PIRACY RETURNS TO SOMALIA

A commercial Iranian fishing vessel has been hijacked off the coast of Somalia. It’s the first such incident in years, with piracy in decline in the region since the launch of EU naval patrols in 2008. While mainstream media brand Somali hijackers pirates, the root cause of the problem is often overlooked - overfishing, much of it by foreign ships, has destroyed local livelihoods, as has the dumping of toxic waste, including nuclear, off Somali shores. The hijackers of the Iranian vessel are demanding a large ransom. The EU naval mission says it will look into the incident, and there are allegations aired on Somali TV by people connected to the ship that Somali maritime police have been unresponsive.