- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- One dead, 7 missing as heavy rains trigger floods in central Japan
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
Stocks sink, gas and oil prices soar over Ukraine fears
Global stock markets fell across the board Friday and energy prices soared after Russia attacked a major Ukrainian nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, exacerbated worries about the hit to the continent and its economy.
Europe's main stock markets closed sharply lower, with Paris down five percent and Frankfurt losing 4.4 percent.
Asian indices had earlier retreated and Wall Street also lost ground to conclude a losing week on a downcast note.
The euro sank close to a two-year low under $1.10 as the Ukraine conflict clouds the eurozone's economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The greenback benefited from its status as a haven investment.
"Investors have piled out of European stocks this week, accelerating a decline that began at the end of last month, and has accelerated over the last two days," said analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets.
"This morning’s reckless shelling of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant by Russian forces shows that (President Vladimir) Putin is becoming increasingly desperate to obtain a victory in the face of numerous setbacks," he said.
"These actions are a significant escalation and raise the question as to whether Putin could adopt a scorched earth policy in his attempts to crush Ukrainian resistance," Hewson added.
European and British gas prices surged to record peaks on supply disruption fears as a result of key supplier Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine.
Oil prices also continued to push higher, with Brent futures ending at $118.11 a barrel, the highest level since 2008.
- 'Markets ill prepared' -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has meanwhile demanded still tougher sanctions against his Moscow foes after Russian forces attacked and seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but Kyiv said no radiation leak was detected.
Western countries have hit Russia's economy hard including by closing airspace, freezing assets and excluding seven banks from the SWIFT interbank messaging network.
The impact is already impeding Moscow's ability to shore up the beleaguered ruble and purchase imports.
On Friday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US officials were "looking at ways to reduce the import of Russian oil while also making sure that we are maintaining the global supply needs out there."
US employers added 678,000 workers to their payrolls in February, government data showed Friday, driving the unemployment rate down to 3.8 percent in a monthly report that was better than expected.
"The market is trying to balance the lousy geopolitical situation with the February employment report, which was pretty strong," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
"What's principally driving the market is this foreboding sense that things are going to get worse before they get better in Ukraine."
- Key figures around 2100 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 33,614.80 (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.8 percent at 4,328.87 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 1.7 percent at 13,313.44 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 3.5 percent at 6,987.14 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 4.4 percent at 13,094.54 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 5.0 percent at 6,061.66 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 5.0 percent at 3,556.01 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.2 percent at 25,985.47 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.5 percent at 21,905.29 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 3,447.65 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0916 from $1.1066 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3248 from $1.3348
Euro/pound: DOWN 82.60 pence from 82.91 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.78 yen from 115.46 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 6.9 percent at $118.11 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 7.4 percent at $115.68 per barrel
burs-jmb/sst
O.Krause--BTB