The European Union Times |
- Monsanto shuns WHO verdict that Roundup ‘probably’ causes cancer
- French Breast Implants to carry Cancer Warning after Dozens Diagnosed
- Russia Under Attack
- Medical treatment is becoming unaffordable for Ukrainians
- NATO launches war games near Russian border
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Posted: 21 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PDT
 The active ingredient in the world’s most widely-used Roundup herbicide has been classified as “probably” carcinogenic to humans by a branch of the World Health Organization. The agrochemical giant Monsanto, has immediately rejected the new conclusions. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in their latest study said that there was “convincing evidence” that glyphosate in Roundup can cause cancer in lab animals. St. Louis-based Monsanto was not pleased with WHO conclusions, claiming that scientific data does not support their assumptions and urging the health watchdog to hold a meeting to explain the findings. “We don’t know how IARC could reach a conclusion that is such a dramatic departure from the conclusion reached by all regulatory agencies around the globe,” Philip Miller, Monsanto’s vice-president of global regulatory affairs, said in a brief statement released soon after the report was published. The study, published Friday in the journal Lancet Oncology also said it found “limited evidence” that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for “non-Hodgkin lymphoma.” The conclusion of the research was based on studies of exposure to the chemical in the United States, Canada, and Sweden that date back to 2001. According to the study, Glyphosate is used in more than 750 different herbicides in air dissemination during spraying, in water and in food. IARC said glyphosate was traced in the blood and urine of agricultural workers. IARC has four levels of classifications for cancer agents. Glyphosate now falls under the second level of concern known as ‘probable or possible carcinogens.’ The other agents are classified either as carcinogens, ‘probably not carcinogenic’ or ‘not classifiable’. Glyphosate, which was invented by Monsanto back in 1974, is a broad-spectrum herbicide used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses known to compete with commercial crops. In the US the herbicide is considered safe since 2013, when Monsanto received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for increased tolerance levels for glyphosate. In its original assessment the US watchdog said glyphosate can “be used without unreasonable risks to people or the environment.” The EPA said it would consider IARC’s evaluation. A German government evaluation conducted for the European Union last year also found the herbicide safe to use. “The available data do not show carcinogenic or mutagenic properties of glyphosate nor that glyphosate is toxic to fertility, reproduction or embryonal/fetal development in laboratory animal,” the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said. Monsanto insists that “all labeled uses of glyphosate are safe for human health,” according to Miller. Glyphosate is mainly used on genetically modified corn and soybeans, thus the general public is unlikely to face the greatest risk of exposure, according to the report. However, “home use” is not the issue, said Kate Guyton of IARC. “It’s agricultural use that will have the biggest impact. For the moment, it’s just something for people to be conscious of.” Last month, a leading US environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, accusing regulators of dismissing the dangers of glyphosate. In a recent report by the Center for Food Safety, the heavy proliferation of Roundup was linked to a drastic 90-percent drop in the population of monarch butterflies in the US. Roundup has become a leading killer of Glyphosate-sensitive milkweed plants – the only spots where monarchs lay eggs, as the plant is the only food source for monarch larvae. Source           |
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Posted: 21 Mar 2015 12:22 PM PDT
 France’s National Cancer Institute said there was a ‘clearly established link’ between a specific type of implant and the disease. Experts said they have identified 18 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma since 2011, linked to silicone breast implants. Given the rarity of cases, the Institute said there is no need to recommend the removal of the implants. ‘This complication presents very infrequently,’ the body said. France’s health minister immediately sought to calm fears haunted by a similar scare in 2011. French firm PIP sparked a global health scare in 2011, when plastic surgeons began reporting an unusual number of ruptures in their products. The PIP implants were banned and the company eventually liquidated. ‘We do not recommend that women carrying these implants have them removed,’ Health Minister Marisol Touraine said. She urged women not to get ‘carried away by excessive worry’, about the implants. ‘Our vigilance is absolute,’ she said. Ms Touraine said no particular brand of implant was in question. However the Parisien Daily reported that 14 of the 18 cases of the rare cancer were found in women with breast implants made by US pharmaceutical company Allergan. Allergan said in a statement: ‘The security of patients is our first priority.’ It added the company is collaborating closely with the health authorities and the drug agency ANSM. The company added that all women aged 25 or over should have an annual health check. The head of the National Cancer Institute, Agnes Buzyn, said the increased detection rate could also be attributed to better screening. According to Francois Hebert, deputy head of the ANSM drugs agency, around 400,000 women in France have had breast implants. Of those 80 per cent had the procedure for cosmetic reasons, while 20 per cent had the operation following breast cancer. Almost 50,000 women in the UK and some 400,000 worldwide, were affected by the PIP scare came to light. There was uproar when it emerged the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been manufacturing implants using industrial grade silicone intended for use in mattresses. However a report into PIP scandal, published last May, found ‘no convincing’ medical data which suggests women with PIP implants should have them removed. European health officials found no medical or toxicological evidence to justify removal. The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks found no reliable evidence that ruptured PIP implants posed a health risk. They concluded a ruptured PIP implant posed not greater threat than a ruptured implant from another manufacturer. Their findings backed a 2012 review by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, which concluded the implants were not toxic or carcinogenic. However Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of the company, was jailed for four years in 2013 for fraad, at a court in France. Source      |
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Posted: 21 Mar 2015 11:56 AM PDT
 Russia faces the renewal of conflict in Ukraine simultaneously with three more Ukraine-type situations along its Asian border. While Washington works assiduously to undermine the Minsk agreement that German chancellor Merkel and French president Hollande achieved in order to halt the military conflict in Ukraine, Washington has sent Victoria Nuland to Armenia to organize a “color revolution” or coup there, has sent Richard Miles as ambassador to Kyrgyzstan to do the same there, and has sent Pamela Spratlen as ambassador to Uzbekistan to purchase that government’s allegiance away from Russia. The result would be to break up the Collective Security Treaty Organization and present Russia and China with destabilization where they can least afford it. For details go here: http://russia-insider.com/en/ Thus, Russia faces the renewal of conflict in Ukraine simultaneously with three more Ukraine-type situations along its Asian border. And this is only the beginning of the pressure that Washington is mounting on Russia. On March 18 the Secretary General of NATO denounced the peace settlement between Russia and Georgia that ended Georgia’s military assault on South Ossetia. The NATO Secretary General said that NATO rejects the settlement because it “hampers ongoing efforts by the international community to strengthen security and stability in the region.” Look closely at this statement. It defines the “international community” as Washington’s NATO puppet states, and it defines strengthening security and stability as removing buffers between Russia and Georgia so that Washington can position military bases in Georgia directly on Russia’s border. In Poland and the Baltic states Washington and NATO lies about a pending Russian invasion are being used to justify provocative war games on Russia’s borders and to build up US forces in NATO military bases on Russia’s borders. We have crazed US generals on national television calling for “killing Russians.” The EU leadership has agreed to launch a propaganda war against Russia, broadcasting Washington’s lies inside Russia in an effort to undermine the Russian people’s support of their government. All of this is being done in order to coerce Russia into handing over Crimea and its Black Sea naval base to Washington and accepting vassalage under Washington’s suzerainty. If Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, Assad, and the Taliban would not fold to Washington’s threats, why do the fools in Washington think Putin, who holds in his hands the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, will fold? European governments, apparently, are incapable of any thought. Washington has set London and the capitals of every European country, as well as every American city, for destruction by Russian nuclear weapons. The stupid Europeans rush to destroy themselves in service to their Washington master. Human intelligence has gone missing if after 14 years of US military aggression against eight countries the world does not understand that Washington is lost in arrogance and hubris and imagines itself the ruler of the universe who will tolerate no dissent from its will. We know that the American, British, and European media are whores well paid to lie for their master. We know that the NATO commander and secretary general, if not the member countries, are lusting for war. We know that the American Dr. Strangeloves in the Pentagon and armaments industry cannot wait to test their ABMs and new weapons systems in which they always place excessive confidence. We know that the prime minister of Britain is a total cipher. But are the chancellor of Germany and the president of France ready for the destruction of their countries and of Europe? If the EU is of such value, why is the very existence of its populations put at risk in order to bow down and accept leadership from an insane Washington whose megalomania will destroy life on earth? Source      |
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Posted: 21 Mar 2015 11:49 AM PDT
 A visit to a pharmacy is like a tour to a museum for many Ukrainians now. They rather come to check out the price tags than to buy anything. Pensioners, the biggest clients of pharmacies, have been suffering the most. The hryvnia has seen 40-percent devaluation over the last month and an 11 percent tax has been levied on almost all imported goods. This has forced many Ukrainians to do without any medical treatment or to make do with traditional medication. The alternative therapies did not work for Natalia. Druggists say clients have turned to buying the domestically produced manufactured medication. 70 percent of the imported drugs have Ukraine-made substitutes. Now the currency exchange rate has stabilized, but pharmacies do not seem willing to reduce the prices. And experts warn of a future rise in the prices. The government is hoping to reduce prices by canceling a registration for the foreign medicines and monitoring retailers. Experts say that law initiative is a good start but it needs months to pass through the parliament while people need immediate help. In the meantime, they urge the government to lift obstacles like customs duties and taxes on medication. Ukrainian patients are not protected by the state. While subsidies partially ease the pressure from the expensive utility bills, patients are left to face the unaffordable medicine costs on their own. Source      |
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Posted: 21 Mar 2015 11:37 AM PDT
 Despite being quick to condemn Russian military manoeuvers, NATO is conducting wide-scale war games in the Baltic states and creating a “line of troops” across Eastern Europe. The US denies a double standard, but records and transcripts suggest otherwise. Thousands of US troops and hundreds of tanks have poured into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the past two months as part of an operation dubbed “Atlantic Resolve.” In February, 140 NATO vehicles and 1400 troops swept through Narva, a mere 300 meters from the Russian border. “As you connect countries, there is almost a line of US troops,” Defense News quoted Col. Michael Foster of the 173rd Airborne Brigade on March 2 as saying. US forces have previously held joint war games with Baltic nations, with names such as “Saber Strike,” “Spring Storm” and “Flaming Sword.” When asked why the US was condemning Russian exercises inside Russia, State Department press official Jeff Rathke told RT no such statement had ever been made. While the US has not criticized every military drill conducted by the Kremlin, last August State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Russia’s aviation exercises are “provocative and only serve to escalate tensions.” Just last week, Washington pushed Vietnam to prevent Russian aircraft from refueling there. “We have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region,” one State Department official told Reuters, on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, in the first three weeks of February, the US Navy flew its latest surveillance aircraft from bases in the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea. The P-8 Poseidon is equipped with the latest sensors and electronics in the US Navy arsenal, and can “pack a serious punch,” according to one US military analyst. “Wouldn’t US and NATO maneuvers on Russian borders, at a time when the West and Russia are at odds over the crisis in Ukraine, also “raise tensions?” asked AP diplomatic correspondent Matt Lee. “We would disagree with that,” replied Rathke. Some, however, found the assertion unconvincing. “It’s a shocking level of hypocrisy, double standards, doublespeak,” Brian Becker of the ANSWER coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) told RT. Russia announced a massive surprise military drill earlier this week, putting forces all over the country on high alert and conducting exercises in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, the Arctic and the Far East. The ongoing snap check of the military involves about 76,000 troops, over 10,000 vehicles, 65 warships, 16 support vessels, 15 submarines, 200 warplanes and helicopters. Source     |
