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January 15, 2012 | | DISASTER More than 24 hours after a cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy, rescuers plucked three survivors from the wreck—including a South Korean couple on their honeymoon and a crew member. Out of the 4,000 who were on board, three have been confirmed dead; 17 are still unaccounted for. Meanwhile, the ship’s captain and first captain are in police custody, facing charges for manslaughter and abandoning ship. The Daily Beast’s Barbie Latza Nadeau reports from the scene on the latest rescue efforts—and talks to locals who describe the ship’s “awkward” path in the moments before it went under. Plus, stunning photos of the wreck. INEVITABLE Mitt Romney is trouncing the rest of the GOP field in South Carolina, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The frontrunner’s 37 percent support opens up a 21-point lead over Ron Paul and Rick Santorum, who are tied for second place, according to the survey. Newt Gingrich has fallen to fourth place with only 12 percent of voters’ support. The poll also found that South Carolina voters—both Republicans and Democrats—would favor Romney over Obama 46 to 40 percent. The state has voted Republican in nine of the last 10 presidential elections. MIDDLE EAST Fifty-three people were killed in a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in Iraq on Saturday. The victims were Shia Muslims on their way to a mosque west of Basra. A police official said, “A terrorist wearing a police uniform and carrying fake police ID managed to reach a police checkpoint and blew himself up among police and pilgrims.” The bombing occurred at the end of Arbain, a major religious observance in the Shia calendar, and it has renewed fears of sectarian violence in the country. DESPERATE A day after Qatar’s emir, Amr Moussa, said troops should be sent into Syria to stop the regime’s deadly crackdown of protesters, other Middle East leaders are coming out in support of the proposal. Former Arab League secretary-general Moussa, and current candidate for the Egyptian presidency, said Sunday: “This is a very important proposal ... The Arab League should begin to study this possibility.” Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri also backed the suggestion. “I'm all for it,” Hariri tweeted during a Saturday overnight live Twitter Q&A session. IMPATIENT The rules of Saturday’s Mike Huckabee forum in South Carolina explicitly prohibited GOP candidates from attacking—or even mentioning—each other, but many went ahead and attacked Mitt Romney anyway. “I have always been pro-life,” Jon Huntsman said—alluding to the criticism that Romney supported abortion before he flip-flopped. Rick Santorum also said: “What [voters] want to know is that you believe what you believe.” Newt Gingrich didn't even bother with the rules, and went after Romney by name. “Gov. Romney ran saying he created 100,000 jobs,” Gingrich said, implying that Romney was lying, before he defended his controversial attack of the frontrunner’s time at Bain Capital. “To ask questions about a particular company is not the same as attacking capitalism.” | | 
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