- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
US stocks fall again as Russia-Ukraine tensions mount
Wall Street stocks fell again Wednesday amid unease over Ukraine and shifting Federal Reserve policy, while oil prices finished a volatile session little changed.
Major US indices opened the day higher, but began retreating soon thereafter amid fresh Ukraine headlines, finishing the day sharply lower.
A United Nations meeting on Ukraine heard that a full-scale Russian invasion of the country would have a devastating global impact that would likely spark a new "refugee crisis."
Also Wednesday, Ukraine's parliament declared a national state of emergency aimed at helping to forge a response to the threat of a full-scale Russian invasion.
And President Joe Biden followed up Tuesday's sanctions announcement, saying the United States will join Germany in imposing sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project.
But so far the penalties were not as bad as markets had feared -- crucially with none aimed at Russia's crude exports -- providing much-needed breathing room for investors and halting the surge in oil prices that has seen both main contracts pile on more than 20 percent so far this year.
After a mixed day in European stocks, the broad-based S&P 500 dropped 1.8 percent, its fourth straight decline.
The market "is really agitated with all the uncertainty," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare, who also said wariness over the Fed's shifting policy was an exacerbating factor.
O'Hare noted that US Treasury yields rallied Wednesday, a sign investors so far aren't flooding into US debt in a "flight to quality."
Oil prices fluctuated throughout the day, but finished little changed, but analysts are still eyeing a possible spike in prices depending on what happens with Ukraine.
"There's still considerable risk that oil prices may surge above $100 a barrel" if the situation escalates, said Vivek Dhar at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
"Oil markets are particularly vulnerable at the moment given that global oil stockpiles are at seven‑year lows."
- Key figures around 2220 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.4 percent at 33,131.76 (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 1.8 percent at 4,225.50 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 2.6 percent at 13,037.49 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,498.18 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 14,631.36 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 6,780.67 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,973.41 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.6 percent at 23,660.28 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,489.15 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Brent North Sea crude: FLAT at $96.84 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $92.10 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1308 from $1.1325 late Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3545 from $1.3585
Euro/pound: UP at 83.41 pence from 83.36 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.96 yen from 115.13 yen
burs-jmb/hs
C.Peyronnet--CPN