European MPs agreed that lobbyists representing controversial US-based agricultural giant Monsanto should be barred from the European Parliament after the company refused to attend a hearing on allegations that it influenced studies on the safety of its products. The measure includes meeting MEPs, attending parliamentary committee meetings and using the parliament’s digital resources in Brussels... 

On the third day of the Democratic National Convention, when President Barack Obama and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine are scheduled to speak, Wikileaks has released hacked voicemails from top Democratic officials. The new material from the pro-transparency publisher includes 29 phone calls, totaling about 14 minutes. Many of them are complaints directed at the Democratic National Committee. Wikileaks... 

Jean-Claude Van Damme sensationally told a French political show that the Rockefeller and Rothschild families won’t let Donald Trump win the presidency because he is an anti-globalist candidate. Appearing on Le Grand Journal, the Belgian actor was keen to express that he was “aware” of who was really shaping the US presidential election race. Speaking about Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, Van Damme... 

America’s Koch brothers believe money spent against Donald Trump would be wasted since all attacks on the real estate mogul have failed. Charles and David Koch, two of the US Republican Party’s biggest donors, say they will not attempt to stop GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump from scoring the nomination, because he seems unstoppable now. “We have no plans to get involved in the primary,”... 

Redacted documents detailing covert meetings between the European Commission (EC) and powerful tobacco lobbyists have compounded fears a secretive EU-US trade deal would allow tobacco giants to sue governments that attempt to legislate in the public interest. The documents, which confirmed the EC had met with lobbyists paid to peddle the interests of Big Tobacco, were published earlier this week. The... 

More evidence Congress is a subsidiary of Wall Street and the banks. On Friday Michael Krieger, the editor of Liberty Blitzkrieg, wrote about a behind the scenes effort by banksters to include a provision in government funding legislation that would make the Federal Deposit Corporation responsible for financial derivatives losses. Last October, Krieger wrote about a similar push to put American taxpayers... 

Britain’s HS2 railway In what amounts to an abuse of democracy, lobbyists are being used to put the case for an absurd project few really want. The government’s project for a new high-speed railway from Birmingham to London Euston is entering a critical phase. This has nothing to do with trains but everything to do with tribes. Last week there were unconfirmed reports that the government... 

Occupy protesters block the intersection at 15th and K Streets in Washington, DC December 7, 2011 Up to 70 arrests have been made in Washington DC after the police dispersed a mass demonstration only walking distance away from the White House. “Occupiers” blocked downtown streets to protest against high unemployment and corporate bailouts. ­Hundreds of protesters from Occupy DC and other groups...