BBC 2018.8.16(Karri_L)
Hello, I'm Julie Candler with the BBC news. A jury in California has ordered the agrochemical company Monsanto to pay nearly 290 million dollars in damages to a man who became terminally ill after using the firm's weed killer. Dewayne Johnson, a school groundsman, alleges his cancer was caused by glyphosate in Monsanto's Roundup and Ranger Pro weed killers. His lawyer says the company knew about the cancer risk of the widely-used herbicide, but failed to warn users. Mr. Johnson's case is the first of more than 5000 similar lawsuits to come to court in the US. This is the moment the judge read out the jury's verdicts. Was the Roundup Pro or Ranger Pro design a substantial factor in causing harm to Mr. Johnson? Answer: Yes. Monsanto denies the cancer was caused by glyphosate and says it will appeal. The UN Security Council has demanded a full investigation into an airstrike by Saudi-led forces in Yemen, which killed dozens of children.