Pirates shoot at Danish tanker off Somalia

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Denmark's navy says pirates opened fire on a Danish tanker in a failed attempt to commandeer the ship off Somalia's coast.

The navy says no crew members were wounded in the incident in the Gulf of Aden Sunday. The pirates disappeared by the time a Danish navy helicopter arrived.

The navy says the ship's crew took measures, including spraying water from high-pressure hoses, to prevent the pirates from taking it over.

The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and is one of the world's busiest waterways with around 20,000 ships passing through each year.

Somalia is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has no functioning government, navy or coast guard to police its coast.

Somali pirates demand ransom for Turkish ship

ANKARA (AP) — The owner of a Turkish ship commandeered off Somalia with 20 crew on board says pirates have demanded a ransom for its return.

Pirates hijacked the Yasa Neslihan freighter last week in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. It is one of the world's busiest waterways.

Yasa Holding spokesman Fehmi Ulgener said Tuesday that pirates are demanded a ransom but he did not disclose the amount they wanted.

Piracy has soared off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has no functioning government.

The International Maritime Bureau says at least 77 ships have been attacked in African waters this year.

Thirty-one ships have been hijacked, and 10 remain in the hands of pirates along with nearly 200 crew members.

Iraq decides to sell Saddam's luxury yacht

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq says it has decided to sell Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht after winning a legal dispute over its ownership.

The former dictator's 269-foot superyacht is fitted with swimming pools, salons, a secret passage and a rocket launching system.

Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh says in a statement that the government on Sunday agreed to part with the superyacht.

French authorities seized the boat on January 31 after it docked in Nice on the Mediterranean coast.

The yacht remained there while courts settled a row over the ship's ownership.

A yacht brokerage firm had tried to sell the boat for a reported $35 million. But Iraq said the yacht still belonged the country.