Doctors target gun violence as a social disease

Associated press, by Marililynn Marchione, Aug. 11, 2012

In this Aug. 8, 2012 photo, Dr. Stephen W. Hargarten poses for a photo in
a trauma  room at Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin's emergency
department in Milwaukee. Hargarten helped many of the victims of Sunday's
 shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Is a gun like a virus, a car, tobacco or alcohol? Yes say public health experts, who in the wake of recent mass shootings are calling for a fresh look at gun violence as a social disease.

What we need, they say, is a public health approach to the problem, like the highway safety measures, product changes and driving laws that slashed deaths from car crashes decades ago, even as the number of vehicles on the road rose.

One example: Guardrails are now curved to the ground instead of having sharp metal ends that stick out and pose a hazard in a crash.

"People used to spear themselves and we blamed the drivers for that," said Dr. Garen Wintemute, an emergency medicine professor who directs the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis.

It wasn't enough back then to curb deaths just by trying to make people better drivers, and it isn't enough now to tackle gun violence by focusing solely on the people doing the shooting, he and other doctors say.

They want a science-based, pragmatic approach based on the reality that we live in a society saturated with guns and need better ways of preventing harm from them.

The need for a new approach crystallized last Sunday for one of the nation's leading gun violence experts, Dr. Stephen Hargarten. He found himself treating victims of the Sikh temple shootings at the emergency department he heads in Milwaukee. Seven people were killed, including the gunman, and three were seriously injured.

It happened two weeks after the shooting that killed 12 people and injured 58 at a movie theater in Colorado, and two days before a man pleaded guilty to killing six people and wounding 13, including then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in Tucson, Ariz., last year.

"What I'm struggling with is, is this the new social norm? This is what we're going to have to live with if we have more personal access to firearms," said Hargarten, emergency medicine chief at Froedtert Hospital and director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "We have a public health issue to discuss. Do we wait for the next outbreak or is there something we can do to prevent it?"

About 260 million to 300 million firearms are owned by civilians in the United States; about one-third of American homes have one. Guns are used in two-thirds of homicides, according to the FBI. About 9 percent of all violent crimes involve a gun — roughly 338,000 cases each year.

Mass shootings don't seem to be on the rise, but not all police agencies report details like the number of victims per shooting and reporting lags by more than a year, so recent trends are not known.

"The greater toll is not from these clusters but from endemic violence, the stuff that occurs every day and doesn't make the headlines," said Wintemute, the California researcher.

More than 73,000 emergency room visits in 2010 were for firearm-related injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

Dr. David Satcher tried to make gun violence a public health issue when he became CDC director in 1993. Four years later, laws that allow the carrying of concealed weapons drew attention when two women were shot at an Indianapolis restaurant after a patron's gun fell out of his pocket and accidentally fired. Ironically, the victims were health educators in town for an American Public Health Association convention.

That same year, Hargarten won a federal grant to establish the nation's first Firearm Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"Unlike almost all other consumer products, there is no national product safety oversight of firearms," he wrote in the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

That's just one aspect of a public health approach. Other elements:

—"Host" factors: What makes someone more likely to shoot, or someone more likely to be a victim. One recent study found firearm owners were more likely than those with no firearms at home to binge drink or to drink and drive, and other research has tied alcohol and gun violence. That suggests that people with driving under the influence convictions should be barred from buying a gun, Wintemute said.

—Product features: Which firearms are most dangerous and why. Manufacturers could be pressured to fix design defects that let guns go off accidentally, and to add technology that allows only the owner of the gun to fire it (many police officers and others are shot with their own weapons). Bans on assault weapons and multiple magazines that allow rapid and repeat firing are other possible steps.

—"Environmental" risk factors: What conditions allow or contribute to shootings. Gun shops must do background checks and refuse to sell firearms to people convicted of felonies or domestic violence misdemeanors, but those convicted of other violent misdemeanors can buy whatever they want. The rules also don't apply to private sales, which one study estimates as 40 percent of the market.

—Disease patterns, observing how a problem spreads. Gun ownership — a precursor to gun violence — can spread "much like an infectious disease circulates," said Daniel Webster, a health policy expert and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore.

"There's sort of a contagion phenomenon" after a shooting, where people feel they need to have a gun for protection or retaliation, he said.

That's already evident in the wake of the Colorado movie-theater shootings. Last week, reports popped up around the nation of people bringing guns to "Batman" movies. Some of them said they did so for protection.

Associated Press writer Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report. 

Online: 

• Violence prevention research: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/vprp 
• CDC injury prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nvdrs/

  

Follow Marilynn Marchione's coverage at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

US drops probe into banking giant

Deutsche Welle, 10 Aug 2012

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has escaped prosecution over a part it allegedly played in the Global Financial Crisis. The bank had been held up as a symbol of Wall Street greed.

In a statement late Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said "there is not a viable basis to bring a criminal prosecution with respect to Goldman Sachs or its employees."

The charges related to trades made during the financial crisis were highlighted in a 2011 U.S Senate report.

The Senate committee alleged the financial services giant betted its own money on the imminent collapse of the credit market, all the while including investments tied to subprime mortgages in its clients' portfolios. U.S. Senator Carl Levin said Goldman misled the country's Congress and investors.

The Senate inquiry centred on a subprime mortgage known as Abacus.

The decision by the Justice Department to announce it wasn't prosecuting Goldman Sachs is unusual, as the department usually does not make public statements when it concludes an investigation.

"The department and investigative agencies ultimately concluded that the burden of proof to bring a criminal case could not be met based on the law and facts as they exist at this time," the Justice Department said in a statement late on Thursday.

The statement said investigators and prosecutors worked on their inquiry for "more than a year."

"If any additional or new evidence emerges, today's assessment does not prevent the department from reviewing such evidence and making a different determination, if warranted," the statement said.

Since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008, Goldman Sachs and the wider financial sector have come under widespread condemnation from politicians and the public.

"We are pleased that this matter is behind us," said the bank's spokesman David Wells.

However, the case is a reminder that no individual or organisation has been held accountable for their role in the crisis, according to Neil Barofsky, a former supervisor of the U.S. government's financial system bailout in 2008. Barofsky is an outspoken critic of that government's response to the  financial crisis.

"Without such accountability, the unending parade of megabanks scandals will inevitably continue," he said.

jr (Reuters, dpa)

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German companies push for anti-corruption convention

Deutsche Welle, 9 Aug 2012

More than 30 leading German businesses have asked Berlin to ratify an international anti-corruption convention. The companies say keeping out of the convention hurts Germany's business reputation abroad.

Since it got off the ground nine years ago, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (CAC) has been signed by 160 countries. The agreement commits nations to take action against corrupt officials and members of parliament within their own borders. The convention also calls on signatories to work on fighting corruption on an international level together. 

Head of business want more action
from the German parliament

Several countries have refrained from signing on. These include Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria - and Germany. Berlin's abstention from ratifying the convention has spurred the heads of more than 30 German companies to action.

The executives wrote a letter to the heads of every political party represented in the German parliament. That includes the ruling coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Free Democrats (FDP) along with opposition Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the Left Party. Leaders from the German private sector are calling on the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, to sign onto CAC as soon as possible.

"The failure to ratify hurts the reputation of German businesses," the letter said. Some of the biggest names in German industry signed the document, including the heads of Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and Allianz, electronics powerhouse Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, carmaker Daimler, industrial gas company Linde, pharmaceutical giant Bayer, energy provider Eon, and retail chain Metro.

The value of compliance 

Pauthner says ratifying CAC
could pay dividends

Jürgen Pauthner, an expert in compliance and corruption at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, attributed the industry leaders' letter to worldwide changes in how value has been calculated over recent years. The technical meaning of compliance refers to how much companies adhere to agreed-upon rules.

"The credibility of companies, individuals and entire countries in relation to agreed-upon rules - upon compliance - has an enormous economic value," Pauthner told DW.

He added that parliamentarians' abstaining from bribes is an important part of compliance.

"A democratic country like Germany has to have overall international credibility and should not needlessly make itself subject to criticism," the letter said.

It went on to say CAC's anti-corruption rules would help German companies when doing business in other countries.

Anti-corruption organization Transparency International welcomed the German business leaders' letter.

"It's a good thing that they have signed up for something Transparency has supported for years: that the elements of the offense of bribing a member of parliament finally be sensibly tightened in Germany so that Germany can ratify this important international convention," said Christian Homburg, director of the organization's German office. "

Some wonder if Germany is a good example for the rest of the world
when it comes to transparency

German anti-corruption rules inadequate

Germany actually signed CAC when it was introduced nine years ago, but ratification has stalled in parliament. The reason is that CAC would require clear and meaningful punishments for elected officials found guilty of accepting bribes.

Parliamentarians' buying or selling of votes is only punished as a statutory offense in Germany. Moreover, that only covers voting in plenary sessions of the Bundestag or in committee meetings.

German corruption law does not cover advice parliamentarians give in party working groups. Up until now, if a member is bribed in order to influence a vote in a working group it would not be illegal.

Humborg said he suspects German parliamentarians are holding back from ratifying CAC is to protect themselves, which sends a an embarrassing signal to the international community.

"How can you credibly tell Afghanistan to fight corruption in order to keep receiving German development money," he said, "if you yourself do not ratify this convention?"

Outside pressure mounting

Germany's ruling coalition has argued CAC would infringe on parliamentarians' ability to represent their constituents.

"Nobody understands that," Pauthner said. "From both the legal and economic points of view, there is no argument not to make that a crime."

Humborg is disappointed in German
 anti-corruption policy

The German business leaders are trying to appeal to parliamentarians' conscience, writing, "Honest elected officials do not need to fear stricter regulations."

Humborg said the ruling parties' fear of tightening corruption law is unfounded. He said he cannot imagine stricter rules would bring about many investigations at the federal level.

"Strengthening [corruption law] primarily seems important on the local level," Humborg explained, "because municipal officials and local councils are bound under these statutes. That's where I could imagine where there might be irregularities."

In April, GRECO, the Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption´, asked Germany to immediately tighten its corruption laws by the end of June. Nothing has happened since the deadline passed. GRECO is currently thinking of sending a commission to Berlin to increase the pressure on Germany.

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

Drugs companies 'are putting profits ahead of medical discoveries', claims hard-hitting report

• For every £1 spent on basic research a whopping £19 is spent on marketing, claim experts
• Current reward system discourages innovation, they add

Daily Mail, by Claire Bates, 8 August 2012

 

The pharmaceutical industry is in crisis because companies are rewarded for developing new drugs that have few clinical advantages over existing ones, experts say.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Professor Donald Light from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Joel Lexchin from York University in Toronto, say this has discouraged innovation for the past five decades.

They pointed to independent reviews that found between 85 and 90 per cent of all new drugs developed over the past 50 years have provided few benefits and considerable harms.

Has the pharmaceutical industry lost its way? Professor Light and
Mr Lexchin say profits have been given priority over innovation

They said most research funds don't go towards finding breakthrough drugs but towards developing scores of minor variations that produce a steady stream of profits. Heavy promotion of these drugs can account for up to 80% of a nation’s drug spending, they add.

The duo warn that companies exaggerate research and development costs to lobby for more protection from free market competition. Yet, according to an independent analysis, the 1.3 per cent of revenues devoted to discovering new molecules compares with an estimated 25 per cent spent on promotion.

This means for every £1 spent on basic research a whopping £19 is spent on marketing.

Professor Light and Mr Lexchin said urgent changes needed to be made to make the industry focus on more cost effective and safer medicines.

They said the first step should be to stop approving so many new drugs of little therapeutic value.

'EU countries are paying billions more than necessary for drugs that provide little health gain because prices are not being set to reward new drugs in proportion to their clinical value,' they say.

More...

• Grapefruitjuice can give cancer drugs dramatic boost

They also believe that regulators should be publicly funded and that new ways of rewarding innovation should be considered.

'This approach would save countries billions in healthcare costs and produce real gains for people’s health', they conclude.

In a second paper, researchers from the London School of Economics said drug manufacturers should be made to demonstrate that their products are superior to existing treatments.

However, Stephen Whitehead, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said: 'We strongly disagree with the claims made in these papers.

'Medical research has always rested on iterative and gradual innovation rather than breakthrough advances which are very rare. If it were not for the incremental improvements made in the treatment of HIV, the disease would still be terminal rather than a manageable long term condition.

'The pharmaceutical industry's medicines pipeline is promising with many new treatments in development. But the discovery of medicines is an increasingly difficult process as the cost of research and development continues to rise and regulation becomes more onerous. In 2012, it costs on average over £1 billion to develop a new medicine and takes between 12 and 15 years to develop.'

Standard Chartered bank 'in $250bn scheme with Iran'

BBC News, 6 August 2012 

Standard Chartered has been accused
 of undermining US sanctions against Iran

Standard Chartered bank illegally "schemed" with Iran to launder as much as $250bn (£161bn) for nearly a decade, a US regulator says.

The NewYork State Department of Financial Services said that the bank hid 60,000 secret transactions for "Iranian financial institutions" that were subject to US economic sanctions.

It labelled Standard Chartered a "rogue institution".

HSBC was recently accused by the US Senate of allowing money laundering.

HSBC has set aside $700m to deal with any fines and penalties arising from those allegations - making the Standard Chartered situation far larger.

The New York State Department of Financial Services threatened to revoke the licence of the US unit of Standard Chartered, which is headquartered in London but makes most of its money in Asia.

Other schemes found

The regulator said that its nine-month probe, which involved looking through more than 30,000 pages of documents, including internal Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) emails, showed that the bank reaped "hundreds of millions of dollars in fees".

"SCB's actions left the US financial system vulnerable to terrorists, weapons dealers, drug kingpins and corrupt regimes, and deprived law enforcement investigators of crucial information used to track all manner of criminal activity," it said.

The probe also said that it uncovered evidence with respect to what are apparently similar schemes to conduct business with other countries under sanctions - Libya, Myanmar and Sudan.

"Investigation of these additional matters is ongoing," it added.

In the 27-page complaint, the New York State Department of Financial Services said that Standard Chartered showed "obvious contempt for US banking regulations" and pointed to an email reply from a bank executive director to a New York branch officer.

"Who are you [Americans] to tell us, the rest of the world, that we're not going to deal with Iranians," the complaint quotes the director as saying.

Standard Chartered said: "The group is conducting a review of its historical US sanctions compliance and is discussing that review with US enforcement agencies and regulators.

"The group cannot predict when this review and these discussions will be completed or what the outcome will be."

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Olympics-Athletics-Choose trainers not guns, says Barrondo

Reuters, by Neil Maidment, LONDON, Sat Aug 4, 2012

Aug 4 (Reuters) - Erick Barrondo walked into Guatemala's history books on Saturday as its first Olympic medal winner and said he hoped the magic of the moment would help his countrymen back home pick up trainers in future instead of guns.

"It's well known that Guatemala has problems with guns and knives," Barrondo said after finishing second in the men's 20km race walk, which took in the sights of Buckingham Palace.

"I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead. If they do that, I will be the happiest guy in the world."

The 21-year-old, whose parents were both middle distance runners, even broke away from journalists' questions to take a call from Guatemala's president, Otto Perez Molina.

"The president congratulated me on the first Olympic medal for the country. He told me that everyone had come out on the streets to celebrate the triumph," said Barrondo, who finished 11 seconds behind China's Chen Ding.

"It was a glorious day for me, but the glory is most of all for my country," he added.

In a day of firsts in London the race was won by Chen, who together with his third placed compatriot Wang Zhen were the first Chinese men to win an Olympic medal in a race walking event.

Barrondo, who finished 10th in last year's 20km race walk final at the world championships in Daegu, worked hard to stay in contention among a Chinese and Russian dominated leading pack before breaking away to split China's duo on the final stretch.

(Reporting by Neil Maidment; editing by Michael Holden)

Erick Barrondo of Guatemala as he crossed the finish

 line in London on Saturday. (Markus Schreiber/

Associated Press)

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Vietnam Holds First Gay Pride Parade

Jakarta Globe, August 05, 2012

Cyclists and motorists decorated with balloons and rainbow flags
 take part in Vietnam's first ever gay pride parade on a road in Hanoi
 on August 5, 2012. The event, organized by the city's small but
growing Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, went
 ahead peacefully with no attempt by police to stop the colorful convoy
of about 100 activists. (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam) 

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The first gay pride parade in communist Vietnam took place in the capital Hanoi on Sunday with dozens of cyclists displaying balloons and rainbow flags streaming through the city’s streets.

Organised by the city’s small but growing Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, the event went ahead peacefully with no attempt by police to stop the colorful convoy of about 100 activists despite their lack of official permission.

“There was no intervention which is a good thing for Vietnam,” said one of the organizers, Tam Nguyen.

She said the parade had helped unite the LGBT community and raise awareness among “curious” onlookers, although many had no idea what the rainbow flag — an international symbol for LGBT groups — symbolized.

The cyclists attracted no hostility — and only a little attention — as they made their way down Hanoi’s busy streets.

“Vietnamese society supports us, supports this rally — I have come out already and I have never had any problems,” Hung Culif, 22, told AFP at the start of the event.

The parade follows recent gay pride celebrations in Myanmar and Laos, reflecting tentative signs of liberalizing social attitudes in parts of Southeast Asia.

Homosexuality remains largely taboo in Vietnam, where Confucian social mores — with their emphasis on tradition and family — still dominate.

Gays are routinely portrayed in the media as comical figures or as people suffering from a condition that can be treated.

But in a surprise move late last month, Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong said that it might be time to consider a change in the law to recognize same-sex marriage.

Vietnam currently forbids same--sex unions. Any move to legalize gay marriage would make Vietnam the first nation in Asia to do so.

The cyclists voiced strong support for the possible legal changes, shouting “we support same--sex marriage” and calling for equal rights for gays and lesbians.

“There is a lot of attention on gay rights issues now,” Le Minh, 21, said as she attached a rainbow flag to her bicycle.

“There were [many] questions about gay marriage at the recent National Assembly session. It is really good for the community,” she said.

Activists said they had modified the parade route after coming under pressure from police to avoid sensitive areas of the capital where anti-China demonstrations were taking place. Vietnam tightly restricts demonstrations.

“We don’t have permission for this and even if we had asked for official permission it would not have been possible” to obtain, said Van Anh, 51. “But we have a lot of support from Vietnamese society.”

Gays and lesbians in Vietnam still suffer from discrimination — particularly from family members — she said, adding that the pride parade and the possible marriage law change could help break down social stigma.

“As the National Assembly is now considering this, we hope that they will amend the law [to allow gay marriage], which would be a very positive thing for Vietnam, for Vietnamese culture,” she added.

Agence France-Presse

Vietnam's capital holds first gay pride parade

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

Gay rights activists plan Chick-fil-A 'Kiss In'

Associated Press, Aug. 3, 2012

Gay marriage supporters, from left, Emmie Hesley, Cathy 
Dear and  Amy Paffenroth hold signs in front of a Chick-fil-A in
Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Thursday Aug. 2, 2012, in protest of
the chicken eatery's stance on gay marriage. (AP Photo/ 
Northwest Florida Daily News, Nick Tomecek)

ATLANTA (AP) — Gay rights activists and other supporters of marriage equality plan a national "Kiss In" at Chick-fil-A restaurants Friday to protest the fast-food chain owners' opposition to same-sex unions.

Participants are encouraged to come to the fast-food chains and kiss a fellow demonstrator of the same sex. One organizer, Carly McGehee of Dallas, said she hopes the event "helps LGBT youth who feel isolated and are victims of bullying."

The gatherings come two days after hundreds of thousands of customers, many of them conservative Christians, recognized "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" at more than 1,600 locations.

Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy stirred the controversy by confirming his opposition to same-sex marriage. The Southern Baptist Cathy family has long been known for publicly expressing its faith, including never opening their businesses on Sundays.

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Pussy Riot trial: Putin urges leniency for Russia punks

BBC News, 2 August 2012

If convicted, the members of punk outfit Pussy Riot could spend up
to seven years in jail

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Russian president Vladimir Putin says Russian punk trio Pussy Riot should not face tough sentencing for their protest against him in Moscow's main cathedral.

The female musicians are on trial over hooliganism charges after a video of their anti-Putin song appeared online.

"There is nothing good in what they did [but] I don't think they should be judged too severely," Mr Putin told reporters in London.

The musicians reject the charges in the case, which has divided Russia.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Mariya Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich have been in jail since February, when they were arrested after storming the pulpit of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.

Protest performances

The punk trio danced in the Orthodox church while wearing garish colours and masks, chanting "Mother Mary, drive Putin away".

It was one of a number of performances intended as a protest against Mr Putin in the run-up to Russia's presidential elections in March.

The trial, which began on Monday, has caused major debate in Russia.

The song outraged the Russian Orthodox Church, which accused Pussy Riot of blasphemy and has asked for severe judgement.

Supporters, on the other hand, say the case reflects the state's growing intolerance of government opponents.

On Wednesday, medics were called to the court when the women said they felt unwell.

The defendants say they are being deprived of sleep and are poorly fed, according to a defence lawyer.

If convicted of hooliganism, they could face up to seven years in prison.

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L'Oreal heiress Bettencourt sells Seychelles island

BBC News, 1 August 2012

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Mrs Bettencourt's financial affairs
 have rarely been out of the media
glare in recent years

L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt has sold a Seychelles island at the centre of a tax evasion case, says the government of the island chain.

Mrs Bettencourt sold D'Arros island for $60m (£39m), having bought it in 1998 for $18m, said Seychelles Habitat Minister Christian Lionnet.

He said she had also agreed to settle $8m in unpaid taxes from its purchase.

The island purchase came to light in 2010 when Mrs Bettencourt was being investigated by French tax authorities.

The 89-year-old heiress is now back in the spotlight amid allegations that she made illicit donations to the election campaign of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mr Sarkozy's house was raided a month ago as part of the police investigation.

'Tax haven'

Mr Lionnet said Mrs Bettencourt had now sold D'Arros and surrounding islands to a firm affiliated to the Swiss-based Save Our Seas Foundation - a marine conservation group.

In a statement on its website, Save Our Seas said it had agreed to manage the islands, which are turtle breeding grounds, on behalf of the Seychelles government.

It said it would "undertake all what is necessary to protect this unique piece of land in the world and to preserve the environmental legacy of this exceptional group of islands in the Seychelles".

Mrs Bettencourt's ownership of D'Arros was revealed in 2010, when media reports claimed she had not declared the purchase to French authorities and was using the island as a tax haven.

She has since admitted evading tax on money held in foreign bank accounts.

With the sale of the islands, Mrs Bettencourt has agreed to pay the Seychelles government $8m in taxes outstanding from her purchase of the island, Mr Linnet said.

He said she would pay a further $10.5m in stamp duty and other taxes on the current sale.

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Monsanto demands $1 billion in court

RT.com, 01 August, 2012

REUTERS / Henry Romero

Four weeks into a trial between two titans of the biotech industry, Monsanto Co. claimed on Tuesday that its biggest competitor, DuPont, owes them $1 billion for infringing on their patent for herbicide-tolerant lab-made crops.

Monsanto insisted this week that rival company DuPont owes them $1 billion for producing genetically modified crops that were designed to withstand the herbicide Roundup, a technology for which the leading biotech corporation has a patent for. Monsanto’s accusations are based on hundreds of lines of DuPont-made soybean crops that combined the patented Roundup Ready trait with their own herbicide immunity called GAT. Although DuPont claims that their products performed better than Monsanto’s crops by combining technologies from both companies, Monsanto maintains that DuPont infringed on their copyright going back several years and should now compensate them to the tune of $1 billion.

DuPont has filed a counterclaim in response under the argument that Monsanto deceived the US government in getting patent approval for their Roundup Ready crops. Attorneys for DuPont say that Monsanto was not clear with the US Patent and Trademark Office about what genes used in their Roundup Ready crops actually helped organisms fight off herbicides, allowing them wide breadth to thwart similar attempts at the technology from its competitors.

“It was intentional because Monsanto didn’t want people to know what was inside the bag, what was inside the seed,” Leora Ben-Ami, a DuPont lawyer with Kirkland & Ellis, told the court on July 10, Bloomberg News reports. “Monsanto didn’t want people to know how the seed was made.”

By creating plants resistant to herbicides, farmers are able to harvest an abundance of laboratory-produced seeds and douse their fields in chemicals, killing off weeds while at the same time sparing their money crops. Outside of the industry, though, opponents claim that the chemicals used in the herbicides are being used ad nauseam and consumers are being put to risk.

Analyst Chris Shaw of New York’s Monness Crespi Hardt & Co. tells Bloomberg that he thinks DuPont’s counterclaim will fail in court, and that both companies will likely settle out of court.

“They’re going to reach some mutually beneficial agreement even if one loses the trial,” Shaw says. “Ultimately both need each other, given the market share.”

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