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...   Geothermal: Getting Energy from the Earth Lester R. Brown* WASHINGTON, 31 Aug (IPS) - The heat in the upper six miles of the earth's crust contains 50,000 times as much energy as found in all the world's oil and gas reserves combined. Despite this abundance, only 10,700 megawatts of geothermal electricity generating capacity have been harnessed worldwide. 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...   Billion Dollar Audit Missed by Pentagon Watchdog Pratap Chatterjee* WASHINGTON, 31 Aug (IPS) - Military auditors failed to complete an audit of the business systems of an Ohio- based company - Mission Essential Personnel - even though it had billed for one billion dollars worth of work largely in Afghanistan over the last four years. more...   US-MIDEAST Light At End of Tunnel Elusive Despite Obama's Efforts Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 30 Aug (IPS) - President Barack Obama will try this week to underline his progress in extricating the United States from the morass his predecessor's "global war on terror" in the Greater Middle East. 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...   Media Didn't Buy Petraeus Command's Story of Low Taliban Morale Gareth Porter* WASHINGTON, 30 Aug (IPS) - In an effort to introduce a story of "progress" into media coverage, Gen. David Petraeus's command claimed last week that the Taliban is suffering from reduced morale in Marjah and elsewhere, despite evidence that the population of Marjah still believes the Taliban controls that district. 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...