WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to close five smaller U.S. embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions in Africa, Asia and the Western Hemisphere, even as it steams ahead with plans to reopen shuttered posts in Libya and Syria and has reopened the long-closed embassy in Venezuela.
In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada; the consulates in Nagoya, Japan, and Medan, Indonesia; the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada; and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.
The closures are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices obtained by The Associated Press. But the missions to be closed employ very few people compared with others.
The embassy in St. George’s, Grenada, and the consulate in Nagoya have only one American staffer and five local employees each. The consulate in Medan has four direct-hire U.S. staffers and 47 local employees. The Winnipeg post has only two local staffers, and the embassy office in Douala has only 14 local staffers.
The State Department announced plans earlier this year to permanently close the U.S. consulate in Peshwar, Pakistan, which was the closest diplomatic mission to Afghanistan since American troops withdrew in 2021.
The steps come as the department moves to streamline its operations at home and abroad, while investing millions of dollars into reopening the U.S. embassies in Caracas; Damascus, Syria; and Tripoli, Libya; to restore America’s formal diplomatic presence following the ouster of long-ruling autocrats in those countries.
FILE - The State Department seal is seen on the briefing room lectern at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 31, 2022. (Mandel Ngan, Pool via AP, File)
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Residents of two villages have evacuated their homes near Guatemala’s Fuego volcano following an eruption, the country's disaster management agency says.
Video of the eruption shows clouds of gas and ash over the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.
The eruption began Monday morning and continued throughout the day, leading to the evacuation orders for the villages on the southern side of the mountain., according to Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster managing agency, CONRED.
During a previous eruption of the Fuego volcano in June 2018, hundreds of people were killed and a whole village was destroyed. That episode affected as many as 1.7 million people, according to authorities.
The Fuego volcano is one of the most active in Guatemala. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.
Authorities evacuated around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas. CONRED also warned warned of ash spreading to nearby towns.
A major highway that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.
Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano rest at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive to a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
