UK and US spy chiefs warn of threat to world order

CIA Director Bill Burns and UK MI6 chief Richard Moore warned on Saturday that the world order was "under threat in a way we haven't seen since the Cold War".

Writing in a Financial Times op-ed, the two spy chiefs said "we have no more trusted or esteemed allies" than each other, adding that the partnership would be vital as they "face an unprecedented array of threats", chiefly from Russia, China and in the Middle East.

The ongoing conflict is Gaza is of particular concern, and Burns later told an FT conference in London that he was "working hard" with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to refine a framework for a ceasefire.

"We will make this more detailed proposal, I hope, in the next several days," he added.

The United States and the UK are among the leading financial and military supporters of Ukraine in its resistance to the Russian invasion launched in February 2022.

"Staying the course is more vital than ever," they wrote in the op-ed.

"We continue to work together to disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence."