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Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Austrian lower house passes bill on monitoring of secure messaging
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A police vehicle patrols as fans of the singer Taylor Swift gather following the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts at Happel stadium after the government confirmed a planned attack at the venue, in Vienna, Austria August 8, 2024. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo VIENNA - Austria's lower house of parliament passed a bill on Wednesday to allow the monitoring of suspects' secure messages, in limited cases, which security officials have said would close what is a dangerous policing blind spot. Because Austria lacks a legal framework for monitoring messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal, its main domestic intelligence service and police rely on countries with far more sweeping powers, such as Britain and the United States, to alert them to chatter about planned attacks and spying. That kind of tip-off led to police unravelling what they said was a planned attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, which prompted the cancellation of all three of her planned shows there in August of last year. "There are no ideological reasons behind this," conservative Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, defending the bill put forward by the ruling coalition of three centrist parties. "It is simply necessary for the work of the police, the work of the intelligence services to fight terrorists on a level playing field and prevent attacks," he said. The two opposition parties in parliament, the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) and the Greens, voted against the bill, arguing that it would lead to wider spying on the population than intended. The government has said the monitoring would only be used on people posing a major threat, with a target of up to 30 a year, and each case would have to be approved by a three-judge panel. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore to hire more than 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Singapore COE prices rise for all categories Singapore Govt watching job situation for fresh graduates closely, exploring further support: Gan Siow Huang Singapore Man who killed cats by throwing them off HDB blocks has jail term doubled to 27 months Singapore $43k fine for undischarged bankrupt doctor who failed to disclose assets worth over $4m Singapore Female primary school teacher charged over alleged sex acts with underage male student Singapore Tough questions lie ahead as Singapore accelerates push for driverless vehicles Singapore People working in air-conditioned spaces prefer 24 deg C and warmer: Survey FPO lawmaker Gernot Darmann called it "an excessive, massively overreaching encroachment on our citizens' fundamental rights and freedoms". Once the legislation clears the upper house and is signed into law, a tender process for the monitoring technology underpinning it will be launched, and monitoring should begin in 2027, the government has said. REUTERS
Japan Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on
FILE PHOTO: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the U.S. attacks on the country's nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo By Francois Murphy The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country's nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens. Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority. Iran's parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran. "An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said on X. Diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors' safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action. IAEA WANTS TALKS Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "(Grossi) reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," the IAEA said. The U.S. and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran's nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb. As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries' declarations. But the bombing of Iran's facilities has now muddied the waters. "We cannot afford that .... the inspection regime is interrupted," Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Straits Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on
FILE PHOTO: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the U.S. attacks on the country's nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo VIENNA - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country's nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens. Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority. Iran's parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran. "An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said on X. Diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors' safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PAP has begun search for new candidates; PM Wong hopes to deploy them earlier ahead of next GE Singapore $3b money laundering case: 9 financial institutions handed $27.45m in MAS penalties over breaches Singapore Banks tighten vigilance and processes following $3b money laundering case Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike surprises some amid moderating property market, but is ultimately prudent Singapore Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work Singapore Power distribution system may be linked to Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: SMRT Singapore Rise in number of scam e-mails claiming to be from Cardinal William Goh: Catholic Church Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy IAEA WANTS TALKS Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "(Grossi) reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," the IAEA said. The U.S. and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran's nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb. As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries' declarations. But the bombing of Iran's facilities has now muddied the waters. "We cannot afford that .... the inspection regime is interrupted," Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week. REUTERS
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Britain, France and Germany condemn 'threats' against head of IAEA watchdog
Reza Najafi, Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations (UN), waits for an emergency meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the U.S. attacks on the country's nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl Reza Najafi, Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations (UN), arrives for an emergency meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the U.S. attacks on the country's nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi arrives for an exceptional meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss Israel's strike on Iran that have hit nuclear targets including the Natanz nuclear complex, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl DUBAI - Britain, France and Germany condemned on Monday what they described as threats against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watchdog, and called on Iran to guarantee the safety of IAEA staff on its territory. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a joint statement issued by the foreign affairs ministries of those three countries. "We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added. Their joint statement did not specify what threats had been made against Grossi. On Monday, Iran said it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were hit by Israeli and U.S. strikes in the 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire last week. "How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference. The IAEA's board voted earlier this month to declare that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iranian officials have suggested that vote helped pave the way for Israel's attacks. Baghaei said a parliamentary bill approved by the Guardian Council makes it mandatory for the government to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. "Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," Baghaei said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israeli strike directly hit Iran's Natanz underground enrichment plant, IAEA says
An IAEA flag flutters in front of the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl VIENNA - An Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear complex at Natanz directly hit the underground uranium enrichment plant there, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday, revising its assessment after initially reporting it had been hit only indirectly. Since Israel's launched wide-ranging attacks on Iran on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been providing updates on its assessment of the damage to nuclear sites, although it has not been able to carry out inspections. The IAEA had previously said an above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed but the larger underground plant was not directly hit, although IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday its centrifuges had very likely been badly damaged by a strike on the plant's power supply. However, on Tuesday it said on X: "Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz." It said there was "no change to report" at Iran's two other major nuclear sites, Isfahan and Fordow. Grossi had said on Monday there was little or no apparent damage at Fordow, where Iran has enriched uranium up to 60%, close to the 90% weapons grade, at a plant dug deep into a mountain. At the Isfahan nuclear complex, several facilities were destroyed, including Iran's plant that converted uranium into a form into which it could be fed into centrifuges for enrichment, the IAEA has reported. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
