Largely between 1997 and 1999, genetically modified (GM) ingredients suddenly appeared in 2/3rds of all US processed foods. This food alteration was fueled by a single Supreme Court ruling. It allowed, for the first time, the patenting of life forms for commercialization. Since then thousands of applications for experimental genetically-modified organisms, including bizare GMOs, have been filed with the US Patent Office alone, and many more abroad. Furthermore an economic war broke out to own equity in firms, those which either have such patent rights or means to control the genetically modified organisms to which they apply. This has been the key factor behind the scenes of the largest food/agri-chemical company mergers in history.
IDF bans Palestinians from hosting pope next to West Bank fence
A Palestinian official says the Palestinian Authority has scrapped plans to host Pope Benedict XVI next week on a stage near the West Bank separation fence.
Palestinian say they had hoped that receiving the pope next to a towering cement wall and military watchtower inside the Aida refugee camp would highlight their suffering under Israeli occupation.
US ex-soldier guilty of Iraq rape
A jury in the US state of Kentucky has found a former private soldier guilty of the rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her and her family.
Steven Green, 24, faces a possible death sentence for his crimes. Four other soldiers are serving sentences of between five and 110 years for their roles in the 2006 attack.
Experts Warn Against Long-Term Use of Common Pain Pills
Long-term use of drugs like ibuprofen, naproxen and high-dose aspirin is so dangerous, the panelists said, that elderly people who can’t get relief from alternatives like acetaminophen may be better off taking opiates, like codeine or even morphine.
Red Cross confirms Afghan civilian toll
Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- As the Red Cross confirmed Wednesday that dozens of civilians had been killed in U.S. airstrikes in an isolated district in western Afghanistan, provincial authorities suggested the toll could reach 100. Weeping villagers dug mass graves.
The incident, which appeared to be the most lethal episode in many months involving Afghan civilians accidentally killed by Western forces, cast a pall over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's first meeting in Washington with President Obama. Karzai, in a statement issued by the presidential palace in Kabul, called the deaths "unacceptable."
Drug Company Money is Top Factor in Publication of Vaccine Studies
Flu vaccine studies that are funded by industry are significantly more likely to be published in prestigious journals and to later be cited in the scientific literature than studies without such funding, according to a survey of 274 studies conducted by researchers from the Cochrane Vaccine Field in Italy, and published in the British Medical Journal.
Overall, the authors also found that most flu vaccine studies were of poor quality, with only 18 percent of them reporting conclusions that were actually supported by their findings (concordance).
Madoff secretary: His silence is protecting others
Bernard Madoff's longtime secretary said Wednesday that she believes the disgraced financier is not cooperating with authorities in order to protect others, and that he was a flirtatious boss who frequented massage parlors.
My years as an Iraq war reporter
The bundle of $3,000 felt uncomfortable stuffed into my knickers, but I had been advised to stash it there in case my taxi was hijacked during the road trip to Baghdad from Amman. Thankfully, the 11 hours passed uneventfully, apart from a moment of fear as we drove close to Fallujah. It was 2004, and already the city was feared by foreigners.
The Bush Administration Homicides
For five years as a researcher for Human Rights Watch and reporter, John Sifton helped investigate homicides resulting from the Bush administration's torture policy. His findings include:
• An estimated 100 detainees have died during interrogations, some who were clearly tortured to death.
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