A Russian cargo ship loaded with weapons is en route to Syria and due to arrive at a Syrian port this weekend, Al Arabiya television said in a report that Western diplomats in New York described on Friday as credible.
Syria is one of Russia's top weapons customers. The United States and European Union have suggested the U.N. Security Council should impose an arms embargo and other U.N. sanctions on Syria for its 14-month assault on a pro-democracy opposition determined to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
But Russia, with the support of fellow veto power China, has prevented the council from imposing any U.N. sanctions on Syria and has refused to halt arms sales to Damascus.
"Al Arabiya have learned that a Russian cargo ship carrying a large amount of weapons plans to unload its cargo in the Syrian port of Tartus," the broadcaster said on its website on Thursday.
The report said the ship left a Russian port on May 6 and cited a "Western source" as saying that it will dock at Tartus on Saturday. more

Friday, May 25, 2012
Lebanese Syria hostage release delayed, massacre claimed
The twist in a hostage drama that has inflamed political tensions in a country divided between foes and friends of the uprising in Syria came as Syrian activists said government troops killed at least 50 people in the centre of the country.
The account of the killings underscored the relentlessness of the violence in Syria's 14-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, which has thrown Lebanon's delicate sect-based politics into the country's worst unrest in years. Read More
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
China hits back on U.S. human rights
"The United States' tarnished human rights record has left it in no state -- whether on a moral, political or legal basis -- to act as the world's 'human rights justice,' " China said in an annual report on U.S. human rights.
The report cited the arrests of protesters participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States. Many protesters, it said, accused police of brutality.
It also said the United States has "fairly strict restrictions" on the Internet, saying the U.S. Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act both have clauses about monitoring the Internet, giving the government or law enforcement organizations power to monitor and block any Internet content "harmful to national security." Read More
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
THREE Children found abandoned in shed
Portland police need the public's help in identifying three children found Thursday morning abandoned in a shed.
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Turkey suicide bombing kills 1 leaving a further 18 Injured
The attack happened in front of the local police station in Pinarbasi, a town in Kayseri province, about 170 miles southeast of Ankara.
Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin had said two people were killed, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later said only one was killed. The Anatolian news agency said Sahin told reporters that one of the wounded initially lost signs of life but then showed reflexes during efforts to resuscitate him, and that the man is now in serious condition.
The man killed was a policeman, Sahin said. Among the wounded were policemen and policemen's children, he added. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Canadian man arrested after disruption on airliner in Miami
Two passengers on Flight 320 from Montego Bay, Jamaica, helped subdue the man, identified by the FBI as Ryan Snider.
No one was injured and there was no damage to the plane, the FBI said.
Terrorism is not suspected, the agency said.
American Airlines spokesman Ed Martelle said the man appeared to be disoriented.
"He did not obey crewmember instructions to sit down and then moved toward the front of the aircraft where he was subdued," he said in a statement.
Passenger Ronald Webb told CNN affiliate WSVN that the incident was disconcerting. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 277 km (172 miles) ESE of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 35 km (21.7 miles) Northeast from Saryg-sep, Siberia, Russia
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Bankia Asks Spain For £15bn In Aid
Spain's fourth largest bank Bankia has asked for 19bn euros (£15bn) in state aid - on top of a previous injection of 4.5bn euros.
In a statement, the struggling lender said it would ask Spain's bank restructuring fund FROB for a capital increase.
Earlier, the Spanish market suspended trade in the bank's plunging shares.
Bankia was also one of five Spanish banks downgraded by ratings agency Standard and Poor's on Friday.
The troubled lender was part-nationalised several weeks ago. Read More
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 635 km (393.7 miles) Southwest of Banda aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Brian Witty Serial rapist who thought he was "untouchable" jailed indefinitely
Brian Witty, 41, was jailed indefinitely as a judge described him as a "demanding, frightening and determined rapist" who posed a very real danger to women.
The father of two was arrested and questioned after all three initial attacks but managed to escape charge for 16 years.
Judge Nicholas Price QC said that had he been successfully prosecuted at an earlier stage, Witty “may well have not have been free to commit these later serious offences.”
"Justice has been for too long delayed,” he said. Read more
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
David Cameron are you a LIAR? Or did you make Promises in 2007 just to get Elected?
the moment the EU Constitution was dreamt up by elites in Brussels, the Conservative Party’s squadron was first in the air, demanding a referendum in this battle for our country’s future.
Since then, we have been keeping up the fight, looking out for the interests of Britain.
There is a second reason why I want a referendum on the treaty. One of the great challenges we face is rolling back the tide of bureaucracy that is drowning our country in regulations and forms. And you can’t do that without targeting one of the main sources of this bureaucracy — Brussels.
Because it is Europe that ties our businesses up in red tape. And it is Europe that ties the hands of our courts. We won’t be able to deal with any of this unless we have a referendum.
The final reason we must have a vote is trust. Gordon Brown talks about “new” politics.
But there’s nothing “new” about breaking your promises to the British public. It’s classic Labour. And it is the cancer that is eating away at trust in politics. Small wonder that so many people don’t believe a word politicians ever say if they break their promises so casually.
If you really want to signal you’re a break from the past, Prime Minister, do the right thing — give the people the referendum you promised.
Today, I will give this cast-iron guarantee: If I become PM a Conservative government will hold a referendum on any EU treaty that emerges from these negotiations.
No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum. Source
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Cholera Outbreak in the Dominican Republic
Deputy Minister of Public Health, Jose Rodriguez Aybar, revealed that the area was seized by the health department, which intensified prevention activities and education as well as the delivery of chlorine, since there is waters are contaminated.
Many of the cases, according to Listin Diario, it is people who were affected by the outbreak sparked weeks ago. Read More
Categories:
GERMS AND PLAGUES
Wildfire destroys 12 homes in southwestern New Mexico
Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday.
"At this point it's just a monitoring situation to see whether (crews) can find some place where they can build lines or do something to slow it down," said fire information officer Iris Estes.
The wind-whipped fire burned Wednesday afternoon through the Willow Creek subdivision, a small summer community in southwestern New Mexico. Officials confirmed 12 cabins along with seven small outbuildings were destroyed, and the damage assessment continued Thursday.
Fire managers said employees with the State Forestry Division and the U.S. Forest Service would be contacting property owners. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
NATURAL DISASTERS
James Nash House Mental health facility goes into lockdown, Australia
The Nursing and Midwifery Federation says the action has been prompted by a recent rise in violent incidents against staff at the facility at Oakden in Adelaide's north-east.
Federation spokesman Rob Bonner says there have been at least three assaults on staff at the facility in the past few weeks, with the most recent occurring yesterday.
He says a student nurse is yet to return to the centre, which currently houses 40 patients, after she was attacked several weeks ago.
Mr Bonner says nurses are in extra danger because a duress alarm that allows them to alert other staff if they are in danger has broken.
He says nurses have asked for the alarm system to be upgraded since November.
"It either hasn't worked at all or it's sent off signals sending the supporting staff to the wrong rooms or wrong wings of the hospital, so it's been quite faulty and as a result the staff have been left without support and help. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
19 deaths reported due to viral fever, gastro-entities in Tripura villages, India
According to reports, viral fever, gastro-entities and meningococcal meningitis have been identified as the causes of deaths in the villages. Unhygienic lifestyle coupled with malnutrition are being blamed for the situation.
Joint Director (Preventive Medicine) N Darlong told ToI on Thursday that three medical teams were sent to the affected hamlet by a chopper on Monday and two other teams of medicos with medical consignment had rushed to the localities on Thursday morning. Read More
Categories:
GERMS AND PLAGUES
Tyson ammonia leak sends 40 workers to hospital, Nebraska
The ammonia leak developed around 8 p.m. Thursday in the refrigeration system at the Tyson Foods plant in Madison.
Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson (MIHK'-uhl-suhn) says the plant's 150 workers were evacuated. Forty workers were taken to hospitals as a precaution and later released.
A spokeswoman for Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk says the hospital treated 10 workers for minor chemical inhalation before releasing them.
The ammonia leak has been repaired, and Mickelson says the plant is operating normally on Friday. Source
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Astronauts capture first commercial space capsule at International Space Station
May 25 - Astronauts aboard the ISS use a robot arm to capture the first commercial space capsule SpaceX Dragon to arrive at the station. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)
Categories:
COSMIC EVENTS
U.S. assault ship docks in Hong Kong
May 25 - The U.S. assault ship U.S.S. Makin Island docks in Hong Kong amid growing tensions in the South China Sea. Sarah Sheffer reports.
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
U.S. probes China's ZTE over tech sales to Iran
The investigation was launched following reports by Reuters in March and April that ZTE had signed contracts to ship millions of dollars worth of hardware and software from some of America's best-known tech firms to Telecommunication Co of Iran (TCI) and a unit of the consortium that controls it along with the Iranian regime. TCI is Iran's largest telecom carrier.
"We've been pursuing it very aggressively," said a Commerce Department official. Investigators already have met with representatives of ZTE.
A spokesman for ZTE, based in Shenzhen, China, declined to comment.
The U.S. product makers - which included Microsoft Corp, IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co, Oracle Corp and Dell Inc, among others - have all said they were not aware of the Iranian contracts. The Commerce Department official said there is no evidence the American companies were complicit in the transactions. Read More
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Ian Turton Dies and Michael Easton Missing After falling into an Crocodile Infested River in India
The men, reported to be Ian Turton, from York, and Michael Easton, from west London, went missing during an excursion on the Cauvery River near Bangalore, India.
One of the men is dead, thought to be Mr Turton, while the other, believed to be Mr Easton, is still missing.
The Foreign Office said local authorities are continuing to search the area.
A spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national while on an excursion on the Cauvery River near Bangalore, India. Another British national is still missing.
"The local authorities continue their search of the area. We are providing consular assistance to the families."
No further details were provided.
It is feared that the men have been killed by crocodiles, which are very common along the 497-mile (800km) river.
Rescuers are said to have found the pair's inflatable dinghy, which bore puncture marks believed to have been caused by the creatures. Read More
Categories:
ANIMAL ATTACKS
Iran enrichment 'at higher level' - IAEA
The announcement by nuclear watchdog IAEA comes a day after Iran and six world powers held talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Iran says the aim of the Fordo site is to enrich uranium for civilian use up to a maximum of 20%, and the latest readings could be accidental.
Analysts say 27% would bring Iran closer to making weapons-grade uranium.
The IAEA has requested further details.
According to the IAEA report, the Iranians told inspectors that the production of such particles "may happen for technical reasons beyond the operator's control".
Iran insists its nuclear work is purely peaceful, but Western countries fear it is seeking nuclear weapons, which require uranium enriched up to 90%. Read More
Categories:
NUCLEAR DISASTERS,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Laura Johnson Jailed for 2 Years, for Driving looters on 'crime spree'
University-educated Laura Johnson, 20, chauffeured the group through London on August 8 in her black Smart car.
As they cruised around the capital, her passengers leapt from the car clad in hooded tops, bandanas and balaclavas to loot.
Today at Inner London Crown Court, the University of Exeter undergraduate, from Orpington, Kent, was jailed for two years for one count of burglary and two years for one of handling stolen goods, to run concurrently.
Johnson and accomplice Christopher Edwards, 17, were both convicted of burgling a Comet store at the Greenwich Retail Park and stealing electrical goods between August 7 and 10 as rioters brought chaos to the capital. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.4 Magnitude Earthquake NIAS REGION, INDONESIA - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 65 km (40.3 miles) North Gunung stoli, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake NORTHERN ITALY - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 43 km (26 miles) NNW of Bologna, Italy
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake GREENLAND SEA - 25th May 2012
The epicenter was 1090 km (677 miles) Northwest from Murmansk, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Lebanese hostages in Syria released: mediator
"Thanks to God their transfer is complete..they have been handed to the Turkish authorities," a statement from Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zoaby said. Source
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS