256/2018 • 2018. NOVEMBER 10. WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Pakistan: Asia Bibi released from jail Local media says she could be on the way out of the country
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whose conviction and death sentence for blasphemy against Islam was reversed last week, has been released from jail in Pakistan.
German chimp Robby to stay in circus after lengthy legal battle
France recovers seven bodies from collapsed Marseille buildings
A German court on Thursday ruled that a 47-year-old circus chimpanzee called Robby should spend the rest of his days among people,rather than with other apes. Zoo-born Robby has lived with circus owner Klaus Köhler and his family since the age of three, and the question of whether he would be better off at an ape rehabilitation facility has been the subject of a lengthy legal battle. The decision in the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg means he will stay put.
Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin said on Thursday that seven bodies had been recovered fromtwo collapsed buildingsnear the Mediterranean cityʼs Old Port area. Authorities believe one person may still be trapped under the rubble. The chances of finding survivors "are thin, very thin, but real," said Charles-Henri Garie, who leads the water brigades of the Marseille fire department. Gaudin is under pressure to resign afterthe buildings collapsed on Monday. "Some people are taking advantage of this in opposition to societyʼs interests," Gaudin said.
Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, who wasacquitted by the Supreme Court last week, has been released from jail, local media reported on Wednesday. It has also been speculated that Bibiʼs family had been advised to prepare for an international flight. It is still unclear whether she is still in Pakistan or has left the country. According to some media reports, she was likely already on the way out of the country. But Mohammad Faisal, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, told local media on Thursday morning there was "no truth in reports of her [Bibi] leaving the country." But Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, has confirmed that Bibi was released from prison, saying he is looking forward to meeting her in Europe. "#AsiaBibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!," he wrote on Twitter. "I look forward [to] meeting her and her family in the European Parliament as soon as possible." Bibiʼs was one of the most high-profile blasphemy cases in Pakistan, with international rights groups and Western governments demanding a fair trial in her case. In 2015, Bibiʼs daughter met with Pope Francis, who offered prayers for her mother at the Vatican. Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in Pakistan, where 97 percent of its 180 million inhabitants are Muslims. Rights activists have demanded reforms of the controversial blasphemy laws, which were introduced by the Islamic military dictator General Zia-ulHaq in the 1980s. Activists say the laws have little to do with blasphemy and are
often used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas. Bibi was arrested in June 2009, after her neighbors complained she had made derogatory remarks about Islamʼs Prophet Muhammad. A year later, Bibi was sentenced to death despite strong opposition from national and international human rights groups. After a hearing on October 8 of this year, Pakistanʼs Supreme Court reversed two lower court verdicts against Bibi in what was her final appeal against the 2010 death sentence. In 2014, when the death sentence had been upheld by the Lahore High Court, rights group Amnesty International called the verdict a "grave injustice." Despite her acquittal by the Supreme Court, Bibi remained in prison due to Islamist protests. Her husband, Ashiq Masih, hadappealed to US President Donald Trump for asylum, along with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Following the Supreme Court verdict of Bibiʼs acquittal, the ultraviolent Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) partytook to the streets and reduced Pakistan to a standstill for three daysbefore striking a deal with the government. Authorities agreed not to oppose a review petition filed in the Supreme Court to reverse the verdict against Bibi andplace her name in an Exit Control List. "I trust the justice system of Pakistan, I am glad she has been released as per the decision of the court. She deserves to live a safe life. It is sad that her basic right to justice took nine years of her life," .
US sanctions on Iran raise concern in Turkey
German carmakers to fund diesel retrofits
The Trump administration announced sanctions against Iran earlier this week, with a strong focus on hitting the countryʼs oil and petrochemical sectors especially hard. So far, however, Turkey and seven other nations have been spared the US presidentʼs wrath as they were allowed to continue importing Iranian oil. But the six-month exemption from the ban granted to Turkey seems only cold comfort for the countryʼs companies and businesses, which have enjoyed booming trade with Tehran in recent years. They fear a massive slump in their business with the neighboring Mullah regime.
German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer met with managers from automobile manufacturers Daimler, Volkswagen (VW) and BMW in Berlin on Thursday. The meeting was held to discuss government plans for manufacturers to pay for retrofitting hardware for older diesel vehicles. Scheuer announced that Daimler and Volkswagen were prepared to pay up to €3,000 ($3,429) per vehicle. BMW has refused to take part in the program.