India inflation rises less than forecast

India's inflation accelerated at a much slower rate than expected,
government data showed Thursday, easing pressure on the central bank
to tighten monetary policy. Annual inflation rose to 0.92 percent in
the week ended October 3 from 0.70 percent a week earlier,
according to the Wholesale Price Index, India's most-watched
cost-of-living benchmark. Analysts had expected a figure close to 1.5
percent with food prices stoked by the worst monsoon in nearly four
decades. But the cost of food items declined during the week. The
central bank's monetary policy committee meets October 27 to make a
decision on interest rates.