Bill proposed to ban bosses from asking for Facebook passwords

There has been much concern about potential employers requesting Facebook passwords from job applicants at interviews. Now gradually bills are being introduced to put an end to this.

Many potential employees have been told they must give up their passwords, or not get the job. Now people in power are saying that this invasion of privacy is just not on.

Maryland was the first state to propose legislation banning employers from making such demands. The bill will prevent managers from snooping on password-protected content, in the case of both job seekers and employees.... read full article.

Saudi man divorces wife live on radio talk show

Seems it is illegal for a woman to travel on her own in Saudi Arabia. When his wife went on a business trip without his consent, her husband divorced her live on the radio.

Saudi Arabia has one of the highest divorce rates in the world. In 2010, over 18,765 divorce cases were recorded. According to a local expert, Awad al-Harbi, this means one divorce occurs every 30 minutes.

The reason for the high number of divorces? In Saudi Arabia it is extremely easy to get a divorce. No long drawn out court cases are required and a husband can divorce his wife on the radio or even by SMS.... read full article.

Gaddafi sponsored Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential bid with 50M euro?

In a report released by Mediapart, they state that French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sponsored by Muammar Gaddafi to the tune of 50 million euros.

The report gives compelling evidence of Gaddafi's involvement in President Nicolas Sarkozy's successful 2007 election campaign.

The Paris-based investigative website has obtained a document signed by a senior official in Libya back in 2006 which states that the Gaddafi regime had "in principle" approved payment of 50 million euros to Sarkozy's presidential campaign, after a meeting with "one of his most trusted political allies." ... read full article.

Sunday travel: Tarifa, Spain — Chill out with cows on the beach

Tarifa is world-famous for its wind-surfing and beaches and is one of the best chill-out locations on the Costa de la Luz. While visiting Tarifa pop down to the dunes of Bolonia.

The small coastal town of Tarifa is located in the Cádiz province of Andalucia. Situated on the Costa de la Luz (coast of light), Tarifa is the southernmost town in the country.

Placed just across the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco, you get some amazing views of the Moroccan coast.... read full article and view photos.

Microsoft has change of heart about CISPA — drops support

Microsoft has decided not to back CISPA citing consumer privacy concerns. One of the major corporate supporters of the draconian bill backs down.

One of the biggest worries on the minds of activists against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) was the number of large internet corporations who are supporting the bill.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on Thursday by a huge margin of 248 to 168.

Now one of the biggest has changed its mind - Microsoft says that any new law must allow them “to honor privacy promises” that they make to their customers. The company further said that it hopes to "ensure the final legislation helps to tackle the real threat of cybercrime while protecting consumer privacy." In its current form, CISPA does not protect the privacy of consumers... read full article.

Visiting Amsterdam for the pot? Sorry, not for foreigners

Amsterdam is famous for its "coffee shops" where you can have, well, just a little more than just plain old coffee. But now a judge is upholding a plan to ban foreign tourists from indulging.

There are currently more than 650 coffee shops in the Netherlands, of which 214 are in Amsterdam.

On Friday this week a Netherlands court upheld a brand new law that will introduce a "weed pass" which will be available exclusively to Dutch citizens and permanent residents in the country.

This means that when you go into a coffee shop, you'll just have to put up with a cappuccino instead.

The ruling comes into power in the southern provinces of the Netherlands next Tuesday... read full article.

Video: Austerity grows, police lash out at protesters in Spain

In a country where one in four citizens are now unemployed anger grows and with it, the brutality of the police against demonstrators.

Digital Journal recently reported that Spain has slipped back into recession. And now Spain has reached the highest level of unemployment in all of Europe, with 25% unable to find work.

As unemployment rises and the Spanish people's benefits are cut, anger is taking to the streets of Spain.

The more the desperation grows, the harsher the measures taken by police... read full article and view video.

Ukraine explosions: Follow up to blast in 2011?

Yesterday four explosions hit the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk, injuring at least 29 people, including around 10 children.

Digital Journal reported yesterday on the four explosions in various areas of Dnepropetrovsk which injured at least 29 people.

Ria Novosti has reported that the Security Service’s First Deputy Chairman Vladimir Rokitsky has said they have asked the help of international organizations to investigate the bomb attacks.

Rokitsky stated in an interview with the First National Channel on Friday that, “The [Security Service’s] Antiterrorism Center and its head have turned for help to international organizations that have an opportunity to assist in investigating this crime.” However, he did not elaborate on which organizations had been contacted.... read full article and view video.

Anonymous taking the battle against CISPA to the streets (video)

Anonymous has been battling against CISPA for some time - now they are starting "Operation Defense. Phase II" calling on people to take to the streets against the invasive legislation.

The group has now admitted that distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) are not as effective as they were last year. They state that a number of major web sites have now upgraded their servers to manage the attacks.

Now they are telling people to take to the streets against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. They are calling on Americans to protest outside the local offices of companies that support the draconian bill which was adopted by the House on Thursday... read full article and view video.

Zero-gravity fun on the ISS prior to returning home (video)

Before returning home after six months aboard the International Space Station, the astronauts had a little fun with zero-gravity.

After six months on the International Space Station, astronauts decided to ham it up for the camera before undocking the ship ready to return to Earth.

All six astronauts performed a display of zero-gravity poses, spinning each other around and performing somersaults in the ISS laboratory, with much hilarity.

NASA astronaut Daniel Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Invanishvin and Anton Shkaplerov have completed their mission on the International Space Station and left for home at 08:18 GMT... read full article and view video.