LOCAL NEWS

Prev    Next  Havana University and UWI sign memorandum of understanding Saturday, May 15, 2010 (ACN) -- Havana University (UH) and the University of West Indies (UWI) signed in Jamaica a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the bonds between the two higher studies centers. UWI Chancellor Gordon Shirley highlighted his institution’s interest of increasing exchanges. read more... Cuban singer Silvio Rodriguez receives US visa Thursday, May 13, 2010 (Reuters) -- Cuban folk singer Silvio Rodriguez, considered the voice of the Cuban revolution, has received a US visa and is to perform a concert at New York's Carnegie Hall on June 4, his American attorney said on Wednesday. Rodriguez is the latest Cuban performer to be allowed into United States. read more... Suriname thanks Cuba for medical aid Thursday, May 13, 2010 (ACN) -- Celsius Waterberg, Public Health Minister of Suriname, thanked Cuba for cooperating with his country in this sector, by way of the Medical Brigade and Operation Miracle. The Surinamese minister met with Elis Alberto Gonzalez, director of the Central Unit of Cuba’s Medical Cooperation. read more... Cuba ballet director to travel to US for 90th birthday Tuesday, May 11, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuba's most famous ballerina Alicia Alonso will receive a tribute from the American Ballet Theater in New York next month in celebration of her 90th birthday, the National Ballet of Cuba said on Monday. Alonso, the ballet's director, has been an ambassador of the 1959 Cuban revolution. read more... Cuba shows healthy recovery in international tourism Tuesday, May 11, 2010 After two initial months showing decreases in the amount of visitors, in March and April Cuba recovered its grounds to ratify itself as a leading Caribbean destination in tourism, although it has access to only 50 percent of its market because of the US blockade. In terms of tourism, Cuba has overcome multiple setbacks. read more... World Tourism Organization praises Cuban strategy Tuesday, May 11, 2010 (ACN) -- The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Taleb Rifai, praised Cuba’s capacity to diversify its tourist offers while protecting the environment. During the opening in Hanoi, Viet Nam, of a seminar on the significance of tourism for the socio-economic development of... read more... Petrobras gets more time to decide Cuba oil plans Friday, May 7, 2010 (Reuters) -- Cuba has given Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras a six-month extension on its May deadline to decide whether it will drill a well in Cuban waters, a Petrobras spokesman said. Petrobras has rights to one of 59 exploration blocks in Cuba's part of the Gulf of Mexico. read more... Cuba eyes tourism investments, including from US Thursday, May 6, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuba approved a new property law aimed at attracting foreign investment in tourism projects like marinas and golf courses, including from the United States if Washington reverses its embargo on the island. Tourism is one of the largest sources of hard currency for Cuba. read more... Tourist-hungry Cuba opens door to golf courses Wednesday, May 5, 2010 (Reuters) -- Cuba has approved the development of golf courses, marinas and other real estate projects by foreign investors to boost the communist-run island's tourism industry, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero said on Tuesday. The measure appears to open doors to foreign companies. read more... Cuba attracts Russian visitors with sun, nostalgia Tuesday, May 4, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuba hopes to attract some 45,000 Russian tourists this year, officials said Monday, targeting nostalgia for the communist island's long-running alliance with the former Cold War superpower.  Tourism Minister Joseph Bieber said the economic crisis had caused a drop in visitors last year. read more... US Senate panel urges overhaul of broadcasts to Cuba Tuesday, May 4, 2010 WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) -- US government-backed radio and television broadcasts into Cuba reach a tiny audience there and suffer from poor editorial standards, a US Senate Committee said in a scathing report released on Monday. Founded to give Cubans accurate, unbiased news programming, Radio Marti... read more... Castro fires minister, Politburo member in cabinet shakeup Tuesday, May 4, 2010 (AFP) -- President Raul Castro on Monday fired his influential Transport Minister Jorge Luis Sierra, a member of the policymaking Politburo, and accepted the resignation of another minister in a jolt to his cabinet, a government statement said. He was replaced by General Antonio Lusson. read more... Castro stages show of unity amid international pressure Monday, May 3, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuban President Raul Castro presided over a May Day march Saturday staged as a show of unity in the face of what his government charges is a US and European-backed campaign to destroy the Cuban revolution. Castro was accompanied by the leadership of the ruling Communist Party. read more... Cardinal gets Cuba to lift ban on 'Ladies in White' protest Monday, May 3, 2010 (AFP) -- Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega said on Sunday he managed to convince the Cuban government to lift its month-long ban on street protests by "Ladies in White" -- the wives and mothers of political prisoners. Ortega said the Church was "always dealing with" political prisoner issues. read more... In your face: Cuba's underground rappers test free speech Saturday, May 1, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuba's underground hip hop duo "Los Aldeanos" are boldly grooving where no Cuban has gone in five decades: criticizing the communist government loud and proud for the first time to a sell-out crowd.  "They tell the truth, say the things we feel, the things that a lot of Cubans cannot say... read more... Cuba must compensate US before embargo is lifted, says US lawmaker Friday, April 30, 2010 WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) - Cuba must pay the United States six billion dollars in compensation for expropriated businesses and property before Washington lifts a decades-old trade embargo, a US lawmaker said Thursday. "We must resolve the over six billion dollars in expropriation claims... read more... Cuba extends promotion on cell phone activation plans Friday, April 30, 2010 (ACN) -- The Cuban Telecommunications Enterprise (ETECSA) announced on Thursday the extension for another month of a promotion under which locals who activate a line during that period receive a credit of $20 in pre-paid minutes. The promotion will be in force until May 31. read more... Cuba to increase refining capacity to 350,000 barrels a day Thursday, April 29, 2010 (ACN) -- Hector Pernia, chief executive of the PDVSA-Cuba joint venture said the Cuban oil refining system is designed to process 350,000 barrels a day, a capacity Cuba will reach once the joint investment works are concluded. This will guarantee steady supplies of oil derivates to every... read more... Castro lets Cubans build their own homes Wednesday, April 28, 2010 (AFP) - Facing intense demand for housing, the communist government of President Raul Castro is granting permits that let Cubans build homes with their own resources, officials said on Tuesday. In communist Cuba, where the state runs the economy, home building has been a government affair. read more... Castro lets Cubans build their own homes Wednesday, April 28, 2010 (AFP) - Facing intense demand for housing, the communist government of President Raul Castro is granting permits that let Cubans build homes with their own resources, officials said on Tuesday. In communist Cuba, where the state runs the economy, home building has been a government affair. read more... Golf to become a tourism attraction in Cuba Tuesday, April 27, 2010 (ACN) -- Golf could become a new attraction for tourists visiting Cuba each year because of its popularity among affluent sectors and the magnificent climatic conditions all year round. According to Spanish golfer Alvaro Quiros, currently in the 35th place in the world ranking, Cuba could be... read more... Picasso originals to be exhibited in Cuba Monday, April 26, 2010 (ACN) -- Pablo Picasso’s Portraits Imaginaires will be exhibited in Cuba for the first time at the Arts Center of the eastern city of Holguin during the Sixteenth Romerías de Mayo (May Festivities)scheduled for this city from May 2 to 8. Twenty-nine pieces were recently donated to the National Museum. read more... Cubans go to polls as dissident group harassed Monday, April 26, 2010 (Reuters) -- Cubans voted on Sunday in municipal elections touted as proof of democracy on the communist-led island, but at the same time the dissident "Ladies in White" were manhandled by government supporters as they tried to march for the freedom of political prisoners. read more... Cuban singer Carlos Varela set for US tour Saturday, April 24, 2010 (Reuters) -- With US-Cuba relations at their lowest point since President Barack Obama took office last year, Cuban singer Carlos Varela will launch a six-city US tour next month with hopes of bringing the two countries a little closer. Varela will start in Los Angeles with a concert on May 5. read more... Transcaraibes Regatta arrives at Cuban port Friday, April 23, 2010 (AIN) -- Nine sailboats participating in the 11th edition of the Transcaraibes des Passionnés Regatta arrived off Cuba's coast after a three-week crossing from the island of Guadeloupe. Before disembarking for the second time in the port of the city of Cienfuegos, the more than 20 crew... read more... Cuba invests $150 million in cellular phone industry Friday, April 23, 2010 (ACN) -- Cuba has invested some $150 million since 2003 to develop the island’s cellular phone industry and the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) is predicting that the number of wireless subscribers on the island will exceed one million by the end of 2010. read more... US, Cuba meet but reach no deal on Haiti aid Thursday, April 22, 2010 WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) -- Cuba and the United States have held a series of unprecedented talks to coordinate aid to earthquake-stricken Haiti but so far have failed to reach agreement, a top Cuban official said Wednesday. The two longtime foes have had no diplomatic relations for half a century. read more... Cuban scientist wins US-based environmental prize Tuesday, April 20, 2010 (Reuters) -- A singing scientist who says the key to Cuba's agricultural future lies in its agrarian past has become the first Cuban to win a US-based Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's biggest award for grassroots environmentalism. Humberto Rios, 46, was announced as a prize winner on Monday. read more... Poll shows Americans want better ties with Cuba Tuesday, April 20, 2010 WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters) -- A majority of Americans believe the United States should improve its long-strained relationship with Cuba and reestablish diplomatic and business ties, an opinion poll showed on Monday. A Cuba Business Bureau/Insider Advantage poll of 401 people showed... read more... Church urges Cuba to make 'necessary' economic changes Tuesday, April 20, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuba's Catholic Church on Monday called on the country's regime to make "necessary changes" to reverse a spreading economic crisis and urged dialogue without conditions between Havana and arch foe Washington. Church leader Cardinal Jaime Ortega pressed the government... read more... Cuba clamps down on 'Ladies in White' protest Monday, April 19, 2010 (Reuters) -- Cuban authorities blocked the weekly protest march by the dissident group "Ladies in White" on Sunday and set government supporters shouting and jeering at them for more than two hours. The incident appeared to signal the government's determination to end the silent marches. read more... Gloria Estefan seeks Obama help for Cuba dissidents Saturday, April 17, 2010 MIAMI, USA (Reuters) -- Cuban-American pop star Gloria Estefan asked President Barack Obama to work for the freedom of jailed dissidents in Cuba during a political fundraising event that seemed certain to anger the island's communist rulers. Estefan hosted a cocktail reception for Obama on Thursday. read more... Fidel Castro in 'very good health,' says Chavez Saturday, April 17, 2010 CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) -- Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said Cuba's Fidel Castro, who has not made a public appearance since handing over power to his brother in 2006, is active and "in very good health."  Chavez met with Castro, 83, on Thursday during a surprise visit to Havana. read more... read more... In island-wide sweep, Cuba takes aim at corruption Saturday, April 17, 2010 (AFP) -- The Cuban government will deploy an army of auditors across the island nation Monday to track down corruption pervading the Communist society, from lowly street milk vendors to officials in powerful government agencies. Thousands of finance inspectors will descend on some 750 businesses. read more... Cuban tourist products presented in El Salvador Saturday, April 17, 2010  (ACN) -- Cuba presented on Thursday in El Salvador a group of tourist offers for local travellers, as part of a strategy that seeks to attract Central American visitors to the island. Eduardo Acosta, director of the tourist office based in Venezuela, said in this regard ways for Cuban tourism are... read more... Journalist freed after three years in jail Friday, April 16, 2010 (AFP) -- Cuban authorities have freed a dissident journalist who was jailed for three years on charges that he was suspected of committing a crime, opposition leaders said on Thursday.  Oscar Sanchez Madan, 48, was sentenced in April 2007 to four years in jail after "a summary" trial. read more... Grenada and Cuba celebrate long-standing relationship Friday, April 16, 2010 ST GEORGE’S, Grenada -- Grenada’s Prime Minister says Cuba has contributed to the most important economic project in Grenada’s history, the Maurice Bishop International Airport. The Prime Minister was speaking to a special ceremony on Wednesday evening, marking the restoration of diplomatic relations... read more... Regatta of French sailboats to visit Cuba Friday, April 16, 2010  (ACN) --Nearly 10 French sailboats participating in the 11th Transcaraibes des Passionnés regatta will soon arrive in the central Cuban port city of Cienfuegos after a three-week tour around the Caribbean. Jorge Sierra Dorado, a commercial specialist with the Marlin Marina in Cienfuegos ... read more... Cuba handing beauty, barber shops over to workers Tuesday, April 13, 2010 (Reuters) -- Communist Cuba is turning over hundreds of state-run barber shops and beauty salons to employees across the country in what appears to be the start of a long-expected revamping of state retail services by President Raul Castro. The measure marks the first time state-run... read more... Cuba, South Africa sign IT and communications agreement Monday, April 12, 2010 (ACN) -- Cuba and South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and collaboration in the information technologies and communications spheres. Cuban Minister Ramiro Valdés and his South African counterpart General Siphiwe Nyanda penned the MoU and toasted to its success. read more... Prev    Next