Costa Concordia: Stowaways the latest uncertainty

Unregistered passengers?? stowaways?? may have been aboard the Costa Concordia cruise ship that wrecked off the coast of Italy, meaning the final death toll could go higher.

Unregistered passengers might have been aboard the stricken cruise liner that capsized off this Tuscan island, a top rescue official said Sunday, raising the possibility that the number of missing might be higher than the 20 previously announced.

Skip to next paragraph

Rescuers, meanwhile, resumed searching the above-water section of the Costa?Concordia?but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies.

"There could have been X persons who we don't know about who were inside, who were clandestine" passengers aboard the ship, Franco Gabrielli, the national civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort, told reporters at a briefing on the island of Giglio, where the ship, with 4,200 people aboard rammed a reef and sliced open its hull on Jan. 13 before turning over on its side.

Gabrielli said that relatives of a Hungarian woman have told Italian authorities that she had telephoned them from aboard the ship and that they haven't heard from her since the accident. He said it was possible that a woman's body pulled from the wreckage by divers on Saturday might be that of the unregistered passenger.

But the identity of that body and of three male bodies, all badly decomposed after days in the water, have yet to be established. Gabrielli said they have identified the other eight bodies: four French, an Italian, a Hungarian, a German and a Spanish national.

Until Sunday, authorities had said that 20 people are still missing.

The search had been halted for several hours early Sunday, after instrument readings indicated that the Concordia?has shifted a bit on its precarious perch on a seabed just outside Giglio's port. A few yards away, the sea bottom drops off suddenly, by some 65 to 100 feet, and if the?Concordia?should abruptly roll off its ledge, rescuers could be trapped inside.

When instrument data indicated the vessel had stabilized again, rescuers went back in, but only explored the above-water section. Choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part of the ship, including the restaurant and evacuation staging areas where survivors have indicated that people who did not make it into lifeboats during the chaotic evacuation could have remained.

Passengers were dining at a gala supper when the?Concordia?sailed close to Giglio and struck the reef, which is indicated on maritime and even tourist maps.

There are also fears that the?Concordia's?double-bottom fuel tanks could rupture in case of sudden shifting, spilling nearly 500,000 million gallons of heavy fuel into the pristine sea around Giglio, which is part of a seven-island archipelago in some of the Mediterranean's most pristine waters and a prized fishing area.

But Gabrielli said pollutants found near the ship have been detergents and other substances, including chlorine, apparently from the wreck of the ship, which carried some 3,200 passengers and a crew of 1,000. Any fuel traces found were "compatible with what you find in a port," he said.

Ferries and cargo ships regularly call at Giglio's port.

Sophisticated oil-removal equipment has been standing by, waiting for the search-and-rescue operations to conclude before workers can start extracting the fuel in the tanks.

The Italian captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest as prosecutors investigate him for suspected manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship while many were still aboard.

Operator Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of US-based Carnival Cruise Lines, has said that Capt. Schettino had deviated without permission from the vessel's route in an apparent maneuver to sail close to the island and impress passengers.

Schettino, despite audiotapes of his defying Coast Guard orders to scramble back aboard, has denied he abandoned ship while hundreds of passengers were desperately trying to get off the capsizing vessel. He has said he coordinated the rescue from aboard a lifeboat and then from the shore.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4PFF-5z_SQs/Costa-Concordia-Stowaways-the-latest-uncertainty

boo tonga irb super bowl 2011 super bowl 2011 iceland jordin sparks

Wambach, Dempsey voted top US soccer players

updated 5:20 p.m. ET Jan. 20, 2012

CHICAGO - Abby Wambach has been voted the U.S. Soccer Federation's female athlete of the year for the fifth time, matching Mia Hamm's record. Clint Dempsey has been voted top male athlete for the first time since 2007.

The USSF also said Friday that Brek Shea and Sydney Leroux were the top young athletes.

Wambach won previously in 2003, 2004, 2007 and last year. Hamm won from 1994 to 1998. Wambach scored four goals at the Women's World Cup, including one in the 122nd minute in the semifinals that forced penalty kicks and enabled the Americans to reach the final, where they lost to Germany.

Dempsey scored three goals at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Playing for Fulham, he passed Brian McBride to become the highest-scoring American in the Premier League.

Online votes counted for half the total, with the rest from media and USSF representatives.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement

More news

Balotelli lifts Man City

Mario Balotelli scored a stoppage-time penalty kick Sunday to give first-place Manchester City a 3-2 victory over Premier League title rival Tottenham.

Mike Hewitt / Getty Images

Hat trick

Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick in England's Premier League, helping Fulham rally from a halftime deficit to rout Newcastle 5-2 Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46076706/ns/sports-soccer/

rachel crow rachel crow steelers browns albert pujols pau gasol va tech duggar miscarriage

Spokesman: Paterno in serious condition (AP)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? Joe Paterno's doctors say the former Penn State coach's condition has become "serious" after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days.

The winningest major college football coach of all time, Paterno was diagnosed shortly after Penn State's Board of Trustees ousted him Nov. 9 in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. Paterno's been getting treatment since, and his health problems worsened when he broke his pelvis ? an injury that first cropped up when he was accidentally hit in preseason practice last year.

"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," family spokesman Dan McGinn said in a brief statement Saturday to The Associated Press. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious.

"His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time," he said.

Paterno's sons Scott and Jay each took to Twitter Saturday night to refute reports that their father had died.

Wrote Jay Paterno: "I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight."

The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from his cancer treatments. Not long before that, he conducted his only interview since losing his job, with The Washington Post. Paterno was described as frail then and wearing a wig. The second half of the two-day interview was conducted by his bedside.

Roughly 200 students and townspeople gathered Saturday night at a statue of Paterno just outside a gate at Beaver Stadium. Some brought candles, while others held up their smart phones to take photos of the scene. The mood was somber, with no chanting or shouting.

"Drove by students at the Joe statue," Jay Paterno tweeted. "Just told my Dad about all the love & support--inspiring him."

The final days of Paterno's Penn State career were easily the toughest in his 61 years with the university and 46 seasons as head football coach.

Sandusky, a longtime defensive coordinator who was on Paterno's staff during two national title seasons, was arrested Nov. 5 and ultimately charged with sexually abusing a total of 10 boys over 15 years. His arrest sparked outrage not just locally but across the nation and there were widespread calls for Paterno to quit.

Paterno announced late on Nov. 9 that he would retire at the end of the season but just hours later he received a call from board vice chairman John Surma, telling him he had been terminated as coach. By that point, a crowd of students and media were outside the Paterno home. When news spread that Paterno had been dumped, there was rioting in State College.

Police on Saturday evening had barricaded off the block where Paterno lives, and a police car was stationed about 50 yards from his home. Several people had gathered in the living room of the house. No one was outside, other than reporters and photographers stationed there.

Trustees said this week they pushed Paterno out in part because he failed a moral responsibility to report an allegation made in 2002 against Sandusky to authorities outside the university. They also felt he had challenged their authority and that, as a practical matter, with all the media in town and attention to the Sandusky case, he could no longer run the team.

Paterno testified before the grand jury investigating Sandusky that he had relayed to his bosses an accusation that came from graduate assistant Mike McQueary, who said he saw Sandusky abusing a boy in the showers of the Penn State football building.

Paterno told the Post that he didn't know how to handle the charge, but a day after McQueary visited him, he spoke to the athletic director and the administrator with oversight over the campus police.

Wick Sollers, Paterno's lawyer, called the board's comments this week self-serving and unsupported by the facts. Paterno fully reported what he knew to the people responsible for campus investigations, Sollers said.

"He did what he thought was right with the information he had at the time," Sollers said.

Sandusky says he is innocent and is out on bail, awaiting trial.

The back and forth between Paterno's representative and the board reflects a trend in recent weeks, during which Penn State alumni ? and especially former players, including Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris ? have questioned the trustees' actions and accused them of failing to give Paterno a chance to defend himself.

Three town halls, in Pittsburgh, suburban Philadelphia and New York City, seemed to do little to calm the situation and dozens of candidates have now expressed interest in running for the board, a volunteer position that typically attracts much less interest.

While everyone involved has said the focus should be on Sandusky's accusers and their ordeals, the abuse scandal put a sour ending on Paterno's sterling career. Paterno won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and those two national championships, the last in the 1986 season. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL.

With his thick glasses, rolled up khakis and white socks, Paterno was synonymous with Penn State and was seen in many ways as the archetypal football coach, maintaining throughout his career that it was important not just to win but win with integrity.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_penn_state_paterno

giants vs jets ny jets ny jets chargers seahawks jets air jordans

More cracks found in Airbus A380 wings

PARIS?? Airbus said on Thursday it had discovered more cracks in the wings of A380 superjumbo aircraft but insisted the world's largest jetliner remained safe to fly.

The announcement comes two weeks after tiny cracks were first reported in the wings of the 525-seat, double-decker aircraft, which entered service just over four years ago.

Airbus said it was in talks with the European safety agency, EASA.

"Additional cracks have been found and we are working closely on this issue with EASA," an Airbus spokesman said. "They do not affect safe operation of the aircraft.

Two aviation industry sources told Reuters the agency, which is responsible for aviation safety in the European Union, may issue an airworthiness directive requiring checks this week. (Reporting by Tim Hepher, Cyril Altmeyer, Harry Suhartono; Editing by James Regan)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46053450/ns/business-us_business/

kowloon walled city knicks lakers oklahoma city thunder florida state football florida state football ben breedlove

Video: Newt vs. Mitt: Is it a Two-Horse Race?

Debating whether Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney is a better candidate to run against President Obama, with Rep. Jack Kingston, (R-GA), and Sen. Rob Portman, (R-OH).

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46064334/

corporal kelsey de santis corporal kelsey de santis ufc on fox juan manuel marquez juan manuel marquez penn state stanford oregon

UK wants no "interference" in megabourse ruling (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Britain urged European Union competition officials on Wednesday to reject "political interference" and "vested interests" when ruling on plans to create the world's biggest exchange operator.

EU officials have signaled they will recommend blocking Deutsche Boerse's (DB1Gn.DE) $9 billion takeover of trans-Atlantic rival NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) because it would account for more than 90 percent of European listed derivatives trading and a large chunk of clearing.

The two exchanges are mounting last-minute efforts to rescue the merger and Britain has made no secret of its wish to promote open markets and competition in financial areas like clearing.

The European Commission' 27 commissioners are expected to rule on the merger on February 1 and UK Financial Services Minister Mark Hoban urged them to avoid being swayed by political arguments.

"In a post-crisis market where we have seen extensive consolidation across the board, we cannot afford to sit back and sacrifice competition and customer welfare," he told a financial audience at the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L), a top rival to the planned megabourse.

The EU competition directorate general has a fierce reputation for objective and rigorous analysis, and a record of promoting the bloc's single market objectives, he said.

"It is vital that DG Competition lives up to those duties in the weeks and months to come, without political interference," Hoban said.

"I fully understand nonetheless that the Commission faces a huge challenge to resist pressure to delay, obfuscate and pander to vested interests in the EU," Hoban added.

The bloc's national competition regulators backed the proposed EU veto on Tuesday, a source told Reuters.

Brussels faces some pressure to allow a merged "European champion" that could compete globally with giants like Chicago Mercantile Exchange parent CME Group Inc (CME.O).

EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia said on Tuesday evening that competition between exchanges and in clearing was needed to ensure efficient markets for users.

Deutsche Boerse Chief Executive Reto Francioni said on Wednesday the merger would bring EU and U.S. regulators together to improve global policy coordination and that more industry consolidation was inevitable.

In a January 17 notice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the combination, as expected, though all eyes are on European regulators.

MIFID WATCH

Britain, the EU's biggest financial centre, is taking a more confrontational stance to stop Brussels damaging its financial sector, which generates 12 percent of UK tax revenues.

Last month UK Prime Minister David Cameron vetoed plans for a new EU treaty for all 27 member states to help resolve the euro zone debt crisis because of concerns over how it would affect the single market and Britain's financial services.

Hoban said following the veto he was struck by the number of people and governments like Italy's reaching out to back Britain's agenda of growth and preserving the single market.

"There is a willingness to work and to listen to the concerns the UK has," Hoban said.

He echoed Cameron's rejection of a Europe-only tax on financial transactions.

Britain is keen to ensure competition in clearing of securities and has won commitments in a new EU derivatives law to ensure choice in clearing off-exchange traded contracts.

It is now pushing to keep similar provisions in a sweeping update of EU securities markets, known as the markets in financial instruments directive or MiFID II.

MiFID II aims to curb ultra fast high-frequency trading and rein in commodities trading using position limits, which the United States has already adopted to stop price-influencing positions being built up in areas like food.

"It is incorrect to think that blanket limits will enable governments to control prices as some would seem to suggest," Hoban said.

Reform of MiFID has to be driven by evidence and not political whim, he said, adding that imposing the share trading model used in the current MiFID rules on bonds and derivative may be inappropriate in more thinly traded markets.

Britain will build alliances with other countries to make changes to MiFID, helped by stressing what end users want in areas like commodities, Hoban said.

Hoban also expressed concern that MiFID will block access to EU financial markets for institutions from outside the bloc until they can show their home regulation is equally tough.

"We gain nothing by browbeating emerging economies and their most successful firms and sovereign wealth funds with additional and unnecessary burdens," Hoban said.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Additional reporting by Jonathan Spicer in New York; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter, Helen Massy-Beresford and Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/bs_nm/us_britain_hoban_regulation

eddie cibrian washington redskins doritos confederate flag confederate flag kim delaney kim delaney

Lucas. Canada's club: New coordinator won't stray from Badgers' identity

Jan. 17, 2012

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com

MADISON, Wis. -- While Matt Canada will bring his own personality to Wisconsin's offense, the vision will remain the same. What you see -- a pro style attack -- is what you'll get from the Badgers' new offensive coordinator.

"We're all different, and we all have our own unique ways of coaching,'' allowed Canada, who has coordinated offenses at Indiana and Northern Illinois in two different tours of duty.

"But there's a brand of Wisconsin football that we all understand and know and it's based upon what was built and what has been here, and we're going to continue on with that.''

To avoid any confusion over where he stands philosophically, Canada added, "We're going to run that offense and use the talent that we have and also the talent that we can recruit to.''

Citing the "unbelievable tradition of offensive linemen, running backs and tight ends'' that have made up the brand, Canada acknowledged that UW coach Bret Bielema made it clear what he wanted.

"No question, that was certainly the parameters that he set for me,'' Canada said. "I've looked at the program for a long time and I've understood what it stood for.''

From this standpoint, Canada believes that he's a good fit for the Badgers.

"I'm certainly aware of the talent we have and what Wisconsin was built on,'' he reiterated. "I understand that we're going to be a very physical team that runs the football and takes care of the ball.

"Coach (Bielema) and I are on the same page. We're going to continue to do the great things that they've done here and we're going to score points.''

One of Canada's strengths has been maximizing the skills of players, ranging from tailbacks Michael Turner and Thomas Hammock to quarterbacks Ben Chappell and Chandler Harnish.

After coaching him at Northern Illinois, Canada now will work alongside of Hammock, who just completed his first year on the UW staff as the running backs coach.

"Getting to work with him again is awesome,'' said Canada, who also has a working knowledge of Wisconsin's new wide receivers coach, Zach Azzanni, from the recruiting trail.

"We were both in the MAC for awhile (Azzanni at Bowling Green) and I've studied film on the way his kids played. His wideouts played so hard and were very tough and great blockers.''

Asked about his play calling, Canada said, "Each game is different. But we've certainly tried to be creative when we can be and when we have to be.? We take pride in the way we move the ball.''

True of any workplace, Canada has experienced a steady evolution in his craft, which has extended from school to school, team to team, and head coach to head coach.

"Ultimately,'' he said, drawing on the common thread,? "we've taken great pride in scoring points in whatever way or fashion that we can with the talent that we've had.

"Every job has been different. Every year has been different. Our job as play-callers and coaches is to try and put the players in the best positions to make plays.''

Finding advantageous matchups and exploiting them is a critical element to Canada's fundamental thinking on offense. "We will find a way to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses,'' he repeated.

That's not unlike Paul Chryst's approach in assessing and utilizing personnel. Canada is cognizant of Chryst's legacy, too.

"He set the bar as one of the great offensive minds in our game,'' Canada said.

Former Indiana coach Bill Mallory was the earliest influence on Canada. Mallory epitomized old-school values -- the school of hard knocks, a physical brand of football.

"Coach Mallory is the reason why I am a coach,'' Canada said.

Not only did Mallory open the door to the profession for Canada but he encouraged him to heed his passion for the sport and follow his heart. He told Canada, "If this is what you love, go do it.''

Canada joins staff as Badgers' offensive coordinator Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema took another step towards completing his coaching staff by naming Matt Canada as the Badgers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Tuesday.? |? Full Release

Canada got a similar message from his former NIU mentor, Joe Novak, another old-school practitioner (now at Minnesota) who has always taken pride in developing tough, hard-nosed players.

"I learned how to be a coach from Coach Novak,'' Canada said.

There have been many such influential people in his life, including former Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo. "One of the smartest people I've ever been around,'' he said. "I learned so much from him."

At Indiana, Canada also came under the wing of the late Terry Hoeppner, who died from brain cancer in 2007 -- "He was taken away from us too soon,'' he said -- and Bill Lynch, who replaced Hoeppner in Bloomington.

In sum, Canada said, "I've taken a little bit from everybody I've worked for.''

That includes current NIU coach Dave Doeren, the former Badgers defensive coordinator. How did Doeren react to Canada telling him that he was leaving for a job at Wisconsin?

"Dave understands, he was there, he knows what a great place it is,'' Canada said. "Dave and I are good friends and he was awesome about it. He understands our business.''

Not that it makes it any easier to leave; because it doesn't, Canada agreed.

"It's never easy to wrap things up (at one school),'' he said of moving on to another program.

Especially, he noted, since "we had a special year'' at Northern Illinois.

But Mallory's words, to paraphrase, still apply: if this is what you want, go after it.

"This is a place,'' Canada said of Wisconsin, "where I've always wanted to be and coach."

Source: http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/wis/sports/lucas/spec-rel/011712aaa.html

uekman uekman music awards music awards giants eagles bcs rankings week 13 bcs rankings week 13