Full Coverage: North America

31.01.2006 Hundreds of severely mentally ill offenders in the US are mired within a healthcare system that is too slow to help and a justice system that is too quick to pass death sentences, a leading rights group said today.

30.01.2006 from WattHead blog:
This new concept in personal transport is an ultralight hybrid diesel electric 3-wheeler. The prototype should be on the road within months but will it be safe?

30.01.2006 WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 30 (OneWorld) - A majority of Americans disapprove of President George W. Bush's handling of ethics in government and three out of four U.S. voters want him to disclose his administration's links with corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a poll published over the weekend.

30.01.2006 Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita remain hopeful that they will land on their feet again, even as some support groups warn of a "new wave of displaced people" when a February deadline for ending the hotel housing program hits.

30.01.2006 The American space programme's leading climate scientist has accused the White House of trying to gag him after he called last month for urgent cuts in the emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

29.01.2006 from Discover:
Amory Lovins describes how the world's biggest economy could kick the oil habit. His ideas apply to any country hooked on 'cheap' energy based on fossil fuels. "Five years from now," says Lovins, "the official industry forecast suggests that decentralized low- and no-carbon generators will be adding 160 times as much capacity as nuclear will add up to that year." So let's get cracking with microgeneration, Grommit!

29.01.2006 WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 29 (OneWorld) - The governments of the United States and Iran--part of President George W. Bush's ''axis of evil'' and his current nuclear bete noire--demonstrated rare unity of cause this past week when Washington backed a Tehran initiative to deny UN access to advocates of sexual minorities' rights.

27.01.2006 From the suffragettes and the garment workers who inspired the first International Women's Day to Rosa Parks and her allies in the civil rights movement, U.S. women have a long tradition of standing up for justice and peace, says CodePink founder Medea Benjamin. She calls on America's women to take a stand again and join CodePink's "Women Say No to War" campaign.

27.01.2006 Portland might not be known for its jazz, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a second home for some of New Orleans best known musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. From airline tickets to donated instruments, a local nonprofit has joined forces with Mercy Corps to provide Big Easy musicians a place to live, play, and earn a paycheck doing what they love best.

27.01.2006 Ben Terrall examines Haiti’s coup regime, human rights abuses, the sham of planned elections and the complicity of Washington on a military and diplomatic level.

27.01.2006 from the Onion:
Chicago snowwoman loses three snowchildren to warm temperatures... Shocking headlines like these are rocking the cryogenic community. "The unseasonably warm winters of the recent past are a clear indication of a real environmental threat to humans and their frozen simulacra," said Joe Centigrade at the recent Washington DC march. At last, snowpeople are taking action against global warming!

27.01.2006 Asthma sufferers may not be able to buy non-prescription inhalers in the U.S. much longer because the devices contain propellants that harm the ozone layer.

26.01.2006 International development and rights activist Walden Bello explains how military interventions for 'humanitarian reasons' can cause further human rights violations, be corrupted by political goals, and set a dangerous precedent for the disregard of national sovereignty.

26.01.2006 A coalition of 40 rights groups has asked the US to explain why it reversed policy this week and backed an Iranian initiative to deny UN consultative status to organisations working to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

26.01.2006 New Zealand ranks first in the world in an environmental performance study produced by environmental experts at two U.S. universities. The U.S. lags behind in 28th place.

25.01.2006 WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 25 (OneWorld) - A red-and-black, 22-by-10-foot billboard mounted on a truck and emblazoned with the words ''Tell the truth about torture, Mr. President'' began circling the White House Wednesday as activists ratcheted up efforts to force President George W. Bush to confront U.S. treatment of terrorism suspects.

25.01.2006 The president of Oxfam America offers four key suggestions for the U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development to keep in mind during their momentous restructuring, which could pave the way for improving the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid.

25.01.2006 Next Friday the USA Patriot Act extension will expire and Congress will have the chance to reinstate protections of your privacy. Before then, your representatives need to hear that you want your privacy back, says CodePink, which is organizing a massive Congressional call-in Wednesday, January 25th.

25.01.2006 With CIA missiles firing on Pakistani homes, and reports surfacing that the Taliban have taken over large tracts of the country's tribal zone, analysts of the war on terror here say Pakistan's military strategy is in need of a paradigm shift. Intelligence remains too weak, and even pitched battles flexing the military's muscle have shown little effect against an enemy that remains largely unknown, they say.

24.01.2006 WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 24 (OneWorld) - New fighting has broken out in Sudan's Darfur region in apparent protest against the Khartoum regime's candidacy to head the African Union (AU). The move comes as the Bush administration prepares to preside over the U.N. Security Council amid calls for it to end the bloody conflict.