U.S. plans to create post for Arctic envoy
JUNEAU, Alaska – The U.S. State Department plans to create an Arctic representative position to highlight the growing importance of that region.
In letters sent to Alaska’s two U.S. senators, Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, Secretary of State John Kerry said he planned to name a “high-level individual of substantial stature and expertise” to serve as Special Representative for the Arctic Region. He said he hoped to get input from both of them in creating the post and finding the right person.
“For a long time now, I’ve shared the view that the Arctic region really is the last global frontier, and the United States needs to elevate our attention and effort to keep up with the opportunities and consequences presented by the Arctic’s rapid transformation,” Kerry wrote in the letters, released by the senators’ offices Friday.
Cuba banking woes halt consular services
MIAM – Cuba has suspended consular services for the second time in less than three months after being unable to find a new bank in the U.S. for its diplomatic accounts, officials announced Friday.
M&T Bank decided to sever its relationship with Cuba last year but agreed to continue processing its banking through March 1 and accepting deposits through Feb. 17.
The Cuban diplomats blamed Washington’s embargo against the Communist-run island for the inability to get a new bank, though it has been in place for more than five decades.
Uganda president to sign anti-gay law
KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni plans to sign a bill into law that prescribes life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, officials said Friday, alarming rights activists who have condemned the bill as draconian in a country where homosexuality already has been criminalized.
Museveni announced his decision to governing party lawmakers, said government spokesman Ofwono Opondo. In Twitter posts Friday, Opondo said the legislators, who are holding a retreat chaired by Museveni, “welcomed the development as a measure to protect Ugandans from social deviants.”
Museveni’s decision was based on a report by “medical experts,” Opondo said.
Associated Press
