More than 50 new fields of genetically modified crops are to be planted around the country this spring in an extension of the Government’s controversial trials. The three-year trials, which will come to their end this year, have already aroused a heated debate. Campaigners concerned at their impact on the surrounding environment have tried to sabotage them on several occasions.A list of new locations – bringing the total to about 150 – will be agreed between scientists, farmers and the biotechnology industry. Britain enjoyed a successful first day in the Paris leg of the FINA World Cup, with one silver medal, two bronzes and two personal best times, as well as a fourth place for the 13-year-old Stephanie Proud. He finished behind Australia’s world record holder Geoff Huegill, who won in 23.03.Karen Pickering won two bronze medals, finishing third in the 200m freestyle in 1min 57.85sec, behind Yu Yang of China (1.55.81). Pickering also finished third in the 50m freestyle, in a personal best time of 25.44. Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova took gold in a time of 24.95.However, the story of the meeting for Britain had to be the superb debut performance in a senior international event for Chester-le-Street’s Proud.Making the final of the 200m backstroke had been her goal.

She entered in eighth place and knocked two seconds off her personal best to finish fourth in 2.12.04.Zoe Baker achieved a personal best time in the 100m breaststroke, coming sixth in the final in 1.09.14.. England have spent much of the week complaining that they have not seen enough of Eden Gardens. By 10.30 tonight (5pm GMT) they may well be relieved to escape from the place for good. If India, backed by huge and vociferous support, a large part of which will be locked outside the ground, play to their rich potential, England can expect to go 1-0 down in the six-match one-day series.The if-word is a dirty one where India are concerned, but it is also the conjunction which counts. It will have sustained the tourists throughout their abbreviated training camp. As Australia have shown this week much to the enormous glee of the rest of the world, anything can happen in a limited-overs match – if India are involved it usually does.
For both sides, this series represents the first part of the journey to the World Cup. Everything they do, every experiment they make will be conducted with that in mind.

Come three weeks and selectors will either pencil in their sides for Cape Town – the countries are in the same group – or call in their drawing board suppliers.England are in the first stage of a recovery. After losing 11 matches in a row, including six at home in the summer, they won all five against Zimbabwe last October. But the suggestion that it was only Zimbabwe never held more truth. They are also underprepared for this series, having convinced themselves and everybody else that they have not had enough practice and that itineraries have to be better arranged in future.India blow hot and cold as they always have done. In South Africa in the autumn, they went from making it look easy to performing as though they were strangers who had stumbled on a strange game. Their coach, the New Zealander John Wright, a man noted for his quiet charm, must have had his patience stretched to breaking point in the past year. There was a hint of this in his voice yesterday when he said: “I’m looking for an increase in our fielding standards and also our running between the wickets, which I’ve talked about for the last 12 or 13 months We know that on our day we’ll beat anybody.

It’s just that we have to be a little bit more inconsistent.”Ah, consistency, the elusive grail of all teams and one which Wright has not quite been able to attain for India so far. They can indeed beat anybody on the day, but frequently they do not. Their majestic batting can be badly let down by the weaker elements, easily identified by Wright but much harder to rectify.”The trend is upwards,” he said. “The blend of youth and experience that we now have should help further. But I think some of the outfields in India when players are developing make it difficult to dive, so it doesn’t come naturally. It’s just something we have to overcome because they are vital ingredients of one-day cricket.”But India have another shortcoming which was alighted on by England’s captain, Nasser Hussain.