Star integrates operations
Mumbai: Star TV has integrated four of its core divisions in India. These divisions are corporate, entertainment, direct-to-home, and news and current affairs.This integrated entity will have common finance and human resources departments. The channel is also launching a package of three Indian channels -- Star News, Star Plus and Channel [V] -- on the BSkyB platform in the UK.

The company has effected people changes at the top level, bringing in new hands and relocating exisitng personnel.
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L&T plans investment in power sector abroad
Mumbai: Larsen & Toubro is exploring the possibilities of buying equity in power companies abroad. The Indian engineering major is scouting for partners in Asian countries like Indoensia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to offer its expertise in engineering and construciton and is ready to invest in equity stakes in power ventures, a senior official of the company said.

The company will also explore possibilities for setting up wholly-owned subsidiaries abroad to market its products, the offiical added.
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Hungama buys out Bollywood portal
Mumbai: A start-up Internet venture, Hungama.co, specialising in e-promotions and contests, is acquiring lock stock and barrel Indiafm.com, a leading film portal concentraing on Bollywood, for an undisclosed amount. Indiafm.com has been in existence for nearly two years. The site will continue to be run by the original promoters and will draw on the capabilities of Hungama.com in e-promotions and contests. 
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Bharat Forge eyes for acquisitons
Pune: Bharat Forge is in search of acquisitions with a view to benefiting from the consolidation in the automotive industry. The company's chairman and managing director, Baba N. Kalyani, says the target companies are largely in the south since a large part of the company's business comes from this part of the country. The acquisitions will be cash deals or share swaps, and the company has earmarked nearly Rs 25 crore for this purpose, Mr Kalyani said.
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No merger of Kinetic units
New Delhi: The Kinetic group will not merge its two-wheeler manufacturing units, Kinetic Engineering and Kinetic Motor Company. According to joint managing director of Kinetic Engineering Sulajja Firodia Motwani, it makes better business sense to operate these companies as two different entities utilising their own strengths. Kinetic Engineering makes mopeds and motorcycles, and Kinetic Motor makes scooters.

The group is also about to introduce 175cc and 250cc motorcycles, she said.
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Piaggio sees India as manufacturing hub
New Delhi: Italian scooter major Piaggio says it is targeting India as one of its important manufacturing bases for three-wheelers. The company is offering its technology to partner Greaves for making three-wheeler engines in India. The company has recently launched its Ape range of multi-utility three-wheelers, being produced in collaboration with Greaves. The Rs 65-crore joint venture Piaggio Greaves Vehicles is aiming to export 20 per cent of the total products from the company to countries like Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa.
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Telco's concept bus on display
New Delhi: Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company has a concept bus on display at the Auto Expo in New Delhi. The bus is built on a modular chassis to ensure greater flexibility in configuring the body to suit specific requirements. With a conventional chassis, the body is mounted on the chassis. But in this case, the chassis is part of the construction on which the body has been woven, like that of a passenger car. The bus has 12 deluxe seats with individual controls for AC, reading lights and other facilities. It is fitted with a 145 horsepower Cummins diesel engine.
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Coloured radials from JK Tyres
New Delhi: Tyre maker JK Tyres is planning to make coloured radial tyres, which will minimise the use of carbon black, a polluting agent. Besides being environment-friendly, the coloured tyres will be pleasing to the eye. Internationally, Michelin is the only company making coloured radials. The new product will be tested at the Vehicle Research and Development Centre at Ahmednagar.

The company is about to finalise the coluur design for the radials to be used in passenger cars in association with the Institute of Design. There will be a marginal increase in the prices of these tyres to take into account the use of colouring agents.
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Diesel Technik for 10 JVs in India
New Delhi: Germany's automotive parts maker Diesel Technik is planning some 10 joint ventures in India. Talks are on with Autolec of Chennai for water and oil pumps, with the Shriram group's Rambal for bolts and screws, and with Imperial for steering parts, according to the company. The company is also in talks with Sigma and is interested in a collabroation with the Pune-based Bharat Forge. It is about to place a sample order with Bharat Forge for crank-shafts. 
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Reader's Digest for share repurchase
Pleasantville, New York: Reader's Digest Association, publisher of Readers' Digest, is resuming its share repurchases. The company's board has authorised this plan, which was suspended in 1997. Under the new plan, the company will purchase up to five per cent of five million shares of the company's class A non-voting common stock. Reader's Digest, which clocked worldwide revenue of $2.5 billion in 1998-99, has some 94 million shares of class A non-voting common stock and 12 million shares of class B voting common stock outsanding in the market.
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Universal Map sues MapQuest
New York: Universal Map Enterprises has filed a federal lawsuit to block the planned $1.1 billion sale of MapQuest.com to America Online. The suit filed in the US district court in the western district of New York, claims MapQuest had already signed a legally valid, binding and enforceable agremeent to sell its website and equipment to Unviersal when it agreed to be bought by America Online.
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