Entertainment
After earlier returns, more Iranian female footballers abandon Australian asylum
Three more members of the Iranian women’s football team have left their asylum in Australia and decided to return home, Canberra said Sunday.
Seven members of Iran’s visiting football delegation competing in the Women’s Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.
Only three of them will now remain in Australia, after another member of the group had second thoughts earlier in the week.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women’s Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” he said.
The Australian government gave team members the opportunity to seek refuge, but players faced “incredibly difficult decisions”, the minister said.
The football drama has unfolded against a backdrop of war in the Middle East, unleashed by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the republic.
“The Australian Government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia,” Burke said.
“Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them.”
Iranian state broadcaster IRB said Saturday that three team members — two players and one member of the technical staff — had given up their asylum application and were currently heading to Malaysia.
‘Traitors’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lauded the bravery of the women, vowing they would be welcomed with open arms.
But Iran’s governing football body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to forsake their home nation against their will.
Iranian players fell silent as the national anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.
A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players “wartime traitors”, fuelling fears they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home.
Although the side sang Iran’s anthem — an ode to the glory of the country — in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim asylum in Australia.
Two more team members — a player and a support staffer — claimed asylum before the team flew out of Sydney on Tuesday evening.
Action movie icon Chuck Norris was hospitalised in Hawaii on Thursday, March 19, following a medical emergency.
The incident occurred days after celebrating his 86th birthday with an outdoor boxing session.
“The Missing in Action” actor was on the island of Kauai when the incident occurred. Although the nature of the medical emergency has not been disclosed yet, sources close to TMZ stated that Norris is in “good spirits” and was cracking jokes with friends shortly before being admitted.
The hospitalization was a surprise to fans, especially after watching Norris spar energetically in a video he posted on his Instagram account on March 10, celebrating his birthday. In the video, the martial artist was seen playfully throwing punches with his trainer under the sun in Hawaii.
In his birthday post, he wrote: “I don’t age. I level up. I’m 86 today! Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love.”
“Thank you all for being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to me than you’ll ever know,” he added.
Norris is married to Gena O’Kelley with whom he shares 24-year-old twins. From his previous relationships, he has five children.
A terrifying moment was recently caught on camera as an Israeli missile targeted a British journalist associated with Russia Today (RT) during live reporting in Lebanon.
Steven Sweeney, who works for the Russian state funded broadcaster, was filming destruction of a bridge and talking about missile attacks from Israel when one targeted him and hit just a few feet away.
Sweeney said yesterday that targeting journalists was a war crime and today he himself got injured in an attack. He was treated at a hospital for his injuries.
The video footage of the incident shows the exact moment when the missile hit near the journalist, both cameraman and the reporter sustained injuries.
RT posted a video of journalist Ali Rida, also injured in the attack, reporting from Southern Lebanon. Ali said that Israeli forces DELIBERATELY targeted them.
About three hours after the attack, the outlet shared a video message of Sweeney. He said: “It was a precision strike from an Israeli fighter jet. If they think that they are going to silence us, they are very, very much mistaken.”
Israel has intensified its unprovoked, illegal military strikes on Southern Lebanon and had repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure.
Sweeney also accused Israel of attempting to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon.
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