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Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi Arabian oil-tanker have moved the vessel because they feared an attack from Islamic militants opposed to piracy.
Bloomberg reports “ the Islamic Courts Union warned the pirates to leave Harardhere� and the tanker was taken out to see to an unknown destination.
Moving the tanker, which holds 2 million barrels of oil, could prove dangerous in the shallow coastal waters, the Financial Times reports.
The pirates are demanding a $25 million ransom for the ship, up from the typical $2 million ransom.
According to Bloomberg, this is the at least the 92nd vehicle hijacked in the Gulf of Aden since January.
Al-Shabaab, an Islamic group told the pirates to release the tanker or face armed conflict, Bloomberg reports.
“Saudi is a Muslim country and it is very big crime to hold Muslim property,� a leader of Al- Shabaab said.

Posted by Conor Shine at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraq’s cabinet voted Sunday to approve a security pact that would see a continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq until the end of 2011.
The New York Times reports that all but one of the 28 cabinet ministers at the meeting voted to approve the agreement, which will now be sent to Parliament for consideration and could be voted on as early as Nov. 24
The Associated Press describes the pact as a compromise between Iraq’s desire for full sovereignty with its need for American support to reach that goal.
"It's the best possible, available option," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said to the Associated Press.
The fate of the pact had been in doubt in the months leading up to the vote, the New York Times reports, as the Iraqis continued to press for changes on a variety of issues.
There is still some hesitation among different blocs in the parliament about approving the deal, with the Sunnis waiting for a national referendum and the Kurds tentatively supporting the agreement.
Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called Sunday for the parliament to veto the agreement and threatened to resume attacks on U.S. forces unless they immediately withdraw from Iraq.

Posted by Conor Shine at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a joint statement issued Sunday, Britain and France called for increased aid to war-torn Congo.
The statement came after David Miliband, Foreign Secretary of Britain, and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner made a visit to the region Friday in response to a sudden escalation in the civil war in eastern Congo, the BBC reports.
In the statement the two called for a strengthening of the cease-fire agreement the two feuding sides agreed to Wednesday. They also called for increased humanitarian assistance, the International Herald Tribune reports.
“The humanitarian needs for food, shelter, water and health care must be met through universal provision and secure routes for delivery,� the two said in the statement.
The BBC reports that the United Nations is continuing with its efforts in the region with it plan to send food and medical supplies to help 250,000 people that have been displaced by the fighting.
The United Nations is also considering re-organizing some of the 16,000 peacekeepers scattered throughout the country in order to reinforce the violent hotspots.

Posted by Conor Shine at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday that he will be making his first papal visit to Africa at the beginning of next year.
Benedict was giving his homily to close out the three-week gathering that had brought bishops from across the globe to the Vatican to discuss the bible when he surprisingly announced that he would be traveling to Cameroon in March and then possibly onto Angola, the Associated Press reports.
Benedict will travel to Cameroon in preparation for a bishops meeting to be held later in 2009 that will focus on Africa, Reuters reports.
Benedict said he then hopes to visit Angola, which will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of its evangelization.
The Associated Press reports that the Catholic Church has been experiencing growth in Africa and parts of Asia, a heartening trend in the face flagging faith in the modernized West.
This will be the 11th trip outside of Italy for the pope since he was elected in 2005, Reuters reports. Benedict has visited many European countries, Australia, the United States and Brazil in the past three years.
Although this will be Benedict's first trip to Africa, the Associated Press says that his predecessor Pope John Paul II visited Africa numerous times throughout his papacy.

Posted by Conor Shine at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keeping its promise, North Korea has begun dismantling its nuclear reactor at Yongybon under an agreement reached last week, the U.S. State Department reports.
The move comes after the United States agreed to remove North Korea from its list of countries sponsoring terrorists. BBC News reports that “the blacklisting had led deadlock over the country's nuclear disarmament.�
Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the state department, was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “All the seals are back on, the surveillance equipment is back, reinstalled, and the equipment that had been removed is back where it had been.�
McCormack did note that North Korea still had work to do in the fuel reprocessing plant, stating they had not yet gotten back to the baseline where they were, BBC News reports.
The United States decided to remove North Korea from the blacklist after a plan was reached that would allow inspectors into plants to verify that North Korea was dismantling their armament like they promised.
BBC News reports that the move was hailed by South Korea but panned by Japan, which is seeking information regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

Posted by Conor Shine at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Saturday air strike by Pakistani aircraft killed 27 Taliban militants in a northwestern tribal region, a paramilitary spokesman told Reuters.
The attack comes after a Friday suicide attack believed to be organized by the Taliban killed more than 100 people at a tribal council meeting.
The BBC cites an official as saying that 12 of the militants killed in the Saturday raid were would-be suicide bombers and another two were important commanders.
According to residents, 15 civilians were also injured in the strike.
This attack is part of an increased military pressure that the U.S. and Pakistani military have put on the Afghan border. Taliban and al-Qaeda militants had been entrenched in the lawless area, relatively safe from U.S. attacks the BBC reports.
Reuters reports that on Monday that the Pakistani government is expected present its strategy to combat the militancy in a closed parliamentary session.

Posted by Conor Shine at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A top Bush administration envoy left North Korea Friday after days of talk with Korean leaders over a crumbling nuclear disarmament deal.
The envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, had been in Pyongyang since Wednesday and was seeking a deal that would have allowed monitors to check up on North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for better trading ties and international standing, Reuters reports.
According to the New York Times, Hill has yet to elaborate on the details of his trip, refusing to call it a success until he reports to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
Hill was quoted in the New York Times as describing the talks as “detailed and very substantive.�
There is growing concern about North Korea's nuclear intentions as they began to reassemble a nuclear processing plant in Yongbyon.
The plant, which was shut down in 2007 as part of a nuclear disarmament agreement, is the only known source of weapons-grade plutonium for North Korea, reports Reuters.
The New York Times describes the 2007 disarmament agreement North Korea struck with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea as a “crucial diplomatic achievement of the Bush administration.� The deal seems to be falling apart though as North Korea is angry that it has not been removed from the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Posted by Conor Shine at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Israel has received an American made missile radar in another move meant to shore up its defenses against a possible Iranian attack, Reuters reports.
The X-band radar and its American operating crew were installed at a military base in southern Israel.
No official announcements have been made regarding the installation of the system, but the New York Times reports an official confirmed a report that the radar had been flown to Israel.
The radar provides increased defense against a possible Iranian attack for Israel and gives the United States the power to restrict Israel from taking independent military action against Iran, the New York Times reports.
Reuters reports one official as saying “"This is a major upgrade in bilateral preparations for the threats facing Israel.� When asked about specific threats, the official mentioned Iran and Syria.
The New York Times reports that there is growing concern in Israel about Iran's nuclear research.
Some media outlets in Israel are reporting that the radar is meant as compensation for the U.S. opposing preemptive Israeli action against Iran

Posted by Conor Shine at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two car bombs were detonated outside the U.S. embassy in Yemen Wednesday morning, leaving 16 dead, the New York Times reports.
The attack began at 9:15 a.m. when armed gun men opened fire on the checkpoint outside the embassy. Suicide bombers then drove through the checkpoint and detonated their bombs near the frnot gate.
No Americans were hurt during the attack. Of those killed, six were Yemeni guards, four were civilians outside the embassy and the other six were attackers.
It has yet to be determined who is behind the attack. “The U.S. State Department said the bombings bore 'all the hallmarks' of an al Qaeda attack,� Reuters reported. However, a group called Islamic Jihad in Yemen released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.
President Bush said in a statement that the U.S. is “at war with extremists who will murder innocent people to achieve their ideological objectives.� (New York Times)
The United States and Yemen have a counter-terrorism partnership that was formed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the New York Times reported. However, there is some tension between the nations regarding Yemen's unusual detention policies.
This is the second attack on the U.S. embassy this year, Reuters reports. In March a mortar was fired at the embassy but missed and struck a nearby school.

Posted by Conor Shine at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The situation in Bolivia is still tense as opposition forces squared off against the government in the face of sweeping reforms.
Hostilities have escalated over the past week to the point where Bolivian President Evo Morales declared martial law Friday in the Pando province.
The BBC reports that the recent outbursts were sparked by “plans by President Morales to re-distribute the country's wealth and give a greater voice to the large indigenous community.�
In response to this plan, the opposition instituted road blocks throughout the country and violence flared up, especially in Pando.
The opposition to Morales stems predominantly from Bolivia's four resource rich lowland provinces. The Star Tribune reports that “the provinces are seeking greater autonomy from Morales' leftist government.� They hope to force Morales to cancel the December referendum that would help him centralize power and empower Bolivia's poor, indigenous majority.
The Star Tribune reports Bolivian Interior Minister Alfredo Rada estimated the death toll in Pando at around 30 people.
The Bolivian government is seeking the arrest of the Pando provincial Gov. Leopoldo Fernandez, who is accused of organizing an attack on pro-government peasants.
The BBC reports that “Fernandez has denied having anything to do with the deaths, insisting they were the result of clashes between rival groups.�
In hopes of bringing the situation to a peaceful and diplomatic end, the Union of South American Nations is holding an emergency summit in Chile Monday.
Morales is hoping to bring about an end to the violence without having to change his plans for the referendum.

Posted by Conor Shine at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)