Amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, which took centrestage post-Nandigram agitation, are again under the spotlight due to recent protests by Uttar Pradesh farmers.

Though the situation is far better than last year, inadequate and erratic rainfall in the month of June has meant that water level in most of the reservoirs in the country is slightly below the average level expected around this time of the year.

The Indo-Pak row over the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project is getting more serious than New Delhi had earlier anticipated. Buoyed by the success in the Baglihar project, where the Indian position was largely upheld, New Delhi did not quite think matters would go this far when Islamabad first threatened to invoke arbitration proceedings.

Bt brinjal is on indefinite hold because the Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, has said there are many questions still to be answered. But the fact is there are many questions the minister needs to answer.