Pirates tow Saudi oil-tanker to Somali port with US Navy in pursuit - Islamist terrorists on brink of taking Mogadisu where govt is on its last legs

Excerpt from today's Snowmail by Jon Snow, Channel 4 News, UK:

INDIAN OCEAN ANARCHY

Now they've captured an oil-tanker. The Somali pirates who've been hijacking ships and ransoming them for millions have claimed their biggest prize so far.

This ship is apparently Saudi, though the foreign office has confirmed that a couple of Brits are on board. Reports are pretty hazy. At one point, it looked like the ship had been freed, but the latest report suggest it's being towed to a Somali port.

We report on the maritime anarchy that now prevails off the east coast of Africa, matched by the anarchy in Somalia itself where Islamist rebels are on the brink of taking control of Mogadishu, and the government is on its last legs.

Visit Channel 4 News website for today's 7pm news report.
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Excerpt from today's Newsnight email by Jeremy Paxman, BBC2, UK:

PIRATES

Somali pirates have hijacked a giant Saudi owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean which was travelling towards the US. The vessel is now heading towards the Somali coast, with the US navy in pursuit. The vessel can hold up to two million barrels of oil - more than one quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily exports - worth over $100 million. What can the US military do about it? We'll have the very latest.

Visit BBC website for today's Newsnight report.