Third Survivor Rescued on Overturned Italian Ship
Rescue workers on the stricken Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia have rescued a third survivor. The workers found the survivor Sunday as they searched through the ship.
Late Saturday, a South Korean couple on their honeymoon were rescued from their cabin.
At least three people were killed when the ship ran aground Friday evening in the Tiranian Sea off the northern Italian coast and flipped on its side with a breach in its hull.
News reports say two Frenchmen died in the incident, as well as one Peruvian crew member. More than 30 other people were injured. Officials say at least 40 people are missing, and that some crew members may still be trapped inside the ship.
Italian Captain Francesco Schettino was taken into custody Saturday after several hours of questioning. Italian news agency ANSA says he could be facing several charges, including homicide and abandonment of the ship.
Rescuers using lifeboats and helicopters evacuated most of the more than 4,000 passengers and crew members to the island of Giglio and to Porto Santo Stefano on the mainland early Saturday.
Passengers who made it safely to land recounted the chaotic and terrifying evacuation. One of them was an American tourist who said some people had to swim to the shore.
“We were all standing there, and as the boat started going a little quicker, turning, I saw one of the cranes… It popped the life raft, and it exploded and it went boom! And it just crashed. There were two people on it, they got off I think.. we saw like five people jump in the water and start swimming, and I looked and the other crane next to me, which was three feet above water, one meter above water, was like two meters below water.”
Passengers were sitting down to dinner at the time of the incident and were told the ship was having electrical problems.
An investigation is under way to determine why the ship ran aground. When it hit the rocks, officials say, passengers were instructed to put on life jackets and to take to life rafts. However, those on board said the hull tilted so sharply and quickly that many lifeboats could not be lowered into the water.
The Costa Concordia is 290 meters long, with 13 decks. It had 13 bars, five restaurants, four swimming pools and 500 balconied staterooms.
Syria crisis: Assad 'gives amnesty for uprising crimes'
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has granted a general amnesty for all crimes committed during the 10-month uprising, state-run media report.
It would apply to army deserters who turned themselves in before the end of January, peaceful protesters and those who handed in unlicensed weapons, Sana state news agency is quoted as saying.
The UN says more than 14,000 people are in detention.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Mr Assad to end the violence.
"Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end," Mr Ban said in a speech at a conference on Arab world democracy in Beirut.
President Assad has issued several prisoner amnesties since the start of the uprising in March, but thousands of people are believed to remain in prison.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in neighbouring Turkey says the latest amnesty offer still does not address the issue of how the conflict may be brought to an end.
Tens of thousands of people across Syria continue to take to the streets calling for an end to the Assad regime - defying a crackdown that, the UN says, has killed 5,000 people.
In a rare public address last week, President Assad again accused international powers of trying to destabilise Syria, and vowed to crush "terrorists" with an "iron fist".
On Saturday, the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said Arab countries should send troops into Syria to end the bloodshed.
"For such a situation to stop the killing... some troops should go to stop the killing," he told US television channel CBS for a programme to be aired on Sunday.
It is the first time an Arab leader has publicly called for military intervention in Syria.
BBC
Gunmen Storm Police Building in Western Iraq
Iraqi officials say gunmen stormed a police building in the western city of Ramadi Sunday, as at least one suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the facility.
Police say clashes are ongoing inside the building. It is not clear if there are any casualties.
A day earlier, a suicide bomber handing out food and pastries blew himself up outside the mainly Shi'ite port city of Basra, killing at least 53 people and wounding 137 others. Local authorities said the blast targeted Shi'ite worshippers taking part in a major religious commemoration.
Deputy Health Minister Jabbar al-Saedi said Sunday that medical services are still available around the clock to deal with the wounded.
“Our hospitals have carried out needed operations for the wounded. A number of the wounded has already been discharged from hospitals and there are now between 60 to 70 wounded who are still in the hospital receiving medical care. Some of the wounded will be discharged today, while others will be discharged in the coming days, God willing. Medical services are available around the clock and all our medical institutions are on full alert and ready to handle similar situation'.”
There has been no claim of responsibility for Saturday's blast. It is the latest in a series of attacks during Shi'ite religious commemorations, threatening to further increase sectarian tensions in the country, just weeks after the U.S. withdrawal.
The United Nations' top envoy in Iraq, Martin Kobler, condemned the attack. He urged all Iraqis to maintain their shared values and break what he called the “vicious” cycle of violence in the country.
Iraq's government, headed by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, is dominated by Shi'ites, but it includes Sunnis and Kurds in a fragile power-sharing system that is rife with sectarian tensions.
More than 100 people have been killed in a spate of attacks on Shi'ites since the government issued an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi last month. He is charged with operating a death squad. Hashemi, who fled to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to avoid detention, has denied the charges.
Iran Warns Arab Nations Against Increasing Crude Production
Iran's representative to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is warning his country's Arab neighbors against raising their crude output to replace Iranian oil in the event of Western sanctions.
A Sunday report by the Sharq newspaper quotes Mohammad Ali Khatibi as saying Tehran would view any increase of crude production as an “unfriendly act.” He also said that if the other OPEC nations did so, the consequences would be “unpredictable.”
Last week, Western diplomats expressed concern over Iran's move to enrich uranium to a higher level, saying it violates United Nations sanctions resolutions concerning Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
The Security Council has imposed four sets of sanctions on Iran for refusing to stop enrichment work, which has civilian and military uses. Later this month, the European Union will discuss a possible embargo on oil imports from Iran to further increase the pressure.
So far, Iran has threatened in response to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the global oil trade. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Iran's threat is “provocative and dangerous.” She urged Iran to end its “provocative behavior” and its search for nuclear weapons.
Western powers accuse Iran of trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Somali Pirates Free Indian Crew of 21
Indian shipping officials say all 21 Indian crew members of a chemical oil tanker held hostage by Somali pirates since August have been released.
An Indian shipping spokesman said late Saturday the crew and the ship, the MV Fairchem Bogey, are heading towards a safe port. He did not give any details of the release, including whether a ransom was paid.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was hijacked August 20 when it was anchored at Salalah port in Oman.
The shipping official said Saturday 22 Indian sailors remain held by Somali pirates on various ships in the Indian Ocean.
Piracy for ransom is an organized and lucrative operation in Somalia that has expanded into a vast area off the country's coast.
International naval forces are patrolling the waters near Somalia. Shipping companies have increasingly taken security measures to prevent hijackings, such as posting armed guards on board, and building “safe rooms” in which crews can lock themselves if pirates board their ships.
Obama requests another $1.2 trillion to pay US costs
resident Barack Obama has formally notified Congress of proposals for a $1.2 trillion (£782bn) rise in borrowing, risking another battle with Republicans.
In a letter, Mr Obama said "further borrowing is required to meet existing (spending) commitments".
Congress has 15 days to vote on the proposal, which would raise the debt ceiling to $16.4 trillion.
Last year the government came close to default in a row over the debt ceiling.
An uneasy truce between was agreed last year over long-term plans to reduce the nation's deficit.
Although the president is expected to be able to increase the debt ceiling, the issue will still give the Republicans more ammunition to claim Mr Obama is failing on deficit reduction.
Mr Obama hoped to increase the limit by 30 December, but the House and Senate requested a delay until they were back in session.
It meant that in order to pay its bills, the administration had to dip into its Exchange Stabilization Fund, a pot of money normally used by the US Treasury to maintain currency stability.
A Treasury official said other measures, such as suspending the daily reinvestments of assets in a government pension fund, may also be needed until the debt-limit increase is secured.
Samsung and LG fined by regulator for price fixing
South Korea's antitrust regulator has fined Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics for conspiring to fix the prices of some appliances.
The companies face a penalty of 44.6bn won ($39m; £25.2m), said the Fair Trade Commission (FTC).
The regulator said the two firms held secret meetings in 2008 and 2009 to agree on prices for washing machines, flat-panel TVs and laptop computers.
Samsung and LG are the largest makers of the products in South Korea.
"Their price rigging caused damage to many consumers by leading the prices of washing machines, flat-panel TVs and laptop computers to rise more than other competing products," the FTC said.
Samsung was fined 25.8bn won, while LG was fined 18.8bn won.
Apple ends China iPhone store sales after launch issues
Apple has said it will halt the sale of all iPhone models from its stores in China, after large crowds disrupted the launch of the iPhone 4S.
An Apple store, in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, did not open on Friday after a large crowd gathered outside in anticipation of the launch.
The crowd became unruly, throwing eggs and scuffles broke out with police.
China is the world's largest mobile phone market, and Apple's second-biggest market.
The iPhone 4S, which has voice-activated functions, was being introduced through official Apple stores in China for the first time.
Tough market
Apple said in a statement that it decided not to open its store at Sanlitun "due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees".
It also said that it was halting the sale of iPhones at all retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai "for the time being".
However, Apple said Chinese customers can still purchase the phones either through the Apple online store or at China Unicom and other authorized sellers.
The decision came despite the fact that other stores in Beijing and Shanghai opened without incident and reported rapid sales.
Apple said all iPhone 4Ss were now sold out in stores in China.
'Broke hearts'
Crowds began gathering outside of Apple stores overnight and in the early morning, and police were deployed to a number of stores to help control the crowds.
Eggs were thrown at Apple's Sanlitun store in Beijing after it failed to open on Friday at 07:00 local time (23:00 GMT Thursday) as advertised.
When it was announced that the store would not be opening there were shouts of "open the door" and "liar".
Customers at the Sanlitun store said they were disappointed not to be walking away with any purchases.
"I've been waiting here since yesterday afternoon, then this morning they say they won't sell," a man in his 20s told Reuters TV. "They broke customers' hearts," the man said.
By about 10:00 local time in Beijing the crowds had cleared the area in front of the store.
Beowulf, First Reserve sign on for Caribbean pipeline
The Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline project has acquired two new majority owners — Beowulf Energy LLC (Beowulf) out of New York and First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Fund (FREIF), which has offices in Greenwich, Houston, Hong Kong and London.
The news was announced this week by the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company, which is developing a natural gas export pipeline from Trinidad and Tobago to islands in the Eastern Caribbean. Speaking to Newsday yesterday, chief executive of ECGPC Gregory Rich said having both companies on board is an achievement.
“It is the achievement of a goal ECGPC has had since its inception — to get sponsors with industry expertise, credibility and the necessary money, to ensure this pipeline is built and managed to the highest standards,” Rich said.
“The deal was signed Tuesday evening, with documents being faxed back and forth. First Reserve’s decision to invest in this project is a sign of just how advanced our legal, contractual and regulatory approvals really are. They are the bigger monetary investor and they don’t get involved in a project unless they’re confident it will get done.
Beowulf is known for its expertise in these types of projects and is already familiar with Trinidad, as it operates and manages Trinity Power in Pt Lisas.”
The estimated cost of the project is now US $900 million, up from last year’s reported estimate of US$800 million. In 2006, three years after the project was launched, it was valued at US$550 million.
In Phase I of the project, ECGPC will construct and operate a 300 kilometre natural gas pipeline from the Cove Point Estate in Tobago to Barbados. Phase II involves extending the pipeline from Barbados to other Eastern Caribbean islands.
Eastern Caribbean Gas said the gas pipeline is expected to significantly lower the cost of producing electricity in countries such as Barbados which rely primarily on fuel oil to produce electricity.
ECGPC is a company incorporated under the Trinidad and Tobago Companies Act of 1995. Prior to the transaction being announced herein, the shareholders in ECGPC were Guardian Holdings Limited, Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation, The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited and Intra-Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company Limited.
Japan PM Shuffles Cabinet to Win Support for Tax Hike Proposal
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reshuffled his cabinet on Friday in an attempt to gain cross-party support for a controversial plan to raise the country's sales tax.
Mr. Noda replaced five government ministers but he left 12 posts unchanged, including finance minister and foreign minister.
Naoki Tanaka will replace Yasuo Ichikawa as defense minister, while Jin Matsubara takes over as consumer affairs minister for Kenji Yamaoka. Both had been censured by the opposition for comments that were deemed inappropriate.
Mr. Noda also appointed Katsuya Okada – a widely respected former foreign minister – to be his deputy prime minister. The political veteran is expected to head up government efforts to reduce Japan's massive deficit by reforming the social security and tax system.
In particular, Mr. Noda is trying to gain opposition support for an unpopular plan to double a consumer sales tax to 10 percent by 2015. He has promised to submit the proposal during the current session of parliament.
Mr. Noda, who took office in September, is facing declining popularity ratings. Growing public criticism of the tax hike proposal has already prompted several members of his Democratic Party of Japan to quit in protest.
The DPJ says the increase is necessary to help pay for rising social security costs in the rapidly aging country.
Japan faces a historic level of debt as it continues to recover from last March's earthquake and tsunami — one of the costliest natural disasters in world history.