Op-Ed: Spain gears up for tomorrow's final in the Euro 2012

Despite being Saturday night, it's a quiet evening here in Spain. Everyone must be having an early night in hopeful anticipation.

Will Spain retain the Euro 2012 championship tomorrow? We will have to wait and see, when they enter Kiev's Olympic Stadium tomorrow evening to go head-to-head with Italy.

One thing is for sure, all thoughts of bail-outs and austerity will be on hold for a while.

While waiting to see who wins, I thought I would put some impressions together of what it is like to live in Spain during football championships.... read more.

Julian Assange movie: 'Leaks — Three Dates With Harry Harrison'

For something different in the way of movie entertainment, German and British movie makers are gearing up to make a romantic comedy about the life of Julian Assange.

Reports are stating  that the movie may be released under the title "Leaks - Three Dates with Harry Harrison" and will be based on the life of "the man who leaked the world."

German and British filmmakers are teaming up to make the movie, with the script being written by Cyril Tuschi, a German director of Russian descent, together with a British writer, Michael Gaster... read more.

6.3 magnitude earthquake plus mudslides from storms in China

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake has rocked China's Xinjiang region, leaving 34 people injured. No fatalities have yet been reported. However, mudslides from storms have killed 50.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake measured 6.3, but China's Earthquake Networks Center registered it at 6.6-magnitude... read more.

Evansville SWAT team raids wrong house in internet threat case

The SWAT team attempted to execute a search warrant on an anonymous Internet user, but destroyed the home of an innocent grandmother instead.

The SWAT team in Evansville, Indiana, dressed in full protective gear, wanted to make an example of an anonymous Internet user who made malicious remarks and threats against the police in Evansville.

On tracing the IP address involved, members of the Midwest town's SWAT team plotted their raid on the alleged home of the person behind the malicious remarks, posted on an Internet forum.

To really make their point, they invited a local television crew to accompany them on the raid, in order to catch the whole thing on camera... read more and view video of raid.

Spain and Russia fined for racist chants at Euro 2012

The football federations of Spain and Russia have both been fined by UEFA for fans' racist behavior and chants at Euro 2012.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation is being fined €20,000 for racist chants shouted by fans at the Italian star-striker, Mario Balotelli, on June 10.

The Russian Football Union is being hit with a fine of €30,000, after the country’s supporters offended Czech Republic’s black defender Theodor Gebre Selassie, during a group stage match on June 8. Apparently fans made "monkey noises" while he was playing.... read more.

200,000 protest in Tokyo against nuclear restart

Shareholders of Japan's electricity companies voted on Wednesday to reboot nuclear power in Japan. 200,000 people hit the streets yesterday to protest this.

The people of Japan are outraged over the continued push for nuclear reactor restarts in Japan. They protested at the door of the residence of Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, yesterday.

In the brief video clip, protesters are chanting, "No to the restarts!" ... read more.

Lawyer states Assange to remain at Ecuadorian embassy

In a media statement given today at the Ecuadorian embassy, Susan Benn from the Julian Assange Defense Fund has said that he will remain at the embassy until his asylum appeal is considered.

The statement follows a visit by Benn with Assange, who is still trapped within the Ecuadorian embassy, after he chose not to present himself at the Belgravia police station on Friday morning, to begin extradition proceedings.

Benn told reporters that Assange was in good spirits and was grateful for the support of the people of Ecuador and so many others from around the world. Speaking of the summons to appear at the police station at 11:30 on Friday, she said that he was advised to decline to comply with this request... read more and listen to press statement.

Video: 60% of Egyptians suffering from PTSD

In the wake of the successful elections recently in Egypt, surveys have shown that 60% of Egyptians are suffering from PTSD, caused by the stress of both protests and multiple elections.

In spite of the long-anticipated announcement of the presidential elections last weekend, Egyptians are planning to be out in the streets protesting yet again this Friday, to demand the power handover from the current military government to their newly-elected leader... read more and watch video.

China's Shenzhou-9 capsule returns safely to Earth

After a 13 day mission in space, the crew of the Shenzhou-9 space capsule have now returned home, successfully completing their mission.

The capsule, carrying the crew of China’s Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, has now successfully landed in China’s Inner Mongolia region. The success of this mission brings China a step closer to creating its own manned space station.

The video above from Chinese state television, shows live images of the capsule's safe landing in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia's Siziwang county... read more and watch video.

Julian Assange rejects police request to hand himself in

The U.K. police has issued an order for Julian Assange to appear at a police station on Friday, to begin the extradition process. Assange has rejected it.  In an interview with the BBC, he explains why.

The WikiLeaks whistleblower, Assange, is currently liable for arrest by the U.K. police should he leave the Ecuadorian embassy, on the grounds that he has violated his bail conditions. He is wanted in Sweden on allegations of rape and sexual assault, which Assange denies, and says that the charges are "depthless and politically-motivated."

He has been in the Ecuadorian Embassy since last Tuesday, appealing for political asylum from the Ecuadorian government.... read more and view video.

Edgar Weltens: making music with a meaning

Edgar Weltens is a talented musician and song-writer, making music that tells a story and has a real meaning. This article introduces both Edgar and his new rap song, "Stop the Poison".


Digital Journal interviewed Edgar Weltens to find out what he is all about... read more and listen to Edgar rap.

Video: Tanks dance, choreographed by Bolshoi director

Now here is something completely different. Tanks that can dance and waltz, as seen at the annual military technology show in Moscow.

The scene was the annual military technology show at the Zhukovsky test center, near Moscow in Russia.

The military show featured "dancing tanks" and was produced by Andrey Melanyin, director of the Bolshoi Theater.... read more and view video.

Concern over many deformed babies in Eastern Cape, South Africa

There is much concern in the Eastern Cape in South Africa as to why so many babies have been born with deformities in the province.

The Eastern Cape Health Department is calling for more research into the shocking number of deformed babies, with 50 deformities reported in the last two years.

Eastern Cape spokesman, Sizwe Kupelo said, “We are counting 50 deformities within a period of two years. We don’t have a documented cause.”

In the most recent example of deformed infants, a baby girl was born at the Dr Malizo Mphehle district hospital in Tsolo, near Mthatha last Saturday.

Kupelo says, “She was born with a small penis on the forehead and one eye on the forehead. She was born with no nose and where there are supposed to be eyes there was nothing – skin covered the area.” ... read more.

Massive cyber attack in progress in USA, Europe and Latin America

Leading cyber security company, McAfee, has issued a breaking news report that indicates that the U.S., European and Latin American financial systems are under a massive cyber attack.

So far some $2.5 billion has been siphoned from thousands of accounts at various financial institutions and banks.

McAfee states that the attacks are ongoing and apparently international law enforcement agencies are working on shutting them down... read more.

Jimmy Wales petitions against extradition of Richard O’Dwyer

24-year-old Richard O’Dwyer is to be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. on copyright charges. Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia has started a petition against this.

Digital Journal reported on March 14 that the U.S. had won its case to extradite Richard O'Dwyer to the U.S. to face trial for operating a U.K.-based website linking to copyright materials.

The United States claims that the website infringed on American copyright legislation by linking to copyright protected material. O’Dwyer’s website, TVShack.com, sold advertising space and, according to American officials, netted more than $230,000 before American agents first shut it down.... read more and find out where to sign the petition.

Terrorist group attacks TV Channel in Syria — 7 people dead

Three journalists and four workers at the Syrian al-Ikhbariyia Satellite Channel were killed on Wednesday morning in an attack by an armed group.

The group was targeting the headquarters of the pro-government television station, al-Ikhbariyia, located around 20 kilometers south of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi has placed the responsibility for killing of seven TV staffers on the EU, Arab and International organizations. He called it “the worst massacre against journalism and the freedom of media.” ... read more.

Video: Kuril Islands - Russia's eastern frontier

An interesting documentary on the Kuril Islands, which were first owned by the Japanese and are now part of eastern Russia.

The Kuril Islands, in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean... read more and watch documentary.

Copy of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation sold for $2.1 million

A copy of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation document, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, has been sold for $2.1 million.

The document, signed by Lincoln during the Civil War, ordered the freeing of slaves. The proclamation provided a legal framework for the emancipation of millions of other slaves as the Union armies advanced. 48 copies of the document were made, and Lincoln signed all of them.... read more.

Video: 3 houses destroyed in massive explosion in the UK

Suspected to have been caused by a gas leak, a child was killed and one man seriously burned in an explosion near Manchester, northwest England.

The explosion has left a smoking pile of rubble where the terraced house used to stand, in Oldham, near Manchester, 260 kms northwest of London... read more and view aerial video.

Assange episode 10: 'End of the world as we know it?'

In this episode Julian Assange interviews Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali. Discussions are held on the Arab Spring, the crisis in the West and new hope in Latin America.

This is the last episode of "The World Tomorrow", which has been a fascinating and informative series of interviews with controversial people worldwide. All other episodes can be accessed from the links at the bottom of this article.

This week Julian Assange interviews Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali, both well-known activists of the intellectual left, and discussions are held about the Arab Spring, protests that have erupted in Western countries in the last year and also new hope in Latin America.... read more and view interview.

Bangor, Maine prepares for possible zombie apocalypse

If you are living in or near Bangor, Maine, fear not - preparations are tested and in place to protect you from a possible zombie apocalypse.

It seems that authorities in Maine are not taking any chances. Just weeks after the federal government publicly denied the existence of zombies, emergency officials in Maine have run a training exercise in preparation for a zombie apocalypse.

With Stephen King living in the area, who knows? Maybe they know something we don't.... read more

Israeli return strike on Gaza kills 6-year-old boy

Following rocket fire from Gaza that wounded an Israeli man, Israel launched air raids on Gaza on Saturday, killing a 6-year-old boy.

The air raid was launched on Palestinian territory on Saturday, following rocket fire from Gaza which wounded an Israeli man. On Monday, in a skirmish between Israeli forces and three alleged militants, who attacked workers on the border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, two militants were killed, while one managed to escape.

Israel confirms that its aircraft had struck two militant targets in Gaza overnight in a retaliatory raid, but deny involvement in the death of the six-year-old child... read more.

Iran warns: If Israel attacks, Israel will be destroyed

Negotiations between world powers and Iran wrapped up in Moscow with no resolution, and a high-ranking Iranian general has sent a strong warning to Israel on possible attacks.

While Israel and its Western allies suspect that Tehran is enriching uranium and is seeking to create nuclear warheads, many Western experts say this is not the case.

Despite this, Tel Aviv has repeatedly stated that it will bomb Iranian nuclear facilities to prevent the construction of nuclear weapons... read more.

Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison buys a Hawaiian island

While Moody's downgrades 15 more banks in the world, it is still possible for a billionaire to buy a whole Hawaiian Island - Lanai to be exact.

The co-founder and CEO of software company Oracle Corporation, Ellison is the third richest man in the U.S., with an estimated worth of $36.5 billion.

He is now planning to buy 98% of Lanai, which is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands... read full article.

Syria downed Turkish F-4 jet over territorial waters

It is now official. Syria has confirmed that it did shoot down a Turkish F-4 jet yesterday. Turkey promises to "determinedly take necessary steps" in response.

Digital Journal reported yesterday on the shooting down of a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet by Syrian forces. At that stage, nothing was completely confirmed.

According to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he could not confirm whether the plane had been shot down or had crashed. He also could not confirm reports that Syria had apologized for downing the jet.... read more.

Ecuador recalls UK ambassador for discussions on Assange

In the latest on the situation with the WikiLeaks founder, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has recalled his U.K. ambassador to discuss Julian Assange's bid for political asylum.

As reported on Digital Journal, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy four days ago, both seeking political asylum and breaking his bail conditions. U.K. police are poised to arrest him, should he step outside the embassy.

Assange seeks to avoid extradition to Sweden on allegations of rape, fearing Stockholm will turn him over to the U.S.... read more.

Truck veers out of control as brakes fail in deadly crash (video)

Caught by a dashboard camera of a vehicle travelling the highway, a truck lost control when its brakes failed, and slammed into four other vehicles.

On the highway outside the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia's Urals, the driver of a heavy Volvo truck completely lost control of his vehicle when its brakes failed.

The truck swerved onto the wrong side of the road and collided with two cars, a KAMAZ truck and a van.... read more and watch video.

Turkish military aircraft crashes in Syria

According to media reports, a Turkish military aircraft has crashed in Syria. The aircraft appears to have been shot down and the two pilots have been rescued.

Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV is reporting that the plane went down as Syrian air defense opened fire.

In other unconfirmed reports, it has been said that Syria had shot at two Turkish fighter jets that entered Syrian airspace... read full story.

Assange: First interview since seeking asylum in Ecuador Embassy

In his first interview since seeking political asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy, Julian Assange speaks to ABC Radio National, Australia.

WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange has accused both the U.K. and Sweden of conspiring to trap him in England, while U.S. authorities build a legal case against him. He has further stated that the Australian government has abandoned him by refusing to intervene in his extradition... read more and listen to interview.

The International Trade Committee of EU Parliament rejects ACTA

The INTA committee rejected the controversial legislation by 19 votes to 12 with no abstentions, and is the fourth and final committee to deliver its report on ACTA.

This rejection will most likely affect the European Parliament's vote in early July and will most probably be a "nail in the coffin" of the draconian treaty... read more.

'WikiLeaks will carry on despite crackdown on whistleblowers'

RT interviewed Kristinn Hrafnsson, an Icelandic WikiLeaks member, on the systematic crackdown on whistleblowers worldwide.

In this interesting interview, Hrafnsson, an investigative journalist in Iceland, explains why he joined WikiLeaks as a press spokesman, after the exposure of the banking corruption in Iceland.

He says in the interview, "Julian Assange was working in Iceland the winter 2009-2010. After that Wikileaks actually produced a tremendously important leak which exposed corruption within Iceland. It shed light onto why the entire banking system of Iceland collapsed in 2008. I met him in that period when he was in Iceland working on other things." ... read more and watch interview.

Indonesian air force plane crashes into Jakarta residential area

At least six people have been killed when an Indonesia Air Force plane crashed into a residential area of Jakarta today. The Fokker F-27 was on a routine training flight when it crashed.

There were apparently seven people on the aircraft, including the pilot, co-pilot, an instructor and trainees. All involved have been rushed to the air force hospital... read more and view video.

Chicago NATO protesters indicted on 11 counts of terror

Three protesters, who were arrested prior to the NATO Summit in Chicago on terrorism-related charges, have now been indicted by a Grand Jury.

Digital Journal reported in May on questions into police involvement in alleged terror plots during the NATO Summit in Chicago.

Three men, Brian Church, Jared Chase and Brent Vincent Betterly, were arrested in an undercover operation, under the Illinois anti-terrorism statutes. They were detained on charges that included conspiracy to commit terrorism and also material support for terrorism, due to home-made beer-making equipment found in their apartment. The men were originally arrested along with eight other individuals, who were subsequently freed... read more.

Protesting miners use home-made bazookas against Spanish Police

200 miners were protesting austerity cuts yesterday in the northern Spanish village of Ciñera near León. Police used rubber bullets, protesters retaliated with their own home-made weapons.

There have been ongoing protests in several mining towns and villages in Spain, over the Spanish Government's plans to slash subsidies to the coal sector by over 60%. This would reduce subsidies from 301 million euro last year, to only 111 million this year.

According to union officials, these austerity measures could jeopardize the jobs of about 8,000 coal miners and up to 30,000 other people indirectly employed in the mining sector... read more.

UK police wish to arrest Assange for breaking his bail conditions

By staying overnight at the Ecuadorian Embassy, Assange has broken his bail conditions and is subject to arrest, and RT interviews Assange's mother on her feelings about the extradition.

While Assange has taken refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, United Kingdom, the police are apparently ready to arrest him for breaching his bail conditions.

On a warrant issued in Sweden, Assange was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service's Extradition Unit on December 7, 2010. Sweden wants him in connection with allegations of rape and sexual molestation... read more and view interview with Christine Assange.

Julian Assange asks for political asylum in Ecuador Embassy

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño said today that Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and sought political asylum.

Patiño said that his country "is evaluating Mr. Assange’s request" and that the decision will be made based on the rules and principles of human rights and international law... read full article.

Friends of WikiLeaks fight for Julian Assange’s human rights

Friends of WikiLeaks is an international group, aiming to promote WikiLeaks and "defend its mission". They have sent a letter to the Human Rights Court, asking it to stop the "unlawful detention" of Julian Assange.

The Friends of WikiLeaks  (FoWL) group boasts members worldwide.... read more

Assange Episode 9: 'Pakistan a hired gun to kill US enemies'

This week on "The World Tomorrow", Julian Assange interviews Imran Khan, a Pakistani anti-corruption activist and politician known by some as 'a one-man-party'.

Imran Khan is a Pakistani politician, statesman and former cricketer, who played international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century.

After retiring from cricket, he entered politics. Currently, besides his political activism, Khan is also a philanthropist, cricket commentator, Chancellor of the University of Bradford and Founder and Chairman Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre.

In April 1996, Khan founded and became the chairman of a political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). He represented Mianwali as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to October 2007. Foreign Policy magazine has described him as "Pakistan's Ron Paul".... read more and watch interview.

Luke Rudkowski beats the mainstream media to Senator Marco Rubio

When Senator Marco Rubio attended an Earth Freedom Coalition conference recently, the mainstream media were all lined up to ask him questions. 

However, it turns out none of them had any luck whatsoever.

While he doesn't actually get his question answered, the cheeky citizen journalist, Luke Rudkowski of We are Change, shows how you can beat the mainstream media when wishing to interview someone... read more and watch video.

San Onofre nuclear power plant — reasons for shut down reported

The San Onofre power station was shut down in January this year due to a scare, when the plant released trace amounts of radiation. Now a report is out explaining what actually happened.

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is located 70 miles south of Los Angeles, and has been on temporary shut down since January 2012. At the time, Unit 2 of the San Onofre facility was shut down for routine maintenance and upgrades, when the plant’s crew was forced to halt operations of Unit 3 upon discovering a leak.

After months of meticulous investigation, Federal regulators have now published a report on the incident, and have told AP that design flaws have caused the tubing carrying radioactive water throughout the plant to be worn down extensively.

While it was initially thought that the release of trace amounts of radiation was a fluke, it now seems that this could have been very much worse.... read full article.

Couchsurfing: a new way to travel on friendship (video)

The short documentary describes the travels of three "couchsurfers" - modern nomadic travelers who move around the world on friendship.

David is a French former business and management student who was employed as a sales representative for several years. He says that he lives most of the time on around $100 a month. He even lived in Spain for one month, totally without money.

Begz is a Mongolian who works in a public library and is married with four children. Begz accommodates many couchsurfers in his home... read full article and view video.

Shenzhou-9 successfully docks with Tiangong-1 (video)

In China's first manned space flight, the 3 astronauts on Shenzhou-9 have successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 module and are settling into their new home-from-home.

Digital Journal reported on June 16 on the successful launch of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, on its way to docking with the Tiangong-1 module.

On Monday, the space craft had a successful rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1 module. The docking was computer controlled. However, there was a manual override in place for the astronauts to use in case of problems.... read more and view video.

Ocean X returns to the Baltic Sea in search of possible UFO

In June last year, Swedish treasure hunters found a bizarre, disk-like object 90 meters under the Baltic Sea. Speculation is that this is a UFO and a return expedition is now ongoing. 

On June 19, 2011, Swedish treasure hunters were exploring the bottom of the Baltic Sea with their sonars, when they noticed a bizarre structure at a depth of 90 meters. International experts have failed to explain these sonar images. 

 The team describe the object as being covered in soot, with small "fireplace"-like structures, lying at the end of a 300-meter "runway". The object is huge, and rises three or four meters above the seabed and is approximately 60 meters in diameter... read more and view video.

Amazonians 'free the Xingu River' prior to Rio+20 UN Earth Summit

There has been much controversy about the construction of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil. On June 15, the people did something about it, and freed their river.

As reported on Digital Journal in April, the Belo Monte dam project is a controversial one.It is slated to be the 3rd largest hydroelectric project in the world. This dam would divert 80% of the Xingu River's flow through artificial canals, which would flood over 600 square kilometers of rainforest.

It would also dry out a 100 kilometer stretch of the river known as the "Big Bend", home to hundreds of indigenous and riverine families.... read more and view photos.

China launches 1st manned space flight, with woman astronaut

Three Chinese astronauts, including China's first female astronaut, blasted off in the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft today in the country's first manned space flight.

Launching the first manned space docking mission in China, and including the country's first ever woman astronaut, the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft launched successfully at 10:37 GMT from Jiuquan launch center in north-west Gansu province.

China has now moved one step closer to becoming the second nation in the world performing regular space flights... read more and watch video.

Deadly legacy of Agent Orange spreads to Japan

U.S. veterans have told the Japan Times that the Marine Corps buried a massive stockpile of Agent Orange at the Futenma air station in Okinawa, Japan. 

This buried stockpile has possibly poisoned the base's former head of maintenance and is potentially contaminating the ground beneath the base, as well as nearby residents... read more

Water in Gaza not fit for human consumption say charities

Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians say that the water in Gaza is unfit for human consumption, as it is contaminated with fertilizers and sewage.

After five years of the blockade, the sanitary conditions have now reached a crisis point. The only source of running water in Gaza is too dangerous for humans to consume. 

In a new report, the charitable organizations have called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade so that crucial sanitation equipment can be sent into Gaza... read more

Will Julian Assange be handed over to U.S. after Sweden?

Now that Julian Assange's appeal against extradition has failed, fears are that he will then be shipped on from Sweden to the U.S.A.

Digital Journal reported on June 14 that Assange's appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court to reopen his extradition case had been denied.

He is due to be extradited to Sweden in two weeks, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of sexual assault and rape. 

It is feared that once in Sweden, he is likely to then be sent on to the U.S.A.The U.S. Government has apparently issued a secret, closed indictment against Assange. Because of this he will be branded a terrorist and a fair trial seems very unlikely should he be sent to the U.S.A.... read more

Microsoft & Yahoo selling personal info for political gain

Just when you thought that internet privacy was already at its worst, along comes Microsoft and Yahoo, selling your information to politicians for campaign targeting gains.

Politicians want your votes, and with modern technology such as it is, they have found the best way to target you with advertising in order to get those votes.

According to a 2010 article on the Wall Street Journal, there is nothing new to this practice. Its been going on for quite some time.

However, if you have an account with either Microsoft or Yahoo, you should be aware that these companies are selling your sensitive personal data to political campaigns, to help them target specific audiences... read more.

UK court rejects appeal — Assange to be extradited to Sweden

The Supreme Court in the U.K. has officially denied the appeal by WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to re-open his extradition case.

Digital Journal reported on May 30 that Julian Assange had lost his first extradition appeal, but that the court had allowed him 14 more days in the country to try and re-open the appeal.

Today the Supreme Court has officially denied his appeal, and he is due to be extradited to Sweden within the next ten days... read more.