France Mulls Hostage Crisis, Confusion Over Ransom
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The French government held crisis talks on the fate of two French journalists held hostage in Iraq Wednesday amid growing uncertainty over whether their kidnappers had demanded a ransom and two-day deadline.
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Hopes that Islamic militants will soon free two French hostages in Iraq rose on Friday, despite confusion over which group is now holding them.
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The French government Sunday scrambled to develop a response to kidnappers who grabbed two French journalists in Iraq, demanding Paris revoke a law banning Islamic head scarves in public schools. There was no sign France would capitulate.
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BAGHDAD : The clock was ticking down for two French hostages whose Islamist abductors have served Paris with an ultimatum to lift a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools, while Iraq&#39;s government continued efforts to end the chaos prevailing in the country.
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France does not yet know whether a French female journalist missing in Iraq since early on Wednesday has been taken hostage, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier says.
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The French government, in crisis mode, on Sunday called for the release of two French journalists kidnapped in Iraq by Islamic militants demanding that Paris rescind a ban on headscarves in state schools.
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France scrambled to secure the release of  two French journalists kidnapped by Iraqi militants who gave  Paris until Monday evening to drop its controversial ban on  Muslim headscarves in schools.
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The Iraqi kidnappers of two French reporters who have been missing since Aug. 20 today demanded a $5 million ransom as a condition for their release, according to a statement posted on an Islamic Web site.
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The French government convoked Monday an emergency meeting over the release of two French journalists still held in hostage in Iraq, after parliamentary deputy Didier Julia&#39;s failure to secure their release.
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France believes that two journalists held hostage in Iraq are still alive, but authorities have lost direct contact with their kidnappers, the foreign minister said Saturday.
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Experts on Islamic militant groups are skeptical about a Web posting demanding $5 million in ransom for two French journalists held hostage in Iraq, France's prime minister said Monday.
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The French government convoked Monday an emergency meeting over the release of two French journalists still held in hostage in Iraq, after parliamentary deputy Didier Julia's failure to secure their release.
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The French government held a crisis meeting on Thursday over the fate of two journalists held hostage in Iraq after a new purported statement from the kidnappers denied they had demanded a ransom or set a deadline.
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French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin met ministers for a crisis meeting on two French journalists held hostage in Iraq on Monday as efforts to secure their release threatened to turn into a fiasco.
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The captors of two French journalists allegedly put forward new demands for their release, but French officials cast doubt on the authenticity of the demands and remained cautiously optimistic about securing their release.
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DUBAI/PARIS  - Hopes that Islamic militants will  soon free two French hostages in Iraq rose on Friday, despite  confusion over which group is now holding them.
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DUBAI/PARIS  - The French government held crisis  talks on the fate of two French journalists held hostage in  Iraq Wednesday amid growing uncertainty over whether their  kidnappers had demanded a ransom and two-day deadline.