Rise in Piracy off Somalia Expecte
Following the region’s monsoon season, piracy off of the Somali coast is expected to rise, says the Combined Maritime Forces. The group told sea crews to actively use safety measures by using certain routes and letting the European Union’s security center know when they’re traveling, CNN reports. “The prior preparation and vigilance of merchant mariners at all times of day and night is more important now than ever,” an official from the task force said. “While our ability to deter and disrupt attacks has improved over time, we are constantly adapting the way we do our business as the pirates adapt and modify their tactics.” Security forces from all over the world are patrolling the waters and will assist in battling pirates, CNN reports. In recent months pirates in the region have been kidnapping crews and demanding ransoms at an alarming rate.
 
Guyanan Authorities Bring Arson Charges
Two people have been charged in connection with a fire that destroyed Guyana’s health ministry building, the BBC reports. The arson, which occurred earlier this month, was planned by a group of people who are anti-government, according to the police commissioner, though no particular group has been named. Health records and important offices were ruined in the blaze. Two other people, possibly connected to the arson, escaped from custody. An officer was arrested as a result of the incident.

Fighting in Nigeria Kills at Least 39
Fighting between armed forces and Islamist militants killed at least 39 people in Nigeria, the BBC reports. Men from the militant group, Boko Haram (“Western education prohibited,” translated in English), attacked a Bauchi police station with guns and explosives, and security forces fought back by attacking a nearby settlement, according to reports. The militants attacked the station because of the arrest of some of the group’s leaders, one Boko Haram member told Reuters. The group wishes to “clean the system, which is polluted by Western education and uphold Sharia [Islamic law] all over the country,” he said. As a result of the conflict, police say that more than 150 people have been arrested.

Glum Findings on Africa’s Gay Male HIV Rate
In some African nations, the HIV rate among gay men is 10 times higher than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a report. Discrimination and prejudice against gays in these nations are behind the problem, the research, which was published in the medical journal The Lancet said. There is “profound stigma and social hostility at every level of society concerning either same-sex behaviors amongst me or homosexuality,” Adrian Smith, one of the lead researchers, told the BBC. The prejudice makes gays “extremely hard to reach.” To make matters worse, a lot of the HIV-positive gay men have female sex partners who are also becoming infected. The men often “hide their sexual orientation” so they can get married and are unaware of the risks of unprotected sex. “Most of them know that you can contract HIV/AIDS or any infection when you are making sex with women, but not when you are having sex with another man,” George Kanuma, a Burundi gay rights activist told the BBC. More HIV education and prevention resources are needed on the continent, the report says.

 Guyana Authorities Probe Suspicious Fire
The early morning fire, which burned down Guyana’s Minstry of Health Friday, is still being investigated by authorities in the Caribbean nation, reports the BBC. It took only minutes for the wooden building to go up in flames, according to eyewitnesses. Police are not giving many details, but they say there were fire-starting tools taken from the scene, and at least one government official is suspecting foul play. “It appears to me from all that I’m hearing is that it is a clear case of arson,” the nation’s Health Minister Leslie Ransammy told the BBC.