Germany Issues Yemen Travel Advisory

Germany on Tuesday warned its nationals to avoid traveling individually to Yemen after two recent incidents in which foreigners were forcibly detained by local tribes. "We advise against individuals traveling alone to the country," the new warning published on the German foreign ministry Web site read. A spokesman said Germany now recommended that citizens going to Yemen do so as part of a tour organized by a travel agency or in cooperation with reliable and experienced Yemeni companies. Three tourists were briefly held on Aug. 7 and another seven on Aug. 17 by a tribe in the province of Shabwa with the aim of blackmailing the government, the spokesman said, adding it was the first such incident in several years