Kidnappers to release tourists

SANAA - Yemeni tribesmen holding a group of 17 French tourists agreed last night to free them within hours, Yemeni officials said. A spokesman for the governor of eastern Maarib province said the authorities expected the hostages to be delivered to Maarib, the main town in the region, by 4.0 a.m. (Irish time) today. The Al Aslam tribe abducted the French tourists, two drivers and a guide on Thursday as they returned by bus to Sanaa from a sightseeing tour.