North America

US President Obama signed ratification documents for a new START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, in a showpiece moment for his "reset" of ties with the Kremlin. Obama signed the documents in the Oval Office surrounded by key senators and top national security and military officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. »

We are about to witness a new and a rather unconventional contribution of the immigrant community in New York. This time it will not be with work and cheap labor, or with cultural art and entertainment, or even with food. It will be by resuscitating our old and paralyzed democracy. The state of affairs of our democracy is in general pathetic, and even worse at the local level. »

As the Middle East Quartet prepares to meet on February 5 in the southern German city of Munich to end the agonizing deadlock in Israeli-Palestine peace talks, a high-ranking United Nations official has expressed "an extreme concern" about the precarious situation in the tension-ridden and war-torn Middle East region. »

Chinese President Hu Jintao has wrapped up a state visit to the U.S. were he delivered an address in which he renounced "hegemony" and "expansionism." Hu Jintao: "We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development, continue to strive for a peaceful international environment to develop ourselves and uphold and promote world peace through our own development". »

“Democracy is a contract with the voters: “if elected I will try to enact my program.” That traitor to democracy, Obama, with a rhetoric of change, attracted the underprivileged–blacks, reds, Hispanics, women, youth, workers, and betrayed them all; but not his benefactor Goldman Sachs, favoring bailing them out way above stimulus.” »

U.S. Vice President Biden has reaffirmed a U.S. pledge to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Biden met top officials in Baghdad for the first time since Iraqi lawmakers agreed on a new government last year. Biden says he told the Iraqi government the U.S. is committed to meeting a status of forces agreement that calls for a full U.S. withdrawal this year. »

President Barack Obama signed a slew of bills into law during the lame-duck session of Congress, and was dubbed the “Comeback Kid” amid a flurry of fawning press reports. In the hail of this surprise bipartisanship, though, the one issue over which Democrats and Republicans always agree, war, was completely ignored. »

Critical negotiations are under way here in Cancun, under the auspices of the United Nations, to reverse human-induced global warming. This is the first major meeting since the failed Copenhagen summit last year, and it is happening at the end of the hottest decade on record. While the stakes are high, expectations are low, ... read more. »

The massive campaign of intimidation against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere. Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination of its staff. Avaaz is organizing a massive campaign to defend Wikileaks. »

The United States is facing a diplomatic crisis as the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has begun releasing today over 250,000 secret diplomatic cables. The cables have already proved embarrassing to numerous world leaders. The cables show the Saudi king Abdullah has repeatedly urged the United States of America to attack Iran. »