Sanders Calls for Investigations into Big Pharma Insulin-Price Collusion

    U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders © Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has requested the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission open investigations into “potential coordination” by drug-makers Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk in raising insulin prices.

In a letter sent Thursday to US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FTC chair Edith Ramirez, Sanders and Elijah Cummings — the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee — offered evidence that the three companies "who make different versions of insulin have continuously raised prices on this life-saving medication" even though the patent on insulin expired decades ago, and that "price increases have reportedly mirrored one another precisely."

Insulin is used to treat diabetes, a set of diseases that has quadrupled across the world in the last 35 years, according to the World Health Organization. Nearly 30 million Americans live with with diabetes, and many need insulin to survive. Diabetes costs in the US reached $322 billion in 2012, the letter claimed.

"We have also heard from our constituents that the life-saving insulin they need is increasingly unaffordable," Sanders and Cummings wrote. "About six million Americans use insulin, and for many patients, switching between insulin brands can be difficult because the medicines are not completely interchangeable."

Only three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — make insulin worldwide and often insist they do not completely control costs. Yet analysts of the industry have said "evergreening" — or slight modifications to drugs that help maintain patients' business while keeping generic drugs at bay — and steep price hikes have occurred for decades.

"We strongly disagree with the accusations in the letter," said a spokesman for Eli Lilly, which sells Humalog and Humilin, according to PBS. "The insulin market in the US is highly competitive."

A Novo Nordisk spokesman told PBS "we set price for these life-saving medicines independently and then negotiate with payers and [pharmacy benefit managers] to ensure patients have access to them. We stand by our business practices."

A Sanofi spokeswoman said the company "sets the prices of our treatments independently."

In April, the Journal of the American Medical Association released a study that found that “the mean price of insulin increased from $4.34/mL in 2002 to $12.92/mL in 2013—a 200% increase."

Now, Liberals and liberal reporters may not be the most mathematically astute people in the world but the price increase listed above is obviously 300% not 200%.

The three companies have raised insulin prices steadily in recent years, according to Kasia Lipska, an endocrinologist at the Yale School of Medicine.

"From 2010 to 2015, the price of Lantus (made by Sanofi) went up by 168 percent; the price of Levemir (made by Novo Nordisk) rose by 169 percent; and the price of Humulin R U-500 (made by Eli Lilly) soared by 325 percent," Lipska wrote in February for the New York Times.

Cummings and Sanders — a former Democratic presidential candidate who challenged rival Hillary Clinton's relationship with pharmaceutical corporations during the primary campaign — alleged that not only have insulin prices skyrocketed, but that the few companies who effectively have the insulin market cornered have colluded in those price hikes. They cited research that found 13 instances since 2009 in which Lantus and Levemir increased within tandem within the US.

"From 2014 to 2015, the price of both Sanofi's Lantus and Nove Nordisk's Levemir reportedly went up by 29.9 percent, and each drug had a wholesale price of precisely $29.82 per milliliter," the letter says.

On Tuesday, after Sanders tweeted out criticism of insulin makers' price jumps, stock for Eli Lilly's Humalog hit a seven-month low.

The Justice Department is already investigating potential price collusion among dozens of generic drug companies, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. 

"We are concerned that the potential coordination by these drugmakers may not simply be a case of 'shadow pricing,' but may indicate possible collusion, and we believe this egregious behavior warrants a thorough investigation," the letter stated.

Indonesian Police Use Tear Gas as 1,000s of Muslims Rally Against Christian Governor

As in any country where Islam is dominant and increasingly so, tolerance for Christianity or any other religion becomes inversely proportional. IS is the extreme example where all religions, even other Muslim sects, were slaughtered without hesitation. 

Tolerance for Christianity, and even secularism, will slowly decrease in European countries where Muslims are welcomed in excessive numbers, especially if they cannot be absorbed quickly into western culture.


Members of hardline Muslim groups attend a protest against Jakarta's incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian running in the upcoming election, in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 4, 2016. © Beawiharta / Reuters

Tens of thousands of hardline Muslim protesters rallying against a non-Muslim governor they accuse of blasphemy marched in Jakarta, where multiple calls for violence and provocations from foreign jihadists resulted in tear gas and scuffles with police.

President Joko Widodo had put 18,000 police and military on alert in anticipation of the violence. The procession started as a peaceful march, but local Metro TV now reports that hardline Muslim protesters have reached the presidential palace, where they ran into police in riot gear. Some protesters threw plastic bottles into the police barricade.

Local TV One showed a fire that had been ignited at the national monument, where there are reports of thick black smoke, according to Reuters. The broadcasters said a vehicle had been overturned, but the cause was unclear.

Companies and businesses have asked their employees to work from home today, as the situation at present remains unpredictable. The Russian embassy also told its staff to stay home and to observe caution.

The latest accusations of blasphemy came after Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known also by his nickname Ahok, referred to a Koranic quote in an argument with political opponents who were urging Muslims not to vote for him. Being a Christian, hardline Muslims believe he has no right to quote their holy book to further his ends.

In other words, it doesn't matter what the Quran says, only who says it? It's what happens when you are caught disobeying the Quran - you shoot the guy who points it out.

Purnama has also faced frequent attacks from Indonesians because of his Christian background, and his remarks prompted major Muslim organizations and Syrian jihadists alike to call for him to step down. Last month, a photograph emerged online from the Syrian-based terrorist group Jabhat Al-Nusra with a banner saying “punish Ahok, or our bullets will.”

All I can say is, it's a good thing Indonesia is a secular country. I would hate to see what it would be like if it was Islamic.

The governor recently struck out at the opposition for citing a Koranic verse that they said warns Muslims against dealing with Christians and Jews, accusing them of “lying,” setting off a chain reaction. His later apologies did nothing to dissuade Indonesia’s leading hardliners, the Islamic Defenders Front, from calling for mass protests and demanding that the Chinese Christian be jailed.

Although it subscribes to a moderate form of Islam, Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and suffers from frequent attacks against its Christian and Buddhist minorities.

While the government of Indonesia is officially secular, it recognizes 6 religions, the largest being Muslim (99% Sunnis) @ 87%, and Christian (Protestant and Catholic) @ 10%.

The minister for political, legal, and security affairs, Wiranto, will meet with the protesters today. On Thursday, President Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla released a statement calling for the rally to be peaceful.

In the meantime, an investigation into Purnama’s blasphemy has been launched by the police. The president, a Muslim, has vowed not to interfere in the probe, Reuters cited the Indonesian Clerical Council as saying.

His 'blasphemy' being that he quoted the Quran!

Ethnically Chinese people make up just one percent of Indonesia’s population of 250 million, so politicians such as Purnama rarely make it into office. In this case, oppositional sentiment against the governor is overwhelming, despite some social media pockets of support.

The country has seen its fair share of protests, but Friday’s was the biggest in quite some time. In extreme cases, people die, as was the case at a Bali nightclub in 2002, when an Islamist bombing claimed 202 lives. The current rise of Islamic State has led authorities to fear further attacks. Earlier in January, IS supporters mounted an attack in Jakarta, with explosions and gunfire heard in several downtown spots, including a mall. A standoff ensued at the Skyline Building, in which four assailants and four civilians were killed, and 23 others were injured.

UK Inquiry Find Blair Went 'Beyond the Facts' Promoting Iraq War; No Inquiry for USA

The 7 year inquiry made it clear that there was no real evidence of WMDs or any immediate threat from Iraq. It found that Blair pushed for war without any scrutiny from parliament.

The USA did the same only VP Cheney knew the facts and altered them presenting outright lies to the people and to the world. 

And, based on those lies, pressured other countries into joining their illegal and immoral war. The US needs an inquiry to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Blair went ‘beyond the facts’ & damaged UK politics when advocating for Iraq invasion – Chilcot

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair © Neil Hall / Reuters

Former British PM Tony Blair resorted to rhetoric unsupported by any compelling evidence when he promoted the Iraq invasion to his cabinet and the British people, eroding public trust and inflicting long-term damage on UK politics, Sir John Chilcot said.

The author of the 2.6-million-word inquiry into the UK’s involvement in the US-led invasion in Iraq in 2003, Chilcot told the House of Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday that he could “only imagine” how much time it would take to repair the trust of the UK public in politics damaged by Tony Blair, who manipulated public opinion and his own cabinet by strong words into invading Iraq, rather than presenting hard evidence. 

"I think when a government or the leader of a government presents a case with all the powers of advocacy that he or she can command, and in doing so goes beyond what the facts of the case and the basic analysis of that can support, then it does damage politics, yes," Chilcot said, as cited by the Independent, after being questioned about the longstanding repercussions of Blair’s policy.

In his parliamentary address to the nation on March 18, 2003, Blair had employed all his rhetorical prowess to persuade the public of an “imminent threat” that did not exist, the report has found.

"A speech was made in advocate's terms and putting the best possible inflection on the description that he used," Chilcot said, adding that “objectively” the decision to send troops to Iraq was “unreasonable.”

However, Chilcot was cautious about blaming Blair for duping the British people into believing what he knew was not true, saying, “It’s impossible for me to say what was going through Tony Blair’s mind when he came to the conclusions he did,” the Guardian reported.  

While Chilcot does not consider Blair to be an outright liar who would “state falsehoods knowing them to be false,” he believes that the former PM had exploited his “political and personal dominance” over the cabinet to shun any debate on the issue.

Even when some cabinet members attempted to initiate a debate and seek more info from the PM on the weapons of mass destruction the then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was claimed to possess, Blair appeared to dodge the questions, Chilcot said.

"They were promised it sometimes, but the promises were not delivered,” Chilcot said, as cited by Daily Mail, recalling the evidence he was given by Blair’s foreign secretary Jack Straw.  

The single-handed manner in which Blair dealt with the issue bypassing his government’s oversight resembles the way it could have been handled in the absolute monarchy of the 18th century, with Blair being a sovereign himself, Iain Wright, the member of the committee from the Labor Party, pointed  out.  

"Is it almost the 21st Century equivalent of Louis XIV – 'I am the state'?" he asked Chilcot, as cited by the Guardian. Chilcot, in turn, agreed with the notion.

"I observed what can be described in that way,” he said.

"Sir John's evidence confirmed what many of us have long suspected – in making his case for war, Mr Blair went beyond the facts. In doing so, Mr Blair eroded the trust of the electorate in its leaders, a shocking legacy," the committee chair said, commenting on the questioning session.

The much-awaited seven-year investigation into the Iraqi war, the Chilcot Report, was published in July. While the report did not raise the issue of the legality of the war, it shed light on the lack of evidence that would suggest that Iraq posed immediate threat to the UK, and blamed government for “wholly inadequate” preparations of the UK army to the war and underestimating its consequences.

In the wake of its release, Blair defended his controversial decision to venture into the war, arguing it was “the right thing to do” saying that he was acting in “good faith.”

Faith in who, or what? You acted recklessly, Mr Blair, and sorely tarnished a legacy that would otherwise have been complimentary, and you did it deliberately. No, it was not 'the right thing to do', as time has made clear, 'it was the wrong thing to do' as any immoral act always is.

4 More Mosques Closed in France for Spreading ‘Radical Ideology’

Now that they are closed - bulldoze them

Members of the Muslim community pray in the Paris Grand Mosque during an open day weekend for mosques in France © Charles Platiau / Reuters

French authorities have closed four mosques in the Paris region for promoting the ideology of radical Islam under the state of emergency as France continues to tackle the issue of home-grown radicalism following a number of high-profile terrorist attacks.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has issued an order authorizing the administrative closure of four Muslim preaching schools in the Paris suburbs of Yvelines, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne, a statement by the French Interior Ministry says.

The mosques were closed under the state of emergency for the spread of “hatred and violence,” the statement says, adding that “under the guise of ritual ceremonies, these places [harbored] meetings aimed at promoting radical ideology, [which is] contrary to the values of the [French] Republic and may constitute a serious risk to security and public order.”

In the statement, Cazeneuve also reaffirmed his commitment to “allow the peaceful coexistence of all [places of] worship in compliance with the laws of the Republic” as well as his “determination” to protect French citizens and “fight terrorism by all legal means.”

In Val-de-Marne, a clandestine Islamic school was found in late August in a mosque that was closed on Wednesday. Twelve people who attended this school were convicted in April for having links to jihadist groups in Syria.

The mosque in Yvelines had links “to an influential Salafist movement that advocated rigorous Islam and called for discrimination, hatred and violence,” a decree issued by the regional prefect said, as cited by Le Parisien.

Many people who previously attended one of the two mosques that were closed in Seine-Saint-Denis then joined jihadist movements, French media report, adding that some of them are suspected of “being behind attempted terrorist attacks in France.”

In August, Cazeneuve said that French authorities had closed about 20 mosques and prayer halls considered to be preaching radical Islam since December 2015. “There is no place... in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques,” he said at that time, adding that the closures would continue.

The minister also said that French authorities were working on a French foundation for Islam which would guarantee complete transparency in financing mosques “with rigorous respect for secular principles.”

In July, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said his government was considering a temporary ban (should be a permanent ban) on foreign financing of mosques following a series of terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL), including November 2015 Paris attacks, the July Nice tragedy and the killing of a priest at French church.

There are some 2,500 mosques and prayer halls in France. Of those, around 120 are considered to be preaching radical Salafism, a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam.

Saudi Arabia - Leading the World in Human Rights!!!!!!???

Saudi prince flogged by police after court ruling

© Reuters

A Saudi Prince from the kingdom’s ruling royal Al Saud family has been flogged in prison as part of a court-ordered punishment just weeks after another prince was executed for murder, according to local reports.

Okayz Daily, a Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in the port city of Jeddah, reported Wednesday that the unidentified prince was given lashes in a prison in the city on Monday.

It comes less than a month after Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was put to death in Riyadh for shooting dead another man, identified as Adel al-Mahemid, in a brawl. It was the first execution of a member of the Saudi royal family in more than four decades.

Kabir was the 134th person to be put to death in the country in 2016, according to an AFP tally of ministry statements confirming executions.

The legal system of Saudi Arabia is based on Sharia law, under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

The oil rich country and close ally of the US had the third highest number of executions in 2015 after Iran and Pakistan, according to Amnesty International.

China is not included in the ranking as the data is treated as a state secret but the human rights organization believes China remains the world’s top executioner.

‘Like asking if you’ll stop beating your wife’

Saudi ambassador dodges Yemen cluster bomb question

 © Zaid Jilani / YouTube

The Saudi ambassador to the US has dodged a journalist’s question on the use of cluster bombs in Yemen, saying it’s like asking, “Will you stop beating your wife?” He also said the Saudi-led coalition will continue bombing Yemen, “no matter what.”

Prince Abdullah Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, was confronted by a reporter from the Intercept, the publication said on Tuesday.

“Will you continue to use cluster weapons in Yemen?” the reporter asked the diplomat.

Al-Saud laughed before answering: “This is like the question, ‘Will you stop beating your wife?’”

After the reporter repeated the question, the ambassador again dismissed it, saying “You are political operators. I’m not a politician.”

Speaking at the Annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference last week, al-Saud insisted that the Saudi-led coalition will continue its bombing campaign in Yemen, the Intercept reported. “If anyone attacks human lives and disturbs the border, in whatever region, we’re going to continue hitting them, no matter what,” said al-Saud.

On Monday, the US envoy to the UN, Samantha Power, called on the Saudi-led coalition to “refrain from taking steps that escalate violence” in Yemen. However, her appeal contradicts Washington’s actions, with the Pentagon continuing to supply arms and provide military support to Riyadh.

Earlier, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Saudi-led coalition of war crimes following an airstrike on a funeral in Yemen on October 8. In that incident, at least two air-dropped munitions penetrated the roof of a hall containing over 1,000 mourners during the funeral ceremony of Ali al-Rawishan, the father of the Sanaa-based administration’s interior minister, Jalal al-Rawishan. At least 140 people were killed and 610 wounded.

Despite calls by US officials to review its support for its Middle Eastern ally, Washington continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, approving more than $20 billion in military sales in 2015 alone, HRW reports.


According to UN data from August this year, the Saudi intervention in Yemen has claimed the lives of at least 10,000 people, including almost 4,000 civilians. The UN and HRW have repeatedly accused the Saudi military of dropping cluster bombs in Yemeni residential areas.


Saudi Arabia leading the world in human rights!!!!!!???

So, in spite of bombing funerals in a foreign country, in spite of wife-beating being a standing joke, in spite of beheadings and floggings, often for what would not even be crimes in a civilized country - Saudi Arabia just got re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council. To make matters worse, the head of that council is also a Saudi. 

Saudi Arabia exercises Sharia law which is founded in 7th century, barbarian, madness and has no place in the 21st century. Yet, there will be no complaints about human rights from the UN.

Saudi Arabia is flexing its muscles in many corners of the world and is becoming more dangerous by the hour. The low price of oil is causing considerable financial stress in Riyadh, the consequences of which could be global in extent. The Saudis have loaned billions, if not trillions of dollars to western countries and the fear of them recalling those loans may explain why western countries keep selling mountains of military weapons to the kingdom. Or, maybe it is just greed.

Trinity Western University Law School Wins Legal Battle in B.C. Court

The tide is turning in the war on Christianity

Court dismisses law society's attempts to block accreditation of Christian law school

By Mike Laanela and Farrah Merali, CBC News


The Law Society of B.C. denied accreditation to graduates of Trinity Western's proposed law school over the university's 'community covenant,' which the society said discriminated against gays and lesbians hoping to enter the legal profession. (CBC)

The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the right of future graduates of the faith-based Trinity Western University (TWU) Law School to practise law in the province. 

The ruling upholds a previous decision made by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who ruled the Law Society of B.C. was wrong to deny accreditation to future alumni of the Christian university's proposed law school.

'Everyone, religious or not, should celebrate this decision.'

University spokeswoman Amy Robertson

At issue was the school's so-called community covenant, which all students must sign, pledging to be sexually intimate only with a member of the opposite sex to whom they are married. 

On Tuesday morning in Vancouver, the court dismissed an appeal from the law society, which had argued the covenant discriminated against members of the LGBT community.

Instead, the panel of justices ruled that the society's decision to deny accreditation limits the university's right to freedom of religion in a disproportionate way.

Charter issues

In the written decision, the justices highlighted charter issues and the impact that banning the university's graduates would have on TWU's rights.

The law society's opposition "denies these Evangelical Christians the ability to exercise fundamental religious and associative rights," which are protected under the Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, they wrote.

Law school accreditation denial upheld by Ontario court

The judges stated while LGBT students would be unlikely to attend TWU's law school, the overall impact on their access to education in the legal field would be minimal.

Just what I have been saying for years. 

The panel ruled that not accrediting TWU graduates would be "unreasonable."

The law school was slated to open this fall, but on Tuesday university officials said because of the ongoing legal disputes, the earliest it will now open is in 2018.


University celebrates

TWU said in a statement it is pleased with the decision.

"Everyone, religious or not, should celebrate this decision as a protection of our Canadian identity," said university spokeswoman Amy Robertson.

It's unclear if the law society will challenge the ruling. In a statement it said the ruling "adds another dimension to an already complex issue," and that it is considering its next steps.

But today's ruling is unlikely to be the last word in the long-running legal battle by the university's law school, which has also been fighting for recognition in Nova Scotia and Ontario as well.

The case appears almost certain to end up before the Supreme Court of Canada after the Ontario Court of Appeal sided with the Law Society of Upper Canada in June.

The university indicated at the time it would seek an appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada.


Nova Scotia abandons fight

Meanwhile in Nova Scotia, the Barristers' Society announced in July it would not appeal a ruling allowing graduates to practise in the province.

Five law societies — in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island — have all granted accreditation to the law school, while the the society in Newfoundland and Labrador has yet to decide its position. They run on Newfie time; it may take awhile.


Long-running legal battle

Today's decision follows a lengthy battle that dates to 2014 when the Law Society of B.C.'s board of governors voted to accredit TWU graduates.

That decision was reversed in October 2014 when the society held a referendum in which members voted 74 per cent against it.

That move was then challenged at the B.C. Supreme Court, where a judge ruled the governors' original decision should be restored because the society had acted improperly in how it held the referendum.

‘My Knees are Shaking’: Jesus Christ’s 'Tomb' Seen for First Time

The team had 60 hours to examine the tomb before it was resealed. © Ammar Awad / Reuters

Further details of the supposed burial tomb of Jesus Christ have been revealed by researchers in Jerusalem. The limestone slab where Christ is said to have been placed has been exposed along with part of the original wall.

The research team working at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre detected the original limestone shelf, known as a “burial bed”, last week but have now been able to reveal the fully intact “Holy Rock” in full, according to National Geographic.

"I'm absolutely amazed. My knees are shaking a little bit because I wasn't expecting this," Fredrik Hiebert, one of the archaeologists involved in the project said.

“We can't say 100 percent, but it appears to be visible proof that the location of the tomb has not shifted through time, something that scientists and historians have wondered for decades.”

Part of the original cave wall has also been revealed with the team cutting a window into the side of the tomb to view it. "This is the Holy Rock that has been revered for centuries, but only now can actually be seen," said professor Antonia Moropoulou, who is directing the project.

When marble cladding was first removed from the tomb it revealed a layer of fill material. After hours of removing this, another marble slab with a cross etched into it was uncovered. This slab was taken away for a short time by the team, exposing the original burial slab where Jesus is believed to have lain before his resurrection.

The church was first believed to be the location of Jesus’s burial in 325 A.D. when representatives of the Roman emperor Constantine arrived in Jerusalem.

"We may not be absolutely certain that the site of the Holy Sepulchre Church is the site of Jesus' burial, but we certainly have no other site that can lay a claim nearly as weighty, and we really have no reason to reject the authenticity of the site.” archaeologist Dan Bahat told National Geographic.

    video 2:31

A team from the National Technical University of Athens (NTU) had 60 hours to study the tomb before it was resealed. The project is part of a restoration effort to repair water damage underneath the tomb.

This is the first time that anyone alive today has been able to view the tomb, which has never been photographed or drawn. Located inside a small structure within the church known as an Edicule (‘little house’), the tomb has been covered in marble since at least 1555 A.D. to prevent pilgrims from removing rock from the original bed.

According to scripture, Christ was laid on the shelf in the tomb after dying at the crucifixion around 33 A.D. After three days his remains were discovered to be missing and Jesus was said to have appeared over a period of 40 days before ascending into heaven.