Pirates say drownings delay ship's release

The pirates aboard the Saudi-owned oil supertanker have delayed the release of the ship after receiving the ransom because some of their colleagues have drowned over board. The international community was expecting the pirates to release the ship after the three million dollar ransom money was parachuted onto the ship. Four pirates drowned in an attempt to leave the ship during rough seas. Surveyor report that the waves in that area could reach up to seven feet. Only one of the pirates trying to leave the ship survived. This incident affects the ability of the pirates to be able to leave the ship and hand it over to the authorities. The oil tanker was carrying about two million barrels of crude oil when it was seized of the coast of Somalia in November 2008. Some of the ransom money was lost when the pirate's boat capsized but the rest of the money is still aboard the ship with the rest of the pirates. International concern has grown over the increased number of hijackings off the coast of East Africa. The deputy Copmbined Maritime Forces commander stated that, "While the potential release of the Sirius Star is unboutly excellent news, we must not forget that nearly three hundred other merchant mariners on other ships are still being held captive." In 2006-2008 alone there have been approximately 785 report pirate attacks in off the coast of East Africa according to CNN. 

This comes as a sigh of relief to the international community. The pirates are willing to go through with their sidde of the agreement and the crew and ship will soon be set free. I was actually surprised that the pirates only asked for a three million dollar ransom as the ship and its oil cargo combined is probably worth over 100 million dollars. Three million is still a lot of money but when you compare it to what the ship's worth to the Saudi owners they could have lost over 100 million dollars worth of oil and ship. I was also surprise when I heard that the pirates have counterfeit detecting machines aboard the ship. This shows that they had planned this carfully and did not just set put into the open sea looking for a ship to hijack. They must have known that the Sirius Star was going to pass through the Gulf of Aden. Hopefully they do not find any counterfeit bills because US surveying reports show that they allready lost some of the ransom to the sea and I doubt they will not threaten a crew members life. It is really astonishing how many pirate attacks have occured off the coast of East Africa in the past two years. It is hard to beleive that the world super powers with their naval capabilities cannot take on a few pirates who have no where near the military capabilities. 

Violence flares at Greek teen's funeral

Protests and fighting in Greece has initiated after angry protesters went berserk over a teen-age boy's funeral after the boy was shot by the police. Thousands of people paid their respects to the boy, but a small number of them became violent at the end of the ceremony which sparked the rioting. Over 10,000 people marched into the country's  parliament street in Athens on Tuesday to protest. They were expressing their anger over the teenagers death and other major issues such as jobs, the economy, and allegations that the government is corrupt. The various protest groups clashed with the riot police all over the city of Athens. The riots started over the weekend after Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot by the police as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the police car. The event happened in an area of Athens were there has been regular tensions with the police. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis vowed on Tuesday that those responsible would be punished for their crimes. As the cities clean up crews worked around the city the effects of the devastation could be seen everywhere as rows of shops had all their windows broken and vandalised. The Prime Minister quotes that "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an alibi for actions of raw violence."  Various schools and universities around the country have been closed because of their students violent uprising. The government officials have condemned the shooting and the officer who shot the boy has been charged with "manslaughter with intent". 

This is a terrible day for Greece. So far Greece has seemed to be a peaceful country with calm and non-violent people. I understand that people would go rioting about issues on the economy, jobs, and possible government corruption but to use the death of a boy does not make sense. The police officer that killed him shot him because the boy was about to throw a fuel filled bomb at him. From what it seems, the officer was just defending himself because he would have died if the bomb hit him. In addition, the fact that people are using this incident as an excuse for violence is ridiculous. What the Greek Prime Minister said may be one of the few memerable moment of his term. The ruling party may have corruption allegations against them but at least they recognize the need for security in the capital. 

Obama to fill out national security team

 President Elect Barack Obama has just announced that he will name Senator Hillary Clinton as secretary on Monday. Hillary Clinton claimed to be excited about the job and cannot wait to take on the position. The Obama team has also confirmed that they would help Hillary. Obama sources have also said that Obama will nominate Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador; Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary; and Eric Holder as attorney general. Some say that these choices show Obama's bipartisanship and his confidence as a leader. Some observer believe that Hillary's husband may create problems for the up coming commander-in-chief and may become a serious obstacle in the way of his governing. The former president has also reportedly received funds for his global foundation from international business figures connected to human rights abuses, including the governments of Kazakhstan and China. To ensure that there is no influence on Hillary from these donors Bill Clinton is required to publicly disclose all future donors.

I think it was a good choice to chose Hillary as Secretary of State. She is qualified for the job and it seems from her present reactions that she would take this job seriously. It is still hard to believe that there really are no hard feelings for losing the democratic nominee for president.  It seems that Bill Clinton is a threat to the Obama administration and might influence Hillary negatively. Bill Clinton's global foundation is something for people to worry about because of the donors who are connected to human rights abuses. Obama cannot afford to have people like them influence the members of his cabinet and inner circle. On the other hand Hillary may be the most quilified for the job for this elections.

Canadian troops complete large operation in southern Afghanistan

Canadian soldiers have just completed one of their largest operations in southern  Afganistan. During the operation they killed twenty-one insurgents fighters and have captured a few others.

"Operation Janubi Tapu 2" was aimed to reduce the number of insurgent fighters and reduce the ability of the insurgents to attack Kandahar city.  The head of the military operation was Lieut.-Col. Roger Barret. Over 500 soldiers, most of which were Canadian joined the Afgan national security forces in the three day attack. The soldiers captured twenty insurgents and located and destroyed numerous weapons caches. There were no Canadian casualties. The attacks from insurgents have increased by forty percent this year and over 5,400 people have died as a result. 

It is releiving to hear that the Canadian troops suffered no casualties in one of their biggest operations in Afganistan. This appears to be a victory for the troops as they elminated another insurgent threat. The operation overall was considered a succes by the commander and its good to know because victories in Afganistan are not too common. The troops should be proud, especially Lieut.-Col. Roger Barret because his men suffered no casualties under his command. By far this victory is a good sign for the coalition forces as the insurgency in Afganistan has greatly increased since the troop surge. The Taliban is gathering resources and increasing its influence in Afganistan which is causing problems for the troops. Their work there is far from over but at least there is progress being made in Afganistan unlike the other Western-Middle East conflict the war in Iraq.

Nigerian city tense after riots

Hundreds are feared dead in the Nigerian city of Jos following two days of religious and ethnic clashes. The violence was sparked by rumours that an election has been rigged. The Nigerian government has dispatched soldiers because of the escalating violence. The Nigerian police and military have been ordered to shoot troublemakers on sight. ''The situation this morning is gradually returning to normal," army spokesman Brig Emeka Onwamaegbu told AFP news agency on Sunday." The violence started on Friday when a Christian governing party was declared to have won state elections in Plateau state. The election was accused of being rigged by the All Nigeria People's Party which is mostly Muslim. Groups supporting both parties took to the streets with machetes during causing the riots. Both mosques and churches were burned. In recent years ethnic and religious violence has claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria as political parties fight for control over precious resources. 

This is a big problem for Nigeria because these political parties are promoting ethnic violence so they can get what they want. It is a good thing that the military and the police have been given orders to use lethal force to keep the peace. Without them the riots would not end and more people would be killed. Religious violence does not make any sense because supposedly both religions preach peace. This is the result of greed with people of influence that cause these riots and make neighbors turn against each other. It is a same that innocent people have to die everyday because of these reasons. The government should keep that level of security because that may be the only way to keep the peace because the local people cannot be trusted with peace. One of the opposing groups would allways do something to start another conflict between the ethnicities. People need to be taught to draw a line between religious beleifs and people's freedom. You cannot force someone into your religion if they disagree with your views deal with it, do not kill them. The people in Jos need to understand that violence is not the answer because it has been tried many times to solve conflicts by eleminating the opposition and this option has failed in the past.

Shuttle Endeavour's mission STS-126: The ISS renovation project

                                                                                            The International Space Station is set for an extreme makeover as the latest shuttle mission hauls supplies and components into space. Extreme improvements to the ISS was the focus of Endeavour's mission that lifted off on November 14, 2008 from the Kennedy Space Center. The seven astronauts that are taking off with the Endeavour are to expand the living quarters so that it can house six astronauts. The mission will take 15 fifteen days before the ISS is transformed into a home with three bedrooms, one bathroom, and two kitchenettes. The entire crew are American citizens and one member would replace the current space station's flight engineer Greg Chamitoff. The astronauts are hauling over 14,000 kilograms of supplies and equipment including an exercise machine. One of the main components to be added is a water recycling machine which would recycle the astronaut's urine into drinking water. The crew will also conduct space walks repairing worn out parts and installing cameras on the outside of the space station. The Endeavour will be docking with the Space Station on its 10 anniversary on Nov. 20.

The space station is one of mankind's greatest modern treasures. It is amazing what we can achieve when we work together. I was surprised when I read that the Space Station can only house three astronauts that stay there for a whole six months. Expanding it to house six astronauts does not seem like it is a big difference but that is doubling the crew. It has got me wondering what the astronauts are really doing up there for so long. What are their objectives? I think that space flight and research does not get the amount of funding it needs to achieve impressive results in a short period of time. It seems like progress is slow when it comes to space flight because it has been 10 years since the space station was first launched and now it can house only six astronauts. We need to invest in space exploration because not only because space is the "final frontier" but it could offer access to certain resources that we cannot get on Earth. This is a great achievement because there is now a home for people in space. What should happen next is to start developing a ship that can conviently take people into space that is more economical and safer than the space shuttle. 

India: Pirate 'mother ship' left in flames

An Indian warship that exchanged fire with a pirate vessel off the Horn of Africa sunk the ship in the Gulf of Aden. The skirmish took place on Tuesday when the frigate spotted the pirate ship towing two small speed boats. The pirate ship was left badly damaged and in flames but the captain of the frigate could not confirm it had sunk. The battle followed a recent pirate strike seizing the Saudi-owned supertanker. The oil tanker was carrying an oil cargo worth up to $100 million, which the pirates anchored of the coast of Somalia. So far no confirmation of a ransom can be made. The owner of the ship "Sirius Star" were negotiating with the pirates. The frigate that opened fire on the pirate vessel the Tabar, demanded that the ship stop so it could be inspected. The pirates replied by threatening to destroy the frigate and opened fire on the Tabar. The International Maritime Bureau in London quotes the "it has never seen a situation like this before". Of the 39 succesful pirate captures 17 of them are still in pirate hands. The risks are low for pirates in these areas and the return that they can get outweigh the risks. The pirates are taking advantage of this low-risk opportunity to loot and hold for ransom the valuable ships that pass through the Gulf of Aden.

This is sort of a surprise to me that pirates nowadays still exist and are seizing giant ships such as oil tankers. I never knew that Somali pirate's have acces to enough resources to take on the navi of many different countries patroling the Gulf of Aden let alone hijack cargo ships. I doubt that there are not enough military ships around to stem the piracy. Nowadays most people when they think of pirates they think of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in the Pirates triology. It seemed that for a while that piracy was extinct until this year when Somali pirates have succesfully captured over 39 ships. I think that the only reason these pirates have succesfully captured so many ships is that the countries and shipping companies of the world have become careless by forgetting there is a risk other than weather on the high seas. I am sure that the crew of members of these cargo ships would at least be trained to deal and avoid pirate attacks. After all these ships carry million of dollars worth of cargo it would be absent minded not to protect them with an armed crew or more naval ships patroling. The only problem with an armed crew is that if the pirates succed the crew may be killed so it is up to the naval ships to intercept the pirates before they attack an unsuspecting trade ship.

Impossible task for UN in DR Congo

The UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest, most expensive and powerful in the world. Yet it still has been unable to prevent civilians from being killing in the conflict. The force was sent under the UN's most powerful piece of legislation - Chapter Seven. This gave the peace keepers the right to use and means necessary to impose their will. This tactic should have proved effective as it gives them the right to use lethal force in any situation. An additional 3,000 troops have been sent to Congo after an urgent appeal for troops made by the civilian head of the missions on the ground, Alan Doss. Since then thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and many have been slaughtered. Both sides of the conflict, the rebels and the government troops have been accused by the United Nations of committing war crimes. The UN force in Congo is made of soldiers from 18 different countries, India being the largest contributor. Yet with about 16,500 troops in the Congo the UN force is still outnumbered by 1000 to 1 by the civilian population needing protection. The former commander officer of the UN forces in the Congo resigned after stating that he believe that the mission in the Congo was "doom to fail". However, despite the great challenges facing the troops in the Congo they have managed to secure the capital Goma which is definitely a main target of the rebel forces. 

It is relieving to know that there are efforts being made by the UN that they have not done before. I think it was a good idea to allow the soldiers the right to use lethal force if necessary to impose their will. I also think that one of the great successes of this mission was securing the capital Goma. The UN is really making an effort this time by stationing the largest force it has there. Yet there are still atrocities being committed on both sides of the war. Both the government and the rebels are committing war crimes and this should be taken very seriously by the international community. Since the government is committing these crimes the UN should forcefully change the leadership in the government because obviously they are no better than the rebels themselves. People are being murdered and raped by both the rebel and government troops. I can understand why the commanding officer of the UN resigned because the force that the UN is against is a massive array of rebel forces who are driven by ethnic hatred and the desire to control the countries mineral wealth. What I cannot understand is the intensity of the ethnic hatred shown by these people. I do not know what can make a human hate another so much that he would be happy to slaughter his family as well as anyone associated with him.