Austria has declared two diplomats from the Russian embassy personae non gratae for actions incompatible with their diplomatic status, ordering them to leave Austria within a week, Austria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.The expulsions bring to 11 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since the summer of 2020, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said. As in the previous cases, no details on the specific actions or circumstances were given.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said he had discussed Iran's nuclear program with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported on Thursday.This is a developing story.

A Japanese high court ruled that it was "unconstitutional" not to allow same-sex marriage in the country, in a first appeal court ruling on the matter, Japanese media reported on Thursday.Sapporo High Court in northern Japan issued the ruling, while dismissing the plaintiffs' claim for damage to the national government, according to media reports.

The Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said on Thursday that a critical infrastructure facility at the plant was shelled by the Ukrainian army.An explosive device was dropped in the area of the fence where diesel fuel tanks are located, the nuclear plant's management said, adding that IAEA experts at the nuclear plant had been notified about the shelling.Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side.This is a developing story.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday said if so-called national security is to be cited to bring down other countries' competitive advantage, that is "no fairness to speak of," remarking on the US passing legislation forcing a TikTok divestiture or ban.The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday that would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets of the short-video app or face a ban."How the US handles the TikTok incident enables the world to see clearly whether US's so-called rules-based order serves the world or itself," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry.

IAF jets targeted Hezbollah terror infrastructure in the Konin region in Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday.Following siren alerts in the Kfar Blum area, IDF troops intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, the military added.IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. March 14, 2024. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured Ukraine of closer cooperation with international partners on military support in a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a German government spokesperson said on Thursday."The Chancellor and Ukrainian President agreed to continue their constructive dialog, also with a view to global support for a peace solution, and to remain in close contact," said the spokesperson in a statement.