Biden moves to lift Cuba’s state sponsor of terrorism designation
Global News
The move would be part of a deal to free political prisoners and ease some economic pressure, though incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is expected to reverse the decision.
U.S. President Joe Biden notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.
Senior U.S. administration officials, who previewed the announcement on the condition of anonymity, said ”many dozens” of political prisoners and others considered by the U.S. to be unjustly detained would be released by the end of the Biden administration at noon on Jan. 20.
The U.S. would also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a 2017 memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump toughening U.S. posture toward Cuba.
“In taking these steps to bolster the ongoing dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and counsel that has been provided to him by many world leaders, especially in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions, on how best to advance the human rights of the Cuban people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The Cuban foreign ministry on Tuesday said that the government informed Pope Francis it will release 553 people who had been convicted of different crimes. It said that they will be gradually released, as the authorities analyze the legal and humanitarian ways to make it happen.
The foreign ministry didn’t link the release of the prisoners to the US decision of lifting the designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, but “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness.”
The Cuban authorities didn’t say who is among the 553 people who will be released.
The determination by the outgoing one-term Democrat is likely to be reversed as early as next week after Trump, the Republican who is now president-elect, takes office and Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio assumes the position of America’s top diplomat.
Last year's global average temperature easily passed 2023's record heat and kept pushing even higher. It surpassed the long-term warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
A former Winnipegger who has been living in Los Angeles for the past three years said while he's safe from the disaster, it's hitting dangerously close to home.
Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported.
Donald Trump Jr. said his visit to Greenland was not politically motivated. Meanwhile, his father wouldn't rule out using force to take control of the territory.
Trump also said he wants NATO members to spend at least five per cent of their GDP on defence, more than double the current two-per cent target.
A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, killing at least 95 people in Tibet.
Experts said the elephant that killed Blanca García was likely stressed by the pressure of living and interacting with tourists.
The Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, won Austria’s parliamentary election in September, beating outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party.
Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine had launched a new attack in the Kursk region, an area of western Russia from which Russian troops have been trying to eject Ukrainian forces.
Over 480 people with a military history were accused of ideologically driven extremist crimes between 2017 and 2023, including the more than 230 arrested in connection with Jan. 6.
The house made famous by Breaking Bad is up for sale, and the owners of the home are hoping the property’s role in the long-running series will help them fetch a pretty penny.
Prince William expressed his shock and sadness Saturday at the news of the death of his former nanny’s stepson in the New Year's truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.
South Korean investigators again asked the country's acting president to order the presidential security service to comply with an arrest warrant for the impeached president.
South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him.
The blowback comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accuses of "grave human rights violations" against ethnic and religious minorities.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul.
An armed man killed at least four people and wounded four others on Wednesday in the western Montenegrin city of Cetinje, police and local media said.
Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month conflict ground on into the new year.