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	Thalidomide makers ignored effects warning by Reuters, AFP & agencies   30 Aug, 2012   Drug Company Apology "Too Little, Too Late" for Thalidomide Victims.   Victims families and survivors of the drug Thalidomide widely rejected the first public apology from the drug''s manufacturer Grunenthal, whose CEO expressed "sincere regrets" for the medical disaster for those harmed by the drug.   Thalidomide, which was marketed worldwide in the 1950''s and 1960''s as a cure for pregnant women''s morning sickness and other ailments, caused thousands of babies to be born with extreme birth defects, including missing limbs, malformed organs and blindness.   For nearly fifty years, the company refused to publicly acknowledge or apologize for the disaster, but on Friday asked victims to "regard our long silence as a sign of the shock that your fate has caused us."   "It''s the sort of apology you give when you''re not really sorry," Wendy Rowe, an Australian woman whose daughter, Lynette, won a recent financial settlement against Diageo Plc, the successor to thalidomide''s Australian distributor, told the Sydney Morning Herald.   "It’s also insulting that they want us to believe Grunenthal had not apologised for 50 years because it has been in silent shock. Shock is having your precious child born without arms and legs. It’s accepting that your child is not going to have that life that you wanted for her," she said.   Court papers that surfaced during the Rowe lawsuit allege that Grunenthal was warned of birth defects nearly two years before thalidomide was withdrawn from the market.   “We feel that a sincere and genuine apology is one which actually admits wrongdoing. The company has not done that and has really insulted the Thalidomiders,” UK victim Nick Dobrik told BBC radio. "And I think it''s really important to understand that we have been fighting for justice for over 50 years and there''s a lot of people who are victims of pharmaceutical companies, not just thalidomiders."   Quoted in the Globe and Mail, Freddie Astbury, president of the charity Thalidomide UK, said Grunenthal needed to “put their money where their mouth is” and compensate victims rather than simply saying sorry.   “If they are serious about admitting they are at fault and regret what happened they need to start helping those of us who were affected financially,” said Mr. Astbury, who was born without arms and legs after his mother took the drug.   The Rowe family''s legal firm, Slater & Gordon, called the drug manufacturer''s apology "pathetic": "It is too little, too late and riddled with further deceit."   Rowe''s settlement followed a A$50 million payment Diageo agreed to make in 2010 to 45 thalidomide victims in Australia and New Zealand, who sought help to cope with the mounting costs of care as they were living longer than expected.   July 27, 2012   Thalidomide makers ignored effects warning: report.   Media agencies have reported German company Grunenthal covered up explicit warnings from medical professionals and ignored the serious deformities of its own employees babies.   The company has always maintained the drug"s effects were an unforeseeable tragedy and it has never paid compensation.   Thousands of babies around the world, were born in the late 1950s and early 1960s with severe physical deformities because their mothers had taken Thalidomide to treat morning sickness.   Mary Henley-Collopy, who was born without arms and legs, says she wants Grunenthal to provide adequate compensation.   "Why didn"t they stop it? And 50 years later, today, I"m shaking," she said. I cannot believe that they still can"t see the error of their ways."   Ms Henley-Collopy, 50, says Grunenthal"s executives should be ashamed. "Until we can get satisfactory compensation, I honestly do not know how they can sleep in bed," she said.   Class action   Earlier this month in Melbourne, Australia, Lynette Rowe won a multi-million-dollar legal fight against the company responsible for distributing Thalidomide.   The decision meant Ms Rowe would get compensation and be provided with care for the rest of her life. The 50-year-old was born with no arms or legs after her mother took Thalidomide.   July 24, 2012   Toxins found in Chinese baby formula. (AFP)   China"s quality watchdog has ordered a dairy to suspend production after a cancer-causing toxin was found in infant formula.   Ava Dairy Co. Ltd has started a recall after high levels of aflatoxin, a toxin caused by mould, was found in products made between July and December.   The World Health Organisation reports that aflatoxins can be found in milk after cows consume contaminated feed and can increase the risk of cancer.   The formula was mainly sold to supermarkets in the Hunan and Guangdong provinces.   China is reportedly trying to crack down on product safety violations in an effort to reassure now highly sceptical citizens and restore faith in the government after a series of high-profile scandals.   The latest case comes just a month after dairy maker Yili began recalling batches of baby formula after authorities found they contained high levels of mercury.   In December, aflatoxin was found in milk produced by another leading dairy company, Mengniu Dairy Group.   Milk was at the centre of China"s biggest food safety scandal in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products to give the appearance of higher protein content.   At least six babies died and another 300,000 became ill after drinking milk tainted with melamine.
	Corruption risk report cards published by Center for Public Integrity USA   The State Integrity Investigation, a partnership between the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International to measure the risk of corruption in every US state, released full state report cards. They include letter grades, reporter comments and research details, as well as each state"s rank among all 50 states.   The State Integrity Investigation is an unprecedented, data-driven analysis of each US state’s laws and practices that deter corruption and promote accountability and openness. Experienced journalists graded each state government on its corruption risk using 330 specific integrity indicators. The Investigation ranked every state from one to 50. Each state received a report card with letter grades in 14 categories, including campaign finance, ethics laws, lobbying regulations, and management of state pension funds.   Since this is the first report of it’s kind in the United States, we are not surprised at the attention this report received both by mainstream media and people on social media. Visit the related web page
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