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Many People Drown as Zanzibar Ferry Sinks

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© Str/ReutersRescuers carry the bodies of victims from a ferry tragedy near Zanzibar Island at Nungwi Beach.
At least 192 people killed - and 600 rescued - as ship capsizes near Tanzanian island

Nearly 200 people drowned when an overloaded ferry capsized off east Africa as it sailed from Zanzibar to Pemba island, police said on Saturday, Tanzania's worst maritime disaster in at least 15 years.

Fishing boats and tour operators are scouring the sea for scores of people who are still missing after the disaster, which happened overnight.

A police spokesman said 192 bodies had been recovered and 606 passengers rescued from the Indian ocean so far.

"There is a possibility that more bodies still remain at sea. Rescue workers are still searching for survivors and retrieving bodies," he said.

At the northern tip of the island, dozens of soldiers carried bodies onto white sand beaches, where thousands of people awaited news of survivors.

Light Saber

US: Protesters Interrupt First Session Of Super Congress

September 08, 2011 C-SPAN


Better Earth

PEW study urges Canada to suspend Arctic oil exploration

polar bear
© AFP/File, Paul J. RichardsThe PEW environmental group called on Canada to regulate the oil and gas industry to protect the Arctic

Montreal - An environmental group urged Canada Friday to suspend oil exploration in the Arctic, warning that otherwise it risks an environmental disaster worse than the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The PEW environmental group said in a report that it does not necessarily oppose developing the oil and gas reserves at the top of the world, but called on Canada to become "Arctic ready" and urged reforms of the way it regulates the industry.

Canada has already granted exploration permits to British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhilips and Imperial in the Beaufort sea, on the border of the northern Yukon and Alaska.

Info

US, Connecticut: Man Resembling Cop Sexually Assaults Woman



Naugatuck and Connecticut state police are looking for a man appearing to be a police officer who sexually assaulted a woman.

The attack happened Wednesday around Noon near Gorman St. and Lewis St. According to state police, a brown or tan colored Ford Crown Victoria with blue/red flashing lights on the dashboard pulled over the woman's Jeep.

The woman told police when she got out of the car the man sexually assaulted her.

"The suspect was described as wearing dark navy blue pants, navy blue polo shirt with breast pocket on left side, above the pocket words were embroidered in an arch 'Naugatuck' and straight across below it was 'police'," state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said in a statement. The attacker was also wearing a utility belt with a flash light, a pouch that appeared to be handcuffs, white sneakers and black frame sunglasses with multi colored lenses.

Cheeseburger

US: Two Die in Bizarre Fast Food Incidents

Mc Donald's, Burger King
© eneko 23
One woman sickened by fumes, another hit by her own SUV

Two Florida women died yesterday in weird but unrelated deaths at fast food establishments. The more serious incident occurred Wednesday when fumes filled a south Georgia McDonald's. Firefighters found two people passed out in the bathroom, and several others struggling to breathe, the AP reports. Eventually 10 were taken to the hospital - including an 80-year-old woman from Florida who died early yesterday. Authorities expect cleaning chemicals were to blame, but the case is under investigation.

The other incident occurred at Burger King headquarters in Miami, where a woman managed to run herself over with her own SUV last night. The woman was pulling out of her parking spot when she hit a neighboring vehicle, according to the Miami Herald. She got out to inspect the damage, but left the vehicle in reverse. She fell and the SUV hit her and kept on rolling, eventually hitting two other parked cars. She died in the parking garage.

Handcuffs

US, North Carolina: Two Soldiers Detained Over Missing Fort Bragg Ammunition

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© US Military/AP/Gerry BroomeThis photo shows an entrance sign to Fort Bragg, N.C., Tuesday, April 24, 2007.
Two male soldiers have been taken into custody at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in connection with the disappearance of roughly 14,000 rounds of ammunition reported missing at the Army base on Wednesday morning, officials said on Saturday.

Military police would not release the names or ranks of the soldiers in custody.

The missing 5.56 millimeter ammunition is valued at about $3,600 and "can be purchased at any Wal-Mart," according to an official familiar with the investigation who spoke to Reuters only on condition of anonymity.

Ammunition handlers from the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team reported the missing rounds, said division spokesman Staff Sergeant Joshua Ford.

Hardhat

US: Terrorists Plotting Attack on 9/11 Anniversary in New York Could be Disguised as Construction Workers

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© John Roca/NewsNYC police step up safety measures by searching cars, trucks and especially vans as they enter Times Square.
NYPD officials fear would-be terrorists plotting a car bomb attack on the anniversary of 9/11 could be masquerading as construction workers to get close to today's memorial service.

Cops are searching for three stolen vehicles - two belonging to Tully Construction in Queens, a company doing roadwork on West St. near 1 World Trade Center, a police spokesman said.

On Sept. 1, a dark green Chevy van with a 2-inch horizontal stripe and a yellow turret light was boosted from a construction site at the westbound onramp of the Long Island Expressway. Police said the driver left the vehicle temporarily to talk to coworkers when it was stolen.

The next night at 9:30, three men broke into a construction locker at a Tully storage facility on Ditmars Blvd. and loaded roughly $70,000 in tools and construction equipment into the stolen van and another vehicle, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said.

He cautioned that there were no concrete ties to the reported anniversary attack plot.

Sherlock

California, US: Federal Agency To Investigate Massive Power Outage

airport,power outage
© Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesPassenger Michael Moretti waits at the baggage pick-up at San Diego International Airport after a massive blackout hit Southern California Sept.8, 2011.
San Diego -- Officials have a complete breakdown of streets in areas of the county affected by boil-water advisories. Click here for a complete list of areas and street listings.

Power was fully restored in San Diego County Friday following a historically severe blackout that left some 5 million people without electricity from Mexico to southern Orange County and prompted a federal probe into its cause.

Despite the restoration, public elementary, middle and high schools remained shuttered in the region Friday, along with federal courts, authorities said. That decision was made Thursday, when San Diego Gas & Electric reported that the outage could continue through Friday and even into Saturday.

County courts and other government agencies, however, were open for business as usual.

Pills

US: Daycare Worker Accused Of Drugging Children

Kimberly Lane
© Snip/NBCKimberly Lane
The owner of a Van Alstyne, Texas day care has been accused of putting antihistimines in children's food so they would fall asleep after lunch.

Kimberly Lane, the owner of the Luv N Learning day care, was arrested and charged with 16 counts of child endangerment after someone called authorities and said she was mixing an over-the-counter antihistimine with milk and then giving it to children.

Investigators are now trying to figure out how long Lane had been dolling out her concoction, known as "special milk."

Lane and the day care are now being investigated by Child Protective Services and the Van Alstyine Police Department.

Dollar

U.S. Mint Worker Stole $2.4M in "Error" Coins

us,mint
© Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe United States Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A former federal cop assigned to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia admitted stealing $2.4 million in "error" coins.

William Gray, 64, of North Wildwood, N.J., admitted in federal court that he took the $1 presidential coins, all missing edge lettering, and sold them to a California coin dealer. Gray pleaded guilty to theft of government property and income tax evasion, said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Gray had worked at the U.S. Mint since 1996. He said he took the coins knowing they would be considered more valuable to collectors because they were considered "mint errors." He mailed them from New Jersey.

He was freed on $50,000 bail and will be sentenced on Dec. 20.