Somali pirates free Greek ship after ransom paid (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Somali pirates freed the Greek ship Ariana and its 24 Ukrainian crew on Thursday after a helicopter dropped a multi-million dollar ransom onto its deck and ended a more than six-month hostage ordeal.
Somali pirates free Greek ship with 24 Ukrainian crew (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Somali pirates on Thursday freed a Greek cargo ship and its 24 Ukrainian crew after being paid 2.5 million dollars, ending a seven-month hostage ordeal off the lawless country’s coast.
Greek debt hits 300 billion euros (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Greece revealed a public debt colossus of 300 billion euros Thursday as the government called a crisis meeting on its financial woes and the European Union met amid disagreement on how to help a eurozone member.
Top Ukrainian lawmaker: Ukraine reaches $2.5 billion deal to supply weapons to Iraq (Sun-Sentinel)
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine will provide Iraq with $2.5 billion worth of weapons and military equipment under a deal intended to shore up Iraq’s fledgling armed forces before the planned pullout of U.S. troops, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker said Wednesday.
Bulgaria PM Denies Blocking Macedonia EU Entry Talks Date (Novinite.com)
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has denied that Bulgaria was among the countries that had blocked the fixing of a date for Macedonia to begin EU accession negotiations.
Serbian hooligan gets 30 years for murder of rival fan (Sports Illustrated)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A soccer hooligan in Serbia has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison for a 2006 brawl that left one rival fan dead.
Kurdish rebels claim killing of 7 Turkish soldiers (AP via Yahoo! News)
Kurdish rebels on Thursday claimed responsibility for the killing of seven Turkish soldiers, a Kurdish news agency said. The attack caused outrage in the country and was seen as a blow to the government’s efforts to reconcile with minority Kurds.
Greek-owned cargo ship to be freed in Somalia (AP via Yahoo! News)
A Greek shipowning company said it had paid a ransom to Somali pirates holding one of its freighters for the past seven months, and the ship’s release was expected later Thursday.
Greece blocks Macedonian talks (European Voice)
EU delays a decision on opening membership talks with Macedonia after Greek objections.
Serbian hooligan gets 30 years for murder (AP via Yahoo! Sports)
A soccer hooligan in Serbia was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for a brawl that left one rival fan dead. Belgrade District Court ruled that 24-year-old Bojan Hrvatin was guilty of stabbing the victim to death during a fight on a train in 2006. The judge said the attack had been planned in advance.
