Pope Francis urges countries to 'open doors to migrants'

On Wednesday Pope Francis renewed his appeal on behalf of the tens of thousands struggling to enter other countries as they flee war and violence, asking global leaders to "open their hearts" and doors to migrants and refugees.

"How many of our brothers are currently living a real and dramatic situation of exile, far away from their homeland, with their eyes still full of the rubble of their homes, and in their heart the fear, and often, unfortunately, the pain of having lost loved ones," the Pope said March 16.
Such cases can often lead one to ask questions such as "where is God? How is it possible that so much suffering befalls innocent men, women and children?" he said.
Francis lamented that migrants and refugees fleeing violence in their homeland frequently find "closed doors" when attempting to enter another country.

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Germans give thumbs down to Merkel migrant policy

Election losses for Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats in three German state elections will not change policies in the refugee crisis, a government spokesman said on Monday.
Merkel acknowledged Monday that the refugee issue dominated three state elections and that many voters felt there is no satisfactory solution yet.

The three-year-old Alternative for Germany, or AfD - which has campaigned against Merkel's open-borders approach - easily entered all three legislatures, according to projections for ARD television based on exit polls and early counting. Merkel's conservatives trailed centre-left rivals in two states they hoped to win. While Sunday's results will likely generate new tensions, Merkel herself should be secure: she has put many state-level setbacks behind her in the past, and there's no long-term successor or figurehead for any rebellion in sight. "I am fully convinced that we need a European solution, and that this solution needs time".

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Not less than 15 people killed in bus explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan

A powerful bomb ripped through a bus carrying government employees in Pakistan's Peshawar city today, killing at least 15 people and injuring 30 others.

The blast took place as a bomb placed inside the bus exploded when the vehicle packed with government employees reached Peshawar from Mardan.

The bomb exploded when the private bus was on Sunehri Masjid Road as it was taking civil secretariat employees for duty.

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Argentina Coast Guard Sinks Illegal Fishing Boat With Chinese Flag

Argentina's navy announced Tuesday that it used gunfire to sink a boat flying the Chinese flag that was fishing illegally in national waters.

China's government said it expressed its serious concern to Argentina and called for an investigation

The navy statement said the boat was intercepted Monday off the coast of Puerto Madryn, about 907 miles (1,460 kilometers) south of Buenos Aires.

The statement said the boat did not heed warning calls and instead tried to ram an Argentine naval vessel. Sailors then shot holes in different parts of the fishing boat, causing it to sink, the navy said.

Four people on board were rescued and arrested. They remained in custody and were to go before a federal judge in southern Chubut province, the statement said.

The navy said it had been 15 years since one of its vessels last sank a foreign vessel fishing illegally in Argentina's waters.

In Beijing, Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, posted a statement on the ministry's website saying the boat had been fishing in Argentine waters and was chased for several hours before Argentine naval fire holed the vessel. It said four Chinese were picked up by the Argentines and 28 more were rescued by a nearby Chinese vessel.

The statement did not directly address the question of whether the boat was fishing illegally or tried to ram the Argentine navy vessel.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy to Argentina have lodged urgent representations with Argentina, expressing serious concern, urging Argentina to carry out a full investigation immediately and to inform China of the details, to protect the safety and lawful rights of Chinese sailors, and to take effective measures to avoid similar incidents," the statement said.

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Donald Trump crushes Kasich despite big win in Ohio

Donald Trump won the Republican presidential primaries in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois on Tuesday, scoring the biggest prize of the race so far and driving Florida Sen. Marco Rubio out of the race.

But Ohio Gov. John Kasich prevailed over Mr. Trump on his home turf, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was battling the front-runner in Missouri.

The results ensure that the Republican race will continue and increases the odds that Mr. Trump will not win the 1,237 delegates he needs to claim the nomination before the Republican convention in July.

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John Kerry to meet with Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov in Moscow over Syria peace

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Russia’s plan to withdraw its forces from Syria “a very important phase in this process” and said he would go to Moscow next week to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
On Tuesday, Putin ordered most of the estimated 3,000 to 6,000 personnel to begin withdrawing from Syria.

“As we mark the fifth anniversary of the start of this horrific war, we may face the best opportunity that we’ve had in years to end it,” Kerry said at the White House on Tuesday alongside the Georgian foreign minister.

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First Case of Zika Virus Patient Detected in Cuba

Cuba has announced the first case of the Zika virus on the island, which had been one of the last nations in the western hemisphere free of the disease.
The ministry of health said in state media that a 28-year-old Venezuelan post-doctoral student in gastroenterology arrived in the country 21 February and a day later came down a high fever and rash. The government says the woman was under medical quarantine in Artemisa province outside Havana with other newly arrived doctors when her symptoms were detected.

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