Sterlite plant mishap injures 5: Five workers were injured in an acid leak at the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd in Tuticorin on Thursday morning, a senior company official said. The mishap occurred when a pipeline conveying sulphuric acid from one tank to another developed a leak and the acid spilled over on the workers, the official said.

`Britain not to blacklist Indian companies': The British government has no plans to blacklist Indian companies and bar them from having business links with British companies, according to British deputy high commissioner Michael Bates Obe. He said he was aware ofthe Clinton administration's move which was aimed at crippling defence-related research in the country.

IOC to augment Kandla-Bhatinda pipeline capacity: IOC has decided to augment the Kandla-Bhatinda pipeline capacity by 1.3 million tonnes to 8.8 million tonnes annually by May, 2000, an official spokesperson said on Thursday. The capacity of the pipeline was recently raised from 6 million tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes per annum. IOC expects to complete the expansion programme at a total cost of Rs 1,247 crore by July 2001.

FM may clear dollar trading at pepper bourse: Finance ministry officials have agreed to trading in US dollars at the international pepper futures exchange at Kochi, according to consumer affairs and civil supplies secretary NN Mookherjee. He said the finance ministry is expected to give its permission for dollar-denominated trading in a few days.

RBI on Vasudev panel: This refers to the news item titled `Reserve Bank rejects Vasudev panel's advice on finance firmsratings waiver' published in Thursday's edition. Senior RBI officials have pointed out that the headline seeks to give the impression that the RBI has rejected the recommendation completely. This is not so. The RBI has said that the larger companies with net-owned funds of more than Rs 10 crore will continue to have their deposits linked to credit rating while the deposits of the smaller and medium sized ones above investment grade might not be linked to ratings.

Kumaramangalam favours PowerGrid capital recast: Power minister PR Kumaramangalam has favoured capital restructuring of PowerGrid Corporation of India through fresh capital induction. Capital restructuring would help the company take up private transmission projects proposed under the mega power policy and enable it to become an equity partner in the proposed power trading corporation, he said.

Hindustan Steelworks staff call off stir: Over 7,000 employees of Hindustan Steelworks Construction Ltd on Thursday called off their150-day-long agitation following an agreement between the company management and the striking unions. Bokaro's HSCL group general manager SK Kastuar said the management had agreed to pay the salary arrears of the agitating employees since July this year in four instalments by December-end.

VSNL to enter domestic long-distance telephony: VSNL is ready to enter the domestic long-distance telephony sector by the year-end. The new telecom policy, expected in the next few weeks, is likely to allow the entry of new players in this lucrative segment. According to acting chairman and managing director Amitabh Kumar, operational readiness for the service was already in place.

Russian PM Primakov may visit India: Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov is expected to visit India in the first week of December when president Boris Yeltsin was scheduled to tour New Delhi, but official dates will be finalised through diplomatic channels.

The itenary of Primakov will be discussed after a telephonicconversation between prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and president Boris Yeltsin, diplomatic sources told.

Gangwal named US Airways' CEO: Stephen M Wolf ceded the top job at US Airways Group Inc to 45-year-old Rakesh Gangwal. Gangwal, who has been serving as president of the Arlington, Virginia, airline holding company, will add the title of chief executive officer. Wolf, who is 57, will retain the chairman's post, and is expected to continue to play an active management role at the sixth-largest US airline.