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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on Tuesday to withdraw troops from Ukraine's eastern border in what the alliance says is Moscow's biggest build-up since 2014, ahead of an emergency meeting of allied foreign and defence ministers. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba flew to Brussels for talks with Stoltenberg a day after Kyiv accused the Kremlin of ignoring its request for talks between the two countries' presidents over a build-up of Russian troops near its border. "In recent weeks Russia has moved thousands of combat-ready troops to Ukraine's borders, the largest massing of Russian troops since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014," Stoltenberg said. Russia has said it moves its forces around as it sees fit, including for defensive purposes, and has regularly accused NATO of destabilising Europe with its troop reinforcements in the Baltics and Poland since the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. "Russia must end this ... » Learn More about NATO demands Russia end Ukraine build-up, West examines options

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended almost flat on Wednesday in the absence of market moving factors while the ringgit appreciated to three week high level against the US dollar. The US dollar weakened as US bond yields dipped. The 10-year US Treasuries yield dipped to 1.620%, also its lowest levels since late March. The ringgit was up 0.19% against the US dollar at 4.1272, touching its lowest level in about three weeks. At 5pm, the benchmark index closed 0.57 of-a-point higher at 1,598.28. At the opening bell, the index rose 2.48 points to 1,600.19. Sellers led buyers by 510 to 502, while 476 counters traded unchanged. Volume stood at 5.9 billion shares, valued at RM2.99bil. Dealers said telcos and banking counters weighed the performance of the local bourse today. Telekom Malaysia fell five sen to RM5.98, Digi shed four sen to RM4.29 and Maxis declined one sen to RM4.70. Maybank fell one sen to RM8.31, Public Bank declined three sen to RM4.20, RHB Bank lost two sen to ... » Learn More about FBM KLCI ends the day almost flat

KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended higher on Friday, amid persistent buying interest led by Axiata Group Bhd and Digi.com Bhd on the back of ongoing mega merger talks. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI rose 9.85 points, or 0.61% to 1,612.25. The index opened 12.55 points higher at 1,614.95 this morning. On the broader market, losers led gainers 558 to 511 with 452 counters unchanged. A total of 6.58 billion shares worth RM4.14bil changed hands. Dealers said the Axiata-Telenor mega-merger talks provided a catalyst to the local bourse while Asian equities are trading lower today. They added that the merger is positive for the telco industry. Digi surged 71 sen, or 18.93% to RM4.46, pushing the index higher by 8.5635 points. Axiata rose 31 sen to RM4.11, adding 4.4111 points to the index. Maxis gained nine sen to RM4.80, pushing the higher by 1.0922 points and Telekom Malaysia climbed three sen to RM6.09, nudging the index 0.1756 points higher. Among the banks, ... » Learn More about Bursa ends 9.85 points higher led by Axiata, Digi

SINGAPORE (REUTERS, NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG) - Special purpose acquisition companies (Spacs) are emerging as a popular initial public offering alternative for firms, providing start-ups with a path to going public with less regulatory scrutiny. A measure of the popularity of Spacs, also known as "blank cheque" companies, can be gauged from the fact that global blank-cheque deal volumes - or mergers through Spacs - surged to a record US$170 billion (S$227.3 billion) by March 9 this year, already outstripping last year's total of US$157 billion, Refinitiv data showed. Here's what you need to know about Spacs: 1. What is a Spac? Like "leveraged buyout" and "collateralised debt obligation", Spac is an arcane Wall Street term that has stumbled into the mainstream lexicon. A Spac is a shell company that raises funds to acquire a private company with the purpose of taking it public, allowing such targets to sidestep a traditional initial public offering (IPO). They have gained in ... » Learn More about Grab to list in US via $53b Spac deal: What you need to know about Spacs

SINGAPORE: With better-than-expected data showing the economy back in expansion mode for the first quarter of 2021, economists said “green shoots” of recovery are emerging for Singapore following a year in the doldrums due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.2 per cent year-on-year in the January to March period, according to flash estimates from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Wednesday (Apr 14). The gains, albeit marginal, marked the economy’s first quarterly growth since the pandemic erupted and beat expectations for a 0.2 per cent contraction in a Reuters poll. READ: Singapore economy grows 0.2% in Q1, first expansion since COVID-19 outbreak Economists also noted more optimism from the Singapore central bank, which released its half-yearly policy review on the same day. While the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) left its monetary policy stance unchanged , it said Singapore’s economy is “likely to exceed the upper end” of ... » Learn More about ‘Green shoots’ of recovery for Singapore’s economy, although uncertainties remain: Economists

SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, Caqueta, Colombia (Reuters) - The dirt tracks winding through southern Colombia's tangled jungle often mark the beginning of the end for besieged patches of rainforest in this part of the Amazon. Across San Vicente del Caguan, one of the country's most deforested regions, illegal and informal roads fan out in an ever-expanding network, bringing visitors, commercial interests and farmers and ranchers who clear and burn the land. The result is the steady decay of Colombia's Amazon. A Reuters map of the region shows a lattice of lines that crisscross one another and creep southward into the forest and fan out on all sides. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/329ehRE) The destruction, which is striking on the ground, is significant enough to be visible from the sky. Patches of deforestation appear at the furthest extent of the roads, according to the map, which underlines the impact of unplanned roadbuilding by combining satellite imagery and local ... » Learn More about Road to ruin: informal byways sow seeds of destruction in Colombia’s Amazon

Misfiring Mo: Mohamed Salah failed to add to his 28 goals this season LIVERPOOL - Jurgen Klopp bemoaned Liverpool's inability to turn dominance into goals as Real Madrid held out for a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Wednesday to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League 3-1 on aggregate. Mohamed Salah and Georginio Wijnaldum were guilty of wasting glorious opportunities to get Klopp's men back into the tie as they failed to replicate a remarkable recovery from 3-0 down to beat Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate at the semi-final stage two years ago. "We didn't lose the tie tonight. We lost it definitely in Madrid but even if we drew there 0-0, we would probably still be playing because we didn't score," said Klopp, whose side now face a battle just to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League. "It's a little bit ourselves this year. We had games here in the Premier League where we just don't finish the situation often enough. "We know ... » Learn More about Klopp rues Reds’ wasteful finishing as Madrid roll into Champions League semis

ENGLEWOOD: NFL players were locked out of team headquarters last offseason because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, their union wants them to boycott any in-person OTAs. Members of the Broncos, Seahawks and Super Bowl champion Buccaneers said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) they’ll do just that. “We find ourselves still in the midst of a pandemic with no comprehensive plan to keep players as safe as possible, yet teams are pressuring players to attend voluntary workouts,” that begin next week, tweeted DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association. “The union has advised players that given the continued risk of exposure and the goal of a full 2021 NFL season, that they should not attend these voluntary workouts,” Smith added. “It is every player’s decision, but our advice is to continue to use an abundance of caution given the current environment.” Members of the Broncos — who have had 22 players in their building this offseason — and the Seahawks ... » Learn More about NFL players call for virtual offseason, shun in-person work