The Nifty broke below the 8,000 level for the first time since Oct. 1, heading towards a sixth consecutive losing session after a private survey showed the manufacturing sector cooled to its slowest in nearly two years in October. The Nikkei Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, compiled by Markit, fell to 50.7 in October from September's 51.2. The 50-mark divides expansion from contraction. Falls in Asian markets also dented sentiment after soft Chinese factory surveys and U.S. consumer...

In yet another setback to Finnish handset maker Nokia , the Tamil Nadu government has slapped on it a Rs. 2,400 crore tax demand notice related to the devices sold from its Chennai factory.     Nokia, which as part of its deal with the US-based software giant Microsoft has to transfer its Indian assets including the Chennai factory by March-end, on Friday approached the Madras High Court challenging claims made by the Tamil Nadu government.     The development comes within...

Public officials and engineers have long warned about the dangers posed by the outdated, moldering pipelines that snake beneath the streets of major cities like New York, feeding gas into the furnaces of millions of homes. For nearly two decades, federal authorities have directed pipeline operators to replace these leak-prone, cast-iron lines with pipes made of plastic and other modern materials. And many states, including New York, have embarked on programs to do just that. But these efforts...

Auto major Tata Motors today announced cut in prices by up to Rs 1.5 lakh across its product portfolio following excise duty reduction announced in the interim Budget. The price reduction across passenger vehicles is in the range of Rs 6,300 to Rs 69,000, depending on the model, while the cut in commercial vehicles portfolio is in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 150,000, Tata Motors said in a statement. "The price reduction is in the light of excise duty cut on vehicles and the company is passing...

A Minnesota man claimed his third of a $448 million Powerball jackpot on Thursday, wasting no time before revealing his good fortune to the world and saying he had "been waiting for this day my entire life." Paul White, 45, a project engineer from Ham Lake, said his family often gave him a hard time for frequently playing the lottery, and he had a tough time convincing many of them that he had finally won. "The only person who didn't feel I was BSing them was my mother," a beaming White said...

Devi Shetty is obsessed with making heart surgery affordable for millions of Indians. On his office desk are photographs of two of his heroes: Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. Shetty is not a public health official motivated by charity. He’s a heart surgeon turned businessman who has started a chain of 21 medical centers around India. By trimming costs with such measures as buying cheaper scrubs and spurning air-conditioning, he has cut the price of artery-clearing coronary bypass surgery to...

A New York City McDonald's crew walked out Friday, saying they were forced to work without air conditioning amid record-high temperatures. One worker collapsed from the heat. Luisa Villa, an employee who participated in the walkout on Friday, said in an interview with The Huffington Post that the air conditioner in the restaurant's kitchen has been broken at least since she began working there nine years ago. The crew member who collapsed, Esheliz Méndez, had complained about the broken air conditioner...

The Toyota Corolla has long been the antithesis of the enthusiast car. It’s the automotive equivalent of smooth jazz — ubiquitous and innocuous but seldom loved. And like a forgettably syrupy Kenny G ballad album, it’s also enjoyed enviable success over the years; in 1997 it beat out the Volkswagen Beetle to become the best-selling nameplate of all time, and is always near the top of the charts for its segment, selling 290,947 units in 2012 in spite of being near the end of its model cycle. But...

Heather Arnet was escorted into the Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, flanked by her contingent of 16 teenage girls. It was late 2005, and they were there to voice their discontent about a series of shirts that the company had unleashed on the market with text celebrating skinny blonde teenage girls while deriding brunettes and less-slender figures. The shirts in question: “I had a nightmare I was a brunette,” “Blondes are adored, brunettes are ignored,” “Do I make you...

Lululemon said Wednesday that its chief product officer is stepping down, as it updated the production problems it has had with see-through pants. The Canadian yoga wear maker said Sheree Waterson will leave effective April 15. In a statement, the company said the departure was part of a plan to reorganize its product team to support long-term growth. It wouldn't comment specifically if the departure was related to the pants problem. "As the organization matures organizational structure changes...

Snagging a $1500 necklace for a mere $47 seems too good to be true, right? Recipients of Macy's national catalog had to really think this one through when the aforementioned price reduction was listed as a "Super Buy." The item, a 14k Gold and Sterling Silver Necklace, was even available for purchase in store, according to customer Robert Bernard. In an ABC News segment, Bernard recounts his experience at the Texas Macy's in Collin Creek Mall, where he witnessed the $47 necklace sell out before...

 Looking to buy a new car, truck or crossover? You may find it more difficult to stretch the household budget than you expected, according to a new study that finds median-income families in only one major U.S. city actually can afford the typical new vehicle. Audi cars for sale at a dealership on January 16, 2013. REUTERS/Michael DalderThe typical new vehicle is now more expensive than ever, averaging $30,500 in 2012, according to TrueCar.com data, and heading up again as makers curb the...

Marissa Mayer, the relatively new CEO of Yahoo, has decided she wants her employees showing up to the offices beginning in June, not just telecommuting from home all the time, according to All Things D’s Kara Swisher. From an internal memo:     “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights...

Following enthusiast site Jalopnik posting clandestine shots of the 2014 Cherokee, Jeep released official shots of the SUV today, showcasing a style that’s a shocking departure from the square-jawed model of the ‘80s. Originally slated for an unveiling at the New York Auto Show this March, the Cherokee will replace the Liberty, reviving a nameplate that’s been out of use for over 12 years. Featuring two-tiered headlights reminiscent of Nissan Juke and a kinked 7-slot grill, the 2014 Cherokee eschews...

 Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, said on Monday it had found horse DNA exceeding 60 percent in some of its own-brand frozen spaghetti bolognese meals withdrawn from stores last week. Tesco said tests carried out since pulling the product last Wednesday had identified the presence of horse DNA, with most positive results at a trace level of less than one percent. However, three tests showed horse DNA levels of over 60 percent. None of its tests were positive for the potentially harmful...

The company that distills Maker’s Mark is reducing the alcohol content of the famous bourbon in an effort to keep up with growing global appetite for the product, Quartz reports. The move comes in response to concerns the company won't be able to meet rampant demand for Maker's Mark since it's "very low on supply,” Rob Samuels, COO of Beam Inc. (which also makes the less-expensive Jim Beam bourbon), wrote in an email to consumers. The spirit will now have an alcohol-by-volume content of 42 percent,...

More people shoot themselves in the foot, get fired, or destroy promising careers by opening their big fat mouths than any other way. And that goes for communication of any kind: face-to-face, phone, email, text, you name it. Executives and business leaders are especially adept at documenting stuff they shouldn't even be thinking, let alone doing. Don't ask me why, but it always seems to turn up in civil depositions, criminal investigations, and congressional hearings. Here are recent examples: In...

Walmart sells assault weapons but bans music that contains swear words.That policy tells you a lot about this country.We can guess why Walmart sells assault weapons: Its customers want them, and the company can make a lot of money selling them.But Walmart's customers probably also want music that contains swear words, and Walmart could probably make money selling that, too.And music with curse words is legal (First Amendment and all that), so this isn't about legality.So why the no-cursing policy?Based...

They say money can't buy you happiness, but what about forking over some of it to the government?Higher taxes are correlated with higher life satisfaction, according to a November study by six economists affiliated with the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany. The economists analyzed data about 25,000 Germans between 1985 to 2010, where respondents answered the question, "How satisfied ed are you with your life, all things considered?" on a scale of 0 to 10.If only lawmakers understood...

 A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday. The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an "irresistible attraction," even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because...