Friday 13 April 2012

Video: Italy's Mount Etna erupts hurling lava & ash into sky


Mount Etna has erupted for the 6th time this year on April 12, from a new crater on its south-eastern slope. There appears to be no danger to houses or people in the area.
Mount Etna is Europe's highest and most active volcano, and is situated on the southern Italian island of Sicily.
RT reports that normally Etna erupts at least twice per year, but in 2012 it appears to be far more active than usual as the volcano has spewed lava and ash 3 times over the past month, approximately 12 days apart, and a total of 6 times this year.  Read full article and view video.

Video: Vietnamese traffic officer goes the extra mile

Now here's something you don't see every day. A Vietnamese traffic cop went for a ride on the windshield wipers of a bus in Hanoi. He hung there for nearly a kilometer, to ensure the driver accepted a ticket.

RT reports that Traffic lieutenant Nguyen Manh Phan had pulled over the bus in Hanoi, and told the driver, Phung Hong Phuong, 37, that he was driving on the wrong side of the road.
VN Express reported that the bus driver didn't want to accept the ticket. He refused to produce his papers to the traffic cop and rushed back to the bus.
The officer then jumped on to the front of the bus in an attempt to stop him... read full article and view video.

Ronda, Spain - historic city perched on a mountain top


When visiting the Costa del Sol in sunny Spain, there's a magical place just waiting for you, just a short drive from Marbella and on top of a mountain.
OK, the drive up to Ronda can be a tad daunting as it winds around the hillside, but the views on the way (for passengers at least!) are astounding. And what you will find at the top makes the whole thing worthwhile.
Ronda, whilst traditionally Spanish, incorporates a lot of history - from the Romans to the Moors, they have all left their mark in the well preserved ruins and buildings to be found in the town.
Pictured on the left is the "New Bridge", which spans a deep gorge, El Tajo. While it was built some years ago, the name New Bridge has somehow stuck.
When crossing the bridge the view down to the bottom of the gorge is astounding and on either side of the gorge, houses seem to just cling to the edges and look likely to fall at any moment... read full article.

Assange show premieres on RT on Tuesday - 'The World Tomorrow'


A brand new series of controversial interviews starts on Tuesday 17 April 2012. The series will feature interviews between Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and controversial people worldwide and should be an eye-opener.
RT has announced that the most anticipated news show of 2012 will premiere on RT next week. The first episode will air on April 17, 15:30 Moscow time, 11:30 GMT, 21:30 in Sydney or 07:30 am in New York.
"The World Tomorrow" will be an eye-opening series of interviews with controversial and charismatic individuals from all over the world... read full article.

Spanish nun in court on baby snatching charges


Sister María Gómez Valbuena, known as Sor Maria, is appearing in court in Madrid accused of being at the centre of a ring of baby snatchers, who took children from mothers they considered unsuitable and then sold them to adoptive parents.
The scam is thought to have started in the 1940's and continued right through to the late 1990's. So far, around 1,500 complaints have been filed with police all across Spain from people who believe that their children were sold into adoption.
The 80-year-old nun has been charged specifically with the case of María Luisa Torres. The official charges are for kidnapping and forgery. María Luisa Torres gave birth in 1982 to a little girl, Pilar. The woman claims the nun took her child threatening her that of she did not comply that her other daughter would also be taken as she was guilty of adultery, according to El Pais.... read full article.

Spain is accused of draconian plans to clamp down on protests


Spain is apparently planning draconian new laws against street protests by curbing the use of social networking, following recent strikes and protests by the unions against changes in the labor laws.
On Wednesday of this week, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, who is the Spanish Interior Minister announced in Congress that a reform of the penal code is being planned to criminalize the organizers of street protests that "seriously disturb the public peace".
The Telegraph reports that this announcement follows the events of March 29, when a major strike and protests occurred countrywide against changes to the labor laws of Spain. The strike was marred by clashes between police and protesters, who threw missiles at businesses including banks and in Barcelona, protesters vandalized the Barcelona Stock Exchange. A Starbucks café was burned during the protests when police started using tear gas and firing rubber bullets and the protests got out of control... read full article.

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook fame supports CISPA?


The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short) is currently being discussed in Congress and it seems that Mark Zuckerberg is in support of this draconian act.
Digital Journal recently reported on CISPA, the official title of this controversial act being H.R. 3523, and that it is feared that CISPA is far worse than SOPA and PIPA in its possible effects on the Internet.
Now Demand Progress is reporting that, despite his remarks recently about protecting privacy and the free internet, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is actually in support of the act.
Facebook has signed on in support of CISPA, the new bill which would potentially let ISPs block websites, cut off users accused of piracy and give the military broad new abilities to spy on the internet.... read full article and sign petition.