UC Davis pepper spray cop finally off the payroll

Lieutenant John Pike, infamous for spraying peaceful protesters on the campus with military-grade pepper spray last year, no longer works for UC Davis.

Pike, a Sacramento police officer, turned campus cop, made the headlines last year, after images of him discharging bursts of pepper spray directly into the faces of seated UC Davis protesters hit the news... read more.

Obama authorized covert US support for Syrian rebels

A U.S. government source has told Reuters that U.S. President Barack Obama signed a secret order allowing the CIA and other U.S. agencies to support rebels seeking to overthrow the Assad regime.

This order, which is known as an intelligence "finding" was apparently given by Obama earlier this year. The order also provides for U.S. collaboration with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies... read more.

Olympics media shuttle bus kills cyclist near stadium

An Olympics shuttle bus has hit and killed a cyclist on Ruckholt Road in East London, approximately 1.5 kms north of the Olympic Stadium.

London's Metropolitan Police have reported that the bus had hit and killed a bicyclist near the Olympic Park in east London. This required authorities to halt bus transportation in and out of the park... read more.

'Education crisis not Verwoerd's fault' — anti-apartheid activist

President Jacob Zuma blamed a Limpopo text book scandal on apartheid era Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd. Anti-apartheid activist, Mamphela Ramphele, says ANC is to blame.

There is a huge scandal going on in South Africa over text books for the Limpopo province. In early July, a clerk at the Limpopo department of education was arrested in connection with the dumping of school text books in Giyani.... read more.

Video: 'Hunt for Assange on, Sweden a tool of U.S.'

Swedish authorities declined Ecuador's invitation to question Julian Assange in their London Embassy. An anti-war activist and journalist gives his opinion on why Assange is right to fear Swedish extradition.

Digital Journal reported on July 31 that Sweden had turned down Ecuador's request to interview Assange at their Embassy, giving "no meaningful explanation."... read more and watch video interview.

Sweden refuses Ecuador's request to interview Assange at embassy

Ecuador asked Sweden to send officials to interview Julian Assange at their embassy in London. Sweden says no, they will not travel to London.

Digital Journal reported on July 29 that the Ecuadorian government had told Swedish authorities that they are welcome to come over to London to question the whistleblower over sex crime allegations. It was hoped that if they do come to London, the matter can finally be cleared up.... read more.

TEPCO now under Japan state control in 1 trillion yen bailout

The Japanese company that operated Fukushima received a trillion Yen ($12.8 billion) bailout today, effectively putting the company under government control.

Tokyo Electric Power Co.. (TEPCO) operated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, involved in last year's nuclear disaster... read more.

Hundreds of miners trapped in India by power outage

While 600 million people in India suffer without electricity, hundreds of miners are trapped underground. Officials are attempting a rescue operation.

Digital Journal reported on the power outage in northern India, which initially affected 300 million, but is today affecting 600 million people in the country... read more.

Oregon man sentenced to jail for collecting rain water

Gary Harrington, an Oregon man, will be spending a month in jail, after being convicted on nine misdemeanor charges. His crime? "Illegally" collecting rain water on his own property.

Harrington, who lives in Eagle Point, Oregon, has been fighting for the right to collect rain water since 2002.

Now a decade later, he has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined over $1,500 for the man-made ponds he has built on his 170 acres of land... read more.

Derren Brown — The experiments: 'The Guilt Trip'

Derren Brown has run a number of experiments, dabbling in illusion, magic and suggestion. In this episode he gets a really nice, very well-liked man to confess to a murder he did not commit.

The series is explained as "A four-part series featuring an inventive and jaw-dropping mixture of stunts, magic, illusion, suggestion and thought-provoking entertainment, combined with psychological insight."

The series was run on the Channel 4 TV channel in the United Kingdom.

In this episode he asks, can an innocent person be persuaded to confess to a murder that he hasn't committed? ... read more and watch video.