NIGHTMARE AT SEA.. Well, admit it: when we first saw the bulletins yesterday, we figured, can't be that bad; must just be the name that's getting interest. But while no passengers have been hurt, it seems fair to say the Costa company and more than 1,000 people aboard the Costa Allegra have a fresh nightmare on their hands. Overnight, a French fishing vessel reached the Allegra, which is drifting without power in a part of the Indian Ocean where pirates like to visit. Without lights or air conditioning, passengers spent the night on deck. The 600-foot Costa Allegra, owned by the same company as the ill-fated Costa Concordia, lost power Monday after a fire in its main generator room. Two tugs from the Seychelles Coast Guard are expected to reach the ship Tuesday afternoon to add professional towing help. On board: 630 passengers and 413 crew members of various nationalities, including 8 Americans. A helicopter is on its way to the cruise ship from the Seychelles, bringing fresh food, satellite phones and VHF radios, Costa Cruises said. And in a sunny assessment of things, Costa said: "The weather is good. Guests were invited to prepare their luggage in order to be ready for the time of disembarkation."
-THE PIRACY THREAT.. A detachment of Italian marines were on board to provide security because of the piracy threat. Earlier today, a patrol from the Seychelles air force circled the Allegra to confirm that she was safe from Somali pirates. "She is fine and all the passengers are OK," a spokesman for the Seychelles Coast Guard said on Tuesday morning.
-PARADISE ISLANDS WILL HAVE A TOUGH JOB ON THEIR HANDS.. The Costa Allegra is expected to arrive in Mahe, the Seychelles, Thursday morning local time. Helping these people will stretch resources for the Seychelles, a nation of only 80,000 people. Fewer than 20 flights a week land at its international airport, and most are fully booked because of a carnival planned for this weekend. "It's going to be mighty tight for the government to find rooms at the drop of a hat for more than 1,000 people," said one hotel owner on Mahe, the main island, who did not want to be named. "They'd better get a fleet of charter planes waiting here to take them straight home, or else we'll be looking at breaking out the tents to give them some shelter."
-A FAMILY'S REALLY, REALLY BAD LUCK.. The BBC and Daily Mail report on a "father's anguish as daughter is trapped on stricken Costa cruise liner just weeks after son escaped from sister ship Concordia." It's a British family: Rebecca Thomas, 23, is aboard the Allegra; James, 19, helped form a "human ladder" so passengers could escape the Concordia six weeks ago.
AFGHANISTAN - KORAN-BURNING REPORT.. From Nick SCHIFRIN in Kabul: a looming ISAF investigation into the Koran burning will be seen as a big deal here: everyone is waiting for proof that the Americans are going to hold someone accountable. The ISAF investigation into the Interior Ministry shooting will likely be released this weekend. I don't anticipate that being very newsworthy; it will likely just confirm that the shooter was the Afghan we've already named. President Karzai is holding off on releasing any kind of detailed investigation of his own until ISAF releases its report.
-KARZAI LETTERS.. Also from SCHIFRIN: Karzai is writing letters to the families of the 4 Americans killed during the Quran burning, his spokesman says. The letters will likely go out tonight local time or tomorrow. We'll pass them along when we get them.
PAKISTAN, BIN LADEN & WIKILEAKS The BBC is reporting that an e-mail from a senior Stratfor employee to colleagues is quoted as saying: "Mid to senior level ISI and Pak Mil with one retired Pak Mil General that had knowledge of the OBL arrangements and safe house." The message goes on to say that the names and specific ranks of these generals were unknown to him, but adds that he believes US intelligence had that information. This from the latest Wikileaks dump.
SYRIA