Pressure Mounting on U.S. over Congo Violence Joe Hitchon WASHINGTON, 17 May (IPS) - With casualties in the long-running conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) now surpassing every conflict since World War II, U.S. policymakers and advocates are stepping up campaigns to raise awareness and push legislation aimed at encouraging new negotiations, assisting in government reforms, and pressuring the neighbouring countries that have propped up the DRC’s government. more...   Climate Change Is Happening… So What? Silvia Romanelli NEW YORK, 16 May (IPS) - Seven in 10 U.S. citizens believe climate change is real and happening now. Yet most have never even contacted a government official about the issue, let alone volunteered with an environmental organisation or taken other action. more...   U.S. Retailers Holding Out on Bangladesh Safety Agreement Katelyn Fossett WASHINGTON, 15 May (IPS) - Labour groups here are stepping up pressure on U.S. firms to sign a binding building safety agreement for Bangladeshi factories after 10 major European garment companies signed onto the landmark agreement. more...   Q&A "To Propel Change, You Have to Be in Their Faces" Sudeshna Chowdhury UNITED NATIONS, 15 May (IPS) - Eighteen days ago, Diane Wilson, a 65-year-old fisherwoman from Texas, decided to go on a hunger strike. more...   Critics Slam California “Forest Offset” Plan Katelyn Fossett WASHINGTON, 7 May (IPS) - More than two dozen environmental organisations are urging California Governor Jerry Brown to disregard recommendations from a United Nations task force to include so-called forest “offsets” in the state’s new emissions-trading scheme. more...   Rich Countries Drag Feet at Climate Talks Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, 7 May (IPS) - Another week of international climate negotiations ended in Bonn, Germany last Friday, but there was little mid-level bureaucrats could do when world leaders remain in thrall to the fossil fuel industry, say environmentalists. more...   U.S. Reforms Could Slash African Immigration Levels Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 6 May (IPS) - Advocates for the African diaspora in the United States have stepped up a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress not to end a longstanding visa programme aimed at boosting immigration from “underrepresented countries”. more...   U.N. Finds “Little Appreciation” for Human Rights among U.S. Businesses Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 4 May (IPS) - A United Nations expert group is warning that too many gaps remain in implementing new safeguards among businesses based in the United States, both in terms of their domestic and international operations, to ensure the protection of human rights of workers and communities affected by those operations. more...   Few Meaningful Changes in Wake of Dhaka Factory Collapse Katelyn Fossett WASHINGTON, 3 May (IPS) - Worker advocacy groups here are calling on some of the most high-profile U.S.-based clothing companies to make drastic reforms to their international labour practices in the wake of the factory collapse that killed more than 420 workers in Dhaka last week. more...   The West Disappoints Azerbaijan Government Critics Shahin Abbasov BAKU, 3 May (IPS) - Democratisation activists in Azerbaijan are increasingly pessimistic about what they describe as the West’s lack of support for reform and the protection of basic rights in the energy-rich South Caucasus country. more...