Alcatel-Lucent has chalked out a plan to expand its business in highly potential Indian market. The company is a leading global communication solution provider, which has already significant presence in the market. It has 5,000 employees in India and would start a recruitment drive to satisfy its manpower needs.

Alcatel-Lucent CEO, Ben Verwaayen said that the company sees a huge potential in India due to availability of resources, talent and big market. The country would grow despite uneven global financial condition and economic slowdown.

Private sector insurer MetLife India has decided to expand its network in coming times. It would recruit about 2,000 managers and 30,000 advisors in line with its growth strategy. Its board of directors has already approved to infuse Rs 100 crore of additional equity capital into the company.

Besides, it would also open new branches across major towns to ensure the success of existing and new products of the company. Interestingly, leading companies are adopting large scale lay-offs following the global financial crisis.

Beverages and snack foods major, PepsiCo, would continue its expansion in India, irrespective of global financial crisis and slowdown in industry. The company has recently decided to invest $500 million in India in next three years.

PepsiCo India Chairman, Sanjeev Chadha ruled out slowdown in FMCG sector and said that only banking and insurance sector is widely hit by financial crisis. He was speaking to the reporters in the side lines of function of World Economic Forum (WEF). He was recently elected as head of beverages and food industry of Indian region.

Phnom Penh  - UN Assistant Secretary-General Peter Taksoe-Jensen will travel to Cambodia this week to discuss the country's troubled Khmer Rogue tribunal with Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, national

State Bank of India is likely to hire 25,000 persons by the end of March. SBI is the top lender of the country, having big network of branches and ATMs across almost all the towns of the country. SBI has presence in other countries as well.

Manila  - Remittances from overseas Filipinos rose 17.1 per cent in the first nine months of the year despite a slowdown in major economies in the world, the government said Tuesday.

The central bank said remittances totalled 12.27 billion dollars from January to September, compared to 10.47 billion dollars in the same period last year.

In September alone, overseas Filipinos sent home 1.33 billion dollars, up 16.9 per cent from 1.13 billion dollars from a year ago.