Green clouds spotted over Moscow spark apocalypse fears

On the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, fear spread when green clouds were seen in the skies over Moscow. Experts say don't worry, it's only birch pollen.

People in the Russian capital were nervous today on spotting mysterious green clouds in the sky. The scene sparked doomsday theories and fears of a chemical disaster polluting the capital.

According to experts at the Emergencies Ministry the clouds are merely composed of birch pollen.

Moscow Twitter users were not convinced and tweeted alarming messages, such as "Sky has turned completely green in Moscow's south!" and "The factory in Kaluga is destroyed!".... read full article and view video.

Video: Ukraine furious over sexy Dutch Euro 2012 ad

A diplomatic row has blown up between Kiev and Amsterdam over a Dutch TV ad, which uses erotic images of allegedly Ukrainian women.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry is in an uproar of indignation over the above ad. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, diplomats totally ignore the problem.

The advertisement is titled "Keep Him Home", and is based on the premise that Ukrainian women are promiscuous and very sexy. In the ad, the Netherlands Energy Company offers a free beer tap to customers who sign up for its services.

The idea is to get Dutch women to keep their husbands home instead of allowing them to go to the Euro 2012 football championship in June this year. The championship will be held in Ukraine and Poland. Women should therefore get their husbands the free beer tap, and they won't have to move from the couch.... read full article and watch video.

Video: Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks from prison — life after death row

Democracy Now recently had an exclusive interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of the killing of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.

Abu-Jamal has been in jail for decades and last year the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside his death sentence. They found that jurors in the trial were given confusing instructions that encouraged them to choose the death penalty rather than a life sentence. Digital Journal reported on the change of sentence in December 2011.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is still fighting to win his release from prison. There are allegations of judicial misconduct and racial bias in his court case.

A movement called "We want freedom" has for a long time argued racism by the prosecutors and trial judge in the court case that led to Abu-Jamal's conviction.

During the trial a court reporter overheard Judge Albert F.Sabo say in chambers: "I’m going to help them fry the nigger." ... read full article and view video interview.

Sgt. Gary Stein will be barred from the military with no benefits

The U.S. marine who got into hot water by insulting President Barack Obama on Facebook has now been banned from all branches of the military and has lost his benefits.

Earlier in April, Digital Journal reported that Sergeant Gary Stein made posts criticizing President Barack Obama on his Facebook page.

Stein superimposed images of President Obama's face on to a poster advertising the movie "Jackass".

The comments about Obama were made on Stein's Armed Forces Tea Party Facebook page. He posted in January: “I say screw Obama, I will not follow all orders from him.” Later, he clarified this statement by stressing that he "would not follow unlawful orders".... read full article.

Germany and France say no more open EU borders — Schengen to end?

Germany and France are proposing a bill which may impose border security checks on EU countries. They wish to tackle rising illegal immigration problems.

The Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 and it allowed EU citizens to easily pass from country to country within the Eurozone.

With the current open-borders system, illegal immigration from third-party countries into Europe has become a huge problem, especially during the economic crisis.

According to Reuters over 90% of illegal immigrants cross the Greek border with Turkey. From there, with no check points between Eurozone countries, it is easy for them to move around... read full article.

The White House threatens to veto CISPA

The president's advisers have now said they will recommend that Obama vetoes the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act if it is passed by Congress.

Congress is planning to vote this week on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) or H.R. 3523.

Digital Journal reported recently that President Barack Obama opposes CISPA. Now things are a little more official, as the Obama administration has said that it will advise President Obama to veto the controversial bill should it reach the White House.... read full article.