Pirates holding three children and their parents have said they will kill them if any rescue attempt is made.

Three children have been taken hostage by Somali pirates, the first time youngsters have been caught up in the continuing run of high seas hijacks.

The US said today it was considering its response to the hijack by Somali pirates of an American couple sailing the world with a yacht full of bibles.

Fears are growing for four Americans whose yacht was captured a by pirates in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast.

Pirates have overrun a tanker near India today, capturing the vessel and 31 crew members.

Somali pirates freed a hijacked South Korean-operated supertanker and its 24 crew after seven months of captivity, officials said amid reports that a record ransom was paid.

British forces helped free a German cargo ship held by Somali pirates off Kenya, it emerged today.

US marines stormed a pirate-held ship off the Somalia coast today and took nine prisoners.

The EU’s piracy task force says Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo ship with 22 Syrians and two Egyptians onboard, the EU’s piracy task force said today.

The crew of a cargo ship captured by Somali pirates pounced on their sleeping captors today, disarming them and killing five before regaining control of their vessel which had been hijacked almost three months earlier, officials said.

A UK-flagged tanker seized by Somali pirates has been released after a ransom was paid, it was announced today.

Russia said today it was forced to release pirates captured by its special forces off the coast of Somalia because of “imperfections” in international law.

The force commander for the EU Naval Force said that Russian special forces stormed a disabled oil tanker and arrested the Somali pirates aboard.

Somali pirates today moved a British couple they are holding hostage after Islamist insurgents neared their hideout.

Eleven suspected pirates were being flown to the United States to stand trial in alleged attacks on US naval vessels off the coast of Africa, officials said.

US naval forces said they have captured five pirates after exchanging fire with them, sinking their boat and confiscating a larger ship.

Private security guards aboard a merchant ship off the coast of East Africa fired on and killed a Somali raider after a group of pirates attacked their vessel, it emerged today.

A gang of Somali pirates lost two of their boats after mistakenly attacking a Dutch warship today.

International military chiefs signalled a new, more aggressive strategy against piracy, as swarms of Somalis moved into the waters off East Africa.

Two rival pirate gangs had a shootout over the ransom to free a supertanker, prompting one side to call an anti-piracy force for help, it emerged today.

Sea attacks worldwide surged 39% to 406 cases, the highest in six years, with Somali pirates' raids on vessels accounting for more than half of the piracy, a maritime watchdog said today.

“No direct contact” has been made with a UK-flagged tanker attacked by Somali pirates since it was seized, the ship’s managers said today.

Somali pirates have seized an oil supertanker in an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat.

Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama merchant ship again today just seven months after capturing its captain who had to be freed in a special forces operation.

Europe’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana says the European Union may launch its planned mission to train Somali forces next month.

Somali pirates who are demanding US$7m (€4.7m) in ransom for a British sailing couple said today that boats from other countries are plundering Somalia's fish-rich waters.

The Somali pirates who kidnapped Britons Paul and Rachel Chandler tonight demanded a $7m (€4.75m) ransom.

Somali pirates tried but failed to hijack a North Korean cargo ship when crew members fought back with Molotov cocktails and sped away, a maritime official said today.

Two security contractors - a Briton and Kenyan - and three former hostages released by Somali pirates are facing prison over an alleged plot to swap the captives for 23 suspected pirates on a desolate Somali airstrip, officials said today.

One of a pair of French security agents kidnapped by insurgents in Somalia last month has escaped, officials said today.

A group of Egyptian fishermen who were kidnapped by pirates off the Somali coast four months ago and managed to overpower their captors sailed home to a hero's welcome today, but some details of their dramatic escape remained a mystery.

A Turkish shipping company says three Somali pirates have boarded one of its ships in the Gulf of Aden.

Somali pirates have released the entire crew of a Belgian ship seized 10 weeks ago after a ransom was paid, the Belgian government said today.

Somali pirates have hijacked a British-owned cargo ship crewed by Ukrainians, a Nato spokesman said today.

A Portuguese warship has seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack on a Norwegian oil tanker, a Nato spokesman said today.

An Italian cruise ship has been attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Eighteen Somali pirates landed in Kenya by European navies crowded into court today to hear the charges against them.

The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain arrived in New York today, smiling for a gaggle of cameras and reporters as US federal agents led him into custody to face charges in the attack.

Somali pirates attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden today, but Nato forces chased them down and freed 20 Yemeni fisherman the pirates were holding on another hijacked boat.

The unassuming ship’s captain who escaped the clutches of Somali pirates made a triumphant return home, insisting he was no hero.

Somalia's prime minister said he could go after pirates if other nations gave him the resources he needed.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the US government would try to seize the financial assets and property of pirates while working with shippers to thwart hijackers off the coast of Somalia.

French forces captured 11 pirates in a raid on a supply ship off the coast of Kenya today as attacks and counterattacks raised tensions in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Somali pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at another US cargo ship in a failed hijack attempt.