Around the World: Somalia

Pirates release ships

Somali pirates holding a German ship with five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos on board have received a $2.7 million ransom and are counting it before releasing the ship, a pirate said.

Somali pirates yesterday also released Malaysian-owned tugboat MT Masindra 7 that had been held for more than seven months and its 11 Indonesian crew after a ransom was paid, a maritime official said.