News on the Go: April 11, 2013

Maura Zurick

Cuba and the United States have had issues since the Cold War, but the two nations proved they could work together after Cuban law enforcement quickly caught and extradited a U.S. couple accused of kidnapping two children. The political issues between Cuba and the U.S. began in 1959 after Fidel Castro and his team of rebels marched into Havana and set up the Communist state. The United States has maintained an economic embargo on the island for 51 years. Read the full story here.

Three of the five Ohio inmates sentenced to death for the 1993 prison riot plan to start a hunger strike Thursday in protest of the state’s refusal to allow them to talk to the media. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the uprising that left 10 dead, including one corrections officer. In total, 12 staff members were taken hostage during the 11-day ordeal at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Four of the five men are now at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.Read the full story here.

Dutch authorities are recalling 50,000 tons of meat sold as beef across Europe. The reason for the recall is that the exact source of the meat is unknown, and it may contain horsemeat, a spokeswoman announced Wednesday. This announcement is part of a scandal in which horsemeat was being sold as fake beef or mixed with other meats. The recall dates back to 2011, however, and authorities believe some of the “unfit” meat was already consumed. The scandal broke in February of 2013, and officials are still criminally investigating the case.

Switzerland has offered to be a negotiator to defuse tensions between the United States and North Korea, but so far both sides denied the offer. Switzerland is one of the nations that helps monitor the demilitarized zone that was created after the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Technically, the Korean peninsula is still at war. The neutral Alpine nation is home to the United Nation’s European headquarters and regularly hosts peace talks.

All information is from The Associated Press.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].