Asia stocks opened sharply lower today, joining a global sell-off on concerns over Turkey's financial crisis but later pared losses on news that China and the US would hold trade talks.
Equities across the region suffered steep losses at the opening bell, with Tokyo and Shanghai off by more than one percent, dragged down by a weak session on Wall Street as traders fretted over possible contagion from Turkey's currency crisis.
Japan's main Nikkei 225 index shed 1.20 percent in early trade and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was off by 1.17 percent after another day of volatile trading driven by Turkey.
On Wednesday, Ankara hiked tariffs on imports of several US goods in retaliation for American sanctions, the latest step in a tit-for-tat spat between the two NATO allies that shows little sign of easing.
The crisis has sent the Turkish currency into free-fall and sparked concerns that European banks and other emerging markets exposed to the unit could also suffer.
A bearish mood ...

Asian stocks recover after US-China trade talk news

PTI Automatic

Rickie Fowler says he'll skip next week's Northern Trust, first event of the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, as he recovers from injury, but vows to be "more than ready" for the Ryder Cup.
"My team and I feel like it's best not to play next week in the Northern Trust," Fowler wrote in a post on Instagram.
"I will be back healthy and competitive ASAP for the FedEx Cup and more than ready for the Ryder Cup!!!" Fowler was reportedly hampered by an oblique injury last week at Bellerive Country Club, where he started the third round of the PGA Championship two shots off the lead but faded to a tie for 12th.
He confirmed the injury in his Instagram post, saying that an MRI exam had shown a partial tear of his right oblique muscle.
Fowler said the injury also affected him at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he tied for 17th.
Fowler is among eight players who have qualified for the US Ryder Cup team on points, with those places confirmed on Monday after the conclusion of the PGA ...

Injured Fowler to skip US PGA playoff opener, 'will be ready' for Ryder Cup

British tennis chiefs said Wednesday they will vote against the controversial reforms planned for the Davis Cup, claiming the radical changes could see fewer players taking part and a waning of fan interest.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said that even though they remain fully supportive of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and its leadership, "regrettably, it is unable to support their proposed Davis Cup reforms at this time, and will oppose the resolution at the ITF AGM tomorrow".
Around 120 delegates at the ITF's annual meeting in Orlando will decide Thursday whether proposals by federation chief David Haggerty are to be given the go-ahead.
Haggerty's plan will see the Davis Cup's sprawling existing format, stretched across the calendar year and played in all corners of the globe, condensed into a season-ending 18-nation event played at a single, neutral venue.
The LTA says it has too many reservations to support the Davis Cup plan.
"Concerns remain that the proposed ...

British tennis chiefs to vote against Davis Cup reform

- Novak Djokovic battled stomach issues to beat Adrian Mannarino and reach the third round in Cincinnati on Wednesday as women's title holder Garbine Muguruza crashed out.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic called for the doctor during the second set against Mannarino but put aside his discomfort to progress 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 over the Frenchman before rain halted afternoon play.
"I wasn't feeling well, I didn't have a great night and wasn't feeling that well for the first set and a half," said Djokovic, who has won every Masters 1000 title except Cincinnati.
"I kind of made it through, and with the help of the doctor and God...I'm just, you know, happy that I managed to overcome the challenge. Credit to him playing well the first set, but I wasn't myself."
Seventh-seeded Muguruza played for the first time since crashing out in the second round of her Wimbledon title defense, falling 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Lesia Tsurenko.
"It was a very ugly match, but I'm happy that I fought, even if the level wasn't .

Djokovic overcomes stomach trouble as Zverev exits in Cincy

China will send a top negotiator to the United States in late August to resume trade talks, the commerce ministry said today, the first public meeting on the subject in weeks as the trade conflict intensifies.
Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, the deputy representative on international trade negotiations, will meet with a senior US treasury official, David Malpass, at the invitation of the United States, the ministry said in a statement.
"The Chinese side reiterates that it opposes unilateralism and trade protectionism practices and does not accept any unilateral trade restriction measures," the ministry said.
"China welcomes dialogue and communication on the basis of reciprocity, equality and integrity." US Commerce Minister Wilbur Ross held talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing in June.
But the discussions failed to reduce tensions as the United States slapped tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods in early July, triggering an immediate dollar-for-dollar ...

China to send negotiator to US for trade talks this month

Saul Niguez and Koke scored in extra time as Atletico Madrid fought back to beat city rivals Real Madrid 4-2 and win the UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn on Wednesday, as Julen Lopetegui got off to a losing start with the European champions.
Real had earlier looked set to win the trophy in their first competitive game since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Zinedine Zidane when a Sergio Ramps penalty put them 2-1 up in the second half.
That came after Karim Benzema cancelled out Diego Costa's first-minute opener in the Estonian capital, but Costa hauled Diego Simeone's side level again late on to force extra time.
Simeone's men then looked stronger in the extra period as they won this competition, the annual meeting of the Champions League and Europa League winners, for the third time in nine seasons.
Real had won the trophy under Zidane in each of the last two years, and emerged victorious against their neighbours in the Champions League finals of 2014 and 2016.
But this result .

Atletico come back to beat Lopetegui's Real Madrid in Super Cup

Nineteen of the 24 victims in a fatal tourist bus crash in Ecuador were Colombian, the government has confirmed.
Fourteen of the deceased Colombian victims have been identified, the country's foreign ministry said.
The identities of four Venezuelans and two Ecuadorians have also been determined.
"Once all the bodies have been identified," the Colombians will be repatriated, Bogota's attorney general's office said in a statement.
The crash near Quito, believed to have been caused by a brake failure, also left 22 people injured, including 12 Colombians, Bogota's foreign ministry said.
The bus, which had foreign license plates, overturned and crashed into three houses after a collision with an all-terrain vehicle.
Ecuador transport colonel Julio Barba said the driver "probably overused the brakes... which produced an overheating of the brake system leading to a loss of control of the vehicle." Three of the four Ecuadorians in the all-terrain vehicle were among the dead, which included ...

Colombia says 19 citizens killed in tourist bus crash

The White House has said that Turkey's tariff hikes on US products in retaliation for sanctions against Ankara were "regrettable" and again called for the immediate release of American pastor Andrew Brunson.
"The tariffs from Turkey are certainly regrettable and a step in the wrong direction," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, while stopping short of announcing fresh retaliatory measures.
The White House defended a slew of tariffs and sanctions that have substantially weakened Turkey's currency and forced regulators to take steps to curb financial flows out of the country.
"The tariffs that the United States placed on Turkey were out of national security interests. Theirs are out of retaliation," said Sanders yesterday.
She added that even if pastor Andrew Brunson was released, tariffs would remain in place on steel.
Sanders lamented that Turkey had treated Brunson, "who we know to be a very good person and a strong Christian who has done nothing wrong, very unfairly, ...

White House says Turkish sanctions 'regrettable'

A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as the worst red tide in a decade blackens the ocean water, killing dolphins, sea turtles and fish at a relentless pace.
More than 100 tons of dead sea creatures have been shoveled up from smelly, deserted beaches in tourist areas along Florida's southwest coast as a result of the harmful algal bloom this month alone.
In just the past week, 12 dolphins washed ashore dead in Sarasota County, typically the toll seen in an entire year.
"It is physically and mentally exhausting," said Gretchen Lovewell, who is in charge of a skeleton crew at Mote Marine Laboratory that collects dead or distressed sea turtles and marine mammals.
She and two colleagues "have been literally working around the clock," Lovewell added.
On Sunday, near the fluffy sands of Siesta Key, one of America's top-ranked beaches, Lovewell recovered the remains of a decomposing dolphin. A faint number, 252, was visible, freeze-branded onto its dorsal fin.
It was a ...

'Devastating' dolphin loss in Florida red tide disaster

Cambodian leader Hun Sen has swept up all seats in parliament after holding an election with no opposition, as the country settles into one-party rule and a government that could face questions of legitimacy on the world stage.
The strongman has been in power for 33 years but the vote late last month was widely decried as a sham after a crackdown on the rival Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November.
A spokesman for the National Election Committee told AFP Wednesday as official results were released that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won all 125 seats up for grabs and took nearly 77 percent of the vote.
Cambodia's new government will be formed next month but problems of credibility could trail the regime as experts believe Hun Sen will try to bolster popular support at home.
"It's like pushing a cart uphill," said independent political analyst Meas Ny. "From now on the new government will be under attack and defending ...

Cambodia ruling party sweeps parliament after vote with no opposition

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne could face a spell on the sidelines after injuring his right knee in training, the Premier League champions said today.
The 27-year-old, who enjoyed a superb World Cup as Belgium reached the semi-finals, is undergoing tests to assess the seriousness of the injury.
"Kevin De Bruyne is undergoing tests on his right knee after sustaining an injury at training on Wednesday," read a club statement on its website.
"The extent of the problem is not yet known and we will bring you further updates on Kevin's condition in due course."
De Bruyne, who has been at City since 2015, scored eight goals and provided 16 assists last season in a series of dynamic performances for the champions.

Man City sweat on De Bruyne after knee injury

The torch for the 18th Asian Games reached Indonesia's capital Jakarta today, ending a month-long journey across the Southeast Asian archipelago nation.
It was welcomed in style by marching bands, traditional dances and concerts, after starting its journey in the host country's cultural centre Yogyakarta on July 17.
The flame was lit in India's capital New Delhi, which hosted the first Asian Games in 1951.
Organisers hope the torch relay will attract at least one million spectators across the sprawling Indonesian capital.
Some 10,000 torch bearers, including Indonesian badminton legends Rudy Hartono, Icuk Sugiarto and Ricky Subagja, will be taking part in the relay.
The torch is set to arrive Saturday at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium for the Games' opening ceremonies, ending its 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) journey across 54 cities.
Indonesia is hosting some 11,000 athletes and 5,000 officials from 45 Asian countries for the August 18 to September 2 event.

2018 Asian Games torch reaches Jakarta

Bangladesh police said they had arrested a prominent student leader today, in the latest detention of government critics following protests that brought Dhaka to a standstill earlier this month.
Authorities have taken social media activists, journalists and students into custody in the days since the demonstrations were violently dispersed.
Lutfun Nahar Luma was arrested at her grandfather's home in the north of Bangladesh where she had been "hiding" since the end of the protests, said Sirajganj district police chief Abdur Razzaque.
"There is an allegation that she has conspired against the government," Razzaque told AFP.
Dhaka and other cities were paralysed for more than a week as tens of thousands of young students students blocked the streets to demand road safety measures, following the death of two teenage pedestrians in a bus accident.
About 1,000 people were injured in the unrest when the protests were broken up.
Numerous people have been arrested since, including renowned ...

Student leader joins growing list detained in Bangladesh

Rescuers scoured crushed mountains of rubble for victims of a bridge collapse in Genoa as the toll rose to 39 today  and Italy's government blamed the company in charge of motorways for the disaster.
A vast span of the Morandi bridge caved in during a heavy rainstorm in the northern port city yesterday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto the railway tracks below.
At least 39 people are known to have died and 15 injured, according to Italy's Civil Protection service.
Children aged eight, 12 and 13 were among the dead, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said today, adding that more people were still missing.
Three Chileans, who live in Italy, and three French nationals were also killed, according to their respective diplomatic services.
Hundreds of rescuers continued their search today after scouring the huge piles of concrete and twisted metal overnight by floodlight, hoping to find survivors.
The tragedy has focused anger on the structural ...

Anger grows in Italy as bridge toll rises to 39

At least 25 people were killed when a suicide attacker struck an education centre in a minority Shiite area of western Kabul today, officials said, the latest assault in Afghanistan's war-weary capital.
"We can confirm the attack was caused by a suicide bomber on foot. The bomber detonated himself inside the education centre," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said.
The spokesmen for the interior ministry and health ministries confirmed that at least 25 people were killed and 35 injured.
There was no immediately claim of responsibility for the attack. The Taliban quickly denied they were involved.
Afghanistan has been reeling from a recent upsurge in militant violence, including a massive, days-long Taliban onslaught on the eastern city of Ghazni.
Analysts have said the assault on Ghazni was a military and psychological victory against the government in Kabul, proving the insurgents have the strength to strike a strategically vital city near the capital at will and remain entrenched .

At least 25 killed in Kabul suicide attack: officials

Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic announced his international retirement today one month after starring in the World Cup final.
The time has come after 10 years on the national team to say goodbye my favourite jersey," Subasic wrote in a letter published by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), a day after striker Mario Mandzukic retired.
"I made my decision long before the World Cup because my dream was to end my career with the national team at a World Cup," Subasic added.
"The one in Russia was the most emotional moment of my career... thank you all," added the Monaco goalkeeper.
The native of Zadar made his debut for the "Vatreni" (Fiery Ones) in 2009.
At the World Cup in Russia he was the hero in the last 16 against Denmark, making three penalty saves in a nail-biting shootout.
In the quarter-finals, he stopped two goalbound shots to help eliminate hosts Russia, before seeing off England and then falling to France in the final.  His international retirement comes after Croatia 

Croatia World Cup keeper Subasic retires

When Chinese state TV accidentally revealed much of the "salmon" sashimi eaten in the country was actually rainbow trout, domestic fish farmers faced a crisis of consumer confidence.
After fishing for a solution, they came up with an idea: to officially deem the rainbow trout a type of salmon.
Over the weekend, China's major rainbow trout producers, with the support of an industry group attached to the agriculture ministry, announced a new standard to allow the fish to bear the "salmon" label.
The move solves woes facing domestic producers after a feel-good spot on state broadcaster CCTV earlier this year highlighted China's "freshwater salmon" fish farming on the Tibetan plateau.
"You probably didn't know it but our country's Tibetan plateau has long raised this salmon, and not just a few of them, they've captured one-third of the market," the programme's narrator intoned while showing a montage of consumers scooping up salmon fillets in supermarkets.
Thousands of sceptical comments .

China's rainbow trout gets a new name: 'salmon'

The death toll in a blast which rocked western Kabul today climbed to at least 25, officials said, with fears it could rise further in the latest violence in Afghanistan's war-weary capital.
The spokesmen for the interior ministry and health ministries both confirmed the toll and said at least 35 people were injured in the blast at an education centre in a Shiite area of the city.

Kabul blast death toll jumps to 25: officials

Twenty-two children drowned today when their boat sank in the Nile in Sudan while they were on their way to school, official media said.
A woman also died when the vessel went down around 750 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum with more than 40 children on board, the SUNA news agency reported.

22 children dead in Nile boat accident: Sudan media

Manchester City don't need to win the Champions League to be judged a success, claims Belgian star Kevin de Bruyne in an interview with the BBC.
European club football's most prestigious trophy has proved elusive to City despite the hundreds of millions invested in players since Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club in 2008 with a semi-final appearance in the 2015/16 season under Manuel Pellegrini their best showing.
However, De Bruyne -- whose Champions League hopes were dashed by Premier League rivals Liverpool last season -- tells the BBC winning the league crown last season probably ranks as a greater achievement than if one were to win the Champions League.
"I don't agree that we have to win the Champions League to be a success," said De Bruyne, who has been with City since 2015.
"It is a big title to win but in the Champions League you don't need to have the consistency that you need in the league.
"We were great for the whole year, maybe a bit less against Liverpool, and so we 

Champions League glory not pivotal to being judged a success: De Bruyne

A blast at an education centre rocked a minority Shiite area of western Kabul today, officials said, with casualties feared in the latest suspected attack in the war-weary capital of Afghanistan.
"There are casualties unfortunately. The nature of the explosion is not known yet," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said.
The interior ministry confirmed the blast and casualty fears.

AFP

AFP

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