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MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Attacks on shipping by increasingly sophisticated Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean reached record levels in the first nine months of the year, the International Maritime Bureau says. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/11/08/Somali-pirate-attacks-hit-record-level/UPI-41821320782638/#ixzz1dBajDBfX

ROME, Oct. 10, 2011 (Reuters) — An Italian ship came under attack by five pirates off the coast of Somalia on Monday, its owner said, and one pirate said the vessel was under their control.

"I have seen that the main building of the ministry is all destroyed. I have seen some cars burning. I have seen some soldiers dead and laying on the ground. I have seen some shocked people. I have seen some relatives crying. I have seen some wounded people running and seeking for help. I genuinely feel, it is the worst incident I have seen here in Mogadishu," a BBC journalist said.

"The Arab world, buffeted by political upheaval triggered in January in large part by rising food prices, is facing a new round of food shortages."

This has been on our map for some time. I started writing about it at my old blog in 2007. The bottom line is that as more navies from more nations cram themselves into a pretty small body of water to protect their oil supplies coming through Hormuz, sooner or later a real shooting war is going to break out. It's like tying a bunch of wet cats up in a burlap sack. -- MCR

Climate change taking a tragic toll in human suffering and death.

Pirate attacks climbed 36 percent in the first half of the year as the number of attempts off Somalia in East Africa rose to a record.

The Horn of Africa faces famine as the area experiences the worst drought in 60 years.

Somali pirates aren't content just floating around in their fishing boats, looking for victims. These days, pirates off the Horn of Africa are turning to a sophisticated mix of weaponry, jury-rigged GPS devices and ingenious hacks of shipping-industry databases to hunt down prey. The resulting technology isn't just fascinating — it also has a real impact on foreign millitaries who are fighting piracy. In addition to random attacks on cargo and passenger ships, Somali pirates are increasingly relying on the use of GPS systems, satellite phones, and open-source intelligence such as shipping industry blogs in order to figure out the location of ships. Much of the technological infrastructure used by the pirates is allegedly located in the Somali city of Eyl, which has been described as the "piracy capital of the world."