Across the World: Somalia

Pirates paid $2m ransom

Somali pirates said yesterday they had received a $2-million ransom for the release of a British-owned vessel and its 16 Bulgarian crew.

Pirate attacks, fuelled by large ransoms, have continued almost unabated despite the presence of an armada of foreign warships patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. The 32,000-tonne bulker, Malaspina Castle, was released on Saturday after being captured more than a month ago.