Britain's Prime Minister Blair assumed the rotating presidency of the G8 group of nations (see text box) in January 2005, and he intends to use the July 2005 G8 summit, which he will chair, to push his Africa development initiative. Climate change will be the second focus of the G8 meeting, being called the "Gleneagles summit." The purpose of this report is to provide background on Africa, the G8, and the Gleneagles meeting. It outlines the British proposals and the U.S. reaction to them to date. In addition, it briefly reviews the problems that have inhibited African development and the response to those problems at previous G8 meetings. For additional information, see CRS Report RL32489, Africa: Development Issues and Policy Options, and CRS Issue Brief IB95052, Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance Issues.

This report discusses the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act, which represents an attempt to clear up the conflicting land claims of three distinct parties in Alaska – the State, Alaska Native Corporations, and Native allottees – in time for the fiftieth anniversary of Alaska’s statehood in 2009.

This report provides background information about the issues concerning possible congressional action to reduce the number of positions to which the president makes appointments with the advice and consent of the Senate.

This report summarizes the Asian Development Bank (AsDB), which is a multilateral development finance institution based in Manila, Philippines.

This report discusses about Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.

This report considers whether bankruptcy law in general, and the BAPCPA in particular, may present unique challenges to financial recovery for those whose life, livelihood, and/or home have been damaged or destroyed.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many have questioned whether implementing the new procedures of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), P.L. 109-8, scheduled to go into effect on October 17, 2005, should be delayed. This report considers whether bankruptcy law in general, and the BAPCPA in particular, may present unique challenges to financial recovery for those whose life, livelihood, and/or home have been damaged or destroyed.

This report is about the background of Stabilization Force(SFOR) and peace stabilization duties handed over to a European Union force(EUFOR).

On November 21-22, 2005, the United States will host a meeting with Bosnia’s collective leadership to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dayton accords, an agreement brokered under U.S. leadership that ended the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia- Herzegovina. Since early 2005, the Bush Administration has given renewed emphasis to “unfinished business” in the western Balkan region, such as the unresolved status of Kosovo, a U.N.-run province of Serbia. The United States also seeks to bolster Bosnia’s further development as a unified, democratic, and stable state on the path toward Euro- Atlantic integration, including major constitutional reforms. This report provides an overview of prominent current issues concerning Bosnia and will be updated after the 10th anniversary meeting in Washington.

This report consists of the budget for fiscal year 2005.

The Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) budget report, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2006-2015, included baseline estimates for fiscal years 2005 through 2015. Under baseline assumptions, CBO estimates a FY2006 deficit of $295 billion. This is smaller than CBO's FY2005 baseline deficit estimate. This report details the then-current budgetary situation, budget tools, budget actions, outlays, receipts, deficits, the economy, and related materials.

Under current law, churches and other IRC § 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations are prohibited from engaging in such activity and risk losing their tax-exempt status if they do. While this outcome is rare, it is possible. This report provides an overview of the current tax and campaign finance law relevant to this legislation, a discussion of how each bill would amend current law, and a chart that compares the bills.

Facilities handling large amounts of potentially hazardous chemicals (i.e., chemical facilities) might be of interest to terrorists, either as targets for direct attacks meant to release chemicals into the community or as a source of chemicals for use elsewhere. Because few terrorist attacks have been attempted against chemical facilities in the United States, the risk of death and injury in the near future is estimated to be low, relative to the likelihood of accidents at such facilities or attacks on other targets using conventional weapons. For any individual facility, the risk is very small, but risks may be increasing with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment. Available evidence indicates that many chemical facilities may lack adequate safeguards.

The continued rise in the U.S.-China trade imbalance, complaints from several U.S. manufacturing firms over the competitive challenges posed by cheap Chinese imports, and concerns that U.S. manufacturing jobs are being lost to Chinese competitors have led several Members to call on the Bush Administration to take a more aggressive stance against certain Chinese trade policies deemed to be unfair. This report explores these issues in detail, especially concerning the lack of protection for U.S. IPR.

This report discusses direct climate-focused scientific and research programs of the federal government, as well as an array of energy programs that relate indirectly to climate change.

In 2004, concerns arose that certain antidepressants, other medicines, and medical devices, had been marketed to consumers despite unresolved safety issues. Data from clinical trials conducted both before and after a product goes to market are central to assessing its safety and effectiveness, but there is currently no centralized system for reporting results. This report includes information on recent events as related to clinical trial reporting as of the writing of this report and legislation introduced on the subject in the 108th Congress.

This report provides an overview of selected topics which the 109th Congress may address in its examination of telecommunication issue.

This report provides an overview of the major issues which have been raised recently in the Senate regarding the Judicial Nominations, Filibusters, and the Constitution: When a Majority Is Denied Its Right to Consent and in the press concerning the constitutionality of a Senate filibuster (i.e., extended debate) of a judicial nomination.

This CRS report estimates that the Department of Defense (DOD) has received over $201 billion for combat operations, occupation, and support for military personnel deployed or supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for enhanced security at military installations, collectively called the “global war on terrorism.”

The United States has been interested in helping Kyrgyzstan to enhance its sovereignty and territorial integrity, increase democratic participation and civil society, bolster economic reform and development, strengthen human rights, prevent weapons proliferation, and more effectively combat transnational terrorism and trafficking in persons and narcotics. The United States has pursued these interests throughout Central Asia, with special strategic attention to oil-rich Kazakhstan and regional-power Uzbekistan, and somewhat less to Kyrgyzstan. The significance of Kyrgyzstan to the United States increased after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

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This report analyzes the legislative aftermath of the decision to suspend the Davis-Bacon Act.

This report includes quantitative analysis based on regulatory filings by pension plans for 2001 and 2002 to provide an assessment of the number of plans that might be affected by certain elements of the Administration proposal. It also summarizes the reaction to the Administration proposal by business and labor. The report also includes an illustration of the effect on a hypothetical plan sponsor’s plan contribution and funded ratio of the credit balance approach used in current law versus the Administration proposal. This report focuses on single-employer plans.

On July 21, 2005, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $34.8 billion FY2006 budget for HUD. Like the House version, the Senate bill rejects the President’s Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative (SACI). It increases funding above both the President’s request and the House version for HOPE VI, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-related programs (including Section 108 loan guarantees), Native American Housing Block Grants, and Rural Housing and Economic Development.