CubaNews articles from July 2002

CubaNews archives from July 2002

Cuba downsizes ailing sugar industry; authorities to close 71 out of 156 mills.
July 1, 2002... Sugar, the backbone of Cuba's economy for centuries, took a back seat to tourism years ago. But now its fall from grace is official, with the Castro government's decision last month to shut 71 of the island's 156 sugar mills for good, leaving...

Despite pressure from exile groups, U.S. cities seek out `sisters' in Cuba.
July 1, 2002... Embargo or not, municipalities across the United States are rushing to set up sister-city agreements with their counterparts in Cuba--often enduring harsh criticism from anti-Castro exiles in Miami. For now, the focus is on humanitarian and...

Flake bill urging end to travel ban tied to CPF tourism study.
July 1, 2002... Within five years of ending the travel ban and establishing full trade and diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, economic benefits to the United States could hit $2 billion annually. That's the best-case scenario outlined in a...

Rising prices, rising uncertainties.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... After weeks of rumors, the Castro government, facing a worsening economic situation, finally raised prices Jun. 3 on most of the products sold in Cuba's dollar stores, known as Tiendas de Recaudacion de Divisa (TRDs). The price hikes were...

Cuba-watchers debate island's economic future.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Some 120 economists, business executives, academics, journalists and diplomats gathered Jun. 7 in Washington to speculate on the future of Cuba's leadership, its mounting economic problems and implications for Fidel Castro's relations with the...

AAAS links U.S., Cuban scientists.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... The Washington-based American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has wrapped up a two-year study aimed at improving the flow of information between scientists in the United States and Cuba. The $150,000 project, funded by the...

In their own words ...(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... "The world is coming under the rule of Nazi concepts and methods because of circumstances out of the control of the American people." -- Fidel Castro, speaking Jun. 8 in Santiago de Cuba about the Bush administration's war on terrorism....

U.S. food exhibition gets green light from Havana.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... The Castro government has given its blessing to the first U.S. Food & Agribusiness Exhibition, scheduled to take place Sept. 26-30 at Havana's Pabexpo convention center. Peter W. Nathan, president of show organizer PWN Exhibicon...

LCI plans 850-room hotel in Havana's Miramar district.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Vancouver-based Leisure Canada Inc. will soon begin construction of a 230-room hotel and timeshare development in Havana's up-and-coming Miramar neighborhood, in the first phase of a project that'll eventually include 850 rooms. On Jun....

Cuba packages boost profits for D.R. travel agency.(Artículo Breve)(Entrevista)
July 1, 2002... Santo Domingo-based Emely Tours S.A., one of the Dominican Republic's largest travel agencies, now earns 30% of its revenues from lucrative Cuba tour packages. Graciela Rosario, who runs Emely's Cuba desk, says the agency is bringing 150...

Coffee with a cause.
July 1, 2002... Veteran coffee roaster Paul Katzeff thinks the 40-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba is illogical, impractical and immoral. That's why Katzeff, CEO of Thanksgiving Coffee Co. in Fort Bragg, Calif., recently launched a new line of...

Cuba cuts power use by 10%.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... The Cuban government has told state-run companies to slash power use by 10%--a consequence of the island's troubled economy and an end to subsidized oil shipments from Venezuela. The official trade-union weekly, Trabajadores, said energy-saving...

Cyber cafes planned.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Cuban state corporation Rumbos S.A. has signed an agreement with local entity Copextel S.A. to open up to 35 cyber cafes in tourist centers throughout Cuba this year. The first cafe has already opened in Varadero; another three will soon open...

Cartas a Cuba.(TT: Letters to Cuba.)(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Canadian firm WorldWideLetters Inc., along with Correos de Cuba and Cubanacan Express, have teamed up to offer "Cartas a Cuba"--a new service that allows customers to send messages to Cuba from anywhere in the world, using an Internet-based...

Campaign targets older Canadian tourists.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Long Stay, a new marketing concept unveiled at the XXII Tourism Convention in Varadero, is aimed at encouraging older Canadian tourists to extend their vacations in Cuba. The program, which will allow visitors to remain in Cuba from 21 days to...

Coffee producers aim high.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Coffee producers in Sagua de Tanamo, in the province of Holguin, aim to export more than 60% of next year's crop to overseas markets. During the 2001-02 crop, according to Agriculture Ministry official Jorge Leyva, Sagua de Tanamo produced...

Italian delegation urges incentives.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... An Italian trade delegation led by the country's vice-minister of commerce and tourism recently visited Cuba, hoping to increase trade and investment in general, and in tourism and biotechnology in particular. The Italians said Cuba needs to...

Lage: Cuba 70% digitalized.
July 1, 2002... Seventy percent of Cuba's telephone lines are now digitalized, announced Vice-President Carlos Lage as he inaugurated a telecom switch in Ciego de Avila. At the moment, he said, Cuba has 5.2 phone lines per 100 inhabitants, and could reach 10...

Mercedes-Benz opens 8th outlet.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Mercedes-Benz has opened a commercial office in Cienfuegos, its eighth in Cuba. Branches already exist in Havana, Varadero, Limonar, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Holguin and Santiago de Cuba, with new locations planned for Ciego de Avila, Matanzas...

Pebercan: oil drilling a success. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Montreal-based Pebercan said Jun. 7 that the drilling of its Canasi #6 was a success. Drilling began Mar. 20 and was completed May 15; the total depth of Canasi #6 is 3,745 meters, 1,572 meters of which penetrated three successive hydrocarbon...

E-mail on the go. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Cuba is introducing a new service, Correo Movil, which allows customers to check their e-mail via telephone. The country's Empresa de Tecnologias de la Informacion y Servicios Telematicos Avanzados (Citmatel)--a unit of the Ministry of Science,...

Dried North Dakota peas to Cuba. (Business Briefs).(Articulo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) says Cuba's food import agency Alimport is buying 2,000 metric tons of dried peas from three companies in his state. Dorgan, one of 44 lawmakers who form the House Cuba Working Group, called the sale a...

YM helps Cuba biotech breakthrough. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... TheraCIM h-R3 is shaping up to be another success of Cuba's developing biotechnology industry. It consists of a humanized monoclonal antibody tyrosie kinase inhibitor based on EGF (epidermal growth factor) to help prevent metastases for brain...

Habaguanex to boost hotel capacity. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Habaguanex S.A., the state entity in charge of Old Havana hotel properties, plans to increase its capacity from the current 222 rooms to 1,200 rooms by 2005--and as many as 3,000 rooms by 2010. The Habaguanex banner comprises seven...

USAID offers scholarships to Cubans. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... The U.S. Agency for International Development plans to offer scholarships to an undetermined number of Cuban students and professionals, as part of the Bush administration's policy of supporting democratic change in Cuba while refusing to lift...

German tourist market targeted. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... A German delegation visited Cuba in May to finish up details for the construction of six hotels: two in the eastern provinces, one in Ciego de Avila and three in the Havana-Varadero corridor. The delegation was headed by TIU, Germany's largest...

600 firms attend Expocaribe. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Cuba's 11th Expocaribe, a trade fair held annually at Santiago de Cuba's Heredia Convention Center, this year attracted 600 companies from 30 nations, including 11 Caribbean countries. Also in attendance were top officials of CARICOM, the...

Drug sector reorganized. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Marcos Portal, Cuba's minister of basic industries, says his agency has lauched a large-scale program to boost the pharmaceutical industry, with two goals: to meet domestic demands and boost exports. The industry is headed by Grupo Empresarial...

Centersoft plans huge software factory. (Business Briefs).(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Cuban state entity Centersoft hopes to export $2 million worth of software this year, up from $1.4 million in 2001 exports. Centersoft plans a second software factory later this year, as part of efforts to develop the Cuban software industry as...

Nissan courts Cuba's growing car market.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... Nissan automobiles of every model have begun popping up on Cuban streets and highways over the last few months, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign by Asprodex Panama. Jose Manuel Gonzalez Lopez, director-president of the company, said...

Holguin thrives on sugar, nickel and tourism. (Geography).
July 1, 2002... Holguin is one of the five provinces born in 1976 when authorities split up the former province of Oriente. The others are Las Tunas, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. Located along Cuba's northeastern coast, Holguin is the...

Calendar of events.(Artículo Breve)
July 1, 2002... 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. Jul. 1-10: Fiesta del Caribe, Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Performances by...