Top Yahoo! marketing executive to resign
Struggling Internet media company Yahoo Inc said late on Tuesday that its Chief sales and marketing officer, Anil Singh, will leave the company in May, vacating one of the posts that will be instrumental in rebuilding its sagging advertising business. Mr Singh had been planning for months to step down from his current post, but the company had previously stressed that he would stay on in a more visionary role. In a statement released late on Tuesday, Yahoo said he had decided to resign altogether to spend more time with his family and pursue more personal interests.

Infosys Technologies opens branch office in Sharjah
Infosys Technologies has announced the opening of its latest branch office in Sharjah, located in the Sharjah Airport International Free (SAIF) zone. This is part of the company's strategy to address the growing Middle East segment. The enterprise banking e-platform solution from Infosys will be the focus offering for the region which is fast growing as a technology hub for the Middle East market. Infosys has already built a partnership with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and is currently in talk with a number of banks in the region.

UNV, ICICI launch joint developmental portal
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and a leading financial institution of the country on Wednesday launched an online service for registration of volunteers for various developmental issues. The service - `India calls' - by UNV and ICICI Communities.Org is an attempt to involve corporations, individuals and non-profit organisations across the globe in the betterment of the millions of socio-economically challenged people of India," executive coordinator worldwide, UNV, Sharon Chapeling-Alikaja said making the inaugural click.

Non-fulfilment of VPT obligations hampers govt objective: Paswan
The government said on Wednesday on non-fulfilment of village public telephones (VPT) obligations by basic operators is hampering its objective of providing phones in all villages by 2002. Expressing disappointment at the slow progress made by basic service operators with respect to providing VPTs, communications minister Mr Ram Vilas Paswan asked the operators to work out operational issues with the chief general managers of various states and enter into mutual agreements for resolving the common problems, an official release said in New Delhi. The minister also suggested that another meeting be held with chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Lltd (BSNL) to sort out pending problems. Mr Paswan, was addressing a meeting between DoT and the six basic operators (Bharti, Hughes, Tata Teleservices, Shyam Telelink, Reliance and hfcl), said that the inordinate delay in fulfilling the stipulated targets of VPT by the private operators was highly deplorable.

PHDCCI for cut in duty on inputs for telecom cables
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the government to bring down the customs duty on various inputs for telecom cables to zero, so as to enable the industry to prepare for meeting WTO commitments to this effect by 2003. The chamber has said that the Special Additional Duty on telecom cables should be increased to 12 per cent from the existing level of 4 per cent so as to equalise the central sales tax of 12 per cent borne by the domestic industry. It said alternatively the telecom sector may be granted "C" form facility.