- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
- From Bolivia to Indonesia, deforestation continues apace
- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
- Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage
- Tampa zoo rushes Chompers the porcupine and others to safety as Milton nears
- Shanghai stocks pare early surge on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- New Japan PM to hold talks on ASEAN sidelines
- Record number of climbers chase 14-peak dream in Tibet
- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
- China holds off on fresh stimulus but 'confident' will hit growth target
- Chiefs battle past Saints to stay unbeaten
- Deal on climate aid hangs in balance at UN COP29 summit
- Royals hit back against Yankees, Tigers maul Guardians
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case faces verdict in sex crimes trial
- Top economic official 'confident' China will hit 2024 growth target
- COP29 fight looms over climate funds for developing world
- Shanghai stocks soar to extend stimulus rally amid Asia-wide drop
- Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park
- Tragedy of Madrid street sweeper highlights how heatwaves kill
- Survivors wait for aid as Trump's lies help cloud Helene response
- Fleeing Israeli bombs, Lebanon's displaced met with suspicion
- Jila Mossaed, from refugee poet to Swedish Academy
- Will Tesla's robotaxi reveal live up to hype?
- Drugs, people smuggling at heart of Mexico's raging violence
- 'Invisibility' and quantum computing tipped for physics Nobel
- Musk says he is 'all in' on Trump in US election
- Category 5 Hurricane Milton roars towards storm-battered Florida
- Carpenter bomb stuns Guardians as Tigers level series
- Harris, Trump and Biden mark Oct. 7 attacks as US election looms
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street falls
- US judge orders Google to open Android to rival app stores
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European stock markets extend gains
European stock markets on Friday extended recent gains but Tokyo tanked with focus firmly on central bank activity.
Traders are increasingly expecting the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in September as inflation retreats.
At the same time, speculation abounds that the Bank of Japan has intervened in foreign exchange markets to boost the yen.
A smaller-than-expected US print on the June consumer price index Thursday ramped up bets on easing borrowing costs on the horizon in the world's biggest economy.
Analysts said the softer US inflation provided Japanese authorities the perfect opportunity to step into forex markets to provide support to the yen, which surged against the dollar Thursday.
"The pronounced move in the yen appears to be coming on the back of combined impact from US inflation and intervention by Japanese authorities," Charu Chanana at Saxo Markets told AFP.
"There seems to be a new playbook for Japanese interventions, coming in along with supportive fundamentals, making the strength in yen somewhat more durable."
While speculation swirled about official involvement, Japan's top currency diplomat Masato Kanda told reporters late Thursday that authorities were "not in a position to comment on whether they intervened in the market", according to public broadcaster NHK.
"Objectively speaking, there have been quite rapid fluctuations, which has affected people's lives."
There was little major reaction to data showing Chinese exports surged more than expected last month but imports confounded estimates to increase and fell.
The figures came ahead of next week's Third Plenum, a key meeting of leaders in Beijing that traders hope will see announcements aimed at kick-starting lacklustre economic growth.
The gathering will kick off the same day China is expected to release its gross domestic product figures for the second quarter.
"The success of the Third Plenum hinges on lifting household spending," said Harry Murphy Cruise and Sarah Tan at Moody's Analytics in a note.
"And that means reforms targeting housing, labour markets and tax. To be clear, policy changes are likely to be modest because of budget constraints and fears of reinflating a property bubble."
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,248.47 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,681.66
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 18,612.73
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.6 percent at 5,006.28
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.5 percent at 41,190.68 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.6 percent at 18,293.38 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 2,971.30 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 39,753.75 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 159.13 yen from 158.86 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0891 from $1.0870
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2959 from $1.2912
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.01 pence from 84.15 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.6 percent at $85.91 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $83.34 per barrel
D.Kaufman--AMWN