Somali militants say French hostage executedJanuary 17, 2013 - 17:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Somalia's most dangerous militant group said that it has killed a French hostage whom French military forces tried to rescue last weekend, Belfast Telegraph reported. Al-Shabab said in a Twitter posting that the agent, codenamed Denis Allex, was executed on Wednesday evening. French officials have said they believe Mr Allex was killed on the night of the rescue attempt. Mr Allex, a French intelligence agent, was taken by the militants in July 2009 and had been held ever since. A French raid on Friday night and early Saturday failed to rescue him, and resulted in the deaths of two French troops and 17 Somalis, French officials said. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |