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      Britain urges UN to respond to ‘destabilising actions’ by Iran following tanker incidents

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      Britain has urged the United Nations to respond to “destabilising actions and lack of respect for international law” by Iran following a series of incidents involving tankers in the Persian gulf.Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday morning wrote to security council president T. S. Tirumurti, amid news of a possible hijacking off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, reportedly on the ship the Asphalt Princess. It comes after a Briton and Romanian were killed in a separate drone attack on the Mercer Street tanker off the coast of Oman, which the UK, US and Israel blame on Tehran.As the latest incident unfolded UK chief of the defence staff General Sir Nick Carter said had Iran made a “big mistake” by allegedly targeting a tanker last week.He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What we need to be doing, fundamentally, is calling out Iran for its very reckless behaviour.”They made a big mistake on the attack they did against the Mercer Street vessel last week because, of course, that has very much internationalised the state of play in the Gulf.”He added: “Ultimately, we have got to restore deterrence because it is behaviour like that which leads to escalation, and that could very easily lead to miscalculation and that would be very disastrous for all the peoples of the Gulf and the international community.”The Royal Navy reported on Wednesday morning that boarders had left the the Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess, which was believed to have been seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.Three maritime security forces had told Reuters on Tuesday that the Asphalt Princess tanker had been seized by suspected Iranian-backed forces, which Iran denies. Analysts however told The Independent that the latest incident could have been related to “small-time” smuggling rather than a major international incident.The AIS tracking status of the tanker was “underway using engine” early on Wednesday, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy agency, said what it had described on Tuesday as a potential hijack incident was now “complete” and the vessel involved was safe.The agency gave no further details in a warning notice based on a third-party source, and did not name the vessel involved. Shipping authority Lloyd’s List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global had both identified the hijacked vessel as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess.The incident took place in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about one-fifth of the world’s sea-borne oil exports.Satellite-tracking data for the Asphalt Princess had shown it slowly heading toward Iranian waters off the port of Jask early on Wednesday, before it stopped and changed course back toward Oman.The Independent has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for more information.Tehran’s relationship with western powers has deteriorated in the years since Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 treaty that sought to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Commercial shipping around the Persian Gulf has increasingly been caught in the crosshairs.Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP who sits on parliament’s foreign affairs committee told The Independent of the latest incident: “Whether it was Iranian proxies or the Iranian military, the Gulf of Oman remains a treacherous stretch of water for commercial shipping companies. This will only become worse as deteriorating relations between Iran and other nations leave Iran feeling more aggrieved and warranted in escalating incidents like this, as well as limpet mine attacks. “It’s a reasonable assumption that the armed group were Iranian proxies or Revolutionary Guard, because Iran not only has a history of maritime piracy, and then denying outright their actions, but the Asphalt Princess has been detained by Iranian forces on multiple occasions in the past, and the owners previously had another ship targeted as well.”Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent and well-connected Emirati political analyst told The Independent that the UAE had no interest in flared tensions in the strategic waterway and would be looking for ways to de-escalate after the recent incidents. “This should be of concern to the international community which should step up but the UAE doesn’t want an increase in tension or hostilities – it does not want escalation at the moment,” he said. “The thinking here is the UAE does not want to be dragged into any unnecessary confrontation with Iran. We do not want that to happen period. That said, everyone has a direct interest in the safety and security of this very fragile water way.”Yoruk Isik, an Istanbul-based maritime expert and non-resident scholar at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, who has been following the Asphalt Princess said he thought it was more likely related to small-time Iranian oil smuggling than a major international incident. “The company that owns the Asphalt Princes – is Prime Tankers LLC (of the UAE) – it operates a fleet of middle age to older ships and most of the ships have gaps in their Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking that makes us suspicious that they are hiding small time smuggling, perhaps Iranian.” “We don’t know for sure but they are a prime suspect in Iranian oil smuggling – it is the second time their ships have been involved in something like this. As you can see from the MT Riah incident in 2019” – a refernec to the seizure of Panama-flagged tanker whose 12-man Indian crew were detained by the Iranian coastguard in 2019. “The ownership is for sure Prime Tankers LLC – this is the second time they have been involved in an incident . This company has no linkage to Israel whatsoever.”He said that although the alleged hijacking incident was taking place at the same time as a series of attacks on tankers and soaring tensions between Iran, the US and Israel this was likely “an exception”. Isik said it was likely tied to “rogue elements of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps not necessarily operating on behalf of Iran” that were trying to settle a commercial dispute.  “Maybe someone didn’t get paid and so they boarded the ship,” he said, adding that he was certain the ship was Iranian only because at the beginning of the incident it changed course towards Iran, which he said would not be possible if it was private or pirate operation. Additional reporting by agencies More

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      The short goodbye: British troops leave Afghanistan amid warnings ‘very bad things’ could happen to country

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      The government has formally announced that British forces have finished their mission in Afghanistan ending, along with other international troops, the involvement in a long and contentious war which has divided opinion home and abroad.But the departure comes as Afghanistan faces an uncertain and dangerous future with lethal onslaughts by insurgents taking a rising daily toll of lives, and deep trepidation about the future, especially over the hard-won rights of women, if the Taliban take over once again. The haste with which the withdrawal has been carried out and the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan has raised deep concern about possible consequences in the region and beyond.General Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, the former head of the British military who commanded the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, warned of dangerous times ahead. He could not, he said, see any coherent western strategy to counter what is likely to unfold. Lord Richards told The Independent: “This is a hugely important and worrying time. We have a moral obligation to the Afghan people, but leaving that aside, one needs to look cold bloodedly at the security situation.“A security vacuum, an ungoverned space, will allow some very bad people to plot some very bad things. We should all remember that the intervention in 2001 took place because the 9/11 atrocity was conceived in an anarchic violent Afghanistan.“I do not want to be entirely pessimistic. There is a possibility that with the right balance of financial carrot and punitive stick the Taliban may join in the political process and we may be able to avoid prolonged bloodshed. “But this requires robust and dynamic western support. I see no coherent plan to this effect. Without it, I am not hopeful. We shall have to see what happens.”  More

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      I was abandoned by Tory peer’s son, claims socialite Jasmine Hartin

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      Canadian socialite Jasmin Hartin, who shot dead a policeman on a beach in Belize, has saidshe feels abandoned by her former partner, the son of Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft, and his family.Ms Hartin, who has been charged with manslaughter by authorities after accidentally shooting Henry Jemmott with his own gun, was granted bail during a court hearing last month.She was released on bail on Wednesday after a family friend, Wendy Auxillou, reportedly posted her bail.In an online clip teasing an extended interview with Hartin, which will air on local television, the socialite discusses her treatment.“Since the accusation of the manslaughter, from what I’ve been told from the family they have been told to distance themselves from me immediately, that they couldn’t have bad press associated with their reputation,” Ms Hartin said.She went on to say that no family members visited her in jail and that she wasn’t able to speak to her two children, although some friends visited her in jail.She said that her parents, who were “worried sick” were told by Mr Ashcroft that she was getting visitors every day, which she said was “a little bit exaggerated”.Despite enduring a “complicated” and sometimes “hostile” relationship with Mr Ashcroft, Ms Hartin said: “I can’t believe how I’ve been treated.”The Independent has reached out to Lord Ashcroft for comment. More

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      130 countries back global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent, OECD says

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      Plans to force multinational companies to pay fairer tax by setting a global minimum have taken a step forward with the backing of 130 countries and jurisdictions, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development announced on Thursday. The US-backed deal sets a corporation tax rate of no less than 15 per cent in a bid to discourage companies from moving from one country to another to exploit lower rates. G7 leaders gave their approval at the summit in Cornwall last month. Collectively, countries that have agreed to the plan represent more than 90 per cent of the world’s GDP. “Today is an historic day for economic diplomacy,” treasury secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.“For decades, the United States has participated in a self-defeating international tax competition, lowering our corporate tax rates only to watch other nations lower theirs in response. The result was a global race to the bottom: Who could lower their corporate rate further and faster?”She added that the agreement showed that “the race to the bottom is one step closer to coming to an end. In its place, America will enter a competition that we can win; one judged on the skill of our workers and the strength of our infrastructure”.“We have a chance now to build a global and domestic tax system that lets American workers and businesses compete and win in the world economy. President Biden has spoken about a ‘foreign policy for the middle class,’ and today’s agreement is what that looks like in practice,” she added.Ireland, Barbados, Hungary, and Estonia are among the OECD members who have not yet agreed to the deal.The OECD said the new plan “updates key elements of the century-old international tax system” that is no longer fit for purpose in today’s global and digital economy. The framework was decided over negotiations “for much of the last decade” and would ensure that global corporations “pay tax where they operate and earn profits”. The OECD said that this would add “much-needed certainty and stability to the international tax system”. The first “pillar” of the plan will “ensure a fairer distribution of profits and taxing rights among countries” concerning large international companies, including digital ones. This part of the plan is also meant to “reallocate some taxing rights” over multinational enterprises “from their home countries to the markets where they have business activities and earn profits, regardless of whether firms have a physical presence there”. The second pillar “seeks to put a floor on competition over corporate income tax, through the introduction of a global minimum corporate tax rate”. The OECD said countries can use the minimum rate to “protect their tax bases”. The organisation said the new framework would help countries “repair their budgets and their balance sheets” as they try to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Taxing rights on more than $100bn worth of profits will be reallocated to “market jurisdictions” every year. The minimum global corporate income tax rate of at least 15 per cent is estimated to generate around $150bn in additional global tax revenue each year. “After years of intense work and negotiations, this historic package will ensure that large multinational companies pay their fair share of tax everywhere,” OECD secretary general Mathias Cormann said. “This package does not eliminate tax competition, as it should not, but it does set multilaterally agreed limitations on it. It also accommodates the various interests across the negotiating table, including those of small economies and developing jurisdictions. It is in everyone’s interest that we reach a final agreement among all Inclusive Framework Members as scheduled later this year,” he added.The “deadline for finalising the remaining technical work on the two-pillar approach” is set for October of this year and the new system’s implementation is scheduled for 2023. Each country that has agreed to the new framework will have to implement their own policies in their home countries, which might become an issue in the US as some Republicans have indicated that they’re not happy with this new development. The ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, Texas Republican Rep Kevin Brady, said in a statement: “In negotiations with the OECD, the Biden Administration has already given up significant US ground.” He said the new framework would give a leg up to companies with headquarters outside of the US. “This is a dangerous economic surrender that sends US jobs overseas, undermines our economy, and strips away our US tax base,” he added. More

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      HMS Defender: Putin claims UK warship near Crimea deliberately tried to test Russian military response

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      The UK was attempting to uncover the location of Russia’s defence forces in the Crimean Peninsula and test their response during last week’s Black Sea incident, Vladimir Putin has claimed.The Russian president also claimed that a US reconnaissance aircraft was operating in sync with the British warship HMS Defender during the “complex provocation” near the Crimea coast.Speaking during a marathon live call-in show on Wednesday, Mr Putin said that the US aircraft’s mission was to monitor the Russian military’s response to the British destroyer.“First of all it was a provocation, quite obviously,” he said, according to a translation of his comments on the Russian state-backed RT channel.“What were they trying to tell us? What goals were they trying to achieve? It was a complex provocation organised by the US and the British because a warship entered our waters during the day and then… an American warplane took off from somewhere in Greece.”Mr Putin said HMS Defender “came into our waters and they looked at how we were going to respond” then “the [US] plane was looking at how we were going to respond”.The Russian president added: “I may have divulged a bit of a military secret there but I think our military is going to forgive me.”Mr Putin said Moscow was aware of the US intentions and responded accordingly to avoid revealing sensitive data. “I don’t think we were on the brink of World War Three,” he said.He added: “There was also a political component. A meeting [with US President Joe Biden] had just taken place in Geneva. One must ask why it was necessary to carry out such a provocation.“Why is all this being done? In order to emphasise that these people do not respect the choice of Crimeans to join the Russian Federation.” More

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      Islamic State posing ‘growing threat’ in Africa, says Raab

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      Dominic Raab will warn of the “growing threat” from Islamic State in Africa as the UK commits £12.6m to tackle terrorist groups in the region.He is to set out his desire to bring about the “lasting defeat” of IS, also known as Daesh, at a meeting of over 45 foreign ministers from around the world in Rome.The gathering of the Global Coalition Against Daesh on Monday is the first to take place in person since November 2019 and will be co-hosted by Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio and US secretary of state Anthony Blinken.Speaking at the event, Mr Raab will say: “The UK recognises the continuing threat and remains absolutely committed to the lasting defeat of Daesh.“The coalition must work together to tackle this pressing threat and target the longer-term challenges that are exploited by those who extol violence and terrorism.“We must ensure there are no safe havens for Daesh.“We must keep up the pressure on Daesh, wherever its poisonous influence spreads. It will exploit any opportunity to re-establish itself.”Attacks by Isis in Africa have gone up by a third over the past year while the group has also shown signs of a resurgence in the Middle East.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said a new conflict, stability and security fund programme will support regional military efforts to counter IS and other groups, as well as efforts to safely demobilise suspected low-level members of terrorist groups.Its £12.6m contribution will focus on efforts in the Lake Chad Basin in West Africa, which covers northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), an affiliate of Daesh, is active in the area.Mr Raab said: “Two years since Daesh’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, the threat of Daesh and its hateful ideology has not gone away. Worryingly it continues to grow in Africa which is why we must work with our coalition partners to fight its poisonous propaganda on all fronts.“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our African partners to tackle the growing threat from Daesh-linked groups across Africa, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin.”Additional reporting by Press Association More

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      French set to replace English as EU’s ‘working language’

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      Emmanuel Macron’s governmen is drawing up plans for French to replace English as the official “working language” of the EU when it takes over the European Council presidency in 2022, a diplomat has revealed.France planning to use its first presidency since Brexit to push its native tongue as the “lingua franca” of Brussels, according to a report in Politico.A senior French diplomat told the website: “Even if we admit that English is a working language and it is commonly practiced, the basis to express oneself in French remains fully in place in the EU institutions.“We must enrich it, and make it live again so that the French language truly regains ground, and above that, the taste and pride of multilingualism.”The unnamed diplomat said all high-level meetings of the Council – the body which sets the political priorities of the EU – will be conducted in French instead of English during the six-month presidency.Notes and minutes will also be “French-first” and the Council will expect all letters from the EU Commission to be in French.“We will always ask the Commission to send us in French the letters it wishes to address to the French authorities, and if they fail to do so, we will wait for the French version before sending it,” the diplomat said.France’s presidency from January to June next year is the first stint in charge of the Council since 2008, when Nicolas Sarkozy was president.Mr Macron’s ministers have expressed a keen interest in pushing French ahead of the “ersatz” English used by officialdom in Brussels, now that the UK has left the bloc.EU affairs minister Clement Beaune and secretary of state Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said in April that the presidency created “an opportunity to hold high this vital fight for multilingualism.”In an article for Le Figaro, they said the use of French in Brussels “had diminished to the benefit of English, and more often to Globish – that ersatz of the English language, which narrows the scope of one’s thoughts, and restricts one’s ability to express him or herself”. More

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      Lord Ashcroft’s daughter-in-law charged after police officer killed in Belize shooting

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      The daughter-in-law of a Tory peer has been charged with manslaughter by negligence over the death of a police officer in Belize. Jasmine Hartin, the partner of Lord Ashcroft’s son, was taken into custody after the body of a superintendent was discovered on a dock in the central American country on Friday.Police said Henry Jemmott, who was found dead in the town of San Pedro, had been fatally shot. His body was found in the water with an apparent gunshot wound behind his right ear, a police commissioner was quoted as saying in local media.Ms Hartin has been charged with manslaughter by negligence in connection with the death, her lawyer said on Monday.“Bail has been denied,” Godfrey Smith told local media outside court. “We appeal to the Supreme Court, as is normal.” Ms Hartin is married to Andrew Ashcroft, the son of former Conservative treasurer and deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft.Her father-in-law holds Belizean citizenship and was once its representative at the United Nations.Lord Ashcroft, who is also a Tory donor, sat in the House of Lords until 2015 and has retained his peerage since stepping down.Ms Hartin’s lawyer is expected to release a statement concerning the case later on Tuesday. Speaking about the events surrounding the discovery of Mr Jemmott’s body, police commissioner Chester Williams previously said a single gunshot was heard “and upon investigating, police found the female on a pier, and she had what appeared to be blood on her arms and on her clothing”.The gun involved belonged to police superintendent Mr Jemmott and police understand he and Ms Hartin were friends, according to local broadcaster Channel 5 news.Additional reporting by Associated Press More