World

The United Arab Emirates urged Iran on Friday to provide reassurances on the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme after the International Atomic Energy Agency denounced Tehran’s lack of cooperation.

“There are concerns,” said the permanent representative of the UAE to the IAEA, Hamad Al Kaabi.

In response to an AFP question during a press conference on the Emirates’ own nuclear programme, he called on Iran to “closely cooperate with the IAEA” and “provide reassurances to regional and international countries regarding the peacefulness of its nuclear programme”.

The UAE has the first nuclear power plant in the Arab world. 

It lies just across the Gulf from Iran which has a nuclear power plant of its own outside the coastal city of Bushehr, as well as a controversial uranium enrichment programme.

Kaabi’s statements come after Iran disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites this month, shortly after the US and its European allies pushed through a resolution at the UN agency denouncing Tehran’s lack of cooperation.

A 2015 deal with world powers gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for guarantees that it could not develop a nuclear weapon — something Tehran has always denied wanting to do.

The United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump, before imposing biting sanctions on the Islamic republic. Iran in turn began reneging on its own commitments.

US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to again embrace the deal so long as Iran also respects its own pledges under it.

Washington’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April said the “breakout time” for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb, if it so chooses, is “down to a matter of weeks” after the deal had pushed it beyond a year.

The UAE has repeatedly said its nuclear ambitions are for “peaceful purposes” and has ruled out developing any enrichment programme or nuclear reprocessing technologies.

It has also moved to dispel any concerns over safety, underlining that the plant has welcomed more than 40 international reviews and inspection missions.

Supporters of Julian Assange on Friday vowed to fight his extradition to the United States after Britain approved a US request for the WikiLeaks founder to face trial over the publication of secret military files.

“We’re not at the end of the road here. We’re going to fight this. We’re going to use every appeal avenue,” Stella Assange, who married the Australian publisher earlier this year, told reporters.

His lawyer, Jen Robinson, urged US President Joe Biden to drop the charges and called on the Australian government to press for her client’s release.

“We will appeal this all the way through the British courts and if necessary to the European Court of Human Rights,” she added.

The Assange case has become a cause celebre for media freedom and his supporters accuse Washington of trying to muzzle reporting of legitimate security concerns.

He is wanted to face trial for violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010 and could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty, although the exact sentence is difficult to estimate.

The UK interior ministry earlier announced that Home Secretary Priti Patel had approved the extradition order but that he had 14 days to appeal.

– ‘Dark day’ –

That sets up yet another court hearing in the long-running legal saga, which began in 2010 after WikiLeaks published more than 500,000 classified US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His supporters have held frequent rallies to protest the planned deportation, accusing Washington of a politically motivated campaign as Assange, 50, had exposed US war crimes and a cover-up.

WikiLeaks said the decision was a “dark day for press freedom and for British democracy” and alleged that Assange had been on a CIA hit-list.

“Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job,” the group said in a statement.

Extradition was a work of “revenge” and an attempt to “try to disappear him into the darkest recesses of their prison system for the rest of his life to deter others from holding governments to account”.

Amnesty International said the government’s approval of the extradition “sends a chilling message” to journalists and exposed Assange to torture and ill-treatment if he were kept in solitary confinement.

The human rights monitor’s secretary-general Agnes Callamard said diplomatic assurances that he would be well treated were not to be trusted, she added.

– No grounds –

The Home Office, however, said there were no grounds for Patel to block the extradition order, which was made on April 20.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange,” a spokesperson said.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Legal experts said Assange’s decision to appeal sets up potentially months of legal hearings.

He would first need permission to appeal from the High Court. If that was granted, the hearing might not be until early next year.

“He could also make an application to the European Court of Human Rights,” said Kate Goold, an extradition lawyer at London firm Bindmans.

– ‘Lengthy process’ –

“Once you get to the European Court of Human Rights, it’s a very, very slow process,” added another specialist Rebecca Niblock, from lawyers Kingsley Napley.

“Extradition is a very lengthy process and it is very unlikely that this will be the end of it.”

Assange has been held on remand at a top-security jail in southeast London since 2019 for jumping bail in a previous case accusing him of sexual assault in Sweden.

That case was dropped but he was not released from prison after serving time for breaching bail on the grounds he was a flight risk in the US extradition case.

His supporters have tried to secure his release and block his extradition on the grounds that he was a suicide risk if held in punishing isolation in US custody.

Assange, who got married behind bars in March, spent seven years at Ecuador’s embassy in London to avoid being removed to Sweden.

He was arrested when the government changed in Quito and his diplomatic protection was removed.

Britain on Friday approved a US government request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face trial over the publication of secret military files, prompting outrage from his supporters.

Home Secretary Priti Patel’s interior ministry said Assange had 14 days to appeal the decision, which comes after a UK court issued a formal order clearing his removal in April.

Assange’s supporters have held frequent rallies to protest the planned deportation in what they claim is a defence of media freedom and free speech.

His wife, Stella, has pleaded for his release from custody after they had two children in secret he was holed up for years in Ecuador’s London embassy.

WikiLeaks called Patel’s decision a “dark day for press freedom and for British democracy” and vowed to pursue the appeal to the High Court”.

It accused the United States of having “plotted his assassination”.

“Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job,” the group said in a statement.

WikiLeaks said the case was “political”, as Assange published evidence that the United States “committed war crimes and covered them up”.

The extradition was an attempt to “try to disappear him into the darkest recesses of their prison system for the rest of his life to deter others from holding governments to account”.

The head of Amnesty International said the government’s approval of the extradition “sends a chilling message” to journalists.

“If the extradition proceeds, Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Assange faces a high risk of prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture and other ill treatment,” said Agnes Callamard.

“Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history,” she added, calling for the charges to be dropped and Assange to be released.

– No grounds –

A Home Office spokesperson said there were no grounds for Patel to block the extradition order, which was made on April 20 after a long-running legal saga up the hierarchy of UK courts.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange,” the spokesperson said.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Legal experts assess that Patel’s decision is likely not the end of the road for Assange, with potentially months of court challenges ahead.

Assange would first need permission to appeal from the High Court. If that was granted, the hearing might not be until early next year.

“He could also make an application to the European Court of Human Rights,” said Kate Goold, an extradition lawyer at London firm Bindmans.

“Once you get to the European Court of Human Rights, it’s a very, very slow process,” added another specialist Rebecca Niblock, from lawyers Kingsley Napley.

“Extradition is a very lengthy process and it is very unlikely that this will be the end of it.”

– Cause celebre –

The Assange case has become a cause celebre for media freedom, with his supporters accusing Washington of trying to muzzle reporting of legitimate security concerns.

He is wanted to face trial for violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010, and could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty, although the exact sentence is difficult to estimate.

He has been held on remand at a top-security jail in southeast London since 2019 for jumping bail in a previous case accusing him of sexual assault in Sweden.

That case was dropped but he was not released from prison after serving time for breaching bail on the grounds he was a flight risk in the US extradition case.

His supporters have tried to secure his release and block his extradition on the grounds that he was a suicide risk if held in punishing isolation in US custody.

Assange, who married in jail in March, spent seven years at Ecuador’s embassy in London to avoid being removed to Sweden.

He was arrested when the government changed in Quito and his diplomatic protection was removed.

China on Friday launched its biggest and most modern aircraft carrier, marking a major military advance for the Asian superpower.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the United States over Beijing’s sabre-rattling towards Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be seized by force if necessary.

China’s carrier development programme is part of a massive overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army under President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to build a “fully modern” force to rival the US military by 2027.

The new carrier, named Fujian, is the “first catapult aircraft carrier wholly designed and built by China”, said state broadcaster CCTV.

Columns of sailors in white uniforms applauded under colourful clouds of smoke as jets of water arced over the gigantic vessel to mark its launch.

Colourful streamers hung from its flight deck, on which large banners read: “Strive for the comprehensive construction of a… first-class navy.”

The launch of the carrier marks a major milestone for the Chinese military.

It has significantly more advanced technology than China’s two other carriers, including electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft off its deck, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The other carriers — the Liaoning and the Shandong — use a ski-jump-style ramp for takeoffs.

And with a displacement of more than 80,000 tonnes, according to Xinhua, it is comparable in size to the supercarriers of the United States Navy, analysts said.

– ‘Game changer’ –

Collin Koh, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said it could be a “game changer” for the Chinese navy.

“The conventional flight deck with (electromagnetic catapults) will at least in theory allow the carrier to launch aircraft faster and with heavier payloads — which constitute key deciding factors during battle,” he told AFP.

“At a strategic level, the new carrier heralds the coming of age of a blue-water PLA Navy.”

Blue-water navies are able to operate around the world at vast ranges.

It will take years before the Fujian becomes operational, however. Authorities have not said when it will enter service.

The Liaoning was commissioned in 2012, and the Shandong entered service in 2019.

The Shandong was the first aircraft carrier entirely built by China.

The United States has by far the most aircraft carriers in service at 11 ships, followed by China and Britain at two each, according to defence magazine Janes.

Unlike the US Navy’s nuclear-powered supercarriers, the Fujian uses conventional propulsion. Nuclear vessels have significant advantages over conventional ships as they can operate for long periods without the need to dock and refuel.

– Taiwan tensions –

The launch of the carrier comes at a time of ramped-up geopolitical tensions as Washington looks to shore up military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.

Last year, the United States secured a historic deal with Britain to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia and has since made multiple arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan, provoking angry responses from Beijing.

Meanwhile, China brokered an unprecedented security agreement with the Solomon Islands earlier this year which blindsided Washington and its allies, stoking fears of a Chinese military base in the Pacific.

In recent years, Beijing has deployed naval assets as a show of power in the strait that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. 

It has also used fighter jets to repel freedom of navigation patrols by the United States and its allies.

Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe last week warned his US counterpart that Beijing would “not hesitate to start a war, no matter the cost” if Taiwan declared independence.

State media reported that the PLA’s newest aircraft carrier is named after China’s Fujian province — which lies across from Taiwan.

Hong Kong’s coronavirus case numbers are showing signs of rebounding, city chief executive Carrie Lam said on Friday, days after reintroducing more restrictions ahead of the 25th anniversary of the city’s transfer to Chinese rule.

The finance hub this week saw daily cases go above 1,000 for the first time in two months — though hospitalisations have remained relatively low, with only 25 people in serious or critical condition as of Friday, according to health officials.

Recent outbreaks have cast a shadow over Hong Kong’s plans to mark the handover on July 1, and it remains unclear if Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the celebrations in person.

Lam said social distancing rules would not be tightened again despite the rebound in numbers, saying the figures were “not an alarm bell yet”.

“I have to stress that this sort of upward cases, according to the experts, are not unexpected, because we have almost returned to normalcy as far as social activities are concerned,” she said.

On Tuesday, however, the government brought in new restrictions related to bars and clubs. Patrons now need to present proof of a negative rapid Covid-19 test taken in the last 24 hours. 

There have been questions over enforcement, with Bloomberg News reporting some people have been able to dodge the rule and that bar operators have cited difficulties in verifying photos of test results.

The new measure seemed to be a response to recent case clusters that were traced to bars and clubs, but there was little evidence to show the move could slow outbreaks, University of Hong Kong microbiology professor Siddharth Sridhar told Bloomberg.

On Tuesday, officials also said that if people test positive, home quarantine will only be an option if they have at least two bathrooms in their residence, to avoid the healthy and the infected sharing facilities.

Hong Kong is famous for its cramped living quarters, with more than 220,000 of its 7.4 million residents living in subdivided housing.

Lam on Friday extended an arrangement for Hong Kong teachers and students to take Covid-19 rapid tests daily, and demanded more testing for staff at care homes for the elderly.

Hong Kong has enjoyed a lull in cases for around two months, after a deadly Omicron wave earlier this year killed more than 9,000, mostly under-vaccinated elderly people in care homes.

Public health experts say Hong Kong’s next coronavirus wave may be less deadly because many residents acquired immunity through natural infection, and vaccination rates have improved.

The city has followed China’s zero-Covid strategy, in which virus outbreaks have been quashed with mass testing, social distancing and stringent border controls.