Asking members not to let this chance slip away, Lamy has asked ministers of seven important countries, both from the developed and the developing world including India, Brazil, China, the European Union, US, Japan and Australia to help in giving final shape to the texts on agriculture and industrial goods.

A new theory to explain mass extinctions has suggested that rising sea levels may have been responsible for the demise of the ferocious dinosaurs.

Bringing the controversy over the issue of resignation of Lok Sabha Speaker to a boil, the CPI(M) politbureau on Wednesday finally cracked the whip, expelling veteran leader Somnath Chatterjee from the party for defying the party dictat on the trust vote.

For a state, which is already reeling under immense power shortage, to know that its transformer damage rate is a whopping 30 % as against the national average of 2%, is bad news.

How much data have I backed up? Am I within my backup window? What is the state of my storage capacity? How much does it cost to protect my data?

It is usually axiomatic that when your customers are in trouble, you are too. But at last week's biennial Farnborough airshow, the aviation industry's biggest bash this year, that was not how it looked.

Will the post-Left, post-trust-vote-win UPA turn from a timid non-reformer to a firebrand change-maker? Of course, many things can be done. As our columnist points out today, the whole edifice of the financial sector needs rebuilding.

Stock markets gave the Manmohan Singh-led UPA coalition at the Centre a resounding thumbs-up by celebrating Tuesday's trust vote victory in Parliament with a massive surge in share prices. The 30-share Sensex of the BSE, posting its fourth highest gain of the calendar year, closed the day at 14,942.28 points-just shy of the 15k mark-adding a hefty 838.08 points, or 5.94%.

The Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta is planning to get international accreditation from two agencies that rate business schools.

If a thing of beauty is a joy forever, people in the beauty business are experiencing this joy like no one else. For the once non-existent beauty industry is today worth millions of dollars thanks to the urge to look good, rising disposable incomes and increasing exposure to global fashion and lifestyles.

India's airlines may be staring at an annual loss of over $2 billion in 2008, but the world's second largest commercial airplane maker Boeing Co raised the 20-year aircraft sales outlook in India as rising disposable incomes boost travel demand.

Though the economic advisory council headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is yet to give its final decision on raising the minimum support price of rice, but official sources said the EAC could settle at an MSP of Rs 900 per quintal for common grade paddy and Rs 950 a quintal for grade 'A' paddy.

The cost of default protection on India's largest banks, including State Bank of India and ICICI Bank Ltd, fell after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a confidence motion in the parliamentary vote late on Tuesday.

Bank stocks rose on Wednesday after the finance minister P Chidambaram hinted at speedy implementation of banking sector reforms. Most bank stocks, especially public sector banks, saw huge demand.

Air India is working on a plan to cut losses by around Rs 1,000 crore every year by cutting capacity through rationalisation of routes and removal of loss-making routes, highly placed sources in the ministry of civil aviation said.

Don't ask a tourist's age or wage, steer clear of sex and avoid religion: what many Chinese consider idle chit-chat has now become the latest area of censure in Beijing as it prepares for an influx of Olympic visitors.

Seeking to send a strong message of party discipline, the BJP on Wednesday expelled all eight members of Parliament who had defied the party whip and voted or abstained to help the UPA government survive in the vote of confidence on Tuesday.

The total exports from Gurgaon in the information technology & IT- enabled services industry has touched a figure of Rs 18,000 crore at the end of last financial year 2007-08.

With millions of people snapping up the iPhone, AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the popular phone, should be quite pleased with the stream of revenue it can expect from customers.

One of the first measures is the VIX, or volatility index, which measures the variability of the American stockmarket. It is trading around the 30 level, or near its peak in March when Bear Stearns had to be rescued.

In contrast with currencies, commodities and bonds, the markets are deeply flawed. Indian finance is an airplane running on one engine.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the government would try to speed up key financial sector reforms, including insurance legislation, and would reach out to other parties to ensure smooth passage in Parliament for key legislation.

Blue Dart, a leading player in the courier business, has ruled out the possibility of getting de-listed from the Bombay Stock Exchange now, even though the market is abuzz with rumours that the company is going to become a fully owned subsidiary of DHL.

Amit Jatia, managing director and joint venture partner, McDonald's India, loves selling burgers so much that he will not trade it for anything else at any cost.

Century Textile and Industries Ltd on Wednesday announced that the company has planned a capex of Rs 6,300 crore to be spent over a period of five years in the expansion of its cement division, pulp and paper division and development of Century Mill land.

A Parliamentary Committee has suggested that futures trading in farm products needs to be discouraged as it is leading to artificial rise in prices and not benefiting the Indian farmers.

Private general insurance players will continue to capture market share at the expense of public enterprises its a mix of aggressive distribution and service. Having penetrated the corporate segment in the past, most private insurers now seek to grow their retail books, says a report on Moody's -ICRA global insurance.

The sharp pull-back of share prices across the board, following the successful trust vote by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre on Tuesday, saw most of the stocks from the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group topping the gainers list.

I am willing to negotiate commerce. I am not willing to negotiate livelihood security, subsistence, I am not willing to negotiate poverty.

The Orthodox Church in Russia is under growing pressure to make former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin a saint if he wins a popularity poll to nominate the greatest Russian in history.

Unfazed by the defeat in the trust vote in Parliament on Tuesday, Left parties, the BSP, the UNPA and several other small parties decided here on Wednesday to launch "a series" of agitations against the Centre on issues including Indo-US nuclear deal and the price rise.

The Haryana government on Wednesday took an important step by tying up 1, 320 mw of power required to meet with the short fall of 4,000-5,000 mw of power likely to be faced by the state by 2012.

Facebook is making sweeping changes to the world's largest social networking site, aiming to give users more control and to curb new forms of spam, company officials said recently.

Fed up with the slow-moving federal government, America's local municipalities and states have recently launched many reform plans themselves, including health care and global warming.

In barely two generations from now, going by the survey of energy resources of the World Energy Council, we may see a radically different power industry. Fossil fuels, which dominate today, are forecast to supply less than half our energy needs, whilst solar energy, an infinitesimal contributor so far, could contribute as much as 30%.

The department of telecommunications has identified spectrum of up to 60 MHz for 3G services in a move that could allow up to 12 players in a circle. The development is significant, as so far only 25 MHz was available for these soon-to-be-launched services, restricting the number of players to five.

BMA Wealth Creators Pvt Ltd, a part of Rs 850 crore BMA Group, is foraying into portfolio management services and institutional broking within three to six months. At present, the company's areas of operations include mutual funds, commodities and stock broking.

The magnitude and size of the changes we face and will face are Everest in nature. For example, who could have imagined in early 2004 that later that year a company virtually unknown outside of China (Lenovo) would buy the PC business of IBM?

Electrical equipment manufacturer Crompton Greaves on Wednesday announced a consolidated net profit of Rs 122.61 crore for the quarter ended June 30, a 36.38% increase over the previous year quarter.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices in the world market may continue to remain weak this week on weakening US demand, returning of supply from Brazil and Nigeria and easing tensions over Iran's nuclear programme.

Pin pointing various deficiencies in the current regulatory structures laid to promote micro insurance products across the globe, principal administrator of International Association of Insurance Supervisors, Arup Chatterjee said that excessive regulatory micromanagement of micro-insurance reforms leads to a counter-productive interaction between the regulator and the regulated.

The UPA win in the Parliament has added over Rs 2.55 lakh crore in investors' wealth in a single day after shares surged across the board on Wednesday amid celebration in the bourses on the government's second life.

The US wants the Nuclear Suppliers Group process to be completed in August so that the US Congress can endorse the 123 agreement in September before Washington and New Delhi ink the bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

Punjab's oldest aviation club established in 1962 in Amritsar has got a fresh lease of life with securing ultra-modern four-seater Cessna 172R aircraft.

The BJP has expelled eight MPs and the CPM has expelled Somnath Chatterjee. The CPM's decision is unconscionable. It had not respected the constitutional nature of Chatterjee's office and for it to now say that Chatterjee indulged in anti-party activities is proof how brutally unmindful Marxists can be of parliamentary norms.

The three coal blocks on offer for the multi-billion-dollar coal-to-liquid projects have seen a rush of bids from public and private sectors. The ministry of coal has received 30 bids for the blocks that hold over 4 billion tonne of reserves, sufficient to fuel three CTL projects of $6-8 billion each.

Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company Ltd, a Tata Steel subsidiary, will soon become the first service-oriented company in the world to get a comprehensive 'A' category total productive maintenance certification from the renowned Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance.

Consumers today buy smaller cars because they are not only fuel efficient, but also come equipped with accessories to suit their lifestyles.

Under pressure after the airlines' move to impose 0% commission regime for air tickets, travel agents across the country have threatened to go on a strike in case their demands are not met.

Spices Board on Wednesday issued an alert on the possible import of star anise and cinnamon from Vietnam containing carcinogenic chrysoidine.

Artha Money, India's first money management and end-to-end solutions provider, has set a target of Rs 500 crore business in next five years with one million customer base.

Is it time to pop the bubbly and celebrate the new bull-run, or is it time to sit back and await the recoil after an infatuation? It is certainly party time for those who took positions when the market was around 12,500 level.

International rating agency Moodys has said expectation that after winning the trust vote the UPA government will initiate key reforms may not come true as uncertainties pertaining to reforms persist, given the prevailing pressures and policy differences among its coalition members.

In a bid to win the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency as well as members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to push the Indo-US nuclear agreement, the government has embarked on an intense lobbying exercise, sending out senior ministers as well as high ranking envoys to woo these countries.

In a major relief to the state industry, Punjab government on Wednesday announced to withdraw 4% entry tax on several items including, dyes, chemicals, and cotton . As a result of it, the state government would forgo Rs 150 crore of revenue.

It is a mixed bag on free trade. While agreements are being stalled in the US, across the other side of the globe the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are deep in free trade negotiations with Australia, New Zealand, the EU and India.

With waning interest in the US and Europe, pension funds in Japan and Australia are eyeing investments in India, say industry sources. Japanese funds like Japan Government Pension Investment and Pension fund Association, with an overexposure in China, would want to invest in growth-oriented sectors of the Indian economy.

The high commission of Canada has decided to open its trade office in Kolkata. It will be the 8th such office in India. According to Ghislain Chaput, head of public affairs, the office will start functioning from this September.

The suburbs and exurbs of all our towns are witnessing a glitterati opening every day and malls are moving towards suburbs, tier II and tier III towns. Never mind recession, inflation and the presence of numerous other malls in the city.

Competition is hotting up in the $12 billion Indian real estate market with developers building skyscrapers and partnering with worldwide spas and engineering companies.

India's coffee prices, which rose nearly 35% in the first half of 2008, are likely to plateau in the second half on slackening export demand and easing freight rates, industry officials said on Wednesday.

India's rupee rose by the most in more than a decade on speculation global funds, who turned net sellers of local stocks this year, will stay invested after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a confidence vote yesterday.

After over a year of its operations in India, Mahindra Renault, the joint venture between homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra and French carmaker Renault, is now planning to export Logan to countries like South Africa.

The Centre would be urged to push forward with the legislation to allow foreign investment in the pension sector, chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority D Swarup said on Wednesday.

Taking a serious view of party MP Sukh Dev Singh Libra's abstention during the trust vote, Badal said stringent action would be taken against him.

Congratulations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on winning the confidence motion in Parliament. He is an able and honest Prime Minister. Indian MPs have been wise in voting to allow the UPA government complete its tenure.

Essar Steel Ltd on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar for research and development of iron ore beneficiation technology.

Estelle is synonymous with fashion jewellery. And Normak Fashions Pvt Ltd, manufacturers and exporters of Estelle branded jewellery, enjoy 10% market share in the Indian organised fashion jewellery market estimated at Rs 600 crore.

Alarmed by the likely fall in sugar production in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 crop marketing seasons, the politically influential sugar cooperatives of Maharashtra, have started taking position in leading commodity futures exchanges.

A slowdown in travel triggered by higher air fares has hit online portals hard, with portals witnessing a close to 20% drop in airline business in the last 2-3 months.

After slowing down in April and May, India Inc has raised a higher amount through external commercial borrowing and foreign currency convertible bonds route in June.

Bollywood star Mithun Chakrabarty on Wednesday took over the football team of Howrah Union, an old and traditional club in Kolkata. The agreement between Chakrabarty and the club was signed on Wednesday at a city hotel.

The rally on the bourses on Wednesday was accompanied with the commensurate rise in the trading volume and the turnover on both the segments of the stock exchange.

The officials of commerce and finance ministries are expected to meet shortly to resolve the issue of 5-15% export duty on various iron and steel products entering into SEZs, imposed by the Central Board of Excise and Customs two months ago.

The commerce ministry has exempted Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd being set up in Mangalore special economic zones from export obligations. The commerce ministry has agreed in principle to remove the conditions imposed by the development commissioner in the interest of energy security of the country.

Bulk handling and storage of foodgrain procured by the Food Corporation of India and state government agencies will definitely go a modern way over the next few years with the private sector entering into the arena with state-of-the-art technology for preserving foodgrain.

At a time when gold prices are scorching, the state-owned Hutti Gold Mines Ltd-India's only primary gold mining company-and two private entities are not seeing eye to eye over bagging prospecting licence for gold exploration in Hutti region in Karnataka.

The question of climate change could be casting a shadow all over the world but in India, companies are yet to take an active role in tackling the menace. But that doesn't mean they are not aware of the issue.

The industry players have also sought for removal of service tax, removal of sales tax on the pretext that the industry is in nascent stage but in a growth momentum.

The ministry of mines has expressed its dissatisfaction on the working of the Indian Bureau of Mines, the main regulator in the mining sector, and has called for a more proactive approach to deal with violators in the sector.