Greater ransoms to be paid to Somalian pirates 2010-RF Sailors Union.

MOSCOW, February 6 (Itar-Tass) -- The overall sum of ransoms that ship
owners will have to pay to Somalian pirates this year for the release of
ships taken hostage may prove far greater than the 60 million dollars the
sea robbers managed to collect in 2009, the Russian Professional Sailors'
Union said in a statement this week.

In the middle of January, the release
of the oil tanker The Maran Centaurus with 28 crew on board, according to
unconfirmed sources, cost a record ransom of 5.5 million to 7 million
dollars, the sailors' trade union recalls.
"Now for the release of Britain's The Asian Glory with a cargo of
Korean cars the pirates have demanded a ransom of 15 million dollars.
There are 25 crew members on board," the sailors' union says.
The statement quotes some unconsoling statistics available from the
International Maritime Bureau for last year. According to the IMB, the
Somalian pirates seized 47 ships and tried to attack 217 others. A total
of 867 sailors were kept hostage.
Up to 20,000 ships sail across the Gulf of Aden every year. On the
average an attack by pirates lasts 10-20 minutes. The ship is either
seized, or the attempt is dropped. "As a rule, if pirates manage to rise
on board, the crew and the ship may be regarded as seized," the Russian
Professional Sailors' Union says.


.'Orange authorities will have to cash the cheque Feb 7'-Yanukovich.


KIEV, February 6 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukrainian presidential candidate
Viktor Yanukovich, the leader of the Party of Regions, is certain that
February 7 will be "the day for the orange authorities to cash the cheque."
"The hour of our victory is drawing near," Yanukovich told a crowd of
many thousands in Mikhailovskaya Square in Kiev on Friday. "The five
years of orange rule have persuaded the people that they cannot go on
living like this. On January 17 a majority voted for new Ukraine, without
the 'orange ones.' We have watched them pull the country apart for five
years. When Timoshenko is dishing out promises of a sweet life, she is
doing so because she is reluctant to be brought to account for what she
has done to the country. She forgets she has been in power for all those
years. Now it is the time to pay for everything they have done. The people
will show them 'the red card.' This red card will send them into
retirement on political pension."
The gala show in front of the crowd featured Ukraine's leading
performing artists. It was interrupted several times for video linkups
with Ukraine's regions.
Donetsk was the first to speak its mind.
"You have given us hope, we do believe in your victory. Donetsk will
not let you down on February 7," supporters in Yanukovich's hometown
chanted.
The mayor of industrial Kharkov, Mikhail Dobkin, told a large crowd he
was certain about Yanukovich's victory.
"We shall not let anyone disrupt the elections. The truth and Our Lord
are with us."
The Black Sea port city of Odessa, famous for its keen sense of humor
and hilarious jokes for many decades - before, during and after the Soviet
era - invited Yanukovich to pay a visit within days, but at the same time
warned he would be let in only in one capacity - that of Ukraine's
president.
"The hours of 'orange rule' are numbered," the rally in Odessa said.
The demonstration in Dnepropetrovsk recalled that in that city, the
hometown of Yulia Timoshenko (Yanukovich's rival in the runoff), 90
percent of the votes were cast against her in the first round.
"We do not believe her promises. Five years of devastation are all in
the past. Dnepropetrovsk is voting for its future, it is voting for
Yanukovich," the demonstrators said.
Uzhgorod, in Western Ukraine, traditionally seen as a citadel of
'orange' politicians, seems to be changing its political likes and
dislikes.
"Transcarpathia has made its choice. Yanukovich is our president,"
demonstrators in that city square were chanting.


.Feb 7 to prove crucial day for Ukraine's history - Timoshenko.


KIEV, February 6 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukrainian presidential candidate,
Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, on the last day of the election campaign
urged her fellow Ukrainians to "not stay idle to the future of the
country" and go and vote in the presidential election runoff on February 7.
"This day is going to be a key one for the future history of Ukraine,"
Timoshenko said in a statement on three television channels Friday evening.
Timoshenko promised that in case of her victory she would "restore
order to the country and never place her responsibility at somebody else's
door."
"Worthy people must be appointed to state posts, to senior posts in
the law enforcement," she said.
Timoshenko addressed the fellow citizens with words of apology and
asked them to forgive her for failing to accomplish everything that was
promised during the massive street demonstrations of five years ago.
"This page is to be turned. I shall be answerable to the people,"
Timoshenko said. "Today we are at a crossroads again, just as we were five
years ago. I do not want to see us return to the past. I would like a
civilized choice to be made once and for all," Timoshenko said.
When Viktor Yushchenko and his orange team emerged the winner in those
elections, said Timoshenko, she thought that 'the point of no return' had
remained behind, but today, on the eve of the runoff the country is faced
with the very same choice.

-0-str


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