Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. U.S warns Cubans away from sea crossings amid protests, but most cross on land U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday told any migrants fleeing unrest in Cuba: "Let me be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States." But Cuban migrants are largely flocking to the U.S.-Mexico land border, not the U.S. coast.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S warns Cubans away from sea crossings amid protests, but most cross on land

U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday told any migrants fleeing unrest in Cuba: "Let me be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States." But Cuban migrants are largely flocking to the U.S.-Mexico land border, not the U.S. coast. And in a sharp break from his predecessor Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has been letting most in pending the outcome of their asylum applications, according to government data. (Graphic: https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-IMMIGRATION/CUBA/azgpoqxmypd/chart.png)

U.S. calls for calm in Cuba, concerned by images of violence

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday called for calm in Cuba and said it was concerned by images of violence it had seen in the past few days. "We call for calm and we condemn any violence against those protesting peacefully, and we equally call on the Cuban government to release anyone detained for peaceful protest," State Department spokesman Ned Price told a regular news briefing.

Faced with rare protests, Cuba curbs social media access, watchdog says

Cuba has restricted access to social media and messaging platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, global internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said on Tuesday, amid widespread anti-government protests. Thousands of Cubans joined demonstrations throughout the Communist-run country on Sunday to protest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cubas-president-blames-discontent-us-sanctions-2021-07-12 a deep economic crisis that has seen shortages of basic goods and power outages. They were also protesting the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and curbs on civil liberties.

Responding to SOS, Afghan commandos caught in fierce Taliban attack

Minutes after returning from a mission on Tuesday before dawn, a convoy of exhausted Afghan commandos were speeding back out of their base to try to extract a wounded policeman trapped by Taliban insurgents on the outskirts of Kandahar. The previous outing had been tense but quiet. This operation in the southern city, a Taliban stronghold before the movement was ousted from power in 2001, was anything but.

Planes dump water on Siberian wildfires as residents plead for help

Russia's army sent firefighting planes on Tuesday to battle huge wildfires that have blanketed Siberian towns in thick smoke as residents complain of being suffocated in a region known for its frozen tundra that is now sweltering under a heatwave. With flames tearing across some 800,000 hectares of Russian forest, the hardest-hit region of Yakutia in the north has been in a state of emergency for weeks as climate scientists sound the alarm about the potential long-term impact.

U.S. and UK condemn detention of Venezuelan opposition politician

The United States and the United Kingdom on Tuesday condemned the detention of Venezuelan opposition politician Freddy Guevara, who faces charges of terrorism and treason following his arrest on a Caracas highway on Monday. Guevara is a close ally of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized as the South American country's legitimate president by the United States and others.

Worst violence in years spreads in South Africa as grievances boil over

Crowds clashed with police and ransacked or set ablaze shopping malls in cities across South Africa on Tuesday, with dozens of people reported killed, as grievances unleashed by the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma boiled over into the worst violence in years. Protests that followed Zuma's arrest last week for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry have widened into looting and an outpouring of general anger over the hardship and inequality that persist 27 years after the end of apartheid.

Britain's MI5 spy chief says: Beware of Russian and Chinese agents

Britain's top domestic spymaster cautioned the population on Wednesday to treat the threat of spying from Russia and China as vigilantly as terrorism, warning that foreign spies were seeking to pilfer technology, sow discord and attack infrastructure. The 9/11 attacks on the United States almost 20 years ago made tackling terrorism the biggest priority for Western intelligence agencies, with vast resources focused on the threat from home-grown and foreign-based militants.

British Defence Minister says UK will work with Taliban should they come to power - Telegraph

Britain will work with the Taliban should they enter the government in Afghanistan, British Defence Minister Ben Wallace told the Daily Telegraph in an interview published on Tuesday. "Whatever the government of the day is, provided it adheres to certain international norms, the UK government will engage with it," he was quoted as saying in the newspaper https://bit.ly/3r4LR6U.

Haitians apprehensive of foreign troops as government seeks U.S. help

A troubled past of foreign military intervention has made many Haitians anxious or hostile to calls requesting U.S. or other foreign troops be sent to the Caribbean nation in the aftermath of last week's assassination of the President Jovenel Moise. Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph has asked for troops from both the United States and the United Nations, which were reviewing the requests as the Caribbean nation spiraled deeper into turmoil following Moise's killing.