POLITICS: U.S. Still Noncommittal on Landmine Treaty Matthew Berger WASHINGTON, 2 Mar (IPS) - As the 11th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty entering into effect came and went Monday, the United States remained one of only 37 countries to have yet to sign on to the agreement. more...   U.S.: Healthcare Should Include Abortion Access, Women Say Armin Rosen NEW YORK, 1 Mar (IPS) - Last fall, the push to reform healthcare in the United States was all but hijacked by one of the country's most passionate recurring cultural debates. more...   US-MEXICO: Escalating Drug Violence Rooted in Northern Demand Matthew Berger WASHINGTON, 28 Feb (IPS) - As the war over health care continues in Washington and a war of a bloodier nature heats up in Ciudád Juárez and elsewhere in Mexico, top U.S. and Mexican officials are hoping to reduce both pressures on the health system and the ongoing bloodshed. more...   ENVIRONMENT: Tsunami of E-Waste Could Swamp Developing Countries Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, 22 Feb (IPS) - The mighty mountains of hazardous electronic waste are growing by about 40 million tonnes a year globally. In China, India and South Africa, those mountains are expected to grow 200 to 500 percent in the next decade, a new report warns. more...   HAITI: Local Leaders Shut Out of Military-Run Relief Efforts Ansel Herz GRAND GOAVE, 28 Jan (IPS) - Two gray 23-million-dollar hovercrafts sitting in the middle of a sandy tropical beach look like they are from another world. A pair of 15-foot-wide propeller fans sticks out from the back of each behemoth. more...   HAITI: Social Networks Offer News, and Comfort Garry Pierre-Pierre* PORT-AU-PRINCE, 19 Jan (IPS) - On Tuesday, Jan. 12, a small story from the Associated Press came across the wires that an earthquake had hit Haiti. Almost instantly, phones began to ring as Haitian Americans started calling each other to find out if there was more to this story. more...   U.S.: Obama Urged to Grant Haitians "Protected Status" Eli Clifton and Matthew Berger WASHINGTON, 14 Jan (IPS) - As U.S. and international relief efforts chugged toward Haiti Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced an immediate investment of 100 million dollars in the relief efforts underway following Tuesday's devastating earthquake. more...   U.S.: Suicide Rate Surged Among Veterans Eli Clifton WASHINGTON, 13 Jan (IPS) - Suicides among United States military veterans ballooned by 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to new statistics released by the Veterans Affairs (VA) department. more...   HAITI: U.S. Residents Mount Humanitarian Aid Garry Pierre-Pierre* NEW YORK, 13 Jan (IPS) - A group of Haitian American leaders, state and local officials met late Tuesday night to map out humanitarian relief efforts as the extent of the damage from a devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti became clearer. more...   DEVELOPMENT: Clinton Lays Out U.S. Strategy Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 6 Jan (IPS) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday pledged to make development, along with defence and diplomacy, "a central pillar" of U.S. foreign policy and results, rather than ideology, a guiding principle in devising development policy. more...