- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of other sex crimes
- Italy seek Nations League consistency as Germany continue rebuild
- From boom to budgeting as reality bites for Saudi football
- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
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- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
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- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
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- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
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Asian markets slide, China growth behind target
Asian stocks opened lower on Monday in cautious trade, as China posted higher-than-expected economic growth but officials still warned of "significant challenges ahead".
Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 1.25 percent in early trade, while Hong Kong and Sydney were closed for holidays.
Stocks in Shanghai, which reported the first Covid-19 deaths since the start of its weeks-long lockdown, were slightly down.
China's largest city and economic powerhouse has stewed under a patchwork of lockdown restrictions this year amid the country's worst Covid-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
The country reported first-quarter economic growth of 4.8 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics said, as the pandemic threatens Beijing's ambitious annual growth target.
That figure was up from 4.0 percent in the final months of 2021.
The world's second-biggest economy was already losing steam in the latter half of last year with a property slump and regulatory crackdowns.
All of this adds to pressure on officials to meet the country's full-year growth target of around 5.5 percent, in a key year for President Xi Jinping who is eyeing another term in power.
"We must be aware that with the domestic and international environment becoming increasingly complicated and uncertain, economic development is facing significant difficulties and challenges," said NBS spokesman Fu Linghui.
Oil prices, which have been elevated since Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, were up again, with Brent Crude topping $112 a barrel.
Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said the rise was "likely to fuel inflation fears, and rate hike jitters around the meaningful Fed action required to snuff those fears out".
Russia is a major global oil and gas supplier, and -- along with Ukraine -- is also a key player in the grain sector.
The conflict has shaken markets for these commodities, and the impact has been felt from the Middle East to South America.
The war has sent oil prices soaring, with reports swirling about further energy sanctions on Russia.
Central banks in several major economies including the United States, Canada and Britain have already started raising interest rates to contain prices, but the European Central Bank on Thursday kept its stimulus plans and rates unchanged.
- Key figures around 0250 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.83 percent at 26,596.66
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.42 percent at 3,197.72
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0798 from $1.0801
Pound/dollar: DOWN at 1.3037 from $1.3063
Euro/pound: UP at 82.83 pence from 82.67 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 126.53 yen from 126.39 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.66 percent at $112.44 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.52 percent at $107.51 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 34,451.23 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 7,616.38 (close)
D.Sawyer--AMWN