Mainstream News

Revealed: Big Pharma tested dangerous new drugs on unknowing East Germans

"Western drug companies tested pharmaceuticals on more than 50,000 people in the former communist East Germany, often without the knowledge of patients, several of whom died. Some 600 clinical trials were carried out in more than 50 hospitals until the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, the report said, citing previously unpublished documents of the East German health ministry, pharmaceutical institute and Stasi secret police. Many major drug companies from Germany, Switzerland and the United States took part, offering up to 800,000 West German marks per study, a boost for East Germany’s underfunded health care system, Spiegel said." Continue reading →

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Donald Trump gets into crowdfunding

"Donald Trump is putting his stamp of approval, but not his name, on a new crowdfunding platform that is scheduled to launch tomorrow. He's also an investor in the site, and each week will personally contribute to one or more projects that strike his fancy. FundAnything projects could include tech inventions, new uniforms for a school sports team, helping out someone with a medical emergency, etc. Not only will Trump personally back new projects each week -- tomorrow he'll unveil the recipients of his first personal investments -- but he'll also promote those choices via his Twitter feed (which currently has 2.2 million followers)." Continue reading →

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Dodd-Frank Creates A Prebuilt Loan Predicament

"Loans with rates and fees above certain thresholds are supposed to be designated 'high cost' by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and thus subject to fewer legal protections. The bureau earlier this year decided to call loans high-cost if they have an annual percentage rate of more than 6.5 percentage points above a national average and 8.5 percentage points for many loans under $50,000. Lenders to manufactured-home buyers say many of their loans would fall into the high-cost category with this regulation, which goes into effect in January. They warn that they won't make such loans because they carry increased legal risk." Continue reading →

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TSA bomb-sniffing dog bites woman at Hartsfield-Jackson

"A Rome woman is still recovering after being bitten in the side by a TSA bomb-sniffing dog. The incident happened on May 2nd in the south terminal baggage claim carousel at Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Sue Dubitsky told 11Alive News she was standing in the baggage claim area and noticed the K-9 officer and handler standing beside her. She said she was barely paying them any attention when the dog suddenly lunged and bit her in the lower stomach." Continue reading →

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Obama Sees ObamaCare as Legacy Too Worthy to Resist

"Obama summoned about 20 senior administration officials to the White House’s Roosevelt Room for an hour-long meeting on the implementation of his health-care law. Obama began by reminding his staff that the Affordable Care Act would be one of his major legacies and its execution among the highest priorities of his second term, according to a Democrat familiar with the gathering. The session, which has been followed by regular presidential briefings, led to a two-track campaign to defend the measure against united Republican opposition declaring it a failure and to motivate uninsured Americans to sign up for health-care coverage." Continue reading →

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Fast-food worker wage protests spread to Detroit and St. Louis

"On Friday in Detroit organisers were expecting at least 400 workers from at least 60 stores to come out and protest. The action comes a day after two days of similar protest in St Louis, Missouri, which saw 100 workers walk off their jobs at chains like Wendy’s, Domino’s and Jimmy John’s. It also follows similar actions in Chicago and New York earlier this year in what labour experts call the largest such disputes to ever hit the industry. The demonstrations are aimed at highlighting a demand for a $15-an-hour wage and the right to form a union without fear of employer intimidation." Continue reading →

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New Zealand Government Announces That Software Will No Longer Be Patentable

"In a bill passed earlier today, the Government of New Zealand announced that software in the country will no longer be patentable. New Zealand’s largest IT representative body, the Institute of IT Professionals, expressed relief and said the decision removed a major barrier to software-led innovation. The policy was passed in a Supplementary Order Paper, which sets out proposed amendments to the existing Patents Bill." Continue reading →

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Reuters: U.S. cyberwar strategy stokes fear of blowback

"Even as the U.S. government confronts rival powers over widespread Internet espionage, it has become the biggest buyer in a burgeoning gray market where hackers and security firms sell tools for breaking into computers. The strategy is spurring concern in the technology industry and intelligence community that Washington is in effect encouraging hacking and failing to disclose to software companies and customers the vulnerabilities exploited by the purchased hacks. That's because U.S. intelligence and military agencies are using the tools to infiltrate computer networks overseas, leaving behind spy programs and cyber-weapons." Continue reading →

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U.S. Blames China’s Military Directly for Cyberattacks

"The Obama administration on Monday explicitly accused China’s military of mounting attacks on American government computer systems and defense contractors, saying one motive could be to map 'military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis.' The accusations relayed in the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities were remarkable in their directness. Missing from the Pentagon report was any acknowledgment of the similar abilities being developed in the United States, where billions of dollars are spent each year on cyberdefense and constructing increasingly sophisticated cyberweapons." Continue reading →

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Indian government now snooping on SMSs, online chats

"The government last month quietly began rolling out a project that gives it access to everything that happens over India's telecommunications network—online activities, phone calls, text messages and even social media conversations. Called the Central Monitoring System, it will be the single window from where government arms such as the National Investigation Agency or the tax authorities will be able to monitor every byte of communication. But privacy and internet freedom advocates are worried that in the name of security, the government could end up snooping on people, possibly abusing a system that does not have enough safeguards to protect ordinary citizens." Continue reading →

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