Decade After Iraq, Right-Wing and Liberal Hawks Reunite Over Syria Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 8 May (IPS) - Ten years after right-wing and liberal hawks came together to push the U.S. into invading Iraq, key members of the two groups appear to be reuniting behind stronger U.S. military intervention in Syria. more...   Pentagon Estimates 26,000 Sexual Assaults in U.S. Military Last Year Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 8 May (IPS) - The U.S. Department of Defence is announcing that reported cases of sexual assault in the U.S. military last year rose again to 3,374, a six percent increase over 2011 and a record high. 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...   Europe Urged to Step into Breach of Failed Mideast Peace Mitchell Plitnick WASHINGTON, 7 May (IPS) - The Oslo peace process has failed and Europe must take stronger leadership in the Middle East, according to a distinguished group of former European leaders that is pushing for a stronger and more independent European stance on the Israeli occupation. more...   Obama Seen Unlikely to Sharply Escalate Intervention in Syria Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 4 May (IPS) - Despite renewed pressure by hawks in Congress and the media, U.S. President Barack Obama appears determined to avoid sharply escalating U.S. involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria. 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...   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...