The US is to deploy heavy weapons – including tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery – in a number of European nations, amid Nato concerns over Russia’s role in Ukraine. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33238004 US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the equipment would be placed in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Nato has vowed to boost military […]

France summoned the U.S. ambassador Wednesday to respond to the revelations by WikiLeaks that the U.S. National Security Agency eavesdropped on three successive French presidents and other top officials. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7b487071205543d9a96e60fe795a3bd0/french-president-calls-us-spying-revelations-unacceptable The release of the spying revelations appeared to be timed to coincide with a final vote Wednesday in the French Parliament on a bill allowing […]

The FBI assured Congress in an unusual, secret briefing that its plane surveillance program is a lawful operation with high-definition cameras and said it has tracked cellphones from the sky. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1240a8a42edf4a86aff72a0246525a95/fbi-surveillance-flights-book-rarely-track-phones The FBI refused to openly answer some questions about its planes, which routinely orbit major U.S. cities and rural areas. Although the FBI has […]

Nestle India said it will destroy instant noodles worth 3.2 billion rupees ($50 million) following a sales ban imposed by Indian food safety authorities for unsafe levels of lead. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a328bb2e690c415291099cfd05b4d24d/after-lead-scare-nestle-india-destroy-50m-noodles India’s food safety panel banned the noodles earlier this month after tests conducted across the country found that Nestle’s Maggi noodles contained lead at levels […]

When honeybees are busy pollinating large, blooming croplands, farmers wanting to spray toxic pesticides will soon have to buzz off, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cc69852ef58b424b976e008039cbf3f7/epa-plans-temporary-pesticide-restrictions-while-bees-feed A federal rule to be proposed Thursday would create temporary pesticide-free zones when certain plants are in bloom around bees that are trucked from farm to farm by […]

Al-Qaida’s branch in Syria has no plans to attack the West but warns that they might retaliate if airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition continue to target them, the leader of the group said in an interview with an Arab TV station. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1b384894b25744f0a29889c520c55568/syrias-al-qaida-chief-says-no-plans-attack-west The Syrian known as Abu Muhammed al-Golani, who heads the Nusra Front, said […]

SC Johnson, the maker of Glade air fresheners, has decided to tell consumers more about the chemicals they are breathing. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/business/maker-of-glade-to-disclose-chemical-details.html?ref=us On Monday, the company disclosed ingredients in the fragrances used in more than 200 of its air fresheners, candles and scented oils on its website. Companies have increasingly responded to safety concerns not from […]

Despite myriad assurances from scientists that foods containing genetically modified ingredients are safe to eat, consumers still would like to see more and more products labeled “G.M.O.-free”. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/fears-not-facts-support-gmo-free-food/?smid=tw-nytimes Responding to consumer concerns about genetically modified organisms, or G.M.O.s, in foods, as well as individual company and state actions on G.M.O. labeling, the Department of Agriculture […]

Top U.S. tech companies are warning the Obama administration against imposing new policies that the companies say would weaken increasingly sophisticated encryption systems designed to protect consumers’ privacy. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/us-cybersecurity-usa-encryption-idUSKBN0OP09R20150609?utm_source=twitter In a strongly worded letter to President Barack Obama on Monday, two industry associations representing major software and hardware companies said, “We are opposed to any […]