The United Nations Security Council is urging all member nations to make piracy a crime. There have been a record 352 pirate attacks in 2011 alone, up 22 percent from last year. Pirates from Somalia, a hotbed of piracy, have been responsible for 199 attacks, 58 percent more than in 2010. Jon Manel of the BBC reports on the story of the personal impact of pirate attacks. South Africans Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz were captured a year ago as their boat travelled between Madagascar and Mozambique. They are still being held, and their family members are attempting to pay their ransom.

A pirate was killed in a hijack attempt earlier this week by an on-board security guard, and Somali pirate attacks are continuing to increase. But the effects of these attacks reach beyond the ocean to land, as piracy has been found to be linked to a housing bubble in Nairobi, Kenya.

We're looking at a confrontation between high-tech and low-tech in the waters off East Africa. Several thousand Somali pirates in speedboats are causing massive disruption in vital shipping lanes. But the U.S. military has a new use for a weapon now seeing frequent use in in Pakistan and Afghanistan: unmanned aerial drones. We speak to the BBC’s Will Ross, who witnessed a drone launch on the Seychelle Islands, off the coast of East Africa.

After the U.S. Navy rescued the captain of the Maersk Alabama (he was being held hostage by Somali pirates), one lone pirate survived. The teenager, Abduhl Wali-i-Musi, is being indicted this week on ten counts including piracy and kidnapping. He has been in a Manhattan jail since he was captured on April 12 and flown to the U.S. His arraignment is today. Joining The Takeaway to talk about the first piracy prosecution in the U.S. in more than a century is Ron Kuby. He’s a criminal defense lawyer who’s been consulting on the case on behalf of the defendant’s parents. He is also the host of "Doing Time with Ron Kuby," a talk show on Air America Radio.

The only Somali pirate that Americans can look to for justice in the hostage taking of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama was walked into a federal court in New York yesterday— with a smile on his face. Many wondered whether his smile was one of pride or simply that of a teenager struggling to grasp the situation he’s gotten himself into. Partially because no one is sure how old the Somali Pirate suspect actually is. While a Magistrate ruled yesterday that the suspect, Abduhl Wali-i-Musi is old enough to be tried in federal court. His age will be just one of many thorny issues among for prosecutors and his defenders to hash out in court. Helping us understand the legal issues in play is Neil Quartaro, a lawyer with the International Litigation group and an adjunct associate professor at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs where he teaches Maritime Law.

Here is a CBS News report on the pirate's day in court:

When President Obama gave the order to rescue Captain Richard Phillips who was being held hostage on a lifeboat after bandits seized his boat, the Maersk Alabama, U.S. military snipers jumped into action. Moments later Captain Phillips was freed. But even when there is a standing order to shoot when the right opportunity arises, there are still a lot of decisions that have to be made. For example, what exactly the phrase “right opportunity” means. Our next guests know the challenges of making split second decisions in very special operations. The Takeaway is joined by Bryan Adams, a former Army Sniper, and William Dennis Brown Jr., a former Navy Seal.

For more of The Takeaway's coverage of the Somalian pirates, click here.

After the five-day standoff with Somali pirates ended at dusk on Sunday, and the ship’s captain Richard Phillips was released, the nation breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief was felt with even more fervor in the town of Underhill, Vermont where Captain Phillips lives with his wife and children. Steve Zind, editor and reporter for Vermont Public Radio spoke with residents who felt like they knew Captain Phillips, even if they had never met him. He joins The Takeaway to talk about community reactions to the captain’s capture and release.

The world breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when the captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama was rescued unharmed from Somali pirates who had held him hostage for five days. But though this one prominent case is over, the crews of about twelve other ships—more than two hundred people—are still being held by Somali pirates, according to the watchdog group the International Maritime Bureau. Author and broadcaster Nick Rankin made a three-part report on pirates for the BBC last year. He joins The Takeaway with a look at the menace of piracy and its hold on our imaginations. Because despite the harsh reality of armed impoverished Somalis on lifeboats, from Pirates of the Caribbean to the Dread Pirate Roberts, Captain Hook to Treasure Island, there is something about the pirate life that captures our imagination.

For five long days Richard Phillips, the captain of the American cargo ship Maersk Alabama, was held captive on a lifeboat by Somali pirates. In a dramatic rescue yesterday U.S. Navy snipers freed him. The standoff was ended, but the bigger situation is far from over. Pirates are still holding a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members from countries around the globe. Add to that the fact that some maritime experts expect the number of pirate attacks around the Horn of Africa to actually increase after this capture. For an overview of the pirates' life we are joined by New York Times reporter Scott Shane.

For more, read Scott Shane's article In Rescue of Captain, Navy Kills 3 Pirates in today's New York Times.

The Somali pirates seized an American cargo ship a few days ago and while the rest of the crew escaped and took control of the ship, the captain, is still being held prisoner in a small lifeboat. As FBI hostage negotiators rush to the scene off the Somali coast and U.S. Navy destroyer attempts communications with the pirates, more ships are moving into the area. The captain attempted an escape, but the bandits were able to re-capture him before he could reach the Navy vessel. For the latest we turn to the BBC's Africa Editor Mary Harper. We are also joined by Wangari Mathai, the Nobel Prize winning peace activist who can provide an African perspective on the pirates' actions.

Contributor's Note :

When Somali pirates seized a giant Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star, last November, I managed to get a hold of a phone number to call them. But every time I rang them, they would put the phone down as soon as I said I was from the BBC. I became so obsessed with calling them that I programmed their number into my mobile phone so that I could ring them anytime, from anywhere. My twelve year old daughter had seen me repeatedly ringing the pirates, and one day, when we were stuck in a long traffic jam, she asked if she could try. I refused, but she eventually wore me down, and I gave her the phone. She pressed P for Pirates and...the phone rang, and a bizarre conversation ensued between her and a pirate. This opened a crucial door, and the next day I was able to get a real scoop by interviewing not only the pirate, but the captain of the ship who had been taken hostage. All thanks to my daughter, who insisted on dialing P for pirates. — Mary Harper, BBC's Africa Editor

Here is the AP's report on the current status of the hostage situation:

After a group of Somali pirates seized a freighter sailing under an American flag, the U.S. navy and the FBI have moved in to negotiate for the captain's freedom. The captain is being held hostage in a small life boat after the rest of the crew was released. The New York Times' East Africa Bureau Chief, Jeffrey Gettleman has been following the dramatic twist and turns of the crimes of the Somali pirates for months now and he joins us from the scene of their latest hijacking.

For more from the New York Times, read the article, Navy Tracking Pirates and Their U.S. Hostage.

Here's the AP report on the American crew taking back the vessel from the pirates: