Nation & World Glance
the robbery on Wednesday evening raised questions about security in one of the world’s most prestigious neighborhoods, the Place Vendome. Its wellguarded buildings include the Justice Ministry, highend boutiques and the 19thcentury Ritz.
Three perpetrators “entered by the service entrance, smashed the jewelry stands, grabbed jewels that were clearly expensive with the help of axes,” said Jean-Michel Huguet of police union Alliance Police Nationale.
They seized watches from display cases holding wares from Rolex and Piaget, and then targeted the Alexandre Reza jewelry boutique inside the hotel.
FAA investigates latest close call at San Francisco airport
SAN FRANCISCO — An Aeromexico passenger jet was ordered to abort a landing at San Francisco International Airport as it descended toward a runway occupied by another commercial jet, the third close call at the busy airport in six months, officials said Thursday.
Aeromexico Flight 668 from Mexico City had been cleared to land Tuesday and it was about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the airport when controllers saw the aircraft was lined up for a runway occupied by a Virgin America Airbus A320 jet waiting to take off for Kona, Hawaii, Ian Gregor, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman, said in an email.
The tower ordered the Aeromexico Boeing 737 jet to circle around.
The 11:45 a.m. event happened after the Aeromexico jet was cleared on Runway 28R the airport, which is parallel to Runway 28L. The R stands for right and the L stands for left, Gregor said.
Crew on the Aeromexico jet were “cleared to land on Runway 28R, and correctly read back that clearance. When the plane was about a mile from the airport, air traffic controllers noticed the aircraft was lined up for Runway 28L and instructed the crew to execute a missed approach,” Gregor said.
The plane later safely landed, Gregor said. He said the FAA has opened an investigation.
Ecuador grants nationality to WikiLeaks founder
QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after more than five years of living in asylum at the nation’s embassy in London, officials announced Thursday.
Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said officials accepted Assange’s request for naturalization in December, and they continue to look for a longterm resolution to a situation that has vexed officials since 2012.
“What naturalization does is provide the asylum seeker another layer of protection,” Espinosa said.
Ecuador gave Assange asylum after he sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden for investigation of sex-related claims. Sweden dropped the case, but Assange has remained in the embassy because he is still subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail.
He also fears a possible U.S. extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents.