In the opinion of the World Gold Council (WCG) Vice-President, K Shivaram, gold is one of the safest ways to secure savings, more so in the current murky economic scenario. Gold is ideally the best investment alternative because, the equity market crash notwithstanding, it still managed to give over 28 percent returns of late!

Noting that the value of gold has never plunged to unexpected lows, Shivaram said that the recent slump in gold prices is transitory. He expects the gold prices to soar as its supply from the mines is dropping, and countries like China and Russia are adding to their quantum of gold reserves.

On the sidelines of a press conference in Kolkata, the city-based Allahabad Bank’s Chairman and Managing Director, K R Kamath, said that the public sector lender has posted an 18 percent year-on-year growth in deposits and advances in 2008-09.

Kamath informed reporters that out of the bank’s total business of Rs 1.44 lakh crore as on March 31, 2009, deposits account for Rs 84,865 crore, while advances comprise Rs 59,177 crore.

Bhatinda (Punjab), Apr 14: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani for his reported statement that he was not aware of the release of militants in exchange for Indian hostages during Kandahar plane hijack episode in 1999.

New Delhi, Apr 14: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the rising cases of ragging in educational institutions.

In a statement issued here, Patil urged senior students to act responsibly towards their juniors. She stated that senior students should make their juniors feel comfortable in the educational environment.

Haridwar, Apr 14: Despite having voting rights, millions of voters in Uttarakhand are facing an uncertain future over the domicile issue.

The Election Commission (EC) has given nearly four million voters voting rights, but people are still unclear about their domicile rights.

Swami Chimianand, the coordinator of Jan Manch (a Non-governmental organization), said the domicile issue would lead to problems in day-to-day life.