Ship Vanishes From English Channel

Pirates never made land after being released in inflatable boat

(NEWSER) - A group of Somali pirates seized by Russian forces and then freed never made it to land and are probably dead, according to Russian authorities. The pirates, captured after the Russian navy freed a hijacked oil tanker last week, were released hundreds of miles from shore in an inflatable boat with no navigational equipment, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman says radio signals from the boat vanished an hour afterwards. More»

One will be eliminated tomorrow, earlier than expected

(NEWSER) - The Canadian men’s hockey team squashed Germany, 8-2, tonight to advance to the quarterfinals of the Vancouver Olympic tournament—where the star-studded squad will face Russia in a matchup nobody expected this soon. Tomorrow’s meeting ensures one powerhouse will leave without a medal—a position the hosts put themselves in with their weekend loss to the US. More»

Mikhail Voitenko says he knows more than he can tell about Arctic Sea 's cargo

(NEWSER) - The Russian journalist who was first to report on the disappearance of the Arctic Sea cargo ship has fled the country after receiving threats, the Guardian reports. Mikhail Voitenko, who speculated that the ship may have been carrying a secret cargo of weapons or "something much more expensive and dangerous," says he received a call warning him that people were out for revenge and to leave the country. More»

(AP) - Russia's navy arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to West Africa, the defense minister said today. The suspected hijackers were detained by the naval vessel that found the Russian-crewed freighter yesterday off Cape Verde, thousands of miles from the Algerian port where it was supposed to dock two weeks ago. More»

(NEWSER) - The Russian ship that mysteriously disappeared nearly three weeks ago has been found off the West African coast, with all 15 crew members aboard, Russia’s defense minister announced today. The crew is now aboard the Russian frigate that found them. The defense minister said the crew was not under armed control when found, but declined to give any other details. More»