- French footballer Ben Yedder on trial for sexual assault
- India foreign minister in arch-rival Pakistan for rare visit
- Restored 'Apollo Belvedere' marble back on show in the Vatican
- Lagos festival dances to Nigerian icon Fela Kuti's beat
- Italian PM hails 'courageous' Albania migrant deal
- 'Tragedy in Jabalia' as Israel army tightens siege in north Gaza
- Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money
- Two giant pandas arrive in US from China aboard 'Panda Express'
- Musiala and Upamecano return to Bayern training
- Wirtz return 'unclear' after injury on Germany duty
- Ghulam says 'wait is over' after century on Pakistan debut
- Boeing to raise up to $25 bn as strike weighs on finances
- Two giant pandas arrive in US from China
- Japan hold Australia, S. Korea and China win in World Cup qualifying
- Mbappe's golden-boy image takes a hit amid negative headlines
- Hezbollah threatens to attack targets across Israel
- Oil prices fall on easing Middle East fears
- Wales lock Jenkins to miss November Tests with 'horrible' injury lay-off
- France to play Israel in Paris and allow fans in
- Twin panda cubs to make public debut at Berlin zoo
- Scotland's Kinghorn maintains Lions 'dream' despite Toulouse clash
- Pakistan debutant Ghulam hits century to defy England in second Test
- Boeing announces intention to raise up to $25 bn
- Tuchel 'in talks with FA' over England manager's job
- Dutch rider Lavreysen targets record at world track championships
- Bangladesh suspend Hathurusingha as coach after alleged assault
- Russian Olympic chief announces surprise resignation
- Ferguson to leave Man Utd ambassador role as club cuts costs
- Turkish govt defends tax plan to fund defence industry
- Oil prices tumble on easing Middle East fears
- Eidevall quits as Arsenal Women head coach
- US, Philippines launch war games after China's Taiwan drills, ship collision
- Swedish prosecutor confirms 'rape' probe without naming Mbappe
- England dismiss Ayub but Pakistan reach 173-3 at tea in second Test
- Israel vows to put 'national interest' first in response to Iran attack
- Oil prices hit by easing Middle East fears, most Asian markets rise
- Mbappe-PSG salary row faces hearing as France captain cited in 'rape' report
- K-pop star tells South Korea lawmakers of workplace bullying
- Ex-Wallabies captain Elsom denies wrongdoing after arrest warrant
- Pakistan 79-2 at lunch in second England Test after Leach strikes
- Hopes pinned on peace across Taiwan Strait after drills
- Valencia fans leave Singapore with 'stern warning' after protest
- Falling sales cause sour grapes for iconic Portugal wine
- Belgian pathologist and literary star gives 'voice to the dead'
- Ethiopia's 'korale' recyclers turn waste into money
- Italy row, AI in focus at world's biggest book fair
- US, Philippines launch war games a day after China's Taiwan drills
- Scotland lock Gray signs for Japan's Toyota
- Allen and Bills foil Rodgers, outlast Jets 23-20
- North Korea blows up roads connecting it to the South
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Equities drop, oil rallies on fears of broader Middle East war
Asian equities retreated and oil prices rallied Wednesday on fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spill over into a regional war after a strike on a Gaza hospital dealt a blow to President Joe Biden's diplomatic drive.
Markets had enjoyed a healthy run Tuesday on optimism that while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing for a ground offensive in the territory, the crisis could be contained.
The Hamas-run Palestinian territory's health ministry blamed Israel for the hospital blast, but Tel Aviv said it was caused by a rocket misfired by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.
Biden had planned to visit Israel and Jordan on Wednesday to talk to Netanyahu as well as Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in hopes of finding a way to de-escalate.
But news that at least 200 had been killed in the hospital blast saw the Arab leaders cancel their summit in Amman and fanned concerns of a wider conflagration, with Iran warning this week that a wider war was becoming "inevitable".
There was an increase in fighting between Israeli troops and Tehran-backed Hezbollah on the Lebanon border.
"The whole region is at the brink of falling into the abyss that this new cycle of death and destruction is pushing us towards," King Abdullah II said following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday.
"The threat of this war expanding is real."
Asian markets mostly fell, with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei and Manila all down.
Sydney, Seoul and Jakarta edged up.
Crude jumped more than two percent on worries about supplies from the oil-rich region in the event of a wider war, with some observers even warning the commodity could head towards $150 a barrel.
- China growth -
Forecast-busting economic growth data out of China provided a shaft of light for traders.
The 4.9 percent third-quarter expansion was slower than the previous three months but much better than analyst estimates, lifting hopes that the world's number-two economy was seeing some stabilisation after a torrid year.
The figures were helped by a healthy jump in retail sales, suggesting the country's consumers are regaining a little more confidence, though officials continue to face calls for more stimulus to kickstart the economy.
However, a report showing a better-than-expected rise in US retail sales revived talk of another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, even after a string of decision-makers lined up in recent weeks to suggest monetary policy was likely tight enough to bring inflation down.
"Good news about the economy is once again bad news, since it will keep policymakers on the fence on delivering more tightening," said Edward Moya at OANDA.
"It seems the US economy isn't ready to head into a recession just yet."
And SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes added: "Simply put, the US consumer appears unbowed and utterly unaffected by rising interest rates.
"Contrary to expectations that the US consumer is weakening, recent revisions suggest Americans may still have significant savings.
"The steady stream of strong macro data reinforces the view that economic growth in the US remains robust enough to avoid a recession -- a view that is admittedly increasingly part of a growing consensus."
- Key figures around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.2 percent at 31,974.29 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 17,745.11
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,067.95
West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.6 at $86.94 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.3 percent at $91.98 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0574 from $1.0579 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2176 from $1.2182
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.70 yen from 149.82 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 86.86 pence from 86.81 pence
New York - Dow: FLAT at 33,997.65 points (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 7,675.21 (close)
L.Davis--AMWN