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IndiGo resumes daily Kathmandu flights

1 month ago
After two days of intense political unrest and uncertainty in Nepal, IndiGo said it is set to resume regular services to Kathmandu from Thursday, the aviation giant said in an official statement. The airline will operate four daily scheduled flights connecting Kathmandu with key destinations. In addition, and pending regulatory approvals, two special relief flights are also planned for the day. These flights will focus on helping stranded passengers return home and will be available at special fares to make travel more accessible. “Our focus is on reuniting people with their loved ones,” IndiGo said in its statement, adding that passenger safety remains its top priority.— IndiGo6E (@IndiGo6E) The announcement follows the reopening of Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, which was closed on Tuesday after youth-led protests spilled into the streets, paralysing public life and raising safety concerns. As a result, hundreds of Indian travellers were left stranded after the shutdown. Air India, too, announced on Wednesday that it has started special services on the Delhi–Kathmandu route. “Air India is operating special flights today and tomorrow … Our scheduled operations will also resume from tomorrow,” the airline said, noting it was working closely with government agencies to support stranded passengers.Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on X that, in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, IndiGo and Air India will operate additional flights over the next few days alongside scheduled services to clear the backlog. He also urged airlines to keep fares “within reasonable levels.”Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a travel advisory urging citizens to defer non-essential travel to Nepal until the situation stabilises. “Indian citizens presently in Nepal are advised to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution,” the advisory stated.The protests—driven largely by Nepal’s youth frustrated over unemployment, corruption and disenchantment with the political establishment—have highlighted simmering tensions in the Himalayan nation and sparked regional concern over stability.

Will RBI’s policy moves help calm India’s bond market turbulence?

1 month ago
Mumbai: The recent sell-off in Indian government bonds seems to be easing and demand is expected to rise from October, according to bond dealers. The impact on government revenue from GST rate revisions is seen less severe than feared, and the market is factoring in a possible central bank action to fix the bond market dislocation."Benign inflation and potential headwinds to GDP should help the RBI maintain a supportive monetary policy. In addition, the government's still resilient fiscal footing and its commitment to fiscal consolidation should together help to revive the demand for India government bonds in the near term," analysts at Barclays said in a report on Tuesday.Barclays expects the yield on 10-year benchmark government bonds to ease to 6.25% by December-end. It closed at 6.48% Wednesday. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.Economists at Union Bank of India see the possibility of a token 25- to 50-basis point rate cuts as part of coordinated government and RBI policy efforts to support growth. Policy steps by the central bank to address the dislocated bond market are also likely to be a key driver for the market. "We believe that the current levels are attractive to enter a tactical trade in long-duration bonds (especially G-secs)," they wrote in a report last week.Bank of Baroda said the bond market is getting back to normal. "The tariff impact would be there for sure, but the GST cuts could provide some compensation. We are still talking of growth in the region of 6.5%," said chief economist Madan Sabnavis.123819387That said, a growing mismatch between demand and supply at the long end of the yield curve remains a key concern for the market. Recent auctions saw states borrowing less than their notified limits because of the absence of long-term investors like insurance companies and pension funds in the market, bond traders said. Experts said if the RBI reduces the supply of long-term bonds in second-half borrowing, as suggested by banks in a meeting last week, it could compress spreads across the yield curve and soften yields on long bonds.In near term, release of the H2 borrowing calendar by September-end, developments related to an India-US trade deal and outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting on October 1 are key events for market.

Retail flows into equity MFs see a sharp 21% drop in Aug

1 month ago
Mumbai: Flows into equity mutual funds fell 21% in August from the previous month on a weaker retail investor appetite. A decline in scheme launches also weighed on collections. Investors poured ₹33,430 crore into equity mutual funds in August compared with ₹42,702 crore in July. Inflows through SIPs were marginally lower at ₹28,265 crore against ₹28,464 crore a month earlier."The lower impact of new flows compared with the previous month of about ₹9,000 crore is to the extent of new fund offers (NFOs) which were higher in July than August," says Akhil Chaturvedi, ED, Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company.Debt mutual funds recorded outflows of ₹7,980 crore, driven largely by withdrawals from liquid schemes.The decline in equity markets also weighed on overall assets. The mutual fund industry's net AUM slipped 0.3% to ₹74.93 lakh crore from ₹75.18 lakh crore in July, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).Among equity categories, sectoral or thematic funds saw the sharpest drop, with inflows slipping to ₹3,893 crore in August from ₹9,426 crore in July.123819275Within the diversified equity space, flexicap funds attracted the highest flows at ₹7,679 crore in August, marginally higher than ₹7,654 crore a month earlier. Small-cap funds saw a 23% fall in inflows to ₹4,993 crore from ₹6,484 crore in July, as investors turned cautious amid high valuations in the segment.Mid-cap funds, however, recorded a modest rise in flows to ₹5,331 crore compared with ₹5,182 crore earlier, while large-cap funds saw inflows climb to ₹2,640 crore from ₹2,125 crore.In the fixed income space, liquid funds recorded the largest outflows at ₹13,350 crore in August, while overnight funds saw inflows of ₹4,950 crore. As bond yields rose, investors pulled out ₹928 crore from gilt funds.In the hybrid category, which invests across two or more asset classes, net inflows eased to ₹15,294 crore from ₹20,879 crore in July. Arbitrage funds, known for their safety and tax efficiency, witnessed inflows drop to ₹6,667 crore from ₹7,296 crore, while multi-asset allocation funds saw collections fall to ₹3,528 crore from ₹6,197 crore in the previous month.A sharp rise of 50% in the price of domestic gold led to investors adding ETFs worth ₹2,190 crore in August from ₹1,256 crore in the previous month. "For domestic investors, gold continues to act as a shield against currency fluctuations and inflationary pressures, while also offering tactical positioning ahead of pivotal global monetary policy decisions," says Nehal Meshram, senior analyst - manager research, Morningstar Investment Research India.

Who is Charlie Kirk, activist shot at Utah Uni

1 month ago
Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at his "American Comeback" tour at Utah Valley University.The incident sent shockwaves through U.S. political circles including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance. U.S. President Donald Trump called for prayers on Truth Social, saying, "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"Who is Charlie Kirk? Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 at the age of 18 with Bill Montgomery. The organization promotes conservative values on college campuses and has grown into a network that includes Turning Point Action, Turning Point Academy, and Turning Point Faith.Also Read: Charlie Kirk shot- Trump calls for prayers as right-wing activist attacked at Utah University event He also serves as president of Turning Point Endowment and is a member of the Council for National Policy, a conservative activist network, according to The New York Times. Born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Kirk was active in politics from a young age, volunteering for Republican campaigns and engaging in student activism. He briefly attended Harper College before leaving to pursue political activism full-time, influenced by Tea Party member Bill Montgomery. Kirk is also a media personality. He hosts The Charlie Kirk Show, a daily radio program, and has authored several books, including Campus Battlefield (2018) and The MAGA Doctrine (2020). NBC News reported that his podcast is downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times daily.The activist is married to Erika Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona USA. The couple has two children.Charlie Kirk Controversies Kirk is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump and has promoted pro-Trump causes, including challenging the 2020 presidential election results. He has also been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, rejecting mainstream climate science, and opposing critical race theory in schools, according to Forbes.Kirk shooting under investigation Following the shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel said on X, "We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected." He added that FBI agents were on the scene quickly.
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