The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has closed due to a potential air attack, with staff sheltering in place. The closure follows Ukraine’s use of U.S. ATACMS missiles in Russian territory, amid rising tensions and increasing nuclear risks.
The US embassy in Kyiv has announced its closure on Wednesday due to intelligence suggesting a potential large-scale air attack. In a statement, the US Department of State Consular Affairs said embassy staff have been instructed to shelter in place, and US citizens in Ukraine should be prepared to do the same if air alerts are issued.
This warning follows Ukraine’s recent use of US-supplied ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory, marking the war’s 1,000th day. The strikes came after the Biden administration granted permission for Ukraine to deploy the long-range missiles.
Russia has repeatedly cautioned that allowing Ukraine to use US, British, or French weapons for strikes deep within its territory could lead Moscow to view those NATO nations as direct participants in the conflict. In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of consequences for such attacks and has since lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to conventional threats.
The escalating tensions reflect the highest nuclear risks in over 50 years, with relations between Russia and the West reaching a critical point.
Iranian President Pezeshkian has confirmed the killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib calling it a "cowardly assassination", following reports that Israel carried out an overnight strike.
Employees of Voice of America (VOA) who had spent nearly a year on paid administrative leave may soon return to work after U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that efforts to scale down the broadcaster were unlawful.
U.S. President Donald Trump called his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very good.” The two leaders spoke on Monday about the situation in Iran and other international issues.
Bahrain’s state-owned oil company Bapco has declared force majeure after an attack set the country’s only refinery ablaze. The firm says domestic supplies remain secure, but operations are disrupted by the ongoing Middle East conflict, underscoring regional energy risks.
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
Trump says U.S. found “major points of agreement” with Iran and has paused strikes on Iranian power plants, but Tehran denies any direct talks or negotiations, contradicting U.S. claims - latest on Middle East conflict.
Georgia bid farewell to Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II on Sunday (22 March). He was considered one of the most influential spiritual leaders in the country’s modern history.
Cuba’s national power grid went down on Saturday, cutting electricity for millions, officials said. The outage marks the second nationwide blackout in a week and the third major grid failure in March.
Qatar has confirmed that seven people, including four of its military personnel and three Turkish nationals, were killed on Sunday (22 March) when a helicopter crashed in the country’s territorial waters.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday (23 March) that Britain must plan for the possibility that the Iran war could continue for some time, and added that he had no "meaningful concerns" about energy supply.
Australia and the European Union signed a trade deal on Tuesday that was eight years in the making, removing tariffs for almost all European goods and for nearly all exports of Australian critical minerals.
Italian voters emphatically rejected a flagship judicial reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, dealing a blow to her right-wing coalition ahead of next year's general elections. Meloni posted on social media "clearly, we regret this missed opportunity to modernise Italy".
Investigators probing the deadly collision of an Air Canada Express jet with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport said on Monday they wanted to interview an air traffic controller who was juggling another emergency in the run-up to the crash.
A Colombian military plane carrying 128 passengers crashed during a takeoff on Monday (23 March) from Puerto Leguizamo, on the border with Peru, killing 66 people, as rescuers shuttled dozens of survivors to nearby hospitals and searched for four who were still missing, according to a top official.
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