By Wayne Cole | SYDNEY SYDNEY Investors ducked for cover on Wednesday as a drumbeat of alarming geopolitical news sent the safe-haven yen and gold to five-month highs and yields on top-rated sovereign bonds to their lowest for the year so far.The unease tarnished an otherwise brightening outlook for global eco**mic growth and put equities on the defensive.Japan's Nikkei .N225 slid 1 percent in early trade, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was near flat.In contrast, gold XAU= climbed to $1,275.66 an ounce and touched its highest since **v. 10.