Reuters: World

Iran says forces U.S. submarine to surface in Gulf, U.S. denies Iran's navy forced a U.S. submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday, but the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet denied such an incident had taken place. "The U.S. submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... manoeuvres to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned," Irani said. "This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected," Irani said. "We will certainly reflect to international bodies the fact that it had violated our border." The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, denied what it called Iranian "disinformation". read more

Germany's foreign minister: Parts of China trip 'more than shocking' German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday described parts of her recent trip to China as "more than shocking" and said Beijing was increasingly becoming a systemic rival more than a trade partner and competitor. The blunt remarks followed Baerbock's visit to Beijing last week where she warned that any attempt by China to control Taiwan would be unacceptable. Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as a Chinese province and has never ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. read more

FBI says China, Iran using new tactics to harass critics on U.S. soil China and Iran are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to silence dissidents on American soil and influence U.S. policy, the FBI warned on Wednesday. In a news briefing with reporters about transnational repression, FBI counterintelligence officials urged victims to come forward, saying the bureau is tracking a growing trend of foreign authoritarian regimes breaching U.S. laws to intimidate certain communities. The officials said the governments have at times resorted to using private investigators to conduct surveillance on dissidents and that several criminal cases have been brought by federal prosecutors involving their use. read more

Exclusive: South Korea's Yoon opens door for possible military aid to Ukraine South Korea might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, President Yoon Suk Yeol said, signalling a shift in his stance against arming Ukraine for the first time. In an interview with Reuters ahead of his state visit to the U.S. next week, Yoon said his government has been exploring how to help defend and rebuild Ukraine, just as South Korea received international assistance during the 1950-53 Korean War. "If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war, it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support," Yoon said. read more

Mexican president accuses Pentagon of spying; vows to restrict military information Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday accused the Pentagon of spying on his government following leaks in U.S. media, and said he would begin classifying information from the armed forces to protect national security. His comments came several days after the Washington Post reported on apparent tensions between Mexico's Navy and the Army, citing a U.S. military briefing revealed in online leaks of secret U.S. military records. "We're now going to safeguard information from the Navy and the Defense Ministry, because we're being a target of spying by the Pentagon," Lopez Obrador told his daily news conference. read more

Putin visits two regions in Ukraine, Russia presses assault on Bakhmut Russian President Vladimir Putin has met his commanders in two regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, while Russian forces stepped up heavy artillery bombardments and air strikes on Tuesday on the devastated Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, visited troops in the eastern town of Avdiivka, about 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Bakhmut, and was briefed on the battlefield situation, his office said. The Kremlin said Putin on Monday had attended a military command meeting in Ukraine's southern Kherson region and visited a national guard headquarters in eastern Luhansk. read more

US sets $259 million F-16 equipment sale to Turkey U.S. President Joe Biden's administration notified Congress on Monday of the planned sale to Turkey of avionics software upgrades for its current fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal valued at up to $259 million. The deal, first reported by Reuters earlier on Monday, moves ahead with the sale of the modernization package for Turkey's aircraft, after leaders of U.S. congressional committees gave informal approval. A larger agreement, NATO member Turkey's request to buy billions of dollars worth of F-16s, remains in limbo amid continuing opposition in Congress. If it is cleared by Congress during the formal approval process, the package would be the first major military sale to Turkey that Congress has approved for years. read more

S.Korea, US, Japan hold drills as N.Korea slams US 'nuclear blackmail' South Korea, the United States and Japan staged joint naval missile defence exercises on Monday to improve responses to North Korean threats, as Pyongyang accused Washington of ramping up "nuclear blackmail" with military drills. The three nations agreed at talks in Washington on Friday to hold regular missile defence and anti-submarine exercises in their efforts to boost diplomatic and military cooperation. North Korea tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday that experts say would ease the way for missile launches with little warning, part of an increase in its military activities in recent weeks. read more

US warship sails through Taiwan Strait following China war games The U.S. warship USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, in what the U.S. Navy described on Monday as a "routine" transit, just days after China ended its latest war games around the island. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, officially ended its three days of exercises around Taiwan last Monday where it practiced precision strikes and blockading the island. It staged the drills to express anger at Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, viewing it as an interference in China's internal affairs and U.S. support for Taiwan's separate identity from China. read more

EU warns against unilateral steps after Poland, Hungary ban Ukrainian grain Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, the bloc's executive said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors. After Russia's invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers. "We are aware of Poland and Hungary's announcements regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine," a spokesperson for the European Commission said in an emailed statement. "In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable." "In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU," the statement added. read more

Poland, Hungary ban grain and food imports from Ukraine Poland and Hungary have decided to ban imports of grain and other food from neighbouring Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector, the two governments said on Saturday, after a flood of supply depressed prices across the region. Ukraine expressed regret about the Polish decision, saying that "resolving various issues by unilateral drastic actions will not accelerate a positive resolution of the situation". After Russia's invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers. read more

Sudan's RSF says it's ready to cooperate over Egyptian troops The head of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Saturday that his forces were ready to cooperate with Egypt to ease the return of Egyptian troops who had handed themselves over to the group in the northern Sudanese town of Merowe. Two Egyptian security sources said Egyptian officials were able to make contact with the leader of the Egyptian unit to confirm they were safe. After clashes erupted across Sudan between the RSF and the army, the RSF shared a video they said showed Egyptian troops who had "surrendered" to them in the Merowe, about halfway between the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the border with Egypt. read more