So much for the vision of a GMO-free Europe: Following Monsanto’s announcement that it would no longer seek approval to grow new crops in the EU, France’s Council of State court overturned a ban the government placed on the company’s MON 810 corn in 2012.

Unlike the Round-Up resistant corn that’s so commonly planted in the United State, MON 810 is designed to excrete a toxin that’s poisonous to insects. So if any European corn borers take a bite out of stalk or ear, they die. The variety was approved for commercial planting in Europe back in 1998, but France and five other countries—Austria, Hungary, Greece, Luxembourg and Germany—enacted their own bans.

The ruling, issued by France’s highest administrative court, says that “such a measure could only be imposed in an emergency or if there was a serious health or environmental risk.” And while some highly disputed studies have tied MON 810 to health risks, the fact remains that there’s no solid science to support the thinking that GMO crops are a threat to the well-being of those who consume them.

France’s Socialist president Francois Hollande tells Agence France-Presse that the ban was enacted "not because we refuse progress, but in the name of progress," and that it would remain in place despite the court’s ruling. He plans to "secure this decision legally, at a national level and especially at a European level." In other words, Hollande’s hope is for the dream of a GMO-free Europe to become a EU-wide reality.

Championing progress in light of the ruling is the approach Monsanto took too. In a statement that notes the company was not involved in the lawsuit, it says “we’re pleased with the court’s ruling supporting a science- and evidence-based approach to GM crop policy.”

Original article from TakePart

PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would close its embassy in Yemen for several days from Sunday and urged its citizens in the country to take precautions because of elevated security threats.

The decision came after similar moves by Britain and Germany, which followed a U.S. decision to issue a travel alert to its citizens and to close embassies temporarily in the Middle East and Africa.

"We have elements that lead us to believe that the threat is very serious and other countries have also taken similar steps," French President Francois Hollande said during a Saturday visit to southwest France focused on agricultural issues.

"Therefore the embassy will be closed for several days. We are also conscious that we will have to keep up extreme vigilance in the coming weeks, especially for people travelling in the area."

A French Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the move but said only that the embassy would be closed on August 4.

Interpol, the France-based international police agency, on Saturday issued a global security alert advising member states to increase vigilance against attacks after a series of prison breaks in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan. Interpol said it was is investigating to determine if the escapes were linked.

Prison breaks took place in Pakistan on July 31 in a Taliban-led operation, and in Iraq at the Abu Ghraib prison overnight on July 22. Some 500 convicts, among them senior al Qaeda operatives, escaped from Abu Ghraib.

More than 1,100 inmates broke out of a prison on the outskirts of Benghazi on July 27.

Interpol also noted that August was the anniversary of several attacks in past years, including those in Mumbai and Nairobi.

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday American embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Cairo - would be closed that day because of unspecified security concerns. On Friday, it also issued a global travel alert.

The European Union said that it would be taking "all necessary precautions" following the U.S. announcement.

"We are particularly concerned about the security situation in the final days of Ramadan and into Eid," the British Foreign Office said in a statement, referring to the Muslim holy month which ends on Wednesday evening.

(Reporting by Patrick Vignal and Julien Ponthus; Writing by Leila Abboud; Editing by Andrew Roche and Sonya Hepinstall)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Heavy rains that swept across Pakistan brought down more than 100 homes and caved in a factory wall, killing at least 14 people in the downpours Saturday, officials said.

The rains caused about 120 houses to collapse in different areas of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least eight people, said Latifur Rehman, a provincial disaster management spokesman.

In southwest Baluchistan province, heavy rain caused the wall of a factory to buckle in the town of Hub, killing six people, including four children, police officer Hidayat Baluch said. Three people were injured, he said.

Also Saturday, police said unknown gunmen ambushed and killed four police officers in their patrol vehicle overnight in the restive southern port city of Karachi.

The four officers were on night duty near a bridge in the eastern neighborhood of Faisal Colony, senior police officer Tahir Naveed said. Investigators found their bodies inside the vehicle, which had been sprayed with pistol and rifle fire. The overnight attack seemed intended to demoralize the police force, Naveed said.

Karachi is home to multiple conflicts that frequently turn violent, including gang wars and ethnic and political rivalries. Islamic militants also use the city as a hiding place and a source of fundraising through bank heists, extortion and kidnappings for ransom.

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Associated Press writers Adil Jawad in Karachi, Pakistan, and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

• by Judy Molland
• August 1, 2013