Heavy rains lash Mumbai, water logging in parts of the city

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday cut termination charge for all mobile to mobile calls to 6 paise per minute from 14 paise. The revised charge, effective October 1, will be reduced to zero from January 1, 2020. For calls between landlines, between mobiles and landlines and vice versa, this charge will continue to be nil.

Read the full story here.

21:59 Around 20 flights were affected at the Mumbai airport, with seven of them being diverted to Hyderabad, Vadodara and Ahemedabad airports and the rest forced to 'go-around' (abort landing on final approach) when the only runway was closed in the evening, airport sources said. Read the full story here.

21:48 Heavy rains halt operations at airport, many flights affected

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport were suspended for nearly half an hour as visibility dropped well below the required 550 meter-mark following heavy rains and lightning that lashed the metropolis this evening.

21:43

At 2100 hrs: Situation in Mumbai City & Suburb is normal. Citizens r requested not to trust on rumors, For any clarification pl call on 1916

— Disaster Management (@DisasterMgmtMum) September 19, 2017

21:41

No extremely heavy rainfall warning for tomorrow and hence no advisory issued by MCGM for keeping school/offices closed.Dont believe rumors.

— Disaster Management (@DisasterMgmtMum) September 19, 2017

21:39

Heavy #traffic on EEH, Amar Mahal flyover/raza jn santacruz-chembur link road Jijabai bhosale Rd, Sion Bandra link road #MumbaiRains

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) September 19, 2017

21:36 Mumbai rain update:

> Central and Western line trains are running on time with a slight delay.
> Harbour line trains are running almost on time.
> Heavy traffic on the Western Express Highway at Bandra, Santa Cruz, Ashok Nagar and Jogeshwari.
> There have been reports of minor water logging in parts of the city and suburbs.

21:09

Emergency contact numbers in need:
MCGM EOC 1969; Thane EOC 1077; Police 100;
Fire Brigade 101; Ambulance 108 / 102#MumbaiRains @RidlrMUM

— Mumbai Live (@MumbaiLiveNews) September 19, 2017

20:02 Here's the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)'s bulletin for September 19-23 (issued at 20:00 IST today).

20:55

Heavy rains with strong winds, No disruption on WR local lines though trns are delayed 10-15 mins due to heavy rains, low visibility @drmbct

— Western Railway (@WesternRly) September 19, 2017

20:45 Mumbai rain update:

> Central line trains are running on time with a slight delay.
> Harbour line trains are running almost on time.
> Western line trains are running on time with a slight delay.
> Mumbai Metro services have not been affected.
> There have been reports of minor water logging in parts of the city and suburbs.
> Rain has subsided in most parts. However, heavy rains are expected to continue into the night. High tide is expected at 11:40 pm.

20:34

Central_railway suburban services are running normally except in few cases of 5-10 minutes delay

— Central Railway (@Central_Railway) September 19, 2017

20:30 Top Headlines:

1. Heavy rains lash Mumbai. Trains delayed, water logging reported in parts of the city.

2. US President Donald Trump makes his first address to the UNGA. Says US will destroy North Korea if forced to defend allies.

3. New India Assurance gets SEBI approval for IPO

4. Two aides of Iqbal Kaskar arrested in connection with extortion case.

5. US resumes fast processing of H-1B visas in all categories subject to Cong-mandated limit. 

6. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted about the existence of military options on North Korea, reports Reuters.

20:17 Mumbai rain update:

Central line trains are running with a 15-minute delay.

Media reports suggest signal issues at Bandra and Vasai. Trains are delayed by 15 minutes on Virar-bound slow tracks of the Western line.

According to news agency ANI, flight operations that had been briefly ceased at the Mumbai airport, have resumed. Flight operations are still facing delays.

Commuters are reporting that rains have stopped in Malad and Borivali.

20:08 US President Trump addresses UN General Assembly

The United States has great strength and patience, Trump said. But if it is forced to defend itself or its ally, then it will destroy North Korea.

Catch the latest updates.

19:56 United States President Donald Trump is currently addressing the UN General Assembly. Catch the latest updates here.

19:45 Mumbai rain update:

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its bulletin this evening said that "Heavy to very heavy rain" are expected "at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places very likely over Konkan". High tide expected at 11:40 pm tonight.

Parts of the city experiencing traffic jams and water logging. Train services slightly delayed.

19:32 Mumbai rain update:

Slight water logging being reported in parts of Andheri, Goregaon and Santa Cruz (SV Road).

Commuters have been reporting slight delay on both Western and Central lines. Harbour line has seen extended delays since evening.

Metro services are more crowded than usual, according to commuter accounts.

Several flights arriving in the Mumbai airport have been delayed.

19:26 The Madras High Court will be hearing a plea regarding the suspension of 18 MLAs close to TTV Dinakaran faction of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

If the High Court upholds the suspension, the 18 seats could head for by-elections.

Earlier today, the principal opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) condemned the suspension.

19:00 Update on the Mumbai rains:

> Central Line is currently running late by 15 minutes.
> Western Line is running smoothly. However, trains are running slower than usual after Andheri (towards Virar).
> Harbour Line facing a small delay.

There have been reports of slight water logging in parts of Andheri and Goregaon.

There is usual slow moving traffic on the Western Express Highway (WEH).

18:20 India's second largest software services firm Infosys has said it has signed a seven-year contract with French container shipping major CMA CGM Group to deliver IT solutions.

18:13 A teenage girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped for 10 days at Bedia village in Muzaffarnagar, the police told Outlook today.

According to a complaint filed by the victim's family on Monday, the 17-year-old girl was picked up by four persons and taken to a secluded place where they raped her for days.

The victim was then left by the accused near her village, the police said.

18:11 Favouring promotion of Indian culture and heritage and not looking towards the West, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday urged people speaking the same language to communicate in their mother tongue instead of in English, IANS reported.

18:04 In a bizarre incident that took place in Hyderabad, an unemployed man set his wife on fire on Sunday night after she failed to crack MBBS entrance exam for the third time in a row, IB Times reported.

17:59 Key cotton producing regions in central India are set for a recovery in rainfall levels, the country's weather office chief told Reuters on Tuesday, easing concerns for farmers who are betting on the fibre amid rising demand.

17:54 In view of the growing incidents of financial cybercrimes, including frauds using cards and e- wallets, home minister Rajnath Singh has ordered strengthening of the surveillance and legal frameworks to check the menace, the home ministry said today.

17:50 The Madras High Court has stayed a decision of the MCI and the consequential order of the Puducherry government cancelling the admission of 778 students to MBBS courses in private colleges there last year.

17:47 With a number of festivals like Dussehra, Diwali and Chhat lined up in the coming days, the Centre has decided to ply 4000 special trains this year for passengers wishing to visit their near and dear ones, compared to the 3,800 trains plied last year, the Financial Express reported.

17:41 Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan has been booked for allegedly inciting violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Haryana Police said today.

17:38 Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet military officer who is widely credited with helping prevent a nuclear war with the United States, has died aged 77, his son told AFP on Tuesday.

17:25 US defence firms offering to set up production lines in India to win deals worth billions of dollars want stronger assurances they won’t have to part with proprietary technology, according to a business lobby group’s letter to India’s defence minister accessed by Reuters.

17:20 Leading multiplex operator PVR will invest around Rs 60 crore to add up to 15 screens under its new premier sub-brand P[XL] by FY 2018-19, a top company official told PTI.

17:18 Turkish troops dug in on the country’s southern border today and turned their weapons towards Kurdish-run northern Iraq, where authorities plan an independence referendum in defiance of Ankara and Western powers, Reuters reported.

17:16 Two trains derailed at the same spot in a span of 10 hours in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, but no casualties were reported.

The engine of a goods train jumped the tracks near Sitapur Cantt station around 7.10 am on Tuesday at the exact same spot in Sitapur city in the district where the 54322 Burhwl- Balamau passenger train derailed around 9:40 pm on Monday, spokesperson of North Eastern Railway Alok Srivastava said.

17:10 New India Assurance Company has received SEBI’s approval to float its Initial Public Offer (IPO), the Financial Express. The company will sell 2.4 crore shares through the IPO, while the government will sell 9.6 crore shares.

17:03 Two aides of Iqbal Kaskar, the brother of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, were today arrested in connection with an extortion case, a senior police official said.

Kaskar and his associates had allegedly been threatening a prominent builder in Thane, in Dawood's name since 2013 and extorted Rs 30 lakh and four flats from him, police said.

16:58 Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh today urged states to chalk out their own strategy to achieve the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

16:53 Western Railway has said that train services on the Andheri-CST and Andheri-Panvel routes have resumed. Trains on these routes were not plying earlier because a tree had fallen on one of the overhead wires and disrupted operations.

Branches of tree were hanging on OHE on Dn Harbour line bet Santacruz-Vile Parle. Put right at 15.12 hrs. Churchgate-Virar sec was normal

— Western Railway (@WesternRly) September 19, 2017

16:44 According to a Twitter update posted by Mumbai Mirror, heavy rain caused a tree to fall on one of the overhead lines on the Harbour Line between Andheri and Vile Parle stations, resulting in a disruption of train services beyond Bandra station on the Harbour Line.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned on Sunday that Mumbai is likely to face heavy showers and thunderstorms in the three days following Sunday. Many areas in the city are reportedly water-logged.

#MumbaiLocal | Tree falls on overhead wire between Andheri and Vile Parle. @WesternRly trains operational only till Bandra. pic.twitter.com/8yI0hXaxK5

— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) September 19, 2017

16:38 Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, today reached the value of $1 trillion for the first time, the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said.

AFP reported that this amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.

16:36 President Emmanuel Macron’s administration plans to cut French public spending to its lowest level since the start of the financial crisis next year and squeeze the tax take to its lowest since 2010 as part of a strategy to remake the economy and revive the nation’s standing in Europe, Bloomberg reported.

16:35 HP India today unveiled its innovative, all-in-one point-of-sale (POS) system HP ElitePOS with secure and enhanced performance capabilities.

16:33 UN human rights investigators today said they needed “full and unfettered” access to Myanmar to investigate a grave and ongoing crisis, but the government renewed its rejection of the probe, AFP reported.

16:30 Capital markets regulator SEBI has barred Kolkata-based Agragami Agro–Farms (AAFL) and its directors from the capital markets for raising funds without complying with the public issue norms.

16:27 Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today took a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, calling the former’s recent observation on dynasty politics in India as ‘shameful’, the Financial Express reported.

Speaking at an event, Jaitley said, “I feel ashamed when in United States of America it was said that dynasty politics is in the nature of India.”

16:25 The Shiv Sena today said the move to probe deposits of government employees post demonetisation is a mere “eyewash” and asked the government to focus on “basic questions” instead of using “chloroform on people” and diverting their attention.

16:07 A special NIA court here today granted bail to two accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, reports The Financial Express.

16:03  The US has resumed fast processing of H-1B work visas in all categories subject to Congress-mandated limit, five months after it was suspended temporarily to handle the huge rush of applications for the work visas popular among Indian IT professionals, reports the Economic Times.

15:59 The Supreme Court has ruled that hyper-sensitivity in the name of religion has to stop.

15:50 Economic Times reports that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will undertake a high-level review of the economy to discuss measures, including a possible stimulus package, to be taken amidst an economic slowdown.

15:38 UN human rights investigators today said they needed "full and unfettered" access to Myanmar to investigate a grave and ongoing crisis, but the government renewed its rejection of the probe, reports AFP.

15:30 Sources tell CNN-News18 that two NCP leaders are under scanner in an extortion racket involving Dawood Ibrahim's brother.

15:23 Coal Minister Piyush Goyal today said his ministry is taking urgent steps to ensure coal supplies to power stations stabilise by month end or early October.

15:22 The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik has petitioned the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to look into “false implication” of many Kashmiri youths by the police in the DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith lynching case.

15:13 Alleging mismanagement during the previous governments in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today brought out a detailed white paper blaming them for various ills, prompting opposition SP and Congress to hit back.

15:11 Mutual funds increased their stake in Infosys in August, when the company witnessed a whirlwind of developments with exit and reappointments at the top level, which led to steep volatility in the stock.

Mint reported that Infosys was the third-most bought stock by mutual funds in August as they raked up a net of Rs 1,527 crore of its shares in the month.

15:08 A mobile application will be launched on Wednesday for central government employees who are about to retire to help them monitor the progress of their pension settlement cases.

Retired employees will also be able to assess their superannuation funds and record complaints, if any, through the pension calculator, an official release issued by the Personnel, Public grievances and Pensions Ministry said today.

15:07 Amid the row over farm loan waiver issue in Uttar Pradesh, the Financial Express reported Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saying the state government committed no mistake.

Recent reports have shown that some farmers in the state got really petty loans, as low as Rs 1, waived. The chief minister acknowledged that farmers with loans of any sum have been given the benefit of a loan waiver.

14:58 The Indo-US cooperation has reached a level which was "unimaginable" a decade ago, deputy Indian ambassador to the US Santosh Jha said. He lauded the Indian diaspora for its role in expanding bilateral ties.

14:53 Global IT and networking major Cisco has announced that its CEO Chuck Robbins will be appointed as the Executive Chairman of the company in the annual meeting of shareholders on December 11.

The announcement came after John Chambers, the present Executive Chairman, notified the Board of Directors that he will not stand for re-election.

14:50 Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother and former minister Shivpal Yadav will float a new party by the end of September, CNN News18 reported.

14:42 The India Meteorological Department said heavy rainfall in expected in Maharashtra and Karnataka till Wednesday.

14:36 The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other top officials today to take stock of the economy has been postponed, reports CNN-News18. The meeting was called following concerns raised about the state of the economy and was supposed to discuss remedial measures to bolster growth.

14:14 Schools across country affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will have to get police verification and psychometric evaluation done for all their staff, reports CNN-News18. The order from the central school board came amid nationwide concern about the safety of children in schools following the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur at a school in Gurgaon earlier this month. Meanwhile, Varun Thakur, Pradyuman’s father wonders why is there a delay in calling for a CBI probe into the matter.

14:03 Irked over the absence of a former BJP MP accused in the infamous 2005 cash-for-query scam, a Delhi court gave him the last opportunity to appear on the next date when charges will be framed against him and 10 other ex-parliamentarians, reports PTI. Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry asked the counsel for 76-year-old YG Mahajan, a former MP from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, to make sure he is present on the next date, saying it was a "time-bound case" and repeated exemptions cannot be granted. Mahajan's counsel had sought exemption for him on the ground that he was not medically fit to appear as he had recently undergone a spinal surgery.

13:59 Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again warned of demonetisation and "hasty" implementation of GST adversely impacting GDP growth, reports CNBC-TV18. Singh, who had previously cautioned against note ban shaving off 2% of GDP, said demonetisation of 86% of the currency in circulation and the hasty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) have impacted informal and small scale sectors, which account of about 40% of the USD 2.5-trillion economy.

"Both demonetisation and the GST have had some impact (on GDP growth)," he said. "Both would affect the informal sector, the small scale sector... the sectors today are responsible for 40% of GDP." 90% of India's employment is in the informal sector, he stated.

13:40 AirAsia India said it will launch some new routes in the country, with airfares starting from Rs 2,299, reports the Financial Express. All the new AirAsia flights will connect Ranchi with different cities in India. There will be daily flights operating from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneshwar. The first flight under the new plan will fly on October 7 this year.

13:30 Drug firm Cadila Healthcare has signed a technology agreement with Russian firm Pharm Aid for production of varicella vaccine used to prevent virus causing chickenpox, reports PTI. Through this agreement, Zydus Cadila (group firm) gains access to public and private market segments in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, the company said in a statement.

13:11 Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice AB Chaudhari, recused himself from hearing the anticipatory bail plea of three trustees of Ryan International School in connection with the murder of a boy in its Gurugram school, reports PTI. The matter will now come up before a separate bench of the high court. The group's CEO Ryan Pinto and his parents Augustine Pinto, the founding chairman, and Grace Pinto, the group's managing director had approached the high court last week, seeking anticipatory bail. As per an ANI tweet, the judge declined hearing of the anticipatory bail application as he knew the trustees personally.

13:04 Amidst mounting criticism from all corners against the rise in the oil prices, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said prices may come down by Diwali, reports PTI. He said the price of oil which had increased due to floods in the US will likely come down by the next month.

12:38 In a report submitted by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it has blamed the IMD, traffic department, Railways and others with no mention of its own shortcomings for the August 29 debacle, when Mumbai had come to a standstill after 300mm rainfall in a day, reports CNN-News18. The BMC has faced a lot of flak for mismanaging the situation and not alerting the citizens a day before the city came to a standstill due to waterlogging.

12:32 The Nepal Police have issued a red alert against Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh, reports CNN-News18. Honeypreet was sighted in a convoy of three vehicles but managed to give Haryana cops the slip and run to Nepal. She is believed to be currently hiding out in Pokhra region of Eastern Nepal. The local police is cooperating with their Indian counterparts to find her, setting up special teams for combing operation. Meanwhile, Haryana Police has sent officers in plainclothes for the search operation.

12:25 Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif failed to appear before a court hearing corruption cases against him as he was in London to take care of his ailing wife, reports PTI. The accountability court is hearing corruption cases filed against 67-year-old Sharif after the Supreme Court on July 28 disqualified him in the Panama Papers scandal.

In related news, Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has rejected as "unfounded" the impression that the army was behind Sharif’s ouster and said the military had no role in it.

12:22 Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Iqbal Kaskar was detained by Thane police from his Mumbai residence in connection with an extortion case on Monday, reports PTI. He was nabbed from his sister Haseena Parker's house in Nagpada in Mumbai. Former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, who just took charge of the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell earlier this month, led the raid to nab Kaskar.

12:13 CNN-News18 reports that 100 DMK and Congress MLAs are considering resigning en masse in an attempt to force the Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to dissolve the House. DMK leaders are holding a meeting this evening to decide on their future course of action.

12:00 Good Afternoon Moneycontrol users. This blog will keep track of key global and local developments impacting business and markets through the day. Important local and global political developments will also find resonance here.

11:59 Honeypreet Insan may escape to China via Nepal, reports CNN-News18. She was sighted late last night near Pokhra in Nepal travelling in a convoy of three vehicles. Honeypreet is the 'adopted' daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda's Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

11:58 India on Tuesday sought an investigation into North Korea’s nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan, reports Mint.

11:45  Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said intolerance and unemployment are key issues that pose a serious challenge to India’s national security and development, reports PTI. Gandhi, who is in the US on a two-week-long tour, held a series of meetings, including a roundtable with eminent Indian and South Asia experts hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Democratic-leaning think tank.

Participants of these meetings overwhelmingly agreed with Gandhi that the “central challenge” in front of India was jobs and intolerance. They left the meeting generally impressed with Gandhi’s knowledge, clarity of thoughts and candidness. “(People) said he is exactly opposite than what we were told.

11:33 ICICI Lombard's initial public offering of shares was fully subscribed on the last day of its sale today. The issue has been bid 1.03 times, data from the BSE and NSE showed.

11:18 Concerned about the slowdown in the economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other top officials today at 6:30 pm to take stock of the situation and discuss remedial measures to bolster growth, reports CNN-News18. Modi will threadbare analyse the economic situation with Jaitley and secretaries of the finance ministry and explore options to stimulate the economy.

11:11  The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested Mohammad Parvez for blackmailing a lady Colonel and threatening to share her morphed photos on social media, reports CNN-News18. The Colonel, posted at Kota NCC, had filed a complaint with the local police and based on technical analysis, Parvez was arrested.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he and his aides wanted to extract confidential information for the Colonel and hence threatened her with morphed pictures. Parvez claimed that he was working for ISI, Pakistan’s secret agency, and the confidential information was to be used by ISI operatives to destabilise the Centre.

11:08 The Madras High Court will hear the plea of 18 disqualified MLAs on Wednesday, reports CNN-News18. The move is a shot in the arm for the TTV Dinakaran camp. Earlier, Speaker P Dhanapal had disqualified 18 MLAs owing allegiance to rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran.

11:01 Former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government and Speaker for disqualifying 18 MLAs of the TTV Dinakaran camp. In an early morning tweet on Tuesday, Chidambaram wrote: “Speaker's decision to disqualify MLAs blatantly partisan and to help minority Tamil Nadu government. Nothing can save sinking ship.” In direct reference to the Tamil Nadu government that has been juggling with numbers in the Assembly, Chidambaram said no such action can help a sinking ship.

10:54 Sreeleathers has delivered a robust set of numbers in the quarter ended June 2017. Can this stock be a worthy value proposition at this point as well? Moneycontrol Research’s Krishna Karwa delves deeper.

10:50 Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao met Home Minister Rajnath Singh to appraise him of the political situation in Tamil Nadu, reports CNN-News18. This after Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 MLAs owing allegiance to rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran. Rao briefed Singh about the political situation in Tamil Nadu, where 18 MLAs supporting Dhinakaran had submitted letters of withdrawal of support to Palaniswami as Chief Minister. However, the Governor has refused to interfere in the crisis saying it was an "internal problem" of the AIADMK and that he has no role to play when it comes to question of changing the Chief Minister.

10:43 Tata Motors stock advanced nearly 5% on reports that Tata Sons bought 1.7% stake in the automaker through multiple block deals executed on both the BSE and NSE today. About 4.44 crore shares of Tata Motors were exchanged in a series of block deals for an amount aggregating to Rs 1,871.79 crore on both BSE and NSE. The stock of the automaker rose as much as 4.93% to the day’s high of Rs 424.9 on the National Stock Exchange and was the top gainer on both the main exchanges.

10:34 Japan will deploy an additional missile defence system on its northern island of Hokkaido, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP, days after North Korea launched a missile over the island. “We are deploying a PAC-3 system at about noon” to a base of the nation’s Ground Self-Defence Force in the southern tip of Hokkaido, said Kensaku Mizuseki. According to officials, Japan has already deployed the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile defence system to another part of Hokkaido.

10:16 Honeypreet Insan sighted late last night at near Pokhra in Nepal, reports CNN-News18. She was seen travelling in a convoy of three vehicles, once again managing to give Haryana cops the slip.

10:06 The Haryana Police has filed an FIR against Dera Sacha Sauda's Gurmeet Ram Rahim's 'adopted' daughter Honeypreet Insan for inciting violence in Panchula, reports CNN-News18.

09:53 Aung San Suu Kyi said Myanmar stood ready "at any time" to verify the status of the 410,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in the last month to aid the return of those eligible for resettlement, reports AFP. "We are prepared to start the verification process at any time," she said referring to those who have fled in an unprecedented exodus to Bangladesh, without guaranteeing a return for all of the refugees.

09:47 The North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved peacefully, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart during a meeting at the United Nations, reports Reuters.

09:43 Toys “R” Us, the largest US toy store chain, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, the latest sign of turmoil in the retail industry caught in a viselike grip of online shopping and discount chains, reports Reuters. The Chapter 11 filing is among the largest ever by a specialty retailer and casts doubt over the future of the company’s approximately 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees.

09:41 The chairman of the US Senate’s East Asia subcommittee is asking China and 20 other nations on Monday to clamp down on North Korea by cutting ties, closing down diplomatic facilities and working to oust the country from the United Nations, reports Reuters. In a letter seen by Reuters that will be sent to ambassadors from China and 20 other countries, Republican Senator Cory Gardner, the subcommittee chairman, asked that the countries immediately end diplomatic and economic relations with Pyongyang.

09:36 Which stocks are on the wish-list of foreign and domestic brokerages today, click here to find out.

09:15 The Nifty is trading flat after opening at fresh record high on Tuesday as investors looked for cues from the two-day monetary policy meeting of Federal Reserve that will begins tonight.

08:55 The US Food & Drug Administration has approved Glenmark Pharmaceuticals’ Desonide ointment.

08:40 In a boost to homebuyers who had invested in housing projects of the distressed Jaypee Infratech, the Supreme Court said it could ask Jaiprakash Associates to deposit Rs 10,000-15,000 crore more to ensure that the homebuyers got their money back, reports The Economic Times.

08:29 Microsoft Corporation said its free email services Outlook.com and Hotmail, which suffered an outage across Europe on Monday, were back up.

08:28 Dubai-based Kamlesh Parekh, one of the three brothers who owned Shree Ganesh Jewellers, has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking the quashing of the criminal complaint of fraud filed by State Bank of India and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him. Shree Ganesh Jewellers has been suspended from trading.

08:26 Hotel Leela Venture said three directors, including two nominees of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company, have resigned from its board.

08:24 Coal India arm Mahanadi Coalfields can face a penalty of over Rs 20,000 crore in the wake of a Supreme Court order that rendered all mineral production in violation of environmental laws illegal.

08:18 Glenmark Pharmaceuticals plans to file close to 25 product applications annually over the next five years, reports PTI. The Mumbai-based firm also expects to launch nearly 20 products annually.

08:16 Bharti Airtel plans to spend more than Rs 32,000 crore in the next two fiscals to expand its network and gain 3-4 percentage points in revenue market share, reports The Economic Times. The telco is unlikely to drop prices further in a bid to protect its average revenue per user.

08:15 Tata Sons has offered to buy nearly 1.7% of Tata Motors shares worth Rs 2,000 crore on Tuesday at a premium of 4% over Monday's closing price.

08:12 A share sale by InterGlobe Aviation, which runs IndiGo airline, raised Rs 3,790 crore for the company and some of its shareholders based on the final issue price announced on Monday.

08:09 The Bombay Stock Exchange said it would levy fee on members whose order-to-trade ratio is high and request count is over 10 lakh a day in the equity segment to curb potential manipulation.

08:04 Domestic air traffic rose nearly 16% in August, continuing its double digit growth, according to data released by the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

08:03 Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor Co are “exploring a strategic alliance designed to leverage Ford’s global reach and expertise and Mahindra’s scale in India”.

08:01 Footwear retailer Khadim India has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to raise an estimated Rs 550-650 crore through an initial public offering.

08:00 The initial public offering of general insurance company ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co was subscribed 98% on the second day of the share sale, reveals data from stock exchanges.

07:59 Aiming to make Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) more attractive to investors, capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has relaxed norms to allow these trusts to raise funds by issuing debt securities.

07:49 The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will likely launch an initial public offering after getting approval from the Finance Ministry, said Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari. He said the process is on but did not spell out a timeline though.

07:36 Eurozone headline inflation hit its highest level in four months in August, official data showed, confirming the European Union statistics office's earlier flash estimate, reports Reuters. Eurostat said consumer prices in the eurozone rose in August by 1.5% YoY and by 0.3% MoM. Inflation remained below the European Central Bank's target of near 2%, but picked up from 1.3% in July.

07:30 Gold on Tuesday inched up from its lowest in over two weeks as the dollar shed some of its gains from the previous session, with market focus on a two-day Federal Reserve meeting that kicks off later in the day. SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.63% to 843.96 tonne on Monday from 838.64 tonne on Friday.

07:28 Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump spoke about keeping pressure on North Korea with economic sanctions imposed through the United Nations, the White House said in a statement on Monday.

07:21 Bitcoin price bounced back by nearly USD 1,000, recovering by more than a third since its low on Friday. The recent fall was caused by a crackdown by China's regulators. But cryptocurrency investors are realising that China no longer dominates the market.

07:18 Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Brexit was likely to push up Britain's inflation rate and he reiterated the central bank's new view that interest rates are likely to rise in the coming months, reports Reuters.

07:15 Oil markets were stable on Tuesday, supported by a fall in Saudi Arabian crude exports but capped by an expected rise in US shale output.

07:13 Around 10,000 finance jobs will be shifted out of Britain or created overseas in the next few years if the UK is denied access to Europe’s single market, according to a Reuters survey of firms employing the bulk of workers in international finance. Frankfurt was by far the most popular destination for the new roles, the survey showed, with Paris a distant second.

07:10 The Bank of Japan will hold a regular policy meeting on Thursday. Reuters reports it is widely expected to maintain the status quo as inflation remains stubbornly weak despite a modest economic recovery.

07:09 At a two-day meeting beginning later on Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve is expected to take another step toward policy normalisation and announce plans to begin unwinding its USD 4.2 trillion portfolio of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities. According to Reuters, the Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady, but investors will be looking for clues on the expected pace of further tightening later this year and next. The market is pricing in an approximately even chance of a hike in December.

07:07 The S&P 500 ended slightly higher on Monday as financial stocks rose ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting, but the Nasdaq pared gains sharply as technology stocks lost ground late in the session. However, the Dow still clocked a closing record for the fifth day in a row while the S&P had a closing record for the second consecutive session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 63.01 points, or 0.28%, to 22,331.35, the S&P 500 gained 3.64 points, or 0.15%, to 2,503.87 and the Nasdaq Composite added 6.17 points, or 0.1%, to 6,454.64.

07:05 Asian shares wavered on Tuesday, bolstered by record highs on Wall Street but hobbled by uncertainty as traders waited on a Federal Reserve meeting for clues on US monetary policy.

07:03 The US Senate passed its version of a USD 700 billion defence policy bill on Monday, backing President Donald Trump’s call for a bigger, stronger military but setting the stage for a battle over government spending levels later this year, reports Reuters. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 89-8 for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018, or NDAA, which authorises the level of defence spending and sets policies controlling how the money is spent.

07:00 The fourth major Atlantic hurricane of the year, Maria, strengthened into a rare Category 5 storm, as it churned through the eastern Caribbean, bearing down on the tiny island nation of Dominica while on a likely collision course with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, reports Reuters. Maria was upgraded to the pinnacle of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as its maximum sustained winds reached 215 km per hour, with higher gusts, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.

06:55 US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted about the existence of military options on North Korea that might spare Seoul from a brutal counterattack but declined to say what kind of options he was talking about or whether they involved the use of lethal force, reports Reuters.

06:51 India could be forced to cut spending on key infrastructure such as railways and highways as lower-than-expected tax collections and sluggish growth have upset the government’s budget calculations, two finance ministry officials told Reuters. Tax receipts were about USD 7.8 billion in July - a little over half the monthly target - mostly because millions of firms failed to comply with the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) system that harmonises all state and central sales taxes but is still a work in progress.

06:47 Good Morning Moneycontrol users. This blog will keep track of key global and local developments impacting business and markets through the day. Important local and global political developments will also find resonance here.