* Kumbh Mela: at least 18 dead in stampede at Allahabad railway station - Financial Times (blog)

* Venezuelan devaluation sparks panic

* Essar set to shift debt into dollars

* Opposition "would talk to Assad in northern Syria"

* State street cautious on Indonesia price dilemma

* Kumbh Mela: at least 18 dead in stampede at Allahabad railway station

* Fresh clashes erupt in Malian town

Markets: mixed

Venezuelan devaluation sparks panic
Panic buyers thronged Venezuelan shops over the carnival weekend after the government of Hugo Chávez announced asurprise devaluation that analysts said was overdue but would only partly right the listing economy.
http://on.ft.com/VOhX5G

Essar set to shift debt into dollars
Plans by Essar Oil to shift exposure from rupee to dollar-based debt are expected to cut financing costs at London-listed parent company Essar Energy.
http://on.ft.com/1252Y9d

Opposition "would talk to Assad in northern Syria"
Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib said on Sunday he was willing to hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad's representatives in rebel-held areas of northern Syria to try to end a conflict that has killed about 60,000 people.
http://reut.rs/YPLkSi

State street cautious on Indonesia price dilemma
Indonesia's combination of accelerating inflation and record-low bond yields is prompting State Street Global Advisors and Schroder Investment Management Ltd. to cut holdings.
http://bloom.bg/Wb3pty

Kumbh Mela: at least 18 dead in stampede at Allahabad railway station
At least 18 people were killed in a stampede in Allahabad on Sunday as Hindus returned from a river dip at the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival.
http://reut.rs/UVydBD

Fresh clashes erupt in Malian town
French and Malian troops fought running gun battles with Islamist rebel guerrillas in the northern Mali town of Gao on Sunday, in clashes that showed up big gaps in security in a zone recently recaptured by a French-led military offensive.
http://on.ft.com/1254uZ8

Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index down -0.04% at 1,060

Americas
DJIA up +0.35% at 13,993
S&P 500 up +0.57% at 1,518
Bovespa up +0.21% at 58,498

Asia
Nikkei 225 down -1.80% at 11,153
Topix down -1.22% at 957.35
Hang Seng up +0.16% at 23,215
Shanghai Composite up +0.57% at 2,432
MSCI Asia ex-Japan down -0.06% at 551.14
S&P CNX Nifty Index down -0.20% at 5,892

Currencies
€/$ 1.34 (1.34)
$/¥ 92.55 (92.70)

Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) up +0.01 at 118.91
Light Crude (Nymex) down -0.06 at 95.66
100 Oz Gold (Comex) up +0.50 at 1,667