- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Markets track Wall St rally as traders weigh Russia sanctions
Equities bounced back Friday from the previous day's rout with investors taking their lead from a rally on Wall Street after Washington decided against imposing the stiffest sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine sent shockwaves through Asian and European markets and pushed oil past $100 for the first time since 2014 as traders contemplated a major conflict in Eastern Europe.
Speculation had been growing for weeks about an incursion, which has stoked fears about supplies of key commodities including wheat, metals and crude.
Investors have also been fretting over the impact of any sanctions Western leaders would impose on Moscow.
Despite a chorus of outrage at Putin's move, the punishments have so far been seen as well short of the most stringent.
While the latest measures from Washington target Russia's two largest banks and see controls on high-tech items aimed at crippling its defence and aerospace sectors, US President Joe Biden has not cut off oil exports.
The news provided a big boost to Wall Street, where all three main indexes surged from deep in the red to end Thursday on a positive note, while crude eased back below $100.
The Nasdaq was the standout performer, ending more than three percent higher as commentators said the crisis could keep the Federal Reserve from embarking on an aggressive series of interest rate hikes to tame inflation.
Tech firms are more susceptible to higher borrowing costs and have been hammered in recent months on bets for tighter monetary policy.
"Stocks don't always move in the way we expect them to," Callie Cox, at trading platform eToro, said on Bloomberg's "QuickTake Stock" broadcast.
"We're sitting here processing these headlines and trying to understand what they mean for the global economy, but first and foremost, fear is a contrarian indicator.
"While we’re all rightfully fearful right now, some investors may be seeing this as a time to jump back in."
The gains in New York filtered through to Asia, where Tokyo climbed two percent and Mumbai 2.4 percent, while Seoul, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington added more than one percent.
There were also gains in Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Taipei, though Hong Kong struggled to hold early advances and saw fresh selling.
London, Paris and Frankfurt rallied at the open.
Safe haven gold dipped but held above $1,900.
Traders are keeping a close eye on developments in Ukraine as Russian troops close in on the capital Kyiv.
Oil rose again with Brent back above $100 a barrel as traders remained sensitive to headlines and analysts warned the conflict could keep prices elevated for months.
Wheat, a major export from the region, was at its highest level since 2008 as analysts warned exports will likely dry up for the time being.
The caution came despite signs of progress on Iran nuclear talks that could see it begin exporting crude globally again, ramping up supplies at a time when demand is soaring as the world reopens.
While there is talk that the Ukraine crisis could lead the Fed to rethink its plans for tightening monetary policy, there were warnings bank boss Jerome Powell was not likely to be swayed by equity market losses.
"If investors are bidding up the Nasdaq 100 because they think Putin brought back the Powell Put, they may be sadly disappointed," Max Gokhman of AlphaTrAI said, referring to the idea the Fed would step in to support stocks from suffering hefty losses.
"The Fed isn’t going to stop tightening when the US labour market remains tight and growth is above-trend."
Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Thursday the US economy was healthy enough to withstand a rise in rates to one percent by summer with a 50 basis point move next month -- double the usual amount in a single hike.
However, he admitted the Ukraine crisis could force officials to rethink their plans.
- Key figures around 0710 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.0 percent at 26,476.50 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 22,767.18 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,451.41 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.0 percent at 7,280.95
Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.5 percent at $101.56 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.2 percent at $94.82 per barrel
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.32 yen from 115.49 yen late Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1189 from $1.1202
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3400 from $1.3378
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.50 pence from 83.70 pence
New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 33,223.83 (close)
M.Thompson--AMWN