Cuba Open to US Talks on Migration, Mail

$37M project facilitates opium smuggling into Tajikistan

(NEWSER) - A US-built bridge linking Afghanistan and Tajikistan that cost taxpayers $37 million has greatly benefited exporters of Afghan opium, McClatchy reports. The bridge over the Panj river was supposed to facilitate commerce between the two nations, but the surging flow of opium across Afghanistan’s northern border threatens to turn Tajikistan—still weakened from 5 years of civil war in the 1990s—into a narco-state. More»

(NEWSER) - Reaching out to an old foe and risking political turbulence at home, the Obama administration today scheduled meetings with Cuba on migration between the two nations, the New York Times reports. Officials made the move as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton resisted pressure from Latin American countries seeking a stronger US measure: bringing Cuba back into the Organization of American States. More»

It bridges the gap between divided families: White House

(NEWSER) - President Obama officially announced new rules for Cuban remittances and travel today, lifting barriers implemented by his predecessor. The eased restrictions allow Cuban Americans to make limitless money transfers and trips to the island nation, the AP reports. It fulfills Obama’s campaign promise to bridge the gap between divided Cuban families, days before he attends a regional summit in Trinidad and Tobago. More»

Rejects policies, advocates diplomacy, warns enemies

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama offered a clear rebuke of George Bush's policies and signaled a sharp break with his predecessor's strategy abroad in his inaugural address today. “We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” the new president said, referring obviously to torture of detainees and violation of Americans' civil rights in the name of the war on terror. “Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.” More»