Global News

Moscow And Tehran Answer America

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– Moscow and Tehran Answer America (Strategic Culture Foundation, May 2, 2014):

American strategists are obsessed with the idea of a cold war with the Kremlin without having any understanding of how it might end. The White House’s efforts to make Russia out as the guilty party in what is happening in Ukraine is not receiving support in the international community. Only U.S. satellites are on Washington’s side; even in NATO countries there is no unity on the national level. The Americans’ references to anti-Russian decisions from the European Commission may be disregarded; there the terms are dictated by around thirty commissioners appointed by the Council of Europe to whose opinions the leading countries of the Old World have never listened. U.S. policy on Ukraine is incompatible with the interests of a large number of states, including one of the leaders of the Middle East – Iran.

Read moreMoscow And Tehran Answer America

NATO’s Second-In-Command Says Russia Is Now An ENEMY, Not A Partner

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– NATO’s second-in-command says Russia is now an enemy, not a partner (RT, May 1, 2014):

NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow now says that the allied group has been compelled to treat Russia “as more of an enemy than a partner,” according to an Associated Press report published Thursday.

The 61-year-old former United States ambassador to Russia reportedly told journalists this week that Moscow’s role in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine has forced NATO to reconsider the alliance’s opinion on Russia, and that additional troops may soon be mobilized to the region as tensions worsen.

Read moreNATO’s Second-In-Command Says Russia Is Now An ENEMY, Not A Partner

Supreme Court Refuses To Stop Indefinite Detention Of Americans Under NDAA

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Obama-2012-NDAA-Indefinite-Detention

– Supreme Court refuses to stop indefinite detention of Americans under NDAA (RT, May 1, 2014):

The United States Supreme Court this week effectively ended all efforts to overturn a controversial 2012 law that grants the government the power to indefinitely detain American citizens without due process.

On Monday, the high court said it won’t weigh in on challenge filed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges and a bevy of co-plaintiffs against US President Barack Obama, ending for now a two-and-a-half-year debate concerning part of an annual Pentagon spending bill that since 2012 has granted the White House the ability to indefinitely detain people “who are part of or substantially support Al-Qaeda, the Taliban or associated forces engaged in hostilities against the United States.”

The Obama administration has long maintained that the provision — Section 1021(b)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 — merely reaffirmed verbiage contained within the Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, signed by then-President George W. Bush in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Read moreSupreme Court Refuses To Stop Indefinite Detention Of Americans Under NDAA

Who’s Really ‘Presenting Lies As Facts’? How State Dept. Exposes Itself To Propaganda

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– Who’s really ‘presenting lies as facts’? How State Dept. exposes itself to propaganda (RT, April 30, 2014):

Mr. Richard Stengel, the US Under Secretary of State who wrote such an impassioned “takedown” of RT in the US State Department blog, did get one thing right.

Propaganda IS the deliberate dissemination of information that you know to be false or misguided.

And boy, does Mr. Stengel make a valiant attempt at propagandizing, because anyone would be hard-pressed to cram more falsehoods into a hundred words:

“From assertions that peaceful protesters hired snipers to repeated allegations that Kiev is beset by violence, fascism and anti-Semitism, these are lies falsely presented as news. (…) Consider the way RT manipulated a leaked telephone call involving former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Through selective editing, the network made it appear that Tymoshenko advocated violence against Russia. Or the constant reference to any Ukrainian opposed to a Russian takeover of the country as a “terrorist.” Or the unquestioning repetition of the ludicrous assertion last week that the United States has invested $5 billion in regime change in Ukraine. These are not facts, and they are not opinions. They are false claims, and when propaganda poses as news it creates real dangers and gives a green light to violence.”

How many FACTS does Mr. Stengel attempt to deny? Let us count:

Read moreWho’s Really ‘Presenting Lies As Facts’? How State Dept. Exposes Itself To Propaganda

Fighting Income Inequality: Obama-Biden Vacation Tab Reaches $40 MILLION

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obama-biden

– Fighting income inequality: Obama-Biden vacation tab reaches $40 mn (RT, May 1, 2014):

A vacation tab racked up by President Obama and Vice President Biden has gotten pretty hefty – reaching $40 million, according to a taxpayer watchdog group.

In a statement released by Judicial Watch, the group stated it had gotten its hands on documentation from the US Air Force, via Freedom of Information Act requests, that reveals the cost of flying Obama and Biden alone routinely exceeds hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour in the air.

Read moreFighting Income Inequality: Obama-Biden Vacation Tab Reaches $40 MILLION

No plan to stop Fukushima from contaminating Pacific? Tepco adviser ‘doubts’ ice wall can stop groundwater from flooding plant – We’re concerned about ‘environmental protection’ and ‘unintended consequences’

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– No plan to stop Fukushima from contaminating Pacific? Tepco adviser ‘doubts’ ice wall can stop groundwater from flooding plant — We’re concerned about ‘environmental protection’ and ‘unintended consequences’ (VIDEO) (ENENews, May 1, 2014):

Kyodo News, May 1, 2014: Int’l expert doubts ice wall will solve Japanese nuclear plant leaks — An international nuclear expert [Dale Klein, head of TEPCO supervisory panel] expressed skepticism Thursday over [the] plan to set up an ice wall to ultimately stop radioactive water from further increasing […] Former British Atomic Energy Authority Chairwoman Barbara Judge […] said there is a need to assess during summer whether the ice wall method would be effective. The remarks by the two overseas experts came at a time when concerns over the plan are being raised by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority and engineering experts. Their opinions may cast a shadow on TEPCO’s plan to begin operating the ice wall by the end of next March.

Read moreNo plan to stop Fukushima from contaminating Pacific? Tepco adviser ‘doubts’ ice wall can stop groundwater from flooding plant – We’re concerned about ‘environmental protection’ and ‘unintended consequences’

Van Rompuy: If The Public Doesn’t Want EU Expansion, ‘We Do It Anyway’

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rumpypumpy

– Van Rompuy: If The Public Doesn’t Want EU Expansion, ‘We Do It Anyway’ (Breitbart, May 1, 2014):

In a crass and ill-timed intervention, the unelected president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy has warned Vladimir Putin that the EU intends ultimately to control every country on the western flank of Russia.

In an interview with De Standaard newspaper, Van Rompuy speaks about his “dreams” that all the Balkan states will join the EU. He calls it an “inspiring thought” that in the long term “the whole of European territory outside Russia” will be tied in some way to the EU.

He admits he does not know if there is public support for such a move, “But we do it anyway.”

Read moreVan Rompuy: If The Public Doesn’t Want EU Expansion, ‘We Do It Anyway’

Shinzo Abe And Angela Merkel Agree To Cooperate On Ukraine

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abe-merkel

– Abe, Merkel agree to cooperate on Ukraine (NHK, April 30, 2014):

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed that their countries will work together to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

The 2 leaders held an hour-long summit meeting and joint news conference on Wednesday in Berlin. Germany is the first stop on Abe’s European tour.

Read moreShinzo Abe And Angela Merkel Agree To Cooperate On Ukraine

US ‘To React’ If Russia Crosses Into Ukraine

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– US ‘to react’ if Russia crosses into Ukraine (Al Jazeera, April 29, 2014):

US ambassador to Ukraine warns of “inevitable, sharp reaction” by the US if Russian troops cross border into Ukraine.

The US ambassador to Ukraine says an “inevitable, sharp reaction” should be expected from the United States if Russian troops were to cross the border into Ukraine.

Geoffrey Pyatt, speaking at a news conference in Kiev on Tuesday, said such a move would be “a major escalation”.

Read moreUS ‘To React’ If Russia Crosses Into Ukraine

NHK: Officials admit it may be impossible to stop leaking at Fukushima reactors – Will be investigating ‘bottom of containment vessels’ for holes – Gov’t asking engineers from outside Japan for help with melted fuel

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– NHK: Officials admit it may be impossible to stop leaking at Fukushima reactors — Will be investigating ‘bottom of containment vessels’ for holes — Gov’t asking engineers from outside Japan for help with melted fuel (VIDEOS) (ENENews, April 30, 2014):

NHK WORLD, Apr. 26, 2014: Detailed containment vessel probe to begin soon […] to learn more details to assist with the retrieval of melted fuel. The operator plans to fill the containment vessels of reactors 1, 2 and 3 with water. […] Earlier in April at the No. 3 reactor, remote-controlled cameras detected water pooled below a metal scaffold inside an adjoining room. […] One area of interest is the section that connects the adjoining room with the containment vessel. The operator believes contaminated water came into the room through this connection. […] The probe into reactor 1 will focus on checking the bottom of the containment vessel. The reactor 2 probe will center on the donut-shaped suppression chamber at the bottom of the containment vessel. >> Watch the broadcast here

Read moreNHK: Officials admit it may be impossible to stop leaking at Fukushima reactors – Will be investigating ‘bottom of containment vessels’ for holes – Gov’t asking engineers from outside Japan for help with melted fuel

AP: ‘This town is dead’ … Locals feel Fukushima plant could explode any minute; Yearly ‘safe’ radiation levels exceeded ‘in a matter of a few hours’ – TV: ‘Fukushima evacuees complain of health problems’; Nearly 70% of households affected

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– AP: “This town is dead”… Locals feel Fukushima plant could explode any minute; Yearly ‘safe’ radiation levels exceeded “in a matter of a few hours” — TV: “Fukushima evacuees complain of health problems”; Nearly 70% of households affected (ENENews, April 30, 2014):

NHK WORLD, Apr. 30, 2014: Fukushima evacuees complain of health problems […] nearly 70 percent of households that evacuated after the March 2011 disaster have members who complain of health problems. The prefecture polled more than 62,800 evacuee households. About one-third responded. [68%] said one or more of their members complain of health problems such as lack of sleep or depression.

AP, Apr. 30, 2014: […] It’s difficult to imagine ever living again in Tomioka, a ghost town about 10 kilometres from the former Fukushima Dai-chi nuclear plant. […] The streets were abandoned […] The neighbourhood was eerily quiet except for the chirping of the nightingales. […] The long-term goal is to bring annual exposure down to one millisievert […] considered the safe level before the disaster, but the government is lifting evacuation orders at higher levels. It says it will monitor the health and exposure of people who move back to such areas. In the yellow restricted zone […] a visitor exceeds one millisievert in a matter of a few hours. […] “The prime minister says the accident is under control, but we feel the thing could explode the next minute,” said Michiko Onuki, who ran a ceramic and craft shop out of their Tomioka home. “We would have to live in fear of radiation. This town is dead.” […] “I can survive anywhere, although I had a plan for my life that was destroyed from its very roots,” said [Tomioka city assemblyman Seijun] Ando, tears welling up in his eyes. […]

Read moreAP: ‘This town is dead’ … Locals feel Fukushima plant could explode any minute; Yearly ‘safe’ radiation levels exceeded ‘in a matter of a few hours’ – TV: ‘Fukushima evacuees complain of health problems’; Nearly 70% of households affected

Philippines: Anti-Obama Protest Water-Cannoned In Manila (Video)

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Published on Apr 29, 2014

Description (Source):

Riot police in the Philippines used water cannon against hundreds of anti-US protesters on Tuesday as they rallied against President Barack Obama’s visit and their country’s signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US. The demonstrators tried to make their way to the US embassy in the capital, Manila, but were stopped by riot police.

At one point, protesters ripped and burned a giant US flag. Activists have argued that the agreement reverses democratic gains achieved after US military bases were shut down in the country in the early 1990s.

 – US military expands presence in Philippines despite constitutional ban (RT, April 28, 2014):

The United States and Philippines signed an agreement on Monday this week that will allow American troops to have access to military bases on the Asian island country for the next decade.

US President Barack Obama inked his name to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement on Monday in Manila as he wrapped up a weeklong tour of the region that included stops in Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

Read morePhilippines: Anti-Obama Protest Water-Cannoned In Manila (Video)

Scientists Say The Dust Bowl Phenomenon Is Back (Video)

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– Scientists say the dust bowl phenomenon is back (Al Jazeera, April 30, 2014):

A dozen years of drought has turned what was an agricultural green belt into fields of tumbleweeds

Parts of Colorado, and vast areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, are experiencing their worst drought since the 1930s. Normal rainfall is 14 inches a year. Last year there was 3 inches, and scientists compare conditions to the Dust Bowl. Some are hopeful that the El Niño ocean warming some forecasters expect will finally bring rain to the parched land. Carol McKinley reports from Ordway, Colo.

Nearly Half Of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air Due To Pollution

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Nearly Half Of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air Due To Pollution

– Report: Nearly half of Americans breathe unhealthy air due to pollution (Al Jazeera, April 30, 2014):

Nearly half of all Americans still live in areas where pollution has rendered the air unhealthy to breathe, with the impact of climate change threatening to undo advances in cutting down harmful emissions, a new report has found.

The annual State of the Air study by the American Lung Association (ALA) notes advances in the reduction of pollutants, but warns that much needs to be done to improve air quality.

Read moreNearly Half Of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air Due To Pollution

Der Spiegel: NSA Put Merkel On List Of 122 Targeted Leaders

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Angela Merkel ‘
German Chancellor Angela Merkel uses her mobile phone

– Der Spiegel: NSA Put Merkel on List of 122 Targeted Leaders (The Intercept, April 29, 2014):

Secret documents newly disclosed by the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday shed more light on how aggressively the National Security Agency and its British counterpart have targeted Germany for surveillance.

A series of classified files from the archive provided to reporters by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, also seen by The Intercept, reveal that the NSA appears to have included Merkel in a surveillance database alongside more than 100 others foreign leaders. The documents also confirm for the first time that, in March 2013, the NSA obtained a top-secret court order against Germany as part of U.S. government efforts to monitor communications related to the country. Meanwhile, the British spy agency Government Communications Headquarters targeted three German companies in a clandestine operation that involved infiltrating the companies’ computer servers and eavesdropping on the communications of their staff.

Read moreDer Spiegel: NSA Put Merkel On List Of 122 Targeted Leaders

17 Facts To Show To Anyone That Believes That The U.S. Economy Is Just Fine

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– 17 Facts To Show To Anyone That Believes That The U.S. Economy Is Just Fine (Economic Collapse, April 29, 2014):

No, the economy is most definitely not “recovering”.  Despite what you may hear from the politicians and from the mainstream media, the truth is that the U.S. economy is in far worse shape than it was prior to the last recession.  In fact, we are still pretty much where we were at when the last recession finally ended.  When the financial crisis of 2008 struck, it took us down to a much lower level economically.  Thankfully, things have at least stabilized at this much lower level.  For example, the percentage of working age Americans that are employed has stayed remarkably flat for the past four years.  We should be grateful that things have not continued to get even worse.  It is almost as if someone has hit the “pause button” on the U.S. economy.  But things are definitely not getting better, and there are a whole host of signs that this bubble of false stability will soon come to an end and that our economic decline will accelerate once again.

The following are 17 facts to show to anyone that believes that the U.S. economy is just fine:

Read more17 Facts To Show To Anyone That Believes That The U.S. Economy Is Just Fine

Police Execute Homeless Man For Camping (Video)

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Added: Mar 24, 2014

Description:

http://www.infowars.com/video-albuque…

You can add one more item to the list of things that will potentially get you killed by police: illegal camping.

New Mexico police are standing by their decision to shoot and kill 38-year-old homeless man James Boyd, who last Sunday made the ill-fated decision to shack up in the Sandia foothills due east of Albuquerque.

‘People’s Republic Of Donetsk’ Unveils Independence Referendum Set For May 11th

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Donetsk

– “People’s Republic Of Donetsk” Unveils Independence Referendum Set For May 11th (ZeroHedge, April 30, 2014):

As we showed in the map earlier, the spread of pro-Russian-held cities is rapid across eastern Ukraine and it seems things are reaching a very dangerous head very quickly. As RIA reports, the Central Election Commission of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” has agreed to hold a referendum (covering 55 territorial election commissions, more than two thousand polling stations, and more than two million ballots) on May 11th. Citizens will answer one simple question, “Do you support the act of the proclamation of independence of the Donetsk State People’s Republic?” As RIA adds, leadership have stated that region of Donetsk will not vote in the May 25 presidential election in Ukraine if the majority of residents support independence.

RIA reports that the Central Election Commission “Donetsk People’s Republic” formed the referendum 55 territorial election commissions, and more than two thousand polling stations, published more than two million ballots, according to RIA Novosti, the CEC Chairman, “the People’s Republic of Donetsk” Roman Lyagin.

Read more‘People’s Republic Of Donetsk’ Unveils Independence Referendum Set For May 11th

Presenting Russian East Ukraine: These Are The Cities Controlled By “Separatists”

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– Presenting Russian East Ukraine: These Are The Cities Controlled By “Separatists” (ZeroHedge, April 30, 2014):

Vladimir Putin ‘confirmed’ yesterday that there were no Russian forces ‘boots on the ground’ in Ukraine and so it seems the daily growing list of cities that are falling to pro-Russian separatist forces throughout Eastern Ukraine – as the following chart shows – suggests an ever more divided nation is verging on civil war, despite the best efforts of the West to sanction their way to a fix. As Turchinov warned this morning, there is “real danger of the Russian Federation beginning a land war against Ukraine… our armed forces are on full military readiness.”

East Ukraine - These Are The Cities Controlled By Separatists

Source: AFP

As Reuters reports,

Read morePresenting Russian East Ukraine: These Are The Cities Controlled By “Separatists”

Meanwhile, Gazprom Sends Ukraine A New Invoice … $3.49 BILLION! And Its Due The 7th Day Of May!

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Gazprom-Logo

– Meanwhile, Gazprom Sends Ukraine A New Invoice (ZeroHedge, April 30, 2014):

As the day of the IMF’s release of funds to Ukraine draws near – solving all their problems with yet more debt, we are told to believe – Russia’s Gazprom has gently reminded the Ukrainian government that it owes them… $3.49 billion! and its due the 7th day of May!

  • *GAZPROM SAYS UKRAINE OWES $3.49B FOR GAS AS OF APRIL 30

As Bloomberg reports,

Read moreMeanwhile, Gazprom Sends Ukraine A New Invoice … $3.49 BILLION! And Its Due The 7th Day Of May!

If It Wasn’t For Obamacare, Q1 GDP Would Have Been NEGATIVE 1.0%

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– If It Wasn’t For Obamacare, Q1 GDP Would Be Negative (ZeroHedge, April 30, 2014):

Here is a shocker: for all the damnation Obamacare, which according to poll after poll is loathed by a majority of the US population, has gotten if it wasn’t for the (government-mandated) spending surge resulting from Obamacare, which resulted in the biggest jump in Healthcare Services spending in the past quarter in history and added 1.1% to GDP …

Healthcare Quarterly

… real Q1 GDP (in chained 2009 dollars), which rose only $4.3 billion sequentially to $15,947 billion, would have been a negative 1.0%!

Read moreIf It Wasn’t For Obamacare, Q1 GDP Would Have Been NEGATIVE 1.0%

GDP Shocker: US Economic Growth Crashes To Just 0.1% In Q1

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– GDP Shocker: US Economic Growth Crashes To Just 0.1% In Q1 (ZeroHedge, April 30, 2014):

Despite consensus at 1.2% growth QoQ, the “weather” destroyed the fragile stimulus-led economy of the US which managed only a de minimus +0.1% QoQ growth (the lowest since Q1 2011). However, as Steve Liesman noted on the heels of Mark Zandi’s comments “basically ignore this number” – ok then. Spending on Services, however, surged by the most since 2000 – heralded as great news by some talking heads – but is merely a reflection of the surge in healthcare and heating costs (imagine if it had not been cold and if Obamacare hadn’t saved us). As a reminder – this is the growth that is occurring as QE has run its course, as stimulus ends, and as escape velocity nears… if the “weather” can do this much damage to the US economy, should stocks really be trading at the multiple of exuberant future hope that they are?

Oops!

20140430_GDP

The full breakdown of GDP components:

Read moreGDP Shocker: US Economic Growth Crashes To Just 0.1% In Q1

US F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet Can’t Evade Russian Radars

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See also:

– Money For Nothing? Boeing Says F-35 Isn’t So Stealth After All

– U.S. Waived Laws To Keep F-35 On Track With China-Made Parts (Reuters)

– Test Pilots: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Blind Spot Will Get It ‘Gunned Every Time’ (Wired)

– Pentagon Grounds F-35 Fighter Jet Fleet After Engine Crack Found (CBS News)

– F-35 (Ironically Known As ‘Lightning II’) Fatal Flaw: Lightning! (RT)

– Trillion-Dollar F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet Has Thirteen Expensive New Flaws

– NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT: F-35 STEALTH FIGHTER SPY COVER-UP (Veterans Today):

“AN UNPRECEDENTED DISASTER”

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (file photo)

– US stealth fighter jet can’t evade Russian radars: Report (PressTV, April 29, 2014):

The US’s newly developed radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not be able to escape Russian radars.

“The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter… is not, in fact, stealthy in the eyes of a growing number of Russian and Chinese radars,” the Aviation Week said.

It said the jet, which the Pentagon hopes would be stealthy, is “having all sorts of shortcomings.”

The report said the jet is not even effective in “jamming enemy radar”, adding the US Defense Department is spending “hundreds of billions of dollars” for a “fighter that will need the help of specialized jamming aircraft.”

It said the F-35 is even “susceptible to detection by radars operating in the VHF bands of the spectrum.”

Read moreUS F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet Can’t Evade Russian Radars

Bavaria Joins European Network Of GMO Free Regions

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– Bayern tritt europäischem Netz gentechnikfreier Regionen bei (Top Agrar, April 24, 2014)

Dr. Marcel Huber
Bavarian Environment Minister Dr. Marcel Huber

– Bavaria Signs Agreement to Go GMO Free (Sustainable Pulse, April 28, 2014):

Germany’s Bavaria region has become the 62nd GMO Free farming area in Europe. The Munich-based Bavarian Environment Minister Dr. Marcel Huber, signed the GMO Free agreement in Brussels, with the President of the European GMO Free network, Maura Malaspina, the Environment Minister for the Marche region of Italy.

Bavaria Joins European Network Of GMO Free Regions

Source: www.topagrar.com

Bavaria is the 62nd member of the network, which includes regions from nine EU Member States, including 18 regions of France, 13 regions from Italy and all the states of Austria.

Read moreBavaria Joins European Network Of GMO Free Regions