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OTTAWA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Canada and the United States have reached an new trade agreement based on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but it is still awaiting final approval, Canadian media reported on Sunday night.

A joint statement from Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is expected soon.

According to the CTV Television Network, a senior Canadian official said the deal is not 100 percent finalized, but as things stand, the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism remains intact.

Mumbai, Oct 1 (PTI): The Reserve Bank is likely to increase the repo rate by 25 basis points in the upcoming monetary policy review as inflation is expected to accelerate further due to higher crude prices and the weakness in rupee.

The monetary policy committee will start its three- day meeting from October 3 to decide on the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy.

After two successive hikes, the repo rate currently stands at 6.50 per cent.

SOCHI, September 29. /TASS/. The threat of new sanctions motivates banks to bring more euro than dollars to the country, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Economist of Russia’s VEB development bank Andrei Klepach told TASS on Saturday.

"First, they (banks) have already brought great dollar amounts. Second, the threat of sanctions exists, though I hope that the US will not assume last resort measures. In this environment, a natural and simplest step is to transfer from payments in dollars to payments in euro," he said.

NEW YORK, September 30. /TASS/. US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said a naval blockade of Russia was an option for limiting Russia’s role on the global energy market, Washington Examiner quoted him as saying.

"The United States has that ability, with our Navy, to make sure the sea lanes are open, and, if necessary, to blockade ... to make sure that their energy does not go to market," Zinke was quoted as saying during an industry event in Pittsburgh hosted by the Consumer Energy Alliance.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. and Canadian negotiators are close to reaching a deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) this weekend, according to media reports.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister and chief NAFTA negotiator, has postponed a planned speech at the United Nations, as the United States and Canada are making the final push to finish the NAFTA talks, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.

New York, Sep 29; PTI:  Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has alleged that India's "domestic political and electoral compulsions" were behind New Delhi's reluctance to talk to the new government in Islamabad.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Qureshi were slated to meet on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York.

New York, Sep 29; PTI:  With a tougher round of US sanctions on Iran coming into effect from November 4, a top Trump administration official said Washington recognises India's need for significant oil imports and is having conversations to ensure there are alternative supplies of the fuel "so that our friend India's economy is not adversely affected".

Earlier this year, the US had withdrawn from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed a series of tough sanctions on Iran.

New Delhi; 30 Sep 2018; PTI: Petrol, diesel prices hit another record high on Sunday as the upward trend in fuel prices continued. Petrol prices were increased by 9-10 paise per litre on Sunday while diesel prices were hiked by 16-17 paise across the four metro cities.

In Delhi, petrol was retailing at Rs 83.49 per litre while diesel was sold at Rs 74.79 after today's hike. In the country's business capital Mumbai, petrol price moved closer to the Rs 91 per litre mark to Rs 90.84 while diesel was priced at Rs 79.40.

Washington, Sep 30 (AFP) US President Donald Trump said he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have fallen "in love" -- their bromance fuelled by "beautiful letters" he received from the leader of the nuclear-armed state.

Trump on Saturday elevated his recent praise of Kim to new heights, at a West Virginia rally in support of local candidates for his Republican Party.

"And then we fell in love -- OK? No really. He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love," Trump told the crowd.

Rameswaram (TN), Sept 29 (PTI) Around 1,500 fishermen from here returned to the shores without fish catch Sunday after they were allegedly driven away by Sri Lankan Navay near Katchatheevu, a fishermen association leader said.

The fishermen, who had put out to sea Saturday in over 275 mechanised boats, were fishing near Katchatheevu when the Lankan Naval personnel in four patrol vessels allegedly snapped the fishing nets of 10 boats, Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja told reporters here.