Netherlands ordered to protect residents of Bonaire from climate change

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – A court on Wednesday ordered the Dutch government to draw up a plan to protect residents on the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from the effects of climate change – a sweeping victory for the islanders.

US stocks fall while gold drops 11% and silver drops 30%

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks closed lower on Wall Street while gold and silver prices plunged as investors tried to gauge what President Donald Trump's new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve will mean for interest rates going forward. The S&P 500 dropped 0.4%. The Dow fell 0.4%, and the Nasdaq sank 0.9%.  Gold's price dropped 11%, and silver sank more than 30%.

Mexican president says her country has paused oil shipments to Cuba

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday her government has at least temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, but struck an ambiguous tone, saying the pause was part of general fluctuations in oil supplies and that it was a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from the United States.

United Nations faces 'imminent financial collapse' without urgent action

UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United Nations chief is warning that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues – a message likely directed at the United States and the billions it owes.

Haiti faces a sexual violence and abuse crisis as gang violence spreads

HAVANA (AP) – The number of sexual abuse cases being treated at a clinic in Haiti’s capital has tripled in the past four years as gang violence surges across the troubled Caribbean country, a health charity warned Wednesday.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) – Separatists from Pakistan’s Balochistan province claimed responsibility for nearly a dozen coordinated attacks across southern Pakistan early Saturday that targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations. Eleven civilians, 10 security personnel and 67 insurgents were killed, authorities said.

Tourism in Cuba plummets as tensions with US increase

HAVANA (AP) – It’s almost noon in Havana when a handful of tourists tumble out of a small yellow bus and rush toward a row of shiny classic cars, cameras in hand.  Nearby, under the shade of a beach almond tree, a group of drivers jump to their feet, some hoping for their first customer of the day.

 

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and others

Jan. 19 – The Washington Post says Congress has dropped the ball regarding oversight of ICE, DHS. Geraldo Lunas Campos died at a Texas detention center on Jan. 3 while pleading for air as guards choked him, according to a fellow detainee. The local medical examiner’s office is considering classifying his death as a homicide, The Post reports.

Cuba's Santeros offer gifts and ask deities for peace as tensions rise

HAVANA (AP) – As tensions rise between the United States and Cuba and the island braces for more economic difficulties, priests and priestesses of the Afro-Cuban religion known as Santería held several ceremonies on Sunday, offering gifts to deities and asking for peace.