Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

NEWS ABOUT: pirates

Somali Pirates Demand $7M Ransom for UK Couple

Paul and Rachel Chandler went missing a week ago

(Newser) - The British couple abducted from their yacht at gunpoint are being held for $7 million ransom, a rep for the Somali pirates who kidnapped them said today. Paul and Rachel Chandler went missing a week ago in the Indian Ocean. "NATO operations had a lot of negative impact here,... More »

How Skulls Took Over Fashion

Once scary, now stylish, skulls are trendy—and not just at Halloween

(Newser) - Skulls, once seen as sinister symbols, are now used on everything from children's shirts to underwear. Sara Dickerman of Slate takes a look at how the trend developed:
  • In the 16th century, artists like Albrecht Dürer were still using skulls to remind people of their mortality.
  • French pirate Emanuel
... More »

UK Yacht Couple 'OK' With Somali Pirates

'We are well,' Paul Chandler says by phone

(Newser) - A British couple taken from their yacht by Somali pirates say they’re in good condition and are being held aboard a hijacked container ship. “We are well and being looked after OK,” Paul Chandler, 59, told the BBC by phone today; he also spoke to British channel... More »

Pirates Hijack Yacht, Kidnap UK Couple

Brits reportedly safe after yacht seized off Somalia

(Newser) - A British couple whose yacht went missing in the Indian Ocean four days ago is being held by Somali pirates. The couple was captured during a round-the-world trip while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania; five international warships were searching hundreds of miles off the African coast for the pair.... More »

Journo Who Broke Russian Pirate Story Flees Country

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... More »

Hijackers Threatened to Scuttle Russian Freighter

(Newser) - The hijackers of the Russian-crewed freighter Arctic Sea planned to destroy it if their ransom demand was not met, Reuters reports. “The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel,” says a Russian defense official. There was no... More »

Russia Arrests 8 in Ship Hijacking

(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... More »

Navy Probes SEALs Over Missing Pirate Money

(Newser) - The Navy is questioning the crew of the Maersk Alabama and members of its own SEAL unit about $30,000 that went missing from the hijacked cargo ship, the New York Post reports. The money was taken by the pirates during the hijacking attempt but was not recovered after they... More »

UK Cell Feeds Intel to Somali Pirates

(Newser) - Somali pirates are being aided by an information-gathering “consultant” team in London, the Guardian reports. According to a European intelligence report, the pirates use satellite phones to stay in touch with the London cell, which has access to specific information about routes and ship layouts provided to European governments.... More »

Somali Clerics Lead Backlash Against Pirates

Religious sheikhs preach against sea bandits and their un-Islamic ways

(Newser) - Somalia's pirates are facing an enemy on land many of them fear more than foreign warships, the New York Times reports. Sheikhs and Islamic clerics are preaching against the "burcad badeed"—Somali for sea bandits—accusing them of introducing evils like drugs and alcohol to Somali society and... More »

Somali Pirates Seize German Ship, 11 Crew

(AP) - Somali pirates have hijacked a German cargo ship carrying a crew of 11 in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, the AP reports.The MV Victoria was captured yesterday 75 miles south of Yemen. There is no information... More »

Koreas Unite to Foil Pirates

South Koreans rescue North Korean cargo ship from pirate attack

(Newser) - The Gulf of Aden was the scene of a rare example of inter-Korean cooperation yesterday as the unfriendly nations joined efforts to thwart pirates, reports the Wall Street Journal. A helicopter from a South Korean warship was sent to the rescue when a North Korean cargo ship being pursued by... More »

French Bullet Killed Somali Pirate Hostage

Man died in crossfire as troops stormed captive yacht in April

(Newser) - French forces who stormed a yacht captured by Somali pirates on April 10 also shot dead one of the five hostages on board, Radio France Internationale reports. Prosecutors had said last month that it was unclear who was responsible for the bullet that killed Florent Lemaçon, who was caught... More »

French Ship Grabs 11 Pirates Off of Somalia

Navy intercepted two assault vessels and a 'mothership' today

(AP) - A French naval vessel has intercepted 11 armed pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman, who says the pirates were traveling in two assault vessels and a so-called "mothership" loaded with provisions, Kalashnikovs, rockets, and rocket launchers. He says all 11 are Somali nationals. More »

Pirates Hijack Brit Ship; NATO Forces Recover Explosives

(AP) - Somali pirates have hijacked a British-owned cargo ship crewed by Ukrainians, a NATO spokesman tells the AP. The Maltese-flagged Ariana was hijacked northwest of the Seychelles islands about 1,000 miles from NATO's operating area. Also today, a Portuguese warship seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack... More »

Maersk Captain Calls for Military to Protect Shipping

Freed pirate hostage calls for tougher ships, better armed crews

(Newser) - Military guards or military detachments on board ships are the best way to keep American shipping safe from piracy, Capt. Richard Phillips told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. Phillips, freed by the US Navy after being held hostage by pirates last month, said better-armed crews and tougher vessels would... More »

Russian Ship Seizes 29 Suspected Pirates

Say the same ship had attacked a tanker

(AP) - A Russian warship has seized a vessel carrying 29 suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, RIA Novosti and other agencies are reporting, citing the nation's Defense Ministry. A Russian anti-submarine vessel seized the ship yesterday along with automatic rifles, pistols, and ammunition found on board. More »

Pirated Ship's Cook Sues Over Safety Regs

Says Maersk owner refused to arm sailors or provide security

(AP) - A member of the crew on the US-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company today, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger. Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk Line Limited and Waterman Steamship Corp., which provided the crew, ignored requests... More »

Yemeni Forces Free Tanker, Nab 11 Pirates

Three marines wounded in gunfire

(Newser) - Yemeni forces freed a hijacked Yemeni oil tanker and arrested 11 Somali pirates yesterday, the AP reports, with the country's coast guard exchanging gunfire with the pirates and taking control of the vessel Qana. Three marines were wounded, CNN adds. The tanker had been hijacked earlier in the day while... More »

Italian Cruise Ship Shoots Back at Pirates, Foils Attack

Captain's use force wards off buccaneers

(Newser) - An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 passengers survived a pirate attack yesterday when the ship's captain ordered his security crew to fire back, CNN reports. The six armed men fled in their speedboat after drawing fire from the Melody, which was sailing off the coast of Somalia on the... More »

Stories 41 - 60 | << Prev   Next >>

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne