Two Somali pirates took credit for ordering that their fellow marauders kill the four Americans on a hijacked yacht in the Indian Ocean. One pirate told Reuter, "Our colleagues called us this morning, that they were being attacked by a US warship. We ordered our comrades to kill the four Americans before they got killed." more ›

Four Americans were killed by Somali priates who had hijacked their yacht in the Indian Ocean near the coast of Somalia. The SV Quest, which was taken over on Friday, had been shadowed by a U.S. Navy warship. According to CBS News, "Gunshots aboard the yacht were heard, and the warship took action. All 4 Americans were dead, killed apparently by their captors. There were more than a dozen pirates on board, some dead and others captured." more ›

A one-line breaking news update from CNN: "U.S. sinks pirate skiff and captures mother ship after pirates fire on USS Nicholas in Indian Ocean, Navy says." More details: "The Nicholas returned fire and pursued the skiff as it fled, capturing it about 90 minutes later. Three suspected pirates aboard the skiff were taken into custody, along with two others aboard a suspected pirate mother ship that was nearby." more ›

People around the world remembered the fifth anniversary of the devastatingIndian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed over 230,000 people in eleven countries. In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where 150,000 died, a woman whose children and nieces were killed, told CNN, "We are only human... We'll never really forget... We still feel the trauma. And when there is another earthquake, all we can do is run and pray." more ›

Early Tuesday morning, a Yemeni jet carrying 153 people (142 passengers, 11 crew members) crashed into the Indian Ocean (here's a map and timeline). Rescuers found a toddler; CNN reports, "The child is the only known survivor from the downed Yemenia Airways flight, which was carrying 153 people en route to the island nation of Comoros from Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The child was found in the waters and taken to a hospital." According to the NY Times, "The flight, IY 626, originated in Paris and stopped in Marseille before continuing to Yemen, where the passengers and crew changed planes." Yemeni authorities say the plane, which was an Airbus 310 (the fatal Air France flight was an Airbus 330), was headed to the Comoros airport in heavy winds. And BBC News says that EU has been concerned about Yemenia's safety and suggests that the a worldwide blacklist of unsafe airlines be created. more ›

Thanks to nearly four inches of rain from former tropical storm Barry, rainfall in Central Park has already surpassed the average amount for June. On the other side of the world, Cyclone Gonu, also currently known as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gonu, or more prosaically, 02A, has become the strongest cyclone ever recorded over the Arabian Sea. Gonu has become the first tropical storm known to make landfall in Oman, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Muscat. The storm is expected to weaken as it passes over cooler water and into drier air as it heads northward toward the Strait of Hormuz and Iran. more ›

The tragedy that has swept across the Indian Ocean from Somalia to Sri Lanka to Thailand has prompted many people to ask Gothamist what they can do to help victims of this horrible natural disaster. more ›