Oxford University To Train Students For Future Government

In a hugely significant move, Oxford University will create a new school of government in 2012 following an record £75 million donation by Leonard Blavatnik, the American industrialist and philanthropist.

The school – being launched today – is proposed to train outstanding graduates from across the world in the skills and responsibilities of government.

The event is being backed by world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, the former US president, and Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general.

Prof Andrew Hamilton, Oxford’s vice-chancellor, said: “The school represents a vast milestone in Oxford’s history. It will give tomorrow’s leaders the best of Oxford’s traditional strengths alongside new and practical ways of considering and addressing the challenges of good governance.

Lord Patten, Oxford’s chancellor, said: “This is a once-in-a-century chance for Oxford. Through the Blavatnik benefaction, Oxford will now become the world’s leading centre for the training of future leaders in government and public policy – and in ways that take proper account of the very different traditions, institutions and cultures that those leaders

Himachal Becomes The First Country To Protect The Crops From Hailstorms

Himachal Pradesh has installed anti-hail guns, the first in the country, to guard its fruit crops from hailstorms . "Three anti-hails have been installed in fruit-rising belts of Shimla district under a pilot project. More guns would be installed in other areas if the project is victorious," Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta told IANS.

He said radar has been installed at Tumdoo, situated at an altitude of 10,000 feet near Khadapathar, while three hail guns have been set up in Jubbal, Kotkhai and Rohru areas. The move comes when the apple manufacture this season is set to touch a record three crore boxes of 20 kg each. Last year, the production was roughly half -- 1.4 crore boxes.

Bragta, himself a famous apple grower in upper Shimla, said a team of foreign experts is conducting trials on the guns. The state had cleared the offer of a US-based company this year to install the guns for the profit of fruit growers who were suffering recurring losses due to inclement weather conditions.

The central government had allowed the state to take up the proposal of installing the guns as a pilot project and sanctioned Rs.3 crore for it. The acetylene-fired anti-hail guns send shock waves to puncture hail clouds, ensuing in rain instead of the damaging hail. These are effective over a radius of one km and can cover an area of 80-100 hectares. According to horticulture department estimates, hailstorms damage 20-30 per cent of vegetables and fruit crops in the state every year.

"The use of guns would help in shielding fruit crop worth Rs.50 crore annually," the minister added. The economy of the hill state is highly reliant on horticulture with the annual fruit industry worth about Rs.2,000 crore. Fruits like cherry, apple, pear, peach, apricot, kiwi, strawberry, olive, almond and plum are the chief commercial crops of the state. The total fruit production in the state through 2008-09 was 628 million tonnes, out of which apple accounted for 510 million tonnes.

Western Australia Sees Early stone Fruit Harvest

Stone fruit will be hitting shelves in Western Australia earlier this year due to a dry, mild winter.

Some producers in WA's south-west region have received only half their average rainfall, which has destined bud burst has come early.


Plum and cherry grower Tony Guadagnino says fruit will ripen about three weeks ahead of agenda this season.

"Some of the plums have previously started flowering which is not a good thing," he says."

"But everything is a time thing, everything comes with a date, a selection date or maturity date."

"The way things are looking, it will be a couple for weeks before time everything."