ruled

The Foreign Office has issued fresh security warnings for British tourists after a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri raised fears the Middle East conflict could spill into the Mediterranean

Britons heading to Cyprus have been issued a fresh security warning after the Foreign Office said terror attacks “cannot be ruled out” on the popular holiday island.

The updated travel advice came days after a suspected drone strike hit the RAF’s Akrotiri airbase on March 2 2026, in an incident linked to the escalating war in the Middle East. Officials say the attack caused only minimal damage and no casualties – but it has raised fears the conflict could spill closer to Europe.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its guidance on Thursday, warning travellers about the risk of further incidents and urging British nationals to stay alert.

It said: “Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption.”

Cypriot authorities have warned that the island could be drawn into the crisis because of the British sovereign bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which are used for operations across the region.

With British and allied aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri, security analysts suggest the island has gained strategic importance in the current confrontation involving Iran and its proxies. RAF Akrotiri is the UK’s largest overseas airbase and has been deployed for missions against ISIS in Syria and Iraq as well as strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Against that backdrop, the Foreign Office has updated its Cyprus guidance to say terrorist attacks remain a possibility. It also warned that the wider regional situation could affect travel.

The FCDO urged Brits visiting the island to:

• monitor local and international media
• follow instructions from local authorities
• keep travel plans under review
• ensure travel documents are up to date

Officials also said Brits inside the British sovereign base areas should follow instructions issued by the Sovereign Base Areas Administration.

Hundreds of thousands of Brits visit

Cyprus is one of the most popular holiday destinations for UK travellers, with hundreds of thousands of Brits visiting each year. While officials stress that tourist areas remain open and functioning normally, the updated warning reflects growing concern that the regional conflict could bring further security incidents.

The Foreign Office said travellers should remember that “no travel can be guaranteed safe” and urged anyone visiting the island to sign up for government travel alerts.

US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, removing a central policy plank of his second term.

Trump’s promised replacement tariffs will take effect within days.

What is the impact of the court’s ruling? And how will it play out internationally?

Presenter: Tom McRae

Guests:

Melanie Brusseler – US programme director at the think tank Common Wealth

James Davis – founder and president of Touchdown Strategies and Republican adviser

Claire Finkelstein – Algernon Biddle professor of law and philosophy, University of Pennsylvania

U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi declared a triumph against California on Friday, touting an appellate court ruling that she said blocked a state ban on immigration agents and other law enforcement officers wearing masks.

“The 9th Circuit has now issued a FULL stay blocking California’s ban on masks for federal law enforcement agents,” Bondi posted on the social media site X, calling the Feb. 19 decision a “key victory.”

Bondi, however, appeared confused about which case the court was ruling on this week.

A federal judge in Los Angeles blocked California’s first-in-the-nation mask ban 10 days earlier, on Feb. 9.

At the time, U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder said she was “constrained” to block the law because it included only local and federal officers, while exempting state law enforcement.

The state did not appeal that decision.

Instead, on Wednesday, the law’s author Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced a new mask bill without the problematic carve-out for state officers.

With the initial legal challenge already decided and the new bill still pending in the legislature, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has no reason to revisit the mask ban.

The ruling that Bondi appeared to reference involves a separate California law requiring law enforcement officers to display identification while on duty.

Snyder had previously ruled the “No Vigilantes Act” could take effect because it did not exempt state police, a decision the Justice Department appealed to the 9th Circuit.

The appellate court is set to review the matter early next month. Until then, the court issued an injunction that pauses the state law from taking effect.

Issuing a temporary administrative injunction is a common procedural move, allowing judges to freeze things in the status quo until the court has a chance to weigh the law and come to a decision.

Thursday’s order set a hearing in the Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena for March 3, indicating the case is far from over.

Bill Essayli, who leads the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, also celebrated with a post on X, calling Thursday’s order “another key win for the Justice Department.” He too suggested the injunction somehow involved the mask case.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The law requiring officers to show ID is less controversial than the mask ban. But it may still face an uphill battle in the appellate court. A three-judge panel is set to hear the case, comprising two judges nominated to the bench by President Trump and one by President Obama. One of the Trump appointees, Judge Mark Bennett of Hawaii, has previously signaled skepticism over the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

At issue in the ID case is whether California’s law interferes with or controls the operations of the federal government, actions prohibited by the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. Snyder ruled that the identification law was more akin to speed limits on the highway, which apply equally to everyone, a decision the appellate court could reject.

A ruling is not expected before mid-March, and would not directly affect the push by state lawmakers to pass a revised mask ban.

Recent polls show more than 60% of Americans want U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and other federal agents unmasked. More than a dozen states are pursuing laws similar to California’s.

In Washington, congressional Democrats have made a mask ban for ICE a key issue in the ongoing partial government shutdown, vowing not to fund the Department of Homeland Security until one is enacted.

Legal experts have said the issue likely will not be resolved until it reaches the Supreme Court.

Luka Doncic was diagnosed with a strained left hamstring and listed as out for the Lakers’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers have not indicated a timetable for Doncic’s return.

Doncic was injured late in the second quarter of the Lakers’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. He threw a pass to Maxi Kleber that was a turnover, turned to run back on defense and immediately grabbed his left hamstring.

Doncic went up and down the court a couple of times but was unable to play any longer. The Lakers called a timeout, and Doncic headed to the locker room and did not return.

After the game, Doncic was limping down the hallway. Coach JJ Redick said Doncic would undergo an MRI exam Friday.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.4) and is second in assists (8.7). He’s missed eight of the Lakers’ 42 games because of injuries and the birth of his daughter, and they’re 4-4 without him.

“We need him,” guard Austin Reaves said after the game. “He’s our best player and the engine of a lot of the stuff that we do. Yeah, so, hopefully we get good news.”