- 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'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
European stocks mostly fall after Wall Street losses
European stock markets mainly fell Thursday with sentiment jarred by sliding shares on Wall Street, which was rocked by surging global inflation and the prospect of rising interest rates.
New York's Nasdaq on Wednesday fell into a correction -- a decline of greater than 10 percent from its most recent peak -- as tech giants are more susceptible to higher borrowing costs.
On Thursday, London slid 0.1 percent with shares in drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline falling 1.0 percent after consumer goods giant Unilever said it would not lift its £50-billion bid for the consumer health care unit owned by GSK and Pfizer.
Unilever shares rose on the news.
Paris equities also dropped 0.1 percent but Frankfurt grinded 0.1 percent higher in early afternoon eurozone deals.
Oil prices paused after a strong run-up this week on the back of expectations for improved demand as economies reopen and as unrest in the crude-rich Middle East sparks supply concerns.
"In Europe, the main bourses turned broadly lower after more selling in the United States, whilst Asian markets snapped a week's run of losses as China cut benchmark mortgage rates," said Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson.
Asian indices rose as investors returned to buying after recent losses, with Chinese property firms enjoying a much-needed lift on fresh easing measures by the country's central bank.
Signs that Beijing was on a new monetary easing course also provided some crucial support to Chinese tech giants which have been hammered in recent months as they were caught in the clutches of a wide-ranging, private-sector clampdown.
The People's Bank of China on Thursday lowered a key bank lending rate for the second time in as many months, days after slashing its policy rate for the first time since the pandemic struck.
However, investors remain grounded by concerns about the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy plans as it battles soaring inflation, which has been stoked by a cocktail of surging demand, supply chain snarls, rising wages and a spike in energy prices.
Speculation is now growing that the bank will have to lift interest rates four times or more this year.
Some analysts are tipping a 50 basis-point hike in March, the first such move since 2000, while the bank has also said it plans to offload the bond holdings on its books that have helped keep costs down.
The inevitable end of the era of ultra-cheap cash -- which helped fuel a near two-year equity rally and economic rebound -- has weighed on global markets for months.
- Key figures around 1200 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,585.96 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 15,826.79
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,163.95
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.3 percent at 4,287.77
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 27,772.93 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.4 percent at 24,952.35 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,555.06 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.0 percent at 35,028.65 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1338 from $1.1343 late Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3604 from $1.3612
Euro/pound: UNCHANGED at 83.33 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.27 yen from 114.33 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $88.25 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $85.81 per barrel
L.Peeters--CPN