US boosts emergency Mideast evacuations and travel warnings after Trump orders strikes in Iran
The State Department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East because of concerns Iran will retaliate against U.S. interests in the region for the weekend strikes on its nuclear facilities, Associated Press reported.
In an alert sent to all Americans worldwide and posted to its website on Sunday, the State Department warned all U.S. citizens abroad to exercise caution.
“The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East,” it said. “There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,” according to Associated Press.
Russian attacks on Ukraine kill at least 5 and injure over a dozen
A Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight killed at least four people and injured others, according to Ukraine’s emergency services, as rescue workers and firefighters sought to remove people they believed trapped under debris in a partially collapsed apartment building, Associated Press reported.
The strikes came nearly a week after a combined Russian attack on Ukraine last Tuesday killed 28 people in Kyiv, 23 of them in a residential building that collapsed after sustaining a direct hit by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called that attack one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year.
In the early hours of Monday, drones and missiles hit residential areas, hospitals and sports infrastructure in numerous districts across Kyiv, emergency services said, with the most severe damage occurring in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where one section of a five-story apartment building collapsed, according to Associated Press.
Day after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, Pak condemns US' Iran bombing
A day after recommending President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his "decisive diplomatic intervention" during last month's India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan on Sunday "condemned" the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, NDTV reported.
"We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement, hours after the American warplanes and submarines bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran, officially joining Israel's war against the country.
Pakistan, which shares a 900-kilometre border with Iran, also reiterated that these attacks violate "all norms of international law and that Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter,” according to NDTV.
South Korea to raise concerns to US over potential curbs on chipmakers' China operations
South Korea's top trade negotiator said on Sunday he would raise concerns about potential U.S. restrictions on chipmakers in China when he meets U.S. officials in Washington this week for the third round of technical discussions in tariff talks, Reuters reported.
"I will pass on the concerns among those in the industry and take utmost care," South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo told reporters before leaving for Washington, when asked to comment about concerns the U.S. may adopt policies to make it difficult for foreign chipmakers to operate in China.
Yeo also said Seoul may not stick to the July deadline, suggesting talks may continue beyond July 8 amid political and economic uncertainties in the U.S.
South Korea, currently subject to a blanket 10% tariff with a 25% country-specific duty on pause for 90 days, agreed with the U.S. in their opening round of trade talks in late April to craft a trade deal reducing tariffs by July 8, according to Reuters.
