Radiation Leak Is Called No Risk

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Nuclear Regulatory Commissionsays the small amount of radiation detected at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is not significant.
John White, a specialist, told ABC News on Sunday that there was no indication that radiation at the plant had exceeded or even approached regulatory limits.
The commission sent investigators to the power plant, in Dauphin County in south-central Pennsylvania, after a small amount of radiation was detected Saturday in the Unit 1 reactor.
About 150 employees were sent home that afternoon, but officials said there had been no public health risk.
Beth Archer, a spokeswoman for Exelon Nuclear, said the radiation had been quickly contained.
The unit has been shut for refueling and maintenance since Oct. 26. Workers are being tested for radiation exposure.Read More;http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/us/23leak.html
In 1979, a partial meltdown occurred in Three Mile Island’s Unit 2 reactor.

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India’s Sugar Output May Beat Estimates, Survey Shows

. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Sugar production in India, the world’s second-largest grower, may be 11 percent more than estimated after farmers boosted planting and yields improved because of increased fertilizer use.

Output may jump to 17.68 million metric tons in the season started Oct. 1, according to interviews with 631 farmers across six states by Geneva-based SGS SA for Bloomberg. The farm ministry andthe Indian Sugar Mills Association have estimated 16 million tons. The SGS figure for the previous year was 16.1 million tons, which compares with 14.7 million tons estimated by the government and the mills.

A bigger harvest may help the country pare its reliance on imports and curb the 90 percent rally in global prices this year. A shortage turned India, the biggest consumer, into a net buyer for the first time since 2006 and sent prices to a 28-year high in September.

“If India’s production turns out to be better than expected because of higher recovery and yield, it could prove to be mildly bearish for prices,” saidLeonardo Bichara Rocha, an economist at the London-based International Sugar Organization.

India’s cane harvest this year may increase 9.8 percent to 297.95 million tons, bolstered by a 3.8 percent gain in acreage and a 5.7 percent rise in yield because of better irrigation and fertilizer application, the SGS survey showed. That’s more than the 249.5 million tons predicted by the government. The SGS survey by five teams between Oct. 20 and Nov. 3 covered six main cane-growing states including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the biggest producers.

Price Dispute.Read Morehttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=afwSyirFSwtk

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1st Pakistan-Made Fighter plane Rolling Out Today Updated at: 1105 PST, Monday, November 23, 2009

: The first state of the art JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter plane produced in Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra will roll out today (Monday).

This will kick start a new era in Pak-China relationship, and aviation industry, an official source told Geo news.

Both China and PAF attach a lot of importance to this project, which is materializing after hectic and laborious efforts spread over almost a decade, sources said.

The PAC has generated all the capability to produce the aircraft locally for its onward delivery to PAF besides materializing purchase orders from abroad.

The JF-17 Thunder a new generation, light-weight, all weather, day/night multi-role fighter aircraft with glass cockpit, hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) controls and efficient man-machine interface will ensure a minimal pilot workload.

The maximum speed of Mach 1.6 and a high thrust-to-weight ratio will enable it to perform well in an air defence role.

An ability to carry short- as well as long-range air-to-air missiles lends the aircraft a first shot capability.

In the surface attack role, a variety of weapons - conventional as well as precision-guided, a sophisticated avionics suite along with accurate weapon delivery system, ensure higher mission success rate.

An effective ECM suite will greatly enhance survivability of the platform.

Its anticipated air-to-air refuelling capability will provide the JF-17 with more loiter time to safeguard the frontiers and the ability to deliver the required punch at distance.

It will replace the ageing fleets of A-5s, F-7Ps and the Mirages in the PAF inventory thus fulfilling a multi-role task.More Readhttp://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=92025

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