In a surprise U-turn, China’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided not to continue with a program which developed genetically-modified rice and corn. Some environmentalists say public concerns about GM crops played a key role in the decision. On August 17, when these permits were up for renewal, the Ministry of Agriculture decided not to extend them. In 2009, the ministry’s Biosafety Committee... 

Ukrainian people sit inside a makeshift shelter in the town of Makiyivka on August 19, 2014. The UN refugee agency says over 400,000 people have fled their homes due to the fighting in eastern Ukraine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday that some 190,000 Ukrainians have been displaced within the country and 225,883 others have fled to Russia, Poland and Belarus. It... 

As I get ready to post this article, I have a reply to a request I made to Florida Congressman Bill Posey. I asked for a statement regarding the growing charge that the CDC is covering up an autism-vaccine connection. Here is what Congressman Posey has to say on this subject: “When it comes to our children, we must make sure that any intervention is as safe as possible, including vaccinations. Scientific... 

Hundreds of Australian students and union members have held nationwide protests against the government’s proposed plans to cut higher education budget. Student protesters descended on the streets of Sydney’s city center on Wednesday, setting fire to an effigy of Australian Education Minister Christopher Pyne as a sign of protest against the government’s proposed changes to higher education. “We... 

Liberian security forces stand in front of protesters after clashes at West Point neighbourhood in Monrovia August 20, 2014. Four people were injured in clashes when soldiers opened fire and used tear gas on demonstrators in the quarantine zone in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. It’s as the world tries to contain the fatal outbreak and to find a cure for the deadly disease. The death toll from the... 

The Russian cabinet has approved the bill introducing heavy fines for businessmen who violate the rules on obligatory marking of foodstuffs containing genetically-modified products. The bill has been drafted by the state consumer rights agency Rospotrebnadzor and concerns all food and beverage products containing genetically-modified organisms or their parts, or which are made using such organisms.... 

Many top US officials hold Israeli citizenship. Press TV has learned that a long list of senior US government officials and legislators hold dual US-Israeli citizenship, proving Tel Aviv’s powerful influence over Washington’s decision-making process. Apart from the significant presence of Israeli citizens at sensitive non-elected federal positions such as head of Homeland Security, a large number... 

Washington dictates to its citizens, how to treat Russia. US officials want business and culture figures not to stand out from the political course of the United States. The State Department promised to control how American companies comply with anti-Russian sanctions. Representatives of the cinema industry were strongly recommended not to show their sympathies for Russia in public. Human rights activists... 

At least 34 civilians have been killed in clashes between the Ukrainian army troops and pro-Russia forces in the country’s restive eastern Donetsk Province over the past 24 hours, local officials say. “Over the past day as a result of military hostilities, 34 residents of the region died and another 29 were wounded,” the Donetsk regional administration said in a statement on Wednesday. The development... 

The Australian Senate has voted to scrap the controversial two-year old carbon emission tax, signaling a major victory for Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Reaching the national carbon reduction goals remains in question. Carbon emission has been a long-running debate among politicians. The Liberals claim it penalizes business, while the Labor Party says it helps combat climate change. In the 2013 elections... 

Mildura Solar Power Station Silex Systems, the company constructing Australia’s biggest solar plant, has suspended its funding following reports the national Renewable Energy Target (RET) could be scaled back or done away with altogether. The 100-megawatt Mildura Solar Concentrator Power Station, a $70 million project in Victoria, was supposed to provide electricity to 40,000 homes. Now Silex Systems... 

US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove has threatened Russia with military response should Moscow secretly send forces with or without military uniform into Ukraine. “If NATO sees foreign forces infiltrating its sovereign territory, and if we can prove it comes from an aggressor nation then that’s Article five,” Gen. Breedlove said. “That means a military response to the actions of the aggressor.... 

More than half of teens use the morning-after pill indiscriminately. The habit can increase the risk of glaucoma and other serious eye diseases, an expert warns. How many girls aged fifteen to nineteen years of age use this pill without realizing the dangers? Studies point towards a shocking trend among this age group. Brazilian girls 15-19 years old may not know how the morning-after pill works,... 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the number of deaths from the Ebola outbreak in four West African nations has climbed to 1,229. The UN health agency said on Tuesday that death toll jumped between August 14 and 16, the period which registered 113 new cases. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders says the Ebola epidemic is moving faster than authorities can... 

Russian humanitarian aid trucks will cross the Ukrainian border in small batches of several dozen vehicles and only after a thorough examination by border guards, Kiev says, following an official acknowledgment of 280 trucks carrying crisis-relief cargo. “The cargo, in agreement with the mission of the Red Cross, will be delivered to the international crossing point of Izvarino-Donetsk in batches...