saving the act: The prime minister's office (PMO) has issued a directive that Union cabinet proposals having a bearing on decentralisation will have to be cleared by the newly-formed ministry of panchayati raj affairs, along with other ministries concerned. This is to ensure that ministries do not make parallel implementation arrangements under their programmes that conflict with the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act, the PMO said.

deadly algae: US scientists have detected an unusually large toxic bloom of algae off Washington state's northwest coast. The algae called pseudo-nitzschia produces domoic acid, which can hamper memory and learning in human beings and also prove fatal in extreme cases. It infects shellfish too. Vera Trainer, an oceanographer at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, said: "The levels of toxin are the highest we've ever seen,' adding that the bloom is about 48.2 kilometres (km) wide, as against the usual width of 3.2 km. The cool weather and rain last month could have caused it.

protecting jarawas: The Andaman and Nicobar administration has issued a notification, increasing the Jarawa reserve area by about 180 square kilometres. The decision comes after a series of meetings organised recently by the government to finalise recommendations for formulating a policy for the welfare of the tribe (see Down To Earth,