"Israel is Sitting on My Face Again" (And stealing tens of millions of dollars while doing so)

Krymsk: The Flood (RT documentary)

As Assad teeters, Israel prepares for battle to secure chemical weapons

As Syria's regime teeters on the brink of collapse, Israeli soldiers and civilians alike are preparing for possible military action to make sure Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons don't fall into the hands of terrorist groups.

Sources close to the Israel Defense Force told FoxNews.com soldiers have been put on standby and are ready to move, while civilian demand for gas masks has jumped 66 percent over the last few weeks from 2,200 to 3,700 per day. The fears center around the prospect of Hezbollah getting Syrian chemical weapons as the Assad regime shows imminent signs of collapse.

“Israel...will not hold back and will respond decisively if this happens,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said. more

Horrible, soul-crushing images of the rot and inhumanity of the Soviet Union and Communism in 1979, just like we were all taught

Thoughts:

History is a buffet, and an observer of it a child about to enjoy his dinner. The parents pick what they desire or feel necessary for their children. But the budding little gourmet picks what he knows is best, in as large as quantities as possible. Who chooses your mind's meals?

Ri Sol-Ju, Kim Jong Un's wife, sings for us all (A lesson in culture)

Thoughts:

If people in the West watching this feel somewhat disorientated, please realize that this video contains actual culture, undiluted for the lowest common denominator of society in order to "maximize" some nebulous concept known as "profit," and features actual art, real singing, people playing actual instruments, women that are able to entertain and bring joy to the world while keeping their (very beautiful and culturally enriched) clothes on, men capable of creative expression while wearing a crisp suit and a tidy haircut, and the celebration of national history, accomplishments, and cultural pride. If disconcerting, consume sparingly lest the desire to better oneself and one's society surfaces.

Plane makes an emergency landing on a north Texas freeway during rush hour.

Are terrorists outsmarting police?

The Future of Masculinity: Do We Need Real Men - Or Real Human Beings? (Good read)

This weekend's New York Times "Room for Debate" asks whether today's men are "manly enough": "A-list actors are getting facials in Mansome, Morgan Spurlock’s newest documentary, and pumping their waxed chests in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, one of the summer’s most popular movies. But is all this exfoliated, chiseled perfection what women really want ? And should men really be making it a priority?"

In Charles Mee’s 2001 play Big Love , one of the title characters delivers a soliloquy in which he bemoans the difficulty for men in living up to gender stereotypes. On one hand, men are expected to be civilized—calm, gracious, and sophisticated. But when violence is called for, and people—especially women—need defending, they expect men to be the rescuers, “going at the target like a bullet...with rage in his heart...with no breaks to hold it.”

The even bigger challenge is presented when the need for such violence has passed. After the conflict, men are expected to automatically revert back to calm, civilized members of society. Women, he argues, have the luxury of deploring the violence of men (because they can depend on that violence when they need its protection) without having to give in to such impulses themselves. more

Deadly Ebola virus kills 14 in Uganda

(CNN) -- The lethal Ebola virus has left at least 14 people dead in western Uganda this month, according to Health Ministry officials, after local reports of a "strange disease" swept through the region.

A total of 20 cases of the virus have been recorded, officials said Saturday.

The cases have emerged in Kibaale, a district in midwestern Uganda, where a national task force had been mobilized in an effort to combat the outbreak.

Officials from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control are also supporting that effort, ministry officials say.

The Ebola virus is considered a highly infectious disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, with symptoms that include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, headache, measles-like rash, red eyes and at times bleeding from body openings. Read More

U.S. climbers found dead in Peru

(CNN) -- The bodies of two American climbers were discovered Saturday afternoon in the mountains of Peru, ending a days-long search for the men, friends said.

Shay Har-Noy, who heads the technology company Tomnod that uses satellite imagery, said his friends Ben Horne and Gil Weiss had been attempting to scale the south face of Palcaraju Oeste. That 6,110-meter (20,000-foot) tall mountain is located in a region popular with climbers in Huaraz province about 275 miles northeast of Lima.

Weiss -- founder of Beyond Adventure, a company consisting of professional guides, logistical experts and photographers -- posted June 11 on his Facebook page that he was leaving Boulder, Colorado, to Peru "for another season in the High Andes."

On July 10, Horne posted pictures and a chronicle of their experiences on the climbing blog Pullharder.org.

"The Cordillera Blanca is world renowned for its high altitude mountaineering," he wrote. "But almost as awesome as the mountains themselves is the motley crew of international climbers who come to try their hand at getting high, on big peaks, cheap and fast."

According to a blog post on Tomnod's site Saturday, Weiss and Horne were missing for the last five to 10 days. Read More

What happened to Syrian Propaganda Poster Boy Danny?

Libya rebels move onto Syrian battlefield

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Their war for freedom in Libya may be over, but almost a year after they won the battle for the Libyan capital, a group of fighters have a new battlefield: Syria.

Under the command of one of Libya's most well known rebel commanders, Al-Mahdi al-Harati, more than 30 Libyan fighters have made their way into Syria to support the Free Syrian Army rebels in their war against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Al-Harati, who commanded the Tripoli Revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the Libyan capital last August -- has been in Syria for months leading some of his former men and Syrian military defectors who have joined his "Liwaa al-Umma" or "The Banner of the Nation" brigade.

Recent YouTube videos show at least two different Syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the Liwa al-Umma. Read More

Gas leak forces 800 to flee building in China‎

Chinese state media say a toxic gas leak caused by chemicals used nine years ago to combat the SARS epidemic has forced more than 800 workers to evacuate from a downtown office building in east China's Hangzhou city.

Chinese state media say a toxic gas leak caused by chemicals used nine years ago to combat the SARS epidemic has forced more than 800 workers to evacuate from a downtown office building in east China's Hangzhou city.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that the gas came from a stockpile of chlorine dioxide powder. It was used as a disinfectant in 2003 during the SARS scare but was never disposed of.

Xinhua says white smog filled the 19th floor of the building on Friday morning, causing panic.

Xinhua quoted the fire department as saying no one was injured. It did not say what caused the chemicals to leak. Source

Walt Disney World visitors contract mystery illness

Numerous people have reported contracting an unknown illness after visiting the Wild Africa Trek at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

According to the Orange County, FL Health Department, hundreds of people have been questioned in connection to flu-like symptoms which were first detected in June.

People reported experiencing diarrhea, nausea, fatigue and abdominal pain after taking the site’s three-hour tour, which includes hikes, animal sightings and a foot bridge crossing.

“The thing we’re trying to get everyone to understand is this is some kind of stomach bug,” said Health Department spokesman Dain Weister.

No specific pathogen has been identified.

One guest who became ill posted his experience on the DIS boards. He said he became ill within 24 hours and went to the emergency room.

Inspectors were sent to Animal Kingdom to examine its food preparation areas.

“Two of those inspections showed no problems, no health violations,” Weister said. "The inspection was satisfactory."

Disney officials stated that increased measures have been taken to promote hand-washing and hand sanitizer use.

"We are working closely with the Orange County Health Department to review the situation," said Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger. Read More

Rabbit with plague-like illness found in Pueblo

PUEBLO, Colo. — Public Health officials announced Friday that a rabbit tested positive for an illness that “is similar to plague” in Pueblo.

The rabbit was found in Pueblo West in the 1000 Block of West Saginaw Drive, and tested positive for Tularemia. Though the bacterial illness occurs naturally in the U.S., it’s a condition that can be fatal to humans.

“Tularemia is similar to plague,” Heather Maio, director of the Environmental Health Division at the Pueblo City-County Health department, said. “It can be passed to humans or animals through the bite of infected insects — most commonly ticks and deer flies — and by handling infected, sick, or dead animals.”

The disease can also be passed to people or animals if they eat meat or drink water infected by the bacteria. It cannot, however, be passed from person to person. Read More

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHEAST OF RYUKYU ISLANDS - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the SOUTHEAST OF RYUKYU ISLANDS at a depth of 33 km (20.4 miles), the quake hit at 20:06:38 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 458 km (283.9 miles) Southeast of Haebaru, Okinawa, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

6.6 Magnitude Earthquake NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has struck the NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA at a depth of 66.7 km (41.4 miles), the quake hit at 20:04:00 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 32 km (19 miles) SSE of Taron, Papua New Guinea
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA at a depth of 60 km (37.2 miles), the quake hit at 19:01:07 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 6 km (3.7 miles) WNW from Nanwalek, Alaska
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

China's hawks gain sway in South China Sea

(Reuters) - China has adopted a more aggressive stance in recent weeks on territorial disputes in the South China Sea as hard-line officials and commentators call on Beijing to take a tougher line with rival claimants.

China's supreme policymaking body, the Politburo Standing Committee, is made up entirely of civilians, but outspoken People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers, intelligence advisers and maritime agency chiefs are arguing that Beijing should be more forceful in asserting its sovereignty over the sea and the oil and natural gas believed to lie under the sea-bed.

Most of them blame the United States' so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia for emboldening neighboring countries, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, to challenge China's claims. Read More

Severe flooding hits North Korea, kills 88

(Reuters) - Severe flooding across North Korea has killed 88 people and left tens of thousands homeless, state media reported late on Saturday, threatening to make the poverty-stricken country's already chronic food shortage still worse.

The floods caused by torrential rains and a typhoon this month caused "big human and material losses", North Korea's official KCNA news agency said, stranding nearly 63,000 people.

Since the mid-1990s, North Korea's farm sector has often been devastated by both floods and drought.

Even before the rain and typhoon this summer, the country's dysfunctional food distribution system, very high inflation and foreign sanctions imposed because of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs had contributed to what appears to be severe hunger in the North. Read More

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck the NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA at a depth of 54.6 km (33.9 miles), the quake hit at 16:01:11 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 125 km (77 miles) SSE from Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Patient dies after Legionnaires outbreak

One of the patients affected by a Legionnaires' disease outbreak has died in hospital, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

A total of 16 people have been confirmed as suffering from the disease in Stoke-on-Trent.

The number of confirmed cases has been rising steadily since news of the outbreak emerged on Tuesday and today the HPA said one of the patients in hospital had died.

No further details were released about the person who died, and officials are waiting for a cause of death from the coroner.

The HPA said there had been one further case confirmed in Stoke, bringing the total to 16. All those affected are aged between their late-40s and mid-70s.

A spokesman for University Hospital of North Staffordshire said: "The trust is currently treating 11 patients confirmed with Legionnaires' disease who are all in a stable or improving condition. Read More

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE at a depth of 33 km (20.4 miles), the quake hit at 16:18:53 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 1151 km (713.6 miles) Northeast of Fernando de Noronha (Distrito Estadual), Brazil
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck the CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 16:01:11 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 930 km (577 miles) North of Fernando de Noronha (Distrito Estadual), Brazil
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Toronto tells volunteers to stop beautifying park

Two award-winning community volunteers say the City of Toronto has told them to stop whacking weeds and growing vegetables in a city park.

For two decades, Stickie Caddle and Blue Jays Curtis have worked at Fergy Brown Park for free.

The two have taken it upon themselves to tackle the waist-high weeds and grass, drain the pools of water and lovingly maintain the cricket pitch.

They've even won awards for making Fergy Brown Park a better place.

As a bonus, Curtis also plants and grows vegetables.

But the city's parks department has ordered them to stop. Not because it doesn't like what they're doing, but out of concern they might hurt themselves — and then sue.

"Any place in Barbados you could go and do this kind of work — and people would object to it? Man, they'd give you two more weed whackers," said Caddle.

Curtis is frustrated too.

"You're going to disrespect me for doing voluntary work?"

Curtis is no longer allowed to plant his vegetable garden.

"I plant it and bag it out — bag it out and give to some of the senior citizens here. I put some in my car and give to people outside," he said. more

Chicken prices may double from next week in Australia

Australian consumers are about to pay a lot more for chicken, with at least one retailer saying prices will double from next week.

Chicken meat producers are bumping up their prices as the cost of feed grain soars because of drought in the United States.

The Australian landscape is dominated by seven large producers, but the top two - Baiada and Inghams - supply 70 per cent of the meat market.

Those two companies are vertically integrated, meaning they make their own feed and own the entire chain of production from chick hatchery to slaughterhouse, making it easier to pass on cost increases.

Chicken Meat Federation deputy director Vivien Kite says grain prices have increased significantly over the last three months on the back of forecasts of heavy drought impacts on the US corn crop.

"For example, we've seen wheat prices here increase by about $100 a tonne over the last three months and that represents an increase of around 30 per cent, perhaps even more," she said. Read More

Mass cyclists arrests cast shadow over London 2012 opening

China Floods: Number Of Dead In Beijing Doubles

The death toll from the worst rains to hit Beijing in more than 60 years has risen to 77, China's official Xinhua news agency has said, more than doubling figures previously released.

Many residents of China's sprawling capital had been sceptical about the official toll of 37 that Beijing authorities announced last Sunday, believing the true figure to be much higher.

Saturday's freak downpour, said to be the heaviest rain since records began in 1951, caused rivers to burst their banks and flood major highways, submerging large numbers of vehicles.

In the worst-hit area of Fangshan, on the city's mountainous southwestern outskirts, distraught residents reported cars being swept away and said many people were still missing.

Since then, accounts have emerged of drivers stuck inside their vehicles, unable to open doors and windows as water levels surged, with rescue workers slow to reach them. Read More

Birmingham Murder: Teenager Stabbed At Club

A murder inquiry has been launched after 16-year-old boy was stabbed in Birmingham, police have said.

Police found the teenager after being called to reports of a disturbance at the Smethwick Home Guard and Old Comrades Club in Oldbury Road, Smethwick, at 1.30am on Saturday.

He was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital but died later from his injury.

Detective Inspector Warren Hines of West Midlands Police, said: "It is believed there were a large number of people at the club last night and early this morning, and I am appealing for anyone who saw what happened and who hasn't yet spoken to police to come forward."

Forensic investigations are taking place at the scene, which has been sealed off, and extra officers have been put on patrol. Read More

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake TARAPACA, CHILE - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck TARAPACA, CHILE at a depth of 128.3 km (79.7 miles), the quake hit at 11:48:06 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 89 km (55 miles) ESE from Tacna, Peru
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

French thugs let off over attack. because of their Lack of English..while Englishman is jailed: Judge Condemns 'extraordinary' police decision

A judge has criticised police for not prosecuting four thugs involved in a ‘vicious’ assault – allegedly because none of them speaks English.

The French teenagers who descended on a man ‘like a pack of wolves’ were instead given fixed penalties and released.

By contrast, a local man who was less heavily involved in the altercation was hauled to court and jailed.

The decision was criticised by the judge who accused the police of ‘clearing their books with the minimum of effort’.

District Judge John Foster said: ‘It is extraordinary that the police decided to deal with the others whose behaviour was more serious by issuing fixed penalty tickets because, apparently, four of them did not speak English.

‘I cannot begin to understand how the police reached their conclusion.’

The allegation – denied by police – was made as Anthony Hilton, 22, appeared in court over the incident in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

His solicitor told the hearing he was ‘concerned as a council taxpayer’ over the disparity in how those involved had been treated. Read More

Liam Ryan abused victims after advertising on Gumtree for young women to take part in 'global medical research' for £500

A 'calculating sexual predator' posed as a gynaecological researcher to lure young women to his flat and sexually assault them.

Student Liam Ryan, 21, posted an ad on the Gumtree website calling for female volunteers to take part in 'global medical research', in exchange for £500.

More than 200 women, mainly cash-strapped students, responded to Ryan's online advert, but only three - including a 19-year-old - agreed to be examined.

The women were promised £500 for undergoing an invasive internal examination at Ryan's flat in a tower block in Birmingham.

But when the former business management student failed to hand over the cash, the police were informed.

Ryan pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by penetration and three charges of engaging in sexual activity without consent at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.

He was jailed for four and a half years, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and was made the subject of a ten-year sex offender prevention order. Read More

Muslim grandmother who kidnapped and drugged her own daughter because she wouldn't marry the 'right' man is jailed

A devout Muslim grandmother has been jailed for four years for kidnapping and drugging her own daughter after she refused to marry the man her family wanted her to.

Mother-of-eight Shamim Akhtar, 59, was jailed with her son Shamrez Khan and her son-in-law Zahid Mahmood for abusing Naila Afsar, then 23, out of 'some misplaced sense of warped family honour'.

Khan, 34, was given a five-year sentence and Mahmood, 37, was jailed for four years at Burnley Crown Court today.

Sentencing Akhtar, Judge Simon Newell told her: 'She's your youngest daughter and your role was to care for her, support her and look after her best interests.

'Instead you chose to control, drug and abuse her in the interests of the family reputation.'

Akhtar, of Bradford, was found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and two counts of administering a drug after a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court earlier this year. Read More

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH OF SVALBARD - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck NORTH OF SVALBARD at a depth of 10.4 km (6.5 miles), the quake hit at 11:23:44 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 229 km (142 miles) East from Nord, Greenland
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Feral girl, 5, found living with cows 'can only communicate by mooing', Russia

A five-year-old child have been found living with cows in the Russian countryside – unable to speak using mooing to communicate.

The 'feral' girl was rescued by Russian police after a neighbour in the Solikamsk district in the Ural Mountains raised the alarm.

The unnamed child does not know how to eat or drink properly, preferring to drink milk from a saucepan, police officials have said.

The authorities were called in by a worried neighbour living close to the small farm run by the girl's parents.

Officials said the neighbour told them 'a little girl is living with cows.

'During the check we found that was indeed true.'

When she was found she was allegedly wearing next to nothing and was living with the livestock on the farm. Read More

Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his daughter, 16, for refusing an arranged marriage to her cousin escapes jail

A Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his 16-year old daughter after she refused to enter into an arranged marriage with her cousin has escaped jail.

Abid Hussain, 56, grabbed the neck of Rabiyah Abid and said: 'If you don't follow my rules I will kill you' after she rejected his plans for her to wed.

Hussain also left the teenager in fear of her life as he battered her about the head at the family home above the mosque he runs at Longsight, Manchester.

The father-of-five had snapped after discovering Rabiyah refused to follow strict Islamic tradition and embarked on a romance with a student she had met on Facebook.

She had previously run away from home to be with him and even helped police draw up a court order banning her father from forcing her into the marriage. Read More

Was Bulgaria bomber British? Detectives test DNA of suicide attacker who killed six people to see if he was from the UK

British agents are examining the DNA of a suspected suicide bomber who blew up six people in a Bulgarian holiday resort to determine if he came from the UK.

Security service officials travelled to Bulgaria and took samples from the disembodied corpse of the man who killed five Israeli tourists and a bus driver at Sarafovo Airport in the Black Sea last week, according to local media reports.

They also took dental records from the man amid growing fears that he may have been British or have been living in the UK before launching the attack.

The new line of inquiry came as officials released new images of the mystery bomber after reconstructing the remains of his head which was found over 200ft from the blast.

The attacker’s identity has continued to baffle investigators, with officials now playing down CCTV footage released after the attack which showed the suspected bomber as a white man dressed in Bermuda shorts, T-shirt and cap. Read More

Nicholas Haviaras subdued while Naked with Taser after attacking police car in the street 'while high on hallucinogens'

A 17-year-old boy who was found naked in the street while apparently high on acid had to be subdued with a Taser after he attacked the police car.

Nicholas Haviaras, of Pennsylvania, jumped on top of the vehicle and smashed the windscreen by pounding it his fists.

Police said they found the teenager prostrate in a road in Waterford, Michigan, at 3.15am last Friday after responding to a complaint.

Witnesses at the scene allegedly told officers that Haviaras was on drugs.

Later, the teenager told investigators he had taken 'blotter acid', in which the hallucinogen LSD is ingested on a piece of absorbent paper, CBS Detroit reported.

Haviaras was charged with one count of resisting arrest and obstructing police and one count of malicious destruction of property. Read More

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake GREENLAND SEA - 28th July 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck the GREENLAND SEA at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 10:14:46 UTC Saturday 28th July 2012
The epicenter was 289 km (179 miles) Northwest of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

'Blackhole' virus spreading rapidly via Twitter fools users with fake photo link

A new virus threat is spreading rapidly on Twitter - driven by Tweets that seem to link to a photo of the user.

There is no photo - and researchers warn that the cybercriminals could change the wording of the Tweets at any time.

Instead, clicking the link connects users to a Russian website that overwhelms their computer, infecting them with the 'Blackhole' exploit kit.

The threat is being widely spammed across the network, and infects Windows PCs.

The links point to Russian web pages that ultimately attempt to infect Windows PCs using the Blackhole exploit kit.

At present the dangerous tweets say ‘It's you on photo?’ or ‘It's about you?’, followed by a link.

The cybercriminals behind the campaign could change the wording used in the dangerous tweets at any time.

‘If you see tweets like this, please do not click on them,’ said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. Read More

Nearly a quarter of Spanish workforce is jobless as unemployment levels hit record high

Spain’s unemployment rates have hit 25 per cent – the highest since records began after Generalissimo Franco's dictatorship.

Spanish officials have confirmed today that a quarter of its population – and a shocking 53 per cent of young people – is currently without a job.

This is the latest blow to the country’s economy as the government had hope the tourist season would help the country on its way out of recession.

It is now looking towards a bleaker future, despite a vow of support from the European Central Bank, as 5.7 million Spaniards eligible for work stand unemployed.

Although the number of people who lost their jobs was significantly less in the second quarter - 53,500 compared with 365,900 in the first quarter - the country’s unemployment rate is still the highest in the industrial world, the national statistics office said.

A third of all unemployed in the Eurozone now live in Spain with more than half of those eligible to work under the age of 26 unemployed according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

The Bank of Spain last week estimated a contraction of 0.4 per cent, after a 0.3 per cent decrease in January to March, with the official economic growth figures expected next week. Read More

Chinese driver whose overloaded truck collapsed a bridge gets a bill for $25 MILLION

A Chinese driver whose truck was so heavy the bridge he drove on collapsed has been sent the nearly £16m bill for the repair work.

The driver, named by Chinese media only as Mr Zhang, was driving a truck filled with sand which was so overloaded that the concrete bridge collapsed when he took his lorry across it.

The local government near Beijing has put the blame solely on Mr Zhang and have sent him the bill to pay for the repairs.

The heavy bridge will cost £15.74million to repair and the local government is expecting the driver to pay it all.

They say it was his fault that he had put too much sand in his truck last summer and that he must now pay the price for his actions. Read More

Hot steamy summer in the U.S. leads to a boom in infestation of BLACK WIDOW spiders

The number of Black Widow spiders is rapidly increasing in New York as a result of a mild winter and scorching summer.

Although not common in the Tri-State area, there have been reports of a boom in spider activity which experts believe is down to the weather.

Spider exterminator Bernie Holst said he is seeing more of the Black Widow spider and that homeowners should be on the lookout.

‘Be aware that the Black Widow spider is around,’ Holst told CBS news, ‘It can be dangerous.’

The weather has led to an increase in insects which has seen the predator spiders follow. Read More

BLACK WIDOW SPIDER

Black Widow spiders, also known as Latrodectus spiders, are famous for their red hourglass pattern on their black body.

They are named after their violent mating ritual, which takes place once a year, after which it is common that the female eat the male.

They are only 1.5in long – not much bigger than a paper clip – and spin large cocoon-like nests. In which the female can lay up to hundreds of eggs.

Its venom is reportedly 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's and its bite produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm .

Not all bites are lethal and most people suffer no serious damage after a bite.

Reports of death from Black Widow bites are commonly elderly people and small children.

Fortunately these are rare as the spider will only bite in self-defence if they feel they or their nest is threatened.

Couple watch as their home falls piece-by-piece down a widening 200ft cliff with no signs of slowing

A Washington state couple are hoping for a miracle after spending the last week watching their yard fall piece-by-piece down a 200-foot cliff, that's growing.

With heavy hearts Roy and Rosalee Ballinger stand by what’s left of their property in Whidbey Island, about 30 miles north of Seattle, as it quickly crumbles away without anything able to be done.

'We planted all those,' Mrs Ballinger told KOMO while fighting audible tears in her voice and watching her plants tumble away.

One of the first to go they said was their yard's 500-year-old yew tree.

'We cry and we laugh,' Mrs Ballinger pauses for a moment with a shake of her head before whispering, 'it's all we can do. It's devastating. Absolutely devastating.'

'I don't know of any way to stop it,' her husband Roy told the station. 'It's God that started it and it's God who will have to stop it.'

What started last week as a mysterious 25-30ft geyser in their yard within days led to a 50ft wide hole. Read More

Bath salts crackdown as 90 arrested and 5million packets of synthetic narcotics seized after wave of drug-fueled attacks

Federal agents have arrested more than 90 people and seized about five million packets of synthetic drugs, known on the street as bath salts, K2 and Spice.

The operation is the first U.S. nationwide crackdown on 'designer drugs', the Drug Enforcement Administration said yesterday.

The DEA said the haul from multi-agency raids in more than 100 U.S. cities included 4.8million packets of synthetic cannabis, 167,000 packets of 'bath salts' and more than $36million in cash.

Operation Log Jam involved the DEA, five federal agencies, state and local police.

DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said in a statement: 'It has disrupted the entire illegal industry, from manufacturers to retailers.

'Together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we are committed to targeting these new and emerging drugs with every scientific, legislative and investigative tool at our disposal.' Read More

Boy recovering after hit in the face by a BIRD while riding North America's fastest roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure

A boy is recovering after he was hit in the face by a bird while riding a roller coaster in New Jersey on Thursday.

The collision occurred as the Kingda Ka coaster, the world's tallest and fastest in North America at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson was returning to the station.

'We immediately shut the ride down and notified the state Department of Community Affairs, which is protocol,' Park spokeswoman Kristen Siebeneicher told the Asbury Park Press.

'They cleared us to reopen the ride approximately 30 minutes later.'

The unidentified boy was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries to his face and neck.

Forty-five-stories tall, the Kingda Ka coaster reaches speeds up to 128 mph. Read More

Officials clueless how bull SHARK turned up in Alabama lake

A local fisherman was shocked to find the rotting carcass of a dead shark on the pier of Lake Guntersville in central, landlocked Alabama.

Flabbergasted, Michael Carter called police to suss out how the bull shark ended up in the freshwater lake.

Officials think that the animal may have been transported by someone local from the Gulf of Mexico, who then became disenchanted with the beast and dumped it on the pier, but they can't be sure.

Mr Carter said that after 50 years of fishing in the same lake, he's never seen anything like it.

'It was a very big surprise, especially when I realized what it was,' Mr Carter told WAFF.

'I could tell just by the way it was laying that it wasn't a catfish or anything like that.'

Animal Control, Marine police and wildlife conservation officers were called to the scene to investigate. Read More

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'Run, hide, fight': Homeland Security releases public service video on how to get to safety and survive a mass shooting

Following last Friday's mass casualty shooting in Aurora, Colorado, the City of Houston has released an instructional video on what to do in case of a similar emergency.

Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, the city hopes that the video can help people prepare people for the worst.

Entitled Run.Hide.Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter Event, it depicts a fictional shooting incident in a crowded office building.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Aurora's tragic shooting, along with their friends, family and community,' said Houston Mayor Annise Parker.

'I can't imagine the horror and grief. If it is at all possible for any good to come out of it, perhaps it can be letting people know the options to consider if it happens again.' Read More