resigning to take responsibility for the failure.

Britain said on Thursday it was advising against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, adding that terrorists were very likely to try to carry out further attacks.

The dollar rose on Thursday, hitting the highest in almost two years against the euro on an upbeat U.S. capital goods report, while a gauge of world equity markets slid as weak economic data from South Korea and a profit warning from 3M Co renewed concerns about global growth.

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn walked out of a Japanese jail for a second time late on Thursday, freed on $4.5 million bail after agreeing to curbs on contacting his wife as he awaits trial on financial misconduct charges.

More than 300 environmental activists sowed chaos through London's financial district on Thursday, gluing themselves to the stock exchange and blocking roads outside the Bank of England and major banks such as Goldman Sachs.

Protesters from the environmental group Extinction Rebellion glued themselves to the British Treasury on Thursday on the final day of protests that have caused mass disruption in the British capital.

U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, weighed down by dismal reports from industrial companies including 3M, however strong earnings from Facebook and Microsoft, which hit the trillion-dollar valuation mark, kept the tech-heavy Nasdaq afloat.

A capital raise for Tesla Inc will not come cheap and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk must finally prove to investors that he can produce and deliver Model 3s and higher margin electric cars on time, Wall Street analysts said on Thursday.

Zahran Hashim founded a mosque and is accused of leading the group of bombers who killed more than 350 people.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq index hit a fresh record at the open on Thursday after strong results from Facebook and Microsoft, while a slump in industrial conglomerate 3M weighed on the Dow and limited gains on the S&P.

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who was indicted this week on fresh charges of financial misconduct, was released from a Japanese jail on Thursday after posting $4.5 million bail and agreeing to conditions including limits on contact with his wife.

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando told Reuters on Thursday that he had resigned, taking responsibility for the suicide bomber attacks on the country last Sunday.