The family of one of the Woolwich murder suspects has apologised over the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby.
In a statement, relatives of 28-year-old Michael Adebolajo expressed their "profound shame and distress" over the "senseless killing" and sent their "heartfelt condolences" to the soldier's family.
They added there was no place for violence in the name of religion.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096599/woolwich-suspects-family-apologise-for-murder

Tuesday, May 28, 2013
4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Wales, United Kingdom (IRISH SEA) - 29th May 2013
Magnitude ML 4.3
Region IRISH SEA
Date time 2013-05-29 03:16:26.0 UTC
Location 52.93 N ; 5.08 W
Depth 10 km
Distances
44 km W of Pwllheli, United Kingdom / pop: 3,904 / local time: 04:16:26.0 2013-05-29
Region IRISH SEA
Date time 2013-05-29 03:16:26.0 UTC
Location 52.93 N ; 5.08 W
Depth 10 km
Distances
44 km W of Pwllheli, United Kingdom / pop: 3,904 / local time: 04:16:26.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.8 Magnitude Earthquake TAIWAN REGION - 29th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.8
Region TAIWAN REGION
Date time 2013-05-29 01:33:58.0 UTC
Location 24.13 N ; 122.41 E
Depth 18 km
Distances
70 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan / pop: 1,684 / local time: 10:33:58.0 2013-05-29
Region TAIWAN REGION
Date time 2013-05-29 01:33:58.0 UTC
Location 24.13 N ; 122.41 E
Depth 18 km
Distances
70 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan / pop: 1,684 / local time: 10:33:58.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN - 29th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.6
Region RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
Date time 2013-05-29 00:49:11.0 UTC
Location 29.36 N ; 130.44 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
144 km NE of Naze, Japan / pop: 41,365 / local time: 09:49:11.0 2013-05-29
Region RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
Date time 2013-05-29 00:49:11.0 UTC
Location 29.36 N ; 130.44 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
144 km NE of Naze, Japan / pop: 41,365 / local time: 09:49:11.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
5.3 Magnitude Earthquake OFF EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 5.3
Region OFF EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 19:37:18.0 UTC
Location 52.50 N ; 159.96 E
Depth 60 km
Distances
107 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia / pop: 187,282 / local time: 08:37:18.0 2013-05-29
Region OFF EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 19:37:18.0 UTC
Location 52.50 N ; 159.96 E
Depth 60 km
Distances
107 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia / pop: 187,282 / local time: 08:37:18.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
5.1 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude M 5.1
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 19:24:32.0 UTC
Location 51.85 N ; 157.86 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
100 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia / pop: 2,615 / local time: 08:24:32.0 2013-05-29
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 19:24:32.0 UTC
Location 51.85 N ; 157.86 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
100 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia / pop: 2,615 / local time: 08:24:32.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 5.0
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Date time 2013-05-28 19:24:21.0 UTC
Location 34.17 N ; 140.83 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
117 km SE of Katsuura / pop: 22,307 / local time: 04:24:00.0 2013-05-29
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Date time 2013-05-28 19:24:21.0 UTC
Location 34.17 N ; 140.83 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
117 km SE of Katsuura / pop: 22,307 / local time: 04:24:00.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Two US embassy personnel shot in Venezuela
Two employees of the US embassy in Venezuela were shot and wounded early Tuesday in the capital Caracas, in a murky incident that local media and a police source said took place at a strip club.
"We can confirm that two members of the US embassy in Caracas were injured during an incident early this morning," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters in Washington.
"Medical staff inform us that their injuries are not life-threatening," he added, noting that they were hurt at "some sort of a social spot" but without specifying the venue or nature of their injuries.
US diplomatic sources later confirmed to AFP that the two men were shot.
The Venezuelan media identified the two men as Roberto Ezequiel Rosas and Paul Marwin, and said they were military attaches at the embassy, but neither the State Department nor the embassy in Caracas would confirm those reports.
"My understanding is that they are other agency personnel, not from the State Department," Ventrell said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNmPqFKupZxksQZzmMghqOIoQf1w?docId=CNG.d1330961470f118496d650650ffe7b82.b1
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
OBAMA ASKING PENTAGON FOR SYRIA NO FLY ZONE PLANS, WHILE RUSSIA SHIPS IN ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES: COULD A THIRD WORLD WAR BE MERE MONTHS AWAY?
The White House has asked the Pentagon to draw up plans for a no-fly zone inside Syria that would be enforced by the U.S. and other countries such as France and Great Britain, two administration officials told The Daily Beast.
The request was made shortly before Secretary of State John Kerry toured the Middle East last week to try and finalize plans for an early June conference between the Syrian regime and rebel leaders in Geneva. The opposition, however, has yet to confirm its attendance and is demanding that the end of Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s rule be a precondition for negotiations, a condition Assad is unlikely to accept.
President Obama’s dual-track strategy of continuing to pursue a political solution to the two-year-old uprising in Syria while also preparing for more direct U.S. military involvement includes authorizing the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the first time to plan for multilateral military actions inside Syria, the two officials said. They added that no decisions on actually using force have yet been made.
“The White House is still in contemplation mode but the planning is moving forward and it’s more advanced than it’s ever been,” one administration official told The Daily Beast. “All this effort to pressure the regime is part of the overall effort to find a political solution, but what happens if Geneva fails? It’s only prudent to plan for other options.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/28/exclusive-barack-obama-asks-pentagon-for-syria-no-fly-zone-plan.html
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
Chinese Girl Paraded in Handcuffs for Splashing Water on Gov't Car: Coming to an America Near You
2013 April 6th, Guizhou province Hezhang county Kele town Party Secretary Yuan Zehong had an altercation because a female minor, Rao Yao (13 years old), accidentally spilled water on a town government car. The town’s Deputy Mayor got out of the car and had an argument that came to blows with this minor girl. At the same time, this deputy mayor called the town’s party secretary Yuan Zehong over. Subsequently, Yuan Zehong led the town’s approximately 30 personnel and the town’s local police personnel in beating Chen Ziju (the minor girl Rao Yao’s aunt), causing Chen Ziju to immediately pass out and die. Just because Chen Ziju had said, “handcuffing will emotionally traumatize Rao Yao”, they then used handcuffs to shackle minor girl Rao Yao and paraded her publicly for approximately 20 minutes (paraded her up and down the street twice, with a police car leading the way with its siren on). Soon after, she was then taken to the local police station where she was illegally detained for 12 hours.
http://www.chinasmack.com/2013/stories/girl-paraded-in-handcuffs-for-splashing-water-on-government-car.html
Matt's thoughts:
This is precisely why people need to be able to arm themselves.
Categories:
POLICE STATE
Madaline Cole Killed By Boat While Snorkeling
A British holidaymaker has died after being struck by a motorboat while snorkeling off a tropical island in Malaysia.
Madaline Cole was exploring the waters around the Perhentian Islands in the South China Sea when she was struck.
The 25-year-old, from Hereford, was reportedly caught by the boat's propellers and suffered severe injuries.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096544/malaysia-british-tourist-dies-while-snorkeling
Madaline Cole was exploring the waters around the Perhentian Islands in the South China Sea when she was struck.
The 25-year-old, from Hereford, was reportedly caught by the boat's propellers and suffered severe injuries.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096544/malaysia-british-tourist-dies-while-snorkeling
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Zimmerman Lawyer In Trayvon Background Ban
George Zimmerman's defence lawyer will not be allowed to mention in court a number of details about the 17-year-old his client shot dead.
A Florida judge in the Trayvon Martin murder trial ruled that Zimmerman's lawyer cannot talk about the teenager's marijuana use, his suspension from school and his past fighting during opening statements.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson also ruled that some of Trayvon's texts and other social media statements will not be allowed in opening statements when the trial begins in June.
But she added that some of his personal material could be allowed later depending on how the case progresses.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096571/zimmerman-lawyer-in-trayvon-background-ban
A Florida judge in the Trayvon Martin murder trial ruled that Zimmerman's lawyer cannot talk about the teenager's marijuana use, his suspension from school and his past fighting during opening statements.
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson also ruled that some of Trayvon's texts and other social media statements will not be allowed in opening statements when the trial begins in June.
But she added that some of his personal material could be allowed later depending on how the case progresses.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096571/zimmerman-lawyer-in-trayvon-background-ban
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Mark Rosenthal: Labour union boss spends $1400 on food, takes a nap, then leaves after 2-hour work day
Union fat cat Mark Rosenthal spends more time sleeping at his desk than organizing labor, a series of damning photos reveals.
The 400-pound president of Local 983 of District Council 37 — the city’s largest blue-collar municipal-workers union — often downs a huge meal, then drops into dreamland in the early afternoon, members of the union’s executive board told The Post.
“He eats lunch when he arrives at work at 2 p.m. Then, like clockwork, he goes to sleep with a cup of soda on the table and the straw in it,” said Marvin Robbins, a union vice president.
“Then he wakes up, looks at his watch and says, ‘I have to get out before the traffic gets bad.’ He’s usually out by 4 p.m. after being at the office two hours.”
Rosenthal is a former Parks Department employee who rose to power campaigning to rid the union of corruption in the late 1990s.
He last made embarrassing headlines in 2009, when he inspired a City Council bill requiring jumbo-size ambulances for morbidly obese patients after he had a stroke at City Hall.
Since then, he hasn’t been making much of an effort to give the city’s ambulances a break and slim down. Union officials say he racks up $1,400 in monthly food bills on the union dime.
Much of the 5-foot-7, 400-plus-pound Rosenthal’s food tabs are for catered union events and meals he writes off as “union business,” board members claim.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/labor_big_real_heavy_sleeper_jl3C7gI710FI3XqpEl5o3O
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Ugandan police fire tear gas at journalists protesting crackdown
Ugandan police fired tear gas at journalists in the capital Kampala on Tuesday who were protesting against a media crackdown after press reports sparked a rare public debate on who will succeed aging President Yoweri Museveni.
Authorities in the east African country halted operations at two newspapers and two radio stations on May 20 after they reported a purported plot to assassinate certain people who said that Museveni was grooming his son for power.
Allegations of such a plot were mentioned by General David Sejusa in a private letter that was leaked to The Daily Monitor, the country's biggest-circulating independent daily, which is owned by Kenya's Nation Media Group and is one of the newspapers that the authorities closed down.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-uganda-politics-idUSBRE94R0O120130528
Authorities in the east African country halted operations at two newspapers and two radio stations on May 20 after they reported a purported plot to assassinate certain people who said that Museveni was grooming his son for power.
Allegations of such a plot were mentioned by General David Sejusa in a private letter that was leaked to The Daily Monitor, the country's biggest-circulating independent daily, which is owned by Kenya's Nation Media Group and is one of the newspapers that the authorities closed down.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-uganda-politics-idUSBRE94R0O120130528
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
U.S. shuts digital money system it suspects of criminal links....Will bitcoin be next?
U.S. authorities revealed on Tuesday they have shut down a Costa Rica-based money transfer company they said helped cyber criminals around the world launder around $6 billion in illicit funds using digital currency.
In a statement, officials said authorities in Spain, Costa Rica and New York arrested five people on Friday and seized bank accounts and Internet domains associated with the company, Liberty Reserve.
Costa Rican prosecutor José Pablo González said Liberty Reserve and related businesses were used to launder funds from child pornography websites and drug trafficking.
Digital currency is made up of transferable units that can be exchanged for cash. Over the past decade, its use has expanded, attracting attention from the media and Wall Street. The most widely known digital currency is called Bitcoin. Liberty Reserve's currency was not connected to Bitcoin.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/net-us-cybercrime-libertyreserve-charges-idUSBRE94R0KQ20130528
In a statement, officials said authorities in Spain, Costa Rica and New York arrested five people on Friday and seized bank accounts and Internet domains associated with the company, Liberty Reserve.
Costa Rican prosecutor José Pablo González said Liberty Reserve and related businesses were used to launder funds from child pornography websites and drug trafficking.
Digital currency is made up of transferable units that can be exchanged for cash. Over the past decade, its use has expanded, attracting attention from the media and Wall Street. The most widely known digital currency is called Bitcoin. Liberty Reserve's currency was not connected to Bitcoin.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/net-us-cybercrime-libertyreserve-charges-idUSBRE94R0KQ20130528
Categories:
FACT OR FICTION?,
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
France calls for action against Islamists in southern Libya....Hang on! Isn't because of us they are now in control?
France urged African nations on Tuesday to make a concerted effort to tackle a growing Islamist threat in the deserts of southern Libya.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, speaking on a visit to Niger where suicide bombers attacked a French-run uranium mine last week, said there were signs that Libya's lawless south was becoming a safe haven for Islamist groups in the Sahara.
"It seems we must make a special effort on southern Libya - which is also what Libya wants," Fabius said after meeting Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou. "We spoke about the initiatives which neighboring countries can take in liaison with Libya."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-libya-france-idUSBRE94R0MM20130528
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, speaking on a visit to Niger where suicide bombers attacked a French-run uranium mine last week, said there were signs that Libya's lawless south was becoming a safe haven for Islamist groups in the Sahara.
"It seems we must make a special effort on southern Libya - which is also what Libya wants," Fabius said after meeting Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou. "We spoke about the initiatives which neighboring countries can take in liaison with Libya."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-libya-france-idUSBRE94R0MM20130528
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
Muslims and Buddhists clash in northern Myanmar
Muslims and Buddhists clashed in Myanmar's northern city of Lashio on Tuesday, witnesses said, as a wave of sectarian violence reached a mountainous region near China's border.
Phone lines were down in the city of about 131,000 people and the extent of the violence was unclear. Witnesses reported several large fires and said a mosque and Buddhist monastery appear to have been torched.
The violence followed unrest between Muslims and Buddhists in other parts of Myanmar over the past year, including fighting in the central city of Meikhtila in March that killed at least 44 people, mostly Muslims, and razed several Muslim neighborhoods. About 12,000 people lost their homes.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-myanmar-violence-idUSBRE94R0P520130528
Phone lines were down in the city of about 131,000 people and the extent of the violence was unclear. Witnesses reported several large fires and said a mosque and Buddhist monastery appear to have been torched.
The violence followed unrest between Muslims and Buddhists in other parts of Myanmar over the past year, including fighting in the central city of Meikhtila in March that killed at least 44 people, mostly Muslims, and razed several Muslim neighborhoods. About 12,000 people lost their homes.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-myanmar-violence-idUSBRE94R0P520130528
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
H7N9: Drug resistance in new China bird flu raises concern
The new bird flu strain that has killed 36 people in China has proved resistant to Tamiflu for the first time, a development scientists said was "concerning".
The H7N9 virus was found to be resistant to Roche's widely used flu drug in three out of 14 patients who were studied in detail by doctors from Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Tamiflu, which is given as a pill, belongs to a group of medicines known as neuraminidase inhibitors that currently offer the only known treatment option for bird flu. GlaxoSmithKline's inhaled medicine Relenza has the same mode of action.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-birdflu-tamiflu-idUSBRE94R0FJ20130528
The H7N9 virus was found to be resistant to Roche's widely used flu drug in three out of 14 patients who were studied in detail by doctors from Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Tamiflu, which is given as a pill, belongs to a group of medicines known as neuraminidase inhibitors that currently offer the only known treatment option for bird flu. GlaxoSmithKline's inhaled medicine Relenza has the same mode of action.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-birdflu-tamiflu-idUSBRE94R0FJ20130528
Categories:
ANIMAL DEATHS,
GERMS AND PLAGUES,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
5.3 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 5.3
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 16:25:30.0 UTC
Location 53.45 N ; 159.81 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
89 km NE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia / pop: 187,282 / local time: 05:25:30.0 2013-05-29
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
Date time 2013-05-28 16:25:30.0 UTC
Location 53.45 N ; 159.81 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
89 km NE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia / pop: 187,282 / local time: 05:25:30.0 2013-05-29
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Asos Belts Seized Over Radioactive Studs
A batch of metal-studded belts sold by online retailer Asos are being held in a US radioactive storage facility after testing positive for cobalt-60.
Asos withdrew a batch of the belts from sale after one of them was seized by US border control and tested positive.
The peplum leather belts, which have some 800 brass studs, could cause injury to the wearer if worn for more than 500 hours, according to an internal report by the retailer.
The report, called Project Purple Flower, led to a worldwide recall of the items but it is not known how many have been returned out of 49 sold across 14 countries.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096486/asos-belts-seized-over-radioactive-studs
Asos withdrew a batch of the belts from sale after one of them was seized by US border control and tested positive.
The peplum leather belts, which have some 800 brass studs, could cause injury to the wearer if worn for more than 500 hours, according to an internal report by the retailer.
The report, called Project Purple Flower, led to a worldwide recall of the items but it is not known how many have been returned out of 49 sold across 14 countries.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096486/asos-belts-seized-over-radioactive-studs
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
NUCLEAR DISASTERS
Woolwich Suspect Discharged From Hospital
A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Lee Rigby is moved to police custody in South London.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096599/woolwich-suspect-discharged-from-hospital
http://news.sky.com/story/1096599/woolwich-suspect-discharged-from-hospital
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Chinese hackers access major weapons systems: Washington Post
Chinese hackers have gained access to designs of more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems, a U.S. report said on Monday, as Australian media said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headquarters.
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post said the compromised U.S. designs included those for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyber-thefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the U.S. government, contractors or subcontractors.
But the espionage would give China knowledge that could be exploited in a conflict, such as the ability to knock out communications and corrupting data, the Post said. It also could speed China's development of its defense technology.
http://news.yahoo.com/u-report-says-major-weapons-designs-compromised-chinese-033726944.html?.tsamsungwn&.sep=table
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post said the compromised U.S. designs included those for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyber-thefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the U.S. government, contractors or subcontractors.
But the espionage would give China knowledge that could be exploited in a conflict, such as the ability to knock out communications and corrupting data, the Post said. It also could speed China's development of its defense technology.
http://news.yahoo.com/u-report-says-major-weapons-designs-compromised-chinese-033726944.html?.tsamsungwn&.sep=table
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake SIMEULUE, INDONESIA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude M 4.5
Region SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 14:24:56.0 UTC
Location 2.71 N ; 95.60 E
Depth 19 km
Distances
90 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia / pop: 15,000 / local time: 21:24:56.0 2013-05-28
Region SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 14:24:56.0 UTC
Location 2.71 N ; 95.60 E
Depth 19 km
Distances
90 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia / pop: 15,000 / local time: 21:24:56.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake SIMEULUE, INDONESIA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.5
Region SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 14:12:41.0 UTC
Location 2.66 N ; 95.61 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
87 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia / pop: 15,000 / local time: 21:12:41.0 2013-05-28
Region SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 14:12:41.0 UTC
Location 2.66 N ; 95.61 E
Depth 40 km
Distances
87 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia / pop: 15,000 / local time: 21:12:41.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Russia says missile systems for Syria will deter 'hotheads'
Russia will not scrap plans to deliver an air defense system to Syria despite Western opposition because it would help deter "hotheads" intent on intervention in the two-year-old conflict, the deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday.
It also accused the European Union of "throwing fuel on the fire" by letting its own arms embargo on Syria expire.
Israel and France had urged Moscow to refrain from sending high-precision S-300 missile systems to President Bashar al-Assad's government, which is battling a Western and Gulf Arab-backed insurgency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggested they were useful in deterring intervention.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-russia-defence-idUSBRE94R0EJ20130528
It also accused the European Union of "throwing fuel on the fire" by letting its own arms embargo on Syria expire.
Israel and France had urged Moscow to refrain from sending high-precision S-300 missile systems to President Bashar al-Assad's government, which is battling a Western and Gulf Arab-backed insurgency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggested they were useful in deterring intervention.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-russia-defence-idUSBRE94R0EJ20130528
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
Esteban J Smith: Wanted Marine Suspected Of Texas Shooting
A suspect in a shooting spree that killed one woman and injured five others in Texas was a Marine wanted for questioning over a murder, it has been revealed.
The Sunday morning rampage ended when Esteban J Smith, of the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina, died in a gunfight with a state trooper and a state game warden.
Spokesman Master Sgt JD Cress said in an emailed statement that authorities were investigating a possible connection between the Texas shooting and a homicide in Jacksonville, North Carolina, near the Marine base.
He also confirmed that the Texas shooting suspect was a serving Marine.
Smith, 23, is thought to have targeted vehicles at random during the 90-minute rampage.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096267/wanted-marine-suspected-of-texas-shooting
The Sunday morning rampage ended when Esteban J Smith, of the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina, died in a gunfight with a state trooper and a state game warden.
Spokesman Master Sgt JD Cress said in an emailed statement that authorities were investigating a possible connection between the Texas shooting and a homicide in Jacksonville, North Carolina, near the Marine base.
He also confirmed that the Texas shooting suspect was a serving Marine.
Smith, 23, is thought to have targeted vehicles at random during the 90-minute rampage.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096267/wanted-marine-suspected-of-texas-shooting
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Drones To Tackle Train Graffiti In Germany
Mini drones are set to be rolled out at train depots in Germany to catch vandals who deface carriages with graffiti at night.
Deutsche Bahn plans to start testing the aerial vehicles, which have four helicopter-style rotors and can shoot high-resolution pictures using thermal imaging cameras.
A pilot would remotely steer the drones, which can fly at a height of up to 150 metres and speeds of up to 33mph.
"We are going to use this technology in problem areas where taggers are most active," a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn said.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096481/drones-to-tackle-train-graffiti-in-germany
Deutsche Bahn plans to start testing the aerial vehicles, which have four helicopter-style rotors and can shoot high-resolution pictures using thermal imaging cameras.
A pilot would remotely steer the drones, which can fly at a height of up to 150 metres and speeds of up to 33mph.
"We are going to use this technology in problem areas where taggers are most active," a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn said.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096481/drones-to-tackle-train-graffiti-in-germany
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.3 Magnitude Earthquake SERAM, INDONESIA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.3
Region SERAM, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 10:45:39.4 UTC
Location 3.00 S ; 129.94 E
Depth 39 km
Distances
119 km E of Amahai / pop: 47,653 / local time: 19:45:00.0 2013-05-28
Region SERAM, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 10:45:39.4 UTC
Location 3.00 S ; 129.94 E
Depth 39 km
Distances
119 km E of Amahai / pop: 47,653 / local time: 19:45:00.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Shane Todd: Mystery 'suicide' of U.S. software engineer in Singapore as police admit they didn't check for prints and his parents maintain he was murdered
A ten-day inquest into the mysterious death of an American software engineer in Singapore ended on Monday with police admitting that they deviated from official protocols by not dusting for fingerprints or collecting DNA samples at the scene, and by examining his laptop computer.
Shane Truman Todd's body was found in his Singapore apartment by his girlfriend last June 24, and local authorities have claimed that he hanged himself.
But Todd's parents, Rick and Mary Todd, believe that he may have been murdered and left Singapore before the inquiry as they say they have no confidence in the city-state's legal process.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331772/Mystery-surrounds-suicide-American-software-engineer-Singapore-police-admit-didnt-check-prints-parents-maintain-murdered.html
Shane Truman Todd's body was found in his Singapore apartment by his girlfriend last June 24, and local authorities have claimed that he hanged himself.
But Todd's parents, Rick and Mary Todd, believe that he may have been murdered and left Singapore before the inquiry as they say they have no confidence in the city-state's legal process.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331772/Mystery-surrounds-suicide-American-software-engineer-Singapore-police-admit-didnt-check-prints-parents-maintain-murdered.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Bomb scare on the Brooklyn Bridge: NYPD disposal officers tackle SUV abandoned with no license plates as traffic halts for hours
After a heavily-armored bomb technician tore through the vehicle and a bomb-sniffing dog gave it a once-over, the NYPD offered the all-clear and re-opened the key East River crossing to traffic about 7pm on Monday. The suspicious Dodge Durango was parked in a Manhattan-bound lane of the iconic bridge. Police shut down all traffic - both pedestrians and cars - while they ensured that it did not contain explosives.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331876/Brooklyn-Bridge-Police-clear-shutting-New-York-bridge-bomb-fears-abandoned-SUV.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331876/Brooklyn-Bridge-Police-clear-shutting-New-York-bridge-bomb-fears-abandoned-SUV.html
Categories:
HOAXES,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Koman Willis charged with murder after he 'shot dead six-month-old girl because her dad stole his video-game console'
A 33-year-old documented gang member with 38 prior arrests has been charged in the devastating March shooting of a six-month-old Chicago girl - and police claim the alleged murder was in retaliation for a stolen video game system.
Koman Willis is facing first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm charges after he allegedly shot dead baby Jonylah Watkins while aiming for her father, Jonathan Watkins.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a Monday press conference that Mr Watkins had earlier robbed Willis, prompting the spray of bullets.
The man turned himself in on the weekend though he is yet to provide a statement and no weapon has been recovered, McCarthy said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331836/Jonylah-Watkins-Chicago-gang-member-charged-murder-shot-dead-month-old-girl-dad-stole-video-game-console.html
Koman Willis is facing first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm charges after he allegedly shot dead baby Jonylah Watkins while aiming for her father, Jonathan Watkins.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a Monday press conference that Mr Watkins had earlier robbed Willis, prompting the spray of bullets.
The man turned himself in on the weekend though he is yet to provide a statement and no weapon has been recovered, McCarthy said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331836/Jonylah-Watkins-Chicago-gang-member-charged-murder-shot-dead-month-old-girl-dad-stole-video-game-console.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Spanish police discover bodies of missing Dutch volleyball star and her boyfriend in shallow grave
Visser, 35, and her partner Lodewijk Severein, 57, disappeared on May 13 shortly after checking into a hotel in Murcia. Their rental car was found nine days later on a street in the southeastern Spanish city. Their disappearance sparked intense media interest in the Netherlands and volunteers plastered the streets of Murcia with posters with pictures of Visser and her partner asking for information about their whereabouts.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331646/Spanish-police-discover-bodies-missing-Dutch-volleyball-star-boyfriend-shallow-grave.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331646/Spanish-police-discover-bodies-missing-Dutch-volleyball-star-boyfriend-shallow-grave.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Why was he free? Predatory paedophile from Portugal groomed and raped British girl, 12, before going on the run after police gave him bail and let him keep his passport
A predatory Portuguese child rapist has gone on the run after he was granted bail and allowed to keep his passport while awaiting trial.
Antonio Pedro De Alves attacked a 12-year-old girl in a supermarket car park after grooming her for six months on the internet while posing as a 15-year-old boy.
De Alves, 41, skipped bail before he was due to stand trial in Stafford last week.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331602/Predatory-child-rapist-Portugal-goes-run-police-gave-bail-let-passport.html
Antonio Pedro De Alves attacked a 12-year-old girl in a supermarket car park after grooming her for six months on the internet while posing as a 15-year-old boy.
De Alves, 41, skipped bail before he was due to stand trial in Stafford last week.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331602/Predatory-child-rapist-Portugal-goes-run-police-gave-bail-let-passport.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
South Korea shuts more nuclear reactors over fake certificates
South Korea said on Tuesday it was suspending the operations of two nuclear power reactors and extended a shutdown of a third to replace cables that were supplied using fake certificates, threatening power shortages in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.
The government warned there could be "unprecedented" electricity shortages and rolling blackouts this summer due to the nuclear shutdowns. South Korea previously halted the operations of some of its 23 reactors last November after a scandal emerged over parts being supplied using fake documents.
The Asian country is heavily dependent on oil, gas and coal imports, but usually gets about a third of its electricity from nuclear power generation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-nuclear-korea-idUSBRE94R06T20130528
The government warned there could be "unprecedented" electricity shortages and rolling blackouts this summer due to the nuclear shutdowns. South Korea previously halted the operations of some of its 23 reactors last November after a scandal emerged over parts being supplied using fake documents.
The Asian country is heavily dependent on oil, gas and coal imports, but usually gets about a third of its electricity from nuclear power generation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-nuclear-korea-idUSBRE94R06T20130528
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
NUCLEAR DISASTERS
Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported
Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas.
Intensified government offensives are widely seen as a bid to strengthen Assad's position before a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia for next month.
In Brussels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who was pushing his European Union colleagues to allow member states to arm the rebels, said the expiry of existing EU sanctions this week meant countries could now choose to send weapons to opposition fighters if they wanted to.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE94Q07D20130528
Intensified government offensives are widely seen as a bid to strengthen Assad's position before a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia for next month.
In Brussels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who was pushing his European Union colleagues to allow member states to arm the rebels, said the expiry of existing EU sanctions this week meant countries could now choose to send weapons to opposition fighters if they wanted to.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE94Q07D20130528
Categories:
FACT OR FICTION?,
WARS AND RUMOURS
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake SERAM, INDONESIA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude M 4.7
Region SERAM, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 10:24:07.0 UTC
Location 2.79 S ; 129.93 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
127 km NE of Amahai / pop: 47,653 / local time: 19:24:00.0 2013-05-28
Region SERAM, INDONESIA
Date time 2013-05-28 10:24:07.0 UTC
Location 2.79 S ; 129.93 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
127 km NE of Amahai / pop: 47,653 / local time: 19:24:00.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.4 Magnitude Earthquake SEA OF OKHOTSK - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.4
Region SEA OF OKHOTSK
Date time 2013-05-28 08:58:39.0 UTC
Location 54.31 N ; 153.33 E
Depth 633 km
Distances
355 km NW of Yelizovo, Russia / pop: 40,692 / local time: 21:58:39.0 2013-05-28
Region SEA OF OKHOTSK
Date time 2013-05-28 08:58:39.0 UTC
Location 54.31 N ; 153.33 E
Depth 633 km
Distances
355 km NW of Yelizovo, Russia / pop: 40,692 / local time: 21:58:39.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 5.0
Region FIJI REGION
Date time 2013-05-28 08:45:53.0 UTC
Location 21.50 S ; 177.72 W
Depth 407 km
Distances
262 km W of Havelu, Tonga / pop: 3,417 / local time: 21:45:53.0 2013-05-28
Region FIJI REGION
Date time 2013-05-28 08:45:53.0 UTC
Location 21.50 S ; 177.72 W
Depth 407 km
Distances
262 km W of Havelu, Tonga / pop: 3,417 / local time: 21:45:53.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Britain could miss out on billions of pounds of U.S. investment if it leaves the EU, Obama officials warn...Nothing like a bit of blackmail to get the day started
Britain risks losing out on £10billion a year in trade deals if the UK withdraws from the European Union, the Obama administration has warned.
US officials have told their British counterparts that a vote to leave would exclude the UK from a transatlantic free trade deal which leaders hope to thrash out later this year.
American diplomats believe it will be very difficult to get the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – which could generate hundreds of billions of pounds worth of trade – through the US Senate.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331753/Britain-miss-billions-pounds-U-S-investment-leaves-EU-Obama-officials-warn.html
US officials have told their British counterparts that a vote to leave would exclude the UK from a transatlantic free trade deal which leaders hope to thrash out later this year.
American diplomats believe it will be very difficult to get the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – which could generate hundreds of billions of pounds worth of trade – through the US Senate.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331753/Britain-miss-billions-pounds-U-S-investment-leaves-EU-Obama-officials-warn.html
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: When they said fight them on the beaches, Dave... this wasn't quite what they meant
Crisis, what crisis? That was the headline which greeted Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan on his return from Guadeloupe in January 1979. Britain was shivering through the Winter of Discontent. It felt as if the whole country was on strike.
Rubbish was piling up in the streets, petrol pumps had run dry, bodies lay unburied in mortuaries. The stench of decay was real, not imagined. Yet at the height of the crisis, Labour Prime Minister Callaghan chose to jet off to the Caribbean for a meaningless four-day international summit.
Arriving back at Heathrow, he was ambushed by reporters. A tanned Sunny Jim attempted to shrug off the mounting chaos. He didn’t actually say: ‘Crisis, what crisis?’ But he might just as well have done. Those three words encapsulated the public perception and were to prove his epitaph.
Whatever Callaghan’s reasons for flying to the Lower Antilles that winter, the indelible impression was that he had deserted Britain at a time of national emergency.
So what are we to make of those pictures of Call Me Dave ‘chillaxing’ in Ibiza in the wake of the murder of Drummer Rigby?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2331810/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-When-said-fight-beaches-Dave-.html
Rubbish was piling up in the streets, petrol pumps had run dry, bodies lay unburied in mortuaries. The stench of decay was real, not imagined. Yet at the height of the crisis, Labour Prime Minister Callaghan chose to jet off to the Caribbean for a meaningless four-day international summit.
Arriving back at Heathrow, he was ambushed by reporters. A tanned Sunny Jim attempted to shrug off the mounting chaos. He didn’t actually say: ‘Crisis, what crisis?’ But he might just as well have done. Those three words encapsulated the public perception and were to prove his epitaph.
Whatever Callaghan’s reasons for flying to the Lower Antilles that winter, the indelible impression was that he had deserted Britain at a time of national emergency.
So what are we to make of those pictures of Call Me Dave ‘chillaxing’ in Ibiza in the wake of the murder of Drummer Rigby?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2331810/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-When-said-fight-beaches-Dave-.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Google cashes in on hate videos: Internet giant puts ads alongside thousands of terror rants on YouTube
Google is profiting from adverts which appear alongside vile terror videos on YouTube, it emerged last night.
The Mail has found adverts for reputable companies on videos of Al Qaeda fanatics calling for jihad.
The companies, which include Vodafone, TalkTalk and iTunes, have little control over where their products feature on the hugely popular film-sharing website.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331832/Google-cashes-hate-videos-Internet-giant-puts-ads-alongside-thousands-terror-rants-YouTube.html
The Mail has found adverts for reputable companies on videos of Al Qaeda fanatics calling for jihad.
The companies, which include Vodafone, TalkTalk and iTunes, have little control over where their products feature on the hugely popular film-sharing website.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331832/Google-cashes-hate-videos-Internet-giant-puts-ads-alongside-thousands-terror-rants-YouTube.html
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Third murder on troubled Luton estate where armed police patrols have been introduced to crack down on gang shootings
A 20-year-old man has been stabbed to death on a Luton estate where earlier this month police were forced to begin armed patrols in a bid to clamp down on gang shootings.
The victim, who has been named by residents as Jordan McGuire, was fatally injured in the terraced home he shares with his mother on the troubled Marsh Farm estate, which has now seen three murders and 11 shootings since September.
An ambulance crew and armed police rushed to Thrales Close at around 8.15pm on Sunday where he was was found bleeding heavily.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331930/Third-murder-troubled-Luton-estate-armed-police-patrols-introduced-crack-gang-shootings.html
The victim, who has been named by residents as Jordan McGuire, was fatally injured in the terraced home he shares with his mother on the troubled Marsh Farm estate, which has now seen three murders and 11 shootings since September.
An ambulance crew and armed police rushed to Thrales Close at around 8.15pm on Sunday where he was was found bleeding heavily.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331930/Third-murder-troubled-Luton-estate-armed-police-patrols-introduced-crack-gang-shootings.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
MAX HASTINGS: We've got enough problems at home without charging into yet another foreign bloodbath
What infuses British governments with a mania for thrusting their sticky hands into other people’s messes that are absolutely no responsibility of ours?
Foreign Secretary William Hague spent the Bank Holiday at an EU meeting in Brussels, striving to persuade his European colleagues not to renew their arms embargo against Syria, and instead ship weapons to the anti-Assad rebels.
Hague, like the Prime Minister, is panting to do a good deed in a wicked world. Enthusiastically backed by the Old Etonian boy scout troop that passes for Downing Street policy advisers, they are eager to follow their 2011 ‘success’ in Libya by helping to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2331824/MAX-HASTINGS-Weve-got-problems-home-charging-foreign-bloodbath.html
Foreign Secretary William Hague spent the Bank Holiday at an EU meeting in Brussels, striving to persuade his European colleagues not to renew their arms embargo against Syria, and instead ship weapons to the anti-Assad rebels.
Hague, like the Prime Minister, is panting to do a good deed in a wicked world. Enthusiastically backed by the Old Etonian boy scout troop that passes for Downing Street policy advisers, they are eager to follow their 2011 ‘success’ in Libya by helping to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2331824/MAX-HASTINGS-Weve-got-problems-home-charging-foreign-bloodbath.html
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Britain criticised over EU split as Syria arms ban is lifted
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary said the EU was denying rebels the right to defend themselves when they were "having every weapon that's ever been devised dropped on them".
A number of states led by Austria continued to oppose lifting the embargo, but Britain insisted it should be allowed to expire on Friday.
There had been a suggestion that all EU sanctions would be allowed to lapse, with Britain vetoing a new package if it did not get its way on the embargo. In the event, following 14 hours of talks European nations agreed to renew travel and financial sanctions against the regime for another year while accepting that on arms each country would now set its own policy.
Mr Hague said: "This decision gives us the flexibility in the future to respond to a worsening situation or the refusal of the Assad regime to negotiate."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10083259/Britain-criticised-over-EU-split-as-Syria-arms-ban-is-lifted.html
A number of states led by Austria continued to oppose lifting the embargo, but Britain insisted it should be allowed to expire on Friday.
There had been a suggestion that all EU sanctions would be allowed to lapse, with Britain vetoing a new package if it did not get its way on the embargo. In the event, following 14 hours of talks European nations agreed to renew travel and financial sanctions against the regime for another year while accepting that on arms each country would now set its own policy.
Mr Hague said: "This decision gives us the flexibility in the future to respond to a worsening situation or the refusal of the Assad regime to negotiate."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10083259/Britain-criticised-over-EU-split-as-Syria-arms-ban-is-lifted.html
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
1998 QE2: Giant asteroid heading our way this week – but don't panic
An asteroid about the same size as the Golden Gate Bridge, or nine Queen Elizabeth 2 ships, will zip past Earth this week.
The close encounter with asteroid 1998 QE2 takes place at 9.59pm UK time on Friday.
But don’t be too nervous – it will be 3.6million miles away, about 15 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
‘We know with great certainty it won’t hit us,’ said Nasa expert Amy Mianzer.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/27/giant-asteroid-heading-our-way-this-week-but-dont-panic-3810544/
The close encounter with asteroid 1998 QE2 takes place at 9.59pm UK time on Friday.
But don’t be too nervous – it will be 3.6million miles away, about 15 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
‘We know with great certainty it won’t hit us,’ said Nasa expert Amy Mianzer.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/27/giant-asteroid-heading-our-way-this-week-but-dont-panic-3810544/
Categories:
COSMIC EVENTS
Revealed: Student killed in gun gang street attack was son of Muslim community leader
A STUDENT killed by a gun gang was the son of a Muslim community leader, it was revealed yesterday.
Mohammed Omar Abdi, 25, was found dying next to a people carrier which crashed into the fence of a sports club in Duddingston, Edinburgh.
Abdi, whose father is a volunteer at Edinburgh Central Mosque, was shot at by four men in a high-speed car chase.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/revealed-student-killed-gun-gang-1917106
Mohammed Omar Abdi, 25, was found dying next to a people carrier which crashed into the fence of a sports club in Duddingston, Edinburgh.
Abdi, whose father is a volunteer at Edinburgh Central Mosque, was shot at by four men in a high-speed car chase.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/revealed-student-killed-gun-gang-1917106
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Report: Plans for Australia spy HQ hacked by China
Australian officials on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny whether Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints of a new spy agency headquarters as a news report claims. A tiny party essential to the ruling coalition's government demanded an inquiry into how much damage may have been done.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. television reported on Monday night that the plans for the 630 million Australian dollar ($608 million) Australian Security Intelligence Organization building had been stolen through a cyberattack on a building contractor. Blueprints that included details such as communications cabling, server locations and security systems had been traced to a Chinese server, the network reported.
Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, said China could use the blueprints to bug the building, which is nearing completion in Canberra, the capital, after lengthy construction delays.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/28/china-hackers-australia-spy-agency-headquarters/2364863/
Australian Broadcasting Corp. television reported on Monday night that the plans for the 630 million Australian dollar ($608 million) Australian Security Intelligence Organization building had been stolen through a cyberattack on a building contractor. Blueprints that included details such as communications cabling, server locations and security systems had been traced to a Chinese server, the network reported.
Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, said China could use the blueprints to bug the building, which is nearing completion in Canberra, the capital, after lengthy construction delays.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/28/china-hackers-australia-spy-agency-headquarters/2364863/
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Ten attacks on mosques since Woolwich murder
The number of reported Islamophobic attacks since the Woolwich murder has continued to rise dramatically amid warnings from Muslim community leaders that the backlash which has seen attempted firebombings of mosques is being fuelled by far right groups.
As participants in an English Defence League (EDL) march in Whitehall were recorded giving Nazi-style salutes, Faith Matters, which monitors anti-Muslim hatred, said the number of incidents in the past six days had risen to 193, including ten assaults on mosques. The figure compares to a total of 642 incidents in the previous 12 months – meaning the last week has seen a 15-fold increase on last year’s average of 12 attacks per week.
The spike came as Scotland Yard said it had made a tenth arrest in the investigation into the murder of soldier Lee Rigby on Wednesday. A 50-year-old man was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Earlier, three men arrested on Saturday were released on police bail.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ten-attacks-on-mosques-since-woolwich-murder-8633594.html
As participants in an English Defence League (EDL) march in Whitehall were recorded giving Nazi-style salutes, Faith Matters, which monitors anti-Muslim hatred, said the number of incidents in the past six days had risen to 193, including ten assaults on mosques. The figure compares to a total of 642 incidents in the previous 12 months – meaning the last week has seen a 15-fold increase on last year’s average of 12 attacks per week.
The spike came as Scotland Yard said it had made a tenth arrest in the investigation into the murder of soldier Lee Rigby on Wednesday. A 50-year-old man was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Earlier, three men arrested on Saturday were released on police bail.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ten-attacks-on-mosques-since-woolwich-murder-8633594.html
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Chinese city bans anti-refinery protests ahead of trade fair
The government of the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming on Tuesday banned residents from protesting next week against planned chemical production at a refinery, the ban coinciding with the opening of an important trade fair.
An increasingly affluent urban population has begun to object to a China's policy of growth at all costs, which has fuelled the economy for three decades, with the environment emerging as a focus of concern and protests.
There have already been two large protests in Kunming against the production of paraxylene (PX), a chemical used in making fabrics and plastic bottles, at the planned plant.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-china-protest-idUSBRE94R05720130528
An increasingly affluent urban population has begun to object to a China's policy of growth at all costs, which has fuelled the economy for three decades, with the environment emerging as a focus of concern and protests.
There have already been two large protests in Kunming against the production of paraxylene (PX), a chemical used in making fabrics and plastic bottles, at the planned plant.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-china-protest-idUSBRE94R05720130528
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Obama orders review of guidelines for probing journalists
President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July.
Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material.
In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner and that Fox News correspondent James Rosen had been named a "co-conspirator" in a federal leaks probe involving his reporting on North Korea.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-usa-obama-speech-media-idUSBRE94M1AF20130523
Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material.
In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. airliner and that Fox News correspondent James Rosen had been named a "co-conspirator" in a federal leaks probe involving his reporting on North Korea.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-usa-obama-speech-media-idUSBRE94M1AF20130523
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
U.S. report says major weapons designs compromised by Chinese
Designs for more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, a U.S. report said on Monday, as a news report in Australia said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headquarters.
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post reported that compromised U.S. designs included combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-usa-china-hacking-idUSBRE94R02720130528
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post reported that compromised U.S. designs included combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-usa-china-hacking-idUSBRE94R02720130528
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
WARS AND RUMOURS
White House security adviser calls for deeper China military ties
The United States called for deeper military ties with China on Tuesday, including working closer together in areas like peacekeeping, fighting piracy and disaster relief, despite growing tensions between the two on a range of security issues.
White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon made the remarks at a meeting with senior Chinese military leader Fan Changlong, two weeks ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents in California.
"An essential part of building a new model for relations between great powers is ensuring we have a healthy, stable and reliable military to military relationship," Donilon told Fan at the Chinese Defence Ministry, in brief comments before reporters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-china-usa-defence-idUSBRE94R02X20130528
White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon made the remarks at a meeting with senior Chinese military leader Fan Changlong, two weeks ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents in California.
"An essential part of building a new model for relations between great powers is ensuring we have a healthy, stable and reliable military to military relationship," Donilon told Fan at the Chinese Defence Ministry, in brief comments before reporters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-china-usa-defence-idUSBRE94R02X20130528
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Credit Suisse warns of U.S. tax spat escalation if talks fail
Credit Suisse's (CSGN.VX) chairman warned that a long-running tax dispute with the United States over hidden Swiss bank accounts could easily escalate and spill over to rivals if not settled.
"What looks to be a painful solution at first glance is better for everyone than none at all," Urs Rohner was quoted as telling the Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily on Tuesday.
Rohner's comments come as the Swiss government said it hopes it is nearing a deal with U.S. authorities over Swiss banks accused of helping wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars of tax.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-creditsuisse-tax-idUSBRE94R04D20130528
"What looks to be a painful solution at first glance is better for everyone than none at all," Urs Rohner was quoted as telling the Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily on Tuesday.
Rohner's comments come as the Swiss government said it hopes it is nearing a deal with U.S. authorities over Swiss banks accused of helping wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars of tax.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-creditsuisse-tax-idUSBRE94R04D20130528
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
More than 70 killed in wave of Baghdad bombings
More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighborhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq.
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts.
More than a dozen blasts tore into markets and shopping areas in districts across the Iraqi capital, including twin bombs just several hundred meters apart that killed at least 13 people in the capital's Sadr City area, police and hospital officials said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/27/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE94Q0D620130527
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts.
More than a dozen blasts tore into markets and shopping areas in districts across the Iraqi capital, including twin bombs just several hundred meters apart that killed at least 13 people in the capital's Sadr City area, police and hospital officials said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/27/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE94Q0D620130527
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Florida court debates what jury can hear in Trayvon Martin killing
A court hearing begins Tuesday to determine how Trayvon Martin should be portrayed to a jury when a neighborhood watch captain goes on trial for killing the unarmed black teenager last year.
George Zimmerman, whose highly anticipated second-degree murder is scheduled to start June 10, has said he shot Martin in self-defense during a fight in February 2012.
At issue in Tuesday's hearing are pieces of evidence that suggest 17-year-old Martin used marijuana at an undetermined time and had been suspended from school shortly prior to his death. The defense also wants to use text messages and social media posts that Zimmerman's lawyer said would show that Martin presented himself as "street wise" and interested in guns.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-usa-florida-shooting-idUSBRE94R03G20130528
George Zimmerman, whose highly anticipated second-degree murder is scheduled to start June 10, has said he shot Martin in self-defense during a fight in February 2012.
At issue in Tuesday's hearing are pieces of evidence that suggest 17-year-old Martin used marijuana at an undetermined time and had been suspended from school shortly prior to his death. The defense also wants to use text messages and social media posts that Zimmerman's lawyer said would show that Martin presented himself as "street wise" and interested in guns.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-usa-florida-shooting-idUSBRE94R03G20130528
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
EU failure will allow UK, France to arm Syrian rebels
Britain and France are free to supply weapons to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad from August, after attempts to renew an EU arms embargo on Syria failed on Monday.
After a marathon negotiating session in Brussels, EU governments failed to bridge their differences and let a ban on arming the opposition expire, with France and Britain scoring a victory at the expense of EU unity.
Britain and France have made a commitment not to deliver arms to the Syrian opposition "at this stage," an EU declaration said. But EU officials said the commitment effectively expires on August 1.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/27/us-syria-crisis-eu-idUSBRE94Q09320130527
How long before they come out with the excuse that it would be to risky to arm the rebels and send in troops instead? Our governments can hardly be seen arming the terrorist groups, or can they?
After a marathon negotiating session in Brussels, EU governments failed to bridge their differences and let a ban on arming the opposition expire, with France and Britain scoring a victory at the expense of EU unity.
Britain and France have made a commitment not to deliver arms to the Syrian opposition "at this stage," an EU declaration said. But EU officials said the commitment effectively expires on August 1.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/27/us-syria-crisis-eu-idUSBRE94Q09320130527
How long before they come out with the excuse that it would be to risky to arm the rebels and send in troops instead? Our governments can hardly be seen arming the terrorist groups, or can they?
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
Max Clifford In Court On Indecent Assault Charges
PR guru Max Clifford will appear in court later charged with 11 historical counts of indecent assault against teenage girls.
The 70-year-old - famed for representing celebrities including Simon Cowell and Jade Goody - has vowed to clear his name and has labelled the allegations against him as "a load of nonsense".
Clifford, who has been charged with alleged offences linked to girls aged from 14 to 19 between 1966 and 1985, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Police have said the charges relate to seven complainants.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096307/clifford-in-court-on-indecent-assault-charges
The 70-year-old - famed for representing celebrities including Simon Cowell and Jade Goody - has vowed to clear his name and has labelled the allegations against him as "a load of nonsense".
Clifford, who has been charged with alleged offences linked to girls aged from 14 to 19 between 1966 and 1985, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Police have said the charges relate to seven complainants.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096307/clifford-in-court-on-indecent-assault-charges
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Borneo Ferry Capsizes: People Missing
A number of people are missing after a ferry crashed into rocks and capsized in a remote river in Borneo.
District police chief Bakar Sibau said the vessel was believed to be carrying many more passengers than its recommended limit of 74.
He said there appeared to be dozens of survivors, many of whom swam ashore, although he could not give precise figures.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096367/borneo-ferry-capsizes-people-missing
District police chief Bakar Sibau said the vessel was believed to be carrying many more passengers than its recommended limit of 74.
He said there appeared to be dozens of survivors, many of whom swam ashore, although he could not give precise figures.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096367/borneo-ferry-capsizes-people-missing
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
MISSING PEOPLE
Latest stories 'Woolwich-Inspired' Attack On Prison Guard
Police are investigating whether a suspected attack on a prison guard was inspired by the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
The guard was reportedly kidnapped and beaten after extremists at Full Sutton jail near York reacted to a request from the prison imam to pray for Drummer Rigby.
Police confirmed that three prisoners - allegedly led by a notorious al Qaeda fanatic - were involved in the attack.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096347/woolwich-prison-guard-kidnapped-and-beaten
The guard was reportedly kidnapped and beaten after extremists at Full Sutton jail near York reacted to a request from the prison imam to pray for Drummer Rigby.
Police confirmed that three prisoners - allegedly led by a notorious al Qaeda fanatic - were involved in the attack.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096347/woolwich-prison-guard-kidnapped-and-beaten
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND - 28th May 2013
Magnitude M 5.0
Region OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
Date time 2013-05-28 06:59:42.0 UTC
Location 35.63 S ; 178.59 E
Depth 167 km
Distances
295 km NE of Whakatane, New Zealand / pop: 18,602 / local time: 18:59:42.0 2013-05-28
Region OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
Date time 2013-05-28 06:59:42.0 UTC
Location 35.63 S ; 178.59 E
Depth 167 km
Distances
295 km NE of Whakatane, New Zealand / pop: 18,602 / local time: 18:59:42.0 2013-05-28
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - 28th May 2013
Magnitude mb 4.5
Region BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Date time 2013-05-28 04:36:07.0 UTC
Location 56.17 N ; 120.77 W
Depth 2 km
Distances
10 km SE of Fort St. John, Canada / pop: 17,402 / local time: 21:36:07.0 2013-05-27
Region BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Date time 2013-05-28 04:36:07.0 UTC
Location 56.17 N ; 120.77 W
Depth 2 km
Distances
10 km SE of Fort St. John, Canada / pop: 17,402 / local time: 21:36:07.0 2013-05-27
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Two foreigners kidnapped in Yemen, officials say
Two Yemeni Interior Ministry officials said two foreigners were kidnapped in the coastal province of Taiz, 250 kilometers south of the capital Sanaa, on Monday.
"The couple were walking down Hoban Street when they were kidnapped in open daylight by a number of armed gunmen," an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
No one has announced responsibility for the kidnapping. "They were forcibly put in a vehicle, which fled the scene immediately," the official added.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/world/meast/yemen-kidnappings/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
"The couple were walking down Hoban Street when they were kidnapped in open daylight by a number of armed gunmen," an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
No one has announced responsibility for the kidnapping. "They were forcibly put in a vehicle, which fled the scene immediately," the official added.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/world/meast/yemen-kidnappings/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Sheffield warning after “green pills” drug arrest
Police have issued a warning after two teenagers fell seriously ill in Sheffield after taking small green pills which made them aggressive, writes Graham Walker.
The two, aged 16 and 17, were taken to the Northern General Hospital this morning after taking the tablets.
It is believed the teenagers took the drugs at an event last night, possibly on Effingham Road in the Attercliffe area of the city.
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said they were taken to hospital after displaying aggressive behaviour.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/sheffield-warning-after-green-pills-drug-arrest-1-5712758
The two, aged 16 and 17, were taken to the Northern General Hospital this morning after taking the tablets.
It is believed the teenagers took the drugs at an event last night, possibly on Effingham Road in the Attercliffe area of the city.
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said they were taken to hospital after displaying aggressive behaviour.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/sheffield-warning-after-green-pills-drug-arrest-1-5712758
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Alexander Michael Herrera attempts to open emergency door during Flight
An airline passenger who made "unusual statements" and attempted to open an emergency door during a flight Monday morning has been charged with interfering with a flight crew, a federal official said.
Passengers and crews members restrained the man and the flight landed safely.
The incident occurred on Alaska Airlines Flight 132 to Portland, Oregon, from Anchorage, Alaska. Around 5:20 a.m. Pacific Time -- about 10 minutes before the flight was to land -- the passenger, seated in Row 17, allegedly tried to open the emergency door, airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said.
Emergency doors are locked and cannot be opened during flights.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/alaska-airlines-door/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Passengers and crews members restrained the man and the flight landed safely.
The incident occurred on Alaska Airlines Flight 132 to Portland, Oregon, from Anchorage, Alaska. Around 5:20 a.m. Pacific Time -- about 10 minutes before the flight was to land -- the passenger, seated in Row 17, allegedly tried to open the emergency door, airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said.
Emergency doors are locked and cannot be opened during flights.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/alaska-airlines-door/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
U.S. pilot rescued after ejecting from F-15 over Pacific Ocean
A Japanese helicopter plucked the pilot of a U.S. fighter jet from the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday after an unspecified problem forced him to eject in mid-flight.
The F-15 jet, from the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base on the island of Okinawa, developed the problem on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Air Force said.
The pilot, whose name has not been disclosed, is reported to have ejected safely about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Okinawa around 9 a.m., according to the Air Force.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/world/asia/japan-us-jet-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
The F-15 jet, from the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base on the island of Okinawa, developed the problem on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Air Force said.
The pilot, whose name has not been disclosed, is reported to have ejected safely about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Okinawa around 9 a.m., according to the Air Force.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/world/asia/japan-us-jet-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Marine killed after shooting spree in Texas
A Marine based in North Carolina died during a gun battle with police in Texas after authorities said he killed one person and wounded five others in a shooting spree.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said the suspect, Esteban J. Smith, 23, was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was killed early Sunday when he exchanged gunfire with a state trooper and a game warden, police said.
Smith's death ended a shooting spree that had covered more than 80 miles and lasted more than two hours.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/us/texas-marine-fatal-shooting-spree/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
The Texas Department of Public Safety said the suspect, Esteban J. Smith, 23, was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was killed early Sunday when he exchanged gunfire with a state trooper and a game warden, police said.
Smith's death ended a shooting spree that had covered more than 80 miles and lasted more than two hours.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/us/texas-marine-fatal-shooting-spree/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Chinese tourist defaces Egyptian temple
Parents of a 15-year-old Chinese tourist have apologized after the teenager defaced a stone sculpture in an ancient Egyptian temple with graffiti.
The act drew ire in both Egypt and China -- generating a massive online backlash amongst China's unforgiving netizens.
The vandal carved 'Ding Jinhao was here' in Chinese in the 3,500 year old Luxor Temple.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/china-egypt/index.html?hpt=hp_c5
The act drew ire in both Egypt and China -- generating a massive online backlash amongst China's unforgiving netizens.
The vandal carved 'Ding Jinhao was here' in Chinese in the 3,500 year old Luxor Temple.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/china-egypt/index.html?hpt=hp_c5
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
California: Surging wildfire forces campers, residents to evacuate mountains near Santa Barbara
A surging wildfire forced more than 1,000 people, including Memorial Day campers, to evacuate the mountains of California’s Santa Barbara County, officials said.
The fire broke out about 2:45 p.m. Monday in Los Padres National Forest about 15 miles north of Santa Barbara and quickly surged to 700 acres amid winds of about 20 mph, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
The fire was threatening about 50 homes, many of them cabins and vacation rentals, and 50 to 75 residents had evacuated, county fire Capt. David Sadecki said.
Paradise Road and the many campgrounds along it were closed, forcing about 1,000 campers to evacuate, Sadecki said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/surging-wildfire-forces-campers-residents-to-evacuate-mountains-near-santa-barbara/2013/05/27/36df41e6-c734-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html
The fire broke out about 2:45 p.m. Monday in Los Padres National Forest about 15 miles north of Santa Barbara and quickly surged to 700 acres amid winds of about 20 mph, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
The fire was threatening about 50 homes, many of them cabins and vacation rentals, and 50 to 75 residents had evacuated, county fire Capt. David Sadecki said.
Paradise Road and the many campgrounds along it were closed, forcing about 1,000 campers to evacuate, Sadecki said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/surging-wildfire-forces-campers-residents-to-evacuate-mountains-near-santa-barbara/2013/05/27/36df41e6-c734-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
NATURAL DISASTERS
Brazil rains damage roof of Confederations Cup stadium
Part of the roof of a brand new stadium that will be used for the upcoming Confederations Cup collapsed in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador Monday following heavy rains.
Officials said no injuries were reported and only the eastern sector of Arena Fonte Nova which will also host World Cup games next year was damaged.
"Following heavy downpours on Salvador early Monday, water accumulated in the 36 panels of the roof's (plastic) membrane located in the eastern sector, triggering its collapse," Fonte Nova Participacoes, the agency that manages the stadium, said in a statement.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/352094/brazil-rains-damage-roof-of-confederations-cup-stadium
Officials said no injuries were reported and only the eastern sector of Arena Fonte Nova which will also host World Cup games next year was damaged.
"Following heavy downpours on Salvador early Monday, water accumulated in the 36 panels of the roof's (plastic) membrane located in the eastern sector, triggering its collapse," Fonte Nova Participacoes, the agency that manages the stadium, said in a statement.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/352094/brazil-rains-damage-roof-of-confederations-cup-stadium
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS
Kasabonika Lake, Ontario declares state of emergency
A partial evacuation of the Kasabonika Lake First Nation has taken place, according to Emergency Management Ontario, with about 150 vulnerable residents and their caregivers taken to towns of Hearst and Greenstone as a precaution.
"(The water) is still rising but at a much slower rate than it has been," Mitch Diabo, a community member and lead co-ordinator for the flood response team, told The Canadian Press.
"There was some initial panic (among residents) as far as 'why are some leaving? The rest of us aren't' ... We've managed the perceptions there."
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/kasabonika-lake-ontario-declares-state-of-emergency/6915/
"(The water) is still rising but at a much slower rate than it has been," Mitch Diabo, a community member and lead co-ordinator for the flood response team, told The Canadian Press.
"There was some initial panic (among residents) as far as 'why are some leaving? The rest of us aren't' ... We've managed the perceptions there."
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/kasabonika-lake-ontario-declares-state-of-emergency/6915/
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS
Heavy Rain to Hit Jakarta in Two Days Ahead
Jakarta Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that torrential rain accompanied with lightning and strong winds will hit Jakarta until two days ahead. This phenomenon will happen in the afternoon towards late afternoon until evening.
Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency Head, Achmad Zakir said heavy rain accompanied with lightning and strong winds that occurred the last few days is triggered by the transition period from rainy season to dry season. “Medium until heavy rain accompanied with lightning and strong winds will potential to hit Jakarta, yet its intensity tends to decrease. The cause is transition period. Such weather potentially happens to South and North Jakarta,” he expressed, Monday (5/27).
http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=28133
Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency Head, Achmad Zakir said heavy rain accompanied with lightning and strong winds that occurred the last few days is triggered by the transition period from rainy season to dry season. “Medium until heavy rain accompanied with lightning and strong winds will potential to hit Jakarta, yet its intensity tends to decrease. The cause is transition period. Such weather potentially happens to South and North Jakarta,” he expressed, Monday (5/27).
http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=28133
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS
China Issues Yellow Alert for S China Rainstorms
Meteorological authorities issued a yellow alert on Sunday for rainstorms in south China that will last from Sunday to Monday.
Parts of the provincial-level regions of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi will be hit by precipitation of up to 200 mm over a period of 24 hours, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a statement.
Heavy winds will also hit parts of the Yellow, Huaihe and Yangtze rivers during the same period, the statement said.
http://english.cri.cn/11354/2013/05/26/2724s767040.htm
Parts of the provincial-level regions of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi will be hit by precipitation of up to 200 mm over a period of 24 hours, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said in a statement.
Heavy winds will also hit parts of the Yellow, Huaihe and Yangtze rivers during the same period, the statement said.
http://english.cri.cn/11354/2013/05/26/2724s767040.htm
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS
Chile Volcano: Red Alert Issued For Copahue
Chilean and Argentine officials have issued a red alert for the Copahue volcano bordering the two countries and ordered the evacuation of about 3,000 people.
The nearly 10,000-ft (2,965m) volcano, which sits in the Andes cordillera, straddling Chile's border with Argentina's Neuquen province, has become increasingly active in recent times.
Chile's Interior and Security Minister Andres Chadwick said that the increased activity could lead to an eruption and officials will begin evacuating about 2,240 people, or 460 families, within a 25km (15.5 mile) radius soon.
"This evacuation is obligatory; it's not voluntary," Mr Chadwick said.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096220/chile-volcano-red-alert-issued-for-copahue
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Ghana: Flood waters sweep through homes; destroy properties in Accra
Some parts of the capital city have been seriously flooded after heavy rains last night and this morning. A number of properties have also been destroyed.
The dawn rain which started around 4:30 am was accompanied by a storm and fell heavily for well over 45 minutes.
Parts of the roads in Accra, particularly around Weija, Ashaiman were left unmotorable but there have not been any reports of casualties yet.
Joy News’ Beatrice Adu who toured some of the affected areas said at the Kasoa Toll Booth for instance, mud had been washed onto the highway. Part of the road has also been covered by the flood.
At the SCC, homes and stores were flooded to kneel level, she said, as residents frantically scooped the flood waters.
http://edition.myjoyonline.com/tgnews/print/index.php?url=http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201305/106661.php&contentid=106661
The dawn rain which started around 4:30 am was accompanied by a storm and fell heavily for well over 45 minutes.
Parts of the roads in Accra, particularly around Weija, Ashaiman were left unmotorable but there have not been any reports of casualties yet.
Joy News’ Beatrice Adu who toured some of the affected areas said at the Kasoa Toll Booth for instance, mud had been washed onto the highway. Part of the road has also been covered by the flood.
At the SCC, homes and stores were flooded to kneel level, she said, as residents frantically scooped the flood waters.
http://edition.myjoyonline.com/tgnews/print/index.php?url=http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201305/106661.php&contentid=106661
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS
UKIP Set For European Elections Success
Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party (UKIP) is on course for further success in next year's European elections, according to a new poll.
The survey found that 27% of those certain to vote in the 2014 contest would support UKIP, with Labour on 23% and the Tories on 21%.
The rise of Mr Farage's party has caused major headaches for the Conservatives, and the ComRes study for the Open Europe think tank found that almost two-fifths (39%) of those who voted Tory in 2010 would back UKIP if the European election was held now.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096252/ukip-set-for-european-elections-success-poll
The survey found that 27% of those certain to vote in the 2014 contest would support UKIP, with Labour on 23% and the Tories on 21%.
The rise of Mr Farage's party has caused major headaches for the Conservatives, and the ComRes study for the Open Europe think tank found that almost two-fifths (39%) of those who voted Tory in 2010 would back UKIP if the European election was held now.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096252/ukip-set-for-european-elections-success-poll
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Charity Says Payday Lenders 'Out Of Control'
Fresh evidence of "out of control" payday lenders failing to act responsibly and hounding people for money has been released by a debt advice charity.
Citizens Advice said it had seen cases in recent months which included payday lending to people who were aged under 18, had mental health issues or were drunk when they took out the loan.
The findings come at a time when Britain's biggest payday lenders are under threat of being put out of action if they fail to prove to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that their practices are up to scratch.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096277/charity-says-payday-lenders-out-of-control
Citizens Advice said it had seen cases in recent months which included payday lending to people who were aged under 18, had mental health issues or were drunk when they took out the loan.
The findings come at a time when Britain's biggest payday lenders are under threat of being put out of action if they fail to prove to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that their practices are up to scratch.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096277/charity-says-payday-lenders-out-of-control
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
Blaze Breaks Out Aboard Bahamas Cruise Ship
A Royal Caribbean cruise has been cancelled after fire broke out on the ship's stern, burning through several decks on the vessel.
The company says more than 2,200 passengers will be flown from the Bahamas back to the US.
The cancellation is latest trouble for Carnival Corp, whose Triumph ship was disabled by fire in February, leaving thousands of passengers stuck for days in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nobody was injured in Monday's fire and the cause remains unknown.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096301/blaze-breaks-out-aboard-bahamas-cruise-ship
The company says more than 2,200 passengers will be flown from the Bahamas back to the US.
The cancellation is latest trouble for Carnival Corp, whose Triumph ship was disabled by fire in February, leaving thousands of passengers stuck for days in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nobody was injured in Monday's fire and the cause remains unknown.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096301/blaze-breaks-out-aboard-bahamas-cruise-ship
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Syria: EU Lifts Arms Embargo On Rebel/Terrorist Groups
Foreign Secretary William Hague has said there are no immediate plans to send weapons to Syrian rebels after the EU decided to end its arms embargo.
Britain and France had pushed for the ban on supplying the opposition forces fighting Bashar al Assad's regime to be lifted and the failure of ministers to agree an extension to the embargo during 12 hours of talks means it will now end on June 1.
Mr Hague said after the meeting Monday that the decision "sends a very strong message from Europe to the Assad regime".
Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said the decision would make little difference in the short-term.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096272/syria-eu-lifts-arms-embargo-on-rebel-groups
Britain and France had pushed for the ban on supplying the opposition forces fighting Bashar al Assad's regime to be lifted and the failure of ministers to agree an extension to the embargo during 12 hours of talks means it will now end on June 1.
Mr Hague said after the meeting Monday that the decision "sends a very strong message from Europe to the Assad regime".
Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said the decision would make little difference in the short-term.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096272/syria-eu-lifts-arms-embargo-on-rebel-groups
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
Isle Of Man TT: Japanese Rider Killed
Japanese rider Yoshinari Matsushita has been killed during qualifying for the Isle of Man TT - just hours after being entered into the race.
The 43-year-old was killed in an incident at Ballacrye on the north of the island and the qualifying session was immediately red flagged.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096284/isle-of-man-tt-japanese-rider-killed
The 43-year-old was killed in an incident at Ballacrye on the north of the island and the qualifying session was immediately red flagged.
http://news.sky.com/story/1096284/isle-of-man-tt-japanese-rider-killed
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS