Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France / Photo: Martin LELIEVRE - AFP
-
Equitas Small Finance Bank rebounds after naming interim chief executive
-
Bharti Airtel revenue expected to grow at double-digit pace in second quarter
-
Titan quarterly profit seen rising as jewellery business drives growth
-
Indian crude-sensitive shares gain after 13% oil-price decline
-
Kuwait finance minister holds economic cooperation talks at COMCEC
-
Stocks and dollar fall as Democratic election gains reshape markets
-
Abdul El-Sayed declares victory in Michigan Senate contest
-
Kuwait marks key events and anniversaries from national history
-
Democrats capture US Congress in sweeping midterm victory
-
Trump congratulates Democrats and signals willingness to cooperate
-
Manchester United rallies past Roma as PSG dominates in Champions League
-
Qatar prime minister advances mediation through diplomatic calls
-
Qatar sees tentative opening for renewed regional diplomacy
-
Greenland parliament approves security agreement with United States
-
Qatar Tourism joins Pacific Asia Travel Association at London travel market
-
Qatar envoy meets incoming UN General Assembly president
-
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat in Historic Election
-
Trump Signals Willingness to Work With Democrats After Midterm Defeat
-
Qatar media bodies discuss support for humanitarian initiatives
-
Pitches and Keynote Speakers Are Confirmed for Blue Magic Netherlands on November 17
Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
Freed anti-whaling activist Paul Watson on Friday arrived in France after five months in detention in Greenland pending an extradition demand from Japan, an airport source told AFP.
Watson, 74, was released on Tuesday after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over a 2010 clash with whalers.
He landed at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly before 3.00 pm (1400 GMT), an airport source said.
A smiling Watson was seen wheeling his luggage through the airport terminal as armed police looked on, video footage showed.
Supporters clapped and some shouted: "Bravo!" One woman handed him a balloon. The activist left the airport without making a statement, only saying: "Thank you" in French and English.
Watson, who featured in the reality TV series "Whale Wars", founded the campaign group Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) and is known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea.
On his release on Tuesday, he had announced his intention to return to France, where he had been living since July 2023 and where his two young children attend school. He requested French citizenship in October.
Watson's legal woes have attracted support from the public and activists, including prominent British conservationist Jane Goodall, who has urged French President Emmanuel Macron to grant him political asylum.
"It's been five months and this is the first day of freedom, so I'm feeling great," Watson told AFP in a video call shortly after his release from the Danish autonomous territory this week.
Tokyo accuses Watson of injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers' activities during a Sea Shepherd clash with the Shonan Maru 2 vessel in 2010.
Watson's lawyers have said they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.
Supporters planned to stage a rally on Saturday afternoon to welcome Watson.
J.Oliveira--PC
