Well, the headline may be a bit of an exaggeration.
But this BBC-report brings some stunning allegations against the Republican (presumtive) nominee.

'When John McCain was my captive'

While quietly perusing the WaPo webpages, the following paragraph suddenly screamed out at me:

"If you ask people whether they think the drain cleaner they use in their homes has been tested for safety, they think, 'Of course, the government would have never allowed a product on the market without knowing it's safe,' " said Richard Denison, senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. "When you tell them that's not the case, they can't believe it."

Wow!

We've already been exposed to so much evil; Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, torture, renditions. The news of secret prison ships is therefore not much of a surprise - we have come to expect this kind of travesty from this administration.

Tomorrow's Guardian:

US accused of holding terror suspects on prison ships

The reference in the title shouldn't require much clarification, but let me just give you a brief reminder that a week can be a very long time in international politics.
Less than a week ago, George W. Bush gave a speech to Knesset during his tour of the Middle-East (the main purpose of the tour was to beg for more Saudi oil production, a request that was rebuffed). Bush made controversial remarks that caused quite an uproar.

Crossposted from Booman Tribune

Here's a little story that won't get much traction in the media, but intrepid bloggers should be aware.

Google is up to nothing good and is willingly participating in censorship. And this story is not based abroad, such as the sorry 'Google censors itself for China'-story.

Leading internet company Google has said it will censor its search services in China in order to gain greater access to China's fast-growing market.

Google has offered a Chinese-language version of its search engine for years but users have been frustrated by government blocks on the site.

The company is setting up a new site - Google.cn - which it will censor itself to satisfy the authorities in Beijing.

This time, it is happening right here in the US and Google is treading on thin ice with regards to freedom of expression.

Dumped on the United Nations, that is!

Cross posted from Booman Tribune

I'm not really inclined to write a diary entry this morning, but some recent articles on a blog on UN affairs that I frequent deserve some attention outside it's usual readership.

Two recent scandals involving high-level UN managers nominated and pushed by the Bush administration.

Follow below to see how these senior officials' 'leadership' is tarnishing the UN and it's reputation.

There has not been much publicity over Bush' upcoming trip to Israel. And why should there be, as the visit will only serve to again emphasize what a walking disaster the pResident is?

Bush To Make His First Visit To Israel

But Bush soldiers on as if reality is something that affects only distant galaxies. On the offensive again:

Bush says US would defend Israel if Iran attacks

JERUSALEM (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Washington would defend its close ally Israel in the event of an Iranian attack, in remarks broadcast on Israeli army radio on Sunday.

"Whether there's an imminent attack coming, I don't think so," Bush said in excerpts of an interview with an Israeli television station to be aired in its entirety later in the day.

"If Iran did strike Israel... We will defend our ally, no ands, ifs or buts," he said.

Bush's statements came just days before he arrives in the region for his first visit since taking office in January 2001 and the first trip by a sitting US president since December 1998.

Apologies for the brevity of this diary entry; but I would like to give some attention to the Virtual Torchlight Parade i honor of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007.

I apologize for the brevity of this diary entry; monetary policy is not my field.  However, since I have not seen the topic blogged anywhere - I would like to bring your attention to the ongoing Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The developing nations are sticking it to the industrialized world, and the irony is breathtaking:

"Allow me to point out the irony," Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega told the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Washington. "Countries that were references for good governance, of standards and codes for the financial systems, these are the very countries facing serious problems of financial fragility, putting at risk the prosperity of the world economy."

More below:

Did you know that we celebrate World Press Freedom Day tomorrow?  Based on an initiative from UNESCO, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day in 1993. Since then, it has been celebrated each year on 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek.  The declaration calls for free, independent, pluralistic media worldwide where free press is seen as essential to democracy and a fundamental human right.

Follow below::

Cross-posted from Booman Tribune

Regular readers of the Booman Tribune will have noted the series of reports being released by the Intragovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) during this spring.

The report of Working Group I covered the scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change and was released on 2 February 2007.
Contribution of Working Group I - Summary for Policymakers (pdf)

Working Group II released it's report on April 6; assessing the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for adapting to it.
Working Group II - Summary for Policymakers (pdf)  Also see previous diary entry.

Follow below::

And I am not talking about the UN World Summit, which itself should offer some fireworks.

No; on my way to work this morning I saw a little notice in the free morning paper that there would be a debate on the Iraq war tonight at Baruch.  Looked it up and found the link.
Christopher Hitchens and George Galloway, moderated by Amy Goodman.  I anticipate that this will be quite a session.  Recall last time these two met:

Crossposted from Boomantribune.
I could not fail noticing Susanhu's story last Thursday, announcing a protest in NYC on 4th of July:
Nothing posted on their site yet about today's event, but check back later.

Well, my girlfriend and I were there this morning!  A beautiful, sunny morning - moderate humidity and temperature.  A perfect start for the day.

More below the fold:

I did a search, and did not come across any recent diary on Serbia and/or Bosnia.

Cross posted and slightly edited from boomantribune.

I had actually seen a couple of references to this story this morning in the European news media, but didn't pay much attention because of a tight deadline at work.  Then, checking my yahoo-account just an hour ago, or so - I coincidentally noticed this headline on Yahoo-news:

Serbs shocked by video of Srebrenica killings

Obviously, I had to take another look - maybe Yahoo reported it differently, or more up-to-date than what I read this morning.  And I was in for a positive surprise.

More below the fold:

Over at the Boomantribune, Susanhu issued a challenge last week.  The UN has compiled a list of the 10 most ignored stories around the world in 2005.  Check the menu for the full list.

This was my contribution.

Today;  Somalia: Steps on a path to fragile peace in a shattered country.

Somalia is different from many other troubled spots in the world inasmuch as it is more easily recognized by many Americans as the stage for the movie Black Hawk Down.  This story is not about that incidence, though, but following the link will bring you to an excellent resource page from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
For others, the mention of Somalia will associate with the Horn of Africa and the perennial stories of war, civil war and famine.

This will be a short diary based on an article by the NPR Ombudsman posted on the NPR site.
It is in reference to the Pentagon report on the killing of Nicola Calipari. Since the story was thoroughly blogged here at Kos, I thought the Ombudsman's article is of particular relevance to us.
More below the fold.

Crossposted from Booman

So, I was feeling a bit drained in the office yesterday and drifted on to the internets to zone out a little.  Don't take this diary too seriously, but some of you guys and gals can be quite funny and I know you would love to take a shot at this one.

I believe it was via the Guardian that I came across the link below, and I could not resist reading this story about a couple of my crazy compatriots.

Mr. Jan Egeland, the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs got into hot water for his comment early last week that wealthy nations were stingy in their contributions for humanitarian work.  The US administration as well as conservative pundits have had a field day in dumping on Mr. Egeland - insisting that the US is the most charitable nation on the face of the earth.