News stories by Carey L. Biron, page 26

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (IPS) - A widely respected advocate for U.S. farmworker rights received a prestigious award on Capitol Hill here Wednesday, using the occasion to highlight pending state legislation that could significantly improve lives and working conditions that some have likened to modern-day slavery.

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (IPS) - New data from the World Bank shows that the middle class in Latin America has expanded substantially, growing by 50 percent over the past 10 years despite decades of sluggish poverty reduction.

WASHINGTON, Nov 09 (IPS) - Researchers unveiling critical trial results of a potentially major anti-malaria vaccine are expressing disappointment that the drug's efficacy levels have proved lower than they had anticipated.

WASHINGTON, Nov 08 (IPS) - In the aftermath of a surprisingly lopsided victory for President Barack Obama's Democratic Party and for progressive causes more broadly, one of the key discussions taking place here is over the suddenly increased prospects for comprehensive immigration reform, long an issue so divisive that few politicians have been willing to tackle it.

WASHINGTON, Nov 08 (IPS) - Despite a bitterly and closely fought presidential campaign fuelled by record financial backing, analysts sifting through Tuesday's national election results here are forecasting a period of introspection for the opposition Republican Party that could ease the gridlock that has gummed up Washington politics in recent years.

WASHINGTON, Nov 07 (IPS) - The U.S. government is directly cautioning the Laotian government following Monday's announcement that the latter will move forward with contentious construction plans for a massive hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River.

WASHINGTON, Nov 06 (IPS) - Human rights workers and Tibet-focused activists are hailing a strongly worded statement by the United Nations' top official on human rights, drawing attention to growing public discontent in Tibet just ahead of a major leadership shuffle that will reverberate throughout the Communist Party of China.

WASHINGTON, Nov 03 (IPS) - The World Bank has approved a major new development package for Myanmar, marking the first time the Washington-based development institution has lent to the country in a quarter century.

WASHINGTON, Nov 01 (IPS) - Representatives of nearly 40 civil society organisations from throughout the Americas gathered here on Wednesday to express concerns with proposed changes to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (IPS) - Just over a week before the United States votes in a highly anticipated and historically tight presidential election, a new poll released Monday finds that interest by Latino voters has strengthened significantly over the past two months, and that turnout among Hispanics could be higher than the records set in 2008.