| The Foreign Affairs Minister says he cannot stop the family of an Australian hostage in Iraq paying a ransom if one is asked for, but he is not in favour of it. An Australian emergency response team is now in Baghdad gathering information that may help to free 63-year-old Douglas Wood, who has been kidnapped by insurgents. Alexander Downer says it is believed Mr Wood could have been captured up to 48 hours before the release of a DVD, in which he pleads for American, Australian and British troops to withdraw from Iraq. |