Somali pirates threaten to blow up ship

Jason Zalasky/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Those pesky Somali pirates -- yet to get their payday as I incorrectly predicted last week -- have run out of patience. Pay us by Tuesday, the pirates are now saying, or we'll blow up the weapons-laden Ukranian tanker (shown at left) they've held hostage for several weeks.

The pirates' chutzpah is rather surprising, surrounded as they are by U.S. and Russian ships, watching to ensure the arms are not offloaded. Then again, there are hostages involved, and Somali pirates are heartier than you might expect. Thanks to them, shipping routes through the Suez canal have become some of the most dangerous in the world. 

I'll make my prediction again: When the pirates ask for ransom, the world will pay up.