French President says no to asylum after Assange appeal
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, currenty holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, will not be granted asylum in France. Assange had made an apparent asylum request in a letter to President Francois Hollande, which was published in a prominent French newspaper on Friday. He had appealed to France's history as a "beacon of the repressed" and also pointed out that recent Wikileaks documents had revealed that the US had spied on Hollande, his two predecessors and top French firms. In response, Hollande's office issued a statement noting that Assange is under a European arrest warrant and that his life is not in imminent danger.
Iceland legalises blasphemy
Blasphemy is now legal in Iceland after a vote in the country's Parliament on Friday, in which 43 of the 63 members voted in favour of decriminalising it. The decision was taken to support freedom of expression following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris January this year that left 12 dead. The blasphemy law had provided for fines or imprisonment up to three months. The Pirate Party, the country's most popular political outfit, had proposed the bill in February and had argued that citizens should be able to express themselves without fear of punishment or reprisal. The Lutheran Church of Iceland, to which 75% of the country's citizens belong, supported the move.
Greek PM tells voters to reject 'blackmail'
Ahead of a crucial bailout referendum on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras has appealed to voters to reject "blackmail" and insisted that the country's European Union membership was not at stake. He told citizens on Friday that voting "No" to the austerity demands of Greece's international creditors was the only way to "live with dignity in Europe". Tspiras's comments came even as thousands on both sides of the vote held rallies in Athens. There were reports of scuffles with the police. EU leaders have warned that a "No" vote could see Greece leave the Eurozone.
Solar plane completes longest non-stop solo flight in history
A solar plane on Friday broke the record for the longest non-stop solo flight in history. Solar Impulse 2 achieved the feat after touching down on the US island of Hawaii as part of its attempt to complete the world's first flight around the globe. Said to be the riskiest part of the journey, Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg had taken off from Nagoya in Japan on Monday for the five-day crossing of the Pacific Ocean. Borschberg broke the endurance record for a solo flight 72 hours into the eighth leg of the 22,000-mile circumnavigation.
ISIS affiliate in Egypt fires rockets into Israel
An Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State has said it was responsible for firing rockets into southern Israel on Friday. The "Sinai Province" group said on Twitter that it had shot three rockets at "Jewish positions in occupied Palestine". The Israeli military confirmed that the rockets had exploded inside its territory but said there were no casualties or material damage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the incident as he condemned a United Nations report condemning Israel's actions during the 2014 Gaza war. Israel shares a 240-km border with Sinai and violent incidents in this area are rare. IS and other groups have killed scores of troops in the Sinai Peninsula this week.
