"Never really known as a friendly group, the Italian mafia has been brutally murdering people for hundreds of years. Most of the time, these killings are quick—some henchmen waylay the target, squeeze a trigger a few times and make their getaway. Yet according to a new report released last week by the Italian National Institute of Health, a few local Italian mobs have been slowly killing dozens of innocent people for decades by way of a multibillion dollar toxic waste disposal racket."

"It's now harder to find out where your beef or pork was born, raised and slaughtered. After more than a decade of wrangling, Congress repealed a labeling law last month that required retailers to include the animal's country of origin on packages of red meat. It's a major victory for the meat industry, which had fought the law in Congress and the courts since the early 2000s."

"LYON, France – Illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking are still going on across Africa, but there are 376 fewer criminals in the trade after an international police operation last year."

"The U.S. Justice Department has sued Volkswagen for up to $90 billion for allegedly violating environmental laws - five times regulators' initial estimate and a reminder of the carmaker's problems nearly four months after its emissions scandal broke."

"Leading Republican presidential candidates are condemning the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon and distancing themselves from the gunmen."

"Wildlife officials have divvied up how many grizzly bears could be killed by hunters in the Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho as the states seek control of a species shielded from hunting for the past 40 years, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press."

"Emails and documents obtained by DeSmog reveal that the U.S. International Trade Administration has actively promoted and facilitated  business deals for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry and export terminal owners, even before some of the terminals have the federal regulatory agency permits needed to open for business."

"The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Justice have reached a $22-million settlement to clean up a former industrial site 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles."