‘Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
of detainees by U.S. forces is widespread and, in many cases, sanctioned by top
government officials, Amnesty International charged Wednesday. 

The allegations, contained in a 32,000-word report released in New York
and London and posted on the human rights organization's Web site, are likely
to influence a U.N. hearing on U.S. compliance with international torture
agreements that begins Friday in Geneva. Amnesty International sent a copy of
the report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture, which is holding the
hearings. 

From the BBC

Full report here 

Repressive regimes are taking full advantage of the net's ability to censor and stifle reform and debate, reveals a report.

Written by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pressure group the report highlights the ways governments threaten the freedom of the press.

The report has a section dedicated to the internet and the growing roster of nations censoring online life.

This censorship is practised on every continent on Earth, said the report.

from the ABC ….. 

Philosophical about ALP policies 

‘We will not be taking Medicare Gold to the next election
- new problems, new focus," Mr Beazley said. 

But he says the party's focus at the next election will be
on fixing problems in the public hospital system. 

from buzzflash ….. 

Stephen Colbert doesn't owe
anyone an apology for telling the truth through the use of poised, barbed wit. 

No, George W. Bush owes the
nation an apology for lying, failure, arrogance, intolerance and greed. 

The Washington press corps still
thinks that they are working for Pravda under Soviet Rule or are Royal Court
transcribers. 

I'm feeling vindicated in getting the "heebie jeebies" in the casino the other night now that I know that ASIOs worried about terrorist attacks on Australian restaurants. 

Why would I think that a casino atop a railway, adjacent to a Parliament House, might not be a great place to hang around?  Let's look at what our attorney general and our chief of Intelligencehad to say today:

[from The Age] 

ASIO has warned that terrorists could carry out attacks on
hotels and restaurants in Australia.

In today's Australian,

PROMINENT scientist Tim Flannery has called for an end to the
uranium debate, saying all alternative energy sources to fossil fuels
must be considered in the fight against climate change.

The author of The Weather Makers and director of the South Australian
Museum said yesterday he had softened his view on nuclear power.

Dr Flannery said the nation could not afford to get "bogged
down in a debate about the three mines policy" or nuclear power and
instead should develop a cohesive response to global warming. "People
say we can't have uranium mining because there's a danger of
proliferation and that's true," Dr Flannery said. "But we have to weigh
all of this stuff and deal with this in the context of threat to
climate change and that's why people are getting away with rubbish
about wind and uranium.

 This piece is an edited and reordered version of Nine New's David Brent's account of an interview with the President of Costa Rica, a country with no army and, according to Brent, " one of the highest levels of literacy and healthcare in the world.  There is much more to read here- I edited only to emphasise certain points, endeavouring nott to change the piece's sentiment.

Australia and the world could soon be hearing a lot more from Oscar Arias because he says he'll intensify his fight against nations increasing their defence budgets when he is inaugurated as his country's president next week.

 
From the ABC …..

Costello plays down 'line-ball' rate hike

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello says today's interest rate hike is
a line-ball decision.

Mr Costello agrees, saying the standard variable rate is likely to be around
7.5 per cent.

"People will be paying more in relation to their mortgage and that will
have a dampening affect in relation to the economy," he said. 

‘President Bush has quietly
claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took
office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by
Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution. 

Among the laws Bush said he can
ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions,
requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems,
''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and
safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.’

‘In a replay of the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
charade, neo-conservative supporters of George W. Bush are pushing the U.S.
intelligence community to take a more alarmist view about Iran’s nuclear
program - only this time, the nation’s top spy John Negroponte is resisting the
pressure unlike former CIA chief George Tenet. 

Tenet joined in Bush’s hyping of the WMD evidence about Iraq - famously
telling the President that the case was a “slam dunk.”  

 Parts of Adelaide's city centre are closed today after an explosion struck a building over night.

The explosion occurred in the heart of the city at 3 am this morning.in  Pirie St, in the very centre of the city.

ABC News said the three storey building has been "destroyed"

Snr Contable Mick Turnbull "It's going to take a while for us to sift through here and see what's actually happened here"

 SA Premier Mike Rann, from  the scene of the incident said that he wa "shocked
by what's happeneed here in the middle of Adelaide nd I'm shocked by
the extent of the damage.  When  you look at this from above the damage
goes back quite a long way"

‘May 1st, 2006, is the third
anniversary of the end of "major combat" in Iraq. It was a glorious
day when George Bush flew onto the deck of the Abraham Lincoln and was
hailed by the rapturous throngs of toadie "news" persons like Chris
Matthews ("And that's the president looking very much like a jet, you
know, a high-flying jet star." 

"Hardball," May 1,
2003) and Bob Schieffer ("As far as I'm concerned, that was one of the
great pictures of all time.

 
‘George W. Bush
has been more emphatic about spreading democracy than any president since
Woodrow Wilson.  

Yet Bush’s
policies have subverted elected governments, corrupted foreign elections, and
tainted democracy itself. For most of the American media, however, Bush’s
pretensions on democracy remain sacrosanct.  

From the ABC and the wind vane

Antarctica ripe for mining, says Joyce
National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce says Australia should consider mining the rich resources of Antarctica, before other nations do.

Senator Joyce visited Antarctica in April on a month-long mission in his role as a member of the federal Parliament's External Territories Committee.

He has told Australian Story that Australia's claim to 42 per cent of the frozen continent is not recognised by a lot of countries.

"There's minerals there, there's gold, there's iron ore, there's coal, there's huge fish resources," he said.

"What you have to ask is: do I turn my head and allow another country exploit my resource or do I position myself in such a way as I'm going to exploit it myself before they get there?"

He says he fears that Australia does not have any real power to stop other nations exploiting Antarctica.

"They're whaling in our area, we can't stop them, we don't have the economic or military power to be a threat to them, so what are we to do?" he said.
------------------------
read more at the ABC

...and see all the cartoons on Joyce on this site... The little big man who's been doing the "conscience" illusion vote-dancing for Howard's benefit