Uttar Pradesh government today promised full cooperation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-thousand crore food grain scam in the state.On December 3, Allahabad High Court had directed the central agency for a comprehensive probe in the food grain scam spanning several districts of the state. The orders were passed on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vishwanath Chaturvedi.The CBI is now probing the scam, which...

Representatives from more than 60 countries gathered in Rome today for a United Nations-backed meeting to promote the international treaty considered essential for the conservation and use of the world’s threatened plant genetic resources.The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources was adopted by the Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2001 to facilitate International Cooperation and the fair exchange of genetic resources.The treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF)...

International prices of most agricultural commodities are on the rise again. Prices of major food crops have increased disconcertingly, with wheat, rice, maize and soybean registering double-digit increases between June and October. Wheat prices increased alarmingly by more than 71%, while maize recorded a more than 50% spike. The Food Price Index released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the most widely accepted barometer for food prices, also painted...

The new political landscape emerging from U.S. midterm elections has almost killed any likelihood that a climate bill could be passed over the next two years and substantially hampered the White House's efforts on the issue. That means U.S. climate negotiators at the Cancun talks, being held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10, lack the bargaining chips to demand that rapidly developing countries agree to binding emissions cuts. CAP-AND-TRADE BILL IN LIMBO A...

Focus may be on forestry issues and reducing emissions from deforestation This beach resort, swarming with tourists and sports utility vehicles and having opulent hotels and evident unsustainability, may not be the ideal place for a climate change conference but the real issues of climate change are too critical not to be debated anywhere. The United Nations Climate Change Conference that gets under way here on Monday may not result in much...