CubaNews articles from August 2003

CubaNews archives from August 2003

Cuba's power structure undergoes its biggest housecleaning since mid-70s.(executive changes within Communist Party )
August 1, 2003... Over the last six months, Cuba has seen the most extensive overhaul of its ruling nomenklatura since before the holding of the First Communist Party Congress in 1975. Cuba's dismal economic performance and President Fidel Castro's...

No easing of U.S. embargo likely--even as debate on travel ban picks up steam.(possible congressional reforms and proposals for trade with Cuba )
August 1, 2003... When U.S. lawmakers return from their August recess, Congress is expected to push for greater opportunities for trade and travel to Cuba. But the White House and Republican leaders are likely to block all such attempts--just as they've done...

Excerpts from Fidel Castro's Jul. 26 speech blasting the European Union.(Transcripcion)
August 1, 2003... The following is the translation of a July 26 speech given by President Fidel Castro to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, as published in the English-language version of the official Communist...

Alimport accord fuels optimism at Port of Corpus Christi. (Shipping).(Alimport agrees to encourage shipment of goods to Cuba from Corpus Christi port )
August 1, 2003... Large statues of Jesus Christ look out over the ports of both Havana and Corpus Christi, Tex. Other than that, the two cities had little in common until last month, when Cuban government agency Alimport signed an agreement with Corpus...

First U.S. vessel calls on Havana Harbor in 40 years. (Shipping).(international shipping of wood by South Carolina-based Maybank Shipping Co. )(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... The American flag was hoisted briefly over the entrance to Havana Bay on Jul. 10 for the arrival of the first U.S.-registered cargo vessel in four decades. The 323-foot warehouse barge, towed by a tug from Alabama, unloaded 1,614 tons of...

Cubans embrace organic farming to satisfy food demand. (Agribusiness).
August 1, 2003... They call it "la esquina verde" or "the green corner." It's in a residential district of Havana, where Ydelio Yzquierdo and two other men grow lettuce, parsley, basil and other vegetables on a plot about a city block long and a half-block...

Poll: Miami Cubans care more about local issues. (Agribusiness).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Cuban-Americans in South Florida are softening up their once-hardline views on Cuba, concludes a survey by the Southwest Voter Research and Education Project, a leading Latino think tank. The poll questioned 600 Cuban-American residents of...

Alarcon: U.S. not an immediate threat to Cuba. (Political Briefs).(Ricardo Alarcon, National Assembly chairman)(comments on threats to Cuban national security )
August 1, 2003... One of the most surprising things about Fidel Castro's angry Jul. 26 speech marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution was the omission of any real verbal attacks against the United States. The explanation was...

Key economist says growth urgently needed. (Political Briefs).(Juan Triana's comments on economic growth in Cuba )(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Leading economist Juan Triana, head of the University of Havana's Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy, told foreign reporters last month that to meet the goals of Cuban society, "economic growth is fundamental." In order to achieve...

In their own words ...(quotations by American, Cuban politicians)(comments on embargo )
August 1, 2003... "Despite the good intentions of the administration to negotiate the safety of these folks, that is an oppressive regime, and given the environment in Cuba, it's just not right." --Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, criticizing the White House's...

Upcoming events.
August 1, 2003... Scholars present over 50 papers at ASCE's Miami meeting The following papers are scheduled to be presented Aug. 7-9 at the 13th annual meeting of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy in Miami. These papers are listed...

Cultural, eco-attractions top Camaguey tourism potential. (Tourism).
August 1, 2003... The algae-infested shore along Playa Santa Lucia is one of many minor headaches for tourist authorities in Camaguey today. This hot destination for tourists in the early 1990s is now trying to recover past glories, after the refurbishment...

Ecologists slam Cuba's trade in live dolphins. (Tourism).
August 1, 2003... Cuba has become the world's leading exporter of live dolphins for "dolphinariums" and other controversial "swim-with-dolphin" tourist projects. Between 1995 and 2000, Cuba sold 82 dolphins, more than either Russia or Indonesia, which...

Brent Gibadlo's ATRIP lobbies to lift the Cuba travel ban. (Newsmakers).(Association of Travel Related Industry Professionals )(Entrevista)
August 1, 2003... Washington, home to no less than a dozen organizations aimed at ending the U.S. embargo against Cuba, now has yet another lobby in its midst: the one-month-old Association of Travel Related Industry Professionals (ATRIP). But Brent...

Bitter 2003 harvest leaves sugar industry's future in doubt. (Commodities).
August 1, 2003... The first "big test" after the downsizing of Cuba's sugar sector has failed. The poorest harvest since 1933 leaves little hope that Cuba can manage a short-term recovery of its shattered sugar industry unless key structural changes are...

Exile dreams and propaganda posters. (Bookshelf).(By Heart/De Memoria: Cuban Women's Journeys in and out of Exile)(!Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art)(Resena de libro)
August 1, 2003... By Heart/De Memoria: Cuban Women's Journeys In and Out of Exile goes beyond the politics and rhetoric to show how Cuba was experienced by the people directly affected by Castro's revolution. Poignant stories of families separated by the...

D.C. photo exhibit portrays life in Cuba. (Bookshelf).(exhibit of works by photographer Shawn Davis )
August 1, 2003... An exhibit running until Sep. 9 at Bossa Bistro & Lounge in Washington's Adams Morgan district features the work of local photographer Shawn Davis, who visited Cuba last year to document the lives of two subjects: a Havana flower vendor and a...

Light manufacturing sector reorganized. (Business Briefs).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Cuba's light manufacturing sector expects to sell $165 million worth of goods in the local hard-currency retail market, up from $4.5 million in 1992. And at least $13 million worth of goods will be exported, up 30% from last year. All...

Damex builds shrimp boats in Santiago. (Business Briefs).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... State enterprise Damex expects to build seven shrimp boats by year's end as part of a contract involving a Dutch company and the Cuban Fishing Ministry. Damex, headquartered in Santiago de Cuba, builds and repairs all kinds of vessels at El...

C-COM to expand mobile phone network. (Business Briefs).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Mobile phone company C-COM will expand its services this year to all of Cuba's key tourist destinations. Currently, the service is available only in Havana, Matanzas and Varadero. The company, founded in January 2001, handled 200,000 calls...

Sugar Ministry hopes to promote tourism. (Business Briefs).(plans for Marcelo Salado Museum, Mulata rum sales, restaurant in Villa Clara province)(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Cubanacan S.A. and the Sugar Ministry may soon open a specialized shop in the province of Villa Clara to sell Mulata rum, as well as a restaurant serving typical Cuban food. The Marcelo Salado Museum, one of seven cultural facilities...

Namibia, Cuba to produce anti-aids drugs. (Business Briefs).(through pharmaceuticals company Zenith Enterprises Inc. )
August 1, 2003... The government of Namibia says it's committed to establishing a pharmaceutical plant in cooperation with Cuba. Abraham Iyambo, the African country's acting foreign minister, told The Namibian that he's given a local pharmaceutical company,...

Sarex ups polypropylene bag production. (Business Briefs).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... In three years of operation, state entity Sarex has produced over 40 million polypropylene sacks--replacing imports which previously cost Cuba $4 million a year. That amount equals investment in the Havana factory, which is equipped with...

Japan urges Cuba to tap organic market. (Business Briefs).(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... Cuba could boost its exports of organic products significantly, says Eiji Fukui, an official of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Fukui, part of a visiting delegation of Japanese executives representing seven big food companies,...

Cubana to fly Barcelona-Santiago route. (Business Briefs).(airline Cubana de Aviacion to begin seasonal service)(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... State-owned airline Cubana de Aviacion has inaugurated a new seasonal route between Santiago de Cuba and Barcelona. The flights will operate until September, allowing Spanish tourists to take advantage of city tours as well as excursions to...

Cienfuegos hotel reopens as all-inclusive. (Business Briefs).(Horizontes Rancho Luna )(Articulo breve)
August 1, 2003... The Horizontes Rancho Luna, the largest hotel in Cienfuegos province, will reopen in the next few weeks, reports Cuban media. the 222-room hotel has undergone a $10 million restoration and enlargement; it will now operate as an all-inclusive...

Blackouts a thing of the past, says power CZAR.(Victor Puentes, energy ministry director)(comments on energy production and demand, forecasts )
August 1, 2003... Cuba's top electricity official says there's virtually no chance of power cuts this summer, of the kind Cubans remember from the early 1990s. Victor Puentes, head of the government agency regulating electricity demand in Cuba, told the...

New foreign-exchange regs apply to banks, state entities. (Finance).(Central Bank's changes to foreign-exchange controls )
August 1, 2003... On Jul. 16, Cuba's Central Bank enacted new foreign-exchange controls for all Cuban banks and state enterprises. The new regulations, intended to "ensure efficient use of financial resources," establish the peso convertible as the only...

Santiago de Cuba has illustrious past, uncertain future. (Geography).(economic and social prospects)(population and natural resources)
August 1, 2003... This is the 13th in a series of monthly articles on Cuba's 14 provinces by geographer Armando H. Portela, who has a Ph.D. in geography from the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Portela resides in Miami. The province of Santiago de Cuba was...

Calendar of events.(Calendario)
August 1, 2003... 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. Jun. 6-Aug. 31: Exhibit on Cuba, featuring over 70 works by a dozen...