Newsmakers: Coal India output rises, Wipro to buy cellent AG and more

Hyundai, Ford & Renault suspend Chennai ops
Auto firms Hyundai, Ford and Renault have temporarily suspended operations at their plants in Chennai due to floods. Chennai is battling its worst crisis in decades as the metro city continues to receive heavy rains. Incessant downpour in the city and other coastal regions of Tamil Nadu have broken records of last 100 years.

Coal India production rises 8.8% in Apr-Nov
Coal India's production rose 8.8 per cent to 321.38 MT during April-November period of the current fiscal, while off-take soared by 9.8 per cent. Coal India Ltd produced 295.40 million tonnes during the same period last year, a company official said. The impetus by the country's largest coal producer on off-take also yielded result as the volume growth during the period was at 30.44 million tonnes.

Gas shortfall to rise 23% in 2 yrs as output lags: Oil minister
Country's natural gas shortfall will rise by 23 per cent over the next two years as domestic output falls short of demand, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, he said India's gas shortfall will rise from 83 billion cubic metre (bcm) in the current fiscal to 98 bcm next year and 102 bcm in 2017-18.

Manufacturing growth falls to 25-month low in November
The manufacturing sector grew at its weakest pace in over two years in November as demand and output continued to soften, a business survey showed on Tuesday. Nikkei's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, compiled by Markit, fell to a 25-month low of 50.3 in November from October's 50.7. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Wipro to buy Germany's cellent AG for Rs 518 cr
Country's third-largest software services firm Wipro said it will acquire German IT consulting firm cellent AG for 73.5 million euros (about Rs 518 crore). The all-cash deal is expected to close in the March 2016 quarter, Wipro said in a filing to the BSE.