Russia accuses six British diplomats of spying and "subversive activities" and expels them

Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia accuses six British diplomats of spying and "subversive activities" and expels them.

Latest stories

  • Turkish lawmakers discuss Mideast in closed session after Erdogan's Israel claim

    ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey's lawmakers held a closed-door session on Tuesday to discuss the spread of war in the Middle East, a week after President Tayyip Erdogan made an unsubstantiated claim that Israel eventually aimed to encroach on Turkish territory. Israel has not publicly responded to Erdogan's claim, which analysts and opposition lawmakers say is far-fetched and is intended primarily to deflect public attention away from Turkey's economic woes. Israel has also not commented publicly on Tuesday's closed-door parliamentary session in Ankara, which is titled "Israel's occupation of Lebanon and developments in the region".

  • Vietnam Is Rapidly Building Artificial Land in the Shadows of China

    Vietnam is using dredging techniques to rapidly create artificial land in the disputed South China Sea, increasing its territory tenfold in the shadows of Chinese aggression.

  • N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul

    North Korean soldiers are likely fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian troops, with some believed already killed and more expected to be deployed, Seoul's defence minister said Tuesday.Seoul's defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, told lawmakers Tuesday that it was "highly likely" that the report was true.

  • EU Commission chief: Hungary's Russia, China policies pose security risk

    Hungary is putting European security at risk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday in an unusually blunt speech blasting Budapest’s relationship with Russia and China. Speaking at a debate with nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest's reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia's invasion, and its decisions strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing.

  • ‘Bibi, What The F**k?’: Biden Allegedly Sparred With Netanyahu Over Lack Of Gaza Strategy

    Despite publicly appearing as friends, the president is privately enraged at the Israeli prime minister's rogue behavior, according to Bob Woodward's new book.

  • North Korea severs all road and rail links to South Korea

    North Korea’s military has said it would completely sever road and railway connections to South Korea as a “self-defensive measure” in the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries.

  • Iran vows "more powerful" response to any Israeli attack

    Iran's foreign minister warned Israel on Tuesday not to test his country's willpower, saying Iran's response will be more powerful than before. (AP Video shot by Saeed Sarmadi)

  • Saudi Crown Prince meets Iran foreign minister in Riyadh, Saudi agency says

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi discussed developments in the region at a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported. Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has had a political rapprochement with Tehran in recent years, which has helped ease regional tensions, but relations remain difficult.

  • US tells China hi-tech trade limits are 'not negotiable' in meeting of commerce chiefs

    US President Joe Biden's restrictions on hi-tech trade with China came to a head in meetings between the countries' top commerce officials. In a call with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo defended these rules put in place on national-security grounds as "not negotiable", her department said on Tuesday. Raimondo "noted ongoing concerns from the US business community about decreasing regulatory transparency in the PRC, non-market policies and practices,

  • Hungary PM Orban says Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield

    Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia on the battlefield, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday, adding dialogue and a ceasefire were needed to save lives. Earlier, Hungary's finance minister said Budapest would hold up a final deal on a $50 billion G7 loan to Ukraine until after the U.S. presidential election by delaying its decision on the timing of the renewal of EU sanctions against Russia. Speaking at a briefing in Strasbourg, Orban said that U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, if elected, would not wait until his inauguration but would start working for peace in Ukraine right after the Nov. 5 election, adding that European leaders would have to react to that.

  • Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to discuss Myanmar war and disputed sea

    Southeast Asian leaders gathered Wednesday for an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two key challenges that have tested the bloc's credibility. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos will be followed by two days of meetings with global powers including China, the United States and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region. The timing of the meetings in the capital, Vientiane, makes it likely the talks will also touch on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, although Southeast Asia has faced only indirect fallout.

  • US calls out Israel at UN for 'catastrophic conditions' in Gaza

    Israel needs to address urgently "catastrophic conditions" among Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stop "intensifying suffering" by limiting aid deliveries, its ally the United States told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. "We call on Israel to take urgent steps to do so," she said in a blunt statement.

  • Canada could help balance the scales with China as tensions rise in South China Sea, experts say

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has an opening during this week's summit with regional leaders in Laos to step up Canada's efforts to help Southeast Asian countries facing escalating threats from China, experts say.Southeast Asian countries want to stop China from using its navy, Coast Guard and merchant vessels to bully them during territorial disputes, and they need stronger protection from cyber threats, said Stephen Nagy, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a specialist in I

  • Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage

    Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto has embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour ahead of his inauguration this month, showcasing his plans for a bolder foreign policy than under his predecessor.He also embarked on a Middle East tour to lobby Gulf powers for stronger economic ties.

  • North Korea is ‘highly likely’ sending troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine, South Korea says

    South Korean defence minister says ‘highly likely’ North Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine war

  • People run for cover as Iran launches wave of missiles towards Israel

    Iran has launched a wave of missiles at Israel hours after White House officials warned Tehran was 'imminently' planning to attack. Guardian reporters in Jerusalem witnessed dozen of missiles flying overhead towards Israel's main coastal cities in a huge attack not long after 7.30pm. While some interceptions could be heard over Jerusalem, missiles flew over Tel Aviv and in some cases caused explosions in the city. Tehran had vowed retaliation against Israel for a series of attacks against Iran and the militias it backs across the Middle East, including Hezbollah. In a statement shortly after the attack, the Israeli military vowed there would be consequences for Iran.

  • Israel may have military superiority, but it lacks a clear strategic vision, say experts

    Israel may have achieved tactical gains against Hamas and Hezbollah, but it lacks a long-term strategy to end the war, security experts told BI.

  • SE Asian summit urges end to Myanmar violence but struggles for solutions

    Southeast Asian leaders pressed Myanmar's junta and its opponents on Wednesday to take "concrete action" to stop the bloodshed in the country's civil war and sought to kickstart faltering diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis.After condemning Myanmar for ignoring the five-point plan at summits in 2022 and 2023, the leaders insisted again on Wednesday it was still their "main reference" to deal with the crisis, the chairman's draft statement said.

  • Starmer: Sovereignty of Falkland Islands and Gibraltar not up for negotiation

    Concerns over the territories were raised after the Government announced its decision to relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

  • Israel’s response to Iran missile attack will be ‘lethal and surprising’

    Israel’s defence minister warned that his country’s response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack last week will be “lethal” and “surprising”.