CubaNews articles from April 2005

CubaNews archives from April 2005

Food industry lobbies Congress to relax restrictions that limit U.S. sales to Cuba.
April 1, 2005... Rice and chicken are staples of the Cuban diet. Now it turns out that arroz con pollo is also essential to the lobbying effort now underway in Washington to pass the Agricultural Products Export Facilitation Act of 2005 Both the USA Rice...

Cuba turns up rhetoric on Guantanamo as UN condemns human rights abuses.
April 1, 2005... The century-old U.S. occupation of 45 square miles of land at Guantanamo Bay faces new scrutiny amid allegations of U.S. abuse of prisoners held there. The focus on the 600 Guantanamo detainees coincides with an Apr. 14 vote in Geneva by...

Cuba's 'convertible peso' no longer linked to U.S. dollar.
April 1, 2005... Cuba's peso convertible is no longer tied to the U.S. dollar. Effective Apr. 9, the exchange rate for the so-called chavito--which had been on par with the dollar--is now linked to a basket of foreign currencies, translating into an 8%...

Havana Club 44th among world's 100 top spirits brands.
April 1, 2005... Havana Club rum now ranks 44th on the Impact Databank list of the world's top 100 premium distilled spirit brands, up from 50th last year and 53rd the year before. The index, published in Impact's Mar. 1-15 issue, shows that Havana Club...

Fidel's 'Battle of Ideas' confronts corruption at all levels.
April 1, 2005... More than 200 years ago, the famous Lord Acton reminded us that power corrupts, and that if power becomes absolute, it corrupts absolutely. In Cuba, corruption has always been a problem. Back in the 1960s, corruption manifested itself in...

Radio, TV Marti to remain on the air for now.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The U.S. Senate has voted to keep Radio and TV Marti broadcasts aimed at Cuba. The Miami-based propaganda broadcasts are funded through the U.S. Information Agency. Radio Marti has been on the air since 1985; TV Marti was inaugurated five...

'Cuba Action Day' to protest U.S. travel ban.
April 1, 2005... More than 700 Americans from 35 states have registered to participate in a so-called "Cuba Action Day" on Apr. 27, according to organizers, "to demand that Congress end the Cuba travel ban that divides families, denies Americans their...

Famous dissident Raul Rivero calls it quits.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Cuban dissident Raul Rivero, released from jail in November after 20 months behind bars, intends to live in Spain permanently. Rivero, a prize-winning journalist and poet, left Cuba after mediation from Spain's ruling Socialist Party. He...

"In their own words ...".
April 1, 2005... "Rest in peace, tireless fighter for friendship between peoples, enemy of war and friend of the poor... We suffer from your departure and desire with all fervor that your example endures." --Fidel Castro, writing Apr. 5 in the book of...

Etecsa to expand Cuban wireless network to rural areas.
April 1, 2005... Last year's onslaught by Hurricane Charley has hastened the need to develop mobile telephony throughout Cuba. Maximo de la Fuente, business manager of mobile service at Cuban phone monopoly Etecsa, said the August 2004 hurricane shut down...

Poll: 25 years after Mariel boatlift, refugees are doing well.
April 1, 2005... The 125,000 Mariel refugees who poured into South Florida 25 years ago this month have become part of the Cuban exile "economic miracle," according to a poll conducted for the Miami Herald. "They've pretty much joined the American middle...

Bill Reinsch: unilateral sanctions have never worked.
April 1, 2005... Bill Reinsch has never been to Cuba, and he's not particularly eager to go. But he is passionate about fighting for an end to the embargo that prevents his fellow U.S. citizens from visiting the island and interacting with the Cuban people. ...

ICCAS report on EU-Cuba ties is misleading.(Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies)
April 1, 2005... The analysis submitted by University of Miami's Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, entitled "The European Union and Cuba: Diplomacy or duplicity?" is predictable (CubaNews, March 2005, page 14). It uses the terms "duplicitous"...

In wake of Castro comments, USINT seeks to clarify visa issuance policy.(Fidel Castro, United States Interest Section)
April 1, 2005... On Apr. 6, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana released this statement about how USINT issues visas for resettlement in the United States: The U.S. Interests Section wishes to set the record straight regarding Fidel Castro's comments from...

Camaguey tries to revive historic, forgotten city center.
April 1, 2005... Narrow alleyways, colonial houses with tiled roofs and tree-filled inner courtyards--along with fascinating local legends--make Camaguey one of the most attractive destinations in Cuba--and one of the most sadly overlooked by the mainstream...

OFAC blocks U.S. efforts to preserve Hemingway Cuba site.(Department of the Treasury. Office of Foreign Assets Control, Ernest Hemingway's residence at San Francisco de Paula )
April 1, 2005... Academics who have studied the life of novelist Ernest Hemingway are familiar with the literary figure's strong personal ties to Cuba. Those ties included Hemingway's Cuban residence at San Francisco de Paula on the outskirts of Havana....

OFAC, warning of abuse, imposes new limits on religious travel to Cuba.( Department of the Treasury. Office of Foreign Assets Control)
April 1, 2005... The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed new limits on legal travel to Cuba by religious organizations, the Miami Herald reported Apr. 8. Under OFAC's new rules, only 25 people can go to Cuba in any specific...

Gutierrez voices support for Bush policy.(Carlos Gutierrez, Geroge W. Bush's foreign policy)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez sees little hope that U.S. farmers will have access to an expanded market in Cuba anytime soon. Gutierrez, who was sworn into office in February, told about 70 people at the Little Rock Chamber of...

Alabama firm wins pork, poultry deal.(Calhoun Foods and Empresa Cubana Importadora de Alimentos)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Cuban state food purchasing agency Alimport has agreed to buy $14.3 million worth of pork and poultry meat from Calhoun Foods of Montgomery, Ala. The deal was announced at a signing ceremony between the company's chairman, Gregory Calhoun,...

Venezuelan bank finances exports to Cuba.
April 1, 2005... One of Venezuela's state-run banks is setting aside $65 million to finance exports to Cuba, the Associated Press reported Mar. 29. Luis Quiaro, president of the Venezuelan Industrial Bank, told Venezuelan journalists that financing for 13...

Cuba loses U.S. right to Cohiba trademark.(Cubatabaco and General Cigar Co.'s case )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Cuba's cigar industry was dealt some bad news on Feb. 24, when after nine years of litigation, a New York federal judge ruled that Cubatabaco had no legal right to its Cohiba trademark in the United States because of the U.S. trade embargo. ...

Acinox reports jump in iron, steel output.
April 1, 2005... Cuba's state-run Aceros Inoxidables (Acinox), based in the eastern province of Las Tunas, has increased production of a wide range of iron and steel components. According to preliminary statistics, the company produced 26,000 tons of...

CFR, CRS issue Cuba-related reports.(Council on Foreign Relations and Congressional Research Service )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has released a paper on the subject of "Cuba's Presence on the State Department's Terrorist States List." The report addresses key questions such as why Cuba is on the list, what Cuba...

New oil rigs could boost drilling capacity by 40%.
April 1, 2005... Chinese oil drilling equipment has begun arriving in Cuba as state-run Cubapetroleo (Cupet) and its foreign partners prepare to significantly increase drilling along the northwest coast, Reuters reported in late March. "Four service units...

Abandoned coppermine to become museum.(Pinar del Rio)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... An old copper mine in Pinar del Rio, Cuba's westernmost province, will become the island's first mining museum. The mine, closed in 1997, was once Cuba's most productive and richest copper mine, and still contains most of its former...

PDVSA, Cupet cooperate in oilfield study.(Cubapetroleo and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.)
April 1, 2005... Specialists in geophysics, geology and oil physics from Cubapetroleo (Cupet) and Venezuela's state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) have concluded integration studies on the modeling of a very complex Cuban oil field located 75 kms...

Unecamoto to install 190 generators.(Grupo Unecamoto)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Cuba's eastern provinces will benefit this year from the installation of generators to expand the region's capacity to produce electricity in case of an emergency. Agencia Santiago, affiliated with Grupo Unecamoto, is in charge of...

Red tape threatens Vermont food deals.(Department of the Treasury's regualtions on agricultural trade agreement with Cuba)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Vermont's agricultural trade agreement with Cuba is being threatened by new regulations and visa delays, the Brattleboro Times Argus reported Mar. 17. In November, the state signed a deal to sell $7 million worth of powdered milk, apples...

Cuba says forested areas on the rise.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... While the rest of the world loses 12 square meters of forest per inhabitant per year, Cuba is progressively increasing its forest cover and now boasts 2,300 sq meters of forest per capita, reports Cuban state media. The United States and...

Venezuela gets Cuban medical devices.(Center of Medical Biophysics )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Cuba's Center of Medical Biophysics (CBM) has shipped to Venezuela 26 out of a planned 100 Angiodin PD-300 devices to develop vascular research. The equipment, widely used in Cuba's health-care network of vascular hemodynamic labs, is a...

Luxner photo site revamped.(Luxner News Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Luxner News Inc., which publishes this newsletter, is proud to announce the redesign of its global stock photo website. Visitors to www.luxner.com will find a sleek new look, a completely revamped user interface and easy access to over...

Property bonanza awaits investors in post-Castro era.(Cuba and the United States property disputes )
April 1, 2005... Just 90 miles from U.S. shores yet impossibly out of reach is a cash-starved nation awash in billions of dollars in real estate. The largely untapped Cuban market, with exquisite mansions, majestic colonial homes and virgin beaches, is a...

CUNY's Bildner Center seeks papers for Mar. 2006 symposium on Cuba.(City University of New York's Cuba in Transition? Pathways to Renewal, Long-Term Development and Global Reintegration)
April 1, 2005... New York's Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies is accepting proposals for papers to be presented at a Mar. 30-31, 2006, symposium entitled "Cuba in Transition? Pathways to Renewal, Long-Term Development and Global Reintegration." ...

Foreign investment.(statistics)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... ASSOCIATIONS WITH FOREIGN CAPITAL BY SECTOR IN 2003 Basic industry 64 Tourism 56 Construction 47 Agriculture 21 Light industry 20 Food industry 16 Metalworking 13 Communications 13...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! Fax details to CubaNews at (301) 365-1829 or send an e-mail to larry@luxner.com. Apr. 7: "Cuba and the International Democratic Community," Universidad de...