- 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
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
Asian markets drop on economy worries, yen rallies
Equities slipped Wednesday following a mixed day on Wall Street, as worries about the world's top two economies offset optimism that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates next week.
Meanwhile, the yen hit its highest level in nine months after a Bank of Japan official said decision-makers would stick to their tightening plan if the economy and inflation perform as expected.
Nervous traders were also jockeying for position ahead of key US inflation data that could play a role in the central bank's decision making next week, while oil edged up after Tuesday's plunge sparked by demand fears.
Another round of sub-par US jobs data last week revived worries that the world's top economy was slowing more than expected and could be on course for a recession.
They came a month after a stock rout caused by an equally bad reading on the labour market and added to debate about whether the Fed had waited too long to cut rates owing to its focus on bringing inflation down.
Investor uncertainty over the United States is compounded by the ongoing struggles of China's economy, as leaders there try to kickstart growth in the face of a crisis in the huge property sector, tepid consumer activity and soaring youth unemployment.
The long-running troubles in the economy, and recent crackdowns on various sector's by the government, have hammered the mainland and Hong Kong stock markets, which have underperformed in recent years.
And they fell again Wednesday along with most other markets in the region.
Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington and Manila were also in the red, though Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta edged up slightly.
Focus now is on the release of the US consumer price index later in the day, hoping for an insight into the Fed's next move when it concludes its next meeting on September 18 and what it could mean for the economy.
"Investors have turned their gaze toward the burning question," said independent analyst Stephen Innes.
"Soft landing or full-blown recession? Will the Federal Reserve's easing cycle be a smooth, controlled descent, or are we heading for a fast-and-furious, panic-driven acceleration?
"There's still a school of thought that (Fed boss Jerome) Powell might reach into his monetary hat and pull out a surprise 50-basis-point cut. The call might be closer than market odds are pricing, and Powell might be the wildcard that flips the entire narrative.
"Buckle up because this high-stakes game isn't over yet."
On currency markets, the yen strengthened to 141.51 at one point -- its best level since January -- after BoJ board member Junko Nakagawa said officials were determined to keep tightening policy.
The bank's surprise decision in July to hike for the second time in 17 years was a factor in the global markets sell-off days later as the yen surged and investors unwound their so-called carry trades in which they used the cheap currency to buy high yielding assets like stocks.
Oil prices ticked higher after being hammered Tuesday, when Brent fell below $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2021 on concerns about the global outlook and after the OPEC oil cartel revised down its demand estimates.
Commentators said that offset expectations for US rate cut and OPEC's decision to hold out output increases.
- Key figures around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 35,867.33 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.1 percent at 17,050.95
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 2,724.85
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 141.75 yen from 142.44 yen on Tuesday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1040 from $1.1023
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3095 from $1.3083
Euro/pound: UP at 84.31 pence from 84.25 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.6 percent at $66.15 per barrel (close)
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $69.56 per barrel (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 40,736.96 points (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.8 percent at 8,205.98 (close)
S.Gregor--AMWN