International

An EU member state must have the right to ban genetically modified maize. This view prevailed during yesterday's meeting of the Council of Environment Ministers. The European Commission was looking, with the support of the Netherlands' environment minister Jacqueline Cramer - a Labour member of the governing coalition – to rap Austria and Hungary on the knuckles. Both countries have concluded that such maize presents a risk to human health and the environment and for that reason wanted to maintain their ban. They have now won the right to continue to exclude Monsanto and Bayer products in question.

Rudaw- Netherlands
Harry van Bommel is one of the leaders of Netherlands Socialist Party and he is a close friend of the Kurds. He, as a member of parliament, has always defended Kurds. A few weeks ago Bommel called on the Netherlands foreign minister, Maxime Verhage, to explain why Kurdish politician and activist Leyla Zana has been arrested by Turkey again. "I do not accept the response of foreign minister" he told Rudaw in an exclusive interview."