UK Foreign Secretary cuts Australian visit short due to Algerian hostage crisis

SYDNEY, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague cut his Australian visit short and will fly back to the UK on Friday to deal with the hostage crisis in Algeria, local media reported.

Hague has canceled his Saturday Sydney tour but will stay in Perth until the end of the annual Australian and UK ministerial talks on Friday, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP) .

The talks began on Friday with the signing of a joint Australia- UK defense and security cooperation treaty to strengthen strategic ties between the two nations.

It was reported that at least one British national was killed when Algerian troops stormed a gas facility where hundreds of hostages were being held.

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