Oleg Gordievsky, who was the top K.G.B. agent in London until he defected to the West in 1985 and revealed himself as a longtime double agent for British intelligence — making him one of the most highly placed Western spies during the Cold War — was found dead at his home in Godalming, southwest of … Read more
Ukraine thought it had a deal in place to suspend the fighting in the Black Sea immediately. Russia said economic sanctions would need be lifted first. And the United States didn’t address the question of timing at all, merely repeating President Trump’s broad demand that the killing stop. The conflicting statements released this week after … Read more
One week after the Turkish government arrested the mayor of Istanbul, who is the top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the political opposition on Wednesday pressed new tactics to fight what it called an assault on the country’s democracy. The arrest has set off nightly demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of thousands of antigovernment … Read more
Palestinians in Gaza protested against the war for a second straight day on Wednesday and chanted slogans against Hamas, frustrated and angry over the collapse of a cease-fire with Israel that many had hoped would become permanent. The protests were rare shows of dissent against Hamas, the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 17 … Read more
Prince Harry has resigned as the patron of a charity he founded in southern Africa, his office said in a statement on Wednesday. The move followed a clash between the charity’s board of trustees and its board chair. Harry and his fellow patron, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, said they were quitting as faces of the … Read more
Four U.S. Army soldiers went missing while on a training mission in Lithuania, prompting a search for their vehicle, military officials said on Wednesday. The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, had been conducting scheduled tactical training in a training area near Pabrade, a city in eastern Lithuania, near the border with Belarus, … Read more
British authorities issued a record fine against one of the country’s universities on Wednesday for failing to “uphold the freedom of speech and academic freedom,” an escalation in the debate over student and staff rights on campus. The Office for Students, the regulator for higher education in England, imposed a penalty of 585,000 pounds, more … Read more
The British government on Wednesday laid out plans for higher military spending and cuts to social benefits, as it sought to keep the nation’s finances on track in what it called a “more uncertain world.” Rachel Reeves, the chancellor of the Exchequer, said there would be an extra 2.2 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) for defense … Read more
Paramilitary fighters with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces began withdrawing from the battle-torn capital of Khartoum in large numbers on Wednesday, fleeing a city they had occupied since a ruinous war broke out nearly two years ago. The capture of the city by Sudan’s military marks a dramatic turning point in what is currently Africa’s largest … Read more
A spending plan approved by Israel’s Parliament hands Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a big political victory and devotes a significant chunk to military spending, signaling that Israel expects to stay on a war footing for the longer term. The $206 billion budget was approved on Tuesday with broad enough support — 66 votes to 52 … Read more