‘Dream Holidays’ in Disarray, Trips Diverted as Travellers Count Cost of Iran War

By Christine Chen, James Redmayne and Joanna Plucinska SYDNEY/LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) – In the remote Western Australian town of Dardanup, accountant Natasha Earle and her family ⁠are ⁠feeling the financial pain of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Their “once-in-a-lifetime” five-week trip to ⁠Europe – booked last May on Emirates and taking them to London, …

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China Slams US Trade Probe Ahead of Paris Talks

BEIJING, March 13 (Reuters) – China on Friday rebuked ⁠a ⁠U.S. trade investigation into alleged ⁠overcapacity and said it reserved the right to take countermeasures, ​clouding the outlook for a new round of trade talks that is set to begin ‌this weekend. The U.S. has no ‌right to “unilaterally” determine whether a trading partner has …

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Cuban Foreign Minister Speaks to Chinese, Russian Counterparts

March 12 (Reuters) – Cuban Foreign Minister ⁠Bruno ⁠Rodriguez spoke by telephone ⁠to his counterparts from both China and ​Russia on Thursday, three days after U.S. President Donald Trump said ‌the Communist island was ‌in “deep trouble”. Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday, said ⁠U.S. Secretary ⁠of State Marco Rubio was dealing with the issue …

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Kazakhs to Vote on New Constitution in Referendum on Sunday

By Felix Light and Mariya Gordeyeva ALMATY, March 13 (Reuters) – Kazakhstan ⁠holds ⁠a referendum on Sunday on a ⁠new constitution that some critics say could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to remain ​in charge of Central Asia’s largest economy beyond his current term limit of 2029. Tokayev, a former diplomat who has ‌maintained good relations …

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Cuba Will Release 51 People From Prison in an Unexpected Move

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government said Thursday night that it would release 51 people from the island’s prisons in an unexpected move. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the release in the upcoming days stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican. The government did not identify who it would release, …

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Israeli Military Strikes Bridge Over Litani River in Lebanon

TEL AVIV, March 13 (Reuters) – The ⁠Israeli ⁠military said it carried ⁠out an air strike on a bridge ​in southern Lebanon on Friday, in what appeared to be ‌the first time in ‌the current campaign against Hezbollah that Israel acknowledged ⁠it had ⁠targeted civilian infrastructure. The Israeli military said that the Zrariyeh ​bridge, which …

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Michigan Synagogue, Virginia University Targeted in Unnerving Day of US Violence

(Corrects day of the week to Thursday, not Monday, in paragraph 8) March 12 (Reuters) – A convicted Islamic State ⁠supporter ⁠opened fire in a Virginia university classroom, killing one person and ⁠injuring two others before he was killed, while in Michigan a Lebanon-born U.S. citizen crashed his truck into a synagogue and its preschool …

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Iran-Backed Iraqi Group Claims Responsibility for Downing US Military Aircraft

March 13 (Reuters) – ⁠The ⁠Islamic ⁠Resistance in ​Iraq, an ‌umbrella group ‌of ⁠Iran-backed ⁠armed factions, claimed responsibility ​for downing ​a U.S. military ⁠refueling ⁠aircraft ⁠in western Iraq ​on Thursday. The ​group ⁠said in ⁠a statement it had shot down ⁠the KC-135 aircraft “in defense of our country’s sovereignty ⁠and airspace”. (Reporting by Hatem Maher; …

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