Section: Nepal
Global economy: Four geopolitical risks
Widespread theft of technology from US companies led to a recent agreement between China and the US that neither government will assist in stealing technology to benefit its country’s firms The end of the year is a good time to consider the risks that lie ahead of us. There are of course important economic risks, including the mispricing of...
Serena retires from Hopman Cup match with knee injury
Serena Williams of the United States prepares to serve against the Legendari Japan Warriors player Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Germany during their women’s singles match in the International Premier Tennis League in Pasay City, Philippines, December 7, 2015. Photo: Reuters PERTH: World number one Serena Williams retired from her Hopman Cup...
Injured Sharapova, Halep withdraw from Brisbane tournament
BRISBANE: Defending champion Maria Sharapova and top-seeded Simona Halep withdrew from the Australian Open warmup tournament in Brisbane within an hour of each other on Tuesday, without playing a match. Sharapova was scheduled to play fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova on Tuesday but withdrew hours before the first-round match rather than risk...
Vladimir Putin names US, NATO as threats
Moscow, January 2 A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia’s national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years. The document, “About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation”, was signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year’s...
Tough tennis act to follow: Can Serena dominate again?
FILE – In this June 4, 2015, file photo, Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot in her semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Timea Bacsinszky, of Switzerland, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Photo: AP BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA: There may be no tougher act to follow in any sport in 2016 than Serena...
EU-Ukraine trade deal comes into force, angers Moscow
Kiev, January 1 Ukraine’s free-trade deal with the EU came into effect today, coinciding with the start of Moscow’s food embargo against Kiev that will force the impoverished former Soviet republic to revisit its economic model. The free-trade accord is part of the broader EU Association Agreement — signed at the end of June...
Crimea loses quarter of power, pylon blown up
Moscow/Kiev, December 31 Crimea has lost at least one quarter of its power after Ukraine halted supplies, officials in the contested peninsula said today, a situation Ukrainian police blamed on unidentified saboteurs blowing up an electricity pylon. Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in March last year, has suffered repeated power cuts...
Ukraine bans imports
KIEV: Ukraine said on Wednesday it may impose a ban as soon as next month on imports of dozens of Russian goods as a retaliatory measure against Moscow which this month said it was suspending a free trade zone with Kiev. The list, which was set out in a statement from the country’s economy ministry, included meat and meat products, baby...
Pope calls for unity against militant atrocities
Pope Francis makes a blessing during the “Urbi et Orbi” (to the City and the World) message on Christmas Day from the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Friday. Photo: Reuters Vatican City, Dec 25 Pope Francis urged the world in his Christmas message today to unite to end atrocities by Islamist militants that he said...
Ukraine MPs pass tit-for-tat Russian embargo
KIEV: Ukrainian parliament voted on Thursday to give the government the right to impose a trade embargo against Russia, which said last week that it would suspend a free trade zone with Ukraine from January 1. The law, supported by 291 of parliament’s 420 lawmakers, will come into force when it has been signed by the president. Russian...