International action averts four hijack attempts in Gulf of Aden
FRENCH forces handed over eight pirates to Somalian authorities on Friday as a new get-tough approach by foreign navies thwarted more attacks off Somalia over the New Year holidays. The pirates were handed over to the autonomous region of Puntland (northeast Somalia) by the French Navy, which intercepted them while attacking a ship, according to the Vice-Minister of the Seaports of Puntland, Musa Yusuf Abdelkadir. Pictured above: Putland soldiers escort the eight suspected pirates in Somalia’s northern port town of Bosasso. AP