Farmers in developing countries are dying in their thousands from a mysterious kidney disorder, which has been termed as "Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology" (CKDu).

The disease is running rife through farmers from the rice paddy regions of Sri Lanka, and in El Salavdor, it is the second leading cause of death among male adults, posing a greater risk to health there than diabetes, AIDS, and leukemia combined. A new study has now linked the unexplained deaths to the use of a herbicide patented by the giant biochemical company, Monsanto.
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When we hear news about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, we think of it as a prosperous country, but some people there are desperately poor and some of them are selling their kidneys to make money, since you can survive with just one.

Iran is the only country where the selling and buying of kidneys is legal. In the Guardian, Saeed Kamali Dehghan describes the case of a widow selling her kidney in order to pay for her daughter’s dowry, so she can marry. He quotes her as saying, "It is getting too late for my daughter to marry–her moment has already passed."
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