Pirates Discuss Ransom for Arms Shipment

The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukranian ship carrying a weapons shipment are in ransom negotiations with the vessel’s owners, the BBC reports. No governments are involved in the talks, sources said. The pirates seem to be flexible: They initially asked for a $35 million ransom, then $20 million, and now “it’s down to $5 million,” one source said. (More Somalia stories.)