On the tape, the speaker, believed to be al Qaeda chief bin Laden

On the tape, the speaker, believed to be al Qaeda chief bin Laden, warns the French government that its alliance with the United States will prove costly.
"The dismissal of your President (Nicholas) Sarkozy to get out of Afghanistan is the result of his subservience to the United States and this (dismissal) is considered to be the green signal to kill your prisoners without delay," the speaker said.
He goes on to say that "we will not do that at the time that suits him (Sarkozy) and this position will cost you dearly on all fronts, in France and abroad."
France, however, said the message would not deter it from its Afghanistan strategy.
"We are determined to stay in Afghanistan with our allies for the Afghan people," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.
The first U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN that bin Laden's continuing messages serve as a "reminder" and an "in your face" signal that he is still out there.
But, that official said, "the relevance (of the tapes) are on the wane. ... His message doesn't resonate as well."
The second U.S. official said the tape is an effort by bin Laden to prove "he is present, that he is engaging."
It's a "morale factor to remind the people who follow him that he's still out there," the second official said.
But this official said bin Laden's message is more "inspirational" than operational. Some could take his message as "a directive," but there is no indication he is "leading" an operation, the official said.
The official said there has been no change in the U.S. belief that bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan somewhere along the border with Afghanistan.
Taliban militants captured the journalists -- Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier from France 3 Television -- in December 2009 and threatened to kill them if their demands were not met, including the release of some detainees held by France.
France has 3,750 troops in Afghanistan, according to NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
Al Qaeda's North African wing has made the same withdrawal demands pertaining to the safety of five French nationals abducted in Niger.



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Ryan Babel agrees move from Liverpool to Hoffenheim
Ryan Babel
Babel has struggled to establish himself at Liverpool

Liverpool have confirmed that Ryan Babel will fly to Germany on Tuesday to finalise his move to Hoffenheim.

Babel, 24, had been expected to remain in England after Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said on Monday that the Dutch forward would not be moving.

But a later statement on the Liverpool website read: "Ryan Babel has agreed a move to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim."

The move comes six days after Liverpool accepted a bid for the former Ajax striker from the Bundesliga club.

Asked about Babel's future on Monday, Dalglish said: "He is staying here."

The u-turn comes after Babel had expressed a preference for a move to Ajax, possibly as part of a deal to bring Uruguay striker Luis Suarez to Anfield.

Babel began his career with Ajax before joining Liverpool for £11.5m in 2007.

Liverpool have been linked with a possible £20m bid for Suarez, who scored three goals for Uruguay on their way to the semi-finals of the World Cup in South Africa.

But with Liverpool thus far unable to agree a fee with Ajax for the Uruguayan, Babel's move to Germany has finally gone ahead.

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Meanwhile, Dalglish refused to be drawn on whether Liverpool had increased its bid for Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam, who has submitted a transfer request.

"One of our ways is to be respectful of other clubs and certain players at other clubs," added the Scot.

Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston said they had rejected a £4m bid from Liverpool for the Scotland international on Friday.