tagged w/ Ransom
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A life-size fibreglass model of a pig was taken from outside a newsagents in Scotland. Shop owner Ryan Kirk has appealed for its safe return.
He has recently received a call demanding a £250 ransom before the pig is returned.
The pig, which stood outside the shop for around two years to advertise bacon rolls, has become an attraction in the local area.A life-size fibreglass model of a pig was taken from outside a newsagents in Scotland.... more
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ClareW
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added this
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3 years ago
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The infamous Somali pirates are threatening to kill the 20-man crew of the Ukranian ship they hijacked if NATO ships attack. A spokesman for the pirates Sugule Ali mocked comments by Tomex Team, the firm operating the MV Faina cargo ship, which said it has accumulated only $1 million toward the $20 million ransom the pirates initially demanded. "That is worthless," he said. "It would only pay for several nights' stay in a hotel!" He reiterated " ... if we die they will die too."The infamous Somali pirates are threatening to kill the 20-man crew of the Ukranian... more
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Somali pirates have accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast and are demanding an $8m ransom for the return of a Ukranian ship they captured, saying the money will go towards cleaning up the waste.
The ransom demand is a means of "reacting to the toxic waste that has been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20 years", Januna Ali Jama, a spokesman for the pirates, based in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, said.
"The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."
The pirates are holding the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and military hardware, off Somalia's northern coast.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, 61 attacks by pirates have been reported since the start of the year.
While money is the primary objective of the hijackings, claims of the continued environmental destruction off Somalia's coast have been largely ignored by the regions's maritime authorities.
Dumping allegations
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somalia confirmed to Al Jazeera the world body has "reliable information" that European and Asian companies are dumping toxic waste, including nuclear waste, off the Somali coastline.
"I must stress however, that no government has endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting alone are responsible," he said
The pirates are holding the MV Faina off Somalia's northern coast [Reuters]
Allegations of the dumping of toxic waste, as well as illegal fishing, have circulated since the early 1990s.
But evidence of such practices literally appeared on the beaches of northern Somalia when the tsunami of 2004 hit the country.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reported the tsunami had washed up rusting containers of toxic waste on the shores of Puntland.
Nick Nuttall, a UNEP spokesman, told Al Jazeera that when the barrels were smashed open by the force of the waves, the containers exposed a "frightening activity" that has been going on for more than decade.
"Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there," he said.
"European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of the waste, costing as little as $2.50 a tonne, where waste disposal costs in Europe are something like $1000 a tonne.
"And the waste is many different kinds. There is uranium radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy metals like cadmium and mercury. There is also industrial waste, and there are hospital wastes, chemical wastes – you name it."
Nuttall also said that since the containers came ashore, hundreds of residents have fallen ill, suffering from mouth and abdominal bleeding, skin infections and other ailments.
"We [the UNEP] had planned to do a proper, in-depth scientific assessment on the magnitude of the problem. But because of the high levels of insecurity onshore and off the Somali coast, we are unable to carry out an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem," he said.
However, Ould-Abdallah claims the practice still continues.
"What is most alarming here is that nuclear waste is being dumped. Radioactive uranium waste that is potentially killing Somalis and completely destroying the ocean," he said.
-More at link. Somali pirates have accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast... more
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Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for a Ukrainian ship they seized carrying 33 tanks and other military supplies to Kenya, a maritime official said.
"The gunmen are demanding $35 million to release the MV Faina and her crew," said Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
Kenya's military said they had not made contact with the Somali pirates holding the ship, local media reported.
The 21 crew members aboard the ship include 17 Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians.
Pirates have captured more than 30 vessels off Somalia this year, making its waters the most dangerous in the world and threatening a globally important shipping lane between Europe and Asia. The gangs seek, and often receive, large ransoms.
The Ukrainian ship, sailing under a Belize flag, is carrying 33 T-72 tanks as well as grenade launchers and ammunition bound for Kenya.
The haul is a significant seizure in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents have been fighting the government and its Ethiopian military ally for nearly two years.
Kenyan media reported that the pirates had warned against any rescue attempts. Kenya's government said it would not negotiate with pirates.
"We will endeavor to recover the hijacked ship and military cargo," a government statement said.
Russia's navy said it had sent a warship to Somalia's Indian Ocean coast to conduct anti-piracy patrols in the area.Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for a Ukrainian ship they... more
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A display gorilla robots outside the manufacturing plant of gorillarobots.com was stolen this weekend. ElectricPig reports that "The robot’s creator posted a YouTube video begging for the gorilla’s release and offering a $500 reward and received a response from the abductor via YouTube showing the gorilla robot safe." and demanding a million-dollar ransom with a sock puppet.
However, it turns out that the thief has since apologised, saying, “I didn’t know it’d be such a big deal,” and the gorilla has since been found in a field.
See vid for gorilla bot ad - what d'you mean you've never considered owning a robot gorilla? (you can even get them in hot pink)
CORRECTION: Apparently (according to a post below) the gorilla was actually kidnapped from a flea market in Maine, rather than from the factory itself.A display gorilla robots outside the manufacturing plant of gorillarobots.com was... more
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A neighborhood spat over dog droppings has resulted in a couple's prized statue of Jesus Christ being stolen from their yard, and a ransom note left in their mailbox.A neighborhood spat over dog droppings has resulted in a couple's prized statue... more
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