Inflation rate falls to 6.43 per cent
The annual rate of inflation fell to 6.43 per cent during the week ended June 3, 2000, despite a marginal 0.1 per cent rise in the Wholesale Price Index. The rate fell by 0.16 percentage points during the week to 6.43 (provisional), from 6.59 per cent (P) In the previous week. The rate was 3.02 a year ago.

Insurance body to meet today
The 23-member Insurance Advisory Council, which is expected to be a kind of constituent assembly for framing rules and regulation on the liberalised insurance sector, will hold its three-day inaugural meeting on Monday. The convention, which will be presided over by IRDA chairman N Ranagachary, will finalise some of the draft regulations pertaining to different segments of the insurance industry.

53% growth in domains
Global website name registration company Network Solutions has found that registrations from India saw a 53 per cent growth during the last quarter and, consequently, selected an Indian Net registration firm, Delhinet, as its prestigious Gold Premier partner. Delhinet is the largest domain registration firm in India.

75 firms' net profit up 32.3%
The aggregate net profit of 75 companies increased by 32.3 per cent to Rs 1,611 crore during 1999-2000, from Rs 1,217 crore during 1998-99. This has happened probably due to the significant rise in the profit after tax of major companies like Birla Global Finance, DGP Securities, Escorts Finance, Indian Petrochemicals Corp, and Shasun Chemicals.

Baskin Robbins revamps operations
After five years of operations in the domestic market, Baskin Robbins is undertaking a major operational revamp, which includes a change in the company's logo. The move is in line with a global decision to change the logo of the premium ice-cream major in the international market.

Konkan Railways ties up with IL&FS
Konkan Railways Corporation has tied up with the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services to utilise its online debt-market portal DebtOnNet.com to raise five-year bonds worth Rs 300 crore through private placement. Konkan Railways' offer, which opened on June 14, is the second debt issue in the country which will utilise the web to sell bonds through the book-building route.

`India had deployed Agni'
India had deployed at least five nuclear-tipped missiles, including Agni, for retaliatory strikes during the Kargil conflict, a security expert has claimed. Quoting another expert that "four nuclear-armed Prithvis and one Agni were deployed for retaliatory strikes during Kargil", the expert, Sanjay Badri-Maharaj, said: "This I later more or less confirmed independently."

Oil price hike only after Opec revision
The prices of petroleum products would not be increased unless there was a revision by Opec, Union minister of state for petroleum E Ponnusamy said on Sunday. He said the prices could be 'reviewed' only when the Opec nations announced any change.