- 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
- East Timor fights new battles 25 years after independence vote
- Japan election campaigns kick off for Oct 27 vote
- Home runs propel Mets, Yankees to MLB playoff victories
- Taiwan detects record 153 Chinese military aircraft after drills
- Oil prices drop on easing fears over Middle East, most markets rise
- Reoxygenating oceans: startups lead the way in Baltic Sea
- North Korea's Kim holds security meeting over drone flights
- Cars, chlamydia threaten Australian koalas
- Small town India's DIY film industry comes to London
- Harris slams Trump over military threat to 'enemy from within'
- Can biodiversity credits unlock billions for nature?
- Texas poised to execute autistic man for 'shaken baby' death
- King Charles III heads to Australia and Commonwealth meeting
- In the Colombian Pacific, fighting to save sharks
- Argentina's Matera banned for Italy Test after red card
- Vientos grand slam propels Mets in series-tying win over Dodgers
- Supporters of ex-Bolivia leader Morales block roads over possible arrest
- Germany into Nations League quarters, France and Italy win
- Nagelsmann lauds 'supercharged' Germany's 'best half of the year'
Oil prices tumble on easing Middle East fears
Oil prices tumbled more than five percent Tuesday after a report said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden he would not strike Iran's crude or nuclear facilities.
Oil prices were also pushed down by worries about demand in China after Beijing failed to announce any new stimulus for its stuttering economy at a weekend briefing.
Major stock markets were mostly lower with declines in Shanghai, Hong Kong and London, while Frankfurt rose on a report showing reviving investor confidence.
Key US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, tumbled more than five percent to $69.71 per barrel.
European benchmark Brent North Sea crude also slumped by a similar amount to $73.34, before clawing back some losses.
Prices slid following a Washington Post report that Netanyahu had pledged to target Iran's military rather than its crude and nuclear sector.
Iran's missile attacks on Israel earlier this month sent crude prices soaring on fears that retaliatory strikes would disrupt oil supplies.
Tuesday's news has "alleviated some of that supply concern", said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"With the geopolitical risk-premium falling, prices are once again being led by the struggling demand picture," he added.
The International Energy Agency on Tuesday said global oil markets remain "adequately" supplied.
In its monthly update, the Paris-based agency said the end of a Libyan oil blockade, weaker demand and relatively modest output losses from hurricanes in the US Gulf Coast "have helped to steady markets".
- China woes -
Adding to the downward pressure on oil prices is concern that China, the world's largest importer of crude, is failing to reignite its ailing economy.
Investors have been left disappointed by a lack of details from China's finance minister Lan Fo'an over the size and scale of economic-stimulus measures aimed at kickstarting growth in the world's second-largest economy.
Weaker-than-expected Chinese trade and inflation data for September further highlighted the need for economic help.
"Everywhere you look, China is in desperate need for fiscal support, with very weak domestic demand alongside an economy facing deflationary pressures and softer global demand," said Rodrigo Catril, a senior strategist at National Australia Bank.
Hong Kong's stock market closed down nearly four percent Tuesday and Shanghai shed 2.5 percent, though there were gains in Tokyo as traders there returned from a three-day weekend.
London was down around midday despite official data showing that Britain's unemployment and wage growth had eased, boosting analyst expectations that the Bank of England would resume cutting interest rates next month.
Paris stocks dropped while Frankfurt rose ahead of an expected interest-rate cut Thursday from the European Central Bank as anxiety about inflation in the eurozone fades and concerns over sluggish growth mount.
German investor confidence rose more than expected in October, a survey showed Tuesday, as the prospect of lower interest rates provided a glimmer of hope to businesses in Europe's largest economy.
There were further record closes for the Dow and S&P 500 on Wall Street Monday, as the third-quarter reporting season gets underway.
- Key figures around 1030 GMT -
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 5.1 percent at $70.04 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 4.9 percent at $73.66 per barrel
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 8,246.51 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,542.68
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 19,557.50
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 3.7 percent at 20,318.79 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.5 percent at 3,201.29 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 39,910.55 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 43,065.22 points (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0909 from $1.0911 on Monday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3088 from $1.3060
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.07 yen from 149.74 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.00 pence from 83.51 pence
O.Johnson--AMWN