International News Release

The UK government has sent a minister to the British Virgin Islands after an inquiry called for a return of UK rule. In a turbulent week for the overseas territory, its leader Andrew Fahie was arrested in the US for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering. After his arrest, a report led by a British judge was released recommending direct rule be imposed from London due to corruption concerns. But the acting leader of the BVI has said he opposes the UK taking control. The BVI is a British overseas territory home to more than 35,000 people and made up of more than 40 islands, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. It operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the premier acting as the head of the elected government alongside the governor, who is appointed by the UK government and represents the Queen. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Amanda Milling, the minister for overseas territories, was travelling to the territory for talks with BVI governor James Rankin and oth...

The leader of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has been arrested for alleged drug smuggling and money laundering in the US. Premier Andrew Fahie was detained in Miami by US agents posing as cocaine traffickers from a Mexican drug cartel. He agreed a $700,000 (£560,000) payment to allow traffickers to use BVI ports with an undercover informant, charges filed in the US said. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she was "appalled" by the allegations. Mr Fahie, the elected head of government of the British overseas territory, was arrested by US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials in Florida, alongside senior BVI port official Oleanvine Maynard. A third person, Kadeem Maynard - Ms Maynard's son - was also arrested on Thursday in connection with the undercover DEA case. The arrests were made after DEA agents pretended to be cocaine traffickers from Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel - said to be the largest supplier of illegal drugs to the US market and formerly run by now-impriso...

Mysterious explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-controlled territory in Moldova bordering on Ukraine, have raised fears that the Ukraine conflict may be spreading. Separatist authorities said Ukrainian "infiltrators" were responsible. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russian special services. Russia says it is concerned. It has about 1,500 troops in Transnistria. An official has said Russian-speakers in Moldova are being oppressed. This is the same excuse used to justify the invasion of Ukraine. In the past two days, the Transnistria authorities say, explosions targeted: Their state security HQ in Tiraspol, the main city Old Soviet-era radio masts used to broadcast Russian news A military unit in Parcani, a village just outside Tiraspol No casualties were reported, but a red "anti-terrorism" alert is now in force, meaning heightened security in the territory, which broke away from Moldova in a brief war in 1992. A Transnistria officia...

Police in South Korea have arrested two people suspected of leaking military secrets to a person believed to be a North Korean agent. The chief executive of a cryptocurrency exchange and an army officer divulged login details for South Korea's joint military command, police say. They are accused of receiving large sums of money in exchange. North and South Korea have been locked in a tense relationship ever since fighting a war between 1950-1953. "This is the first case in which an active-duty officer and a civilian under orders of a North Korean agent colluded and spying on military secrets is discovered," police said. A camera watch and USB device were used to give the agent access to data between January and March, it is alleged. South Korean prosecutors and police announced the arrests of the head of the virtual currency firm, named only as Lee, and the army officer, Captain B, on Thursday. Both are charged with violating the country's National Security Act. Autho...

Mysterious explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-controlled territory in Moldova bordering on Ukraine, have raised fears that the Ukraine conflict may be spreading. Separatist authorities said Ukrainian "infiltrators" were responsible. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russian special services. Russia says it is concerned. It has about 1,500 troops in Transnistria. An official has said Russian speakers in Moldova are being oppressed. This is the same excuse used to justify the invasion of Ukraine. In the past two days, the Transnistria authorities say, explosions targeted: Their state security HQ in Tiraspol, the main city Old Soviet-era radio masts used to broadcast Russian news A military unit in Parcani, a village just outside Tiraspol No casualties were reported, but a red "anti-terrorism" alert is now in force, meaning heightened security in the territory, which broke away from Moldova in a brief war in 1992. A Transnistria officia...

Police have released footage from the set of the film Rust, including of the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin. Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza also released crime scene photos and witness interviews, including Mr Baldwin's. But police said a decision on whether to file criminal charges will depend on the outcome of future forensic work. Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot by Mr Baldwin while he rehearsed with what he believed to be a safe gun. The actor, who was also a producer on the film, previously said he did not pull the trigger and had no idea how a live bullet came to be on the set near Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico. In videos released on Monday, police and medics can be seen racing to the scene, and bodycam footage shows first responders battling to save Hutchins. In other clips, Mr Baldwin is seen dressed as a cowboy and practising with what appears to be the gun that killed the cinematographer. In a statement accompanying the rel...

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he hopes Russian losses in Ukraine will deter its leadership from repeating its actions. He added that Ukraine can still win the war if given the right support and praised the efforts of its military. "We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," the US military chief said. Mr Austin was speaking after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Accompanied by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the visit marked the highest level trip to Ukraine by US officials since the invasion began over two months ago. The meeting between the US and Ukrainian parties, which ran for over three hours, comes as Russia escalates its military campaign in the south and east of the country. At a news conference in Poland after the visit, Mr Austin told reporters that US officials still believe Ukraine can win the conflict "if they have the right equipment" and ...

The two candidates fighting for the French presidency have launched bitter attacks on each other in a final bid to win over millions of undecided voters before Sunday's election. Centrist Emmanuel Macron is aiming to become the first sitting president to win a second term for 20 years. He said Marine Le Pen's far right was fuelled by unhappiness and risked a society of hate and fracture. It was proof of his weakness, she said, that he used old insults of extremism. The opinion polls give the sitting president the edge in the second round run-off, but Ms Le Pen's far right party has never been this close to power which is why the stakes are so high. 'Macron or France' The number one issue in this election has been the spiralling cost of living, from energy bills and food shopping to the price of filling up a car. It was identified very early on by the Le Pen team, who have promised a government of national unity to attack the high cost of living, as well as a referen...