WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency U.S. personnel to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
"The Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from U.S. Embassy Beirut," the State Department said in a statement, giving no reasons.
"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," said the statement.
The State Department said the evacuation is a temporary measure while the embassy remains operational with core staff in place. (U.S.-Beirut Embassy)
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BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament's trade committee is very likely to delay a planned vote on legislative files linked to the EU-U.S. trade agreement reached in Scotland's Turnberry last year, a committee press officer said on Monday.
Lieven Cosijn, press officer for the Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA), said the committee was due to meet on Monday afternoon and Tuesday, with votes on Turnberry-related files initially expected to feature on the agenda. (EU-Trade deal-Parliament)
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TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday warned that any attack by the United States against Iran, regardless of its scope and scale, will be considered an act of aggression and followed by consequences.
Baghaei made the remarks at a weekly press conference in Tehran. He said if the renewed indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States lead to a war, Iran's armed forces will give an appropriate response and are vigilantly ready round the clock to defend the country. (Iran-U.S.-Military)
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GOMA, DR Congo -- The border post between Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Gatumba in neighboring Burundi officially reopened on Monday after more than two months of closure.
The crossing was shut down by Burundian authorities on Dec. 10 when Uvira fell under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, cutting off a key transit point for traders and residents on both sides of the border.
In January 2026, the DRC government took back control of Uvira, the second-largest city of South Kivu province. (DRC-Burundi-Border-Reopening)
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TOKYO -- More than 1,000 Japanese people gathered on Monday in front of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kengun base in Kumamoto Prefecture, protesting the government's plan to deploy long-range missiles at the facility.
Demonstrators held placards reading "No missiles" and "Don't turn Kumamoto into a battlefield." They chanted slogans such as "Military force cannot bring peace," calling on the government to scrap the deployment plan and provide a full explanation to local residents. (Japan-Kumamoto-Missile deployment) Enditem
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