Submit your Article

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, after the White House said it was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal to end the Ukraine war, BBC reported.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has acted as an outside adviser in diplomatic talks, is also expected to attend.

The summit comes after two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and Kushner, aimed at refining a US-backed peace plan which had been viewed as favourable to Russia, according to BBC. 

Barcelona defender and captain Ronald Araujo has been granted an indefinite leave of absence by the Spanish club upon his request, according to reports, Reuters reported. 

The Uruguayan was not part of its matchday squad during Saturday’s 3-1 La Liga home win against Alaves, with manager Hansi Flick saying he is absent due to a “stomach virus”.

Araujo’s last appearance was during Barca’s 3-0 Champions League loss against Chelsea on Tuesday last week, when he was sent off for a second yellow after a clumsy trip on Marc Cucurella a minute before the break, according to Reuters. 

FIFA said it will reveal the updated match schedule for the 2026 World Cup in a live global broadcast from Washington on Saturday, nearly 24 hours after the final draw determines the tournament’s unprecedented 12 groups of four, Reuters reported.

The show, set for 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT), will confirm venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament to be staged across the U.S., Canada and Mexico next June and July, the governing body said in a statement on Monday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino will lead the presentation alongside former players, with representatives from the 42 teams already qualified — and those still in contention — expected to be in attendance, according to Reuters.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has introduced a series of targeted adjustments aimed at reviving weak credit growth while maintaining financial and external secretary stability. In the first quarter review of the Monetary Policy for Fiscal Year 2025/26 released on Monday, the central bank has struck a moderately accommodative tone as latest figures show that credit expansion remains far below the target of 12 percent set in the monetary policy.

The central bank has reduced the policy rate from 4.5 percent to 4.25 percent, continuing its strategy of gradually narrowing the interest rate corridor. The lowering of policy rate means the central bank wants borrowing to become cheaper as lower policy rate leads to lower interbank rates which will eventually lower lending rates for businesses and individuals. 

The Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) rate, which forms the upper bound of the corridor, has been cut to 5.75 percent from six percent, while the Deposit Facility Rate remains unchanged at 2.75 percent.  Central bank officials say the adjustments are designed to nudge lending rates downward and push the policy rate toward the corridor’s midpoint.

NRB has also left the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) unchanged, signaling that liquidity conditions are adequate and that additional easing in reserve requirements is unnecessary for now.

Meanwhile, the central bank has scrapped the rule requiring institutional fixed deposit rates to be at least one percentage point lower than personal fixed deposits. Institutional depositors will now be eligible for the same rates as individual savers. This step is expected to give banks more flexibility in mobilizing long-term funds at a lower cost.

Similarly, the central bank has doubled the personal overdraft loan limit from Rs 5m to Rs 10m. The provision is intended to stimulate private sector credit demand and support economic activity by making funds more accessible to individuals and businesses.

Likewise, the maximum secured loan ceiling per borrower in microfinance institutions has been raised from Rs 700,000 to Rs 1.5m. The central bank has also allowed microfinance institutions to reschedule or restructure existing loans to ease repayment pressure. 

For borrowers hit by floods and landslides in Ilam and other districts, the central bank has allowed banks and financial institutions to restructure or reschedule affected business loans for one time by recovering a minimum of 10 percent of accrued interest. Citing the growth of digital payments and a dense concentration of physical branches, NRB has permitted banks to merge or consolidate branches inside metropolitan cities to reduce operational costs.