espionage

British couple sentenced to 10 years in Iran for espionage, family says; UK condemns verdict A British couple detained in Iran since January 2025 have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage, their family said, drawing swift condemnation from the U.K. government and intensifying scrutiny of Tehran’s treatment of Western detainees. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their 50s, were arrested while traveling through Iran on an around-the-world motorcycle journey, relatives said. They have consistently denied spying.…

LONDON — The British government has approved plans for a new Chinese embassy in London, concluding that security risks can be managed even as lawmakers, campaigners and some former officials warn the site could become a hub for intelligence-gathering and transnational repression. Communities Secretary Steve Reed approved the proposal for a large embassy complex at Royal Mint Court, adjacent to the Tower of London. Security Minister Dan Jarvis told Parliament he was “assured that the UK national security is protected” and…

Aldrich Ames, the longtime CIA officer who became one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history by selling secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia, has died in federal custody, authorities said. He was 84, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Ames, a counterintelligence analyst who spent 31 years at the agency, was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison for betraying U.S. operations between 1985 and 1993. Prosecutors said he and his wife, Rosario, received more than $2.5 million for information that compromised…