• Vodafone picks up 10 per cent of Bharti Tele for Rs.6,700 crore
• Stand-alone refiners to provide discounts of Rs.1,500 crore
• DoT eases infrastructure sharing norms for BPOs
• Ford to invest US$75mn in India
• Merged entity VisualSoft eyeing US$100mn turnover for 2006-07
• GM to hike plant capacity — Tavera, Optra prices to hiked marginally
• RPG Group to invest Rs.5,000 crore in West Bengal - to set up B-school at Kolkata
• Chanel to formally launch operations in the country
• Bajaj Auto's electric 3-wheeler Ecorick to hit roads next year
• IA introduces Delhi-Singapore flight from Sunday
• Wipro best suited for large-scale SAP projects: Forrester
• GAIL, PowerGrid, RailTel come together for telecom operations
• Corporate results: Maruti, L&T, IOC, BPCL, Bharat Electronics, Jaiprakash Associates, Amara Raja, Sasken, NIIT Technologies, i-Flex Solutions

GENERAL

• MoU signed for US$64mn Pan-African network project
• Second Indian Institute of Foreign Trade to come up in Kolkata
• Australian State, Victoria, opens trade office at Bangalore
• Govt. to shift thermal generation strategy towards mega plants
• Inflation up at 4.71 per cent

• Rupee unchanged - bond prices fall
• Orchid Pharma raises US$75mn through GDRs and FCCBs
• UCO Bank waives processing fee on home, car loans
• SBI Life launches new single premium plan
• Bajaj Allianz launches new HealthCare Plan
• SBI launches pre-paid cards on mChq platform
• Banking and Finance cos. results: Sundaram Finance, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, United Bank

MARKETS

• National Investors Foundation asks for provision to buy out promoters
• Indiabulls to buy back shares
• M&M Financial plans IPO through book-building route

INTERNATIONAL

• EU tables 'comprehensive' offer on agriculture market access
• WTO report: Slowdown in world trade growth likely
• SBC Communications to adopt AT&T brand name

PEOPLE

• Ashish Ranawade exits UTI MF - joins ING
• IRDA public information officer