Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
U.S. revises Cuba policy, eases restrictions on remittances, travel
The United States on Monday announced a series of steps to revise its policy toward Cuba, including easing some Trump-era restrictions on family remittances and travel to the island and sharply increasing the processing of U.S. visas for Cubans. The measures, which were rolled out after a lengthy U.S. government review, mark the most significant changes in the U.S. approach to Havana since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
Sweden's plans for NATO membership hit snag as Turkey says no
Sweden will formally apply for NATO membership in the next few days, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday, but its accession process, and that of Finland, hit a snag when NATO member Turkey's president said he would not approve either bid. Sweden and Finland need each of NATO's 30 members to approve their applications. The ratification process had been expected to take up to a year, though Turkey's objections have thrown that into doubt.
Taliban dissolve Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission, other key bodies
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan dissolved five key departments of the former U.S.-backed government, including the country's Human Rights Commission, deeming them unnecessary in the face of a financial crunch, an official said on Monday. Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year, Taliban authorities said on Saturday as they announced their first annual national budget since taking over the war-torn country last August.
In El Salvador's gang crackdown, quotas drive 'arbitrary' arrests of innocents
Dozens of innocent people have been apprehended in El Salvador in recent months amid President Nayib Bukele's "war on gangs," after superiors forced officers to meet daily arrest quotas during a state of emergency, five officials told Reuters. In March, El Salvador registered 62 murders in a single day, the bloodiest since the end of the country's civil war in 1992. In response, the Legislative Assembly dominated by Bukele's right-leaning populist party declared a state of emergency, suspending citizens' constitutional rights. In the past month and a half, more than 25,000 people have been arrested.
Sri Lanka down to last day of petrol, PM tells crisis-hit nation
Sri Lanka's new prime minister said on Monday the crisis-hit nation was down to its last day of petrol, as the country's power minister told citizens not to join the lengthy fuel queues that have galvanized weeks of anti-government protests. Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed prime minister on Thursday, said in an address to the nation the country urgently needed $75 million in foreign exchange to pay for essential imports.
After fires and floods, climate-conscious independents could determine Australian election
After some of the worst fires and floods ever to hit Australia, a new cohort of climate-conscious independents are threatening to shake up the federal election on Saturday, putting the government under pressure in key districts and potentially reshaping the country's political landscape. Enraged by the lack of government action on climate change, the candidates are campaigning hard on environmental issues in the hope of wooing moderate voters away from the major parties.
Scholz's balancing act just got harder after German state election
The worst post-war result for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in a traditional party stronghold heaps pressure on him to show more decisive leadership over the Ukraine crisis and Germans' concerns about soaring costs of living. Scholz's SPD lost a regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany's most populous state, to the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) on Sunday - a setback for the chancellor after just five months in office.
Ukrainian force begins evacuating from last Mariupol stronghold
Troops holed up in the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged port of Mariupol began evacuating on Monday, appearing to cede control of the once prosperous city to Russia after months of bombardment. Ukraine's deputy defense minister said 53 injured troops from the Azovstal steelworks were taken to a hospital in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk, some 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the east.
Indigenous Canadians make a painful plea on eve of British royal visit
As Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla prepare to visit Canada this week, some members of the indigenous community are calling on the British royal family to formally acknowledge the harm colonization did to First Nations people.
The royal couple will arrive in St. Johns, Newfoundland on Tuesday on a three-day trip that will include stops in Ottawa and the Northwest Territories and focus on the issues of reconciliation with indigenous peoples and climate change.
Analysis-Alarmed by Solomon Islands-China pact, NZ finds its voice on security
New Zealand has long been seen as the moderate, even absent, voice on China in the "Five Eyes" western alliance, so much so that its commitment to the group was questioned just 12 months ago. The recent signing of a security pact between China and nearby Solomon Islands appears to have changed that.
