-Outlook At least twenty one bodies, including those of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel, have so far been found while eight persons are still missing due to flash flood and landslides in remote areas of North Sikkim, official sources said today. The dead include four from the ITBP, two of their family members, and 12 junior officers from the BRO. Other victims were casual labourers,...

-The Times of India In a relief to consumers, the home minister P Chidambaram on Friday announced abolishment the import and excise duties on non-subsidized domestic LPG cylinders, bringing down their price by Rs 97 a unit in Delhi. It also asked states to subsidize LPG cylinders. The government had last week restricted supply of subsidized cooking gas to six per household in a year. Any requirement beyond this was to be...

-The Telegraph Non-subsidised domestic cooking gas will cost Rs 832 per cylinder in Calcutta following the Centre’s decision to forego customs and excise duties that add up to Rs 103.50 apiece. However, if the Bengal government drops local levies, consumers can save Rs 52.50 more as the price will fall further to about Rs 780 a cylinder. According to new rules, every family will have to pay the market rate once it crosses...

-The Economic Times Foreign multi-brand retailers present in India through cash-and-carry route are expected to roll out consumer facing formats in the short to medium term, a research paper by consultancy firm KPMG said. The paper said most of the foreign retailers will undertake changes in their cash-and-carry arrangement with their Indian partners. However, single brand retailers would significantly invest in India in the next 12-18 months due to 100% ownership which...

-PTI HYDERABAD: Cash-starved Andhra Pradesh government is finding it tough to honour the Congress high command's directive on increasing the subsidised LPG quota from six to NINe cylinders per family a year. The government, that is surviving by selling its securities every month to raise funds, is not in a position to foot the additional subsidy bill on LPG, sources said. Preliminary estimates suggest that the state government will have to bear a...