Cuba policy shift will lift bans

The Obama administration intends to allow Americans to visit relatives in Cuba and send money back to their families on the communist island nation, senior U.S. officials said Saturday.

President Barack Obama plans to announce the policy change before the Summit of the Americas April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago, according to the officials.

Although some restrictions have been eased temporarily in legislation Obama signed last month, lifting the bans would meet a pledge he made during the presidential campaign and could signal a new openness with Cuba.

“The intent is to try to test the waters and see if we can get Cuba to move in another direction,” one official said.

Beijing

Tibet reopened to foreigners

China has reopened Tibet to foreign tourists, state media said today, almost two months after imposing a ban ahead of politically sensitive anniversaries.

A group of 11 German travelers arrived in the regional capital of Lhasa late Saturday, the Xinhua News Agency said.

China requires foreigners to obtain special permission to visit Tibet and routinely bars them from all Tibetan areas of the country during sensitive periods to keep news of unrest from leaking out.

The latest travel ban on foreigners came in February and March because of the Tibetan New Year and anniversaries of Tibetan uprisings against Chinese rule.

Jerusalem

Attacker killed at police station

A woman opened fire on a police station in southern Israel Saturday before officers shot back and killed her.

Authorities have not yet identified the woman, but police said the shooting appeared to be a militant attack.

If so it would mark the second attack of the week and pose an early test for the new, hard-line government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has promised a firm hand against Palestinian militants.

From wire reports