Haggling over the details

Well, it seems the pirates of Somalia won't get quite the bounty they were hoping for over the vessel they nabbed that came out of Ukraine. MV Faina, was carrying weapons, tanks and artillery shells to Kenya when the vessel and its crew of 21 Ukrainians was seized on Sept. 25 and has been surrounded by U.S. Navy vessels since shortly thereafter. It seems that there has been some fighting amongst the pirates themselves, with three of them shot dead by their own. While their original asking price was $35 million for the vessel's release, it seems they may have to make do with a mere $1.5 million on the deal. Further, they are haggling over the turnover of the ransom. According to a spokesman for the pirates, the release of the vessel "is just a matter of time and a few technicalities." The pirates, it seems, are trying to avoid a repeat of their experiences with the French (yes the FRENCH!) who not only stormed seized yachts but followed the pirates into Somalia. Arrgg! Good luck with that mates.

In the aftermath

Mata Bharat is in a righteously foul mood, and with good reason. Indian Home MInister Shivraj Patil and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan have resigned in the immediate aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai that has left 183 people dead and about 300 wounded. It has also wounded the already bad relations between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani government denies involvement and at this early stage in the investigation it is unknown if the Pakistani government either backed or had knowledge of the attacks.

At this point the particulars seem clear, terrorists claiming to be members of a group called the Deccan Mujahideen hijacked a boat, and with a great deal of planning and precision targeted two luxury hotels and a Jewish community center in an area that was known to be frequented by western visitors. Evidence currently points to an origin in Pakistan and that their plan was in fact to create indescriminate murder and carnage.

The current questions are what did Indian authorities know, when did they know it, why didn't they do anything, and what are they going to do to prevent another incident like this in the future? What also seems clear is the inadequacy of India's police and homeland security apparatus which appears to be undertrained, underequipped, and underfunded. Whomever replaces the Home Minister, I'm sure there are plenty of Indians who might prefer it if the next person in the position were the avatar of Maa Durga.

Citigroup, come on down!

The newest winner in the U.S. Government's Bailout Sweepstakes is Citigroup. The bank and federal regulators hammered out a deal that will back loans and securities to the tune of $306 billion and putting another $20 billion directly into the company. Under the deal, the U.S. Government will buy 254 million shares at $10.61 each, which could generate a profit if Citigroup's stocks ever go up again. Now the $64,000 question is why Citigroup and not the Big 3 auto makers? Good question, and some are mulling that one over. Detroit just didn't have a winning entry in this gameshow.

Sirius business

The next time you feel the pain at the pump, The Pirates of East Africa may very well be to blame. This time they've tagged a Saudi-owned Sirius Star, an oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil. A multinational force patrolling the waters failed to prevent the seizure of the vessel and it's on its way to the Somali city and pirates den of Eyl, where a lot of people are going to be getting really excited. The vessel is reputedly three times the size of an aircraft carrier. This marks an expansion in pirate activities, an increased boldness of attacks and adaptation of tactics on a level unseen before now. The next time you get pinched at the pump, it may be Capt. Jack Sparrow instead of NuStar Energy LP that's really to blame.

Iraqi Legal

The Iraqi cabinet finally passed a pact regarding U.S. troops deployed there. The agreement provides a continued legal means for U.S. forces to operate in Iraq after the U.N. resolution expires at the the end of 2008 and includes the following terms:

* calls for troops to be out of all cities and towns by June 30, 2009;

* calls for all troops to be out of the country all together by Dec. 31, 2011;

* U.S. soldiers will be granted continued legal immunity except in cases of serious felonies committed while off duty and off the base; and

* American soldiers will have to get court-issued warrants to make arrests, and they will have to hand over suspects to Iraqi authorities.

The Brits are waiting for the U.S. pact to go through before negotiating their own pact with the Iraqis. But the Iraqi parliament will get the U.S. agreement and will have to pass it before going on their Thanksgiving break. Gee, thanks.