[World] Raul Castro promises an end of an era in Cuba

Raul Castro promises an end of an era in Cuba
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/0225/Raul-Castro-promises-an-end-of-an-era-in-Cuba
Cuban President Raul Castro made the strongest statement yet that the island nation is preparing for a post-Castro era in announcing yesterday that he will step down in five years with plans to institute term limits.

Italy braced for a second election
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/25/early-election-results-in-italy-point-to-gridlock/
Italy was on Monday night staring at a period of prolonged political instability following a general election in which voters delivered a resounding rebuff to austerity policies with little hope of any party mustering a governing majority.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien: scourge of liberals with a flair for rhetoric
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/25/cardinal-keith-obrien-abortion-homosexuality
Even Keith O'Brien's friends and admirers would probably admit that he has a regrettable tendency to deploy the heavy artillery of rhetoric whenever the public debate touches on matters of homosexuality, abortion or secularism.

Syrian Opposition Pledges to Attend Rome Summit
http://www.voanews.com/content/lavrov-hosts-syrian-foreign-minister-for-crisis-talks/1610087.html
Syrian opposition leaders say they will now attend an international conference in Rome this week, after they had considered a boycott over what they deemed inaction by other nations to end the violence in their country.

Abbas to Palestinian Authority security officials: Don't get drawn into Israeli ...
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-to-palestinian-authority-security-officials-don-t-get-drawn-into-israeli-violence-1.505800
U.S., while closely monitoring violence in West Bank, avoids high-level involvement, telling both Israel and the Palestinians to resolve the crisis through direct dialogue.

Nuclear talks host also a model for possible Iran option
http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Sanctions-relief-offered-in-Iranian-nuclear-talks-4306868.php
Kazakhstan, the venue for the latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, offers the kind of symbolism the United States hopes will serve as a model for Iran.

Syria opposition to join Rome talks after foreign aid pledge
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21577875
The Syrian opposition has agreed to attend an international summit in Rome, after the US and UK "promised specific aid" to the Syrian people.

South Korea's Park Seeks Economic Change, Dialogue With North
http://www.voanews.com/content/south_korea_president_aprk_seeks_economic_change_dialogue_with_north/1610554.html
South Korea's new conservative president, Park Geun-hye, has used her inaugural address to send a mixed message to Pyongyang about her approach to dealing with long-running tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Is Oscar Pistorius really Africa's 'biggest' story?
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2013/0225/Is-Oscar-Pistorius-really-Africa-s-biggest-story
For much of last week, the most popular news out of Africa was about a white man, former Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, being in court for the killing of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in South Africa.

France condemns Boko Haram kidnap video as 'cruelty without bounds'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9893656/France-condemns-Boko-Haram-kidnap-video-as-cruelty-without-bounds.html
Jean-Marc Ayrault, French Prime Minister, said the kidnappers "display a cruelty without bounds". "For all of us, these images are terribly shocking.

Merkel's difficult dialogue with Erdogan
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/germany-s-merkel-china-russia-realizing-assad-s-time-in-syria-is-up-1.505546
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could not bridge their differences on key topics but agreed to continue an open dialogue.

Kenya: fears of electoral violence
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21581018
Many people have been left emotionally scarred in Kenya after the scenes of five years ago when more than 1,000 people were killed and around 300,000 were forced to leave their homes, following the disputed elections.

Gérard Depardieu registered as Russian resident amid tax row with France
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/24/gerard-depardieu-russian-resident-france
Gérard Depardieu, whose row with the French government over taxes on the wealthy led him to move to Russia, has received the registration papers for his new flat in Saransk.

No Winner in Italian Election, at Critical Time
http://www.theworld.org/2013/02/no-winner-in-italian-election-at-critical-time/
Italy's economic future looks uncertain as the country counts the votes from its general election. Italy faces ongoing economic and fiscal crises that could threaten the stability of the eurozone, and perhaps impact the global economy.

NASA sees Cyclone Rusty threatening Western Australia
http://www.sciencecodex.com/nasa_sees_cyclone_rusty_threatening_western_australia-107492
Tropical Cyclone Rusty formed on Feb. 24 and has already caused warnings up for the residents of northwestern West Australia, including Port Hedland.