Video: 'Legitimate rape' anti-Akin parody advert

This parody video explores the concept of 'legitimate rape', as quoted by U.S. Republican Congressman Todd Akin, as a method of birth control. It tells ladies how they can prevent pregnancy using the concept.

Todd Akin's now "famous" comment, made during an interview with the KTVI television station, has now gone viral in this pharmaceutical advertising parody, which mocks the concept of "legitimate rape" as the ultimate in contraception... read more and watch ad.

Assange interviewed by Venezuelan TV station teleSUR

Venezuelan TV station teleSUR interviewed Julian Assange at London’s Ecuadorian Embassy. During the interview, allegations by Sweden, the grant of Ecuadorian asylum and WikiLeaks were discussed.

Assange is currently holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and whilst Ecuador has granted him diplomatic asylum on the grounds of political persecution, he is unable to leave, as the U.K. will not grant him safe passage out of the country. The U.K. government seeks to extradite him to Sweden to face questioning in an alleged sexual assault case. U.K. officials have vowed to arrest him should he step outside the embassy building... read more.

Video: Aftermath of Isaac south of New Orleans

The video shows the aftermath left by Hurricane Isaac as it hit the New Orleans area on Tuesday, and pushed water over the 18-mile levee.

Dozens of homes are surrounded by water and the flood also unearthed caskets, and uprooted trees, at a local cemetery.

The aerial footage shows the devastation, with houses submerged to their rafters in water... read more and watch video.

World personalities pledge support to Ecuador asylum for Assange

Intellectuals, musicians and world personalities have make public their support of the decision by Ecuador to grant asylum to Julian Assange and to the protection of Ecuador's diplomatic premises in London.

According to a press release on the website of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ecuador, around 270 personalities from 32 countries have signed an open letter of support to Ecuador's grant of diplomatic asylum to Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, and also to the inviolability of Ecuador's diplomatic premises in London, U.K... read more.

Fire in the Costa del Sol, Spain countryside continues to burn

The brush fire, which started yesterday evening in the countryside of the province of Málaga, continues to burn this morning. More firefighters have been brought in to assist.

Digital Journal reported yesterday on a fire raging in the countryside inland from Mijas and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol in Spain. Many people were evacuated from their homes as the fire spread... read more and watch video.

Video: Italian miner slits wrist to protest mine shut down

One of the Sardinian coal miners, barricaded underground in protest over the possible closure of the mine, slit his wrist live on TV during a press conference.

Digital Journal reported on August 27, that 100 miners had barricaded themselves underground in the Carbosulcis di Nuraxi Figus mine, just west of the Sardinian capital city of Cagliari. This was ahead of a government meeting on the future of the mine... read more and watch video.

The Pirate Bay hit by DDoS attack on Wednesday, problems continue

The Pirate Bay, which is the most popular file-sharing website on the Internet, was shut down for part of the day on Wednesday. The site shut down in response to a DDoS attack.

The Pirate Bay was not available for several hours after the system shut itself down to improve its internal system, in order to fight a distributed denial of service (DDos) attack. While this was apparently a temporary problem, Digital Journal cannot access the website this morning, which means that the attack is possibly continuing... read more.

Khamenei: Iran will not develop nuclear weapons

At a gathering of leaders of developing countries in Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Iran will never develop a nuclear bomb, but will continue the pursuit of peaceful nuclear energy.

Khamenei was speaking at a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), attended by leaders and delegates from 50 countries.

NAM was established in 1961 by countries wishing to counterbalance the dominance of the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War... read more.

Protesters removed from front of Ecuadorian Embassy in London

Protesters and supporters of Julian Assange are being removed, or told to leave, from the street in front of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Concern is that the police may be planning to raid the embassy.

Supporters of Julian Assange, including Occupy London members, are being told to remove their belongings, otherwise they will be confiscated by the police. All barricades in front of the embassy have also been removed and supporters have been told to leave.... read more.

Review: Constantia Vista — Ultimate hideaway in Cape Town, South Africa

If you are thinking of a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, this is the ideal place to stay. A luxury retreat at an affordable price in the beautiful countryside, but close to all the major attractions.

The writer has personally stayed at Constantia Vista twice as a guest, and even did a stint at managing the property in the owner's absence some years ago. The comfort was amazing and everything was there, right at her fingertips.... read more.

Video: Huge blast as WWII bomb detonated in Munich, Germany

On Tuesday evening in central Munich, Germany, explosives experts detonated the remains of a 550-pound (250 kg) bomb, left over from World War II.

Digital Journal reported on Tuesday on a World War II bomb found at Amsterdam Airport.

It turns out there was another WWII bomb found recently in central Munich, Germany. More than 3,000 residents were evacuated after the bomb was discovered on Monday in the Schwabing district of Munich... read more and watch video.

F16s escort plane, officials say 'hijacking' a miscommunication

Confusion spread across Europe today after Spanish media reported a plane traveling from Málaga to Amsterdam may have been hijacked. The plane was escorted by F16 fighter jets to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and was surrounded by police.

The Dutch Defense Ministry reportedly sent two F-16 fighters to intercept the aircraft and escort it to Amsterdam... read more.

Deaf child must change his name sign as it resembles a gun

Three-year-old Hunter Spanjer is deaf. He has been told by a Nebraska public school to change his name sign, as it resembles a gun, or face expulsion.

The school's policies have outraged both parents, right groups and ordinary citizens.

Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer, told Nebraska Central News (NCN), “He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy." ... read more and watch video.

Video: Israel airstrike hits Hamas compounds in Gaza

The Israeli Defense Force has released aerial footage of one of two compounds in the northern Gaza Strip, hit by Israeli warplanes early on Tuesday.

Two compounds run by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip were struck by Israeli warplanes on Tuesday morning, wounding two Palestinians women in nearby homes with flying debris.

The Israeli Defense Force has issued a statement saying that they had targeted a weapons storage site as well as a manufacturing facility. This strike was apparently in response to earlier rocket fire by Gaza militants towards southern Israel... read more and watch video.

Sesame Street character tells Israelis prepare for war with Iran

A new emergency brochure doing the rounds in Israel instructs residents to prepare for war, should Tel Aviv conduct a military strike on Iran. The face on the document is Moishe Oofnik, Israel's version of Oscar the Grouch.

In Israel's co-production of the well known children's program, Sesame Street, Moishe Oofnik is the resident pessimist in "Rechov Sumsum."

Now Moishe's job is to instruct Israelis on how to react should Israel launch a war against Iran... read more.

Video: 'Cloud catchers' give water to Peruvians

According to a 4,000 year old legend, an ancient God called Kon punished Peruvians by withholding rain. They had apparently not been paying thanks for the food and water they had.

Now four thousand years after the legend, Peru is still short on water, with the coastal areas resembling a desert.

In some areas, people have to rely on water trucks to bring them water, but in Cerro Nueva Esperanza, just outside Lima, the people are dancing to thank Mother Earth for giving them water - not from the ground, but from the sky... read more and watch video.

Flooding in Senegal kills at least 6 (video)

Torrential rains in the African country of Senegal have killed at least 6 people, either by drowning or being crushed by falling buildings.

A spokesman for Senegal President Macky Sall, Abou Abel Thiam, said on Monday that the President has cut short his trip to South Africa, and was returning to Senegal, where he has ordered a full emergency response.

Low-lying Dakar sees flooding every year, but heavy rains on August 26 caused catastrophic flooding in many regions of Senegal... read more and watch video.

Sardinian coal miners barricade themselves in over job security

100 workers in the only Italian coal mine have barricaded themselves in, armed with explosives, wanting reassurance their jobs will continue.

Around 100 Sardinian miners, armed with hundreds of pounds of explosives, have barricaded themselves just over 1,300 ft (400m) underground, to put pressure on Rome to ensure the survival of the mine, and also their jobs... read more.

NZ soldiers perform Haka for fallen comrades in Afghanistan

The New Zealand Defense Force has released a video showing hundreds of its troops, performing a traditional Maori funeral Haka in tribute to their five fallen colleagues who died in Afghanistan.

Digital Journal reported earlier in August on the deaths of two New Zealand soldiers, with six others wounded, in a volatile area north east of Bamiyan Province of Afghanistan. These soldiers were members of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team... read more and watch video.

Petition against Enbridge for misleading tar sands pipeline ads

Oil and gas giant Enbridge is fighting to build a 700 mile tar sands pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, despite massive public opposition. In their ads promoting the pipeline, they have removed islands from the map.

It is bad enough that they are promoting the planned tar sands pipeline, but what is worse, despite opposition to their project, they are misleading the public, by deleting islands off of public safety videos and maps (above), to make the project look safer than it actually is... read more and sign petition.

Anonymous takes down Interpol website in ‘Operation Free Assange’

As part of 'Operation Free Assange', Anonymous hacktivists take down the Interpol, International Criminal Police Organization and Serious Organized Crime Agency websites.

Anonymous, the group of hackivists, has launched a campaign, calling for the freedom of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.

On August 23, they took down the Interpol website... read more.

'Yes to Prop 37' campaign produces television advert (video)

California Right to Know has now produced a hard-hitting TV advert to make people aware of their cause - the labeling of products containing genetically modified ingredients.

According to the media, the CA Right to Know battle for the labeling of GMO products is the "Davids" against "Goliaths", with the latter being Monsanto and Dow Chemical... read more and find out how you can help.

7.4 quake hits off El Salvador coast followed by small tsunami

Central America was hit by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Sunday night, around 125 km off the El Salvador coast in the Pacific Ocean. A small tsunami followed.

The U.S. Geological Survey has said that a 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred south of Usulutan department in the southeast of El Salvador. The quake hit at a depth of 53 kilometers... read more.

Israeli vets break the silence on abuse of Palestinian children

Breaking the Silence is an organization formed in 2004, made up of Israeli army veterans. On Saturday, they released a report to the international media on the abuse of Palestinian children.

According to the report, "Breaking the Silence is an organization of Israeli veterans who served during the Second Intifada, beginning in 2000."

"The organization aims to make public the everyday life routine as it exists in the Occupied Territories, a reality that remains voiceless in the media, and to serve as an alternative information conduit for the public at large about the goings-on in the State of Israel’s ‘backyard’." ... read more and watch video statements.

UK withdraws threat to raid Ecuador's London embassy

On Friday, the OAS met and signed a resolution to support Ecuador in both its asylum grant to Julian Assange and the threat to its sovereignty by the U.K. Now the U.K. has withdrawn its threat to raid the London embassy.

On August 25, Digital Journal reported that the Organization of American States had met on Friday to discuss Ecuador's ongoing diplomatic problem with the U.K. At that meeting, OAS members, with the exception of the U.S. and Canada, reaffirmed their “respect of sovereignty” and denounced “the use of force in solving conflicts.” ... read more.

Video: 34 American nations back Ecuador in UK diplomatic spat

34 members of the Organization of American States are backing Ecuador in its diplomatic row with Britain over the granting of asylum to Julian Assange and the perceived threat to the country's sovereignty.

Digital Journal recently reported that there would be a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) on August 24, 2012, to discuss the matter of Julian Assange, his asylum and the U.K.'s threats on Ecuador's sovereignty.

Ecuador granted asylum to Assange on August 16, and a diplomatic uproar ensued, with the British Foreign Office threatening to enter the embassy to take Assange. The Ecuadorian government is taking this as a threat to their sovereignty and indeed, a threat to diplomatic relations worldwide, hence the meeting of the OAS was called... read more and watch video.

Venezuela: Amuay oil refinery blast kills 19 (video)

A large explosion at the Amuay oil refinery in Venezuela has killed 19 people and injured a further 53. The blast is thought to have been caused by a gas leak.

The Amuay refinery is the largest in Venezuela and is situated in the northwest Falcon province. Amuay is part of the Paraguana Refinery Complex, and together, the two refineries process around 900,000 barrels of crude a day and 200,000 barrels of gasoline... read more.

Arrested Marikana miners assaulted in jail by S.A. Police

More than 100 cases of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm on mine workers, arrested during the recent strike at the Lonmin mine, have been opened against the South African police in the last 48 hours.

Digital Journal reported on the strike by Marikana mine workers at the Lonmin Platinum mine near Rustenburg, South Africa. During the incident a shooting massacre killed 34 miners, with a total of 45 people dead and 78 wounded.

Almost 260 of the striking miners were arrested by the South African Police and are being held in custody in police stations around the Rustenburg area... read more.

Video: Woman & child step off platform & fall on subway tracks

CCTV cameras in the Boston-area subway caught the scene as a woman walks off the platform, falling on the tracks, holding her 4-year-old child. Commuters came to the rescue.

The CCTV footage is a handout from MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), and shows the woman absent-mindedly stepping off the platform at the MIT/Kendall Square station in Cambridge, falling onto the tracks and narrowly missing the electrified third rail... read more.

Occupy Oakland rally in support of South African Miners (photos)

On Friday, August 24, Occupy Oakland was out in the streets, rallying in support of the striking Marikana miners, gunned down recently by South African police.

Digital Journal's contact at Occupy Oakland reports that a group of around 100 Occupy Oakland members turned out in Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, CA on Friday, carrying banners and placards and handing out pamphlets to the public, about the recent shooting of striking miners at the Lonmin PLC Marikana platinum mine in South Africa... read more.

UK Metro police embarrassed by revealing Assange arrest plan

A policeman is in trouble after he accidentally revealed a secret plan to seize Julian Assange “under all circumstances” if he steps outside the Ecuadorian embassy.

Caught on camera - a uniformed police officer, holding a document on a clipboard, which details possible ways that Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, could attempt an escape from the Ecuadorian embassy... read more.

John Unger: Schoep doing well after fifth laser treatment (video)

Schoep the dog, made famous by a viral photo on Facebook, is still undergoing laser treatment and his pain is greatly reduced. 'I almost got a bark out of him a few nights ago,' says Unger.

Digital Journal recently reported that Schoep, the now famous 19-year-old arthritic dog owned by John Unger, was undergoing laser treatment, thanks to the generous donations received after a photo of the two of them went viral on Facebook.

Unger and Schoep were captured in a beautiful photo by photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson of Stonehouse Photography, taking a therapeutic evening swim in Lake Superior. The warmth of the water soothed Schoep's pain and helped him to sleep... read more and watch video.

Video: Ecuador President Rafael Correa on Assange's asylum

RT's Spanish channel interviews President Rafael Correa of Ecuador on the country's decision to grant asylum to Julian Assange.

Ecuador's president explains the choice he made, and says what he thinks Britain's motives really are.

The interviewer asks President Correa about his decision to grant asylum to Assange, and he explains that it was not an easy decision... read more and watch interview.

Palestinian man tasered repeatedly in front of family (video)

Tel Aviv police were responding to a call about a fight occurring in a Tel Aviv water park. A man criticized the police for their handling of the situation, and got tasered five times.

Tel Aviv police were called to the Meymadion Water Park on Tuesday to control a fight that had broken out.

Talal Siad was with his five children in the park, celebrating the Id al-Fitr holiday, when the incident occurred. Siad was not involved in the fight, but intervened and accused police officers of using unnecessary force to restrain one of the adolescents involved the the brawl... read more and watch video.

Video: Typhoon Tembin soaks southern Taiwan

On Friday morning, Typhoon Tembin crossed southern Taiwan, with flooding and wind damage, but luckily spared the heavily populated areas.

Flood waters reached 3 meters (9 feet) high in Hengchun, Pingtung county on Friday.

Several dozen people had to be rescued from their flooded homes... read more and watch video.

Palestinian man tasered repeatedly in front of family (video)

Tel Aviv police were responding to a call about a fight occurring in a Tel Aviv water park. A man criticized the police for their handling of the situation, and got tasered five times.

Tel Aviv police were called to the Meymadion Water Park on Tuesday to control a fight that had broken out.... read more and watch video.

Interview with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño of Ecuador

In an exclusive interview with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño, he is asked about his concern over the U.K.'s threat to storm Ecuador's London embassy to arrest Julian Assange. Support received from ALBA and UNASUR is also discussed.

Just prior to the granting of asylum to Assange by Ecuador, the U.K. government had threatened to enter the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to arrest Assange for onward extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sexual charges, causing a diplomatic uproar.... read more and watch interview.

Montreal students return to streets in protest over tuition hikes

Montreal students were back on the streets yesterday in their monthly protest against hikes in tuition fees, ahead of Quebec's general election on September 4.

Thousands marched through downtown Montreal on Wednesday, prior to the general election in Quebec, set for September 4th. This election will decide whether Premier Jean Charest's Liberal Party is re-elected... read more.

Occupy Oakland to rally in support of South African miners

On Friday, August 24, Occupy Oakland will assemble in Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, CA, to show their support for and solidarity with South African miners over the recent shooting incident.

Digital Journal reported recently on the police shooting of protesting Marikana mine workers in South Africa, which resulted in the deaths of 45 people and the injury of an additional 78.

Miners were striking for a decent living wage on August 16, 2012 at a platinum mine owned by Lonmin in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa... read more.

Luke Rudkowski: Message to humanity (video)

Luke Rudkowski of We are Change had one wish for his birthday. He asked everyone on Twitter and Facebook to make videos of themselves, saying their one message to the world.

Rudkowski got a surprise, as he did not expect the over 100 video submissions that he received, and the large workload ahead of him.

He found the project hard, but very humbling and inspiring, hearing from people all over the world, with their messages for mankind.

He put it all together in the above video.... read more and view video.

Another devastating flood hits southern Russia (video)

More floods hitting the south of Russia have killed four people, three are missing and around 1,500 have been affected. Three of the dead are said to be tourists.

Digital Journal reported in July on the floods which hit the Krasnodar region of Russia, killing 170 people and devastating the area.

Later in July, an article was published with a video, showing residents attempting to clear up the area and clean out their homes.

Now the popular Krasnodar resort area is being devastated yet again by torrential rain and flooding... read more.

Sci-Fi becomes science as the hover bike takes off (video)

On their website they state that "Aerofex is taking flight in an innovative direction." Watching this hover bike in action proves their point.

The company, Aerofex, is based in California, U.S.A. They are creating very exciting technology, "that will change the way people perceive and utilize flight." ... read more and watch video.

Video: RT nominated for Emmy Award for Occupy coverage

RT News has been nominated for an Emmy Award for its coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. While the mainstream media either ignored or mocked, RT gave coverage from day one.

RT is one of seven news organizations nominated for the international Emmy Awards, under the category "Current Awards and News." .. read more and watch video.

TrapWire: Anonymous gives handy tips on how to avoid surveillance

Now that WikiLeaks has brought TrapWire to the attention of the world, people are concerned about surveillance and being tracked wherever they go. Here are some solutions. Maybe.

Now Anonymous has come up with a few tips to avoid surveillance cameras and defeat the facial recognition software.

Maybe a tad "tongue in cheek", they state in the description of their video, "While the Government seems hellbent on watching our every move, we are not helpless. Stand up and fight back!" ... read more and watch video.

Christine Assange: Radio host suspended after Nazi taunt

Christine Assange, mother of Julian, was interviewed on radio in Australia on Sunday. A radio host was suspended after making Nazi taunts during her interview.

Management of the 3AW radio station suspended John-Michael Howson from broadcasting for four weeks after he chanted a Nazi slogan at Julian Assange’s mother during the Sunday Morning program.

Howson, who is co-host on 3AW's Sunday morning program was unhappy, after Christine Assange canceled a pre-planned phone interview with him.... read more.

Assange: Hundreds demonstrate support of asylum in Quito

Hundreds of people turned out in Quito, Ecuador yesterday to demonstrate their support of the country's decision to grant asylum to Julian Assange. UNASUR met on Sunday to discuss threats to Ecuador's sovereignty.

The demonstrators, including social activists and the general public, rallied in Quito's Plaza Grande, displaying placards reading “Without true freedom of expression there no sovereignty,” and “Viva freedom of expression. Support Julian Assange.” .... read more.

Video: US classifies torture, punishes those who tell the truth

In an interview with author and journalist, Naomi Wolf, we hear that the U.S. classifies torture, but punishes those who tell the truth. The current crackdown on journalists, whistleblowers and activists is discussed in detail.

RT's Marina Portnaya interviews Naomi Wolf on a range of subjects.

Wolf is asked her take on the fact that U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, recently announced an order to Pentagon officials to start monitoring major news stations in the U.S. to see if any of the outlets are disclosing classified information... read more and watch video.

Video: Julian Assange addresses his supporters from embassy

Julian Assange addressed both his supporters and the media this afternoon. He also spoke directly to President Barack Obama.

Assange stood on the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge, London, which was surrounded by many police officers, supporters and the media.

To the cheers of many supporters, he gave a moving speech. He addressed his supporters with these words ... read more and watch video.

Spoof Video: Curiosity — 'We're NASA and we know it'

NASA's Curiosity rover landed successfully on Mars on August 5. Now a spoof music video about it has been released, giving a musical tribute to NASA and the hardworking scientists and engineers, who "brought a little bit of Earth to Mars."

Set to the tune of "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO, David Hudson and the guys had access to NASA gear, and added in clips from the original NASA video on the successful landing of Curiosity... read more and watch video.

Assange to give public address at Ecuadorian embassy on Sunday

Julian Assange will be giving a public address to supporters at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on Sunday afternoon. Ecuador held a meeting of ALBA on Saturday.

It is now two months since Julian Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy, seeking political asylum.

He was to be extradited by the U.K. government to Sweden for questioning on sex-related crimes, which he denies, and it was feared he would then be sent on to the U.S. on espionage charges relating to the diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, which have angered and embarrassed the U.S. government... read more.