TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed today as Chinese and U.S. trade negotiators prepared for the latest round of talks aimed at ending a tariffs war between the two biggest economies. Britain's FTSE edged less than 0.1 percent lower, Germany's DAX gained 0.4 percent and the CAC 40 in France also gained 0.4 percent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 1.6 percent and the Shanghai Composite index sank 0.9 percent. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.8 percent. U.S. markets look set for a steady start, with the future contract for the Dow unchanged and almost flat for the S&P.
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. trade negotiators have arrived in Beijing to start a new round of talks aimed at ending a tariff war over China's technology ambitions as officials suggest they might be making progress. Thursday's meeting is the latest in a rapid-fire series of exchanges seeking to end the conflict that is disrupting trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment.
LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have voted on eight different possible Brexit options, but none received the majority support that would clarify the U.K.'s course. Parliament is trying to find an alternative to Prime Minister Theresa May's twice-rejected EU divorce deal. Lawmakers voted Wednesday on options that included leaving the European Union without a deal, staying in the bloc's customs union and single market, putting any EU divorce deal to a public referendum, and canceling Brexit if the prospect of a no-deal departure gets close.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's air traffic control agency says it has resolved a software problem that has forced it to reduce flight capacity over part of the country for the past week. The agency says that a control center just outside Frankfurt, returned to full normal operation early today after a tried-and-tested earlier version of the software was installed. Over recent days, the agency had reduced capacity in the air by 25 percent over southwestern Germany. That led to some flight cancellations at Germany's busiest airport, which is in Frankfurt.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelandic budget airline WOW Air says it has ceased operations, stranding passengers across two continents. Passengers are being advised to check flights with other airlines. The airline began operations in 2012 and expanded quickly. It specialized in ultra-cheap flights between North America and Europe, with flights from 27 airports, including Washington, D.C, New York, Paris, London and its Reykjavik hub.