U.S. Push to Limit Copyright Law May Be Undercut by TPP Secrecy

In a surprise move this week, the United States says it is pushing for limitations to international copyright norms currently under negotiation surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the massive free trade agreement that could go into effect by the end of the year.

New World Bank Chief Backs Defunding Bangladesh Bridge Project

On Monday, his first day in office, new World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said he sees the institution's recent decision to pull out of a massive bridge project in Bangladesh as "appropriate".

Kim Assumes World Bank Presidency Amidst Uncertainty

Incoming World Bank President Jim Yong Kim reported to work on Monday for the first time, telling those gathered at the bank's headquarters here in Washington that he was "humbled and inspired to take over today as president".

U.S. Aid Policies in Pakistan Resulting in Anti-U.S. Sentiment

Despite President Barack Obama's stated policy of using foreign aid to improve public perception of the United States in Pakistan, two major new reports suggest that U.S. policies are exacerbating an already soured relationship.

Explanations Demanded on U.S. Inaction on Conflict Minerals

A U.S. government agency is being questioned on why it is dragging its feet on 2010 legislation that would increase transparency in extractive industries around the world, one aim of which would be to cut down on the global trade in "conflict minerals".

U.S. Dangerously Short-Sighted on Yemen, Experts Warn

As President Barack Obama's administration becomes further enmeshed in what many are calling an undeclared war in Yemen, observers here are urging the government to broaden its policy approach to the country beyond counterterrorism.

Atomic Energy Agency Dangerously Weak, Warns Report

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is "significantly underfunded", warns a new report released here on Monday.

U.S. Financial Professionals Call for Transaction Tax

In an open letter published Thursday, 52 professionals from the financial sector urged the U.S. Congress to pass legislation mandating a tax on financial transactions.

G20 Produces Little for Developing World – or Anyone Else

The release of the final communiqué of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Tuesday evening has been met with widespread derision from observers across the ideological spectrum.

Refugees in South Sudan Facing “Full-blown Humanitarian Crisis”

Within the next nine days, drinking water at refugee camps in South Sudan's Upper Nile state will run dry, warned the aid agency Doctors Without Borders on Tuesday. Meanwhile, refugees continue to stream into the state, as the few camps set up to house to entrants are stretched even further beyond capacity.

Questions Mounting over G20 Accountability

As leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) countries head into a second day of talks at the grouping's seventh summit this week in Los Cabos, Mexico, calls are strengthening for a new debate around the group's lack of accountability.

Obama Wins Cautious Praise for Ending Deportation of Minors

President Barack Obama's administration announced on Friday that the United States would no longer deport certain young immigrants.

U.S. Sets Another Record on Defence Sales, Already

The United States is set to far surpass previous records for defence sales this year, according to U.S. officials.

G20 to See Showdown on IMF Reforms

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, on Wednesday urged countries to act on a suite of reform measures that would significantly increase the voices of developing countries within the agency.

Westinghouse Agrees to Build Indian Nuclear Power Plant

The U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric has signed a preliminary deal to build a nuclear power plant in India, signalling the first significant forward movement on a contentious civilian nuclear deal agreed between the two countries in 2008.

World Slightly More Peaceful, Despite U.S. Militarisation

Countering a two-year trend, the world overall became slightly more peaceful over the past year, according to an annual report released here on Tuesday.

U.S.-Pakistan Talks on NATO Supply Lines Stopped

Six weeks of talks between Pakistan and the United States have been halted, a Defence Department official stated here on Monday.

Trade, Military Cooperation to Top U.S.-India Talks

The ambassador of India to the United States, Nirupama Rao, on Friday suggested that high-level talks between the two countries, taking place here next week, would focus on "development" and the "people aspect of cooperation".

New World Bank Environment Strategy Boosts Private Sector Role

The World Bank this week released its new environment strategy for the next decade, 2012 through 2022, saying the policy framework was crafted in response to "calls from governments and the private sector for new approaches to development in light of unprecedented environmental challenges".

Calls for an African Green Revolution, Only Smarter

To deal with looming food crises in the coming decades, Africa needs a Green Revolution on par with what took place in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s, according to experts in Washington.

World Bank Lauded for Publishing Sanctions Decisions

This week, for the first time, the World Bank began publishing decisions by the institution's sanctions board on cases involving fraud or corruption.