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Breaking news - Google found spammers - will change its algorithm

2009-04-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

As per inside breaking news, Google is set to make changes to its search ranking algorithm to combat the spate of links leading to malicious web pages appearing at the top of Google's search results, according to an inside source.

While Google's search business faces threats from malicious blackhat spammers, Google News receives the brunt of not-so-veiled threats from the Associated Press, regardless of a licensing deal.

Over the past few months, cybercriminals have been using blackhat SEO techniques to manipulate search rankings. When it first began, they were marginally successful at following Google Trends to find buzzy search queries and elevating a newly created targeted webpage.

But after a short period of time, these same gangs appear to have become disturbingly effective. Last week, when researching a news story, I found the top five results all led to fake scareware pages.

Obviously if Google fails to do something about this manipulation, users will lose trust and the good ole days of Google will be over fast. A Googler speaking on condition of anonymity told WebProNews a ranking change is pending that tackles spam of this kind. Once the change goes live, users shouldn't see it "nearly as often."

A report from security company PandaLabs identified over a million links targeting malicious webpages ranking for auto part searches. Google noted that many of the phrases mentioned in the report were rare. A phrase like [1989 Nissan Pickup Truck Engine Check Light Troubleshooting], for example, only appears on attack sites set up by spammers, which explains why Google brought back so many attack sites in response to it and similar queries.

Is this a good enough explanation in your opinion? Comment.

Google's response seems also an admission of how difficult it is to provide fresh, timely search results while simultaneously combating spammers. Part of the appeal of Twitter to many people is the platform's ability to provide real-time information; the live Web works remarkably well there so far because Twitter's set up isn't very conducive to spam (yet). At least Twitter has to some extent control over accounts.

Google, on the other hand, cannot control for content appearing on the Web at large, and historically its famous algorithm performed better than any other at weeding out spammy webpages and malicious results. Unfortunately, that was a version of the Web that was more static. The live Web presents entirely new challenges manifesting as the first major weakness the search engine has faced.

The company naturally didn't have a comment on the recently pondered "link velocity" ranking factor. Search engine optimization experts have identified the speed at which organic links appear as a possible important influence.

Link velocity therefore aids in explaining how blackhatters were able to manipulate search results by dropping enormous amounts of link spam into comment and discussion areas of social sites. The freshness or buzzy nature of a query also aided in this pursuit, and cybercriminals merely have to follow Google Trends and Google News to know which keywords and phrases to target.

Breaking News - Pakistan sees friends’ $5 billion pledge as political boon

2009-04-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

LAHORE: According to breaking news, Pakistanis see the $5 billion aid pledges made by donor countries in a conference in Tokyo as “a development [that] has as much political as economic significance in bolstering a beleaguered civilian government”, the Washington Times reported.

Ashfaq Hassan Khan, a former chief economic adviser in Pakistan, told the newspaper that the funds were a “significant achievement”.

“Firstly, Pakistan got $5.28 billion instead of $4.25 billion, which it asked for from the friends of Pakistan... Secondly, the pledges have come as a big message from the world that it is genuinely interested in Pakistan’s stability and progress and it is willing to cooperate,” he told the Washington Times. “I think the announcement of assistance to Pakistan is more of a political importance than it is of economic significance.”

The newspaper said the pledges “reflect international concern about expanding Taliban influence in Pakistan. Militants exploiting economic discontent and unemployment have moved in recent months far beyond Tribal Areas on the border with Afghanistan to Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous state”.

In approving new aid at the Tokyo conference, “the participants... noted concern about the security situation in Pakistan and the impact on development, the investment climate and growth”, co-chairs Japan and the World Bank said in a statement.

“Aid is to be targeted at health, education, governance and building democracy,” the Washington Times said. “Pakistan is also seeking to build hydroelectric dams, roads and other projects aimed at improving security along the Afghan border.”

Zafar Moeen Nasir, chief economic researcher at the state-run Pakistan Institute of Developmental Economics in Islamabad, told the Washington Times the new aid would “help compensate Pakistan for $35 billion he said had been lost due to the country’s participation in the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda”.

“I think the pledges at Tokyo are indications that US and other friends of Pakistan want Pakistan to be a stable country,” he told the newspaper.

However, Abdul Mateen, a former Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations, said he was “not optimistic that the money would solve Pakistan’s fundamental economic problems”.

“Aid and assistance is only good if it is spent productively, as it generates resources, skills, learning and so on,” he said. “Unless it leads to development, the aid or loan is dysfunctional. The pledges made at Tokyo for Pakistan would give the country relief and even growth but would not insure development, which is badly required.”

Political and security analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi welcomed the emphasis on building the capacity of Pakistani institutions in the new US administration’s reviewed policy for the region. “The American administration is trying to complement the use of force with socioeconomic diplomacy,” he told the Washington Times.

The Obama strategy “is also better than past policies because it is the product of more consultation with Pakistanis at both official and non-official levels”, the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Shafqat Mahmood, a former senator, said the motive remains “securing the American homeland as well as US forces in South Asia and the Middle East from Muslim extremist attacks. Pakistan will get assistance only if it implements US aims”, he said. “It is not radically different strategy as may be perceived,” he told the Washington Times. “Rather, its focus is quite narrow. It means Americans think foreign elements are there and Pakistan must ensure that they should not be a threat to US interests in the region.”

Tahir Amin, chairman of the International Relations Department of Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, agreed. The new policy “is still focused on military force and drone attacks,” he told the newspaper. “The most sad aspect of the Obama strategy is that it is focused on American interests without taking into consideration that of Pakistan. It seems the strategy calls for imposing an American mission on Pakistan while it has put the Kashmir issue on the back burner.”

Amin said the fallout of the new strategy would be “negative for both the US and Pakistan”.

“Intending or otherwise, the implementation of Obama strategy would push Pakistan towards chaos as acts of terrorism would proliferate in the length and breadth of the country, and this has very much started happening. For Americans, it would cultivate far deeper antagonistic feelings in Pakistan,” he told the Washington Times.

Retired Lt Gen Talat Masood, a security analyst, said the most important aspect of the shift is that “Pakistan has been looked at as part of a much greater zone of conflict, not as an individual issue”. He said the strategy “also shows more sensitivity to Pakistani concerns over US infringement on its sovereignty”, according to the breaking news.

Breaking News - Indian star SRK banks on foreign stars to boost KKR's chances

2009-04-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

CAPE TOWN, : According to breaking news, the Kolkata Knight Riders owner, Shah Rukh Khan (in AFP photo), today described the taking away of captaincy from Sourav Ganguly as a “cricketing decision taken for the betterment of the team." He claimed the former India captain had been involved in the decision-making process.
“It was a cricketing decision. People with cricketing heads and minds -- Dada, (Mr John) Buchanan and the team management -- took the decision. I hope it is for the betterment of the team,” the film star said. New Zealander Brendon McCullum was yesterday appointed captain, replacing Ganguly, setting at rest weeks of speculation after the KKR director of cricket, Mr Buchanan, had kicked up a controversy with his multiple captaincy doctrine. Ganguly said he “did not mind” the decision and now the focus should be on every team member performing well.
“It was a team decision. I don't mind that. Now everybody will have to perform if the team want to do well in the tournament,” he said. Ganguly said his only personal objective was to play an important role in the outfit's overall enterprise. The former India captain, told that he had been described as "the best skipper in the world" by Shah Rukh Khan, said, if it was so, he was "thankful for the compliment."
McCullum, he said, would be a good captain. "McCullum is a dashing and dynamic player. He will be a good captain. I wish him all the luck. My sole aim is to score runs and play an important role in the team's win. I will try and do well for the team," he said. Asked why he was seemingly perennially associated with controversies, Ganguly, smiling, said he had no clue as to why it was so. "I don't know why it always happens to me. But I've got to live with it. God has given me many things in life. I have captained India and played for the national team for so long. I have a great life back home. God has been really kind to me," he said.

Mallya’s point of view
The Bangalore Royal Challengers owner, Mr Vijay Mallya, today said Shah Rukh Khan had every right to experiment with his team but he would himself stick to a single skipper for the entire tournament. “Shah Rukh is entitled to his plans. But as for me, I am not a cricketer like Brijesh Patel and Ray Jennings so I went by their suggestions before building the team. That was what I did last year as well,” said Mr Mallya, currently in China for the Shanghai Grand Prix. “I think Shah Rukh has every right to say he will run the team the way he wants. But for my team, Kevin Pietersen will be the captain,” he added. Mr Mallya said Rahul Dravid had not been sacked from the Royal Challengers' captaincy.
“Rahul's wife is expecting and he may return home from South Africa any moment and that would have put us into trouble,” said Mr Mallya. Alluding to Pietersen and his shenanigans on and off the field, Mr Mallya said he had been bought for his batting exploits and not for his airs.
“If a player is glamorous, what's wrong with it? We bought him for his batting. As far as his getting sacked from the England captaincy goes, we also have it here. So that's not an issue,” Mr Mallya said. Although not satisfied with his team's performance last year, Mr Mallya said he was happy they had managed to break even on the financial front. “We are perhaps the only team that managed to break even in last season's IPL. We managed to make money from ticket sales,” said Mr Mallya.

Generated 62 Trillion Spam Emails - Breaking news

2009-04-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

According to breaking news, a report released this week by computer security company McAfee, spammers last year generated a whopping 62 trillion junk e-mails.

What does that mean in terms of energy?

Instead of sending messages asking for money or marketing Viagra, the electricity used sending the e-mails could have powered 2.4 million homes for a year or driven a car around the planet 1.6 times, according to the report.

That waste of energy is also polluting the environment.

Anything powered by electricity also emits greenhouse gases. McAfee researchers say each junk e-mail emits 0.3 grams of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). That may not sound like much, but when you consider the volume of global annual spam, it all adds up.

Spam Has a Big Carbon Footprint

Spam-related emissions for all e-mail users around the world in 2008 totaled 17 million metric tons of CO2, according to ICF International, the consulting firm that partnered with McAfee on the study. That's .2 percent of the total global emissions.

"The amount released into the atmosphere is significant," said Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee. "Spam has a big carbon footprint. It's something people should be aware of."

The report said that nearly 80 percent of the spam-related greenhouse gas emissions came from the energy burned by PC users viewing, deleting and searching for legitimate e-mail under mounds of junk. To view and trash a piece of spam takes about 3 seconds, McAfee said.

Marcus said about 85 to 91 percent of all e-mail is spam, but consumers can decrease their spam load by surfing the Net with a bit more care.

For example, anytime you use a Web site to participate in online discussions or post comments, make sure your name is nothing like your e-mail address. And think twice before using the auto-complete feature on your browser because it may allow spammers to harvest personal information. Some experts also advise changing your e-mail address yearly.

But, what else could all that wasted spam-related energy do? Click on to the next page to find out these estimates based on McAfee's report and Carbonfund.org.

Anti-Piracy Plan by US - Breaking news

2009-04-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

As per breaking news, the Obama administration yesterday called for expanding the international counterpiracy effort to deter Somali pirates, secure the release of hostage ships and crews, and freeze pirate assets, yet U.S. military officials said there are no immediate plans to devote more warships to the region.

"These pirates are criminals, they are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must be stopped," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in announcing a four-point plan that includes assisting Somalis in "cracking down on pirate bases and decreasing incentives for young Somali men to engage in piracy."

Somali pirates yesterday attempted to commandeer another U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, which had a crew of about 20 and was loaded with food aid. But the attack was thwarted, and the ship headed toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa with armed U.S. Navy guards aboard, Navy officials said.

The pirate attack occurred about 285 nautical miles southeast of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the officials said. The pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at the freighter, which sustained some damage, according to its operator, Liberty Maritime Corp. The pirates had departed by the time the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge arrived.

It was not immediately clear whether the Liberty Sun was a target of opportunity for pirates or whether they were retaliating against a U.S.-flagged ship for the killings by U.S. Navy snipers this week of three pirates during an operation to rescue the Maersk Alabama's captain, Richard Phillips.

Nevertheless, the incident underscored how difficult it is for the handful of naval ships patrolling the vast expanse of water to prevent pirate strikes, which happen on average every three days, military officials said.

Currently, there are five U.S. and non-U.S. naval ships operating on counterpiracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean region, according to a military official from U.S. Central Command. With roughly 500 miles of coastline on the gulf and 1,000 on the Indian Ocean, there is a total of about 400,000 square miles of ocean to patrol against piracy, the officials said.

"It's a big space, and it wants for sustained surveillance. . . . It's hard to find these relatively small boats," such as the pirate skiffs, said retired Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, who commanded the 5th Fleet and U.S. naval forces in the Middle East until last year.

Military options for bolstering the effort include "flooding the zone" with more ships and aircraft, a daunting task given the need for constant patrolling over such a large area, Cosgriff said.

A second option, he said, would be to "go ashore light," meaning that military personnel would try to disrupt piracy by denying pirates boats, fuel and other resources. "It would be a military operation but simply to get stuff, not to arrest people," he said.

A far more aggressive approach, which he called "go ashore big," would involve military personnel moving into Somali villages and targeting the pirate leadership. "That is a big step" with serious risks, he said.

Nonmilitary options include encouraging commercial ships to stay farther off shore, learn evasive anti-piracy maneuvers or carry armed guards, although Cosgriff said shipping companies have hesitated to do that because of potential problems with unions, insurers and some ports.

We don't want Taliban Law - Afghan women protest

2009-04-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

KABUL — As per breaking news, dozens of young women braved crowds of bearded men screaming "dogs!" on Wednesday to protest an Afghan law that lets husbands demand sex from their wives. Some of the men picked up small stones and pelted the women. "Slaves of the Christians!" chanted the 800 or so counter-demonstrators, a mix of men and women. A line of female police officers locked hands to keep the groups apart.

The warring protests highlight the explosive nature of the women's rights debate in Afghanistan. Both sides are girding for battle over the legislation, which has sparked an international uproar since being quietly signed into law last month.

The law says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days, unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse. It also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home without a male escort.

Though the law would apply only to the country's Shiites, who make up less than 20 percent of Afghanistan's 30 million people, many fear its passage marks a return to Taliban-style oppression of women. The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, required women to wear all-covering burqas and banned them from leaving home unless accompanied by a male relative.

Governments and rights groups around the world have condemned the legislation, and President Barack Obama has labeled it "abhorrent." Afghan President Hamid Karzai has remanded the law to the Justice Department for review and put enforcement on hold.

A host of Afghan intellectuals, politicians and even a number of Cabinet ministers have come out against the law. But those who decry the legislation face quick criticism from conservative Muslim clerics and their followers, as Wednesday's protests showed.

"You are a dog! You are not a Shiite woman!" one man shouted to a young woman in a head scarf.

The woman, who held a banner reading "We don't want Taliban law," replied quietly: "This is my land and my people."

The demonstrators chose a risky spot to hold their protest — in front of the mosque of the legislation's main backer — and were easily outnumbered by supporters of the law. They said many women had been stopped on their way to the protest.

In the end, more women demonstrated in favor of the law than against it: A few hundred Shiite women marched with banners to join the angry men. They blamed foreigners for inciting the protests.

"We don't want foreigners interfering in our lives. They are the enemy of Afghanistan," said 24-year-old Mariam Sajadi.

Sajadi is engaged to be married, and said she plans to ask her husband's permission to leave the house as put forth in the law. She said other articles — such as the one allowing husbands to demand sex — have been misinterpreted by Westerners prejudiced against Islam. She did not elaborate.

On the other side of the shouting, Mehri Rezai, 32, urged her countrymen to reject the law.

"This law treats women as if we were sheep," she said.

Both sides say they're defending their constitutional rights — but Afghanistan's constitution is unclear. It defers to Islamic law as the highest authority, but also guarantees equal rights for women.

Abbas Noyan, a Shiite lawmaker who opposes the law, said he is hopeful it will be changed. But others are less sure, and even the country's minister of women's affairs, who is female, has declined to comment on the law.

New York-based Human Rights Watch maintains that the judicial review ordered by Karzai is unlikely to be truly independent because those leading the process come from a conservative Shiite background.

Breaking news - Mel Gibson Costly Divorce

2009-04-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

"It's a billion-dollar divorce!" says celebrity divorce lawyer Raoul Felder.

Yesterday's headlines that Mel Gibson, 53 and his wife Robyn Moore, also 53, were filing for divorce after 28 years of marriage has now been eclipsed by a handful of thornier follow-up questions. Namely, how much will the split cost the A-lister? How will it affect his reputation? Will it jeopardize the projects he has in development? And perhaps, most tantalizing of all, will it be the costliest celebrity divorce ever?

In short, the answers are: lots, remains to be seen, not likely, and almost certainly yes.

With no indication that the couple had hammered out a prenuptial agreement before their 1980 wedding, Gibson's low-profile wife is now legally entitled to half of everything he's earned over their nearly-three decades together, according to Felder, which could translate into roughly $500 million.

People.com estimates Gibson's fortune to be in the neighborhood of $1 billion (The Passion of the Christ, a labor of love project he directed and produced, pulled in $600 million at the box office, alone), which puts the split on track to be the richest celebrity divorce ever. Other celeb splits with lots of zeroes include Michael Jordan paying $168 million in his 2006 divorce from his wife Juanita, Steven Spielberg's shelling out $100 million in his 1989 split from actress Amy Irving, and Sir Paul McCartney's $48.6 million 2008 settlement with Heather Mills.

Obviously, half of a billion is still a nice chunk of change to have left in your bank account. So don't cry for Gibson yet. The stickier issue, however, may be whether the split will tarnish Gibson's reputation as a devoted father (Gibson and Moore have seven kids ranging in age from 9 to 28) and a devout Christian -- an image already damaged by his 2006 arrest for drunken driving and the bizarre tirade that accompanied it.

"If he was Matthew Broderick or Tom Hanks, the answer would be yes," says Felder. "But the public has been desensitized already to this fellow, so I don't think it's going to affect him at all."

Felder doesn't expect the divorce to have much effect on Gibson's upcoming projects, beyond the fact that his wife will have to be bought out for her share in them. And that could get complicated since he has more than a dozen films in various stages of development, ranging from Mad Max 4 to an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. "This divorce could be very difficult because he's one of the few stars who acquires properties and gets involved with them on different levels, like directing and producing," says Felder. "These are very hard to value, and that makes it not a simple divorce."

Still, Felder doesn't expect that the couple will turn their split into a drawn-out battle. "If [Moore] is like any other wife, she'll want her money now. She doesn't want to be a partner in a movie that may or may not be made 10 years from now. I think she'd want to be paid up front. Until then, I'd try to keep it quiet. Because one of the problems with these divorces is, if you unleash the dogs of war, you can never put them back in the bottle again, to mix metaphors. But who knows, it may wind up being World War III -- you can't tell."

Breaking news updates - Obama's New Dog Bo - Its moving day for Bo

2009-04-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his family have welcomed their new dog Bo to the White House, and they're showing him off around the grounds.

The 6-month-old Portuguese water dog made his debut Tuesday afternoon in front of reporters and photographers. And the Obamas even walked him over near the fence on the White House South Lawn.

Said the president: "He's got star quality."

First lady Michelle Obama did most of the walking, with Bo on a leash. But daughter Malia took a turn, too, as Bo took off running.

Obama had promised his two daughters a puppy during the presidential campaign.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information.

Bo the Portuguese water dog makes his official move into the White House on Tuesday, and how President Barack Obama and his family introduce him to his new home — and the world — will say much about their skills as novice dog owners.

The White House will be the puppy's fourth home in his six months of life. He was born in Texas, then moved to his first owner's home in Washington, D.C., then spent nearly a month with Sen. Edward Kennedy's dog trainer in Virginia, and now is moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A dog can become disoriented when moving to a new home, said Cesar Millan, host of the National Geographic Channel's "The Dog Whisperer" and co-founder with his wife of a nonprofit foundation to help abused and abandoned dogs.

"Being disoriented can lead an animal to become anxious, to become nervous, to become fearful," Millan said. "In some situations they get really excited. So, regardless which state of mind the dog might go into, that's not going to be good for the dog."

Among Millan's top tips: "Day one or day two or day three, there should be a lot of walking involved. And before the dog eats, he should be very hungry, because that helps him to understand that the humans are helping him to work for food and water." Focus on establishing a routine to help the dog calm down, rather than comforting him and using his name a lot when he's upset, Millan said.

Bo was given up by his first owner because things weren't working out with the family's other dog. Kennedy and his wife Victoria, who had two Portuguese water dogs from Bo's breeder and acquired a third from Bo's litter, thought Bo would be perfect for the Obamas, and gave the dog to the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, as a gift, the dog's breeder and a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama said.

At 6 months, Bo is still very much a "goofy puppy" and like many Portuguese water dogs, may still be that way up to age 2 or even 4, said Stu Freeman, president of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. "A puppy is a puppy and these are very active puppies," he said.

"The dogs are intelligent, they need to work and be kept busy," Freeman said. "If you can't keep them active and amused, they will find something to do."

Bo's official American Kennel Club-registered name is Amigo's New Hope, and his first owner called him Charlie. His new name could present some special training challenges, AKC spokeswoman Daisy Okas said.

"Since `Bo' sounds like `no' we would recommend that they work with a trainer to consult on the best commands to give the dog. So the trainer may recommend either hand signals for `no' or perhaps saying `stop' instead," Okas said. "The dog could become very confused if it thinks its name is being called when it's actually being told to stop a certain behavior."

Also, at least in the early days, the Obamas should set and carry out the dog's routine themselves, "Dog Whisperer" Millan said.

"It's all about gaining trust and respect, day one," Millan said. "It's very important that everybody — the girls, Michelle, the president — to play, all of them together, the pack leader role."

Breaking news - Today Pakistan missed 12 'O Clock

2009-04-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Pakistan - As per breaking news, for the third time 12 : 00 a.m will not struck in the history of Pakistan after entering in this new century. Pakistan Government taken this decision to save light and to overcome the problems of light in Pakistan and to reduce the loadshedding. This step was also adopted by Musharraf Government and now present Government also going to follow this. Today at 11:00 p.m on 15 April, 2009 all official and private clocks will not see the 12 : 00 a.m in Pakistan. The time will run one hour before the usual time currently running. The time will remain 1 hour ahead from 15 April, 09 to 15 October, 09.
The WAPDA officials told that this step will help us to save more light and then we will be able to overcome the loadshedding in Pakistan. Because this step will help everyone to use the daylight instead of using the artificial light.
Time will be changed at 11 : 59 p.m to 1 : 00 a.m and 12 : 00 a.m will not struck here in Pakistan.

Rescued captain to reunite with crew tomorrow

2009-04-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

MOMBASA, Kenya — As per breaking news, a Maersk shipping official says the shipping captain that U.S. sharpshooters rescued from pirates will reunite with his crew in the Kenyan resort of Mombasa on Wednesday.

The crew that thwarted the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama has hailed Capt. Richard Phillips as a hero who saved them by offering himself up as a hostage.

U.S. SEALs killed three pirates Sunday night in a daring attack that killed the three pirates who had been holding Phillips for five days in an enclosed lifeboat.

Maersk official Gordan van Hook told reporters they expect Phillips to arrive in Mombasa on Wednesday. He had no details about the reunion with the crew.

Meanwhile, undeterred Somali pirates went on a hijacking spree, brazenly capturing four more ships and taking over 60 crew members hostage in the Gulf of Aden, the waterway at the center of the world's fight against piracy.

Pirates have vowed to retaliate for five colleagues slain by U.S. and French forces in recent hostage rescues — and the top U.S. military officer said Tuesday he takes those comments seriously.

But Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "we're very well prepared to deal with anything like that."

Despite Mullen's confident statement and President Barack Obama's warning of further U.S. action, pirates captured two more nautical trophies Tuesday to match the two ships they seized a day or two earlier.

The latest seizures were the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse, the Greek-managed bulk carrier MV Irene E.M. and two Egyptian fishing boats. Maritime officials said the Irene carried 21 to 23 Filipino crew and Egyptian officials reported 36 fishermen, mostly Egyptians, on the two boats.

It was not known exactly how many crew the Sea Horse had on board, but a ship that size would probably need at least a dozen.

NATO spokeswoman Shona Lowe said pirates in three or four speedboats captured the Sea Horse on Tuesday — an attack that came only hours after the Irene was seized in a rare overnight raid.

The two Egyptian fishing boats were hijacked in the gulf off Somalia's northern coast but it was not clear if those attacks came Monday or Sunday.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest and most vital shipping lanes, crossed by over 20,000 ships each year.

A flotilla of warships from nearly a dozen countries has patrolled the Gulf of Aden and nearby Indian Ocean waters for months. They have halted many attacks on ships this year, but say the area is so vast they can't stop all hijackings.

Pirates have attacked 78 ships this year, hijacking 19 of them, and 17 ships with over 300 crew still remain in pirates' hands, according to Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

Each boat carries the potential of a million-dollar ransom.

The Irene, flagged in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was sailing from the Middle East to South Asia, Choong said.

U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the Irene carried 23 Filipino crew, while Choong reported it had 21 and Greek marine officials said it carried 22. here was no immediate way to reconcile the figures.

A maritime security contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity because it is a sensitive security issue, said the Irene put out a distress signal "to say they had a suspicious vessel approaching. That rapidly turned into an attack and then a hijacking."

"They tried to call in support on the emergency channels, but they never got any response," the contractor said.

The latest seizures come after Navy SEAL snipers rescued American ship captain Richard Phillips on Sunday by killing three young pirates who held him captive in a drifting lifeboat for five days. A fourth pirate surrendered after seeking medical attention for a wound he received in trying to take over Phillips' vessel, the Maersk Alabama.

Phillips on Tuesday was aboard a Navy vessel at an undisclosed location, Christensen said. He was initially taken aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based USS Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for a medical exam.

In Washington, Obama appeared to move the piracy issue higher on his agenda, vowing the United States would work with nations around the world to fight the problem.

"I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region and to achieve that goal, we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks," Obama told reporters Monday.

The 19 crew members of the Alabama celebrated their skipper's freedom with beer and an evening barbecue Monday in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, said crewman Ken Quinn.

The vessel's chief mate was among those urging strong U.S. action against piracy.

"It's time for us to step in and put an end to this crisis," Shane Murphy said. "It's a crisis. Wake up."

The U.S. is considering new options to fight piracy, including adding Navy gunships along the Somali coastline and launching a campaign to disable pirate "mother ships," according to military officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made yet.

The four pirates who attacked the Alabama were between 17 and 19 years old, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

"Untrained teenagers with heavy weapons," Gates told students and faculty at the Marine Corps War College. "Everybody in the room knows the consequences of that."

U.S. officials were now considering whether to bring the fourth pirate, who surrendered shortly before the sniper shootings, to the United States or possibly turn him over to Kenya. Both piracy and hostage-taking carry life prison sentences under U.S. law.

The French navy late Monday handed over the bodies of two Somali pirates killed last week in a hostage rescue operation, and the bodies were buried in Somali's semiautonomous northern region of Puntland.

Somali Pirates Hijacked 4 US ships again - Breaking news

2009-04-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

According to breaking news, Somali pirates continued to thumb their noses at the world -- hijacking four more ships, even as America's top military commander told esolgsmnews the United States is reviewing its options, including whether to go into pirate villages.

The pirates have now seized four ships since the dramatic rescue of American Capt. Richard Phillips Sunday, who was taken hostage during a failed hijacking attempt.

Just as the cheers were dying down for the daring rescue of Phillips that left three pirates dead, Somali pirates swooped down on more victims. This time they struck in the Gulf of Aden along the north coast of Somalia.

Two Egyptian fishing boats were hijacked, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, which said the boats carried a total of 18 to 24 Egyptians.

The biggest overnight prize for the pirates was the capture of the Greek freighter M.V. Irene and a Togo-flagged freighter named the Sea Horse, according to NATO officials. The Irene had a crew of 22. There was no immediate information on the Sea Horse crew.

NATO said that pirates in three skiffs attacked a fifth ship today, the Liberian frieighter Safmarine Asia, with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, but failed to capture it.

Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, said pirate attacks this year had risen to 78, with at least 19 ships hijacked and more than 300 crew members still in pirates' hands. Each boat carries the potential of a million-dollar ransom.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States can't end Somali piracy by itself and noted that 16 nations have warships in the region, which is roughly four times the size of Texas.

When Mullen was asked today whether the United States had considered attacking the pirate strongholds in Somalia, the admiral said, "I've asked, and we've been doing this. We've initiated a review on the Joint Staff to look broadly and widely and deeply at the overall strategy," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."

One problem in taking on pirates is what to do with them once they are arrested, Mullen said. There is a deal with Kenya to try pirates in court there, but so far, no pirates have been put on trial

The United States is holding the lone survivor of the four pirates who took Phillips hostage and is trying to decide how to handle his legal case.

President Obama said Monday that he was determined to defeat piracy.

Breaking news - Trial of American Journalist in Iran

2009-04-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

According to breaking news, an Iranian official said Tuesday that the trial of a jailed American journalist who has been accused of spying for the United States had started and would last about three weeks.

The trial of Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, started Monday and a verdict will be issued within three weeks, according to a report carried by the official Iranian press agency I.R.N.A., which quoted the country’s judiciary spokesman, Ali-Reza Jamshidi. Ms. Saberi presented her final defense on Monday, The Associated Press quoted Mr. Jamshidi as saying.

Ms. Saberi was arrested in January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But an Iranian judge brought far more serious charges against her last week, accusing her of spying for Washington. No further details of the charges were mentioned in the dispatch.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that the United States is “deeply concerned” about the espionage charges and has asked Iranian diplomats for help in obtaining Ms. Saberi’s immediate release.

“This charge is baseless and it’s without foundation,” Robert Wood, a State Department spokesman, said last week.

In response, Mr. Jamshidi said Tuesday that the U.S. intervention in the case was “ridiculous and against international laws,” according to the I.R.N.A. report. He said outside countries should not intervene in domestic judicial cases without examining the evidence.

The trial comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Iran and the United States. President Barack Obama has expressed a willingness to talk with Tehran after years of strained relations under the former Bush administration.

Ms. Saberi grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and went to Iran six years ago. She has worked for the B.B.C. and National Public Radio. Her press credentials were revoked three years ago, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hassan Qashqavi.

Ms. Saberi’s lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, said he was not authorized to speak to the media about the trial, which he was permitted to attend. “I will comment only after the verdict is issued,” he told The Associated Press.

Ms. Saberi’s parents traveled to Iran from the United States to support her. She is being held in Evin prison near Tehran.

In a separate case, an Iranian appeals court upheld a three-year prison sentence for Silva Harotonian, an Iranian woman of Armenian descent who had worked for a U.S. organization, Mr. Jamshidi said.

Ms. Harotonian had worked in Iran for the Washington-based International Research & Exchanges Board, a nonprofit education organization. She was arrested in June and sentenced in January for “crimes against security.”

Washington has also called on Iran to release Ms. Harotonian, who is reportedly in poor and deteriorating health.

The statement from I.R.N.A. made no mention of Esha Momeni, a graduate student at California State University, Northridge, who was arrested in October, accused of a traffic violation.

She was freed on Nov. 10 after spending almost four weeks in a Tehran prison but has been banned from leaving the country while new charges against her are being investigated. Ms. Momeni was conducting research on the Iranian women’s movement.

Breaking news - Sharia approval by President Zardari

2009-04-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

MINGORA, Pakistan, - As per breaking news, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, has signed a regulation imposing Islamic sharia law in the Swat valley in the country's northwest as part of a deal to end Taliban violence.

Critics say the government has caved in to militant pressure but many residents of the scenic valley, 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, said they hoped the agreement would bring peace after 18 months of bloodshed.

Zardari signed the regulation late on Monday after the National Assembly passed a resolution recommending he approve it.

"As long as there's peace it doesn't matter what the law is," said Javed Ahmed, 26, a shopkeeper in the valley's main town of Mingora.

"If sharia law can do that, that's just fine," he said.

Surging militant violence across Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence through the northwest are reviving concerns about the stability of nuclear-armed Pakistan, an important U.S. ally vital to efforts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.

The government has been struggling to come up with an effective strategy, alternating in different areas between military offensives and peace deals.

But the militants have been gaining strength while violence in both Pakistan and Afghanistan has been on the rise.

Swat was one of Pakistan's main tourist destinations until 2007 when militants infiltrated into the valley from strongholds on the Afghan border to the west, in support of a radical cleric.

After inconclusive military offensives and a failed peace pact, authorities accepted an Islamist demand for sharia law in February.

"FORGET THE PAST"

Sufi Mohammad, a pro-Taliban cleric who brokered the deal, said it would bring peace to the valley.

"Those who have carried guns will quit their armed struggle," he told ARY television.

Asked if residents could go to sharia courts to file complaints against militant leaders for their losses, Mohammad said: "Our aim is to forget the past and move forward."

The United States and Pakistani critics say deals with the Taliban create safe havens for them and their al Qaeda allies.

The Taliban brought fear to the valley, bombing and beheading members of the security forces, executing opponents and blowing up hundreds of girls' schools.

Zardari, who has vowed to stand up to the spread of militancy, had faced pressure to sign the regulation from conservatives and the main political party in the northwest, who said sharia was the only way to bring peace.

"The government has officially accepted Taliban rule in Swat," said Ayesha Khan, a women's rights activist from the valley living in the capital.

"How can this regulation bring peace or real justice if you don't have even your basic rights," she asked. "People may be happy today but they're going to regret it."

Some Pakistani Taliban fighters last week moved, unopposed by authorities, out of Swat and into Buner district to the southeast.

Buner residents formed a militia to try to resist the militants and 13 people, including eight Taliban, three policemen and two villagers, were killed in clashes.

But the militants have prevailed and have begun imposing their rule in the mountain valley only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, police and residents said. (Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

Obama's Dog Bo - What about adoption?

2009-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Just looking at him makes you want to break out in baby talk. He’s so cuuuuuuute. Little happy puppy wuppy schluppy duppy.

In case you missed the news because of other priorities on Sunday (like Easter or the Masters), the Obama family has a new member. The new First Dog, Bo.

Leak

Word of the newest family member leaked on Saturday with a mysterious new web site called FirstDogCharlie breaking the news. TMZ spotted it and linked to it, causing the rest of the Internet to play catch-up.

Now that the dust has settled, we know that Bo is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.

The dog should be thrilled. He’ll have the run of the White House, not to mention the North Lawn, the South Lawn, a swimming pool, plenty of trees, and perhaps his own website (like Barney used to have.).

Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia are reportedly very happy too.

Grumble

Not everyone’s elated though — because although Ted Kennedy is a Washington institution, he’s not an animal shelter. And the president promised to adopt the First Dog.

He originally made this promise to Dr. Jana Kohl, the author of “A Rare Breed of Love” — a book about a three-legged rescue dog and puppy mill survivor named Baby.

So touched was he by Baby’s story that then-Senator Obama agreed to appear in Kohl’s book holding the dog. This photo then became the cover for American Dog magazine in January.

Big deal

And the promise is not an asterisk to those who really care about animal welfare. With an estimated three million dogs and cats euthanized every year, every dog purchased by a breeder is a death sentence for those in rescue centers, they say.

That’s why Vice President Joe Biden got in hot water when he chose a breeder to get his dog. Animal rights activists were furious. This led Biden to announce that he was getting a second dog from a shelter. So far this hasn’t happened.

Shade of gray

Now like anything in politics, there’s a technicality. One of those “definitions of what the word ‘is’ is” type things.

The White House isn’t Bo’s first home. He originally lived with another family but didn’t get along with the other dogs. So he was given back to the Kennedy clan.

“They were looking at shelters, but in the end the Kennedys learned of this litter mate of their dog who needed a home and they wanted to give the girls a gift — and here we are!” an Obama spokeswoman told the Chicago Sun Times.

So, technically, he’s a second-chance dog. This could be why the Humane Society didn’t tear into the president as it did with the veep.

Reaction

“Clearly our best hope was that he (the president) would go to a shelter or a breed-rescue group,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “He didn’t do that, but he also didn’t go to a pet store or puppy mill either. It’s a gray area.”

Abbie Moore of Adopt-a-Pet.com isn’t as forgiving. “This is truly a missed opportunity to set a pet-adoption trend among Americans. “If Obama had adopted a pet from a shelter, it could have been the turning point for the pet-overpopulation problem in this country. With pet relinquishment up 20 to 30 percent due to the poor economy, pets in shelters can use all the help they can get.”

While Dog magazine’s Ryan O’Meara says this is just more of the same. “When he was resoundingly elected to office we were promised change. But, it seems, true to type the new American president is a politician at heart so should we really have expected anything different?”

To make up for it, the president will donate to the D.C. humane society.

The First Dog will be formally introduced to the public on Tuesday.

Twitter Worm Attack - How be safe?

2009-04-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

According to breaking news, the malicious worm affecting Twitter over the weekend has now mutated and continues to invade the popular microblogging network. Although Twitter is taking action against the problem, security analysts fear that further mutations of the worm will continue to wreak havoc on the network over the week.

The worm, appearing as "" or "StalkDaily", was created by the 17-year-old Mike Mooney "out of boredom" and is now generating thousands of spam messages containing the word "Mikeyy." This is the fourth attack by the worm in the last four days, which sends Twitter messages from infected accounts, without the owners' knowledge.

How to keep safe from Mikeyy :-o

First of all, experts advise Twitter users not to click on any links from messages containing the words "Mikeyy" or "Stalkdaily." It is recommended you use third-party Twitter desktop clients like Twhirl or TweetDeck (both PC and Mac) and that you do not use the Web-based version of Twitter, especially for viewing user profiles (as this is where the attack seems to originate).

As an additional security measure, you can disable JavaScript in your browser. Firefox users can use the no-script add-on, which stops any unwanted scripts from running.

How to remove Mikeyy :-o

If you've noticed any suspicious activity from your profile that includes the words above, then most certainly you're infected. It is very important for users not to retweet (RT) any of the fake messages.

Clear your browser cache and turn off JavaScript. Log into Twitter and delete any messages your profile automatically posted that contain the word "Mikeyy". You can turn JavaScript back on so you change your bio and URL, and reset your color scheme from your profile. Additionally, changing your password could be a safe measure.

After all the steps above were completed, log out of your account and you can continue using Twitter via a desktop client.

Obama's Brother Refused Visa after being accused of Sex Attack

2009-04-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Samson Obama

Breaking News - AMERICAN president Barack Obama's half brother was REFUSED a visa to enter the UK after being accused of an attempted sex attack on a young girl in Berkshire.

The News of the World can reveal that Kenya-based Samson Obama tried to get into Britain on his way to Washington for his family's big day, the historic inauguration in January.

But eagle-eyed immigration officials at East Midlands Airport, using the latest biometric tests, discovered he was linked to an incident here last November. The hi-tech database revealed that Samson - who manages a mobile phone shop just outside Nairobi - was the same man arrested by British police after he approached a group of young girls, including a 13 year-old, and allegedly tried to sexually assault one of them.

He then followed them into a cafe where he became aggressive and was asked to leave by the owner. That's when police were called and Samson was arrested.

He supplied officers with his mother's address in Bracknell but gave them a false ID, claiming to be Henry Aloo, believed to be a genuine asylum seeker.

Mum Kezia, 67, has lived in Bracknell for six years. She married the US president's father Barack Obama Snr in Kenya when she was a teenager.

Following Samson's arrest he was fingerprinted but not charged, then left the country. However, all his details were stored on the Home Office's new database of prints and biometric details. And that's what finally pinpointed Samson's link to the world's most powerful leader - as he tried to slip back into Britain to visit relatives en route to the swearing-in ceremony.

The White House was informed and a Home Office source told the News of the World: "This was obviously an extremely sensitive issue when it was flashed up by the database.

"But the system is designed to flag up people who have come to the attention of the police in the UK and are then trying to return."

It is thought that Samson - one of the President's 11 half brothers and sisters by his father who had four partners - managed to travel on to Washington by boarding a connecting flight to the US from East Midlands.

He was able to do so despite not having a UK visa because he remained in transit and never left the airport. A stewardess from nearby Nottingham told her local newspaper how she met him on his flight to America. Dawn Stewart, of Sherwood, described how Samson told her his nickname was Abo and said he was on his way to the US capital for the presidential swearing-in.

She recalled: "I asked him how he feels being the brother of the next president and he said, 'I can't tell you the depth of excitement we feel.'

"I asked what Barack was like as a teenager and he said he was always charismatic and calm."

The flight attendant said Samson claimed he had never travelled before and proudly showed her a headed letter from his half-brother requesting his three-week visa to the USA.

Last night a Home Office spokesman confirmed Samson Obama was refused a visa after immigration officers noticed one of the documents he supplied with his visa application was false. That led to further inquiries.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "We consider all visa applications based on their merits. We will oppose the entry of individuals to the UK where we believe their presence is not conducive to the public good.

"The UK's border controls are among the toughest in the world. All visa applicants are fingerprinted and checked against watchlists. Using this hi-tech system we have detected more than 5,600 attempts to use false identities since December 2007.

"Our officers in 135 countries are working with law enforcement agencies and airlines to clamp down on forged passports and visas."

PRESIDENT Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia are to get the pet puppy Dad promised. The Portuguese Water Dog, called Charlie, is expected Tuesday.

Junior President - Bo Obama

2009-04-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post broke Puppygate over the holiday weekend.

According to breaking news, the D.C.-based paper managed to get (hey, they broke Watergate too) their paws on the first photos of the Obamas' new dog.

The Obamas have reportedly named the little guy Bo. As in Bo Obama. Or Bo Diddly?

A top secret meet-and greet session with the puppy and the family at the White House happened a few weeks ago.

According to the Post, it was a surprise for the girls. Bo demonstrated skills learned in training. He sat when the girls sat, stood when the girls stood. He made no toilet errors and did not gnaw on the furniture. Bo has been learning good behavior from the Kennedys' dog trainers at a secret, undisclosed location outside Washington.

Word is that when the president walked, Bo followed obediently.

Wish Congress could be this well trained. Maybe we should send those folks to the Kennedys' training camp.

This is quite a big event for the Obama girls. Sasha and Malia have never had pets. And neither the first lady nor the president had dogs when they were young.

Keep reading to find out about that rescue-dog-versus-reputable-breeder scandal!

The Kennedys have released a statement: "We couldn't be happier to see the joy that Bo is bringing to Malia and Sasha. We love our Portuguese water dogs and know that the girls -- and their parents -- will love theirs, too."

Now about the shelter dog. The Obamas have long said they were considering a rescue dog. But there was never a pledge or promise.

And it was essential to get a dog that would not make the girls' allergies worse.

Bo had been living with another family, but for whatever reason, it didn't work out. So the Kennedys re-homed him and then gave him to the Obamas.

And the Obamas are going to make a sizable donation to the D.C. Humane Society.

Enjoy your new puppy, girls.

Breaking news - Hostage Captain Rescued by US Navy

2009-04-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

MOGADISHU - As per breaking news, U.S. naval forces rescued cargo ship captain Richard Phillips from captivity at the hands of Somali pirates in a dramatic shootout that ended a five-day standoff, the U.S. Navy said on Sunday.

The U.S. Navy said Phillips was freed unharmed and that naval forces killed three of four pirates who had held him hostage on a lifeboat after trying to seize his vessel. It said a fourth pirate was in custody.

"I can tell you that he is free and that he is safe," Navy Lieutenant Commander John Daniels said.

Initial reports from CNN said Phillips, who first tried to escape on Friday, jumped overboard just before a shootout between his captors and U.S. Navy Seals.

The U.S. Navy 5th Fleet in Bahrain said the rescue took place at 12:19 p.m. EDT (1619 GMT) and the lifeboat had drifted to about 20 miles (32 km) from lawless Somalia’s coast.

Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship, had contacted his family, received a routine medical evaluation, and was resting comfortably aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer.

"We are all absolutely thrilled to learn that Richard is safe and will be reunited with his family," Maersk Line chief executive John Reinhart said in a statement.

A photo of a smiling Phillips showed by media after his rescue.

Phillips’ crew let off flares, hoisted an American flag and jumped for joy at news of their captain’s rescue.

"We are very happy. He’s a hero," one crew member of the Maersk Alabama shouted at journalists amid raucous celebrations on the deck of the vessel, docked in Kenya’s Mombasa port.

Phillips, 53, was the first American taken captive by Somali pirate gangs who have marauded in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes for years.

Three U.S. warships had been watching the situation.

CAPTAIN, CREW "HEROIC"

President Barack Obama, spared from having another thorny foreign policy crisis added to his troubles with the U.S. economic meltdown and Afghanistan, welcomed the rescue, praised the U.S. military and vowed to curb rampant piracy.

"To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes," he said in a statement.

The Maersk Alabama, a container carrying food aid for Somalis, was attacked far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the pirates and regained control.

Phillips volunteered to go with the pirates in a Maersk Alabama lifeboat in exchange for the crew, said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

"The actions of Captain Phillips and the civilian mariners of Maersk-Alabama were heroic. They fought back to regain control of their ship, and Captain Phillips selflessly put his life in the hands of these armed criminals in order to protect his crew," he said in a statement.

Joseph Murphy, whose son, Shane, was Phillips’s second in command and took over the Alabama after pirates left with Phillips, said in a statement read by CNN, "Our prayers have been answered on this Easter Sunday."

"My son and our family will forever be indebted to Capt. Phillips for his bravery. If not for his incredible personal sacrifice, this kidnapping — an act of terror — could have turned out much worse," said Murphy.

"The captain is a hero," one crew member shouted from the 17,000-ton ship as it docked in Kenya’s Mombasa port under darkness on Saturday. "He saved our lives by giving himself up."

LEGAL SYSTEM NEEDED

Experts had expected a quick end to the standoff, but the pirates held out for both a ransom and safe passage home. Friends told Reuters the gang wanted $2 million.

The saga has thrown world attention on the long-running piracy phenomenon off Somalia that has hiked shipping insurance costs and disrupted international trade.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Program, said the rescue would change the stakes in future pirate attacks.

"This is a big wake-up to the pirates. It raises the stakes. Now they may be more violent, like the pirates of old," he said.

Pirates have generally treated hostages well, sometimes roasting goat meat for them and even passing phones round so they can call loved ones. The worst violence reported has been the occasional beating and no hostages are known to have been killed by pirates.

The drama underscored a need for new international agreements that would allow other countries to more effectively protect shipments in Somali waters and try pirates, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen told U.S. net work ABC’s "This Week".

The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement it "will be reviewing the evidence and other issues to determine whether to seek prosecution in the United States."

Pirates hijack US tugboat - Breaking news updates

2009-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

NAIROBI, Kenya — According to breaking news updates, the head of a Kenyan seafarers' program said Saturday that Somali pirates had hijacked an American-owned tugboat with 16 crew in the Gulf of Aden.

Nairobi-based Italian Ambassador Pierandrea Magistrati said he only could confirm that "there is a boat that has been hijacked, I believe by Somali pirates."

The hijacking took place as the American captain of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was still being held hostage on a lifeboat being watched by two U.S. warships.

The head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, Andrew Mwangura, said maritime industry sources had informed his organization that the Italian-flagged U.S. tugboat was towing two barges when it was attacked. He said it was unclear if the attack took place off the coast of Somalia or further north near Yemen. He said did not know what was on the barges.

Mwangura said the attack was launched around 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) Saturday.

More U.S. warships were trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to the lifeboat where the American captain was being held for a fourth day hundreds of miles from land, a diplomat said Saturday.

The Nairobi-based diplomat, who receives regular briefings on the situation, said the four pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips in a lifeboat under the close watch of U.S. warships some 380 miles off shore had tried to summon other pirates from the Somali mainland.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said that pirates had been trying to reach the lifeboat. A Somali who described himself as having close ties to pirate networks also said the pirates were trying to reach the lifeboat.

The Somali told The Associated Press that pirates had set out in four commandeered ships with hostages from a variety of nations including the Philippines, Russia and Germany. The diplomat told the AP that large pirate "motherships" and skiffs were heading in the direction of the lifeboat.

A second Somali man who said he had spoken by satellite phone to a pirate piloting a seized German freighter told the AP by phone Saturday that the pirate captain had reported being blocked by U.S. forces and was returning Saturday to the pirate stronghold of Harardhere.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, he said the pirate told him the ship was in sight of a U.S. Navy destroyer Saturday morning local time, received a U.S. warning not to come any closer and, fearing attack, left the scene without ever seeing the lifeboat.

A Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations said in Washington Saturday morning that there had been no developments overnight. He declined to comment on the report that the U.S. Navy had turned back the pirates.

The diplomat said from Nairobi that at least two American ships and U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft had been attempting to deter pirate ships and skiffs from contact with the lifeboat but he did not know if the pirates and Navy ships had come into contact.

The Somali man said the pirate also told him that two other commandeered ships from Taiwan and Greece that were trying to reach the lifeboat feared a showdown with the U.S. Navy and returned to Eyl, a port that serves as a pirate hub, on Friday night. It was not immediately possible to contact people in Eyl Saturday.

The Somali man said the fourth ship that had tried to reach the lifeboat was a Norwegian tanker that was released Friday after a $2 million ransom was paid. The owner of the Norwegian tanker Bow Asir confirmed Friday that it had been released two weeks after it was seized by armed pirates off the Somali coast, and all 27 of its crew members were unhurt.

Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was seized Wednesday when he thwarted the takeover of the 17,000-ton U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food aid for hungry people in Somalia, Rwanda and Uganda. He told his crew of 20 to lock themselves in a cabin, crew members told stateside relatives.

Phillips surrendered himself to safeguard his men. The crew later overpowered some of the pirates but the Somalis fled with the captain to an enclosed lifeboat, the relatives said.

The Alabama was heading toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa — its original destination — with 20 American crew members aboard. It was expected to arrive Saturday night, said Joseph Murphy, whose son is second-in-command of the vessel.

On Friday, Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat and tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured when a pirate fired an automatic weapon at or near him, according to U.S. Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the sensitive, unfolding operations.

Negotiations had been taking place between the pirates and the captain of the Bainbridge, who was getting direction from FBI hostage negotiators, the officials said.

Sailors on the USS Bainbridge, which has rescue helicopters and lifeboats, were able to see Phillips but at several hundred yards away were too far to help him. The U.S. destroyer is keeping its distance, in part to stay out of the pirates' range of fire.

The lifeboat has some gas and the ability to move, according to U.S. defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive details.

U.S. sailors saw Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the lifeboat, and the Defense Department officials said they think he is unharmed.

The Bainbridge was joined Friday by the USS Halyburton, which has helicopters, and the huge, amphibious USS Boxer was expected soon after, the defense officials said. The Boxer, the flagship of a multination anti-piracy task force, resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.

The vice president of the Philippines, the nation with the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates, appealed for the safety of hostages to be ensured in the standoff.

"We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured," said Vice President Noli de Castro. "Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries."

France's navy on Friday freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed.

France's defense minister promised an autopsy and investigation into the death of the hostage killed during the commando operation, which freed four other captives and was prompted by threats the passengers would be executed.

The pirates had seized the sailboat carrying Florent Lemacon, his wife, 3-year-old son and two friends off the Somali coast a week ago.

Two pirates were killed, and Lemacon died in an exchange of fire as he tried to duck down the hatch. Three pirates were taken prisoner in the operation, and are to be brought to France for criminal proceedings.

Piracy along the anarchic and impoverished Somali coast, the longest in Africa, has risen in recent years.

Somali pirates have been seizing ships with many hostages and anchoring it near shore, where they have quickly escaped to land and begun negotiations for multimillion-dollar ransoms.

They hold about a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a piracy watchdog group based in Malaysia. The bureau lists 66 attacks since January, not including the Alabama.

hostage recaptured - Somali pirates move to aid comrades

2009-04-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

MOGADISHU - As per breaking news updates, Pirates sailed a hijacked German freighter toward a lifeboat off Somalia early on Saturday to help four comrades holding an American ship captain hostage under the gaze of a U.S. destroyer.

Separately, French special forces stormed a yacht held by pirates elsewhere in the lawless stretch of the Indian Ocean in an assault that killed one hostage, but freed four others.

Two pirates were killed and three were captured.

More U.S. warships have been sent toward the lifeboat drifting in international waters off Somalia, where pirates have been holding American captain Richard Phillips since an attempt to hijack his ship, the 17,000-tonne, Danish-owned Maersk Alabama, on Wednesday.

Phillips apparently volunteered to get in the lifeboat with the pirates in exchange for the safety of his crew, who regained control of the ship, which is carrying food relief to Kenya.

Phillips leapt into the sea during the night and tried to swim away but at least one pirate quickly followed and he was hauled back onto the lifeboat, a U.S. official said.

"He didn't get very far," the official told Reuters.

Close by, the destroyer USS Bainbridge launched drones that monitored the incident and kept radio contact with the pirates. The Bainbridge, which is leading negotiations for Philips' release, is seeking a peaceful outcome to the standoff with the assistance of FBI experts, a U.S. official said.

The pirate gang holding Phillips remained defiant despite the arrival of U.S. and other naval ships in the area.

"We are not afraid of the Americans," one of the pirates told Reuters by satellite phone. "We will defend ourselves if attacked."

$2 MILLION RANSOM

The pirates are demanding $2 million for his release and a guarantee of their own safety, a pirate source said.

The source told Reuters from the Somali fishing port of Haradheere that another group who hijacked the 20,000-tonne German container vessel, the Hansa Stavanger, a week ago were heading to the scene of the standoff.

"Knowing that the Americans will not destroy this German ship and its foreign crew, they hope they can meet their friends on the lifeboat," said the pirate, who has given reliable information in the past but asked not to be named.

The German ship was seized off south Somalia between Kenya and the Seychelles and has a crew of 24.

Officials in Washington confirmed that reinforcements were nearby. The frigate USS Halyburton, equipped with guided missiles and helicopters, and a German frigate had arrived in the area of the standoff, they said.

The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, was also heading for the lifeboat's general area, mainly in case its medical facilities were required.

In France, the government stood by its raid to free the sailing boat, which was hijacked en route to Zanzibar last weekend with two couples and a 3-year-old child aboard.

"During the operation, a hostage sadly died," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office. But it said the president "confirms France's determination not to give into blackmail and to defeat the pirates.

LAWLESS WATERS

Phillips is one of about 270 hostages being held by Somali pirates preying on the busy sea-lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Somalia has suffered 18 years of civil conflict since warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and the international waters off the Horn of Africa have become some of the most dangerous in the world.

Last year there were 42 ship hijackings off Somalia, which disrupted shipping, delayed food aid to East Africa and raised insurance costs. Some cargo ships have been diverted to travel around South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal.

The hijackings brought a massive international response, with ships from the United States, Europe, China, Japan and others flocking to the region to protect the sea routes.

Maritime groups say the likeliest outcome from the U.S. hostage saga is a negotiated solution, possibly involving safe passage in exchange for the captive.

U.S. Somalia expert Ken Menkhaus said the best outcome would be for the German ship to be allowed to pick up Phillips and his captors and take them to shore, and for a ransom to be paid for the American.

"It would mean no loss of life and no risk to the lives of the other hostages. And at the end of the day an insurance company would be out $2 million -- probably just $1 million after negotiations," Menkhaus said.

Only Ransom posibilities may protect hostage Captain - Breaking Updates

2009-04-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

BOSTON — As per breaking news updates, an American hostage held by armed Somali pirates in a tiny lifeboat may be protected by a lucrative — and possibly growing — ransom on his life, experts said Friday.

But they also warned that the uniqueness of the high-stakes standoff could quickly change things.

The possible payout for Capt. Richard Phillips (Video Released) would be the pirates' top priority and could trump any desire for payback after his recent escape attempt, experts said. The 53-year-old Phillips jumped out of the boat Friday before being forced back in by automatic weapons fire.

The pirates are businessmen, not suicidal jihadists, said Scott Stewart, vice president for tactical analysis for Stratfor, a global intelligence company based in Austin, Texas.

"These are people who are trying to make money," Stewart said. "They want to survive this. They don't want to die, which is a good thing in the captain's favor."

Jamie Lynn DeCoster, a surface warfare Navy officer who has been on piracy patrols off the coast of Africa, said the international publicity and looming U.S. warships has ratcheted up the pressure on the pirates, but it could also drive up the ransom price.

Ultimately, the four pirates know they're responsible to superiors on land, who won't be as influenced by the warship guns pointed at their subordinates and may be eyeing a bigger payout than normal for a healthy Phillips, she said.

"If (the pirates) still need him, if they don't feel severely threatened, and they're still acting and making decisions in a rational matter, I believe that Capt. Phillips might be safer," said DeCoster, a student at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. "But we don't know. We don't know what they're thinking right now."

The volatile situation, including word of the escape attempt, has worn on Phillips' family in Underhill, Vt., said his brother-in-law, Tom Coggio.

"Now, this is just really taking a toll on all of us," said Coggio, speaking from his home in Richmond, Vt.

The captain's wife, Andrea Phillips, released a statement Friday through Maersk, her husband's employer.

"My family and I would like to thank our neighbors, our community, and the nation for the outpouring of support. We have felt the compassion of the world through your concern for Richard. My husband is a strong man and we will remain strong for him. We ask that you do the same," she said.

Coggion said when Phillips dove into the water, "maybe he saw a window of opportunity to get out of that lifeboat, which is basically a friggin' eggshell they're sitting in. Let's just hope that doesn't escalate things."

It's uncertain exactly what kind of lifeboat the pirates are in. Merchant Marine Rear Adm. Rick Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, said the lifeboats that cargo ships typically carry are covered, up to 28 feet long, and hold about two dozen people.

A lifeboat at the academy, which was built to similar specifications, had seats around the boat's inside edges and on a center console, which holds food and the engine. The fiberglass lifeboats are robust, Gurnon said, and built to turn back over if they capsize at sea. He added they "bob like a cork" and are extremely uncomfortable to ride in for any length of time.

Gurnon said he believes time is on the side of the U.S. Navy because exhaustion will set in as the pirates spend hours adrift in a cramped, hot lifeboat. The Navy will keep other pirate vessels away, depriving the Somalis of an escape route.

"I think the four pirates are frightened," Gurnon said. "I mean, they're looking down the barrels of some pretty angry American weapons. They've got one American hostage — they thought they had a good deal. Didn't turn out that way. They made a bad bargain, and they have no more cards to play."

Their only hope is keeping Phillips alive and turning him in, Gurnon said. "They have every motive to keep him alive and well. He's not worth anything dead."

Pirates Demand 2M Dollars for Captain Release - Breaking news updates

2009-04-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

NAIROBI, Kenya -- As per breaking news updates, Pirates holding an American ship captain hostage in a lifeboat off the coast of East Africa on Friday demanded $2 million for his release, maritime officials said, hours after the captain attempted a daring escape from his captors.

The American, Richard Phillips, jumped overboard into shark-infested waters but was quickly recaptured and brought back onto the lifeboat, a U.S. official said. In a statement released after the incident, the owner of Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, said that Phillips remained in contact with U.S. warships on the scene and appeared unharmed.

As U.S. officials continued to negotiate with the pirates for Phillips' release, the escape attempt was a sign that veteran captain was still in fighting shape after two days in captivity aboard a 28-foot lifeboat some 350 miles off the coast of Somalia.

In a separate incident involving another ship hijacked in the notoriously dangerous waters off Somalia, the French government said its navy on Friday freed a yacht that was captured over the weekend, but that one hostage had died in a gun battle between pirates and French special forces. Four other hostages were rescued unharmed. French forces killed two pirates and captured three others.

There was no sign the Pentagon was preparing to take such dramatic steps in the standoff involving Phillips, whose U.S.-flagged container ship was hijacked Wednesday in the first capture of a U.S. vessel in recent memory. The 20-man crew of the Alabama, which was carrying food aid to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, regained control of the ship from the four pirates, who took Phillips hostage.

With two U.S. naval vessels watching the situation - the USS Bainbridge, a guided missile destroyer, and the USS Halyburton, a guided missile frigate - the Pentagon was aiming for show of might that could force the pirates' hand. But U.S. officials denied reports in the Somali news media that the pirates were planning a confrontation by sending a flotilla of stolen vessels, including the hostages aboard, as their own reinforcements.

"I don't believe any (pirate ships) have been observed anywhere nearby the area in which we are operating right now. And we do have some sense of where they are," said the official, who has been following the situation closely but asked not to be further identified due to the delicacy of the situation.

He said a number of Somali "mother ships" were off the Somali coast, some with hijacked foreign vessels in tow. But none was making any attempt to intervene between the U.S. Navy and the lifeboat with the hostage and four pirates aboard.

The lifeboat, which has enough food and water for 10 days and a range of about 100 miles, was believed to be moving slowly toward the coastline of Somalia. But the official said the U.S. military had "clearly no intention to allow it go anywhere near shore or allow it closer to another vessel."

Still, some pirates appeared to be spoiling for a fight. Residents in Galkaayo, a town that serves as a base for pirate groups, said 20 pirates set off by road for the coastal town of Eyl in a convoy of 4-wheel-drive vehicles late on Friday night.

"We have to defend ourselves," said a pirate who joined the expedition, who identified himself only as Jamal. "We have to get back our guys. We have to fight to the end."

Experts said it was doubtful, however, that the pirates would attempt a dramatic confrontation with U.S. warships that could result in casualties. Maritime officials said their best option now was to give up Phillips in exchange for being allowed to return to Somalia.

"That's how it will end," predicted Andrew Mwangura, the director of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, who tracks piracy from Mombasa. "They have no bargaining power now. They don't have a ship, they don't have cargo, and they are surrounded."

The crew of the Alabama was reportedly sailing to Mombasa, its original destination, and was expected to arrive Saturday night, Mwangura said.

Display Ads - Microdoft, Yahoo Common Grounds

2009-04-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--As per breaking news, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) are at the table to discuss - yet again - a combination of their Internet businesses. A new twist: The possibility that Yahoo take over Microsoft's display advertising business.

On Friday, a person familiar with the situation said Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz had met to discuss potential partnership structures. A range of ideas were being discussed, though a full acquisition of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo is not among them, the person said.

An intriguing aspect of the new talks, which stem from discussions that started last year, is the concept of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft turning over its some of its display advertising operations to Yahoo, the leader in the Internet billboard market. This would likely be part of a broader collaboration that includes the much-larger search advertising market, where Yahoo and Microsoft trail far behind rival Google Inc. (GOOG).

The new wrinkle is tacit recognition the two companies have far more to gain by joining forces to battle Google than they stand to give up in terms of independence or control. Microsoft has a tiny share of both search and display advertising, but has the resources, technical capacity and will to take on Google because the company's ubiquitous software is the way many users will access Internet search.

And despite all its problems, Yahoo has an Internet brand that few companies can hope to match. It is still the largest player in the display advertising market.

Whether the two sides can cut a deal remains an open question. Since Microsoft's $47.5 billion unsolicited takeover offer collapsed last May, the relationship between the two companies has been guarded at best. Relations have thawed since co-founder Jerry Yang surrendered stewardship of Yahoo to Bartz in January. Investors, many of whom feel taking on Google individually is near impossible, are pushing the companies to collaborate.

Andrew Frank, an analyst at research firm Gartner, said a partnership between the companies would allow them to get the best of each others' businesses and technologies, while preventing needless duplication and competition. Some disciplines, like advertising sales, would naturally fall to Yahoo. Microsoft could better focus on its strengths like helping Internet publishers manage ad inventory.

Of course, a display deal wouldn't be a silver bullet for either company. Display advertising is less than a fifth of the $23.6 billion market for Internet advertising in the U.S. The big money is made in search advertising and the lion's share of it is being made by Google.

Still, a display deal may pave the way for a larger collaborative relationship that resolves both companies' thorny search problems.

Reward increased upto 250k Dollars by AT&T

2009-04-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

AT&T has increased its reward upto $250,000 for information that will help law enforcement arrest and convict vandals who cut the company's fiber-optic cables in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, the company said in its Twitter feed.

On Thursday, AT&T said it would offer a $100,000 reward for anyone who has information that could lead to the arrest or conviction of anyone involved in cutting the fiber.

Thousands of wireless, Internet, and landline phone customers were without service beginning at about 1:30 a.m. PDT on Thursday after vandals had cut four fiber-optic cables owned by AT&T. A cable in San Carlos, Calif., owned by Sprint Nextel, had also been severed about two later. But Sprint spokeswoman Crystal Davis said the company was able to reroute most of that traffic onto another fiber link and for the most part, service was not disrupted.

Wireless customers from almost every carrier were also without service, because AT&T's network is used to connect cell towers back to these carriers' respective national networks. Officials also said that residents in the San Jose/Santa Clara region were without emergency 911 service for much of the day.

AT&T said early Friday morning that service had been restored to all of its customers.

San Jose Police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said that the fiber cut appeared to be deliberate and the police department is treating it as a felony act of vandalism. The FBI has also been briefed on the case, although Lopez said that for now local officials are handling the investigation.

US lost chance to escape Captain hostage by Pirates

2009-04-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

As per breaking news updates, the US Navy missed a chance to rescue the American captain held by Somali pirates aboard a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean when he made a daring escape bid and jumped into the sea.

Captain Richard Phillips escaped through a back door in the covered lifeboat at around midnight local time and began swimming away in the dark, US officials said. At least one pirate jumped in after him and brought him back aboard the boat, which is drifting without fuel, before a nearby US destroyer, USS Bainbridge, could intervene.

The incident was captured on video by an overhead US drone. “He didn’t get very far,” one official said.

NBC News reported that several shots had been fired at Captain Phillips during the escape attempt, and that he had been seen being helped back into the lifeboat. The US Navy had asked for "proof of life" to establish that the American skipper was still alive but was not able to talk to him by radio, the network said.