The government today withdrew the 15 per cent export duty on pig iron, iron and steel ingots, bars and rods, angles and sections. It also replaced the 15 per cent ad valorem export duty on iron ore fines. The export duty on scrap and iron ore lump remains unchanged.

The ministry also withdrew full exemption from basic customs duty on import of ferro-molybdenum and ferro-vanadium. The items will now attract basic customs duty of 5%.
 

The Indian Oil Company (IOC) has incurred a loss of Rs 7,047 crore in the second quarter ending Sept 30.The loss is believed to be more than Rs 6,963 crore that the company made in 2007-08.

The company in the first half of the year 2008-09 lost Rs 6,632 crore, as against a net profit of Rs 5,286.16 crore in the same period last year.

Researchers have found that the common household surfaces like TV remote control, refrigerator door handles and bathroom taps are the hotspots to spread cold virus. By touching these contaminated surfaces, the virus could transfer to another and cause a cold infection.

British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported that 42% of surfaces in the homes found traces of rhinovirus. The findings are based on experiment of Scientists at the University of Virginia. They have tested the homes of 30 people who were suffering from cold.

Coffee can help stay one alert for long hours. A team of Swimburne University of Techology (SUT) carried out the study by a new optical instrument.

Patterson said, “In our project we used the Australian-designed Optalert, which measures drowsiness by observing total duration of eye blinks and the ratio of amplitude and velocity of eye closure during blinking.”