Full Coverage: Northern America

07/31/2007 U.S. lawmakers missed an opportunity for "concrete meaningful reform" in the latest farm bill, said a U.S. based non-profit Monday, adding that the legislation reaffirms the status quo, which benefits large corporations at the expense of rural communities.

07/31/2007 Arms control advocates expressed "grave concerns" this weekend about U.S. concessions to India on key non-proliferation provisions.

07/30/2007 Is it possible to speak mostly Spanish and still assimilate into U.S. culture? Do you have to like hamburgers more than tacos? Activists and academics weigh in on what assimilation is, and whether U.S. Latinos have achieved it.
From: New America Media

07/28/2007 NEW YORK, Jul 27 (OneWorld) - Calls for increased help from Washington are on the rise as global efforts to tackle the world's burgeoning water and sanitation crisis have largely failed to produce any meaningful results so far.

07/27/2007 Although there is disagreement over how Puerto Rico should be governed -- as a U.S. territory, U.S. state, or independent nation -- there is consensus that Puerto Ricans themselves must play a major role in deciding the island's fate.

07/27/2007 SAN FRANCISCO, Jul 26 (OneWorld) - Peace advocates in the United States are welcoming a Congressional vote Wednesday that may be a political stepping stone to ending U.S. participation in the war in Iraq.

07/26/2007 U.S. lawmakers are expected to take a key vote Friday on farm policy; a diverse group of public interest organizations are asking them to pass an amendment to shift support from corporate agriculture to family farms in the U.S. and abroad.

07/26/2007 Latino teenagers, including undocumented immigrants, are being recruited into the U.S. military with false promises of citizenship for themselves and their families, reports Deborah Davis for In These Times.

07/25/2007 Beginning Tuesday, the United States' lowest paid workers will be paid a little extra. The U.S. minimum wage was raised 70 cents, ending the longest span without an increase since the creation of the minimum wage in 1938.

07/25/2007 African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian farmers receive fewer, or often no, benefits from government-sponsored agriculture programs, as compared to their white counterparts. A diverse group of farmers descended on Washington recently to demand a more equitable Farm Bill.

07/25/2007 After shutting down its nuclear facilities, arms control advocates are commending North Korea for progress toward becoming a nuclear-free state while urging the Bush administration to persevere through the tough negotiations ahead.

07/24/2007 SAN FRANCISCO, Jul 23 (OneWorld) - Human rights organizations are reacting coldly to President George W. Bush's executive order forbidding the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from torturing, humiliating, or abusing detainees in its once-secret interrogation program.

07/19/2007 For Mexico's government, worries over the drug trade going north have been matched by concerns over the arms trade heading south. Louis Nevaer explains.
From: New America Media

07/19/2007 The announcement by 11 multinational food and drink companies that they are to adopt self-imposed limits on advertising to children in the U.S. has been dismissed as inadequate and potentially confusing by an international consumers organisation.

07/19/2007 Another "unthinkable" war in Iraq may break out and the U.S. may have misjudged its capacity to maintain stability, says Hisae Nakanishi.
From: Transnational Foundation

07/18/2007 The United States has used "cluster munitions" in recent conflicts, even though they are known to have disastrous consequences for civilians long after active fighting ends. Anti-landmine activists are seeking broader support to get these weapons out of the U.S. arsenal.

07/18/2007

07/18/2007 Norman Borlaug was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Tuesday in recognition of his efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty in the world. Read about Borlaug's life achievements and listen to his own reflections on his work.

07/18/2007 James Petras attempts to answer the question: Why is the U.S. public, which opinion polls show as over 60 percent in favor of withdrawing troops from Iraq, so politically impotent?

07/17/2007 In the U.S. state of Louisiana, an all-white jury heard a series of white witnesses called by a white prosecutor to testify in a courtroom overseen by a white judge. On trial was a black student, accused of hitting a white peer.