Pirates stormed a French luxury yacht carrying 30 crew members today off the coast of Somalia, according to AP reports. The attackers seized Le Ponant in the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, as it was returning without passengers from the Seychelles. replica Technomarine watch The 288-foot vessel has four decks, two restaurants, and several luxury lounges, and can hold up to 64 passengers. Pirates attacked more than two dozen ships last year off the coast of Somalia, a violence-torn region with a highly unstable transitional government. The U.S. Navy has led international anti-piracy patrols in the area. Global pirate attacks rose 10 percent in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau.--Emily Matchar
The worlds leading car-makers got the go-ahead to build eco-cars inThailand, a proposition worth some $688 million for a country worriedabout losing its footing in the evolving automobile industry, according to the AFP. Last year, Thailand wooed car-makers with serious tax breaks for thosewilling to produce “green” cars in the country. Noting the leapfrogginggas prices and rising demand for fuel efficient cars (Toyota Priussales replica Tissot watch increased by almost 70 percent in 2007), Thailand’s governmentgrew concerned that its position as the global leader in lightweighttruck manufacturing was not enoughto secure a place in the future of auto-manufacturing. Under the deal,Toyota, Volkswagen, Tata, and Mitsubishi will set up local productionbases, turning out hundreds of thousands of cars that run on 20 percentethanol fuel and meet the strictest European emissions standards.Although they expect 90 percent of the cars to be exported, Thailandsgovernment slashed sales tax on fuel efficient models byhalf—significantly raising the little-car demand in a country otherwiseobsessed with huge trucks and SUVs.
Brazil has had to call in the military to deal with an epidemic of dengue fever that has sickened more than 45,000 people and killed 67. Now, at least one Brazilian official is considering asking Cuba for help with the crisis, which is centered around the state of Rio de Janeiro, reports CNN. The government has already set up emergency hydration stations and sent out insecticide-spraying vehicles to kill the mosquito that spreads dengue. replica Corum watches Dengue fever, found in most tropical and subtropical parts of the world, is sometimes known as bone break fever because of the intense joint pain and headaches accompanying infection. While the disease is rarely fatal, about five percent of sufferers come down with a severe hemorrhagic variety which can lead to death. There has been some concern recently that dengue may be spreading to more temperate climates due to global warming - a virus similar to dengue, never before seen in Europe, popped up in Italy last summer.--Emily Matchar
