Four U.S. hostages were shot dead on a private yacht last Tuesday. The incident was the deadliest yet involving Americans who were kidnapped for ransom in the extremely dangerous coasts off Somalia.

The hostages were shot by the pirates before Special Forces from America boarded the vessel, according to a statement from the U.S. military.

The U.S. troops took control of the ship and killed two pirates. Fifteen other pirates were found on the site and were taken into custody. The military said the U.S. Special Forces found two dead pirates when they arrived. However, the pirates were not slain by the U.S. forces.

According to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the government of United States was deeply upset and saddened by the death of four kidnapped American citizens. The murder was a terrible act that emphasized the need for more worldwide collaboration against pirates.

Although pirate gangs usually target big merchant ships with oil tankers as the prize, kidnapping foreigners gets them even higher ransoms. At the end of January, there were about 750 pirate hostages.

The American hostages killed on Tuesday were Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay from Seattle, as well as Jean and Scott Adam who are from California.

On Tuesday morning, negotiations had already been under the way with the pirates. But, U.S. military said a pirate fired a grenade at the guided-missile USS Sterett without any warning. Then, gunfire burst out on the pirated vessel.

Head of U.S. naval forces in the region Vice Admiral Mark Fox said they intended to go through a negotiated process and to never reach a point where there would actually be gunfire.

People looking for cheap airfares to travel this summer might need a bit of luck to find them. Currently, airlines are holding back their great deals and discounts durring most summer travel periods. However, they are already giving out astounding bargains for both international and domestic flights this spring.

Delta Air Lines offered the lowest cost for round trip tickets to some European cities last Tuesday. Taxes where even included in the $138 airfare. Within a few hours, the offer was gone. This led some experts to say it was an error in pricing.

Lufthansa also mistakenly priced its flights without fuel surcharges, according to George Hobica, the founder of airfarewatchdog.com, which is a travel advice website. Again, the low-priced fares did not last long.

Although some seat sales for spring flights are unexpected and difficult to find, most of them are rather easy to spot. Discounts for flight fares often occur from Tuesday until Thursday. In fact, Southwest Airlines and other airlines offered a $138 round trip flight to many U.S. destinations.

According to Tom Parsons from the travel website, BestFares.com, airlines usually promote a lot of sales. However, the discounts right now are limited to travel flights before the month of May. He said travelers should find an airline that will extend a sale into summer, and when they do, their credit cards should be ready.

The CEO of FareCompare.com, Rick Seaney said round trip fares are expected to increase to $250 since airlines are not yet giving discounts for summer trips. He said airlines usually give bargains three months before the start of summer vacation to measure the demand on travel.

Last summer, air fares rose as travel demand increased. Airlines strictly controlled the number of seats and flights. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts that more people will be travelling this year than last year.

Dwayne Wade made an outstanding performance with the most points of 31 in the first half of their game. He finished with a total of 41 points to help Miami Heat beat Indiana Pacers to a score of 110-103 last Tuesday night.

The point guard also made 12 rebounds for Miami, who just leaped back from a defeat last Sunday against Boston. LeBron James made 27 points overall, 10 points of which were scored in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh scored additional 22 points, including eight rebounds.

For the Pacers, Roy Hibbert made 18 points while Tyler Hansbrough scored additional 16 points for the team. Indiana Pacers, under the short-term coach Frank Vogel, won seven out of nine games. Their losses came from their two fights against Miami Heat.

The first half was actually led by Miami with 24 points. They lost their lead, but retrieved it for good in the last quarter. With only six minutes left to play, James made a dunk to give Miami a 2-point lead. He threw a basket close to Hibbert, but scored when it tipped in to bring Miami’s lead further to 99-94. Then, the rest of the game was led by Miami.

Wade ended the first quarter with 22 points. It was the most points he scored in a quarter this season. Also, Miami made 41 points at the end of the period. It was the highest points Heat have managed to finish in a quarter, as well as the largest point differential the team have achieved in a quarter this season.

The administration of China instructs makers of TV shows and films to regulate the extent of smoking shown on-screen. This is an effort pushed by the government to control the use of tobacco in the country considered as one of the world’s biggest cigarette consumers.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television posted the announcement on their website last Tuesday. It directs producers to lessen the plots that involve tobacco or scenes that show someone smoking.

According to the given directives, they can use tobacco or depict scenes of people smoking only when needed such as for the purpose of art or character development.

Individuals under 18-years old are not allowed to be presented on screen while smoking or purchasing tobacco. In addition, other characters in the film or TV show are not allowed to smoke in public places or buildings where cigarettes are strictly prohibited.

Actors, directors, and producers are highly discouraged from using tobacco and other forms of smoke when creating films, TV ads and commercials. The government of China has put forth serious efforts to regulate and limit the use of cigarettes.

Over the past years, China had been controlling the use of tobacco in their country. They are banning advertisements on tobacco, as well as prohibiting cigarette companies from sponsoring major sporting events in the country.

In China, smoking adults make up 30 percent of the population. This means there are roughly 300 million people in the country who are smoking. Smoking is also a major contributor to the million deaths in China every year.