Tornado strikes Tsukuba, Japan — 1 dead, at least 30 injured

A rare tornado has struck Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan yesterday. Reports are that at least 30 people have been injured.

Japan Today reports that the tornado destroyed dozes of homes and has left thousands of people without electricity. Tsukuba is roughly 60 kilometres (37 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

The tornado struck at 12:45 p.m. and firefighters and helicopter medical teams were rushed into the area immediately afterwards.

Quoting Tsukuba Medical Center, Boston.com has reported 1 death, that of a 14-year-old boy who died after being injured in the storm. 10 other people are currently being treated at hospitals in the area... read full article.

GMO 'Right to Know' campaign in CT fails -— law suit threatened

The G.E. foods bill in Connecticut has been stripped of it's labeling requirement due to industry pressure and threats of a law suit.

Connecticut tried and failed to have GMOs labeled.

Rep. Richard Roy of Milford, CT. is co-chair of the Environment Committee and the original sponsor of the bill HB 5117, An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods, which was discussed in legislature today.

The bill had been overwhelmingly backed by the Legislative committee in March this year. Both political sides were in agreement over measures giving consumers more information about what they are eating... read full article.

Music blog downed for a year by the Feds with no charge made

Who needs SOPA and PIPA when the government can take down a music website for a whole year with no charge and no copyright infringement?

The popular hip-hop music site, Dajaz1.com was taken down by the Feds for almost 13 months. No charge was ever filed as they were "waiting for proof of infringement".

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) took down the website stating that it linked to external pages that hosted unauthorized recordings of copyright material that could be downloaded for free.

The website was unavailable for just over a year as its administrator was embroiled in a legal debate over the alleged infringement charges... read full article.

Video: Right to know GMOs — The food fight of our lives

The 'Right to Know' initiative is growing by leaps and bounds with 9 out of 10 Americans insisting that GMOs be labeled.

Digital Journal reported on May 3 that Californians are all set to vote on the labeling of genetically modified food.

Almost 75% of all supermarket foods sold in the U.S.A. are genetically modified, or contain GMO ingredients and currently the U.S.A. does not require labeling of these foods. Shoppers thus have no idea what they are buying. The produce could be natural, or you could be buying vegetables that have been modified with fish genes.

Monsanto does not want to label these products and now California is out there fighting for the imposition of labeling of all GMO related products... read full article and view video.

UK preparing for war or for the Olympic Games?

London appears to be expecting a 9/11-style attack during the Olympics and are prepared to shoot down an airliner should one appear to pose a threat.

The Evening Standard newspaper has quoted the U.K. Defense Secretary, Philip Hammond, as saying on Friday that he will do whatever it takes to protect London during the Olympic Games this summer.

He told the newspaper, “The decision to engage would be made at the highest levels of government.” ... read full article.

Japan closing last nuclear reactor - energy crisis looms?

Bowing to pressure from the public in Japan, the country is planning to shut down its last operational nuclear plant. But what are the alternative sources of energy?

Following last year's Fukushima meltdown disaster, the normally quiet Japanese public have been up in arms about the dangers of nuclear energy.

The government has faced major pressure from environmental groups to abandon nuclear energy, following the disaster in which tens of thousands had to leave their homes due to dangerous levels of radiation in both local food and water supplies.

Now on Saturday, Japan is planning to shut down the Tomari plant, the last of Japan's 53 atomic power stations. This leaves Japan without nuclear energy for the first time in 50 years... read full article.

Review: Hotel Los Castaños — Boutique hotel in Andalucía, Spain

Nestled among the rolling hills of the Serranía de Ronda, this charming Moroccan themed hotel is the perfect place to relax.

Hotel Los Castaños is located in Cartajima, a traditional white village (or "pueblo blanco"), just a short drive from the historic town of Ronda. Cartajima is also convenient for visits to the romantic cities of Andalucía - Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz and Jerez.

Located in the heart of the village next to the church and the Town Hall, the hotel is convenient to shops, restaurants and bars in the area.

The Moroccan theme of the hotel is charming and attractive, and all rooms are extremely comfortable. Owners Di and John are always unobtrusively on hand with tourism assistance.... read full article.

Video: Jetman flies over Rio de Janeiro

In an incredible display, Jetman has now taken a flight over Rio de Janeiro. The video takes you along for the ride with breathtaking views.

Jetman is a Swiss pilot and inventor named Ives Rossy.

He has taken some amazing trips before, including flying over the Grand Canyon, Jersey International Air Display 2010, the English Channel and the Swiss Alps.

Now he's strapped on his 2.5 meter carbon-fiber wings, and flown over Rio de Janeiro. His wings have four jet engines attached and the system is strapped to Rossy's back. He then navigates using his arms, legs and head.... read full article and view video.

Oakland report: 'Overwhelming military-type response' criticized

A federal judge has issued an ultimatum to the city of Oakland, CA. Find a way to handle all the complaints against the police or start being sanctioned.

Many accusations of unnecessary brutal force have been filed against the police in Oakland, California, particularly in regard to the Occupy movement.

Now District Judge Thelton Henderson is demanding that police officials in the city must determine this week how to deal with the flood of accusations being filed with Oakland authorities. The judge specifically refers to the flood of complaints on how law enforcement handle themselves during raids on the local Occupy Wall Street protests.

This week's decision states that the Oakland Police Department must submit a proposal stating how they can handle all the accusations against them, or else be sanctioned by federal authorities... 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.