- 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
Stocks rattled by US inflation surge
European and Asian stock markets fell Friday on fears the Federal Reserve will move more aggressively to tighten monetary policy to tame decades-high inflation.
Wall Street, which finished sharply lower Thursday on the inflation data, opened modestly higher as concerns about the Fed's possible response faded somewhat.
The 7.5-percent jump in US consumer prices last month was the fastest in 40 years and reinforced fears that the central bank is falling behind the curve in keeping it under control.
Sentiment was also hit by remarks from Fed official James Bullard, who said he wanted to see interest rates lifted one percentage point by the start of July.
The St Louis Fed boss said he was in favour of a 50 basis point lift next month -- double the usual rise and the first since 2000 -- and two more after that.
"I'd like to see 100 basis points in the bag by July 1," Bullard, who has a vote on policy this year, told Bloomberg News. "I was already more hawkish but I have pulled up dramatically what I think the committee should do."
He added: "I do not think it is shock and awe.
"I think it is a sensible response to a surprise inflationary shock that we got during 2021 that we did not expect."
Bullard also said he was open to a very rare announcement of rate hikes between meetings, which further rattled traders who fretted about a move before March, while calling for the quick reduction of the bank's bond holdings that have helped keep rates subdued.
US Treasury yields -- a guide to future borrowing costs -- have risen above two percent and analysts are predicting up to seven Fed rate hikes this year.
"The embers are still smoldering this morning, but a Bloomberg report that discusses some Fed members pushing back on the idea of a 50 basis points hike at the March meeting, or some type of inter-meeting rate hike, has poured some cold water on the rate-hike fire for now," said Patrick O'Hare at Briefing.com
In Europe, London equities slid as investors set aside rebounding 2021 economic growth to focus on shrinking December activity in the wake of the Omicron Covid variant.
The UK economy grew by a record 7.5 percent last year to rebound from the pandemic crash, but shrank by a modest 0.2 percent in the final month, official data showed.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt and Paris stocks banked lower, mirroring Asia after overnight Wall Street losses.
Separately on Friday, the International Energy Agency ramped up its 2022 demand outlook to 100.6 million barrels of crude oil per day, an increase of 3.2 million, as governments further ease Covid restrictions.
"Oil prices are rallying once more as the IEA raised forecasts for demand this year and confirmed that OPEC+ missed its output targets again in January and by an even wider margin of 900,000 barrels," said Craig Erlam at trading platform OANDA.
- Key figures around 1430 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 7,626.33 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.2 percent at 15,463.56
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,037.59
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.7 percent at 4,168.92
New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 35,302.35
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 24,906.66 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,462.95 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1397 from $1.1428 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3573 from $1.3557
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.93 pence from 84.29 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.88 yen from 116.01 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.0 percent at $92.32 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.2 percent at $90.93 per barrel
burs-rl/lth
S.Gregor--AMWN