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US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
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US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)

China said on Wednesday that a condition for the resumption of bilateral climate talks with the United States was Washington dispelling the "negative influence" left by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this month.

In response to the visit on Aug. 2-3, China on Aug. 5 suspended bilateral cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including climate talks and dialogue between senior-level military commanders.

US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry, who earlier this month said the suspension of bilateral climate talks punished the entire world, urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, in an interview with the Financial Times, to resume the discussions.

The former US Secretary of State, who is currently the Biden administration's top climate diplomat, also told the newspaper he was hopeful the countries could "get back together" ahead of the United Nations' COP27 climate summit in November in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

China, which claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory, responded to Kerry's remarks on Wednesday by stating the resumption of climate talks with the United States was dependent on actions taken by Washington to address the "negative influence" of Pelosi's Taiwan visit.

"The US side should dispel the negative influence of Pelosi scuttling to Taiwan, this is an indispensable condition of China-US climate change cooperation," China's foreign ministry said in a written statement sent to Reuters.

The statement also said China would continue to actively participate in international forums on climate change.

Beijing's response highlights the divergent approaches to global climate change cooperation between the world's two superpowers.

While officials in the Biden administration, including Kerry, have repeatedly expressed hope that US-China cooperation on climate change would not be affected by tensions on other fronts, Beijing has rejected any separating of issues in US-China relations.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters the two countries' militaries could still communicate even at lower levels in "areas where contention can run high," such as in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but that channels on climate and narcotics were still shut down.

"That's really unfortunate because ... particularly on fentanyl and climate, there's a global impact here for the two largest economies in the world to not have an ability to collaborate," Kirby said.

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World

Türkiye Says Greece-Chevron Activity off Crete Unlawful 

A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
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Türkiye Says Greece-Chevron Activity off Crete Unlawful 

A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
A Chevron gas station sign is pictured at one of their retain gas stations in Cardiff, California October 9, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Türkiye said on Thursday it opposed Greece's "unilateral activities" in energy fields south of Crete with a consortium led by US major Chevron as a violation of international law and good neighbourly relations.

Athens responded that its policies abide international law.

The Chevron-led consortium signed exclusive lease agreements on Monday to look for natural gas off southern Greece, expanding US presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

"We oppose this unlawful activity, which is being attempted in violation of the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Jurisdiction between Libya and our country," the Turkish Defense Ministry said at a press briefing.

It said the activity, while not directly impacting Türkiye's continental shelf, also violated Libya's maritime jurisdiction that was declared to the United Nations in May last year.

"We continue to provide the necessary support to the Libyan authorities to take action against these unilateral and unlawful activities by Greece," the ministry said.

A 2019 agreement signed by Türkiye and Libya set out maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea. It was rejected by Greece as it ignored the presence of the Greek island of Crete between the coasts of Türkiye and Libya. The Chevron deal doubles the amount of Greek maritime acreage available for exploration and is the second in months involving a US energy major, as the European Union seeks to phase out supplies from Russia and the US seeks to replace them.

Asked about the Turkish objections later on Thursday, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told a press briefing that Athens followed an "active policy" and "exercises its rights in accordance with international law and respects international law steadfastly - and I think no one questions that, period."

There was no immediate comment from Chevron.

Neighbors and NATO members Türkiye and Greece have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.

A 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw between the sides and leaders have voiced a desire to address remaining issues.

World

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office

FILE - Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
FILE - Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office

FILE - Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
FILE - Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

UK police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Thames Valley Police, an agency that covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that the former Prince Andrew sent trade reports to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. The assessment followed the release of millions of pages of documents connected to a US investigation of Epstein.

The police force did not name Mountbatten-Windsor, as is normal under UK law. But when asked if he had been arrested, the force pointed to a statement saying that they had arrested a man in his 60s. Mountbatten-Windsor is 66.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,’’ the statement said. “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence."

“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time,” the statement added.

Pictures circulated online appearing to show unmarked police cars at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, with plainclothes officers appearing to gather outside the home of Mountbatten-Windsor.

World

Georgia Arrests Two Foreigners Trying to Purchase Uranium

FILE PHOTO: A block with the symbol, atomic number and mass number of Uranium (U) element, in this illustration taken January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A block with the symbol, atomic number and mass number of Uranium (U) element, in this illustration taken January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Georgia Arrests Two Foreigners Trying to Purchase Uranium

FILE PHOTO: A block with the symbol, atomic number and mass number of Uranium (U) element, in this illustration taken January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A block with the symbol, atomic number and mass number of Uranium (U) element, in this illustration taken January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Georgia has ‌detained two people who attempted to purchase $3 million worth of uranium and a cache of a radioactive isotope found in nuclear weapons testing programs, the national security service said on Thursday.

Two foreign nationals from unspecified countries were arrested in the city of Kutaisi, the State Security Service said in a statement.

"They were planning to ‌illegally purchase ‌nuclear material uranium and radioactive ‌substance ⁠Cesium 137 for $3 ⁠million and illegally transport it to the territory of another country," Reuters quoted it as saying.

It said other foreigners had been arriving in Georgia in recent weeks with the aim of purchasing and transporting the nuclear and ⁠radioactive materials, without elaborating further.

The ‌statement did ‌not specify the quantity of materials the individuals were ‌attempting to procure. There were ‌no details on the substances' origin or potential destination.

Cesium 137 is a radioactive isotope present primarily in the aftermath of nuclear weapons testing ‌and nuclear power plant accidents such as the Chernobyl disaster in ⁠then-Soviet ⁠Ukraine in 1986.

The security of nuclear materials was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was part. There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades.

Most recently, three Chinese citizens were arrested in the capital Tbilisi for attempting to purchase two kilograms of "nuclear material" uranium.