£2.2bn-worth of oil processed in China, India and Turkey – to whom Russia supplies crude – was imported in 2023, data shows The UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels. Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from £434.2m in 2021 ..read more

In this week’s newsletter: While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on. Plus, how a ban in the US could change TikTok everywhere • Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the full article here Another day, another set of troubles for Apple’s App Store. This time, the company had bowed to orders from the Chinese state to remove WhatsApp and Threads, two of the last Meta apps still available in the country. From our story: Apple confirmed it had withdrawn the two apps – both owned by Meta, also the owner of ..read more

Man worked as assistant to Maximilian Krah, AfD’s top candidate in European parliament elections, say reports German police have arrested an employee of an Alternative für Deutschland politician in Dresden on suspicion of espionage for China, the broadcasters ARD, RBB and SWR have reported. The employee, named as Jian G, worked as an assistant for the AfD’s top candidate in the European parliament elections, Maximilian Krah, and lived in Brussels as well as Dresden, the broadcasters report ..read more

Christopher Berry, 32, and Christopher Cash, 29, accused of providing prejudicial information to a foreign state A parliamentary researcher who was arrested last year on suspicion of spying for China has been charged along with another man with espionage offences. Christopher Cash, 29, who had access to parliament through his work for an organisation set up by Conservative MPs, is to appear in court on Friday after he and Christopher Berry, 32, were charged under the Official Secrets Act ..read more

Prosecutors say trio are accused of passing on technical military knowledge and export of a laser without permissions Three German citizens, a married couple from Düsseldorf and a man from Bad Homburg, have been arrested on suspicion of spying on behalf of China, prosecutors have said, in the second high-profile alleged espionage case reported in the country in days. The three are accused of passing on technical military knowhow to Chinese authorities in return for money. The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said it could be “just the tip of the iceberg” of spy rings operating in ..read more

The annual Balikatan, or ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ drills will for the first time take place outside of the Philippines’ territorial waters A Chinese military official has warned against countries flexing “gunboat muscles”, as the Philippines and US begin three weeks of unprecedented joint drills in the South China Sea. The annual Balikatan, or “shoulder-to-shoulder” drills, began on Monday and will run until 10 May. For the first time the exercises will be held beyond the Philippines’ territorial waters – 12 nautical miles offshore – and will involve the Philippines coast guard (PCG) in an activ ..read more

Voters back President Mohamed Muizzu’s tilt towards China and away from traditional ally India Maldives voters have backed President Mohamed Muizzu’s tilt towards China and away from traditional benefactor India, with his party winning control of parliament in an election landslide. Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) won 66 of the first 86 seats declared, according to the Elections Commission of Maldives, already more than enough for a super-majority in the 93-member parliament ..read more

For the first time, government military spending increased in all five geographical regions, Sipri thinktank finds Global military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn (£1970bn) after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report. The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its 60-year history ..read more

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