INTERNATIONAL

‘Ored Silly

New studies show that southern India’s Kadapa district may have one of the world’s largest uranium ore reserves. Estimated to be more than 165,000 tons, analysts believe the reserves would still fall short of meeting India’s rapidly expanding energy needs. Energy concerns are a growing problem in India, as their population is projected to surpass China’s by 2025. The government plans to set up 30 nuclear reactors in the next 30 years and generate a quarter of their electricity from nuclear energy by 2050. Currently, coal meets more than 60% of India’s total energy requirements.

Tragedy in Norway

Ninety-two people were killed last week in two attacks that occurred in Norway. Police have arrested 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik on terrorism charges for detonating a car bomb in front of a government building that killed seven people, as well as for the murder of 84 people at a youth camp on Utøya, a vacation island located 50 miles north of the capital. Breivik has admitted ties to other “terrorist cells” in Norway, and is suspected to have penned a 1,500 page anti-government manifesto. Breivik has confessed to the both the mass shooting and the bombing in what amounts to the largest terrorist attack in Western Europe since the Madrid bombings of 2004. As of press time, it was unknown whether his lawyer will enter a plea of insanity.

NATIONAL

Girl Power

Google’s recent (and first ever) science fair presented stunning young minds, cutting-edge research, and maybe the future face of science. American girls dominated each age group, standing out from the diverse field of more than 10,000 people from 91 countries. Winners received either a trip to Google’s Swiss research lab, a voyage to the Galápagos Islands with National Geographic, a Lego internship, or three days with astrophysicists at the Geneva CERN lab. Perhaps these results belie the growing notion that American students are falling behind in math and science.

LOUISIANA

Roemin’ Around

Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer has moved to New Hampshire in order to garner more attention for his forthcoming presidential bid. Having already formed an exploratory committee, Roemer announced his candidacy last week in his new home state. Although Roemer has received some national attention recently with visits to Iowa and South Carolina, he still is yet to become a major contender for the GOP ticket.

Taken for Granted

Louisiana’s health department has recently come under fire from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Louisiana was awarded a $50 million grant after Hurricane Katrina to help restore health care in the New Orleans metropolitan area. However, the Office of the Inspector General contends that these funds were mismanaged, and recommends the state pay back $13.6 million of the money. A spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says that the state will end up giving back much less than $13 million because some of the errors stem from paperwork mistakes rather than fraud.

BATON ROUGE

Million Dollar Baby

A relative newcomer to Congress, Rep. Bill Cassidy, R, Baton Rouge, has accumulated the largest war chest in the delegation. Totaling over $1 million, Cassidy’s cash may be indicative of a future bid to topple Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. Cassidy, an associate professor of medicine at LSU, has gained prominence as an outspoken opponent of Obama’s healthcare proposals and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Love Your Block

Through a partnership with the Cities of Service coalition, Mayor-President Kip Holden is seeking to develop volunteer-based community improvement. Grants are now available for Baton Rouge citizens wishing to positively transform part of their neighborhoods. To be eligible for the grants, neighborhood groups must be volunteer-led, demonstrate the ability to mobilize 10 neighborhood volunteers, send two representatives to a Love Your Block workshop, and complete the program application.

Brew U

Move over, Tiger Water. LSU is now planning to brew and sell its own beer, predictably slated to launch during the upcoming football season. The beer will be distributed by Mockler Beverage, the same distributor of Anheuser-Busch, Tin Roof, and Saint Arnold beers. There’s no information yet on a name or type of brew, but LSU food science classes and Tin Roof Brewing Co. will be involved in creating the recipe.

CATS No Longer Empty-pawed

The Capital Area Transit System has received private funding to help remain operational past this October. The EBR Mortgage Finance Authority granted CATS $500,000, which will cover about one-third of the budget deficit. The rest of the deficit is expected to be filled by federal grants. The deficit is a result of withering federal and state funds as well as rising fuel costs.