UK and US spy chiefs warn of 'unprecedented threats' to world order

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

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

The United States and the UK are among the leading financial and military supporters of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

"Staying the course is more vital than ever, they wrote.

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

The pair also explained how they were now using advanced AI and cloud technologies to harness the vast troves of data they collect.

The joint article comes just days before UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Washington on September 13, where he will be received by US President Joe Biden.

They will discuss, among other things, "continuing robust for Ukraine" and the desire to achieve a truce in Gaza, the White House said on Friday.

This meeting takes place at a time when the two nations' stance on Israel is diverging, according to AFP.

Detailed Gaza truce plan coming soon

Separately, speaking at a Financial Times event, US negotiator William Burns, who is working with Qatar and Egypt to secure a Gaza ceasefire, said a more detailed plan would be presented in the coming days.

After 11 months of Israeli bloodshed in Gaza, Burns said there was ongoing work on "texts and creative formulas" for finding a proposal which satisfies both parties.

"We will make this more detailed proposal, I hope, in the next several days, and then we'll see," he said.

He added that it was a question of political will and he hoped leaders on both sides recognised "the time has come finally to make some hard choices and some difficult compromises".

Two days earlier, on Thursday, the White House stated that most of the deal for a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap is nearly complete. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected these reports, calling them "exactly inaccurate."

Hamas, on the other hand, reaffirmed its support for a ceasefire proposal backed by US President Joe Biden and a UN Security Council resolution and warned that Netanyahu is blocking efforts to achieve both a ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza.