Indonesian ferry sinks; hundreds feared dead

Indonesian ferry sinks;hundreds feared dead
SEMARANG, Indonesia -- Navy ships searched into the night Saturday for survivors from a crowded Indonesian ferry that sunk off Java island during a violent storm, leaving the vast majority of the nearly 640 passengers still missing. Nearly 24 hours after the disaster, just 59 survivors had been found, most drifting in lifeboats or clinging to driftwood, officials said. No bodies had been recovered. Witnesses reported seeing lifeboats carrying more survivors, the transport minister said, and one person on board the ferry said most people had time to put on life jackets. Other survivors reported panicked passengers fighting over life jackets as the Senopati capsized close to midnight Friday after being pounded by heavy waves for more than 10 hours.
Bombing at airport
MADRID, Spain -- A powerful car bomb exploded at Madrid's international airport Saturday and Spain's government, blaming the Basque group ETA, suspended plans for peace talks with the separatists. The blast left two people missing and 26 injured, most with damage to their ears from the shock wave. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the government would halt talks with ETA over the bombing.
Bodies found in drains
NOIDA, India -- One would go missing every few weeks -- a boy on his way to buy juice, a teenage girl coming home from a day of housecleaning, a young woman working as a maid. Police said Saturday a businessman and his servant had confessed raping and killing at least 15 children and women in New Delhi's suburb of Noida over the past two years, dumping their dismembered bodies in drains from which investigators have dug out the remains in the past two days. Most of the missing -- residents say a total of 38 people have disappeared -- are the children of migrant workers.
Castro issues statement
HAVANA -- A statement attributed to Fidel Castro on the eve of the revolution's 48th anniversary assured Cubans Saturday that the ailing leader could still recover from his prolonged illness. The message was read by a newscaster on state television and radio. Castro traditionally sends a message to Cuban citizens every New Year's Eve to mark the anniversary of the Jan. 1, 1959, revolution that brought him to power. "I am grateful to you for your affection and support," read the message. "Regarding my recovery, I have always warned that it could be a prolonged process, but it is far from being a lost battle."
U.S. military expectsmore Taliban attacks
CAMP SHARONA, Afghanistan -- The outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan predicted more fighting this spring and summer and said Taliban militants would try to overrun towns to "unhinge the Afghan people's morale." Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry also said the recent killing of a high-level Taliban commander shows that fugitives like Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar will one day slip up, and that the U.S. will strike. Eikenberry, who is expected to rotate out of Afghanistan in late January, said he expected militants this spring to attack border security posts and to extend their use of suicide bombs.
Winter storm goes east
DENVER -- A winter storm stretching nearly from Canada to Mexico rolled out of the Rockies on Saturday, sparing Denver another round of heavy snow but trapping drivers farther east in 10-foot drifts. Denver had expected a foot or more of additional snow through Sunday, but the storm trudged northeast from New Mexico into the Texas panhandle. Parts of eastern Colorado still expected up to 2 feet, along with high winds.
Associated Press
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