U.S. New Steps by Obama to Curb Atrocities in Syria, Elsewhere Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 23 Apr (IPS) - In a major speech commemmorating the Nazi Holocaust, U.S. President Barack Obama Monday announced several steps his administration will take to curb mass atrocities abroad, including in Syria where he is under continuing pressure to intervene with military force. more...   OP-ED Tweeting Democracy Across the Arab World Guy Golan, Ph.D.* SYRACUSE, New York, 18 Apr (IPS) - Over the past few years, the political landscape of the Middle East was wholly transformed by the diffusion of social media across the region. Accounting for 50-65 percent of the region's population, young Muslims quickly embraced these new platforms of mass communication and soon thereafter, they became leaders of revolutions. more...   U.S. "Arab Spring" Dominated TV Foreign News in 2011 Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 2 Jan (IPS) - The so-called "Arab Spring" led U.S. network television evening news coverage during 2011, comprising a total of about 10 percent of all the news coverage provided by the three major commercial networks during 2011, according to the latest annual review by the authoritative Tyndall Report. more...   BOOKS-US Deconstructing Thomas Friedman Sandra Siagian NEW YORK, 6 Dec (IPS) - A new book on the influential New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman sets out to debunk his hawkish, neoliberal views, accusing him of overt racism, factual errors and skewed judgments on issues ranging from the U.S. invasion of Iraq to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. more...   U.S. Carbon Emissions Down Seven Percent In Four Years Analysis by Lester R. Brown* WASHINGTON, 2 Nov (IPS) - Between 2007 and 2011, carbon emissions from coal use in the United States dropped 10 percent. During the same period, emissions from oil use dropped 11 percent. more...   Syria Agrees to Arab League Plan Correspondents* - IPS/Al Jazeera DOHA, Qatar, 2 Nov (IPS) - The Syrian government has accepted several measures suggested by the Arab League aimed at halting the violence in the country, including the removal of tanks and armoured vehicles from the streets. more...   Occupy Wall Street: "It Is a Revolution" Christian Papesch NEW YORK, 30 Sep (IPS) - Since Sep. 17, hundreds of demonstrators in the Occupy Wall Street movement have transformed the quiet Zucotti Park in lower Manhattan from a place where Wall Street traders once relaxed during lunch breaks into a demonstration camp. more...   U.S. Major Mobile Firm in Struggle With Striking Workers Kanya D'Almeida WASHINGTON, 11 Aug (IPS) - As unemployed young rioters rage across London and frustrated homeless people in Holon burn tires on the streets of Israel, the great capitalist democracy across the Atlantic is also feeling repercussions from its own floundering economy. more...   Inheriting the Whirlwind of Extreme Events Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, 15 Sep (IPS) - The dramatic increase in extreme weather that has affected hundreds of millions across the planet is one of the clearest signs that burning billions of tonnes fossil fuels has seriously and permanently disrupted the global climate, experts say. more...   New Arsenal Emerges in Struggle over Iran's Internet Omid Memarian NEW YORK, 20 Jun (IPS) - Millions of Iranians who have lived under an intense level of internet filtering and advanced monitoring systems for years may soon benefit from new technology that sidesteps the censors. more...