- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Oil extends gains, jobs report lifts Wall Street
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Oil extends gains, Hong Kong stocks resume rally
- 'A man provides': Ukrainian miners send families away as Russia advances
- EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China
- Hong Kong stocks resume rally, oil dips after Middle East-fuelled surge
- Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains
- Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test
- US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal
- After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild
- Dockers end three-day strike at Montreal port
- What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?
- Israel-Hamas war causes 86-percent dive in Gaza GDP: IMF
- Milan's Morata moves house after Inter-fan town mayor 'violates' privacy
- 'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on
- Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
- Oil prices jump, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Biden says 'discussing' possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
- Oil prices rise, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Oil rallies, stocks mostly retreat on Middle East tensions
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
- China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong drops after surge
- Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures
- Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
- Senegal looks to aquaculture as fish stocks dwindle
- Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?
- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Argentina's Milei vetoes university budget after huge protests
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
Oil prices rise awaiting OPEC output cut
Oil prices rose Wednesday as OPEC and Russia-led allies prepare to announce a big cut in output.
Stocks markets diverged following Tuesday's surge on hopes the US Federal Reserve could temper its rate hike campaign.
The pound continued to suffer against the dollar over fears for Britain's recession-threatened economy, losing around one percent.
The main focus has been the oil market. "There will be a lot of attention on just how big this (oil output) cut is," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
"Speculation they could be double the volume previously flagged... has been behind the recent surge in crude."
Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were on Wednesday expected to announce a large cut in output to prop up prices despite Western concerns over energy-fuelled inflation.
The 13-nation OPEC cartel and its 10 Russian-led allies are reportedly considering a reduction of up to two million barrels per day at a meeting in Vienna -- the biggest cut since 2020.
In a reminder of the global economic turmoil, the World Trade Organization (WTO) dramatically lowered its global trade forecast for 2023.
"Today the global economy faces multi-prong crises. Monetary tightening is weighing on growth across much of the world," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters in Geneva.
Presenting a revision of their annual trade forecast, WTO economists said they still anticipated global economic growth rising 2.8 percent this year.
Hong Kong stocks soared Wednesday following a public holiday, catching up with the previous day's global rally.
In corporate news, Elon Musk has offered to push through with his buyout of Twitter at the original agreed price.
The world's richest man said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he sent Twitter a letter vowing to honour the contract.
The latest twist in the long-running saga came ahead of the high-stakes court battle launched by Twitter in an attempt to hold the Tesla chief to the $44-billion deal he signed in April.
- Key figures around 1100 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.9 percent at $92.57 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.7 percent at $87.10 per barrel
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.0 percent at 7,016.57 points
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.8 percent at 12,570.82
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 5,996.54
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,456.56
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 27,120.53 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 5.9 percent at 18,087.97 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
New York - Dow: UP 2.8 percent at 30,316.32 (close)
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.1372 from $1.1477 on Tuesday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $0.9926 from $0.9992
Euro/pound: UP at 87.27 pence from 87.03 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 144.34 yen from 144.09 yen
burs-bcp/rfj/lcm
P.Schmidt--CPN