Kerry urges 'genuine democracy' in Cuba as U.S. raises its flag

By Daniel Trotta and Lesley Wroughton HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for political change in Cuba on Friday, telling Cubans they should be free to choose their own leaders, as he watched the U.S. flag fly at the American embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. Leading a ceremony to mark the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Cold War adversaries, Kerry declared a new era in U.S.-Cuban relations but pressed the Communist government on democracy and human rights. "We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders," he said in a one-party state where the media is tightly controlled and political dissent is repressed.

Euro ministers give blessing to Greek bailout, wooing IMF on debt

By Alastair Macdonald and Lefteris Papadimas BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Friday to lend Greece up to 86 billion euros ($96 billion) after Greek lawmakers accepted their stiff conditions despite a revolt by supporters of leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Assuming approval by the German and other parliaments, 13 billion euros should be in Athens next Thursday to pay pressing bills and a further 10 billion will be set aside at the European Stability Mechanism, earmarked to bolster Greek banks' capital. In all, euro zone governments will lend 26 billion euros in a first tranche of the bailout before reviewing Greece's compliance with their conditions in October.

Japan emperor expresses 'deep remorse' on WW2 anniversary

By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two with an expression of "deep remorse" over the conflict on Saturday, a departure from his annual script which could be seen as a subtle rebuke of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse over the last war, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated," Akihito, 81, said at a memorial service on the anniversary of the day his father, Hirohito, announced Japan's defeat. "Together with all of our people, I now pay my heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives in the war, both on the battlefields and elsewhere, and pray for world peace and for the continuing development of our country." The legacy of the war still haunts relations with China and South Korea, which suffered under Japan's sometimes brutal occupation and colonial rule before Tokyo's defeat in 1945.

North Korea demands South halt loudspeaker broadcasts, threatens action

By Tony Munroe SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Saturday demanded that the South halt anti-North propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers along the border or face military action, a day after it denied Seoul's accusation that it planted landmines that wounded two South Korean soldiers. Tension on the Korean peninsula has escalated since the landmine explosion last week and as the U.S. and South Korean militaries prepare to begin annual joint exercises. South Korea has threatened counter-measures and on Monday began using loudspeakers to blare anti-Pyongyang rhetoric across the border, resuming broadcasts that had been suspended since 2004.

Death toll from China blasts rises to 85: Xinhua

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The death toll from two huge explosions that tore through an industrial area in the northeastern Chinese port of Tianjin has risen to 85, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. Shockwaves from the blasts late on Wednesday were felt by residents in apartment blocks kilometres away in the city of 15 million people. China on Friday defended fire fighters who initially hosed water on a blaze in a warehouse storing volatile chemicals, a response foreign experts said could have contributed to the explosions. ...

U.S. woman hostage raped by Islamic State leader before death: U.S. officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kayla Mueller, the U.S. aid worker who died earlier this year while being held hostage by Islamic State militants, was raped repeatedly by the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while in captivity in Syria, U.S. officials said on Friday.

Japan PM Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine on WW2 anniversary

TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to a shrine for war dead on Saturday, the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War Two defeat, but had not made a personal visit to the shrine, seen in China and South Korea as a symbol of Tokyo's wartime militarism.