India will hold the next set of auctions to award exploration and production contracts for hydrocarbon assets in the country during the first quarter of 2009, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said here Monday.

With a significant increase in both the production and off-take of cement in India, the government has lifted the export ban on the commodity with immediate effect, a senior commerce ministry official said Monday.

Amid reports of lay-offs by the corporate sector in the wake of economic slowdown, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has scheduled a meeting with all apex chambers here Monday evening to protect the interests of workers from socially backward sections of the society.

The Indian leather industry is shrinking due to the global economic meltdown. Leading players fear a 25-30 percent drop in exports and job losses in the long run.

Vipin Sharma, a Delhi-based travel agent, says he has lost over Rs.2 million worth of business this season. The Mumbai terror attacks and global economic recession almost seem to have pushed India off the tourism map.

With positive cues from their Asian peers, Indian equities opened on a positive note during the penultimate trading week for 2009 beginning Monday, but struggled to remain in the green amid high volatility.

Indian equities opened on a positive note during the penultimate trading week for 2009 beginning Monday, with a key index ruling with a gain of more than 50 points over the previous close, some 20 minutes into trading.

Train services resumed on the Kalka-Shimla railway line Monday morning, a day after a holiday special train derailed, killing one person, officials said.

The railways seems to be paying little heed to the safety of passengers travelling on the century-old Kalka-Shimla rail line - a world heritage site in Himachal Pradesh - despite frequent landslides due to construction along the track.

Goa has accused Karnataka of diverting waters from the Mhadei river into the depleted Malaprabha basin and has called a cabinet sub-committee meeting Monday to decide the future course of action on the issue, a state minister said Sunday.

With superstars Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar turning a barber and undergoing tattooing, respectively, to promote their upcoming films, marketing and publicity campaigns have come of age in tinsel-town.

Uttar Pradesh towns of Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region (NCR) remained without power for over 12 hours Sunday after the 400 KV power station at Muradnagar developed a snag in its breakers, officials said.

With prayers on their lips and resolve to fight terrorism in their hearts, guests and staff flocked to two sea-facing hotels in India's commercial capital that reopened Sunday, barely three weeks after terrorists ravaged the properties in one of the worst attacks on the country's soil that left nearly 170 dead.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac Sunday said the state will adopt a new business model where savings of small investors as well as cash-rich non-resident Keralites (NRK) could be used to build infrastructure.

Amid prayers and resolve to fight terrorism, two sea-facing hotels in India's commercial and entertainment capital opened their doors to guests here Sunday barely three weeks after terrorists ravaged the properties in one of the worst attacks on the country's soil.