-FAO   2013 third highest year on record for FAO Food Price Index Rome: The FAO Food Price Index averaged 206.7 points in December, nearly unchanged from the previous month, with a sharp increase in dairy prices and high meat values balancing out a steep decline in sugar quotations and lower cereal and oil prices. For 2013 as a whole, the index averaged 209.9 points - down 1.6 percent from 2012, and well below...

-The Conversation Resource-intensive agriculture, despite its productivity, nevertheless has failed to feed the world's current population, never mind the nine billion people expected by 2050. This system that currently fails both people and planet is ripe for revision. We need to be more ambitious, to go beyond simply producing more. We need to produce more of what's good - not just cereal staples, but nutrition-dense foods - in ways that can prevent...

-The Hindu It will dispense 36 varieties of seeds COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is installing a seed vending machine at the entrance of the Botanical Garden on Marudhamalai Road to dispense small quantities of seeds for roof and kitchen gardening purposes. To be inaugurated on January 11 by Agriculture Minister S. Damodaran, the machine will dispense 36 varieties of seeds, both vegetable and flower, at the touch of a button. It contains...

-The Times of India   NEW DELHI: In a first for the criminal justice administration, the Supreme Court has ordered fastening accountability on investigating officers and public prosecutors, saying they must face punishment if it was found that their deliberate lapses resulted in acquittal of the accused in cases involving serious offences. "On the culmination of a criminal case in acquittal, the investigating or prosecuting officials responsible for such acquittal must necessarily be...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In the election year and with more complaints of "poor condition" of highways PoUring in, the road transport ministry wants finance ministry not to reduce the allocation for road maintenance. The ministry has asked finance minister P Chidambaram to avoid reduction of "non-planned" expenditure since the allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for upkeep of highways is inadequate. Sources said that highways minister wrote a letter to...