News stories by Carey L. Biron, page 21

WASHINGTON, Mar 02 (IPS) - The U.S. State Department late Friday released a draft environmental impact assessment of a contentious pipeline project that simultaneously acknowledged the dangers posed by climate change while also noting the project would "not likely result in significant adverse environmental effects".

WASHINGTON, Mar 01 (IPS) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday ended more than a year of stonewalling a piece of legislation that for two decades has offered legal protections for women against sexual violence, harassment and abuse.

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (IPS) - Advocacy groups working on global hunger and poverty are hailing rumoured proposals that would change the way the United States distributes its international food aid.

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (IPS) - Public health workers, activists and policymakers are stepping up a last-minute campaign to highlight the global health impact of historic, sweeping cuts to the U.S. federal budget due to go into effect Friday if Congress doesn't act.

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (IPS) - Two European policymakers on Monday called on their U.S. counterparts to rethink opposition to proposals for a small tax on stock purchases and other financial transactions, which proponents say could raise hundreds of billions of dollars for poverty alleviation, action on climate change and financing international development.

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (IPS) - With just a week to go before massive, indiscriminate spending cuts kick in across the U.S. government, policymakers and humanitarian groups are becoming increasingly anxious about the enduring impact the cuts would have on the communities across the globe assisted by U.S.-funded development and aid programmes.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (IPS) - A major audit of the United States' flagship global anti-HIV/AIDS programme, prepared for the U.S. Congress, notes "remarkable progress" over the past decade. However, it is also warning of insufficient monitoring and urging a stepped-up process of handing over greater control to partner countries.

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (IPS) - Development workers and aid strategists are urging the U.S. government to adopt a comprehensive strategy for addressing root problems in "fragile states", warning that an outdated focus on military intervention is draining resources and exacerbating security problems.

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - For the first time, a U.S. government auditor has added climate change to a list of issues that pose the greatest financial risk to the government and country. It is also warning that Washington is markedly unprepared to deal with the scope of the problem.

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - Following on a surprise announcement supporting a universal preschool guarantee during his annual State of the Union address earlier this week, President Barack Obama spent much of Thursday pushing a suite of new policy initiatives aimed at vastly increasing access to high-quality education and development programmes for a child's first few years of life.