SOMALI PIRATES RELEASE TANKER
mogadishu, somalia» Somali pirates who seized a Comoros-flagged oil tanker this week after five years without a major hijacking in the region have released the ship and its crew without conditions, officials said Thursday. The pirates left the ship, which was heading to the port of Bossaso, the region’s commercial hub, with its eight Sri Lankan crew members aboard.
10 injured by volcanic explosion on Italy’s Mount Etna B
milan» Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano unleashed an explosion Thursday, hurling molten rocks and steam that rained down on tourists, journalists and a scientist who scrambled to escape the barrage. Ten people were reported injured. The tourists, who were drawn to Etna to observe the spectacle of the active volcano erupting, were caught by surprise when its flowing magma hit thick snow, causing an explosion that rained rock and other material down upon them.
Syrian activists say airstrike on mosque kills at least 35. An airstrike on a
mosque in a rebel-held area of northern Syria on Thursday killed at least 35 people, first responders and activists said. The Syrian Civil Defense, volunteer paramedics, said first responders were racing to the scene, near Idlib. It said at least 35 people were killed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 people were killed, mainly civilians.
State lawmaker arrested on child prostitution charges B
oklahoma city» A state senator was booked Thursday on child prostitution charges for allegedly hiring a 17-yearold boy for sex, leading to calls for his resignation and an internal investigation into his years of work with a youth program.
Ralph Shortey, a 35-yearold conservative Republican who has a wife and three young daughters, surrendered to authorities on charges of engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church. He was released after about two hours on a $100,000 bail.
U.S. taxpayers might be on the hook for pipeline protest costs B
bismarck, n.d.» State officials appear poised to go after the U.S. government — and thus U.S. taxpayers — to recoup more than $38 million of state expenses related to months of protests against the Dakota Access pipeline, although a longstanding offer from the developer to pay up is still on the table. One taxpayer watchdog questions why the state isn’t jumping at the offer from Dallasbased Energy Transfer Partners, a company worth billions of dollars.
EMT struck, killed by stolen ambulance B
new york» Police say an emergency medical technician has died after she was run over by a stolen ambulance. Authorities say the EMT had stopped her ambulance in the Bronx about 7 p.m. Thursday after being told someone was being robbed. Police say a man then jumped into the vehicle and drove off. The EMT tried to stop the man, but fell and was caught beneath the wheels.
Video by a bystander shows the ambulance speeding across an intersection with the EMT’s body pinned beneath it.