* AUTOMOTIVE: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has said it would edge past HERO MOTOCORP by 2015 to become India 's leading two-wheeler seller.
* AVIATION: Heads of domestic airlines have expressed inability to comply with the Supreme Court's direction to display the number of seats at each fare level and compressing the wide range of prices for a route. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said inter- ministerial differences would be sorted out to facilitate the formation of the AirAsia-Tata joint venture in India .
* BANKING: SREI group plans to set up a bank with strong rural presence.
* ECONOMY: The recent changes in prices of bulk diesel and non-subsidised cooking gas may not get reflected in the Wholesale Price Index.
* COAL: International Coal Ventures is targeting coal assets in Colombia , South Africa , and Russia . The government has deferred pool pricing of coal to next financial year.
* EXCHANGES: The BSE's SME platform has received stronger response than National Stock Exchange's SME exchange, as 14 companies have listed on the former as against two on the latter.
* FOREIGN INVESTMENT: CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets' Managing Director Christopher Wood has reduced his overweight position on India citing weak GDP data, and said the 2013-14 Budget may not encourage reforms. The government may hike the ceiling on foreign investment in gilts and corporate bonds by $10 bln each in a bid to cut current account deficit.
* MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: Private equity firm KKR and Co is close to buying Warburg Pincus Llc's 80% stake in Alliance Tire Group.
* PHARMACEUTICALS: A government panel studying means to make patented drugs affordable has proposed a mechanism that will apply only to drugs bought via public procurement and health insurance companies, leaving out three-fourths of the population exposed to fluctuations in market price.
* REGULATOR: The Securities and Exchange Board of India has made it compulsory for compliance officers to get requisite certifications to operate in the stock markets.
* TELECOM: Sistema Shyam Teleservices will seek upfront adjustment of 16.26 bln rupees in the amount it has to pay to government for spectrum in eight telecom circles. The department of telecom has sought the defence ministry's approval to classify select telecom products as "security sensitive" in the run up to mandating 100% domestic sourcing for private sector gear procurements.
- An auction for radio spectrum on the 800MHz wavelength earned the government 35 bln rupees after three rounds of bidding.
* TOBACCO: West Bengal government has hiked sales tax on tobacco products by 500 basis points to 25%.
