.jpg)
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Iran charges US journalist detained since July
The
family of a Washington Post correspondent detained in Iran since July
is calling on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “to show the
international community that Iran is indeed a country that respects its
laws.”
Jason
Rezaian, who holds dual American and Iranian citizenship, has been
officially charged with unspecified crimes, the newspaper reported.
His
family released a statement on Sunday saying that “in its ongoing
disregard of Iran’s own laws, the Iranian judiciary has continued to
deny Jason access to legal representation, denied his request for bail,
and prevented access to review of his case file.”
Rezaian has been the paper’s bureau chief in Tehran since 2012.
He
attended a 10-hour court session in Tehran on Saturday, during which a
judge revisited his case and Rezaian signed paperwork to acknowledge he
understood he was being charged, the Post said.
“We’re
appalled by the injustice of it all,” Washington Post Executive Editor
Marty Baron said in an email message on Sunday morning.
“It’s
disgraceful treatment of a good and decent man. There is no
justification for his continued imprisonment, just as there was no
justification for his arrest in the first place,” Baron wrote.
“The
Iranian government has never explained why Jason was detained or why he
has been held for more than four months without access to a lawyer,”
Baron said earlier. “Jason is an American citizen who was acting as a
fully accredited journalist. … Any fair legal proceeding would quickly
determine that any allegations against him are baseless.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iran to free Rezaian.
“We
call on (the) Iranian government to drop any charges against Jason
Rezaian and release him so he can be reunited with his family,” the
State Department tweeted on Kerry’s behalf.
Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, was arrested with him, but she was released on bail in October, according to the Post.
His family is asking for his “immediate and unconditional release.”
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Leo Messi keeps pace with Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are matching each other hat-trick for hat-trick as their remarkable scoring battle continues apace.
Messi grabbed his third treble in four games Sunday to lift Barcelona to a 5-1 derby victory over Espanyol in the Nou Camp.
It came the day after Ronaldo took his La Liga record for hat-tricks to 23 as Real Madrid stayed top of the standings with a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.
Barcelona's come from behind win has seen them move back into second spot, two points behind its arch rival.
Both men have scored over 200 goals at better than a goal a game since Ronaldo first moved to La Liga with Real in 2009, with a string of records falling into their grasp.
Barca needed Messi's magic after going behind to its city rival as Sergio Garcia converted with a fine early strike.
The Argentine ace conjured up the equalizer in first half injury time after being set up by Xavi on the edge of the penalty area.
It was to open the floodgates and within five minutes of the restart Luis Suarez had centered for Messi to put Barca ahead for the first time.
Gerard Pique connected with a Ivan Rakitic corner to head the home side further ahead with Pedro Rodriguez adding the fourth after a brilliant through ball from Jordi Alba.
Messi completed his 21st hat-trick for Barcelona near the end after an assist from Pedro to send home the majority of the 76,057 fans home happy.
France admits ownership of seized plane in Kano
France has admitted ownership of the cargo plane that was impounded by military authorities at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, last Saturday.
It said that the flight was covered by a diplomatic clearance given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, noting that the Autonov 124 Russian commercial plane was forced to land at the Kano airport because of dense air traffic at Ndjamena airport,Chad.
A statement from the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagne de Labriolle, on Sunday, stated that the Antonov plane had to divert to an alternate international airport and the closest airport facility being Kano, the Russian crew decided to fly there, to refuel, and to take off again to reach Njamena Airport.
He denied that the plane was carrying arms and ammunition, stressing that it was conveying two light Gazelle helicopters, spare parts and maintenance items belonging to the French Army.
Labriolle further explained that due to the nationality of the aircraft, and the nature of the cargo, airport authorities in Kano, decided to check the flight plan, the clearance and the cargo manifest before authorizing the plane to leave.
He said that official information has been supplied by the French Embassy in Nigeria, noting that the federal and airport authorities, being satisfied with the documents and the genuine character of the flight, have announced that the plane will be authorized to pursue its flight to Ndjamena.
The envoy stated that the French Armed Forces had on December 6, 2014, chartered the flight on the Russian commercial company “224 Flight Unit,” to ship two light helicopters from Bangui to Ndjamena.
FG impounds Russian plane with arms in Kano
The military has placed under protective custody, a large cargo of arms and ammunition that was intercepted at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Saturday.
The arms which were said to have originated from Russia, were being flown to Ndjamena, the capital of Chad, but the plane landed in Kano and was promptly seized by the military.
A security source said investigation has commenced into the source of the cargo and content, adding that the arms have been placed under protective custody pending the conclusion of the probe.
The source said, “The military has already launched an investigation into how the aircraft found its way to Kano, the origin of the weapons, the destination and other important details surrounding the shipment.”
The Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade could not be reached for comments as calls to his phone indicated that it was not available.
