Russian Diplomat Forced to Leave Squatting Site Near Australian Parliament

The High Court of Australia has rejected Russia's request for an injunction to prevent its eviction from a site where it planned to build a new embassy in Canberra. Australia had blocked Russia from building a new embassy at the site after intelligence agencies warned it could be used as a base to spy on lawmakers. The court deemed Moscow's challenge "weak" and "difficult to understand." The Australian government announced last week that it was canceling the lease, with parliament passing a law preventing a Russian embassy from being built on the site.