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Oil prices tumble amid oversupply fears (17 minutes ago)
New York, Dec 19 (IANS) Oil prices dived, as mounting anxieties over supply surplus cast a pall over investors across the board.

Century-old Nahoum's Bakery in Kolkata reprimanded (00:02)
Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday issued a notice to city's 116-year-old iconic Jewish bakery Nahoum's, among other city cake shops, to improve their working standards following an inspection ahead of the Christmas festival, an official said.

Centre approves new tourist, trekking routes in J&K (00:00)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday approved new tourist and trekking routes in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, a government statement said.

Trump urges US Fed to forgo another rate hike as policy meeting begins (23:50)
Washington, Dec 18 (IANS) As the Federal Reserve starts its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump again urged the central bank to refrain from further hiking interest rates, warning it to avoid making "yet another mistake".

LIC makes open offer to acquire 26% stake in IDBI Bank (23:44)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has made an open offer to acquire 26 per cent stake in the public sector lender IDBI Bank for Rs 61.73 a share.

NSE gets SEBI nod for weekly options trading (22:52)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday said it has received security market regulator SEBI's approval to start weekly options contracts on the Nifty50 index.

India retains 'Category 1' rating in international aviation safety assessment (22:52)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The government on Tuesday said India has retained its 'Category 1' rating under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme.

AIKS to hold protests for loan waiver and better remuneration (22:46)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Buoyed by the announcement of farm loan waiver by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments, Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Tuesday said it will hold another round of protest in the rural parts of the country to press for a complete loan waiver across the country and guaranteed remunerative crop prices.

RBI to scale up securities purchase in December (22:38)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said on review of the evolving liquidity conditions, it has decided to scale up the amounts to be purchased in the remaining two OMO (Open Market Operation) auctions scheduled in December 2018 to Rs 15,000 each.

NokScoot to launch Delhi-Bangkok flight (22:20)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Thailand-based budget airline NokScoot on Tuesday announced that it will launch a non-stop flight service connecting New Delhi and Bangkok.

IDFC Bank-Capital First merger takes effect (22:16)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) Private sector IDFC Bank announced that the lender's merging of non banking finance company (NBFC) Capital First with it has become effective on Tuesday following the lodging of the relevant NCLT order with the Registrar of Companies.

Apparel exporters seek drawback hike to improve competitiveness (22:00)
Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) In a bid to be more competitive in global markets, apparel exporters are seeking a hike of duty drawbacks of about 4-4.5 per cent to alleviate the embedded taxes which have been paid by them, an official said here on Tuesday.

Only 7% Internet connectivity in India through fixed line network: TRAI (21:56)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Only 7 per cent of Internet connectivity in India is through fixed line network while the global average of the same is around 46 per cent, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman R.S. Sharma said on Tuesday.

Yes Bank sells 2.13% stake in Fortis Healthcare (21:42)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Private lender Yes Bank on Tuesday said it has sold 2.13 per cent share stake of Fortis Healthcare.

Indian small businesses thrive on Amazon special sales day (21:30)
Bengaluru, Dec 18 (IANS) Indian small businesses and enterprises (SBEs) witnessed a 1.4x spike in the sale of their products on Amazon during its 'Small Business Day' sales event, said the world's leading e-tailer on Tuesday.

Don't want RBI money, but can't let economy starve: Jaitley (21:30)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) Admitting using Section 7 of the RBI Act to force a discussion with the central bank on liquidity and credit issues, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said he could not have let the economy starve for liquidity.

Cisco acquires photonics leader Luxtera for $660mn (21:30)
San Francisco, Dec 18 (IANS) Global networking major Cisco on Tuesday announced the acquisition of California-based semiconductor company Luxtera for $660 million.

Africa, Europe should intensify cooperation: Juncker (20:56)
Vienna, Dec 18 (IANS) European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday urged Europe and Africa to intensify their cooperation.

Signify unveils IoT platform for lighting products in India (20:40)
Bengaluru, Dec 18 (IANS) European firm Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, on Tuesday unveiled here its Internet of Things (IoT)-based Interact platform that connects lighting products.

Redefining 'connected parties' in Insolvency Code may be needed: Jaitley (19:56)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said changes in Section 29A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) may be required as the earlier amendment may have been "too wide" in relation to the definition of related parties.

UK Cabinet considers no-deal Brexit (19:38)
London, Dec 18 (IANS) The British cabinet met to discuss whether to ramp up preparations for a no-deal Brexit amid uncertainty over the fate of Theresa May's proposed EU exit deal on Tuesday.

Gadkari to launch projects worth Rs 9,533 cr in Arunachal (19:38)
Itanagar, Dec 18 (IANS) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari is likely to lay the foundation for national highways projects worth Rs 9,533 crore in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, officials said on Tuesday.

Sensex manages 6th straight rise as rupee goes up sharply (Roundup) (19:16)
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) Lower crude prices coupled with inflow of foreign funds and a strong rupee buoyed the Indian equity market on Tuesday to log the 6th straight session of advances.

GST evasion of Rs 12,766 cr detected in April-November (19:04)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) A total of 3,196 cases of Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion amounting to Rs 12,766 crore have come to light in the first eight months of the current financial year, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.

Trade irritants with Turkey to be resolved soon: Prabhu (18:30)
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Irritants in India's trade with Turkey will soon be removed, and efforts are being made to address the issue of Turkey's trade deficit with India, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday.