The Coming Crisis now has a forum! Post your own stories and discuss with others! (New posts for the next week will appear below)

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to announce the Coming Crisis's first fully fleshed out forum. Check it out at www.CrisisForums.org.

For those of you who are familiar, CrisisForums.org functions just like other forums such as GodLikeProductions or AboveTopSecret, and you can post your own stories / thoughts / news items there and discuss them with a group of like minded individuals seeking the truth. It's a great opportunity for the CC community to get to know one another and get involved in spreading awareness.

Lynsey and I will be hopping over there and discussing all sorts of stuff, so it's definitely worth your while. We'll probably make it our main area of communicating with all of you.

Head on over with us!

-- Matt

Christopher Swindell the fanatical traitor: "Let's detroy the NRA headquarters with missiles and tanks for teaching Americans to uphold constitution, defend the nation and arm themselves to check government"

 Watching the celebration at the NRA convention over the defeat of background checks was the most nauseating experience of the day.

I am not a New York gun control liberal, either. I support a shotgun for home defense, a handgun for limited conceal/carry, and an assortment of hunting rifles to balance West Virginia's exploding deer population (as evidenced by hourly collisions with cars). So, I am hardly out of the mainstream.

But, the gun safety debate is B.S. This foaming at the mouth, Obamar is coming for the guns, Nanny Bloomberg is a bad billionaire, and most despicable of all, those survivors and victims are pawns in the liberal agenda is knuckle-dragging Cretan talk.

And no matter how many times Sen. Joe Manchin tries to explain his compromise (a decent attempt thwarted by extremists), the hard right lies and foams. The repeated lies now seem like the truth, what with the likes of Sen. Kelly Ayotte telling them.

Probably the most serious miscalculation opponents make is the guest list for the NRA speaker's podium. To let the half-wit half-term quitter Sarah Palin have a microphone is to alienate the very people Republicans need to work with on future legislation. To say nothing of the other speakers.

http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/201305300071#comments

18 USC § 2381 (American law defining treason and its penalty):

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death...

Live Tornado Coverage: US

Breaking: Tornadoes Slam Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri

Yet another round of violent thunderstorms have begun to erupt over the Central states Friday, threatening lives and property.

Many of the storms are packing strong wind gusts, hail and blinding downpours. However, a significant number of the storms have the potential to be more disruptive with power outages, property damage and flooded roadways.

The most intense storms into the evening produced tornadoes are they raced across the Central U.S. states.

While the storm system responsible for the wild weather is beginning to pick up forward speed, for some communities this is day five of the severe weather threat.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/live-storms-blasting-missouri/13647039

Report: New Iranian Missile Launchers Could Overwhelm Israeli Defenses

Iran could have enough launchers to send a salvo of medium range ballistic missiles that would overwhelm Israeli ballistic missile defense systems, according to a Wednesday report from IHS Jane’s.

A May, 26 broadcast on Iranian television showcased a collection of transporter erector launchers (TELs) capable of launching the Iranian Shahab-3 guided ballistic missiles.

“Iranian television footage showed at least 26 TELs lined up in two rows for the event, which marked their purported delivery to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, which operates the country’s ballistic missiles,” according to the report.

The Shahab-3 is based on a North Korean design and is capable striking Israel from Iranian territory.

“The delivery of such a large number of missile launchers demonstrates the Islamic Republic of Iran’s self-sufficiency in designing and building the strategic system and shows the Iranian Armed Forces’ massive firepower and their ability to give a crushing response to the enemy,” Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said in a report carried by Iranian state news.

http://news.usni.org/2013/05/31/report-new-iranian-missiles-could-overwhelm-israeli-defenses

Matt's thoughts:

This is actually spin (re: propaganda being used against Iran as an argument for a war), since even the basic GRAD rocket systems used in Gaza were easily able to overwhelm Iron Dome. And even if Iron Dome and Jericho does intercept the first waves of incoming missiles, they'll need tens of thousands of interceptors (at around $100,000 each) to fend off the combined 50-100,000 missiles ready to combat Israel.

Keep in mind, those interceptors aren't even made in Israel, but the US, and have to be shipped across the world at tremendous cost. The rockets used by Iran / Gaza / Hezbollah and so on are all home made, and cheaply so.

Israel certainly can't afford that, and the US is so bankrupt that they'd need to print/steal even more of your money as American citizens. How do you feel about your money being taken away from you to fight yet another foreign war?

So what is this article *really* saying? It's saying that Iran and other Arab nations have just as much a right to exist as Israel, and they're ready to defend that right.

And what does that mean for you and I? A massive world war in the making with many deaths, much suffering, and a region entirely devastated.

Jamie Reynolds Murder Charge As Body is Found

Police have charged 22-year-old Jamie Reynolds with the murder of Georgia Williams, 17, who has not been seen since Sunday.

The arrest came as West Mercia Police said a body found on the Nant-y-Garth pass near Wrexham is believed to be that of the teenager.

The detective in charge of the investigation into the teenager's disappearance said Reynolds, from Wellington, would appear at Telford magistrates court on Saturday morning.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097937/georgia-williams-murder-charge-as-body-found

Bear gets run over, gets up and walks off

'This one won't spy on Muslims again': Somali militants publish pictures of US drone they 'shot down'

he Camcopter S-100, made by Austrian arms manufacturer Scheibel, crashed on Tuesday in southern Somalia, where African troops are fighting Islamist al Shabaab insurgents. Al Shabaab released the pictures through its English language Twitter account, boasting: 'This one will no longer be able to spy on Muslims again. So much for the empty rhetoric on the drone program!'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333983/This-wont-spy-Muslims-Somali-militants-publish-pictures-US-drone-shot-down.html

Elderly woman throws ALL her shopping at man in street argument caught on video

Unemployment hits record high across the Eurozone at 12.2%, leaving nearly 20million people out of work

Unemployment has reached a new high in the euro zone, with nearly 20 million people out of work, while inflation remains well below the European Central Bank's target.

Joblessness in the 17-nation currency area rose to 12.2 percent in April, Eurostat said on Friday, marking a new record since the EU's statistics office started collecting data on the countries in 1995.

With the euro zone also in its longest ever recession since its creation in 1999, consumer price inflation was far below the ECB's 2 percent target in May, although it ticked up to 1.4 percent from 1.2 percent in April.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333869/Unemployment-hits-record-high-Eurozone-12-surge-jobless-figures.html

The drawdown diet: Marines steamed by loss of hot meal at Afghanistan base

Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan will lose a key daily meal starting Saturday, causing some to forgo a hot breakfast and others to work six-plus hours without refueling on cooked food, according to Marines at the base and Marine Corps officials.

The midnight ration service — known there as “midrats" — supplies breakfast to Marines on midnight-to-noon shifts and dinner to Marines who are ending noon-to-midnight work periods. It's described as one of the few times the Marines at Leatherneck can be together in one place.

The base, which is located in Afghanistan’s southwestern Helmand Province, flanked by Iran and Pakistan, also will remove its 24-hour sandwich bar. It plans to replace the dishes long offered at midnight with pre-packaged MREs, said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Cliff Gilmore, who has been deployed in Afghanistan since February.

The moves, though unpopular with many Marines on the ground and their families back home, are emblematic of the massive drawdown of American troops in Afghanistan and the dismantling of U.S. military facilities. More than 30,000 U.S. service members will leave Afghanistan in coming months as the U.S. prepares to hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces in 2014.

While no Marine at Camp Leatherneck agreed to speak on the record, many are privately angry about the hit on base morale.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/31/18592339-the-drawdown-diet-marines-steamed-by-loss-of-hot-meal-at-afghanistan-base?lite

Turkish police tear gas anti-government protesters

Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at protesters occupying a park in central Istanbul, wounding scores including tourists in the harshest crackdown so far on days of anti-government unrest.

The protest at Gezi Park started late on Monday after developers tore up trees but has widened into a broader demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Friday's violence erupted after a dawn police raid on demonstrators who had camped for days in the park in anger at plans to build a shopping mall. Clouds of tear gas rose around the area in Taksim Square, long a venue for political protest.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-turkey-protests-idUSBRE94U0J920130531

Libya becomes 'the new Mali' amid Islamist shift

Suicide attacks on a French-run mine and a military base in northern Niger have shown how an Islamist threat is spreading across the weak nations of the Sahara, meaning France may be tied down there for years to come.

Regional rivalries are aggravating the problem for Paris and its Western allies, with a lack of cooperation between Saharan countries helping militants to melt away when they come under pressure and regroup in quieter parts of the vast desert.

Security officials say lawless southern Libya has become the latest haven for al Qaeda-linked fighters after French-led forces drove them from strongholds in northern Mali this year, killing hundreds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-sahara-islamists-insight-idUSBRE94U0I220130531

FBI probes two cases of ricin letters to Obama, others

U.S. authorities are investigating a Texas man over threatening letters containing a potentially deadly poison mailed to U.S. President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a law enforcement official said on Friday.

The probe comes as FBI officials continue investigating a separate batch of ricin-laced letters sent earlier this month from Washington state to the president and four other targets, including the CIA and a military facility.

At this point, investigators do not think the two cases are connected, the source said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-usa-obama-letter-idUSBRE94T0VL20130531

Frankfurt 'Blockupy' protesters surround ECB

Anti-capitalist demonstrators from the Blockupy movement paralysed Germany's financial center on Friday, cutting off access to the European Central Bank and Deutsche Bank's headquarters.

Protesters against Europe's austerity policies, estimated by police at 1,500 but by Blockupy at 3,000, descended in the early hours on Frankfurt's financial district to disrupt business at institutions they blame for a deep recession in euro zone countries such as Spain and Greece.

Riot police, showered with stones and paint bombs, used pepper spray to prevent the protesters breaking into the ECB. Several protesters were injured and police made some arrests, though they gave no numbers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-germany-blockupy-idUSBRE94U0A420130531

South Korean millers suspend U.S. wheat imports

South Korean millers suspended imports of U.S. wheat on Friday and some Asian countries stepped up inspections after the discovery of an unapproved strain of genetically modified wheat in the United States, but stopped short of imposing import bans.

U.S. officials are racing to quash global alarm in the wake of news the strain of wheat, developed by biotech giant Monsanto Co (MON.N), had been found in an Oregon field late last month. The discovery has already prompted major buyer Japan to cancel plans to buy U.S. wheat while the European Union said it would step up tests.

South Korea - which last year sourced roughly half of its total wheat imports of 5 million metric tons from the U.S. - has also raised quarantine measures on U.S. feed wheat, while Thailand put ports on alert.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-wheat-korea-idUSBRE94U0KW20130531

Alex Jackson Charged With Murder Of Jogger after hos dogs attacked and Killed her

The owner of four pit bulls that mauled to death a 63-year-old jogger in a rural area of Los Angeles County has been charged with murder.

Alex Jackson, 29, was charged with "owner negligence of an animal causing death" after DNA tests on his dogs found blood on their muzzles and coats that matched that of the victim.

Pamela Devitt died after being bitten 150 to 200 times.

"The DNA came back with blood on the dogs that matched the victim's blood," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097880/pit-bull-owner-charged-with-murder-of-jogger

Venezuela: Toilet Roll Stash Found Amid Crisis

A huge stash of toilet roll has been found in Venezuela, just weeks after it was revealed the country faced a crisis over shortages.

A tip off from a member of the public led police to a warehouse where 2,450 bales were discovered.

Officers also found 7,000 litres of fruit juice and 400 packages of disposable baby nappies.

Two weeks ago, huge queues were being reported at supermarkets as shelves were left empty by the toilet roll shortage.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097759/venezuela-toilet-roll-stash-found-amid-crisis

European Union: Hague Demands 'Red Card'

William Hague has called for national parliaments to be given powers to block unwelcome laws from the European Union.

The demand for a new "red card" system is the first explicit request about EU reform from the Tories after they pledged to hold an in-out referendum in 2015.

Mr Hague, in a speech to a foreign policy think-tank in Germany, said national parliaments should be able to overrule unwanted EU legislation.

The Foreign Secretary told the Konigswinter Conference that it was time "to make the EU more democratically responsive".

http://news.sky.com/story/1097853/european-union-hague-demands-red-card

Mexico City: Armed Men Snatch Youths From Bar

At least 11 young people have been kidnapped in broad daylight from a bar in a busy area of Mexico City.

Relatives believe the youths were at the club when waiters and bar employees herded them out to the street before masked and armed men bundled them into white SUV vehicles and took them away.

The kidnapping happened between 10am and noon on Sunday morning just off the Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main boulevard, near the Angel of Independence monument.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097780/mexico-city-armed-men-snatch-youths-from-bar

FCO: Ali al Manasfi Is Brit Killed In Syria

The British man killed while fighting in Syria has been named as 22-year-old Londoner Ali al Manasfi.

Mr al Manasfi, an American woman and another Westerner were said to have died while taking photographs of military positions in Idlib province, near the Turkish border.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed they were in communication with his family.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097661/fco-ali-al-manasfi-is-brit-killed-in-syria

BA Flight Fire: Engine Doors 'Left Unlatched'

Doors on both engines of the British Airways plane in last week's Heathrow emergency landing drama had been left unlatched during maintenance, according to an official accident report.

The coverings of the two engines - called fan cowl doors - then fell off as the aircraft left the runway, puncturing a fuel pipe on the right engine, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report.

But it was not known what caused the fire on the flight and that was still being investigated, the report said.

Flight BA762 was on its way to Oslo from the airport last Friday when it was forced to return to the London hub shortly after take off.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097869/ba-flight-fire-engine-doors-left-unlatched

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.8
Region FIJI REGION
Date time 2013-05-31 14:45:48.0 UTC
Location 21.86 S ; 176.12 W
Depth 115 km
Distances
120 km SW of Vaini, Tonga / pop: 2,976 / local time: 03:45:48.0 2013-06-01

5.8 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 5.8
Region NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Date time 2013-05-31 13:32:20.8 UTC
Location 32.34 N ; 176.80 E
Depth 33 km
Distances 3427 km E of Tokyo, Japan / pop: 8,336,599 / local time: 22:32:20.8 2013-05-31

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 5.2
Region KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
Date time 2013-05-31 13:25:58.0 UTC
Location 28.34 S ; 178.62 W
Depth 300 km
Distances 1168 km S of Suva, Fiji / pop: 77,366 / local time: 01:25:58.0 2013-06-01

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake VANUATU - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 5.1
Region VANUATU
Date time 2013-05-31 13:06:50.0 UTC
Location 20.31 S ; 169.06 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
86 km S of Isangel / pop: 1,437 / local time: 00:06:00.0 2013-06-01

4.1 Magnitude Earthquake JUJUY, ARGENTINA - 31st May 2013

Magnitude ML 4.1
Region JUJUY, ARGENTINA
Date time 2013-05-31 12:13:10.0 UTC
Location 22.45 S ; 66.54 W
Depth 282 km
Distances 400 km S of Sucre, Bolivia / pop: 224,838 / local time: 08:13:10.0 2013-05-31
212 km SW of Tarija, Bolivia / pop: 159,269 / local time: 08:13:10.0 2013-05-31
91 km W of Abra Pampa, Argentina / pop: 9,425 / local time: 09:13:10.0 2013-05-31

Georgia Williams: Van 'Disappeared' For Five Hours

Police investigating the murder of Georgia Williams are focusing on a five-and-half hour gap when the suspect's van went missing.

The Toyota Hiace vehicle was spotted in the Wrexham area at 5pm on Monday - and then just 10 miles away in Deeside at 10.30pm.

Detectives want to find out where the van went in between these times and have appealed for members of the public to check private CCTV footage.

The silver Hiace 300 GS panel van with roof ladders has the registration CX06 ASV.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097677/georgia-van-disappeared-for-five-hours

Spills leave Fukushima fishermen floundering

Dozens of crabs, three small sharks and scores of fish thump on the slippery deck of the fishing boat True Prosperity as captain Shohei Yaoita lands his latest haul, another catch headed not for the dinner table but for radioactive testing.

Japan's government banned commercial fishing in this area, some 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Tokyo, after a devastating 2011 tsunami and the reactor meltdowns and explosions that followed at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, has battled since then to keep radioactive water used to cool the crippled reactor from leaking into the ground and the sea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-fukushima-fishermen-idUSBRE94U0D620130531

Spills leave Fukushima fishermen floundering

Dozens of crabs, three small sharks and scores of fish thump on the slippery deck of the fishing boat True Prosperity as captain Shohei Yaoita lands his latest haul, another catch headed not for the dinner table but for radioactive testing.

Japan's government banned commercial fishing in this area, some 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Tokyo, after a devastating 2011 tsunami and the reactor meltdowns and explosions that followed at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, has battled since then to keep radioactive water used to cool the crippled reactor from leaking into the ground and the sea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-fukushima-fishermen-idUSBRE94U0D620130531

Three more coronavirus deaths in Saudi Arabia: WHO

Three more people have died in Saudi Arabia from the new SARS-like coronavirus, bringing the worldwide death toll to 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Saudi health officials also told the WHO of a new case in the eastern province of al-Ahsa, increasing the number of cases worldwide to 50, WHO spokesman Glenn Thomas told reporters at a news conference in Geneva.

The latest deaths were also in al-Ahsa, Thomas said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-coronavirus-saudi-idUSBRE94U0HJ20130531

Libya becomes 'the new Mali' as Islamists shift in Sahara

Suicide attacks on a French-run mine and a military base in northern Niger have shown how an Islamist threat is spreading across the weak nations of the Sahara, meaning France may be tied down there for years to come.

Regional rivalries are aggravating the problem for Paris and its Western allies, with a lack of cooperation between Saharan countries helping militants to melt away when they come under pressure and regroup in quieter parts of the vast desert.

Security officials say lawless southern Libya has become the latest haven for al Qaeda-linked fighters after French-led forces drove them from strongholds in northern Mali this year, killing hundreds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-sahara-islamists-insight-idUSBRE94U0I220130531

Record unemployment, low inflation underline Europe's pain

Unemployment has reached a new high in the euro zone and inflation remains well below the European Central Bank's target, underscoring just how severe a challenge EU leaders face to revive the bloc's sickly economy.

Joblessness in the 17-nation currency area rose to 12.2 percent in April, statistics agency Eurostat said on Friday, marking a new record since the data series began in 1995.

With the euro zone also in its longest recession since its creation in 1999, consumer price inflation was far below the ECB's target of just below 2 percent, coming in at 1.4 percent in May, slightly above April's 1.2 percent rate.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-eurozone-economy-idUSBRE94U0DJ20130531

#MarchAgainstMonsanto: The Grassroots Uprising

UFODI News: Many Witness Orb UFO Low Over Tampa Florida U.S 24/05/2013

The Fall of the British Empire and Its Consequences

"We Have a Space Military Force, it is in Existence": Senator Mike Gravel

Foreign Troops, Armored Vehicles Spotted in NH, FL, WV

North Korea - (full documentary)

National Scout Jamboree 2013 False Flag Insider Warning. Nevada Governor 2014 VanDerBeek

Small Plane Hits Building Near DC

Hack-up Plan: US recruits cyber warriors as tension with China grows

Hidden Pattern? Muslim element in gang rape cases ignored by UK govt

'China cyber threat enormous, targets US critical infrastructure'

Toxic Warfare: Rebels caught with sarin gas amid Syria arms supply

Blockupy: Thousands of anti-capitalists occupy ECB in Frankfurt

5.3 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 5.3
Region SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Date time 2013-05-31 11:11:12.0 UTC
Location 6.59 S ; 122.09 W
Depth 33 km
Distances 3823 km SW of Mexico City, Mexico / pop: 12,294,193 / local time: 06:11:12.0 2013-05-31

Beijing Reports Second H7N9 Infection

CHINA - Health authorities in Beijing have reported a second human infection of the H7N9 strain of bird flu in the Chinese capital.

A six-year-old boy from the Haidian district was confirmed to have been infected with the H7N9 strain according to the Beijing municipal health bureau.
The child developed symptoms on 21 May and he was sent to a hospital for medical treatment on the same day. He appeared to recover in two days and returned to kindergarten the next day.

The boy was sent to the Beijing Ditan Hospital for further medical observation after being confirmed of the H7N9 infection on Tuesday.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/29071/beijing-reports-second-h7n9-infection

Australia: Gold Coast council says botulism killed scores of birds

The Gold Coast City Council says it believes avian botulism has been responsible for the death of scores of water birds in a local flood channel.

The birds which were mainly ducks have been removed from the Benowa flood channel.

The council's community and cultural development committee chairman, Bob La Castra, says it is a naturally occurring bacteria.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-29/gold-coast-council-says-botulism-killed-scores-of-birds/4720440

Kai in cuffs: 'Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker' faces court accused of bludgeoning lawyer to death in his home

A vagrant known online as 'Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker' is back in New Jersey to face a murder charge.

Caleb McGillivary is being held in the Union County jail in Elizabeth Thursday after he waived extradition following his arrest in Philadelphia on May 16.

The 24-year-old Canadian native is charged with beating 73-year-old lawyer Joseph Galfy to death after they met in New York City.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333450/Caleb-Lawrence-McGillvary-Kai-hatchet-wielding-hitchhiker-NJ-face-murder-charge-case-lawyer-bludgeoned-death-home.html

U.S. and South Korean soldiers join forces for river-crossing drill for first time in a decade in the wake of North Korea threats

The United States and South Korean took part in their first large river-crossing drill in a decade today.

The exercise comes ten days after the South accused its neighbour North Korea of firing three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters.

More than 300 U.S. soldiers from 2nd infantry division and 95 South Korean 6th Engineer Brigade soldiers built floating rafts to transport 14 tanks and 16 armored vehicles across the Imjin River in Yeoncheon.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333402/U-S-South-Korean-soldiers-join-forces-river-crossing-drill-time-decade-wake-North-Korea-threats.html

Brittney Downing left two kids in car for EIGHT HOURS, killing infant son, 'because she couldn't find baby sitter while she went to work at new job'

A 22-year-old Virginia mother has been charged with two counts of child neglect after police say she left her two young children inside a car for hours, which led to her son's death.

Brittney Downing, of Prince George County, was arrested Tuesday on charges of felony child neglect stemming from an incident that took place over the weekend.

According to police, the 22-year-old took her 18-month-old son and 2-month-old daughter to work with her on Sunday and left the babies in her car for the duration of her eight-hour shift.

Later that evening, Downing called 911 to report that her son was unresponsive. First responders who arrived on the scene pronounced the little boy dead and rushed his sister to an area hospital.

The 2-month-old girl remains on a ventilator in critical condition.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333403/Single-mother-left-kids-car-EIGHT-HOURS-killing-infant-son-baby-sitter-went-work-new-job.html

Esterrell Simpson Admits randomly picking stranger, dousing him with gasoline and burning him to death in gang initiation ritual'

Esterrell Simpson (pictured top right), 18, who was arrested for allegedly taking part in the brutal slaying of 30-year-old Carlos Hernandez (bottom right) in Houston last month, told a community leader that the killing was planned as part of an initiation into the Black Disciples street gang for her and another man - a former Bloods member. During the attack Hernandez was beaten, doused with gasoline and set alight, suffering burns to 92 per cent of his body.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333436/Carlos-Hernandez-murder-Girl-18-admits-randomly-picking-stranger-dousing-gasoline-burning-death-gang-initiation-ritual.html

Average U.S. household still less than halfway towards regaining its wealth after the Great Recession of 2007

The average U.S. household has a long way to go to recover the wealth it lost to the Great Recession, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis concluded on Thursday.

The typical household has regained less than half its wealth, the analysis found. A separate Federal Reserve report in March calculated that Americans as a whole had regained 91 per cent of their losses.

Household wealth plunged $16 trillion from the third quarter of 2007 through the first quarter of 2009. By the final three months of 2012, American households as a group had regained $14.7 trillion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333693/Average-U-S-household-far-regaining-wealth-Great-Recession-2007.html

Jessica Nystrom seriously injured after she is run over by a COP in pick-up truck as she slept on a Florida beach

Florida police officer Chad Biernacki (left) ran over 21-year-old Jessica Nystrom (right) while the woman was sleeping on a Florida beach on Tuesday. The police officer who ran over her in his pick-up truck said he felt a 'slight bump' and heard a woman swear. Florida Highway Patrol investigators found Deputy Biernacki, 30, was at fault in the accident on Miramar Beach, near Panama City.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333611/Cop-driving-pick-truck-runs-woman-21-sleeping-beach.html

FBI seizes child porn website then RUNS it for two weeks distributing images of children being abused to thousands of pedophiles

The FBI ran a child pornography service for two weeks last year, distributing images of children being raped and abused online to around 5,000 customers.

A Seattle FBI agent has admitted the controversial technique in statements to court, and claimed it was used in an effort to catch out pedophiles signed up to the service.

It is understood to be the first time the Bureau has actually dealt child porn as part of a sting, though agents have posed as child porn dealers in the past.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333518/FBI-seizes-child-porn-website-RUNS-weeks-distributing-images-children-abused-thousands-pedophiles-investigation.html

More than half of $900 billion in tax break benefits is going to families earning more than $450,000

The top ten tax deductions, credits and exclusions will keep $12 trillion out of federal government coffers over the next decade, and mostly benefit the wealthiest Americans, a Congressional Budget Office study shows.

Democrats say the study backs up President Obama's proposals to reform tax by raising revenues through limiting the amount of tax preferences for the wealthy.

More than half of the $900 billion in tax break benefits accrued in 2013 will go to the top 20 per cent of income earners, the non-partisan CBO said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333677/More-half-900-billion-tax-break-benefits-going-families-earning-450-000.html

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.8
Region CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
Date time 2013-05-31 10:19:28.0 UTC
Location 0.95 N ; 25.81 W
Depth 10 km
Distances 1565 km S of Praia, Cape Verde / pop: 113,364 / local time: 09:19:28.0 2013-05-31

4.2 Magnitude Earthquake WESTERN XIZANG - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.2
Region WESTERN XIZANG
Date time 2013-05-31 09:16:02.0 UTC
Location 34.10 N ; 85.01 E
Depth 2 km
Distances
654 km N of Pokhara, Nepal / pop: 200,000

4.2 Magnitude Earthquake MOROCCO - 31st May 2013

Magnitude ML 4.2
Region MOROCCO
Date time 2013-05-31 08:46:30.0 UTC
Location 32.80 N ; 5.62 W
Depth 2 km
Distances
85 km NE of Beni Mellal, Morocco / pop: 166,399 / local time: 08:46:30.0 2013-05-31

Woolwich: Soldier's Family Appeals For Calm

The family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby has appealed for calm and an end to attacks in the wake of his death.

In a statement following the opening of an inquest into the killing of the 25-year-old, the family said: "We would like to emphasise that Lee would not want people to use his name as an excuse to carry out attacks against others.

"We would not wish any other families to go through this harrowing experience and appeal to everyone to keep calm and show their respect in a peaceful manner."

http://news.sky.com/story/1097728/woolwich-soldiers-family-appeals-for-calm

Now Ukip is gunning for Labour, what's Ed Miliband going to do about it?

This weekend the UK Independence party (Ukip) will enter a new stage in its strategic evolution. In a television broadcast the party, already the most successful challenger to the main parties in postwar English politics, will launch an invasion of Labour's working-class heartlands. With a growing war chest, Ukip plans to take its message direct to blue-collar communities in red territory. The idea, Leader Nigel Farage has explained, is not complex: "Gun for Labour".

At first glance, this seems bizarre. Conventional wisdom holds that the rise of Ukip has come at the expense of Cameron's Conservatives. So why go after Labour? The reasons are twofold.

First, for some time the so-called clowns of British politics have been pointing to vulnerabilities within the Labour base. One member of their high command told us: "The low-hanging fruit for us are not former Tories, but people who have traditionally and culturally always been Labour."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/30/ukip-gunning-labour-ed-miliband

'Mermaids: The New Evidence' Hoax: Mermaid spoof becomes Animal Planet's Most Watched

How failed stars could lead us to alien life: Nasa set to target brown dwarfs in hunt for extraterrestrials

Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope could be used to find Mars-size alien planets capable of supporting life, it has been claimed.

Researchers at MIT say the telescope could look for small, rocky exoplanets orbiting strange 'failed stars' known as brown dwarfs.

Researchers believe the hunt could uncover planets capable of supporting life.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2333389/How-dead-stars-lead-alien-life-Nasa-set-target-brown-dwarfs-hunt-extraterrestrials.html

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: He may not be much of a comedian, but he's certainly having a laugh: Paul Shiner and The Great Human Rights Swindle

Human rights lawyers are not famous for their sense of humour. So it was something of a surprise to learn that the sour-faced solicitor Phil Shiner lists comedy as one of his hobbies.

For the past decade, Shiner has made a handsome living suing the British taxpayer — at the British taxpayers’ expense.

Shiner is head of the Birmingham-based Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) — not to be confused with the post-punk band Public Image Limited (PiL), put together by Johnny Rotten after the self-immolation of the Sex Pistols.

Rotten once starred in a movie called The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle. If Shiner is ever immortalised on the silver screen it should be called The Great Human Rights Swindle.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2333546/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-He-comedian-hes-certainly-having-laugh-Paul-Shiner-The-Great-Human-Rights-Swindle.html

Sex abuse claims: about 81 BBC staff have been reported in wake of Savile scandal... and almost half of them still work for corporation

Sexual allegations about 81 BBC staff have been reported since the Jimmy Savile scandal came to light - with almost half still working for the corporation.

New figures show that 40 of the people whose names have come up since October 3 are either current staff or contributors to the organisation.

The remainder have either died or no longer work for the BBC.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333723/Sex-abuse-claims-81-BBC-staff-reported-wake-Savile-scandal--half-work-corporation.html

Regulators told to crack down on predatory lenders

Britain's consumer watchdog must get tough on unscrupulous short-term lenders that target low earners with loans they cannot afford to repay, a British parliamentary committee said on Friday.

Britain's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said bad practices by some of these firms were costing already hard-pressed borrowers at least 450 million pounds a year.

So-called payday lenders, which offer loans that are repaid when borrowers get their wages, have grown rapidly in Britain as banks cut back on short-term credit after the 2008 financial crisis. But they have been criticised for charging sky-high interest rates and for shoddy treatment of customers.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/uk-britain-consumer-lending-idUKBRE94T16520130531

UK Checking Reports Of 'Brit Killed In Syria'

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is checking reports that a British man has been killed in Syria.

It is expected to take some time to verify the report as the UK has no diplomatic presence in Syria.

It is having to rely on other EU countries which do have an embassy there. Hungary is understood to be one of the countries it may ask for help.

http://news.sky.com/story/1097661/uk-checking-reports-of-brit-killed-in-syria

Our governments have warned that our citizens are being radicalized over in Syria, now they are surprised they are being killed whilst fighting for rebel or terrorist groups?

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake LOYALTY ISLANDS - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.5
Region LOYALTY ISLANDS
Date time 2013-05-31 07:35:44.2 UTC
Location 20.31 S ; 168.93 E
Depth 33 km
Distances
91 km SW of Isangel / pop: 1,437 / local time: 18:35:00.0 2013-05-31

Russian papers: S-300 delivery to Syria not before 2014

Two sources deny reports anti-aircraft missiles were already delivered, Russian papers 'Vedomosti' and 'Kommersant' report; say six additional months would be required for training personnel, tests after delivery.

Russia is scheduled to deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria next year, two Russian newspapers reported on Friday, rejecting claims the missiles had already been transferred to the regime of President Bashar Assad, according to AFP.

The Vedomosti cited a Russia defense source as saying it was unclear if the weapons would be delivered to Syria this year, while the Kommersant quoted a source as saying the delivery was only planned for the second quarter of 2014.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Russian-papers-S-300-delivery-to-Syria-not-before-2014-315006

Muslims find shelter in Buddhist monastery in Myanmar

Assad: Russia will honor weapons deals

Hurricane devastates Mexico communities

Discovery of rogue GMO wheat raises concerns

For global consumers now on high alert over a rogue strain of genetically modified wheat found in Oregon, the question is simple: How could this happen? For a cadre of critics of biotech crops, the question is different: How could it not?

The questions arose after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it was investigating the mysterious appearance of experimental, unapproved genetically engineered wheat plants on a farm in Oregon. The wheat was developed years ago by Monsanto Co to tolerate its Roundup herbicide, but the world's largest seed company scrapped the project and ended all field trials in 2004.

The incident joins a score of episodes in which biotech crops have eluded efforts to segregate them from conventional varieties. But it marks the first time that a test strain of wheat, which has no genetically modified varieties on the market, has escaped the protocols set up by U.S. regulators to control it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-wheat-control-idUSBRE94U06H20130531

Moscow suggests missiles yet to reach Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday Moscow was still committed to sending him advanced anti-aircraft weapons, although a source close to the Russian defense ministry said the missiles had yet to arrive.

The prospect of the missiles arriving is a serious worry for Western and regional countries opposing Assad which have called on Moscow not to send them.

The S-300 missiles would make it far more dangerous for Western countries to impose any future no-fly zone over Syrian air space, and could even be used to shoot down aircraft deep over the air space of neighbors like Israel or Turkey.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE94T0K320130531

Cuba says inclusion on U.S. terrorist list 'shameful'

In what has become an annual ritual, the United States on Thursday kept Cuba on its list of "state sponsors of terrorism" and Havana reacted angrily, calling it a "shameful decision" based in politics, not reality.

Cuba said in a statement that the U.S. government was pandering to the Cuban exile community in Miami against its own interests and the wishes of the American people.

"It hopes to please an anti-Cuban group, growing smaller all the time, which tries to maintain a policy that now has no support and doesn't even represent the national interests of the United States," said the statement issued by Cuba's foreign ministry.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-cuba-usa-terrorism-idUSBRE94U05020130531

Michigan woman dies in Syria fighting for opposition: family

A 33-year-old Michigan woman and convert to Islam has been killed in Syria while fighting with opposition forces against the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war, her family said on Thursday.

The woman's aunt told Reuters that the FBI had informed her on Thursday afternoon of the death of her niece, Nicole Mansfield of Flint, but said she did not have the details of how she died.

"I'm just devastated," said the aunt, Monica Mansfield Speelman. "Evidently, she was fighting with opposition forces."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-usa-syria-death-idUSBRE94U03G20130531

Cyber threats pose 'stealthy, insidious' danger: defense chief

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday that cyber threats posed a "quiet, stealthy, insidious" danger to the United States and other nations, and called for "rules of the road" to guide behavior and avoid conflict on global computer networks.

Hagel said he would address cyber security in his speech on Saturday to the Shangri-La Security Dialogue in Singapore and the issue was likely to come up in a brief meeting with Chinese delegates on the margins of the conference.

"Cyber threats are real, they're terribly dangerous," Hagel told reporters on his plane en route to the gathering. "They're probably as insidious and real a threat (as there is) to the United States, as well as China, by the way, and every nation."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-usa-defense-hagel-cyber-idUSBRE94U05Y20130531

'Ghostly encounter woman': Police still investigating Elisa Lam's death

Los Angeles police are still investigating the death of Elisa Lam, whose body was found in a hotel water tank after a 'ghostly encounter' in the same hotel's lift.

According to a report on Sina on May 15, the autopsy and toxicology test reports of Canadian student Elisa Lam will be announced this week.

Ed Winter, the coroner of Los Angeles police, said no suspicious clues were found to date. A final conclusion would be made upon completion of the report.

A news report on CCTV also said that police suggested the probability of mental illness, however Elisa Lam's friends said the 21-year-old was friendly, caring and conscientious.

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/1799434/ghostly_encounter_woman_police_still_investigating.html

BOSTON BOMB SUSPECT IS WALKING AND INNOCENT: MOTHER

The remaining suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has recovered enough to walk and assured his parents in a phone conversation that he and his slain brother were innocent, says his mother.

Meanwhile, the father of a Chechen immigrant killed in Florida while being interrogated by the FBI about his ties to the slain brother maintained that the US agents killed his son 'execution-style'.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, walked without a wheelchair to speak to his mother last week for the first and only phone conversation they have had since he has been in custody, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva told the Associated Press.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/17404177/boston-bomb-suspect-innocent-says-mum/

CATHOLIC CHURCH REVEALS NAMES OF 29 GUILTY PRIESTS

The Catholic Church has released the names of 29 Melbourne priests who it acknowledges are guilty of sexually abusing children.

Last week the Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, told Victoria's child abuse inquiry the church had paid compensation to the victims of 59 priests who had worked in the archdiocese.

The church revealed the names of 29 of those priests on Thursday, including repeat offenders Desmond Gannon and Michael Glennon.

However, it says it will not name the remaining 30 priests because several were dead when allegations were made and they did not have a chance to respond.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/latest/a/-/latest/17397605/catholic-church-reveals-names-of-29-priests-it-acknowledges-are-guilty-of-child-sex-abuse/

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.6
Region MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Date time 2013-05-31 06:05:20.0 UTC
Location 18.24 N ; 68.35 W
Depth 89 km
Distances
31 km SE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic / pop: 1,991 / local time: 02:05:20.0 2013-05-31

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHERN IRAN - 31st May 2013

Magnitude mb 4.9
Region SOUTHERN IRAN
Date time 2013-05-31 05:20:06.0 UTC
Location 26.51 N ; 57.73 E
Depth 30 km
Distances
95 km SE of Mīnāb, Iran / pop: 70,790 / local time: 09:50:06.0 2013-05-31

Ibragim Todashev Autopsy: 'Why did the FBI execute my boy?' Father of Boston bomber's friend displays gruesome photos of his son's corpse showing unarmed man was shot SEVEN times - including once in the back of the head

The father of Ibragim Todashev, who was shot by an FBI agent a week ago while being quizzed over his links to the Boston bombers, revealed the extent of his son's injuries in gruesome photographs of his dead body today.

Outspoken Abdul-Baki Todashev called for an investigation and possible legal action against the agent involved at a press conference in Moscow where he showed the images of his son's body lying in a morgue with up to seven gunshot wounds, including one to the back of the head.

His angry calls for justice came as a report claimed the 27-year-old native Chechen was unarmed in the clash with a federal agent in Florida on May 22.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333101/Friend-Boston-Marathon-bomber-UNARMED-killed-FBI-agent-confess-triple-murder.html

Paedophile William Wyllie: fire chief who swapped child porn images online collected £70,000 pay and was PROMOTED while suspended from work

A fire chief who swapped explicit pornographic pictures of children was promoted and given a pay rise while he was awaiting trial.

William Wyllie, 49, was suspended from his £46,900 job as a manager by Cumbria Fire Service after his arrest in October 2011.

The married father had been leading a bizarre double life, swapping indecent images of children and cruising gay dating websites.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333341/Paedophile-chief-swapped-child-porn-images-online-collected-70-000-pay-PROMOTED-suspended-work.html

William Hague's red card system for Brussels' meddlers that would overrule EU laws

The Tories are to demand a new ‘red card’ system so that national parliaments can block unwelcome EU laws.

As part of David Cameron’s bid to renegotiate the UK’s relationship with Brussels, Foreign Secretary William Hague will today reveal the first concrete demand for reform of the European Union ahead of an in-out referendum in 2017.

In a hard-hitting speech, Mr Hague will call for national parliaments, such as the House of Commons, to be able to overrule legislation proposed by the European Commission if enough legislatures call for it to be thrown out.

Mr Hague will say that the European Parliament has ‘failed’ to introduce democratic accountability to the EU.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333613/Hagues-red-card-Brussels-meddlers-overrule-EU-laws.html

Four adult elephants killed by speeding train

Four adult elephants were killed by a speeding passenger train in eastern India after the driver failed to see them in time as their herd crossed the railway tracks, a state government minister said.

The express train hit the animals near the forests of Marghat in West Bengal state, some 385 miles (620 kilometres) north of the state capital Kolkata, said Hiten Barman, the forest minister.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article3779340.ece

UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay urges countries not to arm Syria

The United Nations urged Syria on Wednesday to cease heavy weapons attacks on civilians in the rebel-held town of Qusair, in a heated debate that underlined deep divisions among powers even as they seek to convene peace talks in the coming weeks.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution brought by Qatar, Turkey and the United States, but Damascus and allies Russia and Iran warned that the condemnation could undermine peace efforts to resolve the two-year conflict.

The 47-member Geneva forum voted 36 states in favor, one (Venezuela) against and eight abstentions. Two delegations were absent from the talks while both China and Russia have only observer status.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/un-human-rights-chief-navi-pillay-urges-countries-not-to-arm-syria/395153-2.html

Assad: Arab world ready to join fight against Israel

Syrian President Bashar Assad told Al-Manar TV on Thursday that “there is pressure by the people to open a new front on the Golan.”

“Even among the Arab world there is a clear readiness to join the fight against Israel,” he added in his interview with the Hezbollah TV station.

Assad stated that Hezbollah is involved in fighting the Israeli enemy and its agents in Syria and Lebanon, according to the text of the interview on the Al-Manar website. He attributed the failure of the Syrian opposition to its dependence on outside funding and said that it failed to create a real rift in the country.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Assad-Arab-world-prepared-to-join-fight-against-Israel-314961

EU backs down on finance tax after they Realize they would Damage the Economy more than they already have

EUROPE is reining in its planned financial transactions tax (FTT), cutting back the level of the tax and limiting its scope dramatically after leaders realised it could do enormous damage to the economy.

The FTT is now likely to affect just share trades at first, rather than bonds and derivatives as originally planned, and at a rate of 0.01 per cent per trade – a tenth of the initial proposal.

The tax will still damage stock prices and make it more expensive for businesses to raise capital, but the damage will be much lower than feared.

http://www.cityam.com/article/eu-backs-down-finance-tax

Iraq says it averted al Qaeda tanker truck attack on major oil site

BAGHDAD, May 30 (Reuters) - Iraq foiled an al Qaeda plot to use tanker trucks packed with explosives to attack a key Baghdad oil facility, a senior security official and oil sources said.

The security official declined to name the facility because the investigation was underway but oil ministry officials said the security forces were on high alert following a spate of attacks on a northern pipeline.

Protecting infrastructure for the world's fourth largest oil reserves is crucial for Iraq as it rebuilds an industry battered by years of war following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and sanctions against former ruler Saddam Hussein.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/05/30/iraq-violence-oil-idINL5N0EB22W20130530

More than half-a-million going hungry in breadline Britain

More than half-a-million people are going hungry in Britain – tens of thousands more than previously thought.

They are struggling to feed themselves as unemployment, rising food prices and, in particular, benefit cutbacks bite hard.

Destitution, hardship and hunger are now even worse than feared, according to Oxfam, one of the charities highlighting the crisis.

http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/30/more-than-half-a-million-going-hungry-in-breadline-britain-3817484/

Britain to fight EU in court on benefits rules

IAIN Duncan Smith reacted with fury yesterday after the European Commission said it would take Britain to court in order to ensure EU migrants enjoy equal access to UK welfare payments.

The work and pensions secretary said he would fight “every step of the way” to maintain the current system, which imposes additional eligibility requirements on non-UK nationals who attempt to claim British benefits. He said he was willing to make the case in person at the European Court of Justice.

EU commissioner Laszlo Andor argues that the policy, introduced in 2004, is discriminatory and restricts freedom of movement. He believes all EU nationals who are in the UK should be eligible for benefits, even if they are not officially registered as resident.

http://www.cityam.com/article/britain-fight-eu-court-benefits-rules

Syria's Assad says Russia will deliver on arms deals

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview broadcast on Thursday that Russia remained committed to military deals signed with Damascus before the outbreak of conflict in the country.

Asked by Lebanon's Al-Manar television about delivery of Russian S-300 air defence missiles, Assad said: "The contracts with Russia are not linked to the crisis and Russia is committed to implementing these contracts."

"Everything we have agreed on with Russia will take place, and part of it has already taken place," he said.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/05/30/syria-crisis-assad-missiles-idINL5N0EB44520130530

Indian shot dead in growing land dispute in Brazil

A growing conflict over land ownership in Brazil's farm belt turned bloody on Thursday when an Indian was shot dead during the violent eviction of some 200 natives from a disputed property owned by a former congressman.

The Terena Indians refused a court order to leave the cattle ranch which they invaded two weeks ago. A federal agency designated the ranch as ancestral native land in 2010, but a local court ruled last year that it belonged to the farmer.

The Indians threw stones at riot police who fired tear gas to dislodge the occupiers from the 17,000-hectare property in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which produces soy and corn for export.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-brazil-indians-idUSBRE94U04120130531

U.S. Secret Service says threatening letter sent to Obama

Authorities intercepted a threatening letter addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama that was similar to ones sent to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Secret Service said on Thursday.

Letters sent to Bloomberg and his gun control group contained material believed to be the deadly poison ricin and contained a reference to gun control, New York police said on Wednesday.

A Secret Service official said the letter sent to the White House was similar but did not elaborate. The White House mail screening facility turned it over to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Secret Service official said on condition of anonymity.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-usa-obama-letter-idUSBRE94T0VL20130531

Brazil club fire suspects bailed

When Brazilian judges announced their decision to grant bail to the defendants in a nightclub fire that killed 242 people, a woman in the courtroom let out a yell.

Her son died when a botched pyrotechnic display set concertgoers ablaze at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria in January.

For many loved ones attending the hearing, it felt as if those responsible for the deaths were getting off scot-free. Anger and disappointment at the decision spread Wednesday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/world/americas/brazil-club-fire-bail/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Saudi has more SARS-like cases

Pakistani Taliban vows revenge

The Pakistani Taliban will avenge the group's No. 2 leader, who was slain Wednesday in a drone strike, and won't listen to government peace initiatives, a spokesman said Thursday.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, the group's spokesman, told CNN the group holds the Pakistani government responsible for the death of Wali-Ur Rehman Mehsud.

Rehman is one of seven people slain when a drone struck a target near the town of Miranshah, according to a local official and an intelligence official. The target is in the North Waziristan district of Pakistan's tribal region -- a rugged area with a significant population of militant groups.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/world/meast/pakistan-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Oklahoma braces for more tornadoes

People in the central United States suffered through more severe weather Thursday -- in the form of torrential rain, golf-ball-size hail and damaging winds, including a few reported tornadoes -- and braced for even more storms.

Tornado warnings were issued at one point or another Thursday afternoon for portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Just 10 days ago, Oklahoma was in the cross hairs of a powerful tornado that left 24 dead.

Such warnings go out when witnesses or radar indicate a tornado. The National Weather Service, in fact, noted there were reports of tornadoes in at least seven communities in western Arkansas -- as far west as Polk, as far south as Garland County, and as far north as Oden.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/us/severe-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Police try to break up Istanbul protest

Despite repeated police efforts to disperse them, thousands held a sit-in for a third consecutive night in the city's main commercial district to protest a government-backed shopping center project.

Police deployed tear gas earlier Thursday at Taksim Gezi Park. They also removed tents and sleeping bags used by protesters, who are trying to prevent bulldozers from entering the park to take down trees.

Demonstrators disapprove of plans to rebuild old Ottoman barracks and create a shopping arcade.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/world/meast/istanbul-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Sami Samir Hassoun sentenced to 23 years in bomb plot

A Chicago man was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in prison for attempting to set off what he thought was a bomb on a crowded street near Wrigley Field in 2010.

The plot was thwarted as the result of an undercover FBI operation.

Sami Samir Hassoun, 25, was arrested shortly after midnight on a weekend night in mid-September 2010 after placing a backpack in a trash container in an area crowded with bars and restaurant patrons, authorities said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/justice/bomb-plot-sentence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Why sending arms to Syria is flawed

Syria is already awash with weapons. For many living there, conflict has become a sad fact of life and a heartbreaking phone call to hear the news of the death of a loved one to violence is all too common.

For more than two years, Syrians have watched as their country has tumbled into a state of bloody civil war. As the fighting has engulfed towns and cities across the country, an estimated 80,000 people have been killed, and more than twice as many have been injured. At least 1.5 million people, many wearing just the clothes on their back, have fled and sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.

Monday's decision by the European Union to lift the arms embargo on Syria could have devastating humanitarian consequences if it leads to any EU member sending arms or ammunition. Thankfully, no EU government has actually said it will do so for now. If it did, it would be far more likely to encourage an escalation of the violence, rather than do anything to end this brutal conflict.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/opinion/syria-arms-embargo-oxfam/index.html?hpt=hp_c5

Robots almost ready for battlefield

New ground zero in Syrian conflict

Syria: American woman killed

Report: Syrian forces kill American, British citizen accused of fighting alongside rebels

Syrian state-run television reported Thursday that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed three Westerners, including an American woman and a British citizen, who it claims were fighting with the rebels and were found with weapons.

Syrian TV identified the woman, releasing what it claimed were images of her Michigan driver's license and U.S. passport. It also released what is said was the name and passport of a British citizen. It did not identify a third person who it claimed was a Westerner.

The report said the three were ambushed in their car in the flashpoint province of Idlib in northwestern Syria, where government forces have been battling rebels for control.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Pacaya volcano erupts in Guatemala sending volcanic material more than 400 metres in the air

The Institute of Vulcanology warned that the eruption could intensify with ash rising as high as 1000 to 2000 metres, posing a threat to air traffic at Guatemala's international airport.

"Ash could spread over Guatemala City due to the direction of the wind," the country's disaster response office said in a statement.

The last major eruption of Pacaya, in May 2010, claimed the life of a television journalist, drove thousands of people from their homes and forced the closure of the Guatemala City airport for five days.

http://www.sott.net/article/262296-Pacaya-volcano-erupts-in-Guatemala-sending-volcanic-material-more-than-400-metres-in-the-air

Israel: Rabies Scare in Golan Community

The Health Ministry received a report, Wednesday, about a big brown-and-white dog infected with rabies, that was seen wandering around a spring outside the Golan Heights community of Ani'am.

The ministry ask that anyone who may have come in contact with a stray animal in the area or who has animals that may have come in contact with a stray in the area or was wounded between May 19th and the 29th to call the health office in Tiberias at (04) 671-0300 or the nearest health office to one's residence.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/269326

Wyoming: Brucellosis found in Bighorn Mountain elk

Two elk have tested positive for brucellosis in the Bighorn Mountains.

However, no cattle in the same area have been found with the disease.

State Veterinarian Jim Logan is recommending a risk assessment of livestock and advised area livestock producers to conduct voluntary surveillance for brucellosis.

Elk arrive in the Bighorns from different locations, so Logan said he doesn't know how extensive the infection is.

http://www.kulr8.com/story/22454764/brucellosis-found-in-bighorn-mountain-elk

Turbulent storm beats up Wisconsin campground

What may have been a tornado struck the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Campground near Bagley, Wisconsin, a government spokesman said. There were no injuries.

Three to four camping trailers were destroyed, said Grant County emergency management director Steve Braun.

"It skipped from place to place and moved through the area in 20 to 30 seconds."

A nearby barn was also destroyed.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/30/us/wisconsin-severe-weather/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_us+%28RSS%3A+U.S.%29