WEEKLY WATCH number 211 (1/4/2007)

from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

There are some excellent articles this week - including one on how big business misuses language to deny consumer protection (LOBBYWATCH) and another on the BP-Berkeley deal, which exposes the similarities of the deal to the Manhattan Project in which scientists came together to build the atom bomb. And no, the analogy with the bomb doesn't come from opponents of the deal, but from the proud scientists and corporate honchos running the project (BIOFUELS).

Encouraging things continue to happen in ASIA where resistance to GMOs is breaking out all over. In India scientists are cautioning against the much-hyped GM mosquitoes (GM MOZZIES) and the Andhra Pradesh state government is warning farmers off Bt cotton (ASIA).

The Wall Street Journal reports on the problems for exports being caused by the failure to stop experimental GM plants from contaminating the hundreds of millions of acres of crops grown in the US (THE AMERICAS).

And we kick off with several important CAMPAIGNS OF THE WEEK, including a couple of urgent ones.

Claire [email protected]
www.gmwatch.org / www.lobbywatch.org

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CONTENTS
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CAMPAIGNS OF THE WEEK
ASIA
EUROPE
THE AMERICAS
GM MOZZIES
FOOD SAFETY
AFRICA
AUSTRALASIA
ANIMAL BIOTECH
LOBBYWATCH
BIOFUELS

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CAMPAIGNS OF THE WEEK
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+ SIGN THE MILLION-SIGNATURE PETITION AGAINST GM RICE
Go to the "Week of Rice Action" - WORA - webpage and sign on to show your support via
http://www.panap.net For more info see ASIA (below)

+ BERKELEY: DON'T SIGN THE BP DEAL!
Sign the petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/147963846

For more info see BIOFUELS (below) and
http://www.stopbp-berkeley.org/

+ SIGN THE GLOBAL APPEAL AGAINST PATENTS ON SEEDS
http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=39

+ HELP STOP POLAND'S 'GMO ACT'
The International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside is calling upon Polish Parliamentarians and Senators to reject the proposed new 'GMO Act', which allows for the planting of commercial GM crops in currently self designated GMO Free Zones. Show solidarity with the Polish people by signing-on as a matter of urgency at:
http://icppc.pl/pl/gmo/open_letter.php

+ SIGN THE PETITION AGAINST GM POTATO TRIALS IN YORKSHIRE, UK
http://www.hedonagainstgm.org.uk/

+ *URGENT* - TELL FDA: NO FOOD FROM CLONES!
The US Food and Drug Administration needs to hear you don't want food from animal clones - a public comment period is only open until *April 2* - so if you see this by Monday please send your letter immediately!
http://ga3.org/campaign/Cloning

For more info see ANIMAL BIOTECH (below)

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ASIA
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+ S. KOREAN GOVT ORDERS LABELLING OF ALL GM PRODUCTS
The South Korean government has said that from June, all products with GMOs must be clearly labelled.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7704

+ S. KOREA SAYS NO TO GM RICE IMPORTS
S. Korea's leading civil and farmer organizations this week voiced an unequivocal "NO!" to the import of GM rice and their stand is being supported by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7710

+ 30,000 PEOPLE IN NEPAL RAISE THEIR VOICES FOR RICE
The All Nepal Peasant's Association (ANPA) announced that to date 30,000 people have signed the WORA (Week of Rice Action) statement, Save OUR RICE. 80 members of the Nepali Parliament are among the signatories. Balram Banskota of ANPA said, "We do not want nor need GE rice and we do not want any technologies that deplete our rice diversity and culture".
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7688
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7696

+ PHILIPPINES: PEOPLE WANT RICE GM-FREE
Hundreds of text messages stating "I love my rice GMO-free" kept Philippines Dept of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap's phone busy on March 15. His new textmates: Filipino consumers demanding GM-free rice and rice production. The text barrage was the World Consumers' Day activity that is part of Greenpeace's campaign against GM rice.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7696


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