30/10/2013 18:30
French hostages home amid ransom claim
Four Frenchmen kidnapped in Niger three years ago have arrived back in Paris after being released, the BBC reported.
President Francois Hollande welcomed them home at a military airfield.
The four were seized by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen in raids targeting French firms operating a uranium mine in September 2010. They were held in the northern desert of neighbouring Mali.
Their return comes amid reports that a ransom of 20m euros (£17m; $26m) was paid to ensure their release.
The French defence minister has said the four were freed without a military assault or a ransom being paid.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius flew back with the hostages and told AFP news agency before take-off that the men were in "very good shape."