Pakistani court rejects ex-PM Imran Khan’s bail plea
Niger’s junta releases French official held for 5 days
PARIS – A French official detained in Niger last week has been released, the French government said Thursday. The arrest heightened tensions between France and Niger, where military officers deposed an elected president last month and ordered French officials to leave.
France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Stephane Jullien, counselor for French citizens abroad, was released Wednesday, five days after he was arrested. It didn’t provide details about the release, or about the reason for his arrest. The French government had urged his liberation.
Manhunt following shooting of Iowa officer ends with arrest
ALGONA, Iowa – A northern Iowa police officer was shot Wednesday night, prompting a manhunt that ended with an arrest in Minnesota.
The Iowa State Patrol said the officer was shot around 8 p.m. in Algona, a town of about 5,300 residents. The officer’s name and details about the officer’s condition were not immediately released. The 43-year-old suspect fled, prompting a Blue Alert to let the public know a suspect who posed a potential threat to law enforcement was on the loose.
ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of leaking state secrets, his lawyer said.
Khan is accused of exposing an official secret document, dubbed Cipher, when he waved a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally last year.
It was apparently correspondence between a Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Khan told the rally it was proof that his removal from power in April 2022 was a conspiracy.
After a private hearing, Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain dismissed the plea under the Official Secrets Act.