Mentally Ill Adrift in U.S. Immigration System Esther Banales UNITED NATIONS, 25 Jul (IPS) - Mentally disabled legal permanent residents of the United States and asylum seekers face indefinite detention, erroneous deportation, and unfair hearings in U.S. courts, according to a new joint report from two leading human rights organisations. more...   EDUCATION Taking Science into the Streets Beatrice Paez NEW YORK, 12 Jul (IPS) - A group of 80 students, broken into smaller groups with their notebooks in tow, troop through the boroughs of New York City to survey the produce that populates farmers' markets and grocery stores in their neighbourhoods. Across the world, a similar image emerges in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where female students are learning to grow edible mushrooms in their villages. more...   The Return of the Bicycle Analysis by Lester R. Brown* WASHINGTON, 6 Jul (IPS) - The bicycle has many attractions as a form of personal transportation. It alleviates congestion, lowers air pollution, reduces obesity, increases physical fitness, does not emit climate-disrupting carbon dioxide, and is priced within the reach of the billions of people who cannot afford a car. more...   U.S. Youth on Frontlines of Green Justice Struggles Bankole Thompson DETROIT, 24 Jun (IPS) - The committed determination of young people in the environmental justice movement is emerging as a highlight of the 2010 U.S. Social Forum, which opened in Detroit this week with some 20,000 activists meeting in 'Motor City' to network and share their visions for social change. more...   Shift in Illicit Drug Use Bodes Ill for Developing World Matthew O. Berger WASHINGTON, 23 Jun (IPS) - While drug use has largely stabilised in industrial countries, there are signs that it may be on the rise in developing countries, says a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the impact of a rise in drug abuse could cause a lot more damage in developing countries than it has for their richer counterparts. more...   US-VIETNAM 300 Million Dollars to Clean Up Agent Orange Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 16 Jun (IPS) - Thirty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, a joint U.S.-Vietnamese panel endorsed a 10-year, 300-million-dollar "plan of action" to deal with the deadly health and environmental legacy of the U.S. military's widespread use of "Agent Orange" during the conflict. more...   U.S. Lawns Getting an Eco-Makeover Adrianne Appel* - IPS/IFEJ BOSTON, 13 Jun (IPS) - A radical, underground movement is growing in the suburbs of the United States. more...   U.S. Bill Would Outlaw FGM "Holidays" Beatrice Paez NEW YORK, 12 Jun (IPS) - The U.S. currently lags behind several Western European countries in closing a legislative loophole banning the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) beyond its borders to protect U.S. citizens and residents. But this may soon change. more...   Health Agency Urged to Probe CIA Torture Claims William Fisher NEW YORK, 10 Jun (IPS) - Human rights groups are turning to an obscure government agency to investigate allegations that medical professionals on the payroll of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helped the agency to perform experiments on detainees in U.S. custody following the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, in an effort to make "enhanced interrogation techniques" more efficient and provide them with legal cover. more...   Reclaiming the Streets Analysis by Lester R. Brown* WASHINGTON, 20 May (IPS) - Cars promise mobility, and in a largely rural setting they provide it. But in an urbanising world, where more than half of us live in cities, there is an inherent conflict between the automobile and the city. more...