Russian city cancels 'Jesus Christ Superstar' over complaints

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, has been touring the world since it first premiered 42 years ago. Now, due to a controversial new religious offense law, it has been banned in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a non-religious retelling of the Gospels from the perspective of Judas, in rock-opera form. The famous Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has been performed in almost every Christian country, and was made into a top-grossing movie.

However, the appearance of the show in Rostov-on-Don has been cancelled due to complaints from Orthodox Christians, who say the production is in breach of the new religious offense law... read more and watch extract from the rock opera.

Tornado hits Gandia, Spain fairgrounds injuring 35 (Videos)

Fortunately the fairgrounds were closed to the public at the time the tornado hit, but 35 workers were injured in the storm. More flooding and heavy rains were experienced in other areas of Spain.

The tornado struck the fairgrounds in Gandia, in the Valencian Community of Spain, knocking down a Ferris wheel and damaging several other rides... read more and watch videos.

Russian researchers plan public GMO study on rats

Following the conclusion of the recent study in France on the effects of GMO food on rats, Russia suspended imports of GMO products. Now they are planning their own, more public, study into the effects of feeding GMOs to rats.

Digital Journal recently reported on the trial by scientists from France's Caen University, where they tested the effects of GMO food on rats over a lifetime period of two years. Results showed mammary tumors and organ damage to the rats after they were fed a diet of genetically modified (GM) NK603 maize produced by American chemical giant Monsanto.

After the report was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, Russia immediately suspended imports of GMO products pending further investigation into GMOs.... read more.

Typhoon Jelawat injures 65 as it heads for Japanese coast

Typhoon Jelawat battered the southern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures on Saturday, injuring dozens of people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

According to Japan's national weather agency, violent winds of up to 234 kilometers per hour have injured at least 65 people. Reportedly over 331,000 households suffered power outages.

The video above shows that the strong winds have flipped cars, and overturned a four-ton truck in Okinawa's Naha City, which has blocked a main road and caused traffic chaos... read more and watch video.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon caught in radio prank

Quebec's 'The Masked Avengers' played a prank on Ban, while at the UN General Assembly, introducing themselves as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, who call themselves "The Masked Avengers", claim that it took them less than an hour, and approximately a dozen phone calls, to get through to the UN Secretary-General at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.... read more.

Judge throws Occupy Chicago arrests out of the court

92 Occupy protesters were arrested in Grant Park in Chicago last October. A Cook County judge has dismissed the charges against them.

Associate Judge Thomas M. Donnelly dismissed the charges, ruling that the city's overnight park curfew violated the protesters First Amendment rights and was being enforced selectively... read more.