Business

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Retail inflation rose to four-month high of 2.57 per cent in February, mainly driven by higher food prices.

The retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 1.97 per cent in January and 4.44 per cent in February 2018.

Food inflation based on CPI, however was in negative at 0.66 per cent. The latest print is higher than (-) 2.24 per cent in January.

The Reserve Bank factors in retail inflation while deciding at its monetary policy.

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Subdued performance of manufacturing sector, especially capital and consumer goods, pulled down the growth in industrial production to 1.7 per cent in January from 7.5 per cent a year ago.

The data of Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Tuesday comes ahead of the Reserve Bank's monetary policy statement on April 4 and may increase the clamour for cut in interest rates to boost economic activities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion budget, pushing the federal deficit past $1 trillion but counting on optimistic growth, accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into balance in 15 years.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen said Tuesday it plans to ramp up its production of electric vehicles over the next ten years to 22 million and reduce its carbon footprint over vehicle life cycles by 30 percent.

Previously, the company said it would aim for 15 million. That was ambitious in itself given that it made fewer than 50,000 battery-only vehicles last year.

The company is pivoting to electric vehicles as it seeks to comply with new limits on carbon dioxide emissions in Europe, and a push by China for more low-emission vehicles.

12 Mar 2019; DW: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday endorsed some of the key European reform ideas put forward by her successor to the Christian Democratic Union leadership Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, including a joint EU aircraft carrier.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded Merkel as leader of the CDU in December, etched out her vision in a weekend response to French President Emmanuel Macron's proposals for European Union reform.

12 Mar 2019; DW: The United States on Monday warned Germany that sensitive communications could be compromised if "untrusted vendors" were used within its 5G telecom infrastructure, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

11 Mar 2019; DW: Boeing's new passenger aircraft has crashed twice within the space of a few months, raising a number of safety questions. So far, the 737 has been the backbone of many fleets globally.

11 Mar 2019; DW: A combined German-French parliamentary assembly that will be able to propose joint, but non-binding, resolutions has been given the green light by France's National Assembly. Its first sitting is on March 25 in Paris.

French National Assembly president Richard Ferrand (pictured above) said Monday the chamber had approved the combined Franco-German parliamentary body conceived in January in Aachen — despite objections from France's radical left and far right.

HOUSTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Natural gas fueled more than 60 percent of electric generating capacity installed last year in the United States, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday.

According to EIA's report, 31.3 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity were added in the country in 2018, the largest addition since 48.8 GW were added in 2003.

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan met here on Monday with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and other senior administration officials, discussing bilateral ties and regional issues, among others.

Pence discussed with King Abdullah about the bilateral relationship, the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and regional dynamics, said a statement from the White House.

The two also talked about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision "to maintain a residual U.S. presence in Syria," the statement added.