The Hindu Business Line : Friday, February 24, 2006

Plum offers for IIM-A agri-biz grads
Students pursuing the agri-business post-graduate programme at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) - Ahmedabad have secured lucrative jobs with both domestic and international companies. The current batch of 23 students ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER

ECIL, Radtec sign MoU for radars
Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US-based Radtec Engineering Inc. for co-production of high-performance Doppler Radars. The radars will be used for weather prediction and ... More

NRIS

NRIs to invest in Mangalore
NRIs from coastal Karnataka have agreed in principle to invest around Rs 250 crore in the overall development of Mangalore and its surrounding areas, according to the Mangalore MLA, Mr N. Yogish Bhat. Speaking to newspersons, he said: "Mr B.R. ... More

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

Malaysia bullish on biodiesel demand
Palm oil is likely to benefit from a combination of factors, including changes in Malaysia's supply fundamentals, weather concerns in South America, the effects of China abolishing tariff rate quota, and higher global demand for palm oil for ... More

ENGINEERING

John Crane manufacturing centre
John Crane, part of the Smiths Group, has opened a new £1.5 million manufacturing, service and support centre in Bangalore. Smiths' Group chief executive officer, Mr Keith Butler-Wheelhouse, told newspersons that the opening up ... More

ENVIRONMENT

Chemplast to invest in Mettur plant
Chemplast Sanmar Ltd intends to convert the manufacturing process at its caustic soda plant in Mettur, from mercury-cells to membrane-based. The conversion, an environment-friendly measure, which will add no value to the ... More

Kuzhikandam Creek, Eloor among sites to be restored
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has included Kuzhikandam Creek at suburban Eloor among seven polluted sites in the country identified for restored under a World Bank project. The move of the Ministry comes in the wake of reports ... More

FOREIGN TRADE

Cochin Chamber to host Indo-Arab meet
The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in association with Assocham, is organising an Indo-Arab conference here on Monday at Hotel Le Meridien. As many as 12 ambassadors from various Arab countries including the Dean of Arab Diplomatic ... More

HEALTH

Avian influenza: Work on vaccines is never over
As long as dangerous diseases such as avian flu and AIDS are still around us
If deadly diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria and measles have, for the most part, become distant memories, much of the credit goes to vaccines — medical miracles that many take for granted. More

AP: Drop in chicken sales
The bird flu scare does not seem to have made any impact on Hyderabadis, despite the sharp drop in sale of chicken. To instill confidence among the people that eating chicken is still safe, the AP ... More

Navapur quarantined; travel curbs on
No bird flu virus found in human samples; some reports awaited
Laboratory analysis reports from the National Institute of Virology, Pune has confirmed that there is no presence of avian influenza virus in the first batch of 94 samples taken from the Navapur residents, said a spokesperson of the Maharashtra ... More

Bird flu: No panic in Kerala
PRELIMINARY REPORTS indicated that the death of fouls and other birds in Malappuram, Kozhikode and some other parts of the State were not because of bird flu. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 23 The State ... More

`No human infection of bird flu'
The Health Ministry on Thursday categorically said that there has been no human infection of bird flu among the samples tested. However, the result of one sample is awaited. The Government had sent 95 samples for testing to the National ... More

INFRASTRUCTURE

Entering the big league
Pune amply lives up to its promise of a tier-II power city. More

Karnataka plans tech fund — Panel to submit industrial policy report
Infrastructure aid
Urging the Government to enhance expenditure on infrastructure development, the KCCI Chairman said it should infuse efficiency into the management of industrial infrastructure by establishing industrial townships.
The new policy should give importance to encouraging more industries in Belthangady, Sullia and Bantwal taluks, he said. More

PSU

Haffkine Bio mulls ventures for vaccines
The Haffkine Bio-pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd (HBCL), a public sector company, is seeking a partnership with a private sector player for setting a joint venture for producing new age vaccines. It wants to create a Rs 40-crore joint venture ... More

PETROLEUM

Govt kicks off oil blocks bidding — 55 under NELP VI, 10 for coal bed methane
The Petroleum Ministry today kicked off the sixth round of New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP-VI) and the third round of Coal Bed Methane (CBM-III). While under the NELP-IV around 55 blocks would be on offer comprising 24 deepwater blocks, ... More

POWER

Tatas interested in nuclear power — We are for coal-based power projects: Ratan Tata
The Tata group was active in a small way in renewable energy; it was looking to have a pilot plant for bio-fuels. More

STEEL

Steel firms may hike prices
Rising zinc prices and logistic costs are prompting steel companies to go in for an upward revision in steel prices. Galvanised steel manufacturer, Uttam Galva Steels Ltd, on Thursday announced that it has increased the prices of all its ... More

No problem with tribals: Visa Steel
The city-based Visa Steel Ltd, which hit the market on Thursday with its initial public issue (IPO), had not faced any problem with the local tribals of Kalinganagar in Orissa. Visa Steel's factories are located at the Kalinganagar Industrial ... More

Concor to launch new terminals in East — Amingaon, Balasore ICD facilities to be upgraded
The new terminals will be located at Durgapur (West Bengal) and Rourkela (Orissa), while the existing ICDs at Amingaon (Assam) and Balasore (Orissa) will be upgraded. More

RAILWAY BUDGET

Railway budget to take care of all sections — Lalu Prasad rules out increase in passenger fares
The Rail Budget to be presented on Friday would attempt to take care of the interests of all sections of society, the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, said here. Posing for photographers while giving the `final touches' to the Budget, a ... More

EDUCATION

Frankfinn, UK firm tie up for training certification
Syllabus to be tailored to Indian needs
CANDIDATES getting trained from Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training (FIAHT) centres across the country will from this year onwards stand to gain internationally recognised academic and vocational certification from Edexcel, UK for their ... More

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS & HOSPITALS

Apollo plans oncology centre in Ahmedabad
The Apollo Hospitals Group will invest nearly Rs 100 crore to set up a new Oncology (Cancer) centre in Ahmedabad and two new hospitals in Rajkot and Udaipur. The company is setting up two `First Med' centres, which are smaller hospitals with ... More

PTL forays into healthcare — Artemis to set up 500-bed hospital in Gurgaon
The Onkar S. Kanwar-controlled PTL Enterprises Ltd has forayed into the healthcare segment with plans to set up hospitals, engage in research and development and manufacture medical devices. The first initiative of Artemis Health Sciences Pvt ... More

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Reliance bid boosts Bandra Kurla complex
Reliance Industries' record Rs 1,104-cr bid for a 7.5-hectare plot at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) establishes the complex as one of the most sought-after real estate pockets in Mumbai. The bid, at one shot, has catapulted real estate prices ... More

BIO-TECH & GENETICS

Sri Biotech makes plans for Rs 2-cr facility
Buoyed by the growing opportunities in the area of contract manufacturing, Sri Biotech, a Hyderabad-based bio-pesticides and bio-fertilisers manufacturer, proposes to embark upon an expansion programme to more than double its production ... More

NEWSPAPERS & PUBLISHING

The Big Meet
BUSINESS MAGNATES: (top) Mr Ratan Tata with Mr Venu Srinivasan, Mr M.V. Subbiah, Mr R.K. Raghavan former CBI Director and Mr N. Murali Joint Managing Director, The Hindu Group, at the relaunch of `Business Line' in Chennai on Thursday; (bottom ... More

Functional, modern, easy to scan, says Garcia
The new-look Business Line that was unveiled today, is, in the words of Dr Mario Garcia, of Garcia Media, which helped re-design the newspaper, "functional, modern and easy to scan." The re-designed paper was launched at a large ... More

The new look Business Line
Your newspaper today comes with a new design that emphasises the range and depth of its content. As you read through the pages, you will find: *More legible typefaces that will let your eyes glide smoothly and faster through the text ... More

Plethora of info tools
The morning newspaper, almost a cliché, is undergoing a change in the electronic era. It may be delivered in the mornings but more often read in the evenings, says Dr Mario Garcia, Garcia Media. At the launch he was referring to the background ... More

`Widening coverage that matters to readers'
Aside from the new look and the importance given to visual journalism, this kind of redesign of a newspaper challenges "our journalism by introducing a platform that pushes us constantly to improve our content, deepening and widening our coverage ... More

Cell phone orchestra
The jarring ring of a cell phone is often the bane of many a meeting. Business Line's redesign launch was no exception. Speakers react differently - some with irritation some gamely act as if they have not ... More

`It is for the fast scanners'
The main objective of the redesign project of Business Line was to make it functional, modern and easy to scan. The paper's readers are technologically savvy and impatient. Hence, the redesign had to ensure that "you had to attract new ... More

`Reliable info over speculative'
While Business Line will sport a new look from tomorrow, what will remain unchanged "will be our endeavour to present a newspaper that values reliability of information over the speculative," according to Mr K. Venugopal, Joint Editor, ... More

Garcia grips
The presentation of Dr Mario Garcia, CEO, Garcia Media, was listened to with rapt attention by all present. Mr Ratan Tata sat with his eyes glued onto the screen and listening intently, while M.V. Subbiah tapped Mr Venu Srinivasan's shoulder ... More

Industry glitterati descend
Hi Venu, greeted Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group of companies, shaking hands with Mr Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor Company Ltd. The evening was still young and as Mr K. Mahesh, Chairman and ... More

Fine blend of coffee & paper
Newspapers and coffee not only go together but one can learn from the other as they gamely reinvent themselves in the electronic age. What more appropriate success story than the reinvention of the ... More

DISINVESTMENT

Bihar provides a sweet cure for sugar sector — Offers attractive incentive; plans PSU units privatisation
Private players are interested in public sector mills as these units have their own catchment area. More

REGULATORY BODIES & RULINGS

Operators hail TRAI proposals — Hugely disappointed with ADC extension
"While credit should be given to TRAI for bringing down the total subsidy, it would have been prudent if the regulator had also taken a decision on refunding the excess amount collected from us over the past year" More

EVENTS

Governor to inaugurate `Goa Agenda 2006' today
The Goa Governor, Mr S.C. Jamir, will inaugurate a two-day programme, `Goa Agenda 2006', a seminar on information technology organised by the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and co-hosted by State-owned Infotech Corportion of Goa Ltd ... More

Business guidance camp in Kerala
Human Resources Development Trust of Kerala, a Thrissur-based charitable trust, is conducting free business guidance camp across the State next month. Announcing this, Mr Thejus Purushothaman, Chairman ... More

Realty body to hold expos in Saudi
The CONFEDERATION of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) has said that it would hold property exhibitions in various cities in Saudi Arabia between March 23 and 31. The exhibition, being held in association with the Maharashtra ... More

Hi-tech gadgets
TOOL SHOPPING: Visitors at a stall at the Asian Machine Tool Exhibition `Amtex-2006' which was inaugurated at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore on Wednesday.

TOURISM

Floating restaurant inaugurated at Veli
Kerala Tourism has drawn up a Rs 5-crore project to develop Veli and Akkulam in the city into important destinations for domestic tourists. The Kerala Tourism Minister Mr K.C. Venugopal announced this on Wednesday at the inauguration of a new ... More

A book about trees and zodiac signs
The Ecotourism Department of the Government of Kerala has published a book on trees that correspond to various signs of the Kerala zodiac. Called Stars and Trees: Trees of the Nakshatravanam, the book has been developed by the ... More