Judge rejects WikiLeaks founder plea to cancel arrest warrant
London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had his hopes of freedom dashed on Tuesday when a judge in London upheld a warrant for his arrest on a charge of skipping bail.
The 46-year-old Australian has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 fearing arrest if he leaves the building, potentially paving the way for him to be extradited to the US, reports Xinhua.
Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot delivered her ruling on Tuesday at Westminster magistrate’s court in London stating it is in the public interest to pursue him for failing to surrender to his bail.
"I find arrest is a proportionate response even though Assange has restricted his freedom for some years," she was quoted as saying.
"Defendants on bail up and down the country, and requested persons facing extradition come to court to face the consequences of their own choices. He should have the courage to do the same. He appears to consider himself above the normal rules of law and wants justice only if it goes in his favor," added the judge.
Assange moved into the embassy initially to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was wanted for questioning over an allegation of a sexual assault which he has always denied.
The Metropolitan Police hold the warrant for his arrest if he steps outside the compound even though the Swedish authorities have now dropped their investigation against him.
Assange's barrister Mark Summers argued that arresting him was no longer proportionate or in the public interest, saying the years Assange has spent inside the embassy were adequate if the not severe punishment for his actions.
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NDRF, SDRF teams continue efforts to rescue 3-yr-old girl from borewell in Rajasthan
Jaipur, Dec 24: Efforts to rescue a three-year-old girl who fell into a 150 feet deep borewell in Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan continued on Tuesday.
The girl, Chetna, fell into the borewell while playing in the agriculture farm of her father on Monday.
SHO Sarund Mohammad Imran said teams of NDRF and SDRF are trying to rescue the girl safely.
Senior Commandant of NDRF Yogesh Meena said, "After failing to safely pull out the girl from the borewell with a ring rod, efforts are being made to pull her out with another local equipment made of iron plate."
The girl's actions were captured on camera and an oxygen pipe was lowered into the borewell to supply oxygen.
Two weeks ago, a five-year-old child fell into a borewell in Dausa district. The rescue operation to rescue the child safely lasted for more than 55 hours. However, by the time he was pulled out, the child had lost the battle of life.
