-The Hindu It deems key accused in Gujarat hooch tragedy unfit for bail Taking a serious view of the hooch tragedy in Gujarat, the Supreme Court said high courts and trial courts should show no leniency in granting of bail to accused in illicit liquor cases. The apex court cancelled bail to the key accused in the extant case, in which 147 persons died and 205 suffered serious health damage after consuming spurious...

-The Business Standard Govt pushes biofuels again, despite bitter experience The nearly decade-old programme to promote Ethanol-blended petrol has failed to make much headway despite continued attempts by the government to get it going. The latest such attempt was last week, when the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) made the very poor decision to force oil marketing companies to mix five per cent Ethanol with petrol throughout the country from...

-Outlook Mandatory mixing of five per cent Ethanol in petrol will be implemented across the country from next month, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs decided today, a step which will help the country save around 100 crore litres of fuel every year. In 2009, the CCEA had decided to mix five per cent Ethanol in petrol but it could not be implemented due to opposition by some sections in the chemical and...

-Mainstream Weekly Dr Binayak Sen, an internationally renowned medical practitioner and social activist (a leading figure in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties), was incarcerated in Chhattisgarh and held in detention in Raipur having been branded as a Maoist for his activities in defence of poor tribals in the State. He is now out on bail. The following is the text of the Arvind Narayan Das Memorial Lecture he delivered in...

Rising corn prices in the United States brought about by biofuel mandates have cost developing countries 6.6 billion dollars over the past six years, says a study by Global Development And Environment Institute at Tufts University (GDAE).  Net Food Importing Developing Countries, among the most vulnerable to food price increases, incurred Ethanol-related costs of $2.1 billion, the study concludes. (See highlights and the links below). The recent spike in world food prices...