First Thing: US indicts former Cuban president RaĂșl Castro as it seeks to oust regime
Charges filed against RaĂșl Castro for allegedly shooting down planes in 1996. Plus, US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year to fight labor unionsGood morning.On Wednesday, the US issued a federal criminal indictment against RaĂșl Castro, Cubaâs former president, and five others, in a significant escalation of the Trump administrationâs campaign to oust the countryâs communist regime.What are the details? Castro, 94, was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft related to an incident in 1996 â in which four men were killed by the Cuban military, when two small planes were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida Straits.How has Cuba reacted? Miguel DĂaz-Canel, the Cuban president, condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to âjustify the folly of a military aggression against Cubaâ.What does the video show? Images of dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back. Ben-Gvir posted it on his social media account. He appears waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees.What are global leaders saying? The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the countryâs staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvirâs behaviour as âdespicableâ and said the minister had âbetrayed the dignity of his nationâ. Others criticizing the video were Italy, Spain, the European Council, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and others. The Spanish foreign minister called the treatment âmonstrous, disgraceful and inhumaneâ. Continue reading...
theguardian.com