Family : Palestinian aid worker freed in Yemen

Palestinian aid worker Amani Salah from Al-Khader, near Bethlehem, has been freed after two days of being held by Yemeni tribesmen, her brother said Friday. Rami Salah said he received a phone call from the Palestinian embassy in Yemen confirming Amani was released along with five other UN officials who were taken hostage. The tribesmen claimed the kidnapping secured the release of a man in police custody. Valerie Amos, the UN emergency relief coordinator, told Reuters earlier that seven abducted aid workers had been released unharmed, but she gave no details on the kidnappers' demands. Kidnappings are common in Yemen, where hostages are often used by disgruntled tribesmen to press their demands on authorities, and are usually freed unharmed.