Further Victims Revealed in DRC Mass Rapes Case Aprille Muscara UNITED NATIONS, 1 Sep (IPS) - The number of women raped by rebel groups during last month's raid of more than a dozen villages centred around Walikale, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has risen to over 240, U.N. officials told reporters here today. more...   COLOMBIA US Military Aid Contingent on Reversal of Rights Record Matthew Berger WASHINGTON, 1 Sep (IPS) - As a new administration takes over in Bogotá, some groups are hoping for change in the human rights record of Colombia - and that the U.S. will use its clout in the country to ensure that change occurs. more...   Secret 'Kill Lists' Fly in the Face of US and Int'l Law William Fisher NEW YORK, 31 Aug (IPS) - Two of the nation's most influential human rights organisations have filed a lawsuit challenging the government's authority to carry out "targeted killings" of U.S. citizens located far from any armed conflict zone. more...   FBI: No Probable Cause Required For Surveillance William Fisher NEW YORK, 30 Aug (IPS) - The bitter controversy over the building of a Muslim community centre and mosque near the site of the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, is sparking new fears of government snooping on Islamic holy places - which it now claims it can do without a warrant. more...   Q&A Capital Punishment in Canada, Revisited Aprille Muscara NEW YORK, 28 Aug (IPS) - Thirty-four years ago, Canada was one of the first Western countries to abolish the death penalty. In 1987, the question of capital punishment and whether it should be reinstated resurfaced in the House of Commons. more...   Groups Praise U.S. Rights Report as Good First Step William Fisher NEW YORK, 27 Aug (IPS) - In the first ever U.N.-mandated self-assessment of the United States' human rights record, the Barack Obama administration has reaffirmed its commitment to closing the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay and to fixing the country's "broken immigration system". more...   Hope Persists for Jailed Health Workers in Philippines Beatrice Paez MONTREAL, Canada, 25 Aug (IPS) - A mother accused of backing insurgents in the Philippines and her newborn son are awaiting their release from prison, in a case that has gained international attention. more...   Sao Tome and Principe at Oil Bonanza Crossroads Megan Iacobini de Fazio NEW YORK, 24 Aug (IPS) - With the discovery of large amounts of oil in the Gulf of Guinea, the small archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe faces the possibility of benefiting from considerable oil revenues. However, a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday documents the difficulties in managing the revenues from the hydrocarbon business in an effective and transparent way. more...   AFGHANISTAN Ouster of Contractors Throws U.S. Strategy in Doubt William Fisher NEW YORK, 24 Aug (IPS) - Charging that U.S. private security contractors are "mafia- like groups" being financed by U.S. taxpayers to carry out "terrorist activities" with the support of the U.S. government, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered a four- month phaseout of all private security companies in his embattled country. more...   Q&A Mousavi's Revelations Would Destroy the Govt's Legitimacy Omid Memarian interviews ABOLHASSAN BANISADR, Iran's first post-Revolution president SAN FRANCISCO, California, 24 Aug (IPS) - Responding to pro-government critics, Iran's defiant opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has said several times in recent months that he would reveal "untold secrets" from his tenure. more...