Sci&Tech, Medical and Envirnoment:

Two weeks of contentious United Nations talks over climate change concluded on Sunday morning with an agreement by more than 190 nations to work toward a future treaty that would require all countries to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming.
The result, coming as the sun rose after nearly 72 hours of continuous wrangling, marked a tentative but important step toward the dismantling of a 20-year-old system that requires advanced industrialised nations to cut emissions while allowing developing countries including the economic powerhouses China, India and Brazil to escape binding commitments.
The delegates also agreed on the creation of a fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, and to measures involving the preservation of tropical forests and the development of clean-energy technology.
The deal renews the Kyoto Protocol, the fraying 1997 emissions agreement that sets different terms for advanced and developing countries, for several more years.
The United States never signed the Kyoto treaty because it did not accept its division of labour between developed and developing countries.

In a breakthrough in indigenous seeker technology for missiles, an RF (radio frequency) seeker was successfully flight-tested in anti-tank Nag missile in the Army ranges at Ahmednagar in Rajasthan
While the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation had so far developed Imaging Infra-red (IIR) seeker, this was the first time that a millimetric Wave (mmW) seeker, having all-weather capability, was tried for a 2,000 metre range in a successful mission.
This would provide solutions for applications in surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles and air-to-surface missiles.
It would also provide the technology base for changing to dual-mode seeker in future.
The production of the third generation hit-to-kill Nag missile is expected to commence after the final user trials with deliverable version of missile carrier NAMICA are conducted next summer.
The four-km range Nag missile has top-attack capability to nullify the explosive reactive armour of a modern battle tank.

Scientists have devised a method that promises not only to help in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease but also to improve the quality of life of those affected by this debilitating condition.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging to track an important component in the brain – Glutathione (GSH) – that can indicate if a person stands the risk of suffering from the disease and thus, help in early diagnosis by checking GSH levels in selective brain regions.

The Karnal-based Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) on Sunday said wheat crop in Punjab and Haryana remains unaffected by the high temperatures prevailing in the region during winter season.
DWR is a nodal agency for wheat research in the country.
Overall temperatures in Punjab and Haryana, two of the country's major wheat growing States, remained 3 – 4 degrees more than average temperatures of the last 4 – 5 years.
the “winter crop” could be affected if farmers do not follow the recommended timing for crop sowing.
However, Ms. Sharma advised farmers to keep a check on crops which are now 40 days old to prevent yellow rust infection, which had attacked the crops last season in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.