OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Jul 1 (OneWorld.net) - As the Iranian people continue to call for justice and transparency, democracy researcher Nicholas Benequista points out that public outrage over a case of electoral fraud in Nigeria may spark critical reforms in that notoriously corrupt nation.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jul 1 (OneWorld.net) - Iraq is "devastated" and its people are angry, explains a peace activist detailing a visit to Baghdad after six years of U.S. occupation. The United States "has not taken responsibility to restore the country it destroyed," she writes. 

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 30 (OneWorld.net) - Passage of the U.S. climate bill through the lower house of Congress bodes well for local communities and stalled international climate negotiations, says an environmental protection organization.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 29 (OneWorld.net) - As he meets today with President Uribe, who is currently embroiled in a number of human rights, corruption, and abuse of power scandals, President Obama must stress that Colombia's rights record matters significantly to the country's partnership with the United States, urges a group of human rights and Latin America experts.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 29 (OneWorld.net) - "The U.S. food economy uses as much energy as the entire economy of the United Kingdom," writes environmental expert Lester Brown in an analysis of the oil intensity of today's food system.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 25 (OneWorld.net) - Banks have received 10 times more money in bailouts in the past year than poor countries have received in aid in the past 49 years, says an analysis released ahead of this weekend's UN summit on the economic crisis.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 25 (OneWorld.net) - Access to water must be established as a basic human right to overcome a growing water crisis in Latin America, said a policy research group, advocating community-based education and government regulation for water services in lieu of corporate control.

WASHINGTON, Jun 23 (OneWorld.net) - The long-term detention of suspected terrorists at prisons like Guantanamo Bay is counterproductive to preventing terrorist attacks, testified the head of a human rights monitor, urging the United States to instead adhere to existing criminal laws and international standards.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 22 (OneWorld.net) - Experts weighing in on the results of Iran's election largely agree on the "implausibility" of its outcome.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 18 (OneWorld.net) - Due to outdated policies and a severe lack of funding, the United States is resettling Iraqi refugees into poverty and vulnerability, says an international refugee agency in a new report, calling for an overhaul of the system.

WASHINGTON, Jun 17 (OneWorld.net) - "In recent days censorship in [Iran] has drastically surpassed already militant controls Iranians have become accustomed to and the media is in crisis," writes Iranian journalist Saeed Kamali Dehghan.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 16 (New America Media) - A 25-year-old cyber activist in San Francisco is helping to provide Internet connections for the opposition in Iran.

In Brief
WASHINGTON, Jun 11 (OneWorld.net) - Government employees and campaign leaders in Iran have expressed fears that organized fraud will decide Friday's presidential election -- allegations of extra ballots and secret meetings are causing President Ahmadinejad's reformist challengers to question the upcoming vote.

[OneWorld.net - In Brief] As the Obama administration gears up to discuss immigration reform next week with lawmakers, migration expert Michael Clemens argues that new policies could have the power to transform the lives of people around the world.

[OneWorld.net - In Brief] The Sri Lankan government has launched a massive reconstruction effort within weeks of defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels after two decades of civil war, but, asks journalist Feizal Samath, will the ethnic Tamil minority have a say in this process?

[OneWorld.net - In Brief] The number of refugees and asylum seekers from Uzbekistan has shot up over the last three years due to increasing state repression of activists, journalists, dissidents, and their relatives, says Nadezhda Atayeva, whose organization assists refugees from Central Asia.

[OneWorld.net - In Brief] Accused of human rights abuses, politically motivated arrests, and killings, the Iraq Special Operations Forces (ISOF) -- the largest deadly, covert, elite brigade trained by the U.S. military -- is operating throughout the country, free from government control, and without any accountability for abuses perpetrated against civilians, reports Middle East correspondent Shane Bauer of New America Media.

[OneWorld.net - In Brief] To counter private and state control over media since the dictatorship, citizen groups in Argentina have been creating alternative television, radio, and video networks and are now fighting to reform media laws. Argentina-based journalist Marie Trigona takes an in-depth look at media access in the South American nation.

OneWorld.net, Jun 4 (In Brief) - Scientists say the Earth's two major ice sheets are melting at a significantly faster pace than previously thought, threatening a rise in global sea levels that could leave millions of people -- from China to Bangladesh to the United States -- homeless, writes environmental expert Lester Brown.

WASHINGTON, Jun 2 (OneWorld.net) - A long-standing member of an Afghan women's association fighting for justice and rights calls for U.S. troops to withdraw, saying they are occupying her country under the misused slogans of liberation and democracy.

OneWorld.net, Jun 1 (In Brief) - David Krieger, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, breaks down the motives behind North Korea's nuclear weapons test, saying the country is modeling its behavior on the previous actions of other nuclear weapons states.

OneWorld.net, Jun 1 (In Brief) - Solar power technology -- reliable, affordable, and green -- has advanced by great lengths in the past years and could now be the key to reducing fossil fuel consumption and slowing climate change, says an environmental advocacy group.

WASHINGTON, May 29 (OneWorld.net) - Climate change is currently the biggest global health threat, a leading medical journal has said, noting that water scarcity, shifting food resources, and extreme weather will drastically affect the world's poor unless development efforts are stepped up.

COPENHAGEN, May 27 (OneClimate.net) - Global business leaders issued a call for a new, worldwide climate agreement earlier this week at the close of the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, and OneWorld's founder Peter Armstrong was there to cover it.

OneWorld.net, May 28 (In Brief) - Reactions to U.S. President Barack Obama's nomination Tuesday of Judge Sonia Sotomayor -- who, if confirmed, will be the third woman and first ever Hispanic Supreme Court Justice -- ranged from "undisguised glee" to condemnation, notes journalist Jim Lobe.

OneWorld.net, May 27 (In Brief) - Civilian lives, humanitarian aid, civil liberties, and Afghan community support of anti-Taliban efforts will all be casualties of the U.S. military surge in Afghanistan and continued incursions into Pakistan, says a human rights advocacy group.

SEOUL, May 24 (New America Media) - A line of mourners wound its way Sunday from Cheongye Stream in central Seoul to the entrance of Deoksu Palace and an altar commemorating former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, whose suicide a day earlier has stunned the nation.

WASHINGTON, May 21 (OneWorld.net) - A drastically weakened U.S. climate bill released Monday favors polluting industries over truly sustainable clean energy solutions, argues Daphne Wysham, director of a sustainable energy and economy think tank.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (OneWorld.net) - As policy makers at the "top" of the economy and workers at the "bottom" all struggle to find a path out of today's global recession, there is an opportunity to emerge into a society that emphasizes fair trade, corporate responsibiliy and other tenets of equality, say the organizers of a global conference on economics taking place in Italy at the end of the month.

WASHINGTON, May 19 (OneWorld.net) - Sudanese rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda's voluntary appearance before the International Criminal Court Monday to face charges of war crimes perpetrated in Darfur may contribute to justice in the war-torn region, say international human rights advocates.

WASHINGTON, May 14 (New America Media) - The story of migration is increasingly becoming a woman's tale, according to a new poll by New America Media (NAM). Immigrant women are taking charge in keeping their families together, writes NAM Executive Director Sandy Close.

WASHINGTON, May 14 (OneWorld.net) - A U.S. democracy advocacy group is applauding the United States' election to the UN Human Rights Council, saying the nation is "reclaiming its role as a global champion of human rights."

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 (OneWorld.net) - The U.S. military said yesterday that it's charged an American Army sergeant on his third tour in Iraq with murder in connection with Monday's shooting spree that left five fellow soldiers dead in a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad.

WASHINGTON, May 13 (OneWorld.net) - European free trade policies will continue to drive up job losses in the European Union and worldwide, said a British social justice group following an European Union summit to address the economic crisis' impact on employment.

WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. President Barack Obama's failure to lift a federal funding ban on syringe exchange -- a policy that allows intravenous drug users to swap used needles for clean ones -- is a blow to AIDS-prevention efforts, says a global health group.

WASHINGTON, May 7 (OneWorld.net) - First-hand accounts from Sri Lankans that fled the government-declared "no-fire zone" reflect the immense suffering of civilians trapped by fighting between state and rebel forces, says an international human rights watchdog.

WASHINGTON, May 6 (OneWorld.net) - UN representatives are warning that a political row in South Asia's newest democracy threatens to destroy the achievements made since Nepal's 2006 peace agreements.

WASHINGTON, May 5 (OneWorld.net) - Positive initiatives to slow global population growth -- such as empowering women and girls -- can play a significant role in addressing rising pollution levels worldwide, says population and climate change expert Kathleen Mogelgaard.

WASHINGTON, Apr 29 (OneWorld.net) - Women and girls in developing countries bear significant economic, physical, and health burdens to provide water for their families on a daily basis -- "this is the forgotten glass ceiling," write sustainable water experts John Sauer and Andra Tamburro.

WASHINGTON, Apr 27 (OneWorld.net) - An element of the proposed U.S. climate change bill to reduce carbon emissions and invest in clean energy could actually spur a rise in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions until 2026, says a coalition of environmental organizations.

WASHINGTON, Apr 24 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. President Barack Obama has "acted quickly and boldly on a nuclear disarmament agenda" during his first three months in office, says the president of a nuclear non-proliferation advocacygroup.

WASHINGTON, Apr 20 (OneWorld.net) - Chinese activist Wang Dan reflects on China's pro-democracy movement, discussing his experience during the massive protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing that ended in massacre twenty years ago.

WASHINGTON, Apr 18 (OneWorld.net) - Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo and journalist Lynn Sherr debate the impact of foreign assistance in Africa, challenging the existing model and calling for innovative change.

WASHINGTON, Apr 15 (OneWorld.net) - As political divisions once again erupt into widescale and violent protests in Thailand, journalist Andrew Lam explores the possibility of civil war in the once peaceful tourist haven of Southeast Asia.

WASHINGTON, Apr 14 (OneWorld.net) - The United States stands to profit economically from investing in immigrants, who help states thrive by paying taxes, exercising their buying power, and filling key posts in important industries, writes Pramila Jayapal, head of a Seattle-based democracy and justice group.

WASHINGTON, Apr 13 (OneWorld.net) - Despite the recent formation of a new government, Somalia "remains the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis," writes a refugee advocacy group.

WASHINGTON, Apr 9 (OneWorld.net) - A proposed U.S. climate change bill sets ambitious targets on long-term emissions reductions, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, but there's still a long way to go, says an environmental activist group.

WASHINGTON, Apr 9 (OneWorld.net) - "If fundamental climate change mitigation and adaptation goals are to be met, international climate negotiations must include agriculture," appeals an international food policy think tank.

WASHINGTON, Apr 8 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. participation in the upcoming world conference on racism, xenophobia, and intolerance is important to racial reconciliation in the United States and around the world, urges an African-American human rights and social justice advocacy group.

OneWorld's editors in the United States look at the major issues facing communities around the globe this month.

WASHINGTON, Apr 2 (OneWorld.net) - In the last two years, the United States has cancelled or postponed the construction of nearly 100 proposed coal-fired power plants, signaling the end of an era, says environmental expert Jonathan G. Dorn.

WASHINGTON, Apr 1 (OneWorld.net) - Local groups and community leaders are asserting that a new water-distribution system introduced in Cape Town, South Africa is nothing but a repackaged version of the notorious pre-paid water system, which critics say restricts poor peoples' access to water.

WASHINGTON, Mar 31 (OneWorld.net) - Former UN chief Kofi Annan is calling for vast reform of the world's political structures, saying a more multilateral system is necessary if vulnerable African nations are to protect their citizens in the wake of the global economic crisis.

WASHINGTON, Mar 26 (OneWorld.net) - Though immigration reform has taken a back seat to the economic crisis, Latin American media outlets in the United States and abroad continue to stress the importance of reshaping U.S. policies while highlighting the impact of these on regular people.

WASHINGTON, Mar 25 (OneWorld.net) - Despite promises to the contrary, a monumental new wind-power project in Oaxaca, Mexico is encroaching on the lands and livelihoods of local farmers and indigenous people, writes Latin America expert Zach Dyer.

WASHINGTON, Mar 24 (OneWorld.net) - "This week I give you a peek into how my aid team was recently forced to re-evaluate our entire approach after crossing paths with foreign terrorists in Afghanistan," writes Joe Tsali in a new blog bringing you the latest from the front lines of the war in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON, Mar 20 (OneWorld.net) - Pakistani chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's reinstatement this week demonstrates "the iron will of the people of Pakistan to return to the rule of law and reassert the independence of the judiciary," writes an Asian human rights group.

WASHINGTON, Mar 19 (OneWorld.net) - Legal constraints on abortion are less related to incidence than to increased health risks for women, says a recent health study comparing Mexico, where abortion is largely outlawed, and the United States, where abortion is legal.

WASHINGTON, Mar 18 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. President Barack Obama should chart a new course on U.S. relations with the Middle East by implementing peaceful policies that encourage genuine democratic reform in the region, say over 150 American and international experts in an open letter to the head of state.

WASHINGTON, Mar 17 (OneWorld.net) - Three rebel leaders were recently convicted for crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone's civil war, but thousands of conflict survivors need greater support to overcome the physical and mental traumas of war, writes an international development agency.

WASHINGTON, Mar 16 (OneWorld.net) - President Barack Obama should place the United States in the running for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council to show the world the country is serious about human rights and boost the committee's efficacy, says a New York-based advocacy group.

WASHINGTON, Mar 13 (OneWorld.net) - OneWorld's editors in the United States look at the major issues facing communities around the globe this month.

WASHINGTON, Mar 10 (OneWorld.net) - The U.S. government and media are fostering a grossly exaggerated discourse on drug violence in Mexico to maintain "support for the military model of combating illegal drug trafficking, despite ... evidence that current strategies are not working," writes Latin America expert Laura Carlsen. 

WASHINGTON, Mar 6 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. President Barack Obama should mandate a "humanitarian surge" to Afghanistan as he builds a new foreign policy toward the war-weary country, writes Richard Navarro, formerly in charge of rebuilding the Afghan education system.

WASHINGTON, Mar 5 (OneWorld.net) - The global recession threatens to reduce socially and environmentally responsible travel, an important source of income for many developing countries around the world.

WASHINGTON, Mar 3 (OneWorld.net) - Some of U.S. President Barack Obama's recent decisions concerning Bagram, the U.S. detention facility in Afghanistan, have "quietly signaled support for many of [George W.] Bush's 'war on terror' policies," says Human Rights Watch's Stacy Sullivan. 

WASHINGTON, Mar 2 (OneWorld.net) - Fazle Hasan Abed discusses the impact of the financial and food crises on poor Bangladeshis and explains how his organization continues to fight poverty through capacity-building programs like microcredit in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and various countries in Africa.

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (OneWorld.net) - Global experts on foreign assistance discuss with OneWorlders how money from "here" helps people "over there," and what's being done to improve the aid delivery system.

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (OneWorld.net) - Aid organizations are advocating comprehensive and meaningful change in the way U.S. money is spent to help people in other countries, and President Barack Obama has promised a steep increase in available funding, but economic concerns at home now threaten to derail all that.

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (OneWorld.net) - Brazilian small farmers are collaborating with their counterparts in Haiti to promote food sovereignty in the poverty-stricken island nation, writes agriculture expert Saulo Araujo, applauding the initiative.

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (OneWorld.net) - The money sent around the world to help combat poverty does make a difference in people's lives, but it could make a bigger difference.

ATLANTA, Feb 19 (OneWorld.net) - After six years of war in Iraq, it is easy to get exhausted and depressed -- to think that all your repeated exposures to the trauma of war are for nothing, that you are screwing yourself up for next to no money for no reason. Then something happens that suddenly gives all your work meaning, that gives you the strength to continue.

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (OneWorld.net) - A dearth of toilets in schools across Nepal -- where poor sanitation remains a major obstacle to development -- is tied to increasingly high drop-out rates for girls, say studies by local institutions and the United Nations.

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (OneWorld.net) - Hopes have been raised by an agreement to launch peace talks between the Sudanese government and a major rebel group, but the international community has not done its part to protect civilians during the six-year conflict, charges Amnesty International.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (OneWorld.net) - Corruption and political interference by the Cambodian government threaten the legitimacy of the tribunal prosecuting Khmer Rouge leaders, who oversaw the deaths of up to 2 million people in Cambodia in the late 1970s, says an international human rights monitor.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (OneWorld.net) - President Obama should step up U.S. support for fledgling democracies around the world, say the authors of a new book analyzing setbacks and reversals experienced by young democracies over the last fifty years.

WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (OneWorld.net) - The number of lives claimed by hunger and poverty in Afghanistan is 25 times as high as the death toll from violence, writes Kabul-based journalist Aunohita Mojumdar.

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (OneWorld.net) - Since Iran's regime change in 1979, human rights violations such as torture, censorship, and liberal use of the death penalty have continued to thrive, says Amnesty International, but upcoming presidential offer some hope for a moderate new leader.

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (OneWorld.net) - Afghan women who choose to speak out for their rights, go to school, or pursue a career are frequently assassinated or chased out of the country by Taliban members, who at times are offered bounty for each woman or girl attacked. But that's not stopping many of these women, writes journalist Alisa Tang.

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (OneWorld.net) - Providing assistance to developing countries is both "right" and "smart," say experts as diverse as John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, and Oxfam International. 

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (OneWorld.net) - Individuals and institutions around the world play vital roles in getting resources to the people who need them most.

OneWorld's managing editor in the United States looks at the major issues facing communities around the globe this month.

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (OneWorld.net) - As the global food crisis takes an acute toll on the world's poorest, nutritionists are calling for a different approach to world hunger -- a long-term one that focuses on preventing, as opposed to relieving, malnutrition, writes health journalist Bobbi Nodell.

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (OneWorld.net) - The United Nations' recent arbitration of a women's rights case in Hungary brings to light limitations on gender equality in the United States, one of few countries worldwide that has yet to sign a major UN treaty on women's equality, writes women's rights advocate Marianne Mollmann.

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (OneWorld.net) - As the humanitarian situation has severely deteriorated in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past year, the international community must depoliticize aid, strive harder to protect civilians, and increase funding for the hundreds of thousands forced out of their homes by conflict, writes an international refugee agency.

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (OneWorld.net) - Slowing population growth is key to mitigating poverty, writes environmental expert Lester Brown, citing the Iranian government's national family planning efforts, which effectively slowed a population growth rate burdening both the economy and environment.

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (OneWorld.net) - Relations between the United States and Bolivia, as well as other left-leaning governments, are likely to improve under the administration of President Barack Obama, according to analysts specializing in U.S. foreign policy.

WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (OneWorld.net) - "Common Security Clubs" -- a cross between a study circle, mutual aid association, and social action affinity group -- are empowering people across the United States to better withstand the challenging repercussions of economic crisis, writes economic analyst Chuck Collins.

LONDON, Jan 26 (OneWorld.net) - Remember when environmentalists had no thought for people, and people interested in development ignored the environment? It's like that now between the climate and development communities, writes journalist Daniel Nelson.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (OneWorld.net) - U.S. President Barack Obama continues to back a revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, particularly labor, environmental, and agricultural provisions, as the fair-trade movement gains clout throughout the region, writes policy analyst Laura Carlsen.

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (OneWorld.net) - Sea-ice melt, glacier retreat, and food insecurity are all more acute than than previously predicted, says a group of the world's leading climate scientists.

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (OneWorld.net) - The U.S. Congress has the opportunity to help send 1 million U.S. students abroad over the next decade, helping create future leaders who better understand the interconnectedness of global economic, cultural, and environmental systems, says the director of a U.S. study abroad group.

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (OneWorld.net) - Community activists around the world are immensely inspired by the election of Barack Obama, says the president of a women's rights group Carol Peasely, urging the U.S. President-elect to draw on his own background as an organizer as he strives to reform U.S. foreign assistance.

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (OneWorld.net) - From Berlin to Abu Dhabi and beyond, people are "going green" using innovative technology and climate-conscious legislation in an attempt to save both the global economy and the environment.

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (OneWorld.net) - A swift and decisive diplomatic response by U.S. President-elect Obama could significantly ameliorate Zimbabwe's political, economic, and humanitarian crises, writes Africa expert Todd Moss in an open letter to the new administration.

LONDON, Jan 10 (OneWorld.net) - Next stop on the road to the climate change summit in Copenhagen in December is Bonn in March (Mar. 29-Apr. 8).

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (OneWorld.net) - Decrying U.S. "complicity" in what they say amounts to Israeli violations of international law, human rights groups are calling on the U.S. government to demand an immediate cessation of indiscriminate violence against civilians and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza inhabitants.

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (OneWorld.net) - Reporting on the legalization of gay marriage in Connecticut, a UN draft declaration on gay rights, attacks on demonstrators in Eastern Europe, and a law against homosexuality in Singapore, international media paints a varied picture of gay rights around the world.

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (OneWorld.net) - With few journalists able to report from inside Gaza, aid workers stationed there have become vital sources of not just food and medicines, but also information about what life is like as Israeli attacks continue for a second week. OneWorld.net has used its extensive connections with aid workers to pull together a range of voices from inside Gaza.

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (OneWorld.net) - Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth responds to scathing criticism of his organization's recent report on human rights in Venezuela, calling the critique an"unhelpful distraction" that can "only serve to undermineefforts to promote human rights in Venezuela."