COMPANIES

• MUL cuts vendor base by 20 per cent
• RIL, DuPont Polyester Tech in R&D deal
• Govt may allow FIIs to hold 25 per cent more in telecom firms
• Market expects 4-fold jump in Tisco net
• Suzuki taps Maruti for R&D
• Shree Cement to focus on Ultra Red Oxide cement production
• Matrix Labs fixes record date for Vorin, Medicorp merger
• Bayer India, Cropscience swap ratio at 5:3
• Coromandel buys more of GFCL stake
• Dabur seeks court nod for pharma demerger
• OEN India MD bags CII award
• MRF, JK spat over truck tyre ad
• TBW to upgrade IOC boilers at Barauni
• Usha Martin's Dubai unit may go on stream by Aug
• Workers, police clash at Daewoo plant
• Ranbaxy to collaborate with MMV for malarial drugs

GENERAL

• Govt hikes ex-granary prices for rice export

BANKING AND FINANCE

• Charminar Bank begins repayment of deposits
• RBI issues norms on UCB deposits
• IDBI Bank clears 1:2 rights issue
• IOB posts 80-pc rise in net; to pay Rs 1.6
• OBC declares a dividend of 45 per cent
• PSBs to bear burden of Maharashtra credit plan
• Birla Sun plans to expand capital base
• UCO Bank net rises 25 pc
• GTB ties up with Baazee.com
• Rabo India Fin to focus more on infrastructure
• UBI sheds `weak' tag; PAT at Rs 305 cr

CAPITAL MARKET

• Sharp fall in HPCL, BPCL stock prices
• ALF may become Ashok Leyland arm
• Open interest slips on Nifty, SBI May futures
• Talk of billing rate cut pulls Infy down
• L&T rules above Grasim offer price
• Inter-connected SE members join Indonext
• Rupee climbs, breaches 47

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

• Deal may raise Napster from online ashes
• Japan researchers hope robots will save lives
• Saddam's black budget a burning question for US
• Braid it like Beckham
• China may Lose $3 billion in revenue due to SARS

PEOPLE

• New COO for Sylvan Learning