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\'These are teething pains\'

Kalpana Pathak / New Delhi December 01, 2009, 1:30 IST

NSE seeks trademark for currency derivatives label

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has applied before authorities for registration of trademark for its ‘Currency Derivatives’ label.

IIFCL moots dynamic structuring

In takeout financing IIFCL will enter into a pact with banks to take over some of their infrastructure loans on its books.

Social sector schemes to get proceeds from disinvestment

The proceeds from disinvestment of NHPC and OIL will be allocated for capital expenditure in identified social sector schemes, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee informed the Lok Sabha today.

Wrong CPI

Sitaram Yechury, the CPI(M) leader, had a tongue-in-cheek explanation for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee ripping into Brinda Karat during the discussion on inflation in Parliament. According to Yechury, “The FM was talking about the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) but we were telling him to talk about the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which showed a sharp rise in food prices. As we mentioned CPI, he thought we were talking about the political outfit CPI. That might have angered him.”

NSE seeks trademark for currency derivatives label

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has applied before authorities for registration of trademark for its "Currency Derivatives" label.

IDBI Bank may shelve variable pay plan

IDBI Bank is expected to formally shelve its plan to become the first public sector lender to introduce variable pay for its employees.

BoI trims deposit rates by 0.25-0.5%

Public sector lender, Bank of India (BoI), has slashed its deposit rates by 0.25-0.5 per cent across various tenures, effective from Monday.

DLF eyes better cash flow by biz integration

Realty major DLF today said its board has approved integration of DLF Assets with DLF Cyber City Developers, a move that will enhance its cash flow through rental income.

Don\'t follow Chinese in establishing SEZs: Book

State governments in India have thrown caution to the winds and are rushing to attract FDI into export-oriented manufacturing and service industries by establishing Chinese-style special economic zones (SEZs) which are quite damaging for the society, says a new book.

MCF to invest Rs 500 cr in retail foray

Vijay Mallya-controlled Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (MCF)has embarked on an agri project initiative with a twin objective of helping farmers use best farming practices and offer the consumer good-quality staples and vegetables.

Total auto sales jump 68% to 1 mn units in Dec

Indian automobile industry recorded an impressive 68 per cent growth in sales in December last year, thereby continuing with the push it had received from two stimulus packages since 2008-end and successfully beating the year-end blues.

Stimulus should not be withdrawn: Ratan Tata

Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata today said the stimulus packages provided to the economy to cushion the impact of the global economic downturn should not be withdrawn.

IT projects in city on the back burner

With almost all the proposed IT projects in the city being non-starters, the emergence of Bhubaneswar as one of the most sought after IT destinations among the Tier-II cities in the country is under a cloud.

TVS to showcase hybrid vehicles at Auto Expo

Chennai-based auto maker TVS Motor Company today said it will showcase a range of vehicles, including different hybrid models, at the 10th Auto Expo starting here from January 5, 2010.

Small, green cars to be flavour of Auto Expo

The 10th Auto Expo will open here tomorrow with over 10 global launches and previews of small and green cars by the likes of Honda and Toyota during the week-long event -- billed as the world"s biggest in terms of footfall.

Usage of IPO proceeds not monitored by Sebi: Govt

The government today said market regulator Sebi does not monitor usage of proceeds of any initial public offers (IPOs) and it is not contemplating any change in the current regulatory framework.

Bajaj Hindusthan to add 400 MW worth Rs 1,600 crore

Bajaj Hindusthan, the country"s leading sugar producer, has decided to take its power generation capacity to 830 MW by adding another 400 MW of newer capacities.

Bajaj Hindusthan to raise Rs 2,000 cr

The country"s largest sugar manufacturing firm, Bajaj Hindusthan, today said its shareholders will meet on December 16 to consider and approve raising of Rs 2,000 crore from domestic and international markets.

Balrampur, Bajaj Hind deal off

Balrampur Chini has called off the deal it was looking to enter into with Bajaj Hindusthan after initial talks. In a communication to the stock exchanges, Balrampur Chini said “some discussions were held with Bajaj Hindusthan on future business strategies”. It said the promoters had not entered into any agreement with any party for sale of their stake.

Facebook, for those who came in late

It’s simply impossible not to have heard about Facebook. For over five years, this highly successful social networking site has become the definitive place for young adults to upload details about their day-to-day life.

Credit information bureaus trip on new FDI norms

The new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms, which stipulate changes in the way foreign investment in a domestic company is calculated, have put a roadblock in the path of credit information bureaus, which are eager to rope in private sector banks as investors.

Alok Retail in talks with PE firms to raise Rs 100 cr

Alok Retail India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Alok Industries, is planning a major expansion and is in talks with private equity firms to raise Rs 100-crore.

Saffronart online art auction begins on June 10

"Saffronart", a leading art auction house in the city will host its annual summer online-art-auction of "Modern and Contemporary Indian Art" comprising works of 57 noted artists on June 10 and 11.

BJP crisis worsens

Yashwant Sinha resigns, Rajnath issues gag order.

Commexes close \'09 with record turnover of Rs 70 lakh cr

Commodity exchanges in the country closed the year 2009 with record turnover of Rs 70,90,442 crore, up by 40.85 per cent from Rs 50,33,872 crore in the previous year.

Mfg slows down in Aug, domestic demand drives growth: PMI

The growth in domestic manufacturing sector slowed down in August though the domestic demand continued to drive recovery despite lower margins. The HSBC Market Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a seasonally adjusted headline index designed to measure the overall health of the manufacturing sector, stood at 53.2 last month down from 55.4 in July.

IOCL invests RS 2200-cr in Paradeep refinery

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), which is setting up a 15 million tonne per annum refinery at Paradeep, has so far invested Rs 2200 crore in the project.

India not in favour of bidding for Olympics: Gill

Sports Minister M S Gill today disfavoured the suggestion that India should bid for Olympics even if the Commonwealth Games next year are organized successfully.

FIIs net sellers Rs 775cr in F&O on Friday

The Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers of Rs 775.26 crore in futures and options segments on Friday.

IOCL invests Rs 2,200 cr in Paradeep refinery

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), which is setting up a 15 million tonne per annum refinery at Paradeep, has so far invested Rs 2,200 crore in the project. While the cost of the refinery excluding the petro-chemical complex is estimated at Rs 29,777 crore, IOCL has already committed Rs 4,680 crore, said state industry minister Raghunath Mohanty.

2009: Deora presides over fall of oil sector, its men

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, an otherwise able administrator, may earn the distinction of presiding over the fall of individuals and institutions in oil sector in a year when he also faced accusations of taking sides in corporate battles.

India hopes to ape 2003 \'sweetheart\' deal, Doha not yielding

India may be looking at Qatar for a "sweetheart" gas deal but Doha appears in no mood to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) at anything less than $9-11 per mmBtu, rates which are more than double domestic gas price.

World Bank loan to lower NHAI\'s borrowing needs

The $2 billion World Bank loan the government is seeking for road development will reduce the total borrowing needs of the National Highways Authority by 20 per cent to Rs 1,53,421 crore over the next 21 years.

Sanjaya Baru: Centre, states and India\'s metropolis

Sanjaya Baru / New Delhi December 21, 2009, 0:42 IST

Clear signal

Capital infusion should help DTH market leader Dish TV to consolidate its position in a highly competitive segment.

Power capacity addition misses target by a fourth in 2009

Fresh power capacity addition has fallen short of target by over a fourth in the current calendar year, owing to delays in supply of critical components for thermal projects, delayed forest clearances and non-availability of fuel for nuclear projects.

L&T, NPCIL set to join hands

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is forming a joint venture with state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) to explore co-operation in manufacturing and setting up of nuclear power plants as a part of India"s ambitious nuclear development programme.

More trouble brewing for N D Tiwari

Even after tendering his resignation for his alleged involvement in a sex scandal, troubles for former Andhra Pradesh Governor N D Tiwari may not be over.

Bajaj Hindustan pares gains

Bajaj Hindustan touched a low of Rs 230 - down 4% from the day"s high. It finally ended flat at Rs 233. The counter clocked a volume of 7.8 lakh shares on the BSE.

Call transfer: Users set to port number for new experience

Telecom industry may be hit by biggest customer churn ever, due to mobile number portability.

Sensex strong in opening trades

The Sensex started the day on a very strong note mirroring international cues and on expectation of a good earning season. The Sensex is now at 17,660, up 120 points. The NSE Nifty is 33 points higher at 5,278.

GSMA not in consonance with family MoU: RNRL

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) today accused Reliance Industries (RIL) in the Supreme Court of unilaterally inserting provisions in the agreement for gas supply, saying it went against the family MoU of 2005 providing for fixed quantity of gas from the KG Basin for 17 years.

Rising tide

Autism awareness is growing, as the increasing number of cases shows

Govt urges US regulator not to punish Satyam

India has requested the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) not to impose any fine on Mahindra Satyam, formerly Satyam Computer Services Ltd (SCSL), as this will impede the new entity’s rehabilitation.

Tatas, Fiat planning to introduce Nano in Latin America

Tatas is planning to introduce its small car Nano in Latin America in partnership with Italian auto maker Fiat.

JLR dangles carrot to push back salaries for 15 days

The management of Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover has offered a one-time payment of £200 to those of its salaried employees who are willing to push their salary receiving date by 15 days, starting from August this year. This is part of the car maker’s plans to manage its cash flow problems, pending fresh flow of funds from banks to manage its operations more smoothly.

Tata Steel ups stake in Riversdale, for fourth time

In the last 11 months, a Singapore-based subsidiary of Tata Steel has moped up 19.38 per cent stake in Australian mining firm Riversdale in four open market share purchases. With the last transaction on Tuesday of buying about 85 lakh shares, valued around Rs 213 crore at market price, the subsidiary named Tata Steel Global Minerals Holdings has increased its share volume to 36.74 million.

First customer to get Nano keys today

About ayear and a half after unveiling the car, Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Motors, will hand over the ownsership keys of the Nano to its first customer here tomorrow, at the company showroom in the Prabhadevi area.

BJP slams Centre\'s policy on sugarcane

BJP today attacked government"s decision to abolish profit sharing clause in the Sugarcane Control Order saying farmers would not be able to get better price even though mills are currently earning huge margins.

UP farmers selling sugarcane in U\'khand

Uttarakhand is rejoicing on the arrival of Uttar Pradesh’s sugarcane farmers, who are coming to the hill state with the hope of getting a better price for their produce.

Novartis gains on getting patent right

Novartis finally ended with a Rs 21 or 3.6% gain at Rs 590. Around 30,063 shares changed hands at the counter today.

JLR dangles carrot to push back salaries for 15 days

The management of Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover has offered a one-time payment of £200 to those of its salaried employees who are willing to push their salary receiving date by 15 days, starting from August this year. This is part of the car maker’s plans to manage its cash flow problems, pending fresh flow of funds from banks to manage its operations more smoothly.

\'NSDC will be like a private equity fund\'

Last month, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) — a Rs10-crore, 51:49 private-public partnership (PPP) enterprise with a mandate to skill 30 per cent of an overall target of 500 million people by 2022. The NSDC, in which industry associations have partly contributed to the private sector’s share, has been described as a “unique” PPP. Its chairman MV Subbiah, former head of the Chennai-based Murugappa group, explains to Kanika Datta how the organisation plans to go about meeting its challenging agenda. Excerpts:

Lacklustre trade continues

The Sensex has dipped further to a low of 17,586. It is now up 61 points at 17,601.

India Inc looks within for merger & acquisitions

The global economic slowdown forced corporate India to look largely within the country for merger and acquisitions in 2009, accounting for about 60 per cent of the $10-billion worth of deals.

IDEA Cellular bags title sponsorship for Bangla tri-series

IDEA Cellular today bagged the title sponsorship for the one day international (ODI) cricket tri-series and the test match series. The series is to be played in Bangladesh from January 4, 2010. The cricket tournament, which includes a seven match ODI tri-series between India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and two test match series between India and Bangladesh will be titled ‘The IDEA Cup’.

Alert after inputs about terror strike at Mumbai\'s Radio Club

Police have received specific intelligence inputs about a terror attack on one of the oldest clubs near Hotel Taj here following which security has been beefed up, police said today.

Hiring on track: IT firms confirm participation on campuses

As the global economy limps back to normalcy, Indian information technology (IT) companies are ready to hire from campuses.

Tech heart sets his mind buzzing

Dr Kushagra Katariya, CEO and chief cardiothoracic surgeon of Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon, thinks that YouTube can be the smartest way to reach millions in the field of medical science. So long as he is not reading about electricity-generating solar panels, he has no gadget wish-list, and buys whatever he likes, whenever he likes.

YouTube may stream movie rentals

Google Inc’s YouTube, the most- visited video website, is in discussions with Hollywood studios to start an online movie rental service, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.

The treatment

YouTube movies: Google is taking YouTube to Hollywood. The film business might help address the internet video site’s biggest problem – it loses money. Sure, it generates huge amounts of traffic. But it costs serious money to set up and run the server-farms that allow anyone anywhere to watch that adorable cat play the piano. And advertising revenues have been in short supply.

India adds 15 mn new wireless users in Aug

A record addition of 15 million wireless telephone user in August has catapulted the total subscriber base in the country to 494.07 million, closer to the government"s 2012 target.

3G auction shortly: PM

Says allocation will be at market-determined prices.

Cabinet likely to discuss Maharatna status tomorrow

The Cabinet is likely to consider tomorrow granting the coveted "Maharatna" status to select profit-making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), including ONGC, SAIL, BSNL, NTPC and CIL, that will offer them greater functional autonomy.

RS adjourns sine die after month-long session

Rajya Sabha was today adjourned sine die after a month-long session, which witnessed passing of 17 government bills and discussions on a range on issues, including the Liberhan report and price rise.

ArcelorMittal to gain Rs 7,000 crore from EU carbon credits

ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel maker, will benefit from a windfall of £1 billion (Rs 7,000 crore), thanks to the carbon credits issued to it under the European Trading Scheme. The Sunday Times today reported that ArcelorMittal will be the single largest beneficiary under the ETS due to its dominant presence in Europe.

No discrimination in hiring IT employees: Govt

IT and ITeS being a knowledge industry does not discriminate in recruiting employees and the hiring is done on the basis of merit and competency, the Government today said in the Rajya Sabha.

3G spectrum auction on schedule: Raja

The auction of 3G spectrum is on track and the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) will take a decision on the number of slots to be sold, Telecom Minister A Raja said today.

Public expenditure to go up by additional Rs 25,727 cr

The government today came out with the first batch of supplementary demands for grants in the Lok Sabha seeking to raise public expenditure by an additional Rs 25,725 crore during the current fiscal.

Haldia Petro loses Rs 40 cr as strike enters day-4

Haldia Petrochemicals (HPL) has lost Rs 40 crore due to the indefinite strike called by workers over wage revision that entered its fourth day today.

Coal unions oppose disinvestment of CIL

Five major coal unions today opposed the government"s move to sell its stake in Coal India (CIL) saying the firm is competent enough to meet its financing needs and demanded infrastructure status for the sector.

Shell rules out more capital investment in India

Energy firm Shell today ruled out huge capital investments in India and said it would rather improve upon on its competitiveness in the market.

IOC fears Rs 12,000-cr loss in \'09-10

Says government needs to increase subsidy on kerosene and LPG

Infosys set to get K\'taka contract on T&D losses

The Rs 380-crore tender is part of the Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme of the central govt.

LIC, HDFC Life miss rural obligations

The state-owned insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and private sector insurer HDFC Standard Life missed out on rural sector obligations during 2008-09. While two non-life insurers, Bharti Axa General Insurance and Apollo DKV, did not meet both the rural as well as the social sector obligations during the last financial year.

\'Green shoots are now becoming trees & plants\'

Shilpy Sinha / Mumbai January 8, 2010, 0:47 IST

Hit-and-run claims triple in a year

With the number of hit-and-run road accidents seeing a sharp rise last year, non-life insurance companies have seen a three-fold rise in claims settled under the Solatium Fund.

IndusInd to reduce promoter holding to 10% over 2-3 years

Private sector lender, IndusInd Bank has presented its roadmap to the Reserve Bank, to bring down the promoter stake to the mandatory 10 per cent over the next 2-3 years, its CEO said.

Workers at Nokia\'s TN plant go on strike

Production at mobile handset company Nokia’s factory at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, was stopped after around 2,000 workers went on a flash strike Wednesday evening. Representatives of the Nokia India Employees Progressive Union (NIEPU) claimed the company had suspended 62 employees without giving any reason.

Industry wants stimulus to continue till September

Captains of Indian industry have urged the government to continue the stimulus package till the middle of the next financial year (2010-11) to help the economy achieve robust growth.

20,000 MW grid solar power by 2022 under Nehru solar mission

The Government today said that it has approved the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with an aim of setting up 20,000 MW grid solar power and 2,000 MW off-grid solar power by 2022.

Suzlon to supply 15 units of wind turbines to RSMML

Wind power turbine maker Suzlon Energy today said it has bagged an order from Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals for suppling 15 units of wind turbines to be installed at the Tejuva site in Jaisalmer, for an undisclosed amount.

PFRDA may take up SBI employees pension corpus

Country"s largest lender State Bank of India"s (SBI) pension corpus could be regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), opening a new area for the interim regulator.

AAI paying 600 staffers in Mumbai for no work

There are 600 employees of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in Mumbai who draw their pay with no work to do.

Global semiconductor revenue to fall 11.4%: Gartner

Global semiconductor industry"s revenue is likely to decline by 11.4 per cent to $226 billion in 2009, a study has said.

PC shipments to grow by 12.6% in 2010

Accelerating mobile PC shipments will drive the worldwide PC market to grow again, according to Gartner Inc, an information technology research and advisory company ‘s preliminary fourth-quarter forecast. In 2010, PC shipments are projected to reach 336.6 million units, a 12.6 per cent increase over 2009.

Construction ind to be stable during 2010: Fitch

Credit rating agency Fitch has forecast a stable environment for the construction industry during 2010, but has warned that execution of large projects by companies may lead to higher risks.

3G: Fitch studying revenue impact on Bharti

Even as the government is gearing up to auction radio waves for the next generation mobile services, credit rating agency Fitch today said it is closely monitoring the impact of the cost for pan-India 3G licence on the revenues of Bharti Airtel.

Muttemwar demands separate Vidarbha in letter to Sonia

Former Union Minister Vilas Muttemwar, in a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, has demanded for a separate Vidarbha state.

Compulsory voting: BJP calls for national discussion

Calling for a national discussion on replicating the Gujarat model of making voting compulsory, the BJP today criticised the Congress and Left parties for opposing it "without applying their minds."

PSEB extends date to submit EoI for JV firm

Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has extended the last date for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) and date of opening of bids for forming a joint venture (JV) company for selection, allotment, development and mining of coal blocks to November 20, 2009.

'We have support of US government, unions on Asarco'

NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Resources today said it would not offer more than the already announced $1.87 billion to buy bankrupt American mining firm Asarco but is confident that it can clinch the deal with the support of the US government and the trade unions.

NKorea\'s defiance warrants international action: Obama

Accusing North Korea of "directly" and "recklessly" challenging the global community by conducting a second nuclear test, US President Barack Obama today said this defiance "warrants action" internationally.

Telangana Cong MPs seek action against Jagan

Regional differences in Andhra Pradesh Congress burst out in the open today when late YSR"s son Jaganmohan Reddy joined TDP protesters in Lok Sabha only to face demands for disciplinary action from party MPs from Telangana.

CCPA meet likely to discuss Telangana issue

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) is scheduled this evening to make an apparent bid to find a way out in the wake of the crisis triggered by the decision to carve out a separate Telangana.

Mileage Rating plan irks auto industry

Industry says consultations not conducted.

CV makers step on the gas after slump

As the world tries to get over the economic slump, commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Eicher, Volvo, Daimler and Mahindra-Navistar are preparing for a flurry of launches to cash in on the increased economic activity in the country.

Ten machines you shouldn\'t miss at the 10th Auto Expo

Here’s a list of the show’s snazziest and sleekest as you breeze through the event.

India topped project finance deals in 2009

SBI Caps heads global loan chart; power sector dominates.

Basu\'s condition turns serious

Veteran Marxist leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu was put on ventilator this morning after his condition turned serious.

Insider outsider

A peep into a new book about underrated Maharashtrian cuisine.

The wholegrain truth

Chef Patrick Verre goes microbiotic in search of “food energy”.

A spicy mouthful

Chef Simon Tress takes the best of German and Indian cuisines.

Bengal on my plate

Newbie restauranteur Rajyasree Sen of Brown Sahib gives the humble mishti doi a new twist.

T N Ninan: Picking winners

T N Ninan / New Delhi October 17, 2009, 1:55 IST

Telangana crisis: Companies put plans on hold in Andhra

The Telangana agitation over the Centre’s decision to create a new state in the region has forced several companies, including Bharat Forge, the Lakshmi Mittal Group and the NTPC-BHEL joint venture, to either put their expansion plans on hold or explore other states.

MCA open to strategic sale of Maytas Infra

Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Minister Salman Khurshid today said the government will consider strategic sale of Maytas Infra if the company board decides to do so.

IIFCL funds also set aside for rly, power

No takers for road, port projects.

Sachin\'s bat on eBay auction

All Sachin Tendulkar fans, who are already on a high celebrating the master blaster"s 20 years in international cricket, have another reason to rejoice as they now have a chance to own a bat autographed by him.

Situation in neighbourhood worrying, says Manmohan

While conceding that there had been no major terrorist attack against India since the November 26 attacks last year in Mumbai, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the situation in the neighbourhood was worrying.

Tejas twin-seat trainer\'s first flight today

On Thursday morning, the first prototype twin-seater, trainer version of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will taxi out to the runway in Bangalore. With its design team watching tensely from the sidelines, the two test pilots will rev up the engine, race down the runway and, if all goes according to plan, lift the twin-seat Tejas into the sky for its first flight.

Art and the man

Jai Arjun Singh / New Delhi October 10, 2009, 0:51 IST

The top 10 business bestsellers

WORDS AT WORK

India\'s first stem cell institute to come up in city

Bangalore has been chosen as the location to set up India’s first major stem cell institute. The institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, called inStem will be set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), government of India at an investment of Rs 200 crore.

TiE-ISB Connect on Oct 22-23

With valuations of companies becomign more realistic due to the slowdown, investors are delaying their exit. What used to be a three-to-five year period now is five to seven years. The longer duration is to compensate for the low returns due to the slowdown, according to Sateesh Andhra, venture partner of Draper Fisher Jurvetson and convenor of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)-Indian School of Business (ISB) Connect.

ISB launches Idiya

The Indian School of Business (ISB) has launched ‘ISB Idiya’, an initiative to promote social ventures from working professionals. The competition is not open to students who are pursuing any full time programme. It would offer mentorship and entrepreneurial training to select candidates.

JAL to ink foreign capital tie-ups by mid-October

Japan Airlines Corp is planning to agree on capital tie-ups with foreign airlines by mid-October and to cut 6,800 group employees over the three years through March 2012 as part of its restructuring program, its president Haruka Nishimatsu has said.

Academicians meet to discuss Yash Pal Committee report

A large number of academicians, including principals and vice-chancellors of various colleges and universities, met here today to discuss the Yash Pal Committee report on higher education, according to Pankaj Chandra, director of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B).

Options limited for Madhya Pradesh

Will Madhya Pradesh be isolated on goods and service tax (GST) issue? If highly placed government sources, working the new tax system, are to be believed, the state government will have to follow the trend. “Eventually the state will have to implement the system, we cannot linger on. Other states like Chhattisgarh have also agreed to implement it, Gujarat government has welcomed it, Haryana has accepted it ‘in principle’ except for few points. How Madhya Pradesh can stand out?” asked an official. But the state finance minister has a long list to point out flaws in the new tax system, the main being, “The GST will bring even dal-chawal (rice and pulses) under tax net, which are exempted from VAT.”

Striking government

It wasn’t just ordinary passengers who suffered the brunt of the recent Air India strike. West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta came to Delhi to attend a meeting on Goods and Service Tax (GST) with finance ministry officials. After which, he met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. While Mukherjee’s office had kept an hour for the meeting, Dasgupta was in a hurry and spent just half the time since, with the Air India flight cancelled, he had no option but to leave on the earlier flight of a private airline.

Nalco up on hike in prices

Nalco closed at Rs 392, higher by Rs 16 or 4.5%, on the BSE.

FMCG firms try to reduce carbon footprint

As governments debate ways to reduce carbon emission levels at the climate change summit in Copenhagen, some fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are doing their bit to rein in carbon footprints.

Sops likely for services sector in Foreign Trade Policy

The government is considering extending incentives to the services sector, battling demand recession in Western economies, in the Foreign Trade Policy to be unveiled next month.

Love, interrupted

If I Could Tell You is a rather modest title for a book that makes no pretence of doing anything else. You could have your own point of view on whether something so essentially personal, with no real context or history, should stretch to 200 pages between two hard covers, but there’s no doubting the sincerity of intent. “Me at my most truthful and unadorned,” the unnamed narrator says, as he weaves a lyrical tale of his life in a series of letters to his daughter.

Hero Honda given more time to resolve land issue

Uttarakhand Chief Minister R P Nishank today said he was in favour of proper utilisation of 94 acres of vacant land leased out to auto giant Hero Honda for its Haridwar plant even as the government gave more time to the company to deposit the land premium.

Tata Sky tunes in to the power of plus

The second largest DTH player is way behind the market leader in subscriptions. But it is pushing value-added services to maintain its leadership in average revenue per user

Dish TV partners Indiatimes for mobile VAS

DTH major Dish TV today said it has partnered Indiatimes.com to offer mobile value added services (VAS) called "Mobile Active" to its customers.

PE investments in South drops 64%

Private Equity (PE) investments into South India have dropped 64 per cent between April and September, 2009, to $626 million from $1752 million, during the same period last year. The number of deals fell 48 per cent. Among the four states in South, Andhra Pradesh had attracted the highest investment, in terms of value.

Koda aide surrenders before I-T

Devendra Mukhia, an alleged aide of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, today surrendered before the Income Tax department here which wants to probe his involvement in the alleged hawala and illegal investments case.

ED, I-T to share Koda info with central agencies

To widen the probe against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and his associates for alleged illegal investments worth Rs 2,000 crore, the Income Tax (I-T) department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) will share information with various central economic intelligence agencies.

Healthcare presenting ripe investment opportunity for PE, VC

The Indian healthcare industry, growing at an exponential rate, now presents an attractive investment opportunity for private equity and venture capital firms, says private equity experts.

5 more swine flue deaths, 480 outlets to sell Tamiflu

The surge in swine deaths in the country continued today with five more people succumbing to the deadly virus, raising the death toll to 208 even as the government said Tamilflu drug will be available in 480 select chemist outlets.

Tamiflu to be available in market

Tamiflu, the only drug for swine flu, will be made available in 480 chemist outlets across the country, the Centre today said.

Novartis moves SC against Glivec order

Swiss drug major Novartis has approached the Supreme Court against a decision of the country’s apex patent complaint redressal forum, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), to deny patent protection for its cancer medicine, Glivec. The court is expected to take up the case for hearing on August 31.

Daiichi full-year losses narrow down to $2.2 bn

Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo, which has a controlling stake in Indian pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories, has narrowed its full-year losses at 215.59 billion yen (about $2.2 billion) on account of changes related to accounting guidelines in Japan.

Recruitments up 14% in Kolkata

Hiring activity in Kolkata picked up by 14 per cent in May 2009. The index moved from 608 in April 2009 to 690 in May 2009, according to Naukri JobSpeak, the monthly job index released by Naukri.com. On a national level, the Naukri JobSpeak index at 664, indicates a fall of 1.9 per cent as compared to 677 in April 2009. Although the overall index is comparatively stable, at a micro level, there was a volatile movement in telecom and pharma, witnessing a fall in hiring activity by 12-14 per cent.

Emami realty arm to be listed on BSE in 3-4 months

FMCG major Emami today said its realty arm Emami Infra will be listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in the next three-four months.

Govt working to ease mask shortage

Chief minister K Rosaiah said steps were being be taken to ease the shortage of masks in Hyderabad. The government is making efforts to procure more ventilators and provide additional beds to treat swine flu.

Satyam granted one year extension to complete SEZs

The government has granted one year extension to Satyam Computer Services for completion of three special economic zones (SEZ) in Andhra Pradesh, giving elbow room to the new management of the IT firm.

US body to work with Andhra govt

US consul general Cornelis M Keur on Friday met health minister D Nagender and offered to work together in dealing with H1N1 cases through the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), a US government body working in the state with the Andhra Pradesh State AIDs Control Society.

Obama announces plan to expand fight against swine flu

In a bid to check the global spread of swine flu, US President Barack Obama has announced that his administration is prepared to make 10 per cent of its H1N1 vaccine supply available to other countries through the World Health Organisation.

TMC firm in opposing joint operations

Reiterating her opposition to the ongoing joint operation against the Naxalites (CPI Maoist) at Lalgarh, in Paschim Medinipur, Mamata Banerjee said today that her party would continue to oppose it. She has pointed out that the joint operation had not yielded the desired results, as killing of poor people in the junglemahal was continuing.

Cals Refineries signs MoU with BPCL for petro product off-take

Spice Energy Group company Cals Refineries and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), a Navaratna PSU, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for off-take of petroleum products from Cals.

Reliance Life IPO likely in Q1 of next fiscal: Ghosh

Anil Ambani Group"s life insurance venture Reliance Life expects to tap the capital market with its initial public offer in the first quarter of next fiscal, a top company official said here.

The cost of land

Business Standard / New Delhi December 11, 2009, 0:05 IST

Divestment to gain steam from April

30 companies in queue for Cabinet nod in Jan

Bajaj Auto launches Pulsar 135 LS

Two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto has set sight on securing the top spot in the world and a blueprint was being drawn, a top company official said today.

Expect moderate returns in 2010

Consequent to the sharp run up in markets in 2009, investors will have to be careful in picking stocks while lowering their return expectations

Power sector in the dark in 2009

Electricity, a basic minimum service that any citizen should get or for that matter the industry for its development, witnessed severe fluctuations in progress in 2009 in terms of capacity addition.

Centre may sell more electricity from its share to states

The union government may soon decide on keeping half of the electricity it is entitled to from public sector power generating units for sale to states.

Centre to develop plastic parks

The Centre, in a bid to help the Indian plastic industry increase economies of scale to take on the US, China and other countries, plans to set up plastic clusters or parks across the country.

Adani, NHPC likely to revive IPO market

Adani Power IPO subscribed 3.96 times.


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