pictures – Page 21 – 4VF News

Despite Naval Patrols, Somalia’s Pirates Are Busier Than Ever

Just when shipping companies thought it was safe to go back in the water — off the Horn of Africa in particular — Somali pirates last week nabbed two large chemical tankers within 24 hours, despite the presence of a bevy of Western and other navies prowling in search of the buccaneers. The Greek-owned MV Nipayia was snagged last Wednesday, followed within a day by the capture of the Norwegian-owned MV Bow-Asir. The attacks, which occurred at 380 and 490 nautical miles offshore, showed a willingness by the pirates to operate at great distances from their lairs along the Somali coastline

Will a Spanish Judge Bring Bush-Era Figures to Justice?

Chile’s Pinochet. Argentina’s Scilingo

Three Mile Island at 30: Nuclear Power’s Squandered Potential

If the Three Mile Island atomic reactor near Harrisburg hadn’t melted down 30 years ago this Saturday…well, there probably would have been an accident somewhere else. The entire U.S

Eerie figure haunts Scottish castle

The figure peers down silently from an upper floor of the ruins of a Scottish castle, wearing what looks like an outfit from the Middle Ages. Could this be a long-dead Scottish earl, or just a random, modern-day visitor? The eerie image is captured in a photograph taken by tourist Christopher Aitchison in May 2008 at Tantallon Castle, which sits on a rocky outcrop along the Scottish coast, east of Edinburgh.

Belarus: Can Europe Really Change the Continent’s ‘Last Dictatorship’?

Belarus is in many ways a post-Soviet nation in name only. Its state security service is still called the KGB and the iron-fisted rule of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has led the U.S

Behind South Africa’s Snub of the Dalai Lama

Nobody ought to have been surprised that South Africa chose to heed China’s concerns and deny a visa to the Dalai Lama — not because of the South African government’s poor record of responding to human-rights crises in its own neighborhood, but because of China’s growing diplomatic influence and assertiveness thanks to its status as the great hope of an ailing world economy.

Spain’s Withdrawal from Kosovo Angers Allies

For a moment there, it was all going so well. A mix of skillful politicking and outright begging had netted Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero a place at the G20 table next month

Another Reason to Visit Switzerland: Hiking in the Nude

Baby, it’s cold outside. But the early spring chill doesn’t deter Thomas B. from taking a brisk walk along Appenzell’s hilly trails to enjoy the green landscape of this rural canton in northeast Switzerland.

A New Book Reveals Why China Is Unhappy

After surpassing Germany to become the world’s third-largest economy behind the U.S. and Japan, hosting a successful Olympic Games and conducting its first space walk, you’d think China would be happy

Austria Hastens to Close the Book on Ugliest Abuse Case

The moment that changed the course of Josef Fritzl’s trial was the unexpected arrival in court of his victim. Having initially pleaded not guilty to some of the charges in the case arising from his 24-year incarceration and repeated rape of his daughter in a squalid dungeon beneath his home, Fritzl reportedly broke down and wept when Elisabeth Fritzl, now 42, took the stand to testify against him