Norwegian diplomat killed in Yemen

A Norwegian diplomat has been shot dead in Yemen after being kidnapped.

The man Gudbrand Stuve had recently finished a diplomatic posting in Zambia, and had been driving home with his family through the Middle East.

Reports say he had been sightseeing in Yemen, and was seized with his young son by armed men outside a hotel in the capital, Sana'a.

When they drove him off in a car, the kidnappers were stopped at a roadblock.

The diplomat was killed in the ensuing shoot-out.

The kidnappers fled, leaving the boy, unhurt, in the car.

Correspondents say the kidnapping of foreigners is common in Yemen, although most captives are later released unharmed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service