Pope’s visit to Cuba raises prospect of human rights friction
HAVANA (Reuters) – Pope Francis flies to Cuba on Saturday for a three-night visit seen as a potential public relations coup for Cuba but also a risk he might speak more bluntly about democracy and human rights than the Communist government would like.
Mexican tourists who survived aerial bombing in Egypt return home
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Six Mexican tourists who survived a deadly air raid on their convoy by Egyptian security forces returned home on Friday, and Mexico’s government urged the public not to travel to the country after the group was apparently mistak…
Obama chips away at Cuba embargo, discusses efforts with Raul Castro
WASHINGTON/HAVANA (Reuters) – The United States announced new rules on Friday to further ease trade, travel and investment restrictions with Cuba, but Cuban President Raul Castro told President Barack Obama that Washington should go even further and li…
U.S. sees military talks with Russia on Syria as important next step: Kerry
LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama believes that holding military talks with Russia on Syria is an important next step and hopes they will take place very shortly, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
Syrian army reversals spook Kremlin into hasty military build-up
MOSCOW (Reuters) – For Vladimir Putin, Russia’s military build-up in Syria is a potential diplomatic trump card and a handy way of diverting attention from Ukraine’s frozen conflict. But it was a panicky realization that the Syrian government was being…
‘Heads as well as hearts’: Croatia says it can take no more migrants
TOVARNIK, Croatia/ZAGREB (Reuters) – After suddenly finding itself in the path of Europe’s biggest tide of migrants for decades, Croatia said on Friday it could no longer offer them refuge and would wave them on, challenging the EU to find a policy to …
Ex-Ukraine PM Tymoshenko’s U.S. racketeering lawsuit dismissed
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Manhattan federal judge on Friday dismissed former Ukrainian prime minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko’s civil lawsuit accusing her political opponents of running a U.S.-based racketeering enterprise that led to …
Greek election polls swing towards Syriza as campaign ends
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s national election appeared to shift on Friday in favor of Alexis Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party, if a flurry of late polls were to be believed, as the former prime minister closed his campaign with a plea for a high turnout.
Japan enacts bills easing pacifist constitution’s limits on military
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s parliament voted into law on Saturday a defence policy shift that could let troops fight overseas for the first time since 1945, a milestone in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to loosen the limits of the pacifist constitution…
Kerry meets Israeli opposition leader Herzog in London
LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met briefly with Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog in London on Friday where they discussed crises in the Middle East, the Iran nuclear agreement, and current tensions in Jerusalem.
