Ecuador 'very concerned' about Assange healthOctober 24, 2012 - 22:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ecuador is 'very concerned' about the health of Julian Assange after the WikiLeaks founder lost a lot of weight while staying at the country's embassy in London, a foreign ministry official said this week while in Moscow, AFP reports. The deputy foreign minister of Ecuador, Marco Albuja, expressed his concern for Assange as he gave a briefing to Russian press after wrapping up his delegation's visit to Russia. “Assange has visibly lost weight, and we are very concerned for his health,” he said, quoted by the Voice of Russia radio. “In case of his illness we will have to pick among two options: to treat Assange at the embassy or to hospitalise him.” Ecuador has asked the British government for written assurances that Assange, who has been granted asylum by Quito and remains holed-up in the embassy building in London, will not be arrested in case of hospitalisation. “So far Britain has not agreed to this request but is thinking it over,” Albuja said. The Ecuadorean embassy in Moscow said that the delegation was in Moscow to meet with Russian foreign ministry officials and discuss bilateral affairs such as flower trade. Former computer hacker Assange, 41, walked into the London embassy on June 19claiming asylum in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over alleged rape and sexual assault. He was granted asylum on 16 August but Britain refuses to grant him safe passage out of the country, and he remains in the embassy with Ecuador in a diplomatic stalemate with Britain. Assange denies the sex crimes allegations and claims he could eventually be passed from Sweden to the United States for prosecution over the WikiLeaks website's publication of hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents. WikiLeaks enraged Washington in 2010 by publishing a flood of secret military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a huge cache of diplomatic cables from U.S. embassies across the world. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. |