International Law

Yo Ho Ho: Spain Pays Somali Pirates $1.2 Million to Release Ship and Crew
It is now becoming clear why the Spanish have been able to secure the release of their vessels and citizens faster than other countries: they allegedly cave and pay the demanded ransom...

Somalias Pirates Thrive Amidst Dismal Economic and Political Conditions
In late September, three speedboats, manned by Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks, ammunition, and other military supplies off the coast of Somalia. More than a month later, negotiations for the hostages and ship have not reached a conclusion...

Gad... victimization at sea
You've probably seen the images of Somali pirates, usually a handful of guys in small boats, with AK-47s or a few RPGs, taking over a commercial vessel. I wondered how (most of these guys would be toast to an M1A, let alone a ...

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (193)
This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of TimesOnline (from Thursday, November 13; link good at time of posting):Pirates caught redhanded by one of Her Majesty?s warships after trying to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia made the grave mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos armed with machineguns and SA80 rifles...

THE PIRATES OF WAR
Submitted by Karine Bellavance Despite the fact that Gears of War 2 is not coming to PC, it is reported that a forged copy of the game has already been uploaded by various pirate sites for use on modified Xbox 360 systems...

Accommodating Student Prayer Needs
Minnesota Public Radio reports on a rift between a Wilmar Junior high School and a community of Somali parents concerned about their children's access to appropriate prayer time during the school day...