Rural demand props HLL Q2 net up 25% to Rs 226.7 crore
FMCG-major Hindustan Lever (HLL) has posted a 24.87% increase in net profit to Rs 226.79 crore in the second quarter ended June 30, 1999, riding on a sudden rural demand pick-up during the period. The net profit in the corresponding period of 1998 was Rs 181.61 crore.

Jardine Fleming, PwC vie for HCI selloff mandate
Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and Jardine Fleming are in the race to bag the global advisor mandate for the divestment of government equity in Hotel Corporation of India (HCIL), the subsidiary of Air India. A-I had invited bids for this exercise recently.

Cable Corporation offers golden handshake in bid to stem losses
Hiten Khatau-controlled Cable Corporation of India (CCI) has decided to implement a string of austerity measures to contain losses. For starters, the company has introduced a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for its 700-odd employees at its Borivali unit.

  Essar Oil likely to offload part-stake in Ratna field
  HPCL to take up bonus issue again
  Refinery woes prompt Delhi to step up diesel imports for August
  Ford Ikon may be Euro-III compliant
  Tourism Finance Corp to raise authorised share capital to Rs 500 crore
  Mysore Breweries uncorks lager beer in United States
  Citibank sets giant Eurobond backed by credit-card debt
  BNP chairman launches salvos in takeover battle
  HDFC Bank to kick off retail Internet banking in August
  Crompton Greaves' hive-off plan a boon to shareholders
  PowerGen may double Gujarat plant capacity
  Snowcem to set up plants in Bangladesh, Nepal
  IDBI I-Nit '99 Fund mops up over Rs 100 crore
  Crisil downgrades Jisco's Rs 460-crore NCD plan
  Brand sale proceeds may prop up Ranbaxy Laboratories Q1 results
  Bank of Rajasthan Q1 net profit at Rs 1.88 cr
  Mobil in talks with car-makers for lubes supply
  McDowell first-quarter net up 14% to Rs 5.5 cr
  ABB first-quarter net dips 7% to Rs 14.01 cr
  Dewan Housing Q1 net up 3.4% to Rs 3.87 crore
  Dabur Q1 net profit zooms to Rs 26.44 crore
  Maharashtra cabinet clears BSES Palghar project
  NCAER survey voices concern over recovery
  Mahindra & Mahindra first-quarter net vaults 46.4% to Rs 51.26 crore
  FIPB defers plans to take up Pfizer proposal for 100 per cent arm
  Satyam to expand equity base via private placement, ADR
  Indo-Gulf Fertilizers posts Rs 40.76 cr net in Q1
  HLL sees bigger India share in toothpastes
  BPL Cellular presses the family button
  L'Oreal Elvive shampoo to target 1.8 m hair-colour users
  Vitan presses ahead with franchisee-led expansion
  Ex-Nippon Credit officials arrested
  Corporate Briefing
  Employee stock option scheme on the cards for HLL
  Polaris to work on global millennium banking solutions
  Briefing
  Command extends auto-roaming to 216 cities
  MSEB workers for review of phase I of Enron project
  NHPC, Bhakra Beas set up consultancy JV
  Durg Bypass achieves financial closure