Rubio calls Cuba ‘security threat’ as Havana accuses US of escalating tensions
Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State has described Cuba as a “national security threat” to the US, warning that prospects for a peaceful resolution between Washington and Havana were increasingly slim.
The remarks came a day after the US charged former Cuban president Raúl Castro with murder over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by Cuban exiles, an incident that killed US nationals.
Rubio said diplomacy remained Washington’s preferred option but stressed that President Donald Trump had a duty to protect the country from perceived threats. Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected the accusations, calling Rubio’s claims “lies” and accusing the US of attempting to justify military aggression.
The exchange underscores worsening tensions between the Cold War-era rivals as Cuba grapples with a deepening fuel crisis, economic hardship and mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
Gun attacks kill at least 16 in northern Honduras
At least 16 people have been killed in two separate attacks in northern Honduras, deepening concerns over worsening violence in the Central American nation.
The deadliest attack occurred at a remote palm farm in Rigores, in the municipality of Trujillo, where gunmen reportedly opened fire on workers gathered near a church. Police said at least 10 people were killed, though the final toll could rise as relatives removed bodies before investigators secured the scene.
Authorities have not identified a motive, but northern Honduras has long been plagued by agrarian disputes, organised crime and land conflicts.
UN court backs workers’ right to strike in landmark ruling
The International Court of Justice has ruled that workers and labour unions are protected under international law when exercising the right to strike.
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said the court found that the International Labour Organization’s 1948 Convention on Freedom of Association implicitly safeguards workers’ ability to organise industrial action.
Although the advisory opinion is not legally binding, labour advocates say it could influence labour legislation and court decisions globally, especially in countries where strike rights remain contested.
The case stemmed from a dispute within the International Labour Organization between employer groups and trade unions over whether the convention explicitly protected strikes.
US sanctions Hezbollah lawmakers and Lebanese officials
The United States has imposed sanctions on nine individuals accused of helping Hezbollah undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and obstruct efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group.
Those targeted include Hezbollah parliamentarians, senior officials within the movement, an Iranian diplomat and Lebanese security figures allegedly linked to Hezbollah’s political and financial networks.
The US Treasury said the measures were aimed at disrupting Hezbollah’s influence inside Lebanon’s political institutions and security apparatus.
Washington has intensified financial pressure on Hezbollah amid ongoing instability in Lebanon and continued tensions between Israel and Iran-backed groups across the region.
Gaza peace envoy warns current status quo risks becoming permanent
Nickolay Mladenov, the senior envoy overseeing the US-backed Board of Peace for Gaza, has warned that the current situation in Gaza risks becoming entrenched unless meaningful progress is made towards a permanent ceasefire.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council, Mladenov urged both Israel and Hamas to fulfil obligations under a ceasefire framework agreed in October, while calling on the international community to push for humanitarian access and political compromise.
He warned that continued Israeli restrictions and ongoing violence were undermining prospects for long-term stability in the devastated Palestinian territory.
More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began following Hamas’s October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, according to Palestinian officials.
AFRICA
Kenyan court limits application of law criminalising consensual teenage sex
A Kenyan court has ruled that parts of the country’s Sexual Offences Act cannot be applied to minors engaged in consensual sexual relationships with peers.
Rights groups welcomed the ruling, saying it would reduce the prosecution of adolescents and improve access to youth-friendly reproductive health services.
The case was brought by advocacy organisations representing teenagers who had faced criminal charges under laws originally designed to protect minors from abuse.
Campaigners say the decision could reshape how Kenya’s justice system handles adolescent relationships.
US tightens Ebola screening as DR Congo outbreak worsens
The United States has ordered Americans returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past three weeks to enter through Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced Ebola screening.
The move follows a worsening Ebola outbreak in DR Congo that has killed at least 139 people and infected hundreds more.
US authorities have also barred non-citizens recently travelling from affected countries from entering the US.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has already spread into neighbouring Uganda, raising fears of wider regional transmission.
Mali jihadists intensify blockade of Bamako ahead of Eid
Jihadist fighters linked to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin have intensified a blockade around Mali’s capital Bamako, torching dozens of fuel trucks, minibuses and commercial vehicles on a major highway west of the city.
Verified footage showed charred vehicles abandoned along the route as armed fighters reportedly ordered passengers and drivers to leave before setting the vehicles ablaze.
The blockade has fuelled shortages and rising prices ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, worsening economic strain in the landlocked West African nation.
Crowd attacks Ebola hospital in DR Congo over burial dispute
An angry crowd set fire to isolation tents at a hospital in eastern DR Congo after authorities prevented relatives from taking the body of a suspected Ebola victim for burial.
The unrest erupted at Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia, where most Ebola cases have been recorded.
Police fired warning shots to disperse protesters after demonstrators hurled stones at medical workers and torched sections of the facility.
Health officials said safe burial procedures were necessary because Ebola victims remain highly infectious after death.
Ivory Coast forecasts rebound in cocoa production
Ivory Coast expects cocoa production to rise by more than 10 percent during the 2025/26 season, according to the country’s Coffee and Cocoa Council.
Officials forecast output between two million and 2.1 million metric tonnes, marking the first production increase in three years after harvests were hit by disease, ageing plantations and poor weather.
Authorities said high cocoa prices in recent seasons had enabled farmers to invest more in fertiliser and plantation management, helping improve yields.
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