NEW DELHI: Japanese vessel MT Stolt Valor, that had been hijacked near the Gulf of Aden on September 15 with 22 crew, including 18 Indians, on board, was released on Sunday. The Stolt Valor crew also had one Bangladeshi, two Filipinos and one Russian. Chairman of NSFA said that all crew members are safe. Seema Goyal, wife of captain Prabhat Goyal onboard the ship, is said to have received the information from the company which owns the ship. Initial reports suggested that the demands of the pirates were met after prolonged negotiations. The Japanese company reportedly paid the ransom to the pirates. Soon after this news, Seema Goyal, who has been crusading for the early release of the Indians on board said, "I am so happy today. Finally the wait is over. I received a call from the company and Japanese officials today morning and they informed me that the pirates have released the ship, which was held in captive for over 2 months now." She further added, "The ship is on its way to Mumbai and will be around in the next 3-4 days. I am looking forward to the Indians coming back home. Meanwhile, I would like to thank TIMES NOW for supporting me and also all those who prayed for the early release." The seafarers on board MT Stlot Valor were held hostage by the pirates, who hijacked the cargo ship on September 15. The ship is owned by a Japanese company and managed by Fleet Marine Ltd in Mumbai. The hijackers had initially demanded a ransom of $6m for the release of the crew.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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