Somali pirates holding a Spanish trawler crew captive have kicked and spat on their hostages, the trawler captain said on Monday. Ricardo Blach, the skipper of the Alakrana tuna boat, seized with its 36-strong crew on October 2, also told the Spanish newspaper El Pais the heavily armed pirates were on drugs. The pirates have demanded a four-million-dollar (2.6-million-euro ...

Several Spanish tuna trawlers based in the Seychelles are employing former British soldiers to protect themselves from pirates off the coast of Somalia, daily newspaper El Pais reported on Monday. The decision was taken following the refusal of the Spanish government to allow soldiers to be placed on the trawlers because Spanish law does not permit the military to be ...

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hit back at his critics on Thursday, saying he is far and away the best leader in Italian history and has never considered resigning over scandals concerning his private life. In a spirited performance even by his own standards, the 72-year media tycoon also attacked Spanish daily El Pais for its critical ...