-The United Nations Argentina’s announcement that it would export an additional 2.75 million tonnes of maize this year will help ease tight international markets, the United Nations food agency said today, adding that while this is a welcome measure, countries must remain vigilante to avoid a global food crisis. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the announcement was made by Argentina’s Minister of Agriculture, Norberto Yauhar, who had just...

-The Indian Express Full Planning Commission chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today approved 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) document that proposes to lower annual average economic growth rate target during the period to 8.2 per cent from 9 per cent envisaged earlier in view of fragile recovery. "The Full Planning Commission approved the draft 12th Five Year Plan document, subject to certain suggestions made in the meeting," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman...

-PTI The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay loading of Fuel for the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam but agreed to examine the risk associated with the project, saying safety of people living in its vicinity is of prime concern. “Public safety is of prime importance. There are poor people living in the vicinity of the plant and they should know that there life would be protected,” a bench of justices...

-The Hindu Based on ground-level report of the 7-member AERB teams carrying scrutiny at the plant The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Thursday said the Fuel loading at the first 1000 MWe unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) had not yet begun owing to last minute checks. The AERB would give the final clearance for Fuel loading only after a review of the ground-level report of its seven-member team carrying...

-The Hindu In an atmosphere of mistrust of the government, only an independent safety regulatory mechanism can counter the scaremongering against civilian nuclear power I work at an institution funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (which, however, does no nuclear research: the DAE funds a wide variety of institutions and areas in science). About a year ago, I had an e-mail from a journalist who wondered why scientists (including colleagues at...