Somali pirates demand millions for hijacked ship. Somali pirates, who on Thursday hijacked a Ukrainian ship headed to Kenya, are now demanding $20 million, down from an earlier request for $35 million. The ship was transporting tanks and weapons to Mombasa (a Kenyan port) when the pirates took control of the ship near the coast of Somalia, reports CNN. Ukraine had sold the weapons (including 33 tanks, grenade launchers) to Kenya. The Kenyan government hasn’t had any contact with the pirates; the only way their demands have been made public is through interviews with the media. “The pirates are very clever and well-connected. They know the importance of using the media to put forward their side of the story,” said Rashid Abdi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. But a Kenyan official warned the media against giving the hijackers attention. The media is “being used by terrorists who, on realizing they cannot get away with their plunder, are trying to draw attention from their criminal acts. Do not empower them by giving them the publicity they seek,” the government spokesman told CNN. Although the ship, Faina, is from Ukraine, members of the hijacked crew include citizens from Ukraine, Russia and Latvia. Pirates reportedly told town elders that one of the crew members died due to high blood pressure problems.

AIDS activists happy about Dr. Garlic’s demotion. Not too long after he was sworn in as president Thursday, South African leader Kgalema Motlanthe demoted the nation’s health minister to another position in the cabinet, reports CNN. AIDS activists couldn’t be happier. The former health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, gained her unpopularity (and the nickname “Dr. Garlic”) because she pushed remedies like garlic, lemon, and olive oil for the nation’s AIDS patients, instead of manufactured medicine. Members of an AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign, were so excited that they threw a party outside Parliament. They also held a news conference praising the decision Friday.

TAGS: 20 million, AIDS, Dr. Garlic, hijack, Motlanthe, pirates, somali, South Africa

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