Journalist kidnapped in Somalia

Armed men have kidnapped a French journalist in northern Somalia, sources say. The journalist was abducted near Bosasso, in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, at around 11am local time (0800 GMT) on Sunday, sources told AFP news agency. The journalist's driver told Reuters news agency that three men with AK-47s had pulled the car over and demanded a ransom of $70,000. He said the journalist had contacted the armed group about a story on Somali migrants being smuggled to Yemen - but the group reneged on the deal. The identity of the reporter and the organisation who employed the journalist were not released. French authorities are in touch with "those who seem to be the kidnappers", Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, told French television. "I hope that the contact will not be lost and I hope that it only concerns a demand for ransom," he said. Perilous journey Bossasso is the economic capital of Puntland and faces Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden, where many African illegal immigrants attempt the perilous journey in a bid to reach wealthy Arab nations. However, some 300 people have died and a further 300 were reported missing last year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Puntland region, although relatively free of the violence that has plagued the rest of the country, has become increasingly associated with kidnappings and piracy.