India:
• Siege ends at Lal Chowk; 2 militants gunned down. Security forces stormed a hotel in busy Lal Chowk area killing two LeT terrorists including a Pakistani, ending a 22-hour fierce gunbattle that also left a policeman and a civilian dead. At least 11 persons including two CRPF jawans were injured in the encounter, the first this year, which paralysed life in the heart of the city.
• Nithari case: Surinder Koli's death sentence on hold. The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the death sentence of Surinder Koli, convicted in February last year for raping and killing 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar in Nithari in Noida.
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, heading a JMM-BJP coalition government, today won a trust motion in the assembly by 19 votes. Sixty-five-year-old Soren received 45 votes in the 81-member House while 26 were cast against him.
Business:
• Food inflation softened to 18.22 per cent as of the week ended December 26, although potato and pulses continued to cost high. The wholesale price based inflation was 19.83 per cent in the previous week.
• The BSE Sensex snapped a four-day rally on Thursday and shed 85 points, as funds booked profits in heavy-weight stocks led by software counters on concerns that a stronger rupee will hurt their revenues, coupled with weak global sentiment. The Sensex, which had been on an onward march since the past four sessions gaining over 1.35%, fell by 85.41 points to 17,615.72. The bellwether index touched a low of 17,566.54 and a high of 17,733.34 during the day.
• Maruti launches new family car Eeco priced at Rs 2.59 lakhs. Eeco will come with a 3-row & 2-row seating arrangements with capacities of five and seven passengers
• Dream wheels to cost more from April The hike, which cuts across cars, SUVs and trucks, will depend on the model and the level of engine tweaking needed.
• majors, including Wipro, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, L&T Infotech, among others, are close to finalizing a credit-risk cover (CRI) with Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India. IT and IT-enabled companies have taken a fast move to insulate themselves from payment risks as bank failures in the US are still on the rise
• The new perquisite rules have been notified and are applicable from April 1, 2009, for the current financial year. There is significant difference in respect of the taxability of the car benefit under the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) regime vis-a-vis the perquisite taxation
World:
• 46% drop in Indian students' applications: Australia
• Google’s Nexus One mobile phone that was launched on Tuesday is set to challenge existing smartphone makers, including Apple and Nokia, in India, helped by lower price points and rich features. The phone is currently available in the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore, apart from the US, and Indian consumers may have to wait longer to be able to buy Nexus One.
• With the demand for US visas surging by the day, the US embassy and its consulates in India have introduced a new online non-immigrant visa (NIV) application form to cut out needless delays
• India is no longer the elephant in the world’s gold dealing rooms. The Dragon has edged it out. In 2009, China bought more gold than India, making it the world’s top consumer. China pipped South Africa in 2007 as the world’s largest gold producer. Revving up production to take advantage of record prices is understandable.
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