Abducted Japanese man still held by Yemeni tribesmen

A Japanese man held hostage in Yemen was not released late on Tuesday because of a last-minute dispute between Yemeni tribesmen and mediators, a provincial official said on Wednesday.

The same official had told Reuters on Tuesday night that the tribesmen had handed the hostage to mediators and that the man, an engineer who was working on a Yemeni government project, was abducted in an area northeast of the capital Sanaa, was expected to arrive soon in Sanaa. (Reuters)