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Stricken ferry 'survivors found' The ferry was en route to Cebu from Manila when it capsized on Saturday Twenty-eight survivors have been found from a Philippine ferry carrying more than 700 people that capsized in a typhoon, a local radio station says. Four other people were found alive earlier, but hundreds remain missing after a rescue ship that reached the upturned vessel found no signs of life. The 28 had been drifting in a life-raft for 24 hours after the ferry tipped over off Sibuyan island, reports said. The Red Cross estimates the storm has left 155 people dead...

Excerpt - Rescuers who have reached a ferry sunk by a typhoon in the Philippines and carrying more than 700 people say they have recovered only three survivors. The Princess of the Star ran aground after being hit by massive waves caused by typhoon Fengshen. ~ snip ~

EASTSOUND, Wash. - Pedro Perez has not left Orcas Island in more than four months. Not for weekend trips with his family, not for cheaper groceries on the mainland, not for medical care — not for anything. He is afraid border agents will stop him and send him back to Mexico, wrecking the quiet life he has built on one of Washington's remote San Juan Islands. "I had my eyes on this place for my kids to grow up in," Perez, who is married with two young children, said in Spanish. "There's no gangs here, no crime. It's the kids...

Two European business consultants have identified themselves to U.S. officials as the men who were being sought by the FBI after crew members and riders reported their unusual behavior aboard a Washington state ferry last summer.The men, both citizens of a European Union nation, appeared at a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as the men pictured in photos released to the media last summer, according to a news release issued today by the FBI's Seattle field office. The release did not identify the men or the city where the embassy is located.

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

FRIDAY HARBOR, San Juan County — The people of the San Juan Islands tend to be independent sorts, espousing a do-it-yourself, leave-me-be ethos as natural and ever-present as the tide. But for many of the 17,000 people of this island county, the normal rhythms of small-town life have hit a dissonant chord lately. A couple of months ago, the U.S. Border Patrol began occasional "spot checks" of every vehicle and passenger arriving in Anacortes off state ferries, the lifeline between these islands and the mainland. For some here, it seems like a good idea or, at worst, a minor inconvenience....

A MAN has caused a security scare after jumping from a Manly ferry and breaking into the grounds of the Governor-Generals' official Sydney home. An AAP journalist, who was an eyewitness, said the man jumped off the ferry in Sydney harbour at about 2.50pm (AEST) and swam up to 600 metres towards Admiralty House, dodging four police boats before making it to shore. "He jumped off the ferry and started swimming,'' he said. "The maritime police tried to corner him and lasso him.'' The witness said the man climbed a wall and was in the grounds of Governor-General Michael Jeffrey's...

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. (AP) - Starved of money for nearly a decade, the nation's largest ferry system has hit rough water. The ferries that cruise Puget Sound and surrounding waters have become symbols of the Pacific Northwest, recalling its rich maritime history and figuring prominently in movies and television shows such as "Grey's Anatomy." But beneath their cheery green-and-white paint scheme, the aging ferries are rusty, old and unreliable. Some boats have been yanked from service for repairs. Routes have been canceled and schedules thrown off. Washington state commuters are frustrated. "We have a love-fear relationship with the ferries. It's...

LIHUE, HAWAII -- The woman in the sun hat wants to crack someone in the jaw. It's been a bad day. Actually, for Kaiulani Huff, it's been a bad few decades. She has watched as her home, the island of Kauai, changed from a wild garden of secret places to -- in her eyes -- an overcrowded amusement park for rich people. "Welcome to Disneyland," she says one day while driving around the island. "See the natives. Watch us dance the hula. Clog up our roads. Buy up all the good land. And please, help yourselves to our beaches!" Development...

Honolulu (AP) -- The Hawaii Superferry, halted nearly a month because of protests and legal challenges over its potential environmental impact, will resume service between Oahu and Kauai this month with heightened security, Gov. Linda Lingle said. Lingle, a supporter of the Superferry, said Wednesday that the vessel will resume service Sept. 26 on a temporary daytime schedule, arriving at Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor at 11 a.m., eight hours ahead of its usual stop. The daytime hours are being used to better ensure public safety, but it may inconvenience cruise ships. The harbor will be heavily secured by Kauai County police...

The company that runs the first passenger-vehicle ferry service between the Hawaiian Islands suspended operations indefinitely Tuesday after two days of emotional protests and legal setbacks. Hawaii Superferry Inc. halted service after the Coast Guard advised that it could not assure safe passage of the 350-foot (107-meter) ferry in and out of Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai, where a flotilla of protesters blocked it from docking late Monday. A court order sought by environmentalists had already halted service to Maui, with a hearing set for Wednesday. Gov. Linda Lingle, a longtime ferry supporter, also requested Tuesday that the service be suspended...

Seattle's Post-Intelligencer decided last week not to publish photographs of two men of interest to the FBI. Because the issue was the security of the Pacific Northwest's #1 terrorist target, the Washington Ferry system, competitive media and the blogger world heaped enormous disdain on the paper. It was reasonable to think the P-I would move on, avoid further comment and hope not to hear a loud "boom" across Elliott Bay. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The paper's managing editor responded with a defense that rocks the walls with dismissive haughtiness. Said he "We get to decide what is news and what isn't,...

Earlier this summer a concerned crew member of a Washington State ferry boat snapped pictures of two men who had raised suspicions on several ferry rides by asking questions about structural details and entering areas of the boats that are off limits. Now, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released two photographs of the men to the public with the goal of identifying them, a debate has erupted over alleged racial profiling, one ferry was shut down briefly this week and the men, while suddenly familiar faces, remain unidentified. "We have some promising leads that have come in since we...

Ferry plots and Filipino Muslim converts By Michelle Malkin  •  August 30, 2007 02:46 PM  The FBI is still sifting through hundreds of tips on the two suspicious men in Seattle whom ferry employees witnessed photographing restricted areas and pacing several ferry routes, “as if trying to measure distances,” over the past several weeks.I have learned that these men have been the subject of much investigative energy within homeland security bureaucracies for quite some time. Indeed, one source told me that until the FBI released the photos of the men, the snapshots had been handled as classified material.Arab-American and Muslim groups...

Disaster Looms in Pakistan Decorum was abandoned as accusations ricocheted between the wood-panelled walls of Pakistan's national assembly on Monday night. "Murderers! Murderers of innocent people!" screamed an MP from a religious party, his yellow turban shaking as he wagged a finger towards the government benches. Five female parliamentarians, their faces concealed behind black and white burkas, slapped the benches with open palms. Another mullah stood up and started shouting. The speaker strained to maintain order. Others were less captivated by the debate on last month's siege of the Red Mosque, in which more than 100 people died. One...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Managing Editor David McCumber has posted a blog item defending his decision to not run the photos of the two ferry passengers the FBI is seeking in order to question them about their suspicious activities on several Seattle-area ferries in recent weeks. McCumber says the paper didn't consider the photos news-worthy. I certainly have plenty of feedback to consider from the ferry photo issue as we go forward. I understand that people have a hard time with the concept that we get to decide what is news and what isn't, and what is fair and what isn't.Several people...

TAGBILARAN CITY—Police on Wednesday arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf bomber on a ferry in Cebu on his way to Metro Manila with “enough explosives to kill hundreds of people,” an official said yesterday. Police arrested the man a day before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo arrived in Bohol Thursday for the first Local Peace and Security Assembly. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales described him as a Muslim in his early 20s. “I cannot divulge the name yet because the investigation is still ongoing,” Gonzales said. “We suspect that he is a member of the Abu Sayyaf and he was on his...

PORT ANGELES - A car carrying four men reportedly sped through the U.S. Customs port of entry off the ferry from Victoria on Wednesday night. The Port Angeles Police Department received a report through the PenCom dispatch center of the car failing to stop for inspection. The car disembarked off the MV Coho at about 9:20 p.m. after the day's last southbound sailing. It reportedly raced past the checkpoint so quickly that nobody could determine a license plate number or even the plates' jurisdiction. The car turned left - or eastbound - onto Railroad Avenue from the port of entry,...

For Arabs and Muslims across the Puget Sound area, a rise in the nation's threat level or a bombing halfway around the world often can mark a period of unease.

FBI Seeks Identity of Two Men Seen Aboard Washington State Ferries Wednesday, August 22, 2007 The FBI released photographs of two men Monday who have been seen on Washington state ferries "exhibiting unusual behavior" and asked the public for help identifying them. The agency's Seattle field office, along with the Washington Joint Analytical Center, was still seeking the men's identities and whereabouts Wednesday as ferry service was temporarily shutdown when a suspicious package was found in a ferry bathroom and taken away by authorities. "We had various independent reports from passengers and ferry employees that these two guys were engaging...

The FBI released photographs of two men Monday who have been seen on Washington state ferries "exhibiting unusual behavior" and asked the public for help identifying them. The agency's Seattle field office, along with the Washington Joint Analytical Center, was still seeking the men's identities and whereabouts Wednesday as ferry service was temporarily shutdown when a suspicious package was found in a ferry bathroom and taken away by authorities. "We had various independent reports from passengers and ferry employees that these two guys were engaging in what they described as unusual activities on the ferries," Special Agent Robbie Burroughs, a...

Terrorism: Should the press report the news or show its "sensitivity"? Refusal by Seattle media to run FBI photos of men who might just be trying to kill us signals the latter. No wonder they're becoming irrelevant.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently. According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed. Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer is carrying an AP report of a suspicious package found on ferry, but still hasn't published the photos of two men the FBI is seeking in order to question them about their suspicious surveillance-type activity aboard several Seattle-area ferries in recent weeks. The AP report in the P-I says the details of the contents of the suspicious package "were not immediately available, but the Seattle Times' report, by a Seattle Times staffer, says Trooper Cliff Pratt of the Washington State Patrol's bomb squad, described the package, found rolled in carpet in a ferry bathroom earlier Wednesday...

SEATTLE -- The Washington state ferry Puyallup was evacuated Wednesday morning at Colman Dock in Seattle after a crew member found what they deemed to be a suspicious package on board. The 460-foot Puyallup had just been emptied of cars and passengers after arriving at Colman Dock from Bainbridge Island about 8 a.m. when the bag of sparklers was found behind the toilet in the disabled passenger stall in the men's restroom. Following a search and examination by State Patrol troopers, the 2,500-passenger, 202-vehicle ferry was cleared to resume service about 9 a.m. The Puyallup delay was the second ferry...

Reports of a suspicious package found in a passenger area of one of the ferries. (One day after the local papers refused to publish pictures of suspicous men, because they looked middle eastern)...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Offers Haiku Contest - But No Help - in FBI Terror Probe  By Bill Hobbs | August 21, 2007 - 20:18 ET The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is refusing to run the photos of two men the FBI is seeking to question in connection with suspicious behavior aboard a Puget Sound ferry - behavior that could be a precursor to a terror plot, or could be nothing nefarious at all.The Seattle PI reports the story here and explains its rationalization for not publishing the photos here. And - in a steller example of complete touchy-feely uselessness - the paper...

The FBI has taken the somewhat unusual step of requesting assistance from the public to identify two men photographed recently observed "behaving unusually aboard several Washington state ferries." Washington state ferries are generally regarded as a "high potential" terrorist targets, both for the possible economic disruption as well as for the terroristic potential of a strike against a Pacific Northwest icon. *** But Seattle's Post-Intelligencer has chosen not to publish the FBI-supplied photographs of what the paper described as "what look like two Middle Eastern-looking men." The paper defends its decision not to publish the photographs because "neither man is...

FBI searching for two suspicious ferry passengers 07:46 PM PDT on Monday, August 20, 2007 KING5.com Staff FBI Washington State ferry passengers say they've seen these men acting unusually several times recently on state ferries. SEATTLE – The FBI is asking for the public's help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently. According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed. Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI...

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Washington Joint Analytical Center are asking for the public’s help identifying two individuals who have been seen aboard Washington state ferries on several occasions. According to authorities, the two men have exhibited unusual behavior while aboard the ferries. Numerous passengers have reported the strange behavior. The FBI and WAJAC said the behavior may be innocuous but they would like to resolve the reports.

The FBI is asking for the public's help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently. According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed. Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

CAIRO, Egypt - A ferry carrying a wedding party sank in the Nile south of Cairo on Friday and raised fears of casualties, but police later said they believed all passengers were accounted for. Hundreds of people were attending the late-night party on the Princess Hidy ferry when it began sinking in the river off Beni Sweif, a town some 125 miles south of Cairo, officials said. The boat, which was near the shore, went down around midnight as people were singing and dancing, said police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to...

'Eta plot to bomb Plymouth ferry foiled' By Edward Owen in Madrid Last Updated: 2:17am BST 12/07/2007 Spanish police have foiled a plot by Eta terrorists to blow up a ferry carrying thousands of British tourists, officials said yesterday. The Pont-Aven ferry carries up to 2,400 passengers and 183 crew between Plymouth and Santander They said the Pont-Aven, which sails twice a week between Plymouth and the northern Spanish port of Santander, was one of three possible targets. If the bomb had exploded at sea a major disaster could have occurred on the vessel which carries up to 2,400 passengers...

Excerpt - An Indonesian ferry involved in a deadly mid-voyage fire on Thursday has sunk with several safety investigators, police and journalists on board. A TV cameraman has died and three others are missing, local media says. There were 16 people on the Levina I ferry off the coast of Jakarta when it suddenly leaned to the right and sank, said a reporter who was on board. Earlier, the death toll from Thursday's fire rose to 41 after rescuers found 21 bodies drifting at sea, officials said. The fire is the latest in a string of deadly transport incidents in...

14 survivors from Indonesian ferry found By ZAKKI HAKIM, Associated Press Writer Fourteen people who spent nine days on a life raft after their ferry sank in the Java Sea were rescued when a cargo ship saw them frantically waving for help and heard their whistles, officials said Monday. A 15th person died soon after the cargo ship plucked them from the water on Sunday, nearly 370 miles from where the Indonesian ferry carrying more than 600 people sank in stormy weather. One survivor recounted the moments before the Senopati Nusantara disappeared beneath the violent waves. "I was in a...

A passenger ferry on the River Clyde was unwittingly caught up in an international war exercise. Operation Neptune Warrior, a training exercise for Nato warships, is taking place off the west coast of Scotland. A threat by the US Navy to fire on unidentified ships was transmitted to the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry as it crossed a warship's path. A spokesman for HM Naval Base Clyde said the ferry was in no danger and an investigation is under way. The MV Kenilworth was making its regular 10-minute crossing at about 0940 BST on Monday when the incident happened. The US...

Terrorist suspect arrested on Danish ferry Danish-Moroccan terrorist suspect Said Mansour was arrested last week after being observed photographing security installations and emergency exits on a DFDS (The United Steamship Company) passenger ferry to Oslo, Danish newspapers report. Shipping line DFDS confirmed to Danish newspaper Politiken that Mansour was aboard the ferry and that the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) had been contacted about the incident. Neither Danish police nor their intelligence service PET would comment about the reason for Mansour's arrest. He was released on Monday. During a search of Mansour's home police found photographic and computer equipment worth...

A ferry carrying up to 150 people has sank off the coast of Bahrain, according to officials and an official news agency report. The Bahraini Interior Minister said 40 bodies have been recovered so far. Many were believed to be missing. The vessel was believed to have taken out the tourists for a short tour of the Gulf, officials said. The official news agency BNA said 60 passengers had been rescued and taken to hospitals after the ferry sank on Thursday night. A US Navy spokesman said divers and small Navy vessels were helping in the rescue operations. The spokesman,...

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. (CP) - Two passengers are now believed to have died in the sinking of a B.C. Ferry, despite early reports that all aboard were rescued. B.C. Ferries president David Hahn said Thursday hope began fading when reports the middle-aged couple was seen among rescued passengers Wednesday turned out to be false. "They're likely on the ship," he said. "I would prefer that we're sitting here 12 hours from now and they turn up somewhere. I'd be thrilled. I think everybody would. "(But) I don't have data that steers me to another point. I don't like it. It's...

Ferry sinks off B.C. coast VANCOUVER -- Rescuers plucked dozens of people from lifeboats off B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands early Wednesday after a large ferry sunk in choppy seas. At least 96 of the 102 people aboard were rescued, said Capt. Leah Byrne of the Search and Rescue Centre in Victoria. She said a search was continuing. Byrne did not say why the Queen of the North went down. The ship was en route to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert, a trip of about 450 kilometres. The 125-metre-long vessel is reported to be completely submerged about 135 kilometres from Prince...

THE captain of a sister ship rejected a plea for help from the Egyptian Red Sea ferry that sank with the loss of about 1,000 lives in order to avoid a “second catastrophe”. Salah Jomaa said that the crew of the stricken Al Salam Boccaccio 98 had radioed his vessel, which was plying the same route in the opposite direction, to ask if he could turn back and mount a rescue effort.

06 February 2006 20:15 The sinking of an Egyptian ferry in the Red Sea three days ago is continuing to have violent repercussions. This morning relatives of some of the 1,400 people on board set fire to El Salam Maritime's offices in Safaga. Police used tear gas to drive away the people who had congregated outside the offices.

Survivors of the Red Sea ferry disaster said its captain fled the burning ship by lifeboat and abandoned them to their fate, as hopes faded on Saturday of finding some 800 missing. Some passengers plucked alive from the sea or from boats after the ferry caught fire and sank early on Friday said crew had told them not to worry about a fire below deck and even ordered them to take off lifejackets.

Rescue teams scoured the Red Sea for survivors Saturday after an Egyptian ferry sank, leaving more than 1,000 people dead or missing in one of the worst maritime tragedies in years, as the rescued spoke of a fire on board the ill-equipped vessel. "Why didn't the crew get it under control?" asked one former passenger hospitalized at this Red Sea port, after survivors said the blaze had raged for at least three hours before the ship went down. The owners of the ship said between 300 and 400 of the more than 1,400 people on board had been rescued...

Most of 1,400 on Doomed Ferry Feared Lost By MARIAM FAM, Associated Press Writer An aging ferry sank in the choppy waters of the Red Sea on Friday with more than 1,400 people on board, mainly Egyptian workers returning from Saudi Arabia. Most were feared lost but officials said at least 314 made it to safety. A spokesman for President Hosni Mubarak said the ferry did not have enough lifeboats, and questions were raised about the safety of the 35-year-old, refitted ship that was weighed down with 220 cars as well as the passengers. "It's a roll-on, roll-off ferry, and...

KFI Los Angeles reported in its 2 a.m. newscast that an Egyptian cruise ship carrying 1300 persons has "disappeared from radar screens" in the Red Sea. No other details were available.

A cruise ship carrying 1300 passengers in the Red Sea has been reported disappeared from radar by Egyptian authorities. No other details....

The early morning news anchor on CBS in Boston read a breaking news report, just off the wires, that a Red Sea cruise ship with 1300 people had vanished off radar....

NEW YORK (AP) -- The pilot at the helm of a Staten Island ferry during a 2003 crash that killed 11 people was sentenced Monday to a harsher-than-expected 18 months in prison. The city's former ferry director was sentenced to one year in prison. Assistant Capt. Richard Smith apologized to victims' families and recalled how he was too exhausted to have been working that day. "I will regret for the rest of my life that I did not just call in sick," Smith said. "I was on the wheel. I was responsible. I stand ready to suffer the consequences." The...