10 things you need to know today: May 28, 2013

1. E.U. ENDS EMBARGO ON ARMS FOR SYRIA REBELS

European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday night to end their ban on sending weapons to rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Britain and France led the push to let the sanctions expire on Saturday. They argued that joining Qatar and other nations already arming the opposition will bolster moderates so they won't be reliant on Islamist extremist factions that are also fighting Assad. The news came as Sen. John McCain made a surprise visit to Syrian rebels. [BBC News]

………………………………………………………………………………

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

2. OBAMA AND CHRIS CHRISTIE MEET AGAIN ON STORM-DAMAGED JERSEY SHORE

With Congress in recess, President Obama is scheduled to tour the storm-damaged Jersey Shore on Tuesday with New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie. The unlikely pair joined forces after Hurricane Sandy last year in a bipartisan storm response effort that rankled some Republicans ahead of last year's presidential election. This week's trip will get Obama away from multiple crises in Washington while drawing attention to a bipartisan push to improve federal disaster aid. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

………………………………………………………………………………

3. REPORT SAYS CHINA HACKERS PEEKED AT ADVANCED U.S. WEAPONS

Chinese hackers have gained access to designs for some of the U.S. military's most advanced weapons systems, according to a confidential report prepared for the Pentagon by the Defense Science Board. More than two dozen weapons systems were breached, including missile defense systems and combat aircraft. Military experts say the hackers' success has given China technology that could help it weaken America's military advantage. [Washington Post]

………………………………………………………………………………

4. WILDFIRE FORCES 1,000 OUT OF SANTA BARBARA MOUNTAINS

A wildfire erupted Monday and raced across 700 acres in California's Santa Barbara County mountains, forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate. Most of the people forced to leave were Memorial Day campers. Several campgrounds in the area shut down as the flames advanced at 20 miles per hour. The fire also threatened about 50 houses and rental vacation cabins. [Associated Press]

………………………………………………………………………………

5. KENTUCKY MEGACHURCH SEVERS TIES WITH BOY SCOUTS

A Kentucky evangelical Christian megachurch with 30,000 members is breaking its ties with the Boy Scouts of America, whose national council voted last week to lift its ban on openly gay youths. Tim Hester, executive pastor of Southeast Christian Church, said the church's board of elders decided that the scouting organization had become too polarizing. The Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout pack that met at the church have until the end of the year to find a new place to meet. [USA Today]

………………………………………………………………………………

6. NORTH KOREA INVITES SOUTH KOREANS BACK TO SHUTTERED FACTORIES

North Korea on Tuesday invited South Korean factory owners back into the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Zone to discuss reopening it. Pyongyang closed the manufacturing complex two months ago as it threatened nuclear war. South Korea's Unification Ministry dismissed the offer as a trick aimed at creating conflict between the business owners and the South Korean government in Seoul, and urged North Korea's leaders to enter into talks with their counterparts in Seoul. [New York Times]

………………………………………………………………………………

7. FIRE BREAKS OUT ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN SHIP

A Royal Caribbean cruise ended abruptly on Monday after a fire broke out on the ship's mooring deck. The ship, Grandeur of the Seas, never lost power and managed to dock safely in the Bahamas, and no one was hurt, although two passengers fainted. A Carnival ship disabled by a fire in February languished at sea for days. Royal Caribbean is chartering flights to get its 2,224 passengers back to Baltimore, where the ship started its trip on Friday. [Los Angeles Times]

………………………………………………………………………………

8. MARINE KILLED IN GUNFIGHT AFTER TEXAS RAMPAGE

Texas authorities said Monday that a gunman killed by law enforcement officers was a Marine who was wanted for questioning in a North Carolina murder. The Marine — Esteban J. Smith, 23 — was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He got into a gunfight with a Highway Patrol officer and a game warden after allegedly killing a 41-year-old woman and wounding five other people, apparently picking victims at random and firing at them from a pickup truck. [Associated Press]

………………………………………………………………………………

9. BABY RESCUED FROM SEWER PIPE IN CHINA

Firefighters in China rescued a newborn baby from a sewer pipe below a squat toilet over the weekend. The state-run Zhejiang News website reported that a tenant in a residential building heard the baby's cries in a public restroom and notified authorities. Firefighters cut out an L-shaped section of three-inch-wide pipe in which the baby was trapped, and took it to a hospital, where the pipe was dismantled and the baby is being treated. [Associated Press]

………………………………………………………………………………

10. SPURS WIN SPOT IN NBA FINALS

The San Antonio Spurs earned a spot in the NBA finals on Monday by completing a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs were led by point guard Tony Parker, who had his best post-season game ever with 37 points. Although the Spurs are a perennial powerhouse, they will be playing for the professional basketball championship trophy for the first time since 2007. The Miami Heat are up two games to one against the Indiana Pacers in the best-of-seven series to decide who'll play against the Spurs. [ABC News, Miami Herald]