New Delhi, May 16 : Demands for gold in India surged 27 percent to 256.5 tonnes in January-March 2013 even though the global demands dropped by 13 percent, the World Gold Council said Thursday.

Addressing the media, World Gold Council India managing director P. R. Somasundaram said demands for the yellow metal for both jewellery and investment purposes remained strong in the first quarter of 2013.

"The price fluctuations in gold have only served to reinforce Indian consumers' appetite for purchasing physical gold," he said.

Barcelona, May 16 : FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi may be out of action for the rest of the season as the result of a torn hamstring but his 46 goals this campaign were vital in Barca claiming their fourth La Liga title in five years.

The Argentinean striker gave his feelings on what has been a difficult campaign for Barca, who are currently 10 points ahead of Real Madrid with a game in hand, but who had to suffer the loss of coach Tito Vilanova for almost three months as he underwent cancer treatment in New York, reports Xinhua.

According to reports, Tesla Motors (TSLA) has emerged as the leading seller of rechargeable vehicles in the North American market ahead of General Motors' plug-in Volt and Nissan's battery-powered Leaf.

Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm headed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has increased its stake in three blue-chip companies during the first quarter, according to a regulatory filing by the company.

Cancer researchers have said in a new research that they have used a combination of two drugs to fight the disease more affectively.

They used a combination of two drugs from Bristol-Myers Squibb that was able to reduce the tumors significantly in about 41 per cent of patients with advanced melanoma. The researchers also said that in some of the total 52 patients in the study, the tumors disappeared completely in the patients.

Acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven T. Miller has submitted his resignation to President Obama on Wednesday following controversies relating to targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

It has been revealed that the police officials were monitoring messaging software like Whatsapp and Blackberry Messenger in the scot fixing case that led to the arrests of former Indian pace bowler S Sreesanth along with two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates.

Adani Ports and SEZ has said that it has recorded a growth of an impressive 197 per cent in its consolidated net profit at Rs 710.31 crore during the fourth quarter of the year till March 31, 2013.

The company had recorded a net profit of Rs. 239.46 crore during the fourth quarter of the previous financial year 2011-2012. The company said that the rise was mainly due to a one-time gain of Rs. 420 crore from the disinvestment of its holding in Australia's Abbot Point terminal to promoters.

Suzlon Group-subsidiary, REpower Systems has said on Thursday that its cumulative orders of 580 MW over a three month period excluding the orders that were announced separately by the company.

Vedanta Resources has said that it has recorded an increase of 21 per cent in its core profits at US$ 4.888 billion for the financial year 20012-2013.

The India focused natural resources giant had recorded a. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of US$ 4.026 billion in the financial year 2011-12. The company said that its revenues rose 7 per cent to US£ 14.989 billion in the financial year 2012-2013 compared to US$ 14.005 billion recorded in the previous financial year.

Infrastructure major, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has said that it has secured orders worth an impressive Rs. 2,542 crore in different sectors during April and May of 2013.

The company said in a statement that, "The Building & Factories Business has bagged new orders worth Rs. 1,021 crores for the construction of residential towers, a cement plant and a factory at various locations across India, including additional orders from operating projects."

India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has indicated that it will announce an issue of inflation-indexed bonds (IIBs) for launch on 4 June.

The government and the central bank have been concerned over rising gold imports into the country. Experts said that it is now known if the inflation-indexed bonds will be a substitute for gold or if it will simply complement investments in gold. They said that the IIBs will become an attractive investment option the yield offered will be determined by the market forces as the the investors will launch bids for the instrument.

Jaipur, May 16 : Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met party workers and office bearers here Thursday while continuing his task of collecting feedback over the party's prospects in the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections, party sources said.

Gandhi arrived in Rajasthan's Bikaner district Wednesday to hold "feedback meetings" with the party's workers. He left for Jaipur in the evening.

Assembly polls are scheduled in Congress-ruled Rajasthan at the year-end.

New Delhi, May 16 : Designer Sabyassachi Mukherjee, the man behind styling Vidya Balan's look at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival, says that as "India is known as a bling country" he used a "little embellishment" to bring freshness.

Vidya made three appearances in traditional Indian costumes - maroon lehenga, an ivory sari paired with a brown blouse and light pink anarkali - on three different occasions on the festival inaugural day Wednesday.

Mukherjee says she was dressed in "a purist ethnic look, almost like a Golconda princess".

Rome, May 16 : Third seed Andy Murray pulled out of the Rome Masters due to an injury as Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round.

Fifth seed Nadal beat local hope Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-3 to kick off his quest for his seventh ATP title of the season winning 74 percent of his service points and breaking his 25th-ranked opponent five times Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

Murray required treatment for a lower back injury midway through the second set of the match against Marcel Granollers. Then he decided to retire.

Kochi, May 16 : A group of ayurveda experts have launched a medical treatment package in cyberspace.

'NaturWell', which guarantees overall wellness to subscribers of the year-long programme being rolled out through homilies over the internet and medicines at doorstep, is essentially founded on the tenets mentioned in ancient texts of ayurveda, according to the conceivers, Cybele Herbal Laboratories.

Paris, May 16 : Canadian Adham Sharara was re-elected as president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) during the World Championships here.

Sharara, who has held the position since succeeding Chinese Xu Yinsheng in 1999 to become the sixth ITTF chief, beat his only rival Stefano Bosi of Italy, the chief of European Table Tennis Federation, 149-53 in a vote at the ITTF General Meeting Wednesday.

An electrical engineer by trade, Cairo-born Sharara was last re-elected in Yokohama, Japan, in 2009.

Chennai, May 16 : Two years after she stormed into Fort St. George, the seat of power in Tamil Nadu, with a massive victory, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has a mixed bag of results to show so far.

Forcing the central government to gazette the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by filing a case in the Supreme Court, distributing relief to farmers in the drought-hit areas; urging retrieval of the Katchatheevu islet from Sri Lanka; and setting up of Amma Canteen (budget canteen) selling food at subsidised rates are said to be some of the achievements of Jayalalithaa government.

New Delhi, May 16 : A study will be conducted across India to explore better therapy to control the double-barrel menace of diabetes coupled with obesity, doctors said Thursday.

"We have found that Indian population is predisposed to obesity at a younger age and diabetes is a growing menace. The study will be ethnic-specific. We will conduct the study in south, central and north India," said Deep Goel, director, bariatric surgery, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

"With the help of various institutions, we will start the study in a couple of months," Goel said.

New Delhi, May 16 : Actress Swara Bhaskar believes her survival kit, primarily comprising her friends and family, helps her sail through the ups and downs in her showbiz career.

"Friends who make fun of all my problems, however serious, family that bails me out every time, three furry cats of three different sizes, children's literature...," Swara told IANS on being asked about her survival kit.

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