Around the World: Somalia

Ransom talks nearing end

A US destroyer tracking a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks has backed off and ransom talks look to be nearing a conclusion, a Somali official said yesterday.

The Somalia pirates are holding about a dozen ships and nearly 300 crew. Among the captured vessels is Ukraine's MV Faina and a Saudi tanker loaded with $100 million of oil, the Sirius Star.