Efforts continue to free BBC man

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Efforts to free abducted BBC correspondent Alan Johnston are continuing in the Middle East.

Lebanese government minister Ghazi al-Areedi urged Palestinian authorities to do as much as they could to secure Mr Johnston's release.

The BBC has said it still does not have any confirmation Mr Johnston had been killed, despite claims to that effect over the weekend.

The BBC Gaza correspondent went missing on 12 March.

During a meeting in Paris, French President Jacques Chirac also thanked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his efforts in trying to free Mr Johnston.

Messages of support

International protests and tens of thousands of messages of support have poured in for Mr Johnston, 44, who has served as the BBC's Gaza correspondent for the past three years.

Alan Johnston has been missing since 12 March

On Sunday, the previously unheard of Tawhid and Jihad brigades claimed it had executed Mr Johnston.

BBC colleagues held a vigil at London's Television Centre, in Birmingham and at Bush House, home of the World Service.

Journalists also held protests in support of Mr Johnston in Gaza and the West Bank.

The corporation's Director General Mark Thompson said the BBC was still seeking clarification of the reporter's condition.