World number one Roger Federer kept his quest for a 10th Halle grasscourt title alive by saving two match points to defeat France's Benoit Paire 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) and make the quarter-finals on Thursday (Jun 21). Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning against Benoit Paire of France during the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, western Germany. (Friso Gentsch/dpa/AFP) Federer will face Australia's world number 60 Matthew Ebden, who defeated Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, for a place in the semi-finals. Federer's preparations in the build-up to the defence of his Wimbledon title had been running smoothly, with a title last week in Stuttgart and a solid opening Halle win for the top seed. It was a tough fight on Thursday, however, with the 36-year-old missing two match points in the final-set tiebreak and then saving two for Paire. The top seed finally won on his third match point when Paire returned long. "You need to take the right decisions along the … [Read more...] about Federer saves two match points to reach Halle quarter finals
European stock markets fall as global trade tension escalates
European stock markets fall as global trade tension escalates, (Photo: AFP) A day before the European Union was to slap retaliatory tariffs on a range of American benchmark products, including jeans and motorbikes, analysts said trade war fears were quickly turning into the real thing. "We have a trade war - and it's an escalating trade war," SEB chief economist Robert Bergqvist told AFP in an interview. The US's apparent readiness to introduce tariffs on all imported Chinese goods made this "a serious situation", he said. By announcing tariffs on US$50 billion in Chinese imports and threatening tariffs on up to US$400 billion more, US President Donald Trump is testing a no-holds-barred strategy whose consequences remain unknown. China accounts for about half of the massive US trade deficit in goods, leaving the Asian powerhouse far more exposed to Trump's tariffs than vice versa. 'REDUCE EXPOSURE' Last year, the United States exported US$130 billion in goods to China but imported … [Read more...] about European stock markets fall as global trade tension escalates
Xiaomi lowers target as it kicks off IPO
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi kicked off its initial public offering Thursday but the firm is likely to pull in about $6.1 billion, far less than originally expected, with investors having mixed views about its main business. Xiaomi shipped 28 million smartphones worldwide from January to March, an 88-percent surge year-on-year AFP/GREG BAKER Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi kicked off its initial public offering Thursday (Jun 21) but the firm is likely to pull in about $6.1 billion, far less than originally expected, with investors having mixed views about its main business. Xiaomi had hoped to raise $10 billion with the Hong Kong IPO, making it the biggest since Alibaba's $25 billion New York debut in 2014 and valuing the company at about $100 billion. However, the firm is offering 2.18 billion shares at HK$17-HK$22 apiece, according to Bloomberg News, which values it at about $53.9-$69.8 billion. Xiaomi had hoped to be the first company to list shares in Hong Kong at the … [Read more...] about Xiaomi lowers target as it kicks off IPO
OPEC rift deepens ahead of crucial meeting
Iran's oil minister walked out of a key meeting with OPEC peers on Thursday (Jun 21), as a rift deepened with regional rival Saudi over its push to ramp up the cartel's oil output. Saudi Arabia, backed by non-OPEC member Russia, is racing to convince the cartel to raise production. (AFP/Amer HILABI) "I do not think we can reach an agreement," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters at his Vienna hotel after quitting talks with a group of ministers on the eve of a crucial OPEC meet. The talks, which continued without Zanganeh, sought to lay the groundwork for Friday's gathering of the 14-nation Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), when the cartel will discuss easing a supply-cut deal with 10 partner countries that has pushed crude prices to multi-year highs. The output curbs have been in place since January 2017 but Saudi Arabia, backed by non-member Russia, is now pushing to raise production again in order to meet growing demand in the second half of 2018. But … [Read more...] about OPEC rift deepens ahead of crucial meeting
Ash, cinder bricks could replace clay
A number of enterprises have struggled to recycle ash and cinders from thermal power plants in order to manufacture non-fired adobe brick and non-flammable construction materials.— Photo enternews.vn HÀ NỘI — A number of enterprises have struggled to recycle ash and cinders from thermal power plants in order to manufacture non-fired adobe brick and non-flammable construction materials. According to Electricity of Việt Nam (EVN), the company is operating 12 coal thermal power plants nationwide, discharging 8.1 million tonnes of ash and cinders per year on average. Coal thermal power plants in the northern region have signed contracts with partners to recycle huge amounts of ash and cinder. Phả Lại and Ninh Bình plants have recycled all of their waste, mainly to make additives for cement, concrete, plaster and non-fired adobe brick, said Tạ Anh Tuấn from the technical and manufacturing council of EVN. He said that plants in … [Read more...] about Ash, cinder bricks could replace clay