- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
- Ronaldo on target again as Portugal defeat Poland in Nations League
- Guardians rip Tigers 7-3 to advance in MLB playoffs
- AFP, BBC win top French war reporting awards
- Carsley goes back to basics as humbled England face Finland
- Alex Salmond: the man who took Scotland to the brink of independence
- Scotland's former leader Alex Salmond dies aged 69: party
- UN warns of catastrophe as Israel fights a two-front war
- Croatia extend Scotland's losing streak
- South Africa, New Zealand boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes
- 'Very challenging': Israel faces Hezbollah in tricky terrain
- Farrell begins to feel at home as Racing 92 beat Toulon
- South Africa boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes with Bangladesh win
- Samson ton powers India to T20 series sweep after record total
- Djokovic to face Sinner in Shanghai final with 100th title in sight
- UN peacekeepers to remain in Lebanon: spokesman
- Pro-Conquest film fuels debate in Mexico over colonial legacy
- Samson ton powers India to record 297-6 in Bangladesh T20
- New Zealand enjoy perfect start to America's Cup defence over Britain
- Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
- UN warns against 'catastrophic' regional conflict
- New Zealand crush Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
- Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- Sri Lanka seeks to match success in W.Indies T20s
- Sinner reaches Shanghai final, will end year number one
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Sabalenka downs Gauff in three sets to reach Wuhan final
- Israel warns south Lebanon residents to 'not return'
- Sinner tames Machac to reach Shanghai Masters final
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
Oil rises on fresh Middle East fears, equities advance
Oil rose Monday on fresh Middle East fears as Joe Biden pledged to retaliate after Iran-backed Huthi rebels killed three US service members in a drone attack, while equities were boosted by China's latest move to support its troubled markets.
The drone strike on a base in Jordan -- which came two days after Yemen's Huthi group struck a vessel in the Red Sea -- ramped up tensions in the region and stoked worries about supplies through the key trade waterway.
Both main crude contracts rose more than one percent in early trade -- hitting levels not seen since November -- before paring the gains slightly.
"The news of three US troops being killed by a drone attack, and President Biden saying 'we shall respond', will likely dial up the market's focus on the region," Andrew Ticehurst at Nomura, said.
The development comes as Israel presses on with its war against Hamas, adding to investor concerns about a wider conflagration that brings in Iran and the United States.
Still, the reports did little to dent equity markets in Asia,
Hong Kong led the way, piling on more than one percent as traders welcomed news that China would stop the lending of certain shares for short selling as officials try to put a floor under the country's battered markets.
Willer Chen of Forsyth Barr Asia said that while the move would likely have a limited effect on stabilising equities, it was "a good gesture as market participants had been calling for regulators to step in on this front".
Shanghai edged down on news that a Hong Kong court had issued a winding-up order against Chinese developer Evergrande.
Evergrande's Hong Kong-listed shares collapsed more than 20 percent on the news before they were suspended.
Still, Redmond Wong, chief China strategist at Saxo Markets, said "the winding-up of Evergrande's Hong Kong listing entity has been widely anticipated and should not impact the general market much".
The decision came amid worries that a huge debt crisis in China's property sector could spill over into the wider economy.
The order kickstarts a long process that should see Evergrande's offshore assets liquidated and its management replaced, after the company failed to develop a working restructuring plan.
Traders were also awaiting a crucial policy decision by the US Federal Reserve this week and the release of more corporate earnings.
While the Fed meeting is not expected to see any move on interest rates, traders hope to hear some guidance from officials on their plans, with a cut in March currently seen as a toss-up.
There were also gains in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, Bangkok, Taipei, Jakarta and Wellington.
Asia's mostly upbeat day followed another record close for the Dow on Wall Street that came after the central bank's preferred inflation gauge indicated prices were being brought under control.
As well as the Fed's meeting, the week also sees a number of other notable events, including the release of figures on US jobs creation and consumer sentiment, and Chinese manufacturing activity.
Amazon, Microsoft and other large technology companies are also due to report their earnings.
- Key figures around 0700 GMT -
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $78.33 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.4 percent at $83.28 per barrel
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 36,026.94 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 16,096.02
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.9 percent at 2,883.36 (close)
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.00 yen from 148.13 yen on Friday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0844 from $1.0858
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2704 from $1.2703
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.36 pence from 85.44 pence
New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 38,109.43 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.4 percent at 7,635.09 (close)
Th.Berger--AMWN