News stories by Jim Lobe, page 2

WASHINGTON, Dic 10 (IPS) - Tuesday's release by the Senate Intelligence Committee of its long-awaited report on the torture by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of detainees in the so-called "war on terror" does not go far enough, according to major U.S. human rights groups.

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (IPS) - Buoyed by the failure of the U.S. and five other powers to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme after a week of intensive talks, pro-Israel and Republican hawks are calling for Washington to ramp up economic pressure on Tehran even while talks continue, and to give Congress a veto on any final accord.

WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (IPS) - A federal jury here Wednesday convicted one former Blackwater contractor of murder and three of his colleagues of voluntary manslaughter in the deadly shootings of 14 unarmed civilians killed in Baghdad's Nisour Square seven years ago.

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (IPS) - Despite media hype, missteps by federal health agencies, and apparent efforts by right-wing and some neo-conservatives to foment fear about the possible spread of the Ebola virus in the U.S., most of the public remain at least "fairly" confident in the authorities' ability to deal with the virus.

WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (IPS) - The U.S. air drop Sunday of new weapons and supplies to Kurdish fighters in the besieged border town of Kobani marks an important escalation in Washington's efforts to "degrade and destroy" the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (IPS) - Despite the public's persistent war weariness, the U.S. defence budget – the world's biggest by far – may be set to rise again, according to a new study released here this week by the Center for International Policy (CIP).

WASHINGTON, Oct 08 (IPS) - Most of the world's governments are taking measures to reduce the worst and most hazardous forms of child labour, according to a major report released here Tuesday by the U.S. Labour Department.

WASHINGTON, Oct 07 (IPS) - Hopes that the strategy announced by President Barack Obama a month ago against the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) might yield a relatively quick victory have disappeared amidst growing fears that the U.S.-led air campaign has at most only slowed the radical group's advance.

WASHINGTON, Sep 26 (IPS) - Despite mounting pledges of assistance, the continuing spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa is outpacing regional and international efforts to stop it, according to world leaders and global health experts.

WASHINGTON, Sep 18 (IPS) - A successful agreement on Iran's nuclear programme could significantly enhance U.S. leverage and influence throughout the Greater Middle East, according to a new report signed by 31 former senior U.S. foreign-policy officials and regional experts and released here Wednesday.