John Stillwell/Reuters
In an open letter published in French newspaper Le Monde to François Hollande, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange pled to be granted asylum as he waits questioning by Swedish officials for allegations of sex crimes by two women—one of rape and the other of sexual assault. He is currently holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London, where he has stayed since 2012. The plea follows published Wikileak documents that revealed that the NSA snooped on three French presidents, top ministers and business transactions from 2006 to 2012, but it was swiftly denied. "France has received the letter from Mr. Assange. A closer examination shows that when taking account of the legal elements and the situation of Mr. Assange, France can not act on his request."