- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
Oil surges back up on Russia tensions
Oil prices soared Thursday on tensions surrounding key producer Russia, as equities diverged with traders tracking interest rate decisions, the Ukraine conflict and China's pledge to support volatile markets.
The price of benchmark oil contract, Brent North Sea crude, jumped more than five percent to return above $100 per barrel after Russia rejected a ruling from the UN's top court to suspend its Ukraine offensive.
"Russia's invasion is still dictating price action... given the country's global importance in terms of supply," Interactive Investor analyst Victoria Scholar told AFP.
The fallout from the war in Ukraine could cut global economic growth by "over one percentage point" in the first year after the invasion, the OECD grouping of developed economies said in a report.
The impact "if sustained" would produce "a deep recession in Russia" and further increase global consumer price inflation by approximately 2.5 percentage points, it added.
The warning came as Russia's finance ministry said it had carried out interest payments on two foreign bonds, avoiding default for now after it was hit by unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine.
- Central banks -
Central banks were in focus again on Thursday as the Bank of England (BoE) raised its main interest rate by a quarter point, following the US Federal Reserve's decision to do the same the day before.
The hike, widely anticipated by analysts, was the BoE's third straight rate rise as it battles with decades-high UK inflation.
"The global economy faces elevated levels of inflation because of various factors, including from surging energy and commodity prices," said Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at ThinkMarkets.
US markets were slightly down shortly after opening, as the market came to terms with the Fed's decision on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 slipped 0.4 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.9 percent.
In Asia, Hong Kong's main stocks index closed with another massive gain, as investors pile back in after China's pledge to support markets.
The Hang Seng surged seven percent, a day after a nine-percent jump.
Another blistering surge in tech firms helped Hong Kong extend its recovery from the recent rout, while traders also cheered soothing comments on the US economy by the Fed.
China's top economic official has vowed measures to support beaten-down markets and indicated that a debilitating crackdown on the technology sector was nearing its end.
"The statement addressed so many issues on various fronts, which is really rare," said Ding Shuang at Standard Chartered.
"Selloffs tended to be self-fulfilling partly because of the lack of response from the government," but part of the government's aim is likely to break that inertia and stabilise expectations, he added.
- Key figures around 1330 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: UP 7.0 percent at $104.74 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 6.7 percent at $101.43 per barrel
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 7,330.50 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.3 percent at 14,249.45
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.6 at 6,552.16
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.1 percent at 3,846.99
New York - DOW: DOWN 0.4 percent at 33,939.45
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 7.0 percent at 21,501.23 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 3.5 percent at 26,652.88 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.4 percent at 3,215.04 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1060 from $1.1038 late Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3106 from $1.3148
Euro/pound: UP at 84.41 pence from 83.90 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 118.77 yen from 118.73 yen
M.Mendoza--CPN