Russia and Britain can overcome their escalating dispute over Moscow's refusal to extradite the main suspect in the poisoning death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He downplayed the standoff, calling it a "mini-crisis."
At the same time, Putin suggested it was up to Britain to back down in the confrontation. He spoke after Russia announced it will expel four British diplomats, mirroring punishment meted out by London for Russia's refusal to hand over suspect Andrei Lugovoi.
"I think Russian-British relations will develop normally," Putin said on Thursday, adding that strong ties were in the interests of both countries. "But it is necessary to balance our actions with common sense, to respect the legal rights and interests of partners -- then everything will develop in the best way."
"I'm sure we will overcome this mini-crisis, too," he said.
In Moscow, the British ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry's imposing Stalin-era tower and informed of Russia's response to Britain's announcement of the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and restrictions on visas to Russian officials.
In addition to mirroring Britain's punishment by expelling four British diplomats, ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Russia would stop issuing visas to British officials and halt counterterrorism cooperation. But Moscow carefully avoided measures that could affect economic ties.
Kamynin called Russia's moves "targeted, balanced and the minimum necessary." He said the new government of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown "made a conscious choice of worsening relations with our country."
He also said that Russia was suspending cooperation against terrorism, saying it had become "impossible."
Meanwhile, Norway's armed forces that said two Russian Tu-95 bombers made unusually long sorties over the North Sea on Thursday morning, forcing both Norway and Britain to scramble fighter jets to follow the Russian planes.
The Russian bombers stayed in international air space during their flight, which took them as far south as the region between Norway's Stavanger and Aberdeen in Scotland -- centers of the North Sea oil industry.
The incident was the latest of several such sorties in past days.
"It's a long time since they [Russian bombers] have been that far south. I would say that is rather unusual," John Inge Oegland, spokesman for Norway's armed forces, told reporters.
"Since they were so far south, the RAF [Britain's Royal Air Force] followed the same procedure and went up to identify them," he said.
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s