Mumbai, Dec 9: Shares of leading Indian rice companies fell sharply on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump hinted that he may impose fresh tariffs on agricultural imports, specifically targeting Indian rice and Canadian fertilisers.

The statement triggered immediate selling in stocks linked to the rice trade. LT Foods was the biggest loser, with its share price slipping 6.85 per cent to Rs 366.55.

Shares of KRBL also declined, falling 1.14 per cent, while GRM Overseas dropped 4.46 per cent.

The sudden slide reflected investor concerns that any new US tariffs could hurt export demand and impact earnings for these companies.

Trump made his remarks during a White House event where he announced new support measures for US farmers.

His comments come at a time when trade tensions between the United States and India continue to resurface.

India remains the world’s largest rice producer, with an output of 150 million tonnes and a 28 per cent share in global production.

It is also the top exporter, accounting for 30.3 per cent of global rice exports in 2024–2025, data from the Indian Rice Exporters Federation showed.

Despite this large global presence, India’s rice exports to the US are relatively small.

According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, India shipped around 234,000 tonnes of rice to the US in the 2024 financial year, which is less than 5 per cent of its total global basmati exports of 5.24 million tonnes.

West Asian countries remain the biggest buyers of Indian rice. Among the varieties exported worldwide, the Sona Masoori variety is especially popular in markets like the US and Australia.

The US, under Trump’s leadership, has already imposed steep tariffs on India, including a 50 per cent tariff — its highest — along with a 25 per cent levy on India’s Russian oil imports.

Mumbai: Mangaluru City Police have arrested a Mumbai native accused of uploading social media posts that promoted feelings of enmity or hatred in 2024.

The accused, who was working in Saudi Arabia, was arrested at Mumbai Airport based on a Look Out Circular (LOC).

The accused, Felix Edward Mathais (aged 56), is alleged to have circulated derogatory posts about the Bhagavad Gita and women in February 2024.

A case was registered against him at the Kankanady City Police Station under sections 153(A), 504, 507, 509 of the IPC and Section 66(D) of the IT Act.

At the time the case was filed, Mathais was in Saudi Arabia for employment, which prevented his arrest. The accused, originally from Charkop, Mumbai, was the subject of an LOC issued by the police following information gathered about his overseas employment.

The accused landed at Mumbai Airport from abroad. Immigration officials detained him and informed the Mangaluru Police. Subsequently, he was arrested at the Airport on December 5, 2025.

He was brought to Mangaluru for investigation and produced before the Court. A report has been submitted to the court requesting the confiscation of his passport.

Another accused in the case, Evigin John D’Souza (aged 57), was previously arrested on August 11, 2024, and produced before the court.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up on Tuesday to a pleasant winter morning, complete with clear blue skies, cool breezes and a refreshing nip in the air. Yet, despite the seemingly ideal weather conditions, a thin layer of smog hovered across the city, muting visibility and reminding residents of Mumbai’s persistent air quality troubles.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast clear skies with minimum temperatures around 16°C and maximums touching 33°C, but the rising pollution levels overshadowed the winter charm.

The worsening air quality coincides with the city’s rapid construction expansion. Mumbai continues to be shaped by an array of large-scale government infrastructure projects, including metro lines, bridges and extensive road-widening works, along with numerous private real estate developments underway simultaneously.

By today morning, the air quality monitoring platform AQI.in recorded Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 139, categorising it as ‘poor’. Although this marked an improvement from the more hazardous levels logged late last month and in early December, the city’s air remained far from healthy.

Several areas stood out as pollution hotspots. The Wadala Truck Terminal topped the list with an alarming AQI of 346, falling into the ‘severe’ category and posing major health risks. Mumbai Airport also registered worrying levels, recording an AQI of 213 in the ‘unhealthy’ bracket.

Industrial and residential pockets such as Deonar and Chembur followed, with AQIs of 180 and 177 respectively, marking them as ‘poor’. Kurla matched Chembur with 177, while coastal Worli recorded 173, both remaining firmly in the poor category.

Suburban regions, though relatively better, were not entirely free from pollution concerns. Charkop reported an AQI of 73 and Jogeshwari East 78, placing them in the ‘moderate’ category. Kandivali East (82), Govandi (83) and Mulund West (100) also fell within the moderate range, staying inside acceptable limits though still noticeably polluted.

To put these numbers into perspective, an AQI of 0–50 is considered Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Poor, 151–200 Unhealthy and anything above 200 Hazardous. Despite the pleasant weather, Mumbai’s battle with smog and dust continues to shape the city’s winter mornings.