MISSING TOURISTS IN ALGERIA — NEW DEVELOPMENT:

Desert nomads were reported yesterday to have discovered an abandoned vehicle and a network of tunnels in a remote region of southern Algeria thought likely to provide clues about the mysterious disappearance of 29 western tourists in the Sahara over the past seven weeks.

Germany’s ARD television channel said the off-road vehicle was found in a mountainous district north of the Algerian town of Tamanrasset at the weekend by a camel train of nomads passing through the region. The vehicle was left parked outside the entrance to a complex system of underground caves linked by tunnels. The nomads said they suspected the caves “were inhabited”, although they had not entered the system to find out.

Smart move. Keep your eye on this bizarre story. Maybe Osama’s hiding out there . . .