Full Coverage: United States

29.04.2005 It looks increasingly as though the folly of the Iraq war will condemn Tony Blair to an early retirement. Meanwhile his comrade-in-arms sits comfortably in the White House. On the anniversary of the publication of the Abu Ghraib photographs, Amnesty expresses frustration that only the lowest ranks of the US military have been charged for the torture crimes.

29.04.2005 In-prison job and education skills programs improve inmates' chances of going straight once they get out. So why, in a country where nearly 600,000 people are released from prison each year and two-thirds are re-arrested within three years, is such a paltry amount spent on rehab programs, asks Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League.

29.04.2005 Atlanta high schoolers joined more than 2 million of their peers around the world this week lobbying to hold lawmakers accountable for their promises on education for the world's children. In 2000, 189 world leaders promised to get all kids into school by 2015 and make sure that as many girls were in school as boys by 2005. So far, they're falling short.

28.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 28 (OneWorld) - Rights watchdogs seized on Thursday's anniversary of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal to complain of a lack of accountability for the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody, and to warn that problems which came to light there merely were ''the tip of the iceberg.''

28.04.2005 Who would have believed the US government to be capable of redirecting the Iraq reconstruction budget from US to Iraqi companies? The U-turn of the year is apparently the result of poor performance and continuing security problems.

28.04.2005 To date, 400,000 people have died in Darfur as a result of the government-sponsored genocide, says Africa Action. The Washington D.C.-based group is collecting 400,000 signatures for its petition calling on President Bush to assert U.S. leadership to prevent the mounting death toll. Here is how to sign on.

28.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 27 (OneWorld) - Voters from across the country lobbied Capitol Hill Wednesday as part of an unusual movement to support their senators' right to make endless speeches.

27.04.2005 May could be a decisive month for the world to take a firm stand on issues of nuclear proliferation and disarmament. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is calling on U.S. leaders to work with the world community to end the threat of nuclear weapons. You can join the campaign.

27.04.2005 A new ad will be airing on radio stations in twelve key U.S. cities this week as Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate get closer to what could be a major confrontation over the use of the filibuster. The U.S.'s major lawmaking body could be shut down over a Republican attempt to eliminate the 200-year old political tactic that has ensured no party can wield absolute power over the other.

27.04.2005 Americans representing the business sector, faith community, academia, cultural groups, and others will gather in Washington D.C. on Wednesday to argue for an end to the ban on travel to Cuba. They will hold meetings with members of congress and educate the wider public on who is really affected by the decades-old travel ban.

26.04.2005 From a lack of regulations on toxic chemicals to a lack of enthusiasm for renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction, President Bush's environmental policies have left him increasingly isolated on the world stage and in his home country, says longtime political and environmental columnist Edward Flattau.

26.04.2005 June 26 is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Sign up now to plan actions and activities in your community or at your school. Show solidarity with victims of torture and take action to stop these heinous abuses.

25.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 25 (OneWorld) - The U.S. government should name a special prosecutor to look at Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's possible role in the torture and abuse of Iraqi and other prisoners by U.S. troops, a leading human rights group has demanded.

25.04.2005 The Knit for Kids project has provided over 250,000 sweaters--crafted by volunteer knitters across the United States--to needy kids around the world. Joan McKeon, the 200,000th sweater knitter, recently visited recipients in an Azerbaijan orphanage.

23.04.2005 NEW YORK, Apr 22 (IPS) - A humanitarian aid worker's death in Iraq last week is spurring calls for a public accounting of civilian casualties by the United States government and more attention to the issue by the U.S. media.

22.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 22 (OneWorld) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved an energy bill Thursday--the eve of Earth Day--after beating back numerous attempts to minimize the environmental harm that critics said the measure would wreak.

22.04.2005 China rightly gets the blame for importing illegal timber from Indonesia. But there should be greater awareness that the finished goods often end up in houses in Canada and the US. Campaigners are calling for new laws in those countries.

21.04.2005 President Bush and the Republican Party were dealt a major blow Tuesday when the panel of senators considering John Bolton’s nomination as the new U.S. ambassador to the UN put off their decision for another two weeks in order to investigate fresh allegations against Bolton's character and fitness to serve.

21.04.2005 The 2005 Energy Policy Act now before Congress has been revised in the last two years to include incentives for renewable energy sources and create reliability standards for the national electricity grid, but it still does little to protect the environment or make the United States less dependent on foreign oil, says Moving Ideas.

20.04.2005 A coalition of national security, labor, ranching, and faith-based representatives are urging U.S. lawmakers to make new energy choices that would be more environmentally and socially sound. Despite President Bush's call for more "environmentally sensitive" energy choices, the current energy bill "would do nothing to improve energy efficiency, save oil or advance clean, renewable energy sources," according to one conservation group.