Somali pirates on hijacked ship exchange gunfire with naval forces

Eight men, all from Sri Lanka, have been held captive on their oil tanker, the Aris 13, by Somali pirates since Monday.  By Tuesday evening, it was confirmed that the pirates on board intend to demand a ransom for the safe return of the vessel and its crew – but the situation continued to deteriorate […]

Cartel Violence: 250 human skulls found in mass grave in Mexico

A mass grave was recently discovered in the Mexican state of Veracruz containing more than 250 human skulls that all appear to have been the victims of cartel violence in recent years. “For many years, the drug cartels disappeared people and the authorities were complacent,” Jorge Winckler, the state attorney general, said in a television […]

Russian military set to absorb rebel fighters inside restive Georgian region

The Russian government, under the direction of Vladimir Putin, has drawn up orders to bring separatist forces inside the country of Georgia under the control of the Russian military. The separatist forces in question reside in the region of South Ossetia, a long-contested area on Georgia’s northern border with Russia, and one of the sites […]

Pirates demand ransom for 8 men held on captured oil tanker

A group of armed Somali pirates who seized control of the oil tanker Aris 13 on Monday are demanding a ransom be paid for the ship and its eight man crew, according to the European Union-led anti-piracy operation in the region. According to the EU naval force handling the situation, contact was finally made with the […]

Senators introduce bill to increase visas for Afghans who helped U.S. forces

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation on Wednesday that would allot 2,500 more visas for Afghan citizens that supported American efforts in the war on terror.  If passed, the visas will be available to Afghans who served as interpreters or in other support functions. Last week, the American State Department announced that they would soon run […]

US to charge two Russian spies in Yahoo hacking case

In 2014, a group of hackers made off with the account information for 500 million Yahoo users, gaining access to their e-mails and other Yahoo applications.  At the time, it was the largest disclosed data breach in history.  On Wednesday, the Justice Department is moving to indict those responsible, including two criminal hackers, and two […]

China warns of arms race after U.S. deploys missile defense in South Korea

HONG KONG — The United States said on Tuesday that it had begun deploying an advanced and contentious missile defense system in South Korea, prompting China to warn of a new atomic arms race in a region increasingly on edge over North Korea’s drive to build a nuclear arsenal. The American announcement came a day […]

Pirates seize control of tanker off the coast of Somalia

According to reports, pirates have seized control of an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia with eight crew members on board. The tanker’s crew sent out a distress signal on Monday evening, indicating that the ship was being approached by high-speed boats.  The status of the crew, composed of eight Sri Lankans, is currently […]