Transporters' strike begins
The transporters' strike, to protest the transport commissioner's decision to implement the high court directive to ensure that all vehicles entering Mumbai comply with emission norms, began on Monday. Over 55,000 taxis, one lakh autorickshaws, 7,000 private buses, and 55,000 trucks and tempos in Mumbai will not ply for a week.

Infy ADR up $35
The Infosys success story continued on the Nasdaq, when its ADRs surged by $35 in the opening session of trading on Monday. After the scrip closed at Rs 15,677 on the BSE, the rise in the ADR is expected to fuel a further appreciation in the domestic market. The ADR was trading at $365 on the Nasdaq. Sify's ADRs also opened with a $11 rise.

CARE share value put at Rs 50-55
SBI Capital Markets, the merchant-banking subsidiary of State Bank of India, has pegged the valuation of CARE's Rs 10 equity share at around Rs 50-55. The valuation report was submitted to CARE's principal promoter IDBI last month.

Panel defers decision on Skoda Auto
The state cabinet sub-committee headed by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has deferred a crucial decision on according a fallback provision to Skoda Auto India, which is seeking a 200 per cent sales tax incentive without any time period for the Octavia car project.

Ashok Leyland to unveil Caravan
Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland will unveil its new product `Caravan' at the Auto Expo in New Delhi later this month. The vehicle, designed by Dilip Chhabria and pegged as `a luxurious home away from home', will mark the company's foray into the customised personal vehicle segment.

Wockhardt Biovac-B to hit market
The Mumbai-based Wockhardt is set to hit the market with its hepatitis-B vaccine Biovac-B later this month. The move is expected to pump up competition in the hepatitis vaccines market, dominated by British giant SmithKline Beecham and Shanta Biotec.

Raymond Synthetics informs BSE
Raymond Synthetics has informed the BSE that Vijaypat Singhania and Gautam Hari Singhania, directors of the company, have submitted their resignations. The resignation will be effective on receipt of approval from financial institutions.

Mather & Platt
Mather & Platt (I) proposes to acquire 61,9337 shares and Harshit Finlease & Investments proposes to acquire 400,000 shares, constituting 13.21 per cent and 8.53 per cent respectively of the equity capital of Falcon Tyres at Rs 24 per share from Dunlop India.

BSE probes four scrips
The Bombay Stock Exchange has initiated investigation into four scrips in which sudden and unusual spurt in prices coupled with rise in volumes were seen recently. The exchange has decided to look into the trading and price pattern of Alps Infosys, Cauvery Software and Media Video.

200 ICICI staffers opt for retirement
Over 200 ICICI staff had opted for a voluntary retirement scheme. Of this, almost 80% of the staff were non-professional staff. Subsequent to the VRS, the aggregate number of staff stands a little over 1,000.

Bond prices stage rally
The Government bond market echoed the enthusiasm that has greeted the new millennium by staging a smart rally. The trading on Monday saw bond prices showing a net gain of 15-20 paise in the long end.

Compiled by S Hariharan