Paparazzi fined for Diana photos
A Paris appeals court fined three photographers a little more than a dollar each for invasion of privacy by taking pictures of Princess Diana and boyfriend Dodi Fayed the night of their fatal 1997 car crash, officials said Wednesday.
The appeals court fined the photographers a symbolic one euro in a Friday ruling that was not announced until Wednesday.
Jacques Langevin, Christian Martinez and Fabrice Chassery were among the media swarm pursuing the car carrying Diana and Fayed across Paris before it slammed into the pillar of a tunnel along the River Seine on Aug. 31, 1997.
Fayed’s father, Egyptian-born billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed, filed the invasion of privacy complaint. Diana’s relatives and the British royal family were not plaintiffs.
The judges in the appeals court determined that the photographers invaded Fayed’s privacy by shooting photos of the couple emerging from the Ritz Hotel and images of Fayed in the crashed car. The photos were confiscated and not published.
Tehran, Iran
Iran vows to fund Hamas if aid cut
Iran offered Wednesday to fund a Hamas-led Palestinian government if the West cuts off aid. But Israel vowed to block any money from Tehran and warned the Palestinians against aligning with what it called “international pariahs.”
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the pledge after a meeting with Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas political leader. Mashaal and his delegation were in Iran on their latest stop of a tour of Arab and Islamic nations to build support.
Iran, one of Hamas’ strongest backers, shares a nearly identical regional political strategy with the Islamic militant group that won last month’s Palestinian parliament elections. Both have called for the destruction of Israel and neither recognizes the Jewish state.
Jerusalem
Sharon undergoes minor surgery
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a minor procedure Wednesday to remove fluid from his stomach after a scan uncovered the problem, Hadassah Hospital said in a statement.
The prime minister has been hospitalized since Jan. 4 when he suffered a massive stroke that left him in a coma. Sharon remained in stable but serious condition Wednesday, the Jerusalem hospital said.
The procedure was the first since Sharon, 77, underwent an emergency abdominal surgery Feb. 11 to remove dead digestive tissue. Doctors took out one-third of his large intestine during that operation.
Sharon has been comatose and hooked up to a breathing tube since his stroke. A feeding tube was inserted into his stomach on Feb. 1.