On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, Yemen’s Defense Ministry informed the public, through their website, that a band of Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni cargo ship. The pirates are believed to be holding the nine crew members captive.

The cargo vessel was on its way to the port of Aden and was seized after sailing off from the Yemeni port of Mukalla. The Defense Ministry’s report, however, did not say when the ship was captured and what it was carrying.

According to reports, Yemen’s coast guard is now taking appropriate actions to get the ship released. The coast guard also said that it has information as to the location of the vessel – a northern Somali port.

Somali pirates heavily loaded with guns have increased their attacks in recent months. With all their hijackings combined, they have earned tens of millions of dollars from seizing ships sailing in the Indian Ocean, as well as in the Gulf of Aden, a place where 7% of the world’s oil cargo vessels pass. In fact, scores of attacks in 2008 and 2009 have caused countries to give millions of dollars for ransom payments and shipping insurance and other charges.

While there are foreign warships present around the location, these pirates operate in a wide area, which makes it difficult for them to be taken into custody.

Officials of the justice department announced that federal authorities and the local police arrested a Pakistani man believed to be the driver of the SUV used during a failed bomb attack on Times Square last May 1, 2010.

The Pakistani was identified as Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year old naturalized American citizen. He was taken into custody late on Monday, May 3, at the John F. Kennedy Airport while he was trying to fly to Dubai. It was also revealed that Shahzad recently got back from a trip to Pakistan.

According to reports, the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder used in the failed bombing attempt was purchased by the Pakistani from a woman in Connecticut. It was found in the middle of Times Square, and was loaded with propane, gasoline, fertilizer and fireworks.

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr said in a statement that investigations are ongoing, but they found strong evidence, enough to make the arrest. Holder added that the attempted terrorist attack was meant to kill Americans.

The previous owner of the SUV told authorities that the buyer looked Middle Eastern or Hispanic but could not remember his name. Agents disclosed only a few details about the suspect, Monday’s arrest and those involved in the failed bombing.

According to a joint statement released by the FBI, the NY Police Department, and the Manhattan United States Attorney’s Office, Shahzad is set to appear in a federal courtroom in Manhattan Tuesday to face charges.

The international aid group Red Cross announced on Tuesday, April 13, that an armed group kidnapped eight of their staff members in the eastern region of Congo.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the kidnap victims – one Swiss national and seven Congolese – were captured by the Mai Mai Yakutumba rebels near the town of Fizi in the province of South Kivu.

“The ICRC has been able to get in touch with some of our colleagues after the incident,” said spokesperson Marcal Izard, who refused to say if they have made contact with the kidnappers.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry stated that it has full knowledge of the situation and that it is working with the Red Cross, as well as with the Congolese authorities.

South Kivu is home to several Red Cross offices. This region, as with much of eastern Congo, is a place that has been ravaged by violence ever since the genocide incident in 1994 that happened in neighboring Rwanda.

The leader of ICRC’s mission in Congo, Franz Rauchenstein, said that their activities are carried out as a means of protection and assistance for the victims of armed conflict.

He further added that they will continue to impart their strictly neutral and humanitarian work, and hope that the kidnap victims will be able to return to their homes soon.

Many Red Cross staff members have become kidnap targets in other conflict areas in the past.

Military psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, shot and killed 13 people on Nov. 5 News at Fort Hood, Texas and injured 31 others.

After being first reported dead as a result of gunfire with an officer, Hasan is unconscious and hospitalized, NPR is reporting.

It was first believed that at least three people were involved in the shooting, but police now say there was only one, Hasan.

Hasan, a U.S.-born Muslim, was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being sent to Texas in July. Reports say he was upset about an upcoming deployment overseas.

Fort Hood, located near Killeen, Texas with about 40,000 troops, is home to the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division and elements of the 4th Infantry Division, as well as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 13th Corps Support Command.