InfoAnda - Kenya coastguard in French hostage standoff |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Europe imposes caps on banker bonuses | 8 July 2010
Steve Jobs maintains grip at Apple: WSJ | Technology | | 11 April 2009
San Francisco Council Requires Mobile Phone Vendors To Post Radiation Levels | 18 June 2010

WITNESS: A stroll through the factory of death in India's Bhopal | International | | 18 December 2008

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Kenya coastguard in French hostage standoff |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Green Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia Afghan Journal Africa Journal India Insight Global News Journal Pakistan: Now or Never? World Video Politics Politics Home Front Row Washington Politics Video Technology Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland Felix Salmon Jack Shafer Breakingviews George Chen Bernd Debusmann Gregg Easterbrook Nader Mousavizadeh James Saft John Wasik Christopher Whalen Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers The Great Debate Unstructured Finance Newsmaker MuniLand Money Money Home Analyst Research Global Investing MuniLand Reuters Money Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Life & Culture Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Left Field Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Article Comments (0) Full Focus Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Warning: Graphic content Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Fugitive murder suspect eludes capture in California 30 Sep 2011 Boeing arrest points to U.S. workplace drug problems 30 Sep 2011 Killer of governor of Pakistan's Punjab sentenced to death 9:06am EDT Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Try to Tweet Away Split Rumors 30 Sep 2011 Alibaba's Ma: "very interested" in buying Yahoo 30 Sep 2011 Discussed 64 Herman Cain wins Florida Republican straw poll 65 BofA to introduce $5 monthly debit card fee 63 Business group appeals health law to Supreme Court Watched Japan airline apologises for plane flop Fri, Sep 30 2011 Rihanna's "inappropriate" outfit halts music video Tue, Sep 27 2011 Plane crashes into ferris wheel Fri, Sep 30 2011 Kenya coastguard in French hostage standoff Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Kenyan coastguard surrounds gunmen, French hostage 4:01am EDT Gunmen kidnap elderly French woman from Kenyan coast 2:32am EDT Somalia's al Shabaab launches offensive in south Fri, Sep 30 2011 FEATURE-Kenya bets on Lamu port despite worries Fri, Sep 30 2011 Syria refugees say they are trapped, unsafe in Lebanon Thu, Sep 29 2011 Analysis & Opinion World arms deals and tilting at windmills The 787: A dreamy flying experience? Related Topics World » United Nations » France » By Caroline Mango MOMBASA, Kenya | Sat Oct 1, 2011 10:52am EDT MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan coastguards were locked in a high-seas standoff on Saturday with gunmen holding a disabled French woman hostage and the abductors fired warning shots in the air, a government minister said. The victim's Kenyan boyfriend, John Lepapa, said six masked gunmen brandishing assault rifles stormed their beach house on Manda island under the cover of darkness, forcing the couple and their staff to lie face to the floor. The gunmen then grabbed the wheelchair-bound woman and carried her to a waiting boat, in the second abduction of a foreign visitor in three weeks. Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the face-off was taking place near the border with Somalia and the bandits were firing into the air to scare off the ships and a circling aircraft. "Two boats of the Kenyan coastguard have surrounded the boat on which the gunmen and woman are," Balala told Reuters. "Our fear is if we do drown the boat we will drown the woman." Analysts and diplomats in the region warned earlier in the year that Somali pirates were likely to turn to softer targets, such as tourists in Kenya, in response to much more robust defense of merchant vessels by private security guards. The attacks risk dealing a blow to Kenyan tourism which had been recovering from post election violence and the global financial crisis. Lepapa, 39, and a close associate of the couple said the hostage had been battling cancer and was without much-needed medication. TARGETED ATTACK Lepapa told Reuters he and his partner had returned two days earlier from France, where they spend part of the year. The raid appeared well planned, he said. "All they were saying was 'where is the foreigner, where is the foreigner'," he said, adding that he had been questioned by counter-terrorism police several hours after the attack. "My girlfriend pleaded with them and told them to take whatever they wanted from the house, including the money and to spare her life," said Lepapa. "But they would not listen." The latest kidnapping on the Lamu archipelago by gunmen with links to Somalia has heightened fears that organized criminal networks across the border are widening their reach. France advised on Saturday against all travel to the archipelago's palm-fringed islands and warned against sailing along Kenya's coast due to the high risk of pirates, underscoring the blow-back the key economic sector can expect. "I can confirm that she was kidnapped by gunmen in all likelihood from Somalia," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero. "Naturally, we are doing everything with the Kenyan authorities to find our compatriot." Before Saturday's kidnapping, France had eight nationals held captive overseas, among them three aid workers in Yemen, four citizens in the Sahel region and one other in Somalia. John Steed, a military adviser to the United Nations in Nairobi, described the situation as a "hostage rescue" scenario. "In any hostage rescue there's an element of risk. But given it's a small boat with only six to nine gunmen on board, they have to surrender. So it's a question of wearing them down," Steed said. TOURISM TO TAKE A BEATING? In early September, gunmen attacked British tourists at a camp resort a short speedboat ride away from Lamu, killing the man and kidnapping his wife. Somali pirates said she was being held in Somalia. The al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militant group controls large chunks of the lawless country's south and central regions. The U.N. special envoy to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, has warned of a growing link between Somalia's pirates and militants. The violent raid will intensify pressure on Kenya to beef up security along its porous frontier with Somalia and in the open waters off the Horn of Africa country. Saturday's kidnapping took place on Manda island, across a narrow water channel from Lamu, one of the pearls of the east African country's tourism sector where tourists snorkel and bask in the sun and dhows meander lazily down the Indian Ocean. Already under threat from government plans to build a world-class $23 billion port nearby, hotel and restaurant operators fear mounting insecurity will ruin tourism. "If this goes on, we might be forced to close the hotel. Maybe next time they will attack this side of the island," said Gabriel Kombe, assistant manager at Lamu's Sunsail Hotel, adding that bookings had already been canceled after the kidnapping of Judith Tebbutt on September 11. "The government needs to put more security on the border and in the waters," he said. Kenya said it would be uncompromising in defending its territory. "The Government would like to send a strong warning to those bent on undermining Kenya's security from within or without that they will be firmly dealt with by our security forces," said a government statement. (Additional reporting Richard Lough and Yara Bayoumy in Nairobi and John Irish in Paris; writing by Richard Lough) World United Nations France Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Contact Us Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Saturday, 1 October 2011
U.S. reassures Pakistan amid anti-American protests |
Exclusive: Cuban government set for broad reorganization |
U.N. condemns medic verdicts in restive Bahrain |
Sri Lanka releases hundreds of Tiger fighters |
Panel holds first meeting on Palestinian U.N. bid |
Amazon tablet costs $209.63 to make, IHS estimates |
Twitter tells scientists how the world feels |
Hitachi-LG venture to plead guilty to price-fixing |
AT&T seeks Sprint, Cellular South cases dismissed |
Cancer comedy 50/50 hits home for Anjelica Huston |
Art auction will benefit Elton John's AIDS charity |
CIA drone kills U.S.-born al Qaeda cleric in Yemen |
Pakistani Punjab governor killer sentenced to death |
No. 16 South Florida’s perfect mark dashed; Pitt routs Bulls
No. 1 LSU tackles Kentucky in Week 5; No. 2 Sooners seek to regain top spot
Vegas stampede: Na, Wi, Vegas lead storm of contenders at Shriners Open
Red-hot Rays rip Rangers in ALDS opener for 1-0 lead
Ankle sprain makes Jets lineman Nick Mangold iffy for Ravens tilt
Ignore big money campaign to free Knox, prosecutor says |
Scheduling woes could end Italian team's bid for Kobe
Sinking ship costs skipper: Terry Francona out as Red Sox manager
Ohio State back Jaamal Berry treated, released from hospital after alleged assault
Supreme Court to Decide State’s Rights in Medicaid Reimbursements
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo utilizing painkiller injections
Alibaba's Ma: very interested in buying Yahoo |
Judge issues gag order in Jackson death trial |
A look behind the making of Terra Nova dinosaurs |
Analysis: Fox wounded, but not because of News Corp crisis |
NATO captures senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan |
Red Cross inside Sirte as bombardment continues |
Kabul hands Pakistan evidence on peace envoy killing |
Syrian army in control of most of rebel town: activist |
Meredith ignored in media fog around Amanda Knox |
Kenya coastguard in French hostage standoff |
Egypt police clear Tahrir Square of protesters |
Iran totally rejects Palestine U.N. statehood bid |
Government simulates cyber attack for training |
Egypt police clear Tahrir Square of protesters |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01