World Echo

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said whoever succeeds him would have to devote as much time to international crises ​and diplomacy as he did, rejecting suggestions Britain's next leader ‌could focus more heavily on domestic issues. Starmer, who announced last month that he would step down after two years in office, said in a ​BBC interview on Friday that foreign and domestic policy ​could not be separated as Britain faced an increasingly ⁠volatile world. "There's often this discussion - what's the right balance ​between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They're ​one and the same thing," he said. Asked whether a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than he had, Starmer replied: "No, I don't ​think it is possible." Starmer has faced criticism from some opponents over ​the amount of time he has spent on foreign policy. Lawmaker Andy Burnham, widely ‌expected ⁠to replace Starmer,...

Ukraine claimed Saturday that its strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have disabled 42.74% of the country's oil refining capacity as of early July. Ukraine's General Staff said on Telegram that its forces struck eight Russian oil refineries over the past month. It said more than 60 storage tanks had been destroyed or critically damaged, including 58% containing oil products and 42% containing crude oil. The military claimed the industry's losses had reached $13.5 billion since August 2025. "Consequences for the aggressor: Fuel crisis. Reduction in production," it said, claiming that repair work has been repeatedly delayed because Russia cannot obtain the necessary spare parts and equipment. Read: Russia bombards Kyiv in one of war's biggest strikes, at least 21 people killed Russia has not yet responded to Ukraine’s claims, and independent verification of the allegations remains difficult due to the ongoing war. Due to recent Ukrainia...

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government vowed Saturday to respond "with unprecedented determination and force" to any attempt to target Saudi Arabia or violate Yemen's sovereignty, following threats from Yemen's Houthi group. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement that Houthi threats against the kingdom were "merely an attempt to divert attention away from their grave violations against the brotherly people of Yemen." He accused the group of trying "to export the economic disasters and Yemeni suffering they have caused," while also deflecting attention from the rejection they face from Yemeni tribal and social groups onto neighbouring countries. Read: Reporter killed by car bomb in Yemen Al-Malki said Saudi Arabia, the coalition, and international partners had worked to ease Yemeni suffering caused by the Houthi takeover and to resolve the crisis through a roadmap accepted by ...

Current and former United States officials believed that Israel might have been plotting to kill Iran’s top negotiators during sensitive ceasefire talks this spring, the US daily The New York Times reported on Thursday. The newspaper, citing American officials, said Washington was concerned that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf could have been targeted when negotiations intensified in April. According to the report, the Trump administration was so concerned that it asked other countries in the region to warn Tehran about the possibility that Israel could target the two officials. Read: Iran warns US, Israel against attacks ahead of funeral processions for Khamenei US officials reportedly believed any assassination attempt after negotiations began in earnest in April would have ended the talks and reignited the conflict. The report said Washington learned that at least Ghalibaf had been placed on an Israeli targe...

China dismissed US and EU criticism of the country's new law on ethnic unity as a "malicious smear" and interference in its internal affairs on Friday, legislation one senior Taiwanese official likened to an imperial edict given its global sweep. The law, which went into effect on Wednesday, gives Beijing ​the basis to take action against people outside its borders. China passed the law in March to create a "shared" ​national identity among the country's 55 ethnic minority groups, which include Tibetans and Uyghurs, some ⁠of whom chafe under Chinese governance and have often staged protests, some of them violent. The law includes a clause ​saying people and groups beyond the borders of the People's Republic of China can be held legally accountable for ​undermining "ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic separatism." Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said strengthening the rule of law is conducive to better protecti...

El Nino will quickly develop into a strong event between July and September, fuelling the likelihood of extreme weather, the United Nations' weather and climate agency warned Friday. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said El Nino had already set in, and would quickly gain strength, as it warned countries to brace for impact. El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns. It typically takes place every two to seven years and lasts around nine to 12 months. Conditions oscillate between El Nino and its opposite La Nina, with neutral conditions in between. Read: Little climate knowledge is devastating The WMO's monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update points towards "a rapid development into a strong El Nino event during July-September". The UN agency classifies El Nino events as weak, moderate, strong or ...