Max Touch unveils save tariff plan: Hutchison Max Telecom has launched the Max Save Tariff Plan at a package price of Rs 9,888. The plan offers 125 minutes of airtime per month for Rs 500, and offers the same flat rate of Rs 4 per minute above the 125-minute airtime. The Max Save Tariff Plan with the Motorola Amio A108 handset is available to customers until August 31 or when stocks last. The Amio A108 pack includes a hands free kit, transreciever, 600mAH NiMH battery, travel charger, handset pouch and user manual. Max Touch has also come out with the second edition of its `Celebration' booklet. Special offers are grouped in categories -- Children, Environment, Lifestyles, Holidays and Getaways, Food and Wine, Friends and Fun; Health and Fitness, and Business Incentives. The booklet comes with a customer identity card which allows users to avail of more than 50 deals and promotions.

Cathay Pacific appoints new country manager: Cathay Pacific Airways has appointed Tom Wong as its new country manager for India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Prior to the appointment, he was program manager of the financial management information systems at Cathay's head office. Wong is an aerospace engineer with a masters degree in electro optics. He succeeds Adrian Harley. Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong and flies to 26 countries. The airline flies from Mumbai to Dubai, Hong Kong, and Bangkok four times a week.

Ecofriendly gas generating equipment: AquaGas, a new gas generating equipment, has been launched. AquaGas produces gas on demand for gas cutting, gas welding, brazing, soldering, heating, gouging, under water cutting, flame polishing, metal spray surfacing, and preconditioning of integrated circuits. It is available in five models - Microjet 1000, AG 2000, AG 3000, AG 4000 and AG 4000 MS. The product is manufactured by Gas Generators Sdn Bdh of Malaysia.

Nilgiri's launches new chocolates: Nilgiri's Chocolate and Patisserie has launched ten new brands of chocolate in Maharashtra. The chocolates - Square Cut, Bar 5, Tropicos, Crunchy Bar, Chocobiscuit, Ecstacy, Flip and Mint Collection - have brought the company's range of chocolates to more than 80. Nilgiri's chocolates are already available in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The company plans to enter Gujarat by the end of the month and will set up an all-India marketing network within a year.

Total, EDF to invest in co-generation: French energy group Total and state-owned electricity group EDF will invest some 4.0 to 4.5 billion francs in a co-generation project at Gonfreville, nor far from Le Havre. A spokesman for Total confirmed brief media reports about the plan but declined to give further details ahead of an August 28 news conference. According to the reports, the plant would generate steam and electricity from petrol residues stemming from a nearby refinery. Total would use the steam and EDF the electricity.

Peerless Systems sees earnings shortfall: Software developer Peerless Systems Corp on Thursday warned of an earnings shortfall for the remainder of fiscal year 1999 and into fiscal 2000 as it grapples with uncertain product shipments and service revenues. In a statement, the maker of software-based imaging systems for digital documents said its fiscal 1999 second quarter showed a mixed pattern of shipments by market segments and a sequential drop in engineering service revenues. "At present, we believe these business trends are likely to dampen quarterly revenue growth," said Gavaldon, Chief executive officer. "As a result, we believe quarterly profitability is likely to be below prior year results for the remainder of fiscal 1999 and into early fiscal 2000."