- 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'
Oil soars, ruble dives on fallout from Russia sanctions
Oil prices surged Monday while the ruble collapsed and global stocks mostly retreated after world powers imposed new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Western powers added to the growing litany of penalties on Moscow, with the United States and Canada banning all transactions with Russia's central bank and the European Union adding more close allies of President Vladimir Putin to its sanctions blacklist.
Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out conditions for ending his invasion of Ukraine in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, while the United Nations General Assembly began a special emergency session to discuss whether to condemn Russia's invasion of its neighbor.
Brent crude again topped $100 per barrel as oil prices reached highs not seen since 2014.
The news, alongside sharp gains for aluminium, nickel, corn and wheat -- commodities that Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of -- sparked renewed concern over rampant inflation.
"Russia's energy supplies are very much at risk, either due to being withheld by Russia as a weapon or swiped off the market due to sanctions," Louise Dickson, senior oil market analyst at Rystad Energy, said in a note.
Traders will closely watch a meeting this week of OPEC and other major oil producers led by Russia, where they will discuss output plans.
The Russian ruble crashed to a record low as sanctions imposed by the West over the weekend had an immediate impact in Moscow, forcing the central bank to more than double its key interest rate to 20 percent.
Putin also announced emergency measures intended to prop up the ruble, including banning residents from transferring money abroad.
- Banking shares slump -
Wall Street stocks began the day firmly in the red, and though they staged a partial recovery, the Dow and S&P 500 had retreated by the close while the Nasdaq scored modest gains.
"It is nearly impossible to be aggressively bullish given the geopolitical uncertainties and continued upward pressures with inflation," said Oanda's Edward Moya.
European stocks also closed in the red with London losing 0.4 percent, while Frankfurt and Paris shed 0.7 percent and 1.4 percent respectively.
The hardest-hit stocks included giant European banks, which tanked in the wake of the latest measures on Russia.
In Paris, Societe Generale slumped 10.4 percent, BNP Paribas shed 8.2 percent and Credit Agricole lost 5.5 percent.
In Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank was the biggest loser with a drop of 8.5 percent.
The European subsidiary of Russia's state-owned Sberbank is meanwhile facing bankruptcy in the wake of the sanctions, the European Central Bank said on Monday.
Frightened customers of Sberbank branches outside Russia were seen lining up to withdraw cash on Monday.
London-listed shares in Russian metal giants Polymetal and Evraz took another battering, collapsing by 52 percent and 27 percent respectively at one point.
Monday also saw British energy giant BP dive almost 6.0 percent after deciding to exit Russia.
- Key figures around 2030 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: UP 3.1 percent at $100.99 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 4.5 percent at $95.72 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 33,892.60 (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,373.94 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.4 percent at 13,751.40 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,458.25 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.7 percent at 14,461.02 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.4 percent at 6,658.83 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.2 percent at 3,924.23 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 26,526.82 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 22,713.02 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,462.31 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1220 from $1.1268 late Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3418 from $1.3409
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.59 pence from 84.03 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.93 yen from 115.55 yen
C.Peyronnet--CPN