WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP

Julian Assange's partner: extradition ‘disastrous for the UK’


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On Monday, Julian Assange will find out if he could be extradited from the UK to the US to face espionage charges over the publication of secret military documents relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser is due to deliver her decision at London’s Old Bailey courthouse at 10am on Monday.

If Ms Baraitser grants the request, then Britain’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, would make the final decision.

Before the ruling, Mr Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, said extraditing the WikiLeaks founder, 49, would be an “unthinkable travesty” and would damage British freedom.

Ms Moris, with whom he has two children, said a decision to extradite him to the US would be “politically and legally disastrous for the UK”.

"It would rewrite the rules of what it is permissible to publish here," she wrote in the Mail on Sunday.

“Overnight, it would chill free and open debate about abuses by our own government and by many foreign ones, too.

“In effect, foreign countries could simply issue an extradition request saying that UK journalists, or Facebook users for that matter, have violated their censorship laws.

"The press freedoms we cherish in Britain are meaningless if they can be criminalised and suppressed by regimes in Russia or Ankara, or by prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia.”

Both sides are expected to appeal if they lose, which could lead to more years of legal wrangling.

But there is a possibility that outside forces might come into play that could instantly end the decade-long saga.

Ms Moris has appealed to US President Donald Trump on Twitter to grant a pardon to Mr Assange before he leaves office on January 20.

And even if Mr Trump does not, there is speculation that his successor, Joe Biden, may take a more lenient approach to the extradition process.

US prosecutors indicted Mr Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse, which carry a total maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the US government said in their closing arguments after the four-week hearing in autumn that Mr Assange’s defence team had raised issues that were neither relevant nor admissible.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court. AP

“Consistently, the defence asks this court to make findings, or act upon the submission, that the US is guilty of torture, war crimes, murder, breaches of diplomatic and international law and that the US is ‘a lawless state’,” they said.

“These submissions are not only non-justiciable in these proceedings but should never have been made.”

Mr Assange’s defence team said he was entitled to First Amendment protection for the publication of leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the US extradition request was politically motivated.

In their written closing arguments, they accused the US of an “extraordinary, unprecedented and politicised” prosecution that constitutes “a flagrant denial of his right to freedom of expression and poses a fundamental threat to the freedom of the press throughout the world”.

Defence lawyers also said Mr Assange was suffering symptoms of mental illness, including suicidal ideation, that could be exacerbated if he were placed in prison in the US.

They said his mental health deteriorated while he took asylum inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for years and that he had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Mr Assange jumped bail in 2012 when he sought asylum at the embassy, where he stayed for seven years before being evicted and arrested. He has been held at Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019.

His legal team said he would, if extradited, probably be placed in solitary confinement, which would put him at a greater risk of suicide.

They said if he was then convicted, he would probably be sent to the notorious ADX Supermax prison in Colorado, where inmates include Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. AP
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. AP

Lawyers for the US government said Mr Assange’s mental state was “patently not so severe so as to preclude extradition".

He has attracted the support of high-profile figures, including the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and actress Pamela Anderson.

Daniel Ellsberg, the famous US whistleblower, also came out in support, telling the hearing that they had “very comparable political opinions.”

Mr Ellsberg, 89, was widely credited for helping to bring about an end to the Vietnam War through his leaking of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

He said said the American public “needed urgently to know what was being done routinely in their name, and there was no other way for them to learn it than by unauthorised disclosure".

There are clear similarities between Mr Assange and Mr Ellsberg, who leaked more than 7,000 pages of classified documents to the press, including The New York Times  and The Washington Post.

Mr Ellsberg was put on trial for 12 charges in connection with contraventions of the Espionage Act, which were punishable by up to 115 years in prison.

The charges were dismissed in 1973 because of government misconduct against him.

Mr Assange and his legal team will be hoping that developments in the US will bring an end to his ordeal if the judge grants the US extradition request.

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director: Jon Watts

Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon 

Rating:*****

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

2252 - Dh50

6025 - Dh20

6027 - Dh100

6026 - Dh200

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MATCH INFO

Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Monster Hunter: World

Capcom

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 

Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets

Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5