UK government: “we won't pay yacht couple's kidnappers”

Hostage negotiators will not meet Somali pirates’ £4.2m (€4.7m) ransom demand for the safe return of Paul and Rachel Chandler, it appeared today.

In a phone call taken by the BBC last night, one of the pirates is reported as saying: “If they do not harm us, we will not harm them – we only need a little amount of seven million dollars.”