A British journalist and his interpreter have been kidnapped in the Iraqi city of Basra.
Iraqi news agency Aswat al-Iraq (Voice of Iraq) reported that the journalist, who was working for US television network CBS, was seized by gunmen on Sunday.
The agency reported the pair were kidnapped from near their hotel in the centre of the city.
The journalist's wife told the Independentthat she hoped her husband would be released soon. "We are sure he will be out as soon as he can and everything will be fine," she said.
The British Foreign Office said it was investigating.
According to press-freedom campaign group Reporters sans Frontières, 47 journalists and nine media assistants were killed in Iraq last year.
It brought the number of journalists killed there since the 2003 invasion to 153, with media assistant casualties recorded at 54.
