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U.S. commander meets with Cuban military officials as Trump pressures island nation

The top U.S. commander in Latin America met with Cuban military leaders on Friday in a "brief exchange on operational security matters" near the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, the latest official to visit the island nation as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on its leaders.

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Chicago mayor visits Pope Leo at Vatican, invites pontiff to return home

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson led a 46-person delegation to the Vatican on Wednesday for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born pontiff who was meeting with his hometown's leader for the first time since his election to the papacy. The pope declined to wear a Cubs hat that was presented to him by the mayor.

UN adds Israel and Russia to blacklist for sexual violence in conflict

Organisation cites abuse, including rape of male detainees, by security forces of governments which have blocked UN investigatorsThe UN has added Israel and Russia to a blacklist for sexual violence in conflict, citing abuse by security forces, including the rape of male detainees.The UN verified sexual abuse of 31 Palestinian men, women and children from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2025. Israeli attacks included repeated gang-rapes and the use of sexual violence as a form of torture, the report said. Continue reading...

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Alarm at Mexico bill allowing elections to be annulled for ‘foreign interference’

Opposition says constitutional amendment would give bill ruling party carte blanche to overturn will of votersSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAmid fierce criticism from opposition groups, Mexico’s senate has passed ‌a constitutional amendment to include “foreign interference” as grounds to annul election results in the country.The bill, which was presented by the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, defines foreign interference as “illicit financing, propaganda, the systematic ⁠dissemination of misinformation, digital manipulation, and ⁠the intervention of foreign governments ⁠or agencies”. Continue reading...

Lula says Brazil will not be treated like ‘tinpot country’ after US designates gangs as terrorists

Marco Rubio made announcement after meeting president’s far-right challenger Flávio BolsonaroBrazil will not be treated as a “tinpot country,” the country’s president, Luiz Inácio da Silva, said on Friday after the United States designated Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command, as foreign terrorist organisations.The announcement, made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on Thursday, is being widely seen in Brazil as a setback for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president who had strongly opposed the designation – and a boost for Lula’s main challenger in October’s presidential election, the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Continue reading...