CANBERRA // Rio Tinto says it has yet to be given any evidence to support the detention of four of its China-based staff on suspicions of stealing state secrets.
The mining giant said it had not been informed of any charges against its detained staff, who include its top iron-ore salesman in China, Stern Hu, also an Australian citizen.
Mr Hu and three Chinese colleagues were detained a month ago on suspicion of spying on Chinese steel mills. Rio, the world's second-largest iron ore producer, and the Anglo-Australian firm BHP Billiton, the third-largest producer, are locked in iron ore price talks with China.
"We are still not aware of any evidence that would support their detention," said Sam Walsh, who heads the iron ore division at Rio.
"We continue to be concerned for the health and welfare of our three other employees detained at the same time as Stern Hu."
The Rio detentions have cast a shadow over trade between the two countries, which was worth US$53 billion (Dh194.66bn) last year.
On Tuesday, Stephen Smith, the Australian foreign affairs minister, delivered a veiled warning for Beijing to control its diplomats, after its embassy tried to block a speech in Canberra by an exiled leader of China's Uighur Muslim minority.
An online article published in a magazine run by China's state secrets agency at the weekend said Rio spied on the country's mills for six years, resulting in the mills overpaying $102bn for iron ore, Rio Tinto's biggest earner.
The Australian government brushed off the Chinese report and said it was not officially sanctioned.
"It is now quite clear, given that the article has been taken off the website, that it was essentially the opinion of the individual writer and not, if you like, officially sanctioned," Mr Smith said.
* Reuters
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
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Director: Jared Hess
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Our legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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