BUSINESS

Deadly Storm Babet unleashed extensive flooding and damaged towns in Denmark and Norway late Friday and early Saturday, while continuing to sweep across the UK. Three people died in Scotland and England and families were trapped in flooded homes on Friday as the storm battered Britain and Ireland.

Boasting good relations with both Western governments and Hamas, the emirate of Qatar has emerged as the key power in efforts to release the hostages seized by the Palestinian militant group from Israel even as other states show readiness to help.

The escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas could further strain global oil and gas supplies, already disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts have warned.

A persistent irritant to Britain's ruling Conservatives since its creation after Brexit, campaign group Led by Donkeys has built a big online audience with its largely humour-led attempts at political accountability.

Three-time Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return home on Saturday after four years of self-imposed exile, primed to make a political comeback ahead of elections.

Was Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza hit by Israeli fire? - A video from Gaza produced by the Al Jazeera news channel, which AFP was able to verify, shows the exact moment of an explosion at Ahli Arab hospital at 6:59 pm (1559 GMT) Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said Qatar had played a key role in the release by Palestinian militant group Hamas of two American hostages held since its attack against Israel on October 7, adding he was confident of further releases.

US comedian Jon Stewart's talk show on Apple TV+ has reportedly been canceled after just two series due to clashes between its host and the company over topics such as China and artificial intelligence.

Meta and Google have pulled out of the Web Summit, one of the tech sector's biggest annual events, after the organizer criticized Israel's actions following the Hamas attacks, the companies said on Friday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Friday she was separating from her partner, with whom she has a daughter, after he was recorded making sleazy comments.

Lawyers for Niger's ousted president on Friday rejected claims by the new military rulers that he had tried to escape, as France said its forces would be gone from the West African country by year's end as planned.

The credit card company said younger customers keep leading demand for new accounts and are willing to pay annual fees.

Russia on Friday ordered Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to be detained three more days, after prosecutors said she had failed to register as a "foreign agent".

Author Salman Rushdie on Friday urged a "cessation" in fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, saying he was filled with "horror" and "foreboding".

Russian author Sergei Lebedev's novel "Untraceable", about an undetectable toxin used to target Kremlin critics, was released a few years ago but has taken on added resonance as alleged poisonings have multiplied.

Leading through global conflict is a significant challenge, but it's one that CEOs and leaders must face head-on.

Twitter won fame in the Arab uprisings nearly a decade ago as a pivotal source for real-time crisis information, but that reputation has withered after the platform's transformation into a magnet for hate speech and disinformation under Elon Musk.

Argentina's tough-talking former security minister Patricia Bullrich wrapped up her presidential campaign Thursday, vowing to tackle crime, corruption and record inflation, while taking aim at her main rivals.

The US intelligence community has estimated there were likely 100 to 300 people killed in the strike at the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, according to excerpts of a document seen Thursday by AFP -- far fewer than the nearly 500 deaths that health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave originally described.

Procter & Gamble's recent product price hikes represent an unrecorded form of inflation facing the American consumer.

New York's attorney general on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing cryptocurrency firms Gemini and Genesis with fraud that wound up costing investors more than a billion dollars.

The Fed chair said at an event in New York that stronger than expected economic growth and a tight labor market could put more pressure on inflation.

The National Association of Realtors's chief economist is calling for the Fed to stop raising interest rates.

The report points to strength in the labor market after data for retail sales and manufacturing this week beat expectations.

Artificial intelligence models lack transparency, according to a study published Wednesday that aims to guide policymakers in regulating the rapidly-growing technology.

The EU's milestone legislation, known as the Digital Services Act, demands digital giants crack down on illegal and problematic content.

The EU announced probes Thursday into Facebook owner Meta and TikTok, seeking more details on the measures they have taken to stop the spread of "illegal content and disinformation" after the Hamas attack on Israel.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Thursday it was dropping all war crimes charges against Maxime Mokom, a former militia leader in the troubled Central African Republic (CAR).

Finnish telecom giant Nokia said Thursday it would cut up to 14,000 job as profits fell on weakening demand for its 5G equipment in North America.