Clock ticking for captive

Al Qaeda's North African wing said yesterday that it would kill a French hostage in 15 days if the French Government failed to meet its demands, the US-based SITE Intelligence Group said.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said in May it was holding 78-year-old Michel Germaneau, who was seized in northern Niger in April.

It demanded a prisoner exchange and said French President Nicolas Sarkozy would be responsible for Germaneau's life. The group has already killed a British captive.