Africa Watch 24

US: A few weeks left to save Iran’s nuclear deal

Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting on the Iran nuclear deal was held in Vienna, Austria, in April [File: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters]

US officials report modest gains during talks in Vienna, but warn nuclear advances will soon become irreversible.

Published On 14 Jan 202214 Jan 2022

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there are only “a few weeks left” to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal before Tehran’s advancements will become too difficult to reverse.

Blinken spoke on Thursday as negotiations in Vienna between Tehran and the other signatories of the 2015 deal, from which former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018, continued.

Police outside hotem where Iran nuclear deal negotiations are taking place in Vienna — Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting on the Iran nuclear deal was held in Vienna, Austria, in April [File: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters]

Iran says Vienna nuclear talks to restart around joint document

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The US has been participating in the talks indirectly, with Washington and Tehran, despite trading charged rhetoric, recently reporting modest gains after months of near-total deadlock. The newest round of talks resumed in November.

“We have, I think, a few weeks left to see if we can get back to mutual compliance,” Blinken said in an interview with US public radio station NPR.

“We’re very, very short on time,” because “Iran is getting closer and closer to the point where they could produce on very, very short order enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Blinken added that Tehran has made nuclear advances that “will become increasingly hard to reverse because they’re learning things, they’re doing new things as a result of having broken out of their constraints under the agreement”.

The nuclear deal offered direly needed international sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Trump reimposed a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign after withdrawing from the agreement, and Tehran has since increasingly flouted the restrictions in the deal, arguing it is no longer beholden to the agreement following the US withdrawal.

US President Joe Biden has made returning to the deal a top priority, while newly elected Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, despite holding more hardline positions than his predecessor, is eager to find relief from crushing sanctions.

In an interview with Al Jazeera in early January, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said a return to the deal could be reached if “all forms of sanctions stipulated in the nuclear agreement” were lifted – an apparent softening of the government’s previous calls for a complete lifting of all sanctions, even those imposed on human rights grounds.

On Thursday, Blinken said reviving the accord “would be the best result for America’s security”.

“But if we can’t, we are looking at other steps, other options” with allies including in Europe and the Middle East, he added.

Those “other options” – often seen as an implicit threat of military actions – have been “the subject of intense work as well in the past weeks and months”, Blinken said.

“We’re prepared for either course.”SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Tennis: Unvaccinated Djokovic axed by Australia again!

Australia has revoked tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time in a row over his right to remain in the country unvaccinated.

The decision on “health and good order” grounds means he could be deported and get a three-year visa ban.

However, the 34-year-old Serbian can still launch another legal challenge to remain in Australia.

The men’s tennis number one was scheduled to play in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.ADVERTISEMENT

“Today I exercised my power… to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the decision followed “careful consideration.”

“Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected” he said in a statement.

Djokovic will meet immigration officials in Melbourne on Saturday morning, and will be allowed to stay in his current accommodation on Friday night – some Australian media had speculated that he may be moved to an immigration detention hotel.

The nine-time Australian Open winner was hoping to defend his title next week, which if he won, would make him the most successful male tennis player in history with a record 21 Grand Slam titles.

For the moment, Djokovic remains in the Australian Open draw and is due to face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic early next week. If he is deported, however, his slot will most likely go to Russian player Andrey Rublev.

LIVE COVERAGE: Djokovic faces deportation after visa decision
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Djokovic’s visa was first revoked shortly after his arrival in Melbourne on 6 January, after Australian border Force officials said he had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to receive a vaccine exemption.

His initial announcement that he was coming to play in the Open prompted a backlash from some Australians, who have lived under long and strict Covid lockdowns, because it was unclear if he could meet the country’s strict entry rules.

Djokovic was detained for hours at Melbourne airport’s immigration control when he first arrived, and then spent days at an immigration hotel. Days later his visa was reinstated by a judge, who ordered his release, ruling that border officials ignored correct procedure when he arrived.

But on Friday evening in Melbourne, Mr Hawke cancelled Djokovic’s visa under separate powers in Australia’s Migration Act.

The act allows him to deport anyone he deems a potential risk to “the health, safety or good order of the Australian community”, however Djokovic can still appeal this.

It comes after Djokovic addressed allegations that his agent had accidentally made a false declaration on his travel form. Djokovic also admitted meeting a journalist and having a photoshoot after testing positive for Covid-19.

https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.44.10/iframe.html

Media caption,”If he plays, I will not watch him”: Watch strong reactions on the Novak Djokovic case in Australia

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Source: bbc.co.uk

North Korean hackers stole $400million in crypto currency during 2021

North Korean hackers stole almost $400m (£291m) worth of digital assets in at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms last year, a report claims.

Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis said it was one of most successful years on record for cyber-criminals in the closed east Asian state.

The attacks mainly targeted investment firms and centralised exchanges.

North Korea has routinely denied being involved in hack attacks attributed to them.

“From 2020 to 2021, the number of North Korean-linked hacks jumped from four to seven, and the value extracted from these hacks grew by 40%,” Chainalysis said in a report.

The hackers used a number of techniques, including phishing lures, code exploits and malware to siphon funds from the organisations’ “hot” wallets and then moved them into North Korea-controlled addresses, the company said.

Cryptocurrency hot wallets are connected to the internet and cryptocurrency network and so are vulnerable to hacking. They are used to send and receive cryptocurrency, and allow users to view how many tokens they have.

Many experts recommend moving large amounts of cryptocurrency not needed day-to-day to “cold” wallets, which are disconnected from the wider internet.

Chainalysis said it is likely that many of last year’s attacks were conducted by the so-called Lazarus Group, a hacking group sanctioned by the US, which is believed to be controlled by North Korea’s primary intelligence bureau, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

The Lazarus Group has previously been accused of involvement in the “WannaCry” ransomware attacks, the hacking of international banks and customer accounts and cyber-attacks on Sony Pictures in 2014.

“Once North Korea gained custody of the funds, they began a careful laundering process to cover up and cash out,” the report on last year’s cyber attacks added.

A United Nations panel that monitors sanctions on North Korea has accused Pyongyang of using stolen funds to support its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes as a way to avoid international sanctions.

Separately, in February last year, the US charged three North Korean computer programmers with a massive hacking spree aimed at stealing more than $1.3bn in money and cryptocurrency.

The cyber attacks affected companies from banks to Hollywood movie studios, the Department of Justice said.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Ethiopia: The Norwegian Nobel Committee Cautions PM Abiy Ahmed To End War

The Nоrwegiаn Nоbel Соmmittee, whiсh аwаrds the рrestigiоus Рeасe Рrize, hаs саutiоned their 2019 winner, Ethiорiаn Рrime Minister Аbiy Аhmed, оver the сurrent wаr аnd humаnitаriаn сrisis in his соuntry’s Tigrаy regiоn.

А stаtement оn Thursdаy reаds “Аs рrime minister аnd winner оf the Nоbel Рeасe Рrize, Аbiy Аhmed hаs а sрeсiаl resроnsibility tо end the соnfliсt аnd соntribute tо рeасe.”

Аbiy wоn the рrize, in раrt, fоr mаking рeасe with neighbоuring Eritreа аfter оne оf Аfriса’s lоngest-running соnfliсts.

The соmmittee “emрhаsized thаt Аbiy Аhmed’s рrize wаs аwаrded оn the bаsis оf his effоrts аnd the justifiаble exрeсtаtiоns thаt existed in 2019,” аdding thаt “the histоriсаl bасkdrор inсluded аn аuthоritаriаn gоverning system аnd widesрreаd ethniс соnfliсts.”

— Gооdluсk Hаile Gebremeskel (@ReаlHаuleGluсk) Jаnuаry 13, 2022
In Nоvember 2020, Аbiy’s gоvernment аllоwed Eritreаn fоrсes intо Tigrаy аs they tоgether рursued the Tigrаy leаders аfter роlitiсаl tensiоns eruрted intо wаr. Thrоugh this, thоusаnds оf рeорle hаve been killed, with mаny sustаining vаriоus degrees оf injuries.

Develорments in Ethiорiа Sinсe аutumn 2020, hаve sinсe esсаlаted tо а widesрreаd аrmed соnfliсt,” the stаtement sаid. “The humаnitаriаn situаtiоn is very seriоus, аnd it is nоt ассeрtаble thаt humаnitаriаn аid dоes nоt emerge tо а suffiсient degree.”

The соmmittee аlsо sаid thаt its deliberаtiоns аre соnfidentiаl. “Furthermоre, it is nоt оur rоle tо рrоvide соntinuing соmmentаry оn Ethiорiаn develорments оr tо аssess the роsitiоn оf а Рeасe Рrize lаureаte аfter the рrize hаs been reсeived.”

Source: africanews