land compensation
Tikait arrested
Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait was arrested in Ghaziabad on August 18. He was on his way to lend support to a farmers' rally in Ghorhi Bachhera village in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The rally was to condemn the police firing on August 13 that killed five people and injured many. Police had opened fire on farmers gathered outside the Greater Noida Development Authority office to demand higher compensation for the land it had acquired from them in previous years for infrastructure projects.
Though Tikait was released the same day, police forces have been deployed around his village Sisauli, Muzzaffarnagar district, from where he has been instructed not to move out. The kisan leader is concentrating on rallying farmers all over the state.
diesel price
RIL to get export perks
To meet the shortfall in diesel supply, the government is mulling declaring Reliance Industries' diesel sales in the domestic market as deemed export. Between April and July this year, the demand for diesel grew by 18 per cent; government-owned refineries can meet only 12 per cent growth in demand, says Indian Oil Corporation Chairman Sarthak Behuria. "The demand in transport and agriculture grew by 10 to 12 per cent, while that in the power sector and industries rose by 30 per cent," he adds. To cope with this quantum increase, state-owned oil marketing companies need to import about 3.5 million tonnes of diesel--about 20 per cent more than last year.
Buying from Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery will be 30 per cent cheaper. The refinery is an export oriented unit that produces 12 million tonnes of diesel a year. It already sells cooking gas in the domestic market after the product was deemed export last year.
essential commodity
Sugar gets bitter
Sugar prices may shoot up further during the forthcoming festive season, unless the government releases at least 5 million tonnes of sugar into the open market for the October-December quarter. The Centre has already issued show-cause notices to 252 mills in 15 states for not complying with its order that 3 million tonnes of buffer stock sugar be released into the market. Sugar prices rose by almost 25 per cent in June and July. Experts blame it on the fall in production and domestic supply.
food
Venezuela market control
In a bid to ease food shortage, Venezuela has removed price controls on seven food products and raised caps on others. Basic food items such as oatmeal, fresh and canned tuna, pork cuts and salt have been excluded from price controls, while the maximum price for mayonnaise, margarine, tomato sauce, bread, beef, pasta and vegetable oil has been raised by 50 per cent. The government imposed price control on food products in 2003 to combat inflation.
The move has triggered fears of an upward push to an already high inflation that climbed to 33.7 per cent in July. Analysts see it as a political gimmick prior to November's municipal elections.
air pollution
China raises tax on big cars
Even as China's emergency measures to guarantee clean air for the Olympics paid off, its attempt to curb emissions continues. In a latest move, it has raised sales tax on big cars, while reducing taxes on small cars, with engine capacities of one litre or less, to as low as 1 per cent. Starting September 1, the tax on cars with engine capacities bigger than four litres will be doubled to 40 per cent and those with engine capacities three-four litres will pay a 25 per cent tax, up from the current 15 per cent, the finance ministry said on August 13. China is the world's second biggest market for passenger cars, with some analysts forecasting the sales to reach 10 million by the end of 2008.
avian influenza
New strain hits Nigeria
The un fao has announced the discovery of a new strain of avian influenza (h5n1, clade 2, ema3) in Nigeria. The virus was recently detected during outbreaks in the states of Katsina and Kano. fao has confirmed that it is genetically different from the strains that circulated in the country during earlier outbreaks in 2006 and 2007. It is similar to those identified in Italy, Afghanistan and Iran last year. Experts are concerned because it remains unknown how the strain has been introduced to the continent. "It seems unlikely that wild birds have carried the strain to Africa, since they last migrated from Europe and Central Asia to Africa in September 2007 and this year's southerly migration has not started yet," says Scott Newman, International Wildlife Coordinator of fao's Animal Health Service. Newman links it to illegal international trade and unreported movement of poultry.
