US-BAHRAIN Rights Groups Oppose Smaller Arms Transfer Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 30 Jan (IPS) - The decision by the administration of President Barack Obama to approve limited transfers of military equipment to Bahrain is coming under renewed fire by human rights and pro-democracy groups here. more...   U.S. "Money Isn't Speech, Corporations Aren't People" Kanya D'Almeida NEW YORK, 21 Jan (IPS) - In most mainstream media the words "corruption" and "election fraud" accompany images of makeshift polling stations manned by armed guards in Burma or burning tires beside tattered ballot boxes in South Sudan – the insidiousness of stolen elections and a crumbling democracy is very seldom associated with the United States. more...   U.S. A Credit Union to Bail Out People, Not Big Banks Judith Scherr SAN FRANCISCO, California, 21 Jan (IPS) - Occupy activists from Wall Street to San Francisco's financial district have dramatised their anger with big financial institutions by blocking JP Morgan Chase Bank doorways, dancing atop Wells Fargo counters, pitching a tent in a Bank of America lobby, hanging banners across Citibank windows, and accompanying the actions with the now-familiar chant "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out." more...   U.S. Obama Rejects Giant Keystone Pipeline Scheme Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 18 Jan (IPS) - In a decision fraught with political risk, U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected the permit for the proposed giant Keystone XL pipeline project, insisting that his administration needed more time to determine whether it served the national interest. more...   U.S. Burma Release, Ceasefire Hailed by Obama, Rights Groups Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 13 Jan (IPS) - The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama Friday hailed the release by the Burmese government of hundreds of political prisoners, suggesting that it went far toward satisfying Washington's conditions for fully normalising ties between the two countries. more...   Egypt Follows Israel, Eyeing U.S. Aid Without Pre-Conditions Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 13 Jan (IPS) - The United States, the largest provider of military aid to Israel, has rarely, if ever, succeeded in using its leverage to get the Jewish state to abandon its continued repression of Palestinians or halt illegal settlements in occupied territories. more...   IRAN Elections Playbook Starts With Crackdown on Critics Omid Memarian NEW YORK, 10 Jan (IPS) - Less than two months before Iran's parliamentary elections, as much of the opposition mounts a boycott of the polls, a new wave of arrests and lengthy prison sentences for political activists and journalists appears to herald a renewed crackdown in the Iranian capital. more...   U.S. A Movement Evolves to Occupy the Future Judith Scherr OAKLAND, California, 9 Jan (IPS) - With its encampments mostly destroyed, the nascent Occupy Movement in thousands of communities across the U.S. and dozens more around the world has not faded away. more...   U.S. Limits Mercury Pollution as Big Coal Retreats Matthew Cardinale ATLANTA, Georgia, 23 Dec (IPS) - Environmental advocates praised a recent new rule limiting pollution of mercury and other air toxins announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of several new air pollution standards set under the Barack Obama administration. more...   U.S. Hundreds Rally in Support of Accused WikiLeaks Source Charles Davis WASHINGTON, 17 Dec (IPS) - Hundreds of people gathered today outside a U.S. military base where evidence against Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of leaking classified information to the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, is being presented before a military judge for the first time since Manning's arrest. more...