INTERNATIONAL Japanese differ on fall in unemployment rate Tokyo: Japan's jobless rate improved in January for the first time in nearly a year but the workforce shrank by its largest margin since 1974 and ministers on March 1 warned the situation remained bleak.
NATIONAL
Old economy scrips suffer sharp losses at BSE Mumbai: Led by a top heavyweight Hind Lever Ltd (HLL), old economy stocks beat a hasty retreat from their early highs and several even ending with sharp losses in an extended session on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on March 4 on heavy selling from domestic funds as well as speculators.
Budget will be simpler in 2 years: Sinha New Delhi: The Union budget is set to become simpler and transparent with the government moving on to a single rate 16 per cent excise duty and only two rates of 10 and 20 per cent customs duty in two years.
'Dream budgets' decrease revenue growth: Sinha New Delhi: Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha no longer favours 'dream budgets' as such budgets only lead to fall in revenue growth, pushing up the fiscal deficit.
Govt will tighten purse strings for growth: Sinha New Delhi: Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on March 4 expressed optimism about higher growth during the next fiscal due to agriculture reforms and said Centre will rationalise tax structure further to mop up higher revenues and maintain strict control over expenditure to bring down deficit.
ITI seeks restructured debts, cheaper loans from FIs New Delhi: Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) is in talks with banks including State Bank of India (SBI), Corporation Bank, HSBC, Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) and Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) for restructuring its debt and availing cheaper loans, including foreign debt, of about Rs 400 crore by March end.
Indo-Pak trade flourishes despite tensions Islamabad: Despite the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, bilateral trade continued to boom during the first six months of the current financial year compared to the corresponding period in 2001.
Reliance announces strategic merger of group cos Mumbai: The Reliance group announced the merger of its Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) on March 3 to make Reliance one of the world’s top 30 energy giants.
Reliance merger, shot in the arm for SENSEX Mumbai: Powered by a strong upsurge in Reliance Industry Lmt (RIL), the SENSEX opened firm and later rallied smartly at early stages on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on March 4 following fresh buying by speculators on the back of sustained purchases by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).
