WikiLeaks releases Pentagon prison 'Detainee Policies'

Dubbed the "Detainee Policies", WikiLeaks has released over 100 classified documents which detail the Department of Defense procedures for running infamous prisons, including Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca and European US Army Prison facilities.

Directives and manuals which are part of the US military's policy for treatment of terror suspects and other detainees will be released chronologically over the following month, according to a statement by WikiLeaks.

The first batch released by WikiLeaks is the 2002 Camp Delta (Guantanamo Bay) Standing Operating Procedure manuals... read more.

Video: Baltasar Garzón interviewed on the case of Julian Assange

RT Spanish interviews Baltasar Garzón, leading the law team in the case of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder and whistleblower.

Assange is still 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 and watch video.

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.

Julian Assange's mother visits Ecuador to plead son's case

Christine Assange has arrived in Quito, Ecuador to meet government officials and the country's foreign minister. She hopes to plead her son's case for political asylum.

The official El Ciudadano (Spanish language) news outlet in Quito reports that Christine Assange has arrived in Ecuador to speak with government officials and the Ecuadorian foreign minister, Ricardo Patino... read more.

U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashes in northern Japan

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet has crashed in the waters off Hokkaido Island on Sunday morning, close to the town of Nemuro.

According to a spokeswoman for the Misawa Air Base, efforts are currently underway to rescue the pilot

The spokeswoman said that the F-16 jet took off from the U.S. air base in Aomori and crashed at about 11:30 Japan time (02:30 GMT) around 200 miles northeast of Hokkaido Island, and close to the town of Nemuro. Nemuro is 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) north of Tokyo.... 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

US fears new massacre in Syria — possible no-fly zone?

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has expressed his "deep concern" over the "dangerous intensification of armed violence across Syria" over the past few days.

Clashes between government forces and the opposition are escalating.

Ban's press office has said in a statement, "The bloodshed and fighting must stop at once. The government's intensive military operations, including the shelling of Homs and reportedly other population centers, as well as firing from helicopters on Talbiseh and Rastan, are resulting in heavy civilian casualties and human rights violations."

The video above from Dubai-based broadcaster Al-Arabiya shows chaos on the streets of Talbiseh in Homs as it is bombarded by shelling... read more and watch videos

Julian Assange loses Swedish extradition appeal

The hearing on whether Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden for alleged sex crimes in that country has just concluded. He has 2 more weeks in the U.K.

Swedish prosecutors have been pushing for Assange to be extradited to Sweden from the U.K. on charges of allegedly raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in 2010.

Authorities wish to question him on these allegations - but many fear that this could lead to him eventually being extradited to the U.S... read full article.

Facebook co-founder renounces US citizenship prior to IPO

Now residing in Singapore, Eduardo Saverin is giving up his U.S. citizenship. Seems he will have quite the tax saving due to this move.

Bloomberg is reporting that Brazilian-born Saverin (30) renounced his U.S. citizenship in September last year.

This move is apparently not out of the ordinary these days. RT reported some time ago that in 2011 alone, at least 1,788 Americans renounced their U.S. citizenship, which is more than the totals for 2007, 2008 and 2009 together.

Why are people giving up their U.S. citizenship? Its actually quite simple... read full article.

DoD whistleblowers left vulnerable to reprisals — Pentagon report

An internal report by the Pentagon states that reporting misconduct or waste of money might get U.S. military personnel punished.

The Department of Defense's unit which is supposed to protect whistleblowers is more likely to ignore this, according to a report that has surfaced recently.

The Washington Post has reported that according to the document, dated May 2011, officials in the Office of Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Defense have systematically disregarded the Pentagon's set rules, intended to protect whistleblowers... read full article.

Flotilla of tsunami debris on way — Alaska already inundated

A flotilla of debris resulting from the tsunami last year in Japan is heading for the U.S. coast. It might take a while to arrive, but in the meantime Alaska already has its hands full.

Digital Journal recently reported on the soccer ball from Japan that hit the Alaskan shore. And apparently a Harley Davidson motorcycle washed up on a Canadian island recently.

Apparently the bike (view image) was found on the beach in a white container. The owner, Ikuo Yokoyama was traced through the license plate number according to Fuji TV. Yokoyama said “This is unmistakably mine. It’s miraculous."

There was also the report of a ghost ship, which was destroyed by the U.S. guard after making its way to the U.S. from Japan.

And now RT says that scientists are reporting that a flotilla consisting of 1.5 million tons of debris is currently wending its way across the Pacific Ocean... read full article.

Egypt has now denied licenses to 8 U.S.-based non-profit groups to operate in the country. They state they are violating the country's sovereignty.

An Egyptian minister said on Monday that this will include a center headed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter which monitors elections, the Carter Center for Human Rights. Also included is Seeds of Peace, a Christian group The Coptic Orphans and others. The minister spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media... read full article.

U.S. troops may stay in Afghanistan until 2024

The plan was for the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 2014. However, this withdrawal may not be as full as planned.

A National Security adviser has said that the U.S. will help defend the country militarily for approximately a decade after the Afghans take control of their own security.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Mr Karzai’s top security adviser, has said that a new strategic pact has been agreed between the U.S. and Afghanistan. Part of this pact implies that the U.S. will not use the country to launch attacks on other countries in the region, including drone strikes.

However he did stress that the U.S. will only aid Afghanistan if approved by Kabul.

Spanta said that Washington may use “diplomatic means, political means, economic means and even military means.” ... read full article.

Chilling new video of US border patrol beating immigrant to death

In May 2010, a U.S. citizen was crossing the bridge from Mexico into the U.S.A. She witnessed the brutal violence of several federal agents against a Mexican immigrant, who later died from his injuries.

Now an amateur video taken by Seattle resident Ashley Young has come to light, which shows 42-year-old Anastacio Hernandez-Rojas lying in the fetal position on the ground while at least 12 federal agents repeatedly shock him with a stun gun.  

The video was obtained by a lawyer who is representing the Hernandez-Rojas family in their wrongful death suit against the U.S. government... read full article and watch video.

EU gives US go ahead for airline passenger data snooping

The EU Parliament has approved a controversial bill that will give the U.S. Department of Home Security access to airline passengers' personal information.

The bill has been held up for 2 years over privacy concerns, but was finally agreed by MEPs on Thursday by a vote of 409 for to 226 against.

This controversial bill will set out legal parameters that govern the transfer of the personal data of airline passengers to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The information is known as "Passenger Name Record" or PNR data, and is provided by travelers when they book an airline ticket, and collected by the airline staff during the reservation and check-in procedures.... read full article.

Muslim American claims detention and torture by FBI

Naturalized U.S. citizen Yonas Fikre claims that he was detained in the United Arab Emirates last year and was tortured by FBI agents.

The Muslim American stated that he was beaten, kept in solitary confinement for over 3 months and threatened with death, before being released. He claims he was charged in connection with a terror plot in Portland, Oregon.

Fikre's family is Eritrean and moved to the U.S. when Fikre was 12. He then moved to Portland in 2006.

According to AP, Fikre states that his interrogators usually came in the morning to his concrete cell. As he was blindfolded, he only caught glimpses of their shoes.  He states that they beat the soles of his feet with hoses and sticks.... read full article and view video interview.