• The European Union (EU) has approved the first lot of biotech seeds -- 17 different seed strains of maize engineered by the US biotech giant Monsanto -- for planting and sale across the EU. The move has angered environmentalists who feel this could lead to contamination of other crops.
• The number of scientific experiments carried out in the UK on non-human primates increased in 2003 by 20 per cent. The figures released by the Home Office indicate that scientists are not making any effort to find alternatives. Meanwhile, India has come up with its first official regulatory framework on the use of animals in clinical trials and other tests. The guidelines might help alleviate some of the tension that persists between animal rights activists and Indian research establishments.
• Cambodia's legislature has at last granted approval to the nation's entry into the World Trade Organization. The decision is an offshoot of the new rules for the international textile and apparel trade. Economists have to say that this move will help increase commerce, boost prosperity and might even ensure political stability in the country.
• Four of the world's largest coffee companies -- Nestle, Tchibo, Sara Lee and Kraft -- have agreed upon a voluntary pact to help improve conditions in producer countries. The agreement aims to put an end to the use of child and forced labour. The pact also calls for closer ties with growers of the best coffee beans to ensure they get the highest price.
• Latin America's largest gold mine, Yanacocha, has halted exploration at a rich gold deposit in northern Peru following angry protests by locals. People claimed that the project is damaging water supplies. US-owned Yanacocha says it will begin hydrological studies as part of its environmental impact plan to assuage farmers' fears that a gold mine could poison water supplies.
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