In short

SC clears mill land sale: The Supreme Court (SC) has cleared the sale of mill land in Mumbai, setting aside an earlier Bombay High court order. The SC has upheld the Maharashtra government's amendment to the rules for development of the 'open lands' of mills. The ammendment had clarified that 'open land', as defined in the 2001 amendment of Development Control Regulations for Greater Bombay, does not include lands accruing after demolishng mills. But the HC had struck this down. (see 'More public good', Down To Earth, November 15, 2005).

Carcinogenic French fries

A lawsuit demanding warning labels on packets of French fries and potato chips, believed to contain high amounts of the chemical acrylamide, has been filed in a Los Angeles Superior Court in the US. Acrylamide is a carcinogenic chemical created when foods high in starch are subjected to high temperatures. The lawsuit was filed by California's attorney general Bill Lockyer. There are at least four other lawsuits pending on this issue in the US, targeting the same companies.