Somali pirates released a hijacked German-owned chemical tanker and its crew of 22 on Tuesday. But the release came at a price-$5.5 million was paid in ransom, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance program told.
The 13,000-ton MV Marida Marguerite was hijacked on the morning of May 8, 120 nautical miles south of Salalah, Oman, according to The Epoch Times. (more…)
Russia is ready to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt at its own expense, to manage the plant, and even find markets for the electricity. Early next year Egypt is expected to announce a tender for the construction of nuclear power plant with the capacity of 1 GW 150 km from Alexandria. Russia’s Rosatom will participate in the tender.
A meeting of Russian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and scientific-technical cooperation was held on Monday. From the Russian side it was chaired by the Minister of Industry and Trade Viktor Khristenko. (more…)
U.S. accused of sending spies to Russia, Britain, France, China and UN Secretary General
UN Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, and diplomats from Russia, Britain, France and China in the Security Council were monitored (spied on) entities by order of the Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary Clinton. (more…)
The Sun. Image credit: NASA
Angeles Duran, 49-year-old Spanish lady has claimed to be the owner of Sun. Woman from Spain’s soggy region of Galicia said that she registered the star at a local notary public as being her property after learning about the American man, who registered moon and most planets in our solar system as his property.
Here is an international agreement, which states that no country may claim ownership of a planet or star, but it says nothing about individuals, she added.
“There was no snag, I backed my claim legally, I am not stupid, I know the law. I did it but anyone else could have done it, it simply occurred to me first,” she told the online edition of Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo. (more…)
Russian guided missile cruiser SLAVA. Source: Wikipedia
Russia may open new naval bases in other countries, President Dmitry Medvedev stated November 25 at a meeting with Russia’s top brass.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that a number of our previous opportunities have disappeared,” Medvedev said. Medvedev said that he now had “certain ideas” about how these could be replaced. “But for obvious reasons, I will not say them out loud,” he added.
First and foremost, it goes about support points for Russian vessels on the territory of foreign countries. It is necessary to build such objects to support Russia’s military presence in strategically important parts of the globe. (more…)
For the first time since establishing itself as a world super power following World War I, the United States appears like it may be losing its footing. The prosperous nation’s economy is tanking. Thousands of Americans are jobless, with houses being foreclosed left and right. Americans have little confidence in their beleaguered government, which is in serious debt. There is little consensus amongst politicians or citizens regarding important issues, which has led to great party-based divisions in the country. The country is fighting a losing battle in the Middle East, and has been at war continuously since World War II. (more…)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Residents of the Middle East who are heavy viewers of Arab television news networks like Al Jazeera are more likely to view their primary identity as that of Muslims, rather than as citizens of their own country, a new study suggests.
Because networks like Al Jazeera are transnational – focusing on events of interest across the region rather than those in any one country – they may encourage viewers to see themselves in broader terms than simply residents of a particular nation, the researchers said.
“The goal of these relatively new networks is not to represent specific national interests, but to appeal to audiences across the region,” said Erik Nisbet, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University. (more…)
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a unique example of political longevity. In the country where governments are changed more often than once a year he has managed to stay afloat for twenty years. Neither corruption scandals, nor his endless love affairs hampered it. What is Berlusconi’s phenomenon and why he is a survivor? (more…)
