World food prices have fallen for a fifth consecutive month, partly thanks to the resumption of exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, a U.N. agency said on Friday.

Europe's stock markets rose Friday before key U.S. jobs data, after diving the previous day on fears of an inflation-induced recession.

Hundreds of Lufthansa flights were canceled Friday as pilots staged a one-day strike to press their demands for better pay and conditions at Germany's biggest carrier.

The airline said about 800 flights were grounded at its two biggest hubs, Frankfurt and Munich, due to the walkout. More than 100,000 passengers would be affected, it said.

A cargo ship carrying tons of grain from Ukraine was stranded in Istanbul's Bosporus and had to be rescued early Friday.

Turkey's Directorate General of Coastal Safety tweeted that the 173-meter cargo ship was stuck off the coast of the scenic Bebek neighborhood late Thursday because of a rudder malfunction. The busy strait was closed to traffic for the rescue by coastal safety boats. The Panama-flagged Lady Zehma was towed and the strait re-opened.

The Lebanese pound hit a new low against the U.S. dollar on the black market Friday, as it crashed below 35,000, reaching 35,500.

For decades, the Lebanese pound was pegged to the dollar at 1,500.

Global stock markets sank Thursday, propelled by rampant inflation and growing recession fears as another major Chinese city went into lockdown.

The yen plunged to a new 24-year low against the dollar on Thursday as Japan sticks with its long-standing monetary easing policies in contrast to tightening by the US Federal Reserve.

Prices for gasoline and public transport in Germany surged Thursday as government subsidies expired, hurting commuters already struggling with high energy costs, as a senior official warned that the country couldn't rely on Russia to fulfill gas supply contracts.

Germany's biggest auto club, ADAC, said initial estimates indicated that the average price of one liter of E10 super was about 0.25 euros ($0.25) higher in the morning than the previous day. Diesel fuel was about 0.10 euros ($0.10) more expensive, it said.

Even as he battles Lebanon's summer heat without air-conditioning, Judge Faysal Makki tries not to drink too much water because the toilets at the Justice Palace are broken.

As the war in Ukraine stretches into its seventh month, North Korea is hinting at its interest in sending construction workers to help rebuild Russian-occupied territories in the country's east.

The idea is openly endorsed by senior Russian officials and diplomats, who foresee a cheap and hard-working workforce that could be thrown into the "most arduous conditions," a term Russia's ambassador to North Korea used in a recent interview.