While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 26 edition

Markets rally fizzles in US as China worries persist

The global markets rebound fizzled out on Wall Street Tuesday as investors locked in gains and took cover from more possible turmoil.

What appeared one hour before the close of New York trading as a solid comeback, after the global "Black Monday" onslaught of selling, turned into a sixth straight day of losses on US markets.

The S&P 500 ended down 1.35 per cent, after Monday's nearly 4 per cent plunge. The Dow gave up 1.29 per cent.

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Six-month-old baby, policeman among four killed in French gypsy camp shooting

A man shot dead four people "in cold blood", including a baby and policeman, at a gypsy camp in northern France on Tuesday, officials said.

Three other people, including the gunman, were seriously wounded in the attack, which took place in the northern town of Roye, about 110km north of Paris.

A policeman who was badly wounded in the attack later died of his injuries, and a three-year-old child and another policemen were both said to be in serious condition.

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Football: Chelsea target Stones hands in transfer request: Reports

Everton defender John Stones has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to persuade his club to sell him to Chelsea, according to reports on Tuesday.

Stones is Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's top target as he seeks to bolster his defensive options, but Everton have rejected three offers for the England international and he has now taken matters into his own hands.

After Chelsea's latest bid of £30 million (S$65 million) was snubbed by the Goodison Park outfit, Stones is widely reported to have formally expressed his desire to leave before training on Tuesday.

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Gene study confirms low vitamin D, multiple sclerosis link

A major genetic study on Tuesday confirmed a link between low vitamin D and a higher risk of multiple sclerosis, a finding which experts say could lead to better treatment and prevention.

Previous observational studies have found an association between a person's level of vitamin D, which comes from sunlight and from certain foods, and MS, a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, and has no known cause or cure.

But the problem with these studies was that they could not prove that low vitamin D caused MS, and may indeed have been showing simply that people who were sick tended to stay inside more and get less sunlight.

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Caitlyn Jenner costume for Halloween sparks social media outrage

Retailers selling a Caitlyn Jenner costume for Halloween sparked a social media firestorm on Tuesday from critics who say the getup insults transgender people and promotes stereotypes.

Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star known as Bruce, came out as transgender this year and introduced herself in a Vanity Fair cover story that earned international attention.

A change.org petition launched on Monday is demanding that Spirit Halloween, a costume company with over 1,100 locations in the United States and Canada, stop producing and selling the costume, which includes a brunette wig, shiny white padded bustier and shorts resembling the outfit Jenner wore in the Vanity Fair cover photo.

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