Obama to take Cuba off terror sponsor list

The White House says President Barack Obama is removing Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

This is a key step in President Obama’s bid to normalise relations between the two countries.

The White House says Obama has submitted the required reports and certifications to Congress and has indicated his intent to take Cuba off the list.

Obama made the final decision following a State Department review of Cuba’s presence on the list.

The US has stopped actively accusing Cuba of supporting terrorism.

Cuba was one of four countries on the US list of nations accused of repeatedly supporting global terrorism.

The countries still on the list are Iran, Sudan and Syria.

In December, Obama announced that the US and Cuba were ending a half-century of hostilities.