Israel seizes huge arms shipment

JERUSALEM — Open crates from a cargo ship seized Wednesday by Israel revealed dark green missiles inside. Containers from the vessel bore writing in English that said “I.R. Iranian Shipping Lines Group.”

Israel alleged that the shipment of hundreds of tons of rockets, missiles, mortars, grenades and anti-tank weapons — the largest it ever seized — was headed for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Israel stopped the ship, named the Francop, off the coast of Cyprus and towed it to the port of Ashdod. It carried orange, red, white and blue containers piled three deep on its deck.

Report: Suspect badly supervised

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Corrections officials failed to properly supervise convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and missed opportunities to discover the girl he allegedly kidnapped and held in his backyard for 18 years, a report released Wednesday said.

The review by state Inspector General David Shaw blasted the handling of Garrido’s case by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation during the decade he was under state supervision after being paroled in a previous rape case.

The report said parole agents were not trained to conduct home visits and did not follow up on information that showed Garrido violated his parole.

Iraq vote may be delayed

BAGHDAD — The official charged with carrying out Iraq’s crucial January polls warned Wednesday that they will be delayed if parliament doesn’t approve a key electoral bill.

Any delay in the Jan. 16 elections could plunge Iraq into a crisis, undermining the government and leading to instability just as American troops are preparing to withdraw, a process that’s scheduled to ramp up after the vote.

Election Commission Chairman Faraj al-Haidari said Parliament must approve a new electoral law when it convenes on Thursday, otherwise the Jan. 16 polls will be delayed.

Man gets 3 years for sex with horse

CONWAY, S.C. — A South Carolina man caught on video having sex with a horse was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty for the second time in two years to abusing the creature.

Rodell Vereen was also ordered never to go near the stable where the horse’s owner caught him and held him for authorities at shotgun point over the summer.

He apologized to the woman and to himself after admitting to buggery at the Horry County courthouse.

It also faulted the state’s GPS-monitoring system, saying it gives the public a false sense of security concerning the whereabouts of offenders. Shaw said the GPS system falls short of its potential and recommended developing and implementing a comprehensive monitoring policy.

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