Obama Will Rip Away the ‘Global Gag’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 23, 2009 In the next move of a partisan ping-pong game over women's reproductive health, Obama is slated to reverse the despicable "global gag rule" that refuses U.S. aid to foreign health clinics that even mention the word that begins with an A. And sounds like "shma-shmortion." It's abortion. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

One Man’s Bid to Aid the Environment

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Dec 24, 2008 A Utah student's disruption of a federal auction has temporarily blocked a Bush-enabled land grab by the oil and gas industries. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

One-Fourth of Mammals Face Extinction

Staff / Truthdig Oct 7, 2008 According to a new report, roughly a quarter of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction. Deforestation, loss of habitat and hunting are to blame for declining mammal populations around the world. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

China Gets the (Sooty) Gold in Power Emissions

Staff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2008 China's unceasing economic growth has always worried environmentalists, and a new report by the Center for Global Development may put those concerns on a new level After increasing power-plant emissions by a third this year, China's coal-based power sector is poised to be the most polluting in the world even worse than that of the United States. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New World Trade Treaty Plowed Under

Staff / Truthdig Jul 30, 2008 The World Trade Organization talks in Geneva finally imploded Wednesday, as negotiations over farm subsidies and labor standards collapsed into an immovable standstill between wealthy and poorer countries. The talks, defended heavily by the "developed world," are seen by critics as an instrument to serve corporate interests. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Second Wind for WTO Talks?

Staff / Truthdig Jul 25, 2008 While supporters of the much troubled Doha Round of the World Trade Organization believe talks may have found their second wind, only the world's largest economies seem to be breathing. The form of capitalism supported by these countries is resisted by poorer nations, which rightly fear WTO deregulations would disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

World Bank Finds Itself Wanting

Staff / Truthdig Jul 23, 2008 The World Bank is being criticized for a persistent lack of environmental focus in an internal review of its lending activities. The new report rails against the environmental degradation caused by many bank-funded projects in poor countries that harm local communities in the name of "development." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Biofuels Blamed in Global Food Crisis

Staff / Truthdig Jul 4, 2008 While environmentalists and opponents of foreign oil may have found common cause in the use of biofuels, a new, confidential World Bank report estimates that the recent increase in plant-based fuel production has actually contributed to a 75 percent rise in global food prices, sparking riots across the world and pushing millions beneath the poverty line. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rubber-Stamping ‘Failed’ Iraq Projects

Staff / Truthdig Apr 28, 2008 The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction has found a disturbing trend among Iraq rebuilding projects. Far too often, when work is incomplete, U.S. officials will revise or "descope" the terms of the contract to list the project as completed. One example: A $35-million children's hospital in Basra that is marked completed despite the fact that it's only 35 percent up and running. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

House Overturns Abortion Aid Ban

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2007 The House has voted to lift a ban on aid, including contraception, to family planning clinics and organizations that perform abortions. The measure would still block the direct funding of abortions, but Republicans opposed to the bill say sending condoms to the clinics would give them more resources to perform abortions. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Richard Walden: U.S. Embargoes Compassion for Cuba

Richard Walden / Truthdig Dec 27, 2006 The president of a Los Angeles-based international relief agency writes that America's inhumane policy toward Cuban aid remains tragically out of date. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Report: World Bank Fails to Address Poverty

Staff / Truthdig Dec 10, 2006 A new report by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group criticizes the international lending organization for failing to alleviate global poverty with programs that focus too single-mindedly on growth. The bank estimates that 1.1 billion people subsisted on less than $1 per day in 2001. (h/t: Common Dreams) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )