| * Chengshan demanded $400m for JV stake, Apollo hearing told * Asian shares skid to 4-week low, euro hit by ECB rate cut * Russia slashes long-term growth forecast * Czech National Bank intervenes to weaken koruna * Nepal election looms * Peña Nieto toughens stance on energy reform * Turkey: female empowerment, in data Markets: down! Chengshan demanded $400m for JV stake, Apollo hearing told
The Chinese magnate who has seized control of Cooper Tire's Chinese tyre-making plant has demanded more than $400m to hand over his stake in the venture and end the stand-off, a US court has heard.
http://on.ft.com/1bewR6O Asian shares skid to 4-week low, euro hit by ECB rate cut
Asian shares slumped to a four-week low on Friday after Wall Street suffered its biggest fall in more than two months, while a surprise interest rate cut by the European Central Bank knocked down the euro to a seven-week low.
http://reut.rs/1fnkut7 Russia slashes long-term growth forecast
Russia has slashed its long-term forecast for the economy in the first official admission that the growth model underpinning President Vladimir Putin's rule is falling apart.
http://on.ft.com/17Gy3V3 Czech National Bank intervenes to weaken koruna
The Czech National Bank has begun intervening in currency markets to weaken the koruna, targeting a lower exchange rate as part of its battle to avoid deflation.
http://on.ft.com/18bcmqE Nepal election looms
Nepal goes to the polls on November 19 with little enthusiasm, but observers say just holding the ballot would be considered a success
http://on.ft.com/HItNbU Peña Nieto toughens stance on energy reform
A more business-friendly energy liberalisation is likely to lure investment from oil majors, giving a fillip to Mexico's flagging economic growth rate
http://on.ft.com/HItOMY Turkey: female empowerment, in data
As the FT's Daniel Dombey pointed out recently, Turkish women have a pretty raw deal. For example, just 28 per cent of them participate in the labour force. Yet, as underlined by their showing in this year's street protests, many of them have undergone a terrific shift in attitudes over the past decade, from a relatively conservative worldview to a more liberal one.
http://on.ft.com/18VXjR1 Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index down -0.56% at 1,005 Americas
DJIA down -0.97% at 15,594
S&P 500 down -1.32% at 1,747
Bovespa down -1.21% at 52,741 Asia
Nikkei 225 down -1.13% at 14,068
Topix down -0.89% at 1,174
Hang Seng down -0.64% at 22,734
Shanghai Composite down -1.06% at 2,107
MSCI Asia ex-Japan down -0.71% at 544.35
CNX Nifty down -0.28% at 6,170 Currencies
€/$ 1.34 (1.34)
$/¥ 98.09 (98.08) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.12 at 103.34
Light Crude (Nymex) up +0.20 at 94.40
100 Oz Gold (Comex) unchanged 0.00 at 1,308 | 
