Health

Fracking’€™s unexpected side-effect: Traffic deaths on the rise
Fracking requires twice or three times as many truck trips per well as older oil and gas extraction techniques. That could be reason for drilling areas in US witnessing a significant spike in traffic fatalities, new analysis suggests. [...]
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Medical jet due to pick up badly wounded RT stringer denied landing in Ukraine
A German medical jet which was to be hired by RT TV channel in order to pick up RT'€™s stringer, critically wounded during a military operation in Mariupol, was denied landing in the eastern Ukrainian city, gripped by unrest. [...]
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Out of control: Fukushima manager admits to “€˜embarrassing failure”€™
The manager of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has admitted not having full control of the facility. Contrary to the statements of the Japanese PM, TEPCO's Akira Ono said attempts to plug the leaks of radioactive water had failed. [...]
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World Bank estimate of 1 bln people in poverty 30% “€˜too low”
The current international poverty line of $1.25 per day used by the World Bank is "too low"€ and "€œartificial,"€ say researchers from Bristol University, adding that the total number of poor people worldwide would increase by 30 percent in future. The World Bank’s “estimates are flawed” as the organization hasn’t used “different poverty measures” [...]
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Congress considers blocking GMO food labeling
A new bill introduced in Congress looks to ban states from implementing their own labeling laws when it comes to food containing genetically engineered ingredients. According to Reuters, US Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) introduced the legislation on Wednesday, which is intended to head off bills in about 24 states that would require companies to inform customers when their food is produced using genet [...]
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‘Most challenging’ deadly disease outbreak: WHO speaks out on Ebola dangers
West Africa is seeing the "most challenging"€ outbreak of Ebola virus since the disease was discovered 40 years ago. It comes as the death toll reaches over 100, the World Health Organization reported. [...]
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€‹Brazil looks to ban Monsanto’€™s Roundup, other toxicity risks
Brazil'€™s public prosecutor wants to suspend use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s pervasive herbicide Roundup. A recent study suggested glyphosate may be linked to a fatal kidney disease that has affected poor farming regions worldwide. [...]
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Oakland will pay $4.5 million to injured Occupy activist Scott Olsen
€‹A United States military veteran who was critically injured by the police during an Occupy Wall Street protest in October 2011 will be awarded $4.5 million by the city of Oakland, California. Attorneys for the man, 26-year-old Scott Olsen, said on Friday this week that city officials have agreed on a multi-million dollar settlement that will resolve a federal lawsuit filed after the Oct. 25 [...]
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GMO labeling effort in Colorado scores win in state Supreme Court
An effort to put a ballot initiative in front of Colorado voters regarding the labeling of genetically modified foods was allowed to proceed after the state Supreme Court dismissed a challenge by biotech and food industry outfits. For Initiative #48 to make it on the November ballot, supporters must now gather 86,105 petition signatures and turn them into the state by early August... [...]
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“World’€™s first”€™ farmer trial over GM crop contamination begins in Australia
A landmark legal battle between two farmers over alleged GM contamination has started in the Western Australian Supreme Court. The case is expected to determine GM farmers’ liability if their crops affect neighboring territories. [...]
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Monsanto blamed for disappearance of monarch butterflies
As scientists continue to track the shrinking population of the North American monarch butterfly, one researcher thinks she has found a big reason it'€™s in danger: Monsanto'€™s Roundup herbicide. [...]
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Monsanto seed plant construction halted in Argentina
A labor appeals court in north-central Argentina ruled that the construction of a Monsanto plant is unconstitutional, halting work on the site. The three judge court ruled 2-1 in favor of the activists who filed a legal appeal against Monsanto’s GMO seed plant on environmental protection grounds in the municipality of Malvinas Argentinas, located in central Cordoba Province. [...]
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New York to legalize use of medical marijuana report
New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo is to legalize the use of marijuana in the state, using a decades-old public health law provision, the New York Times reports. The drug -€“ which remains banned federally - will be prescribed for diagnosed medical ailments. [...]
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“Japan too proud to ask for Fukushima foreign help”
The nuclear energy industry in Japan relies on unskilled and uneducated daily workers, and even now the country will not invite foreign experts to help with the Fukushima cleanup due to national pride, Alex Kerr, an expert on Japan, told RT. [...]
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€‹Lawsuit alleges BP, Chevron dumped radioactive waste into Louisiana waters
Oil behemoths BP and Chevron dumped toxic waste - including some radioactive material - from their drilling operations into coastal waters, claims Louisiana parish Plaquemines in a lawsuit removed to federal court Thursday. [...]
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€˜”It’€™s a crime what’€™s happening at Fukushima”
It is beyond tragic that people resettling near Fukushima have to figure out how bad the contamination there is, with Japan's government allowing it to happen, Kevin Kamps, a nuclear waste specialist from the Beyond Nuclear organization, told RT. [...]
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Scientists discover secret code hidden within human DNA
Scientists have discovered a secret second code hiding within DNA which instructs cells on how genes are controlled. The amazing discovery is expected to open new doors to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, according to a new study. [...]
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“Lie of the Year”€™ prize goes to Obama
It€'s probably not the kind of recognition he wanted to receive, but President Barack Obama has been awarded PolitiFact'€™s "Lie of the Year"€ for 2013. The infamous prize, handed out annually by the fact-checking website PolitiFact, was given to Obama because of his statements claiming that Americans would be able to keep their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act if they liked th [...]
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Uruguay legalizes sale and production of marijuana
Uruguay has become the first country in the world to legalize both the sale and production of marijuana. President Jose Mujica has championed the measure as a way of combatting the illegal drug industry that has decimated parts of Uruguay. [...]
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