ENVIRONMENT: Ban Endures on Terminator Seeds

An international moratorium on the use of controversial "terminator technology" in genetically engineered crops survived efforts to overturn it at a United Nations interim meeting on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bangkok Friday.

ENVIRONMENT: ‘They Want Transgenic Crops, Whether They Are Good or Bad’

Ignacio Chapela, a Mexican biologist who rose to fame in 2001 when he discovered that native Mexican maize had been contaminated by transgenic corn varieties, announced in a Tierramérica interview that he is going on the offensive in a war that he says biotechnology transnational corporations have been waging against him.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Monsanto "Seed Police" Scrutinise Farmers

Agribusiness giant Monsanto has sued more than 100 U.S. farmers, and its "seed police" have investigated thousands of others, for what the company terms illegal use of its patented genetically engineered seeds, and activists charge is "corporate extortion".

CHALLENGES 2004-2005: ‘Pharma Crops’ Threaten Food Safety

Medicine and farming are merging as genetically engineered (GE) maize and soy crops promise cheap drugs, but they also threaten to contaminate food and the environment, warn activists and experts.

U.S: Crop Testing Rules Menace Food Supply, Say Critics

Proposed rules for experimental genetically engineered (GE) crops will allow contamination of the U.S. food supply, critics said this week, as a new poll reported Americans want stricter regulation of GE foods.

AGRICULTURE-ENVIRONMENT: Activists Take Fire at CGIAR

Environmentalists and farm activists in Mexico are criticising the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) for allegedly distancing itself from small farmers and pandering to transnational biotech corporations that produce transgenic seeds.

DEVELOPMENT: Boost Biotech in South, Report Urges

The science of biotechnology could save tens of millions of lives each year in developing countries if the technology is shared equitably, says a new report to the United Nations.

CANADA: Monsanto Victory Plants Seed of Privatisation

Canadian farmers' traditional right to save seeds is being threatened by proposals to collect royalties on virtually all such seeds following agribusiness giant Monsanto's victory over grower Percy Schmeiser.

ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Latest Battle in ‘War’ Over Transgenics

The Brazilian government has made "horrific mistakes" regarding the issue of transgenic crops and is about to make another, according to 14 organisations that have sent an open letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva.

ENVIRONMENT-FRANCE: Hesitant Vindication of Transgenic Crops

A report by the French food security agency AFSSA that highlights the benefits of transgenic crops was received with scepticism in local scientific circles, where experts noted the ambiguity of the study's own conclusions.

SCIENCE: US-Backed Researcher Scours Seas for Matter to Create Life

Somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, a private research vessel owned by controversial genetic scientist J Craig Venter is collecting millions of bacteria from the sea, hoping to find the biological building blocks he can use to create a synthetic life-form that will one day become a new source of energy.

AGRICULTURE-ARGENTINA: Soy Overruns Everything in Its Path

High international soybean prices have pushed the crop far beyond the traditional farmlands of central and eastern Argentina, into the arid northwest, steamrolling over small farms and even protected forest areas.

COMMUNICATION: Clue Offered to Knowing Your Pesticides

A curious court action Wednesday gave Friends of the Earth the right to tell people where to look for information on some pesticides - but not to offer the information.

ENVIRONMENT: ‘New Europe’ Rejects GM Vote

The European Union's new member states have blocked calls from Brussels to allow the import of a genetically modified oilseed rape into the bloc.

AGRICULTURE: Canada’s Top Court Backs Monsanto Against Farmer

Canada's top court ruled against farmer Percy Schmeiser on Friday, upholding agri-business giant Monsanto's patent on genetically modified (GM) canola, a decision observers say will have implications for agriculture worldwide.

ENVIRONMENT: GM Decision ‘Will Distance EU Public’

The European Union will face increased public hostility if it approves import of a genetically modified sweetcorn, leading environmental groups warn.

AGRICULTURE: Activists Wary as Monsanto Withdraws GE Wheat

Activists who fight genetically engineered products are declaring victory after agricultural giant Monsanto's decision to shelve plans to launch GE wheat in Canada and United States. But some warn that the battle over the wheat, and GE crops in general, is far from over.

ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Beans May Neutralise Transgenic Debate

The heated debate about genetically modified organisms in Brazil just might escape the dead end it had entered with the transgenic soybean controversy, that is, if all goes well with a genetically modified version of a kidney-type bean that is currently undergoing field tests.

ENVIRONMENT: Anti-GM Movement Spreads Across Europe

Europe's largest grassroots environmental network is stepping up its campaign against the European Union over genetically modified organisms.

AGRICULTURE: Seed Treaty Boosts Farmers, Fails to Weed Out GM Crops

Poised to come into force in June, the international seed treaty represents the best hope for the protection of farmers' rights and to stem the tide of patents on seeds, according to activists.

ENVIRONMENT: Transgenic Corn Growing in Mesoamerica

In the Mesoamerican region, where maize was domesticated some nine thousand years ago, Honduras is the only country that permits the commercial cultivation of transgenic corn varieties.