- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
Asian markets plunge after Wall St battering
Asian markets posted big early losses Thursday, after Wall Street suffered one of its worst batterings in two years in the previous session.
Downcast earnings reports from retailers had exacerbated worries about consumer resilience and corporate profitability Wednesday, sparking a rough day's trade.
On Thursday morning, Hong Kong was down by more than three percent, while Tokyo was down by about 2.5 percent.
Among the biggest losers in Hong Kong was Chinese tech giant Tencent, whose stocks fell more than eight percent on lacklustre first-quarter results.
Elsewhere in the region, Australia posted its lowest jobless rate in 48 years, in a potential boost to Prime Minister Scott Morrison two days ahead of tightly contested federal elections.
The unemployment rate dipped to 3.9 percent, the official statistics body said, the lowest rate since 1974.
But stocks in Sydney were still down, as were those in Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei, though Jakarta was up by more than two percent.
Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management called Wednesday's losses "the most significant daily decline since June 2020".
"The weakness came as Target's quarterly earnings added fuel to the recession risk narrative," he added.
Target, the North American-focused big-box retailer, plunged around 25 percent after earnings missed expectations despite higher sales.
The company pointed to the hit from higher operating costs in results that echoed those of bigger rival Walmart.
The retailers said profits were under pressure and some consumers were avoiding discretionary purchases as prices for food, gasoline and other household staples rise.
All three major US indices dove, with the Dow sinking more than 1,150 points or 3.6 percent, and the Nasdaq plunging 4.7 percent.
European bourses were also down.
"The big falls in shares of these retails... highlights the damage inflation is inflicting on the sector's profit margins," said Fawad Razaqzada at City Index.
"What's more, consumers are getting squeezed as well and if they now start to cut back on spending then retailers could suffer even further," he added.
In some of his most hawkish remarks to date, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the US central bank would raise interest rates until there is "clear and convincing" evidence that inflation is in retreat.
-- Bloomberg News contributed to this report --
- Key figures at around 0215 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 3.07 percent at 20,009.68
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.89 percent at 3,058.44
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.63 percent at 26,202.70 (break)
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.08 percent at $110.19 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.62 percent at $110.21 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0487 from $1.0533
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2349 from $1.2476
Euro/pound: UP at 84.93 pence from 84.43 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 128.54 yen from 129.18 yen
New York - Dow: DOWN 3.6 percent at 31,490.07 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.1 percent at 7,438.09 (close)
A.S.Diogo--PC