
-
Israel seizes key Gaza corridor, to expand offensive
-
UK lawmakers hold emergency debate to save British Steel
-
Warnings issued, flights cancelled as strong winds whip north China
-
End of the line for Hong Kong's Democratic Party
-
Israel takes control of key Gaza corridor, to expand offensive
-
First US-Iran nuclear talks in years start in Oman
-
Asian football chief fears 'chaos' if 2030 World Cup expands to 64 teams
-
UK lawmakers begin emergency debate to save British Steel
-
Accord reached 'in principle' over tackling future pandemics: negotiating body
-
Hamas expects 'real progress' in Cairo talks to end Gaza war
-
Lady Gaga brings mayhem to the desert on Coachella day one
-
UN warns US aid cuts threaten millions of Afghans with famine
-
Japan PM warns of divided world at futuristic World Expo opening ceremony
-
Junta chief frontrunner as Gabon holds first election since 2023 coup
-
Iran delegation in Oman for high-stakes nuclear talks with US
-
Australia beat Colombia to end BJK Cup bid on winning note
-
German refinery's plight prompts calls for return of Russian oil
-
Trump carves up world and international order with it
-
Paris theatre soul-searching after allegations of sexual abuse
-
US, Iran to hold high-stakes nuclear talks
-
Frustrated families await news days after 222 killed in Dominican club disaster
-
Jokic triple double as Denver fight back for big win
-
Trump envoy suggests allied zones of control in Ukraine
-
Iraqi markets a haven for pedlars escaping Iran's economic woes
-
Chinese manufacturers in fighting spirits despite scrapped US orders
-
Argentina receives $42 bn from international financial institutions
-
Menendez brothers' resentencing can go ahead: LA judge rules
-
'Hard on the body': Canadian troops train for Arctic defense
-
Trump, 78, says feels in 'very good shape' after annual checkup
-
McKellar 'very, very proud' after 'Tahs tame rampant Chiefs
-
Man executed by firing squad in South Carolina
-
Defending champ Scheffler three back after tough day at Augusta
-
Ballester apologizes to Augusta National for relief in Rae's Creek
-
Scorching Coachella kicks off as Lady Gaga set to helm main stage
-
McIlroy, DeChambeau charge but Rose clings to Masters lead
-
Langer misses cut to bring 41st and final Masters appearance to a close
-
Ecuador presidential hopefuls make last pitch to voters
-
Rose knocking on the door of a major again at the Masters
-
DeChambeau finding right balance at Augusta National
-
Spurs leaker not a player says Postecoglou
-
All Black Barrett helps Leinster into Champions Cup semis
-
Round-two rebound: Resilient McIlroy right back in the Masters hunt
-
Asset flight challenges US safe haven status
-
Menendez brothers appear in LA court for resentencing hearing
-
McIlroy, DeChambeau charge as Rose clings to Masters lead
-
UN seeks $275 million in aid for Myanmar quake survivors
-
Frustrated families await news days after 221 killed in Dominican club disaster
-
Trump wants to halt climate research by key agency: reports
-
Fed official says 'absolutely' ready to intervene in financial markets
-
Slumping Homa happy to be headed into weekend at the Masters

Asian markets rally fades, oil extends gains with focus on Ukraine
Asian equities were mixed Wednesday as three days of painful losses gave way to a semblance of stability, though oil prices extended gains after the United States and Britain moved to ban imports of Russian crude.
But while the panic selling that characterised markets for two weeks eased, analysts warned of further volatility as Russia showed no sign of letting up on its invasion of Ukraine.
The crisis has fuelled fears that the fragile global recovery from Covid-19 will be replaced by a period of stagflation, in which inflation surges and economies flatline or contract.
A crucial driver of equity selling has been rocketing commodities prices.
Crude is the main worry as the removal of Russia's output will compound an already tight market. Russia is the world's third-biggest oil producer.
Wheat and metals including nickel have already hit record highs.
Warnings that US President Joe Biden would put an embargo on imports from Russia sent Brent prices soaring to as high as $139 Monday -- about $8 short of a 2008 record -- before they retreated.
However, confirmation of the ban Tuesday, and news that Britain would join by the end of the year, sent the black gold roaring up again.
EU nations, which receive roughly 40 percent of their gas imports and one quarter of their oil from Russia, instead opted to set a goal of cutting their Russian gas imports by two-thirds.
In Wednesday trade Brent was sitting at around $130, while WTI was hovering around $125.
Biden's announcement on oil also shot a hole in a rally on Wall Street, with all three main indexes ending in the red.
Asia squeezed out some gains in the morning but traders struggled to maintain momentum.
Sydney, Mumbai, Singapore, Taipei, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington rose but Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai fell.
The oil ban is the latest volley at Russia, which has been hit with a series of wide-ranging and strict sanctions that have crippled the economy, and led numerous firms to exit with giants McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks the latest.
Fitch has warn Moscow is on the verge of its first sovereign debt default since 1998.
- Gold edges towards record -
There was a little support from comments by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who in an apparent nod to Moscow said he was no longer pressing for NATO membership.
He also said he was open to "compromise" on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories that Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised as independent just before unleashing the invasion.
Putin has demanded Kyiv give up its desire to join NATO and recognise the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk.
"Markets remain volatile, unable to confidently price implications from the news flow given the complex state of the global economy," said National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.
"Signs of a potential compromise coming from Ukraine's president are now confronted with the reality that even if a compromise is reached, consequences from sanctions are adding another layer to supply constraint issues, logistics and many tight commodity markets, including oil, nickel, gas and so on."
Safe-haven gold is closing in on a record high as investors rush for a hedge against soaring inflation. The yellow metal rose as high as $2,069.25 Tuesday before easing slightly.
Adding to the upward pressure was news that a cross-party group of US senators had put forward a bill to impose secondary sanctions on anyone buying or selling Russian gold, a move aimed at preventing Moscow liquidating its holdings to support the collapsing ruble.
Gold was already rising in recent weeks as inflation roared to a 40-year high in the United States, forcing the Federal Reserve to start lifting interest rates, which had been acting as a dampener on world markets.
And commentators still expect rates to rise despite the economic hit from the Ukraine war.
"The Fed doesn't seem to be getting a break in terms of the inflation problem that they are trying to solve by raising these rates, so it doesn't look likely that we'll see a less aggressive Fed over the next year or so," JoAnne Feeney, of Advisors Capital Management, told Bloomberg Television.
- Key figures around 0610 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.7 percent at $130.11 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $125.35
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 24,717.53 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.8 percent at 20,186.67
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.7 percent at 3,205.46 (close)
Dollar/yen: UP at 115.79 yen from 115.69 yen on Tuesday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0916 from $1.0895
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3114 from $1.3096
Euro/pound: UP at 83.26 pence from 83.17 pence
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 32,632.64 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 6,964.11 (close)
W.Stewart--AT