Freed Niger hostages to meet Sarkozy
AFP PARIS — Three nationals of France, Madagascar and Togo freed after being taken hostage by an Al-Qaeda regional offshoot in Niger were to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday, officials said. "The president of the republic will receive the three hostages and their families at 2:30 pm (1330 GMT)," a source close to the presidency told AFP. The three were freed overnight Friday in Niger territory. The details of how they were freed were unclear. A source said a ransom had been paid but declined to disclose the amount. France Info radio reported Saturday that a French government plane had brought the French hostage, Françoise Larribe, to a military airport near Paris. An ambulance was later seen leaving the airport, France Info reported. Larribe is suffering from cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy shortly before she was abducted. A total of seven hostages including four other French nationals -- an executive of French nuclear giant Areva among them -- wer...