BUSINESS

United Spirits shares plummeted over 17 percent to 990.00 rupees Monday at Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex after its promoter Vijay Mallya hinted that a proposed deal with UK beverage major Diageo may be a "no deal."

Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram unveiled a fiscal consolidation road map Monday, intending to cut the country’s fiscal deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2017 from the current 5.8 percent, hoping that the Central Bank of India will support the government initiative with rate cuts.

Crude oil prices declined to below $86 a barrel in Asia Monday as concerns increased about Hurricane Sandy affecting normal life in the U.S. east coast.

US stock markets will be closed Monday as market participants and regulators are worried about the hazardous conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

Japan’s retail sales rose less than expected in September indicating that consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity, continues to falter.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Monday as better-than-expected reading on the U.S. economic activity data lifted sentiment.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told New Yorkers Sunday to be afraid, be very afraid, of Hurricane Sandy.

Flip-flopping more than any presidential candidate on the campaign trail, the New York Stock Exchange actually will be closed Monday.

Electrical companies on the East Coast are bracing for heavy winds, rain, and potential flooding as Hurricane Sandy approaches landfall.

The U.S. employment situation summary Friday will carry the most weight, because it will be the last jobs report before Election Day.

Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange have both said they plan to remain open Monday despite the impending arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

Americans spend about $8 billion a year on Halloween costumes and party favors -- and increasingly there are temporary, short-term stores popping up everywhere to serve this obsession.

All subway, commuter-railroad, and bus service in New York will begin grinding to a halt Sunday at 7 p.m. EDT at the direction of state Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

The cease-fire between the Syrian Army and opposition forces has failed amid reports of car bombings, artillery fire and airstrikes in Damascus.

Asian stock markets ended on a negative note last week as the disappointing corporate earnings from the major companies in the U.S. and Asia weighed on the sentiment and suggested that the global economic growth momentum continued to falter.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on the Muslims to kidnap westerners as a means to free the imprisoned jihadists and to restart the Egyptian revolution, the SITE Intelligence Group has reported.

Indian companies have created 50,000 jobs in the U.S. while the Indian investment in the country grew 20 fold in 10 years to $27 billion in 2010, making the economic relationship between both the countries “very much a two-way street,” says Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Friday were Gevo Inc, Dreamworks Animation SKG inc, MICROS Systems Inc, Loral Space And Communications and TripAdvisor Inc. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Gaiam Inc, The Savannah BancorpI nc, People’s United Financial Inc and Zynga Inc.

With China’s manufacturing activity continuing to remain in contraction, market participants have renewed their call for urgent policy easing measures in the coming months to attain a firmer growth recovery.

Asian markets fell in the week with investor sentiment turning negative following the disappointing corporate earnings in the U.S. indicating that the global economic growth momentum continues to falter.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Tenet Healthcare Corp, ResMed, Delphi Automotive, Community Health Systems and Heckmann Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were Skilled Healthcare Group, Kirby Corp, Marathon Petroleum Corp, HollyFrontier Corp and Pier 1 Imports Inc.

Facing rising levels of joblessness and unable to make good on their obligations, the Spanish are getting suicidally desperate.

One in four people in Spain are unemployed as its economic recession deepens and its government implements more austerity measures.

Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Women’s Health Program because one of the state program's rules prevents clinics associated with Planned Parenthood from receiving funding if they perform abortions. Planned Parenthood argues that the rule violates state law.

Swiss banking giant UBS (NYSE: UBS) is set to cut 10,000 jobs, London's Financial Times reported Friday afternoon.

Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna has stepped down, indicating an outflow of aging officials from India's cabinet.

Pharmaceutical companies are still struggling with a steep "patent cliff," as multiple blockbusters lose their patent protections.

Almost every industry is suffering in Greece, crippled by unemployment. But prostitution is booming.

In the U.S., women have a somewhat more pronounced presence in the corridors of corporate power.