
-
Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank
-
UK spy agency MI5 reveals fruity secrets in new show
-
Taiwan earmarks $2.7 bn to help industries hit by US tariffs
-
Greece nixes Acropolis shoot for 'Poor Things' director
-
Trump unveils first $5 million 'gold card' visa
-
BP chairman to step down after energy strategy reset
-
Indian patriotic movie 'icon' Manoj Kumar dies aged 87
-
Pacific nations perplexed, worried by Trump tariffs
-
Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand
-
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
-
Crops under threat as surprise March heatwave hits Central Asia: study
-
Japan PM says Trump tariffs a 'national crisis'
-
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
-
EU leaders push for influence at Central Asia summit
-
Asian stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
German industry grapples with AI at trade fair
-
Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
-
Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
-
With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
-
Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
-
Tom Cruise pays tribute to Val Kilmer
-
'Everyone worried' by Trump tariffs in France's champagne region
-
UK avoids worst US tariffs post-Brexit, but no celebrations
-
Canada imposing 25% tariff on some US auto imports
-
Lesotho, Africa's 'kingdom in the sky' jolted by Trump
-
Trump's trade math baffles economists
-
Macron calls for suspension of investment in US until tariffs clarified
-
Trump tariffs hammer global stocks, dollar and oil
-
Mexico president welcomes being left off Trump's new tariffs list
-
Lesotho hardest hit as new US tariffs rattle Africa
-
Stellantis pausing some Canada, Mexico production over Trump auto tariffs
-
Rising odds asteroid that briefly threatened Earth will hit Moon
-
Is the Switch 2 worth the price? Reviews are mixed
-
Countries eye trade talks as Trump tariff blitz roils markets
-
AI could impact 40 percent of jobs worldwide: UN
-
US trade partners eye talks after Trump tariff blitz
-
Dollar, stocks sink as gold hits high on Trump tariffs
-
Trump tariff blitz sparks retaliation threats, economic fears
-
Lessons and liquids: buried alive in Myanmar's earthquake
-
Nintendo Switch 2 sparks excitement despite high price
-
Sri Lanka's crackdown on dogs for India PM's visit sparks protest
-
China vows 'countermeasures' to sweeping new US tariffs
-
Trump jolts allies, foes and markets with tariff blitz
-
How Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs will impact China
-
Europe hits out at Trump tariffs, keeps door open for talks
-
Australia sweats through hottest 12 months on record: official data
-
South African artist champions hyenas in 'eco-queer' quest
-
Taiwan says US tariffs 'highly unreasonable'
-
Trump escalates trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows 'countermeasures'

Asian markets swing as Trump revives tariff fears on taking office
Asian markets saw big fluctuations Tuesday as Donald Trump took office warning he could impose stiff tariffs on Canada and Mexico next month but appeared to delay any action against China for now.
The new US president's announcement that the country's closest neighbours could be hit with 25 percent levies as soon as February 1 also jolted currency markets, with the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar tumbling.
His comments came amid the signing of a slew of executive orders that indicated he could resume his hardball approach to global diplomacy and trade, including pulling out of the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization.
He also gave social media app TikTok 75 days to find a buyer for its US business, after it missed a deadline Saturday ordering its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers or be banned.
"We're thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada, because they're allowing vast numbers of people -- Canada's a very bad abuser also -- vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in," he said in the Oval Office.
He had earlier said he would "immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families".
"Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," he announced in his inaugural address.
Markets in Asia and Europe had enjoyed a healthy run-up Monday -- with Frankfurt hitting another record -- on hopes Trump would take a more gradual approach to trade policy, after news of positive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping added to the optimism.
However, his warning to Ottawa and Mexico City dealt a blow to sentiment, sending most Asian markets into the red.
Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington and Taipei fell while Tokyo was slightly higher but off earlier highs. Hong Kong also edged up with Sydney and Manila.
The dollar, which had weakened across the board Monday, bounced against its major peers, but its biggest gains were against the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar, with the latter at its weakest since the start of 2020 during the pandemic.
Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets, said: "The tariff respite was short-lived, as expected, with the latest headline signalling that tariffs have been delayed but not averted.
"However, it seems like Canada and Mexico are in the focus but negotiation hopes are kept alive for China, suggesting China markets may still be supported."
Wall Street was shut Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday, but US stock futures were solidly higher.
- Key figures around 0200 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 38,951.50
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 19,993.57
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,234.21
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0380 from $1.0404 on Monday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2284 from $1.2302
Dollar/yen: UP at 155.83 yen from 155.67 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.51 pence from 84.56 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.5 percent at $76.74 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $80.11 per barrel
New York - Dow: Closed for public holiday
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,522.41 (close)
O.Hansen--CPN