Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Friday 12 January 2018
Ecuador grants nationality to WikiLeaks founder
By GONZALO SOLANO State Department docu- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Associated Press ments.The Australian-born
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ec- Assange posted a photo- Britain’s Foreign Office said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 it has rejected Ecuador’s request to grant dip-
uador has granted citizen- graph of himself wearing
ship to WikiLeaks founder a yellow Ecuadorean na- lomatic status to Assange, who has been living in the nation’s embassy in London since 2012 to
Julian Assange after more tional soccer team jersey
than five years of living in on Instagram Wednesday avoid arrest by U.K. authorities.
asylum at the nation’s em- and his name now appears
bassy in London, officials in the Andean country’s (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
announced Thursday. national registry.
Foreign Minister Maria Fer- The new citizenship sta- jected Ecuador’s request to justice,” the office said. repeatedly urged Assange
nanda Espinosa said offi- tus, however, appears to
cials accepted Assange’s change little for Assange grant him diplomatic status Though protected by Ec- not to interfere in the af-
request for naturalization in in the immediate future. He
December, and they con- would still need to alert Brit- in the U.K. “Ecuador knows uador, the relationship be- fairs of other countries fol-
tinue to look for a long-term ish authorities of any move-
resolution to a situation that ment outside the embassy. that the way to resolve this tween Assange and na- lowing his frequent online
has vexed officials since “Even if he has two or three
2012. “What naturalization nationalities, the United issue is for Julian Assange to tion’s leaders has at times comments on international
does is provide the asylum Kingdom will continue in
seeker another layer of pro- its efforts against him,” said leave the embassy to face been dicey. Ecuador has issues. q
tection,” Espinosa said. Fredy Rivera, an expert in
Ecuador gave Assange foreign affairs at the Latin
asylum after he sought American Faculty of Social
refuge in the embassy to Sciences in Ecuador.
avoid extradition to Swe- Espinosa said Ecuador is
den for investigation of trying to make Assange a
sex-related claims. Sweden member of its diplomatic
dropped the case, but As- team, which would grant
sange has remained in the him additional rights under
embassy because he is still the Vienna Convention on
subject to arrest in Britain Diplomatic Relations, in-
for jumping bail. cluding special legal immu-
He also fears a possible U.S. nity and safe passage.
extradition request based Britain’s Foreign Office said
on his leaking of classified earlier Thursday it has re-
Police hunt for thieves after botched Ritz robbery in Paris
By ANGELA CHARLTON the Place Vendome. Its trance, smashed the jew- window to at least two cape. The pedestrian was
Associated Press well-guarded buildings in- elry stands, grabbed jewels accomplices outside, ac- slightly injured, said the offi-
PARIS (AP) — Paris authori- clude the Justice Ministry, that were clearly expensive cording to a police official. cial, who wasn’t authorized
ties recovered all the jew- high-end boutiques and with the help of axes,” said The three inside were then to speak publicly about an
els stolen from the Ritz Ho- the 19th-century Ritz. Jean-Michel Huguet of po- blocked when they tried to ongoing investigation.
tel in a dramatic heist, but Workers cleaned up shat- lice union Alliance Police flee through another door, Other jewels were found
were still searching for two tered glass Thursday and Nationale. and quickly arrested, the scattered amid the debris
thieves who got away, of- started to repair damage They seized watches from official said. of the shattered display
ficials said Thursday. from the robbery. Other- display cases holding wares The accomplices outside cases during overnight
Though ultimately unsuc- wise business appeared to from Rolex and Piaget, and fled, one on a motorcycle cleanup efforts, the official
cessful, the robbery on be returning to normal at then targeted the Alexan- and another in a car. The told The Associated Press.
Wednesday evening raised the Ritz, with no significant dre Reza jewelry boutique motorcyclist dropped a The overall value of the
questions about security increase in security. inside the hotel. bag with jewels and hatch- jewels on display was esti-
in one of the world’s most Three perpetrators “en- The suspects inside threw ets when his motorcycle hit mated at about 4.5 million
prestigious neighborhoods, tered by the service en- bags of goods out of a a pedestrian during his es- euros ($5.4 million).q
