India witnessed 84 per cent increase in gold demand for the fourth quarter of 2008, proving it as a safest heaven for investment after the plunge of share market and low interest rate regime following global financial crisis.

Gold demand surged to 147.2 tonnes in the fourth quarter in 2008 from 80 tonnes a year earlier, as per data collected by Gold Fields Mineral Services, an independent consultancy, for the World Gold Council (WGC).

New Delhi, Feb 19 : A joint investigation team was constituted today by the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the near collision between an IAF Helicopter and Air India Flight IC-866 on February 9 at Mumbai Airport.

Dr. S. N. A. Zaidi, Director General of Civil Aviation will head the probe. The other members are Vinod Kumar Yadava, Executive Director, AAI; Group Captain Alok Kumar, Director (Helicopters), Indian Air Force.

Pune, Feb 19: Maratha activists demanding reservation for their community in government jobs, hurled stones on Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan''s helicopter when it landed at Shivneri Fort, around 100kms from Pune on Thursday.

However, Chavan escaped uninjured as the police acted swiftly and cane charged the demonstrators of the Marathas Mahasangh Coordinating Committee (MMCC), the umbrella body of all Maratha groups in the state.

Raipur, Feb 19: At least three CRPF personnel were killed and nine policemen injured in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Kanker District last night.

The injured have been admitted to a government hospital in Raipur.

Over 70 districts in the country are affected by Left wing extremism, which has been described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a "virus" and the biggest internal security threat.

New Delhi, Feb 19: The India-Mozambique Joint Commission Meeting will be held at Hyderabad House this evening.

New Delhi/ Hyderabad, Feb 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said it would form a multi-disciplinary investigation team to probe the accounting fraud at IT major Satyam Computer Services Ltd.

The CBI, which has taken over the probe, said a consultative mechanism was being worked out with all departments concerned.