Men work inside a steel factory at Ludhiana, PunjabIIP grew by just 1.8% year-on-year in December 2011 due to contraction in mining and capital goods sectors and a lower manufacturing sector growth.Factory output growth, as measured by the IIP, was at 8.1% in December 2010.(Pictures by Reuters and Sanjay K Sharma)

Feb 10: IIP disappoint at 1.8%

Cars line up during rush hour on a highway in Hong KongTata Motors today said it has increased prices of its passenger vehicles, except small car Nano and premium crossover Aria, by up to Rs 12,000 to mitigate the impact of high input costs.The company said the price hike has been effective from yesterday across the country.

Tata hikes car prices

(From Left to Right):Jose Manuel Barroso-President European Commission, Herman Van Rompuy-President of the European Council and PM Manmohan Singh at Hydrabad house in Dew DelhiPhoto by Sanjay K Sharma

Singh meets EU Council

(From Left to Right):Herman Van Rompuy-President of the European Council, PM Manmohan Singh and Jos? Manuel Barroso-President European CommissionPhoto by Sanjay K Sharma

Kashmiri shopkeeper displays garland made of Indian currency notes in SrinagarThe total value of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions announced in January fell sharply by over 44% year-on-year to $1.31 billion, even as the number of deals was higher in the month.The total number of M&A deals announced in January this year stood at 57, worth $1.31 billion, while in the corresponding period last year, there were 49 M&A transactions worth $2.35 billion, said a report by Grant Thornton India.

M&A deals lose value to number

A woman holds up an iPad with the iTunes U app after a news conference introducing a digital textbook service in New YorkApple Inc plans to introduce its latest iPad tablet at an event in the first week in March, the website AllThingsD reported, citing unnamed sources.The event will be held in San Francisco, likely at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which is Apple&#39;s preferred site for product launches, the website said. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.