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...   May Day Marchers Spread Their Wings Judith Scherr SAN FRANCISCO, California, 2 May (IPS) - More than 1,000 people marched under the brilliant San Francisco sun on May Day. Their signs, such as “Work in America/Live in America/Dream in America. Immigration reform now,” their songs, chants and speeches wove together the twin themes of the day: worker justice and immigrant justice. more...   As Hunger Strike Spreads, Obama Again Denounces Guantanamo Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 1 May (IPS) - With at least 100 detainees now participating in a three-month-old hunger strike, U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday reiterated his earlier denunciations of the Guantanamo detention facility and blamed Congress for preventing its closure. more...   Cyber Bill Fails in U.S. Senate, but Online Privacy Concerns Live On Matthew Charles Cardinale ATLANTA, Georgia, 30 Apr (IPS) - For the second year in a row, activists have successfully defeated a proposal to allow Internet companies to provide customers’ private information to government agencies and each other without risking violation of privacy laws and agreements. more...   U.S. Cities Joining Push to Dump Fossil Fuel Investments Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 26 Apr (IPS) - Nearly a dozen U.S. cities have announced their interest in withdrawing municipal investments from fossil fuel companies, joining a fast-growing movement among colleges and universities that supporters say is allowing citizens concerned with environmental degradation and global climate change to act in lieu of federal action from the U.S. Congress. more...   South Sudan “Between Somalia and Congo” Katelyn Fossett WASHINGTON, 25 Apr (IPS) - Experts here are calling on the United States and the international community to increase pressure on the government of South Sudan to address weaknesses in its central governance. more...   U.S. Regulator Lodges “Environmental Objections” to Keystone Plan Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 23 Apr (IPS) - Advocacy groups here are applauding the publication of new government concerns, formally expressed Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over a recent assessment of the environmental impact of a major oil pipeline that would run between Canada and the U.S. Gulf Coast. more...   California Rethinks Cooperation with Deportation Programme Charlotte Silver SAN FRANCISCO, California, 23 Apr (IPS) - Challenges are mounting to a key U.S. immigration enforcement programme that requires local police to share the fingerprints of individuals they arrest, triggering a federal investigation into the immigration status of the detainee. more...   Global Campaign to Ban Killer Robots Will Sidestep Landmines Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 20 Apr (IPS) - When international human rights groups launch a global campaign next week to ban "fully autonomous weapons", they will follow in the footsteps of the highly-successful 1990s collective worldwide effort to ban anti-personnel landmines and blinding lasers. more...   Keystone Opponents Deepen Criticism of Proposed Pipeline Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 16 Apr (IPS) - Two new reports, put out by a cross-section of U.S. environmental and public interest groups, are attacking central rationales for the construction of a major new Canada-U.S. oil pipeline proposal, which has emerged as an emblematic cause for green groups who have angrily denounced a U.S. government approvals process. more...