Midday Roundup: Cuban dissidents arrested during pope's visit

Papal tour. At least four Cuban dissidents managed to get near Pope Francis as he arrived for Sunday mass in Havana. The protesters were quickly arrested, and the pope, who was not looking ahead but was facing the large and noisy crowd, apparently did not see or hear the protesters. Cuban authorities have oppressed the church for more than half a century. But last year, they announced they would allow construction of two new Catholic church sanctuaries, the first allowed in Cuba since the communist revolution of 1959. The pope wraps up his visit to Cuba today and is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for a six-day visit to the United States.

Hired. President Barack Obama announced he plans to nominate the first openly gay secretary of the Army. Longtime Pentagon official Eric Fanning would replace John McHugh, who plans to step down soon. McHugh’s tenure saw the repeal of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for being gay in the military. In 2009, McHugh announced he would not pursue discharges from the military for soldiers who privately told him they were gay. The secretary of the Army is a civilian position that reports to the secretary of defense. Fanning has been acting undersecretary of the Army since June. The Senate must confirm his nomination.

Invited in. The United States will accept 85,000 refugees next year, up from 70,000, as the world scrambles to address a crisis of homeless families displaced by civil war in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Sunday that in 2017 the total would rise to 100,000, a number that represents “what we know we can manage immediately.” U.S. lawmakers immediately expressed concerns about the security hazards an influx of refugees might create. Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations “have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States. Now the Obama administration wants to bring in an additional 10,000 Syrians without a concrete and foolproof plan to ensure that terrorists won’t be able to enter the country,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.

In memory. Bestselling novelist Jackie Collins has died of breast cancer in Los Angeles. She was 77. Collins began releasing novels in the 1960s, shocking readers with graphic depictions of sex. Her books fed readers’ appetites for stories about the outrageous behavior of the filthy rich and established the market for later hits such as Desperate Housewives, the Real Housewives series, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. As she grew famous herself, Collins embraced elements of the lavish lifestyle she imagined for her characters. “When I was a kid growing up, I used to read my father’s Playboy and I’d see these guys and they had fantastic apartments and cars,” she said. “I have all of that now.”

A matter of trust. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran submitted to one of its first tests of compliance with an international nuclear compromise. The agency tested soil, dust, and air samples collected by the Iranians. Typically, the IAEA would collect its own samples, but Iran insisted on doing the collection itself as a condition for testing the Parchin military site. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano insisted the inspection stood up to strict agency standards.

WORLD Radio’s Joseph Slife and The Associated Press contributed to this report.