Cuba News articles from August 2001

Cuba News archives from August 2001

Government scales back hotel operations due to environmental problems.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- In a rare triumph of environmentalism over capitalism, the Cuban government in May ordered the partial closure of several hotels on an island because of concerns about pollution. Cuban sources say the Ministry of Science,...

Exile group's implosion could mean loss of influence in Washington.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WASHINGTON - Turmoil in the Cuban American National Foundation, which has split the powerful organization into warring factions, may damage the lobbying clout of the Cuban exile group and weaken support for US economic sanctions against Havana....

Rumbos to open leisure facilities for tourists.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- The tourism industry is responding to complaints about a lack of recreational activities with a flurry of new projects. One of the major complaints voiced by foreign tourists is that aside from fine beaches and good site seeing,...

Cimex to open new residential complex next month.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- State conglomerate Cimex plans to open its first two residential real estate ventures this fall. The Cecilia will have 106 apartments and the Paradiso 74. Both are in the Miramar neighborhood of Havana. Both are slated to open in...

Cuba succeeds in efforts to improve relations with Europe.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... After a period of diplomatic coolness with the European Union over the past year, Cuba's relations with the ED have improved significantly in recent months. At the EU meeting in May in Sweden, EU officials decided to resume an effort to...

Chinese firms to build hydroelectric plants.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Chinese companies reportedly will invest $11 million to build three small hydroelectric projects in Cuba. The projects are the result of a deal signed earlier this year between the Cuban and Chinese governments to expand cooperation...

Heavy industry gets off to a slow start in 2001.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Cuba's heavy industrial companies appear to be off to a poor start this year. A recent meeting of top managers at companies owned by the Steel, Mechanical and Recycling Ministry (SIME) indicates that revenues for the first half of the...

Canadian fix allows calls to go through more easily.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Several months after the government made it difficult for calls from the United States to reach the island, the need for dollars has prompted Cuba to open a back door for communications. Cuba severely curtailed telecom links in...

Customers slow to sign up for new Etecsa services.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Cuban telephone company Etecsa has begun to offer a range of new services on its digital phone network. However, despite efforts to promote the new offerings, there have been few customers. The services include call forwarding;...

New e-commerce sites are latest leak in US embargo against Cuba.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Internet entrepreneur Steve Marshall, has launched a new e-commerce venture called Cubagiftstore.com, which is intended to allow Cubans living abroad to order gifts and other merchandise online for Cubans on the island. Just weeks...

Russia denies rumors it will close Lourdes due to US pressure.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- There are reports that Russia is closing the Lourdes intelligence gathering post in Cuba due to US pressure. Russian officials have denied the reports but military sources in Russia say that the listening post is being dismantled and...

Travel to Cuba becomes dispute between White House and congress.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WASHINGTON -- Congress began another assault on US restrictions on travel to Cuba as President George W. Bush appeared to crack down on illegal travel to the island. On July 26, Rep. Jeff Flake, a freshman Republican from Arizona, led the...

WTO's split decision on Havana Club rum prompts appeal.(World Trade Organization)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... WASHINGTON -- The dispute over who owns the Havana Club rum trademark in the United States continues because of a split decision by a World Trade Organization panel in August that had both sides of the dispute claiming victory. On Aug. 6,...

Cuba plans to operate own Orient Express.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Government officials say the Transportation Ministry plans to begin luxury train service between Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The state train service plans to operate three separate trains linking the two cities, one to run in...

Copper mining ends in Cuba.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- The government has shut the Mina Grande de El Cobre copper mine because of low copper prices and declining reserves. The move ends 471 years of copper mining in Cuba. The copper mine in Santiago de Cuba province was the last...

Obscure agency handles quality control for many industries.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Although the US embargo has failed in its goals to oust Fidel Castro or to alter Cuban behavior, it has pushed up the cost of Cuban import by and made Cuba vulnerable to fraud and purchases of shoddy goods. Because Cuba often...

Cabana signs code-share deal with Spanair.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA --Top executives of Spain's Spanair and local firm Cubana de Aviacion signed a code-sharing agreement and agreed to set aside up to 2,000 seats per week on their flights from Madrid and Barcelona to Havana. The document allows both...

Basic Industries Ministry takes over some medical exports and imports.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- The Basic Industries Ministry has taken over a line of health and beauty products formerly sold by the Public Health Ministry. The Basic Industries Ministry has created a new subsidiary, called Farmacuba to sell a line of...

Sugar ration cut in bid to offset poor harvest.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- The government has announced that it will cut the sugar ration for ordinary Cubans and replace it with more vegetable oil. Cuban officials say the move is intended to improve nutrition by adding more fat to a diet heavy on...

Government to allow foreign investment in the sugar sector.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- The government is poised to begin forming joint ventures with foreign firm in the sugar industry, one of the sacred cows of the economy. With production of just over 3.7 million tons, the last sugar harvest was poor. Moreover,...

Business Guide to Cuba.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Business Guide to Cuba is the most comprehensive research report on Cuban business and politics available. With more than 300 pages of exclusive information, data and maps on all of the productive sectors of the economy, politics, business...

CubaNews Online.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... CubaNews is available in an online edition. The electronic edition is available in two formats and reaches subscribers more than a week before the hard copy. Subscribers also receive email bulletins of important breaking stories. The...

ECONOMY & COMMODITY EXPORT MARKETS.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Addressing the local media and the National Assembly recently in Havana, Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said that increases in productivity continue to lead the economic recovery and said the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.6% in the...

Lower nickel prices hit Sherritt earnings but Cuban operations continue to rise.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Falling metals prices hit the mining revenues of Canada's Sherritt International, the top foreign investor in Cuba, but its Cuban assets continued to perform well overall.. The company reported profits of $15 million for the period from...

State workers said to sell diplomas.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- In just the latest proof that Cubans have retained their entrepreneurial skills throughout the revolution, Education Ministry workers reportedly have been selling high-school diplomas. Workers at state enterprises are the primary...

RUMOR OF THE DAY.(financing public enterprise)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... HAVANA -- Executives at Cuban state companies are wringing their hands over reports that the government is going to take a much tougher line with regard to financing public enterprises. Reportedly, the government has decided that all...

Fidelismo : A monthly report on Cuba's maximum leader.(Cuban leader Fidel Castro)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Longest meeting Despite a promise to take it easy, Castro spent a great deal of time in meetings over the past month, 29 major conferences by one count. Several extended to six hours, not a record but an indication that he intended to...