hostage

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Somali Pirates Vow Revenge
 Somali Pirates Vow Revenge 

Apr 13, 2009 6:11 AM CDT

Somali Pirates Vow Revenge

Defiant pirate captain threatens to target American shipping

(Newser) - Somali pirates have sworn to avenge their colleagues killed in the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips yesterday. A pirate commander told AFP that the men had been killed after agreeing to hand over Phillips without ransom, and vowed that American citizens traveling at sea in Somali waters—and further afield—...

Obama Plays Cool Hand, Wins in Pirate Crisis

This will boost faith in his military prowess

(Newser) - The daring US Navy rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates yesterday earned President Obama a key credit: He didn't screw it up, Michael Shear writes in the Washington Post. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter both suffered for their early missteps abroad, in Haiti and Iran, respectively....

Navy Made 'Split-Second' Call to Fire on Pirates

(Newser) - Navy Seals opened fire on three Somali pirates today when a naval commander made a split-second decision that Capt. Richard Phillips' life was in imminent danger, the New York Times reports. Authorized by President Obama to use force, snipers shot two pirates who had stuck their heads out of the...

Captain Rescued, 3 Pirates Killed
 Captain Rescued, 
 3 Pirates Killed 
UPDATED
Apr 12, 2009 2:33 PM CDT

Captain Rescued, 3 Pirates Killed

Captain uninjured after brief firefight

(Newser) - The American sea captain held hostage by Somali pirates has been rescued after a brief firefight, with three of his captors killed and one in military custody, CNN reports. US Navy snipers saw a pirate with "an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back" and opened fire, a military...

Pirate Boat Drifts Toward Coast
 Pirate Boat Drifts Toward Coast 
Apr 12, 2009 6:17 AM CDT

Pirate Boat Drifts Toward Coast

Stalled talks to continue after a day

(Newser) - The lifeboat carrying American captain Richard Phillips has drifted within 20 miles of the Somali coast, where US military officials fear the pirates might escape with their hostage, reports Reuters. US warships continue to track the craft, as negotiations with the pirates over Phillips have been postponed by one day,...

Pirates Warn US Raid Would 'Create Disaster'

Somalis plan to transfer Capt. Phillips to bigger boat

(Newser) - Somali pirates holding an American captain hostage in a lifeboat are hoping to transfer him to another pirate ship in the area to thwart rescue efforts like the French commando raid that freed some hostages, but left one dead, along with two pirates, AFP reports. "We are getting information...

Hostage Captain 'a Regular Guy' and Ferocious Ball Player

'That swim—it didn’t surprise me at all': friend

(Newser) - The American captain being held by Somali pirates is a regular guy on land and a true professional at sea, his friends and family tell the New York Times.  Richard Phillips is placid and relaxed during his downtime with his wife and their college age-kids at his Vermont home,...

Pirates Want $2M Ransom, Threaten to Kill Captain

(Newser) - Somali pirates holding an American ship captain hostage say they want a $2 million ransom and have threatened to kill him, Reuters and the AP report. The ransom demand followed an escape attempt by Richard Phillips, who attempted to swim for safety early this morning. Reports conflict on what happened...

Showdown Looms: Pirate Ships Head to Hijacking Site

Previously-captured boats carry 54 international hostages

(Newser) - As bandits hold a US captain on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, their pirate colleagues are rushing to their aid with an international gallery of hostages, the AP reports. The bandits apparently fear being shot or arrested if they hand over the captain and are hoping to get support...

Captain Recaptured by Pirates After Swim Escape Attempt

Family say hostage captain's sense of humor could keep him alive

(Newser) - The American captain held hostage by Somali pirates jumped into the ocean last night and tried to swim to a nearby Navy destroyer, but pirates swam after him and pulled him back, CNN reports. He was not believed to be harmed in the attempt, a US official said. The four...

Captain 'Offered Himself as the Hostage'

(Newser) - The high-seas hostage situation rolls on, with a growing armada of US vessels on site or en route and negotiations continuing between the pirates and the Navy, assisted by the FBI. The four bandits, adrift in a 24-foot lifeboat with the American captain, sound desperate: "We are surrounded by...

As Ship Resumes Sailing, FBI Joins Pirate Negotiations

(Newser) - As FBI hostage negotiators joined the effort to end the standoff with Somali pirates over a captive American captain, the Maersk Alabama got under way today, bound for its original destination, the AP reports. An FBI spokesman said the bureau was “fully engaged” with the Navy in strategizing how...

Pirates in Navy Standoff Running Out of Options

Pirate lifeboat 'dead in the water' as warships close in

(Newser) - Four Somali pirates still holding a American captain hostage this morning are rapidly running out of options in their standoff with a US Navy warship, the AP reports. The pirates are in a lifeboat seized to replace their own vessel, floating hundreds of miles away from Somalia with enough food...

Death Toll Is 14 in NY Massacre
 Death Toll Is 14 
 in NY Massacre 
UPDATED
Apr 3, 2009 4:17 PM CDT

Death Toll Is 14 in NY Massacre

(Newser) - The death toll from today’s shooting rampage in Binghamton, NY, is now 14, law-enforcement officials said in an afternoon press conference. The gunman, who’s been identified as Jiverly Voong, 42, of nearby Johnson City, killed himself inside the immigrant-services center following a hostage standoff, and there was no...

At Least 13 Dead in Upstate NY Standoff

(Newser) - At least 13 people have been confirmed dead in the hostage standoff in Binghamton, NY, the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports. Police removed two men in handcuffs from the downtown building, but it remains unclear whether the seige at the American Civic Center is over. Police said more than...

French Workers Free Hostage Boss

Strikers let 3M boss walk after he agrees to better layoff packages

(Newser) - Striking French factory workers have freed their boss after barricading him in his office south of Paris for nearly a day, the BBC reports. The manager of the 3M plant, who was released only after he agreed to renegotiate compensation packages for laid-off workers, said conditions "were not so...

Fired French Sony Workers Free CEO Hostage

Boss's visit to videotape plant lasts through the night

(Newser) - The CEO of the French arm of Sony was held hostage overnight by laid-off employees at a videotape plant being shut down, the Guardian reports. He was released this morning on the condition that he go directly to talks with trade unionists, who are upset at the size of their...

Fellow Hostages Rip Betancourt

(Newser) - Three Americans freed in a daring hostage rescue in Colombia last year were thrilled to  escape their FARC captors—and nearly as happy to be free of fellow hostage Ingrid Betancourt. In a new book, the Americans portray Betancourt as a self-centered and malicious prima donna, the New York Times...

Pirate Hostages Brace for Christmas at Sea

More than 260 remain off Somalia's coast in 14 hijacked vessels

(Newser) - More than 260 hostages will spend Christmas with pirates off Somalia’s coast, CNN reports. At least 14 vessels remain in pirate custody as a tumultuous year—with nearly 100 attacks on cargo ships, oil tankers, and yachts—nears its end. The EU, China, and Iran have stationed naval vessels...

FARC Defector Gets Asylum in France, $400K

Former rebel carried 8-year hostage out of the jungle

(Newser) - A commander who deserted Colombia's rebel group FARC has been offered $400,000 and asylum in France alongside Ingrid Betancourt, their former hostage. Wilson Bueno Largo fled the jungle in October after years in FARC, carrying a kidnapped congressman on his back. Bueno's defection from the group dealt a substantial...

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