Reuters

French maize crop conditions declined steeply last week to their lowest level in at least a decade, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed, as a worsening drought and latest heatwave baked fields in the European Union's top grain producer.

Without providing any proof, the secretary-general of Kenya's governing party has said the country's elections were rigged, fuelling public anxiety on Friday as media houses significantly slowed down their unofficial tallies of the presidential vote.

British households faced new water usage restrictions on Friday, with parts of England likely to formally declare a drought as the government, environment officials and water companies meet to discuss the impact of prolonged hot and dry weather.

European shares rose on Friday after GSK led a rebound in healthcare stocks, while Flutter fuelled a rally in the travel and leisure sector after an upbeat earnings forecast.

As the dust settles from China's military exercises around Taiwan, the message is clear: the military will uphold China's claim on the island in a challenge to the United States that will keep tension high and ramp up the risk of confrontation.

British leadership candidate Liz Truss, the front-runner to become prime minister, said that while energy giants should be held to account their profits should not be seen as either dirty or evil.

Britain's economy contracted by less than feared in June, when public holidays had been expected to exert a big drag, although sectors most exposed to a worsening cost of living crisis, like retail and restaurants, struggled.

A group of property developers in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei urged the local government this month to crack down on what they described as "malicious protests" by homebuyers, according to a joint letter reviewed by Reuters.

A hacker has claimed to have obtained the personal information of 48.5 million users of a COVID health code mobile app run by the city of Shanghai, the second claim of a breach of the Chinese financial hub's data in just over a month.

A European bank has agreed to process a payment for the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine, Slovak refiner Slovnaft and another source familiar with the matter said, removing the cause of a stoppage of oil supplies to central Europe last week.

Large corporations are jumping on the "green" bandwagon left and right, which in turn is pushing firms that lease and manage car fleets to convert to electric vehicles (EVs) faster than they had ever thought possible.

Battered by a near 50% plunge in its shares over the last 12 months, Nexi, Europe's biggest payments processor, has not gone unnoticed.

Malaysia's economy grew at its fastest annual pace in a year in the second quarter, boosted by expansion in domestic demand and resilient exports, but a slowdown in global growth is expected to pose a risk to the outlook for the rest of 2022.

Some stock market bulls are watching a technical indicator for clues on whether a summer rebound in U.S. equities will roll on.

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI) for July likely rose 2.4% from a year earlier, accelerating to the fastest pace in nearly eight years and topping the central bank's 2% inflation target for a fourth month, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.

Asian stocks tracked Wall Street losses and the yen fell on Friday as investors remained filled with uncertainty over how aggressively the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates to tackle inflation despite softer numbers earlier this week.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol pardoned Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y.

While China's expanded drills surrounding Taiwan have marked an unprecedented military and political warning against outside interference over the island, they opened a window to gather intelligence for the United States and its allies.

China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp is aiming to raise up to $2.16 billion through a new listing in Hong Kong, according to a term sheet reviewed by Reuters, in what will be the largest share sale in the city so far in 2022.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will stick to its hawkish stance and deliver a fourth straight half-point rate hike on Wednesday in its most aggressive tightening in over two decades to try to rein in stubbornly-high inflation, a Reuters poll found.

The Japanese yen fell the most against a resurgent U.S.

Oil prices dipped in early trade on Friday amid uncertainty on the demand outlook based on contrasting views from OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IEA), but benchmark contracts were headed for weekly gains as recession fears eased.

Thailand's economy likely grew at its fastest pace in a year last quarter, thanks to increased tourism as pandemic curbs eased, but the high cost of living and a slowdown in China pose threats to the outlook, a Reuters poll showed.

As thousands of Afghans crowded outside Kabul airport a year ago desperately trying to escape the Taliban, Massouda Kohistani managed to fight her way on to a foreign military flight bound for the Gulf and ended up in Spain.

Argentina's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 950 basis points on Thursday as the country struggles to keep a lid on spiraling inflation that rose to a 20-year high of 71%, according to new data.

South Korea's SK Hynix aims to select a U.S. site for its advanced chip packaging plant and break ground there around the first quarter of next year, two people familiar with the matter said, helping the United States to compete as China pours money into the burgeoning sector.

Canada Goose Holdings Inc on Thursday surpassed Wall Street targets for quarterly results after affluent consumers undeterred by decades-high inflation snapped up its luxury parkas and jackets.

The source of the River Thames has dried up further downstream than ever before, as England looks set to enter a drought that some experts say the country is unprepared for.

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a 2020 ruling that tossed out a racketeering lawsuit filed by General Motors Co against rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), now part of Stellantis NV, and former executives.