CubaNews articles from July 2004

CubaNews archives from July 2004

From beer to beach resorts, Canadians risk U.S. legal threats to invest in Cuba.
July 1, 2004... A half-dozen young Cubans sit at tables overlooking the dance floor on the 25th floor of the Hotel Habana Libre in downtown Havana. Their heads bob to salsa music, and cans of Bucanero beer litter the table. "Canada is the great!" yells...

CIMAB seeks foreign partners in effort to develop lucrative biotech industry.(Centre for Engineering and Environmental agencies)(Centro de Inmunologia Molecular)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2004... On the edge of Havana, out past the suburbs of Miramar along rural Calle 216, sits one of Cuba's most advanced centers for biotechnology research: the Centro de Inmunologia Molecular (CIM). CIM, housed in a 15,000-sq-meter facility, employs...

OFAC to begin enforcing new Cuba travel rules on Jun. 30.(Office of Foreign Assets Control)
July 1, 2004... A confusing barrage of drastic new Cuba-related travel restrictions first unveiled May 6 by the White House takes effect Jun. 30, in an election-year attempt to deprive the Castro regime of badly needed dollars. Yet the new...

Bush's tough new policy angers many Cuban-Americans.(Bush administration)
July 1, 2004... The anti-Cuba measures announced by the Bush administration May 6 and put into effect Jun. 30 are already backfiring on the White House and its most prominent allies in Miami. Initially meant to win electoral support in South Florida, the...

U.S. universities, others protest Cuba travel restrictions.
July 1, 2004... Setting aside concerns about tough new Cuba travel restrictions that took effect Jun. 30, it seems that universities, people-to-people programs and church groups continue to plan study tours to the forbidden island--perhaps hopeful that a new...

OFAC targets key West-Cuba sailboat race organizers.(Office of Foreign Assets Control (US Treasury))
July 1, 2004... Two Florida residents stand accused of "trading with the enemy" for arranging sailboat races between Key West and Cuba without U.S. government permission. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Jun. 11 that Peter Goldsmith, a Key West...

Paya warns of new dissident crackdown.(Oswaldo Paya)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... One of Cuba's best-known dissidents is accusing the Castro regime of harassing activists participating in a new project aimed at sparking discussion about democratic reform. Oswaldo Paya, founder of the Varela Project, said Cuban state...

New human rights watchdog group formed.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... European and Latin American activists are joining with lawmakers to watch human rights abuses in Cuba, the Miami Herald reported Jun. 17. The Joint Commission of European and Latin American Parliamentarians in Support of Democracy and Human...

Serrano pushes 'baseball diplomacy act'.(Jose Serrano )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) has once again introduced his Baseball Diplomacy Act in the wake of the dramatic escape by Yankee pitcher Jose Contreras' wife and children, who left Cuba on a smuggler's boat and outran the U.S. Coast Guard to...

In their own words ...
July 1, 2004... "These measures are in absolute disagreement with the interests of Cubans on the island and only contribute to the entrenchment of Cuba's government." --Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, 69-year-old former exile now living in Havana, criticizing the...

Malaysia may partner with Cuban biotech sector.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuba is willing to share its expertise in biotechnology with Malaysia, reports the Straits Times of Kuala Lumpur. Singling out research on dengue, hepatitis-B and cancer as possible areas for collaboration, Cuban scientist Manuel Perez...

Biotechnology success crucial to Cuba's economic future.
July 1, 2004... Outright success stories have been hard to come by for Cuba since the collapse of its Soviet ally, but its biotech industry is increasingly looking like a triumph. Driven largely by domestic need, homegrown biotechnology has boosted what...

Castro appoints ideologue Jose Balaguer health minister.
July 1, 2004... Politburo member Jose R. Balaguer, the Communist Party's former ideological chief and a trusted aide to Fidel Castro, has replaced Dr. Damodar Pena as Cuba's minister of public health. Pena, a young physician with excellent credentials who...

Cattle rancher Parke Wright: time to end the embargo.
July 1, 2004... John Parke Wright IV leans forward in his chair in the lobby of Havana's Hotel Nacional, his Stetson marking him as the only obvious cowboy in a sea of visiting American food executives in business suits. Wright is talking passionately...

Maqueta de La Habana offers visitors unique view of Cuba's capital city.
July 1, 2004... A little-known tourist attraction in Havana's Miramar district, the Maqueta de La Habana (Miniature Havana) is the best place for visitors to get their bearings in Cuba's capital city. Built to an exact scale of 1:1,000, the 144-sq-meter...

Cayo Largo: no crime, no congestion--and no Cubans.
July 1, 2004... Cayo Largo, a pristine island off Cuba's southern coast, has what you might expect: 17 miles of unspoiled beaches, eight hotels and a cozy marina. What's surprising is what it doesn't have--namely, native Cubans. Not a single Cuban...

Fidel asked FDR for $10 bill.
July 1, 2004... In 1940, Fidel Castro, then 14 years old, wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in search of a $10 banknote. It is Castro's first documented communication with the government he eventually came to despise. "Never I have not seen a...

Castrol supplies lubricants in venture with Cubapetroleo.
July 1, 2004... A spacious mansion on the corner of Quinta Avenida and Calle 6--right at the entrance to Havana's Miramar suburb--serves as the headquarters of Castrol Cuba S.A., one of the island's oldest foreign joint ventures. Established in 1992, the...

Sherritt chairman Delaney: persistence has paid off in Cuba.
July 1, 2004... A long Cuba's northeastern coast, 65 kms from the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, sits one of the world's most impressive nickel deposits. If past experience is any guide, Sherritt International Corp.--which already operates a...

Repsol-YPF begins drilling off Pinar del Rio.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Spain's Repsol-YPF S.A. has begun drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, about 18 miles off the coast of Pinar del Rio province. The company is spending $195,000 a day to lease the Eirik Raude, a Norwegian semi-submersible deep water...

Minbas says losses down sharply in 2003.(Ministry of Basic Industries)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuba's Ministry of Basic Industries (Minbas) reported sales growth of 11.1% in 2003, one of its best economic performances ever. Broken down by branches, Cubapetroleo achieved growth of 20.3%, Geominera 15.7%, cement and glass 2%, and...

Cuba to export 8 new rum brands.
July 1, 2004... Cuban officials, buoyed by the international success of Havana Club, have launched eight new rum brands on the world market in order to boost hard-currency reserves. The announcement was made during last month's Havana International Rum...

Experts debate opportunities at FIU meet.(Florida International University)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Lifting the trade embargo would open up billions of dollars in U.S. opportunities, say experts, though Cuba's economy would have to be modernized before reaping those benefits. Agriculture, tourism and telecom would be the most lucrative...

Jamaica's SuperClubs exits Cuba after U.S. threats.
July 1, 2004... Jamaica's SuperClubs chain said Jun. 16 that it has pulled the plug on managing two Cuban properties, less than a month after the Bush administration invoked a section of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that penalizes those who do business in Cuba....

Cuba promotes economic ties with Qatar.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuba is strongly pushing to strengthen economic ties with the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, mainly through investments and joint-ventures in tourism, information technology, energy and biotechnology. In late May, the Castro government...

Granma textile plant makes coffee bags.(Empresa de la Union Textil)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The state-run Empresa de la Union Textil, in eastern Granma province, has increased exports of products under the Texoro brand. The company produces bags, cords, cotton and blankets, using natural fibers as raw materials. The factory,...

Authorities crack down on bogus cigars.(Cuban)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuban authorities are intensifying a campaign against the international trafficking of knockoff Cuban cigars. "It's a fraudulent, disloyal competition that hurts the consumer," said Raul Sancho, an official of state-owned Habanos S.A., in...

Cocoa sector reports jump in production.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuba's cocoa sector is trying to diversify in an effort to gain new cutomers overseas. The processing of cocoa, a raw material to produce chocolate, has benefitted from the installation of modern Italian-made equipment in the Guantanamo...

Alabama mayor seeks end to travel ban.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The mayor of Mobile, Ala., has signed a letter calling for President Bush to work with members of Congress seeking to lift restrictions on travel to Cuba. Mayor Mike Dow is one of 33 who signed the May 20 letter issued by Americans for...

Miami executives update post-Castro plan.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has updated its report on business opportunities in a post-Castro Cuba, issuing a road map for investments and trade more than a decade after its first "waiting for Fidel to fall" study. The Miami...

Los Portales begins bottling tonic water.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Los Portales S.A. bottling plant in Pinar del Rio has begun producing tonic water for use in cocktails. The factory, which opened six years ago, will increase sales by 20% in 2004, according to a government press release. So far this...

N.J. Casino unveils big mural of Old Havana.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... You can't legally travel to Cuba, but now, at least you can pretend you're there. A realistic three-story mural depicting Old Havana has been unveiled at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. The mural, painted by local...

Cuban coin collectors form website.(Cuban Numismatic Association)(www.cubanumismaticassociation.com.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Cuban Numismatic Association, founded by a group of coin collectors in January, has launched an online newsletter at www.cubanumismaticassociation.com. The newsletter contains tutorials, pertinent information and reference material, as...

U.S. is fertile market for organic crops.
July 1, 2004... Cuba could become a major provider of organic fruits and vegetables for the United States once the U.S. embargo is lifted, says a visiting U.S. agriculture expert. L. Ann Thrupp, manager of organic development for Fetzer Vineyards in...

Sugar sector opens a bit to foreigners.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Despite objections from Fidel Castro, Cuba's sugar industry is slowly opening to foreign investment, after more than 10 years of postponements and delays. The decision to invite foreign firms to bid on sugar-related projects was announced...

Cuba plans to boost forests 30% by 2015.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cuba and Uruguay are the only countries in Latin America whose forested area has actually grown rather than shrunk in the last 10 years. During that time, 94 million hectares of the world's forests have disappeared, says the UN Food and...

Drought taking severe toll on oriente.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A severe drought has eroded 40% of eastern Cuba's farmland, starved thousands of heads of cattle and prompted authorities to declare a state of alert in four provinces--Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin and Guantanamo. In late June, authorities...

Pinar del Rio feeds Japanese lemon demand.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Farmers in Pinar del Rio province are producing more lemons in order to supply growing Japanese demand. Experts quoted by official Cuban media say the provincial goal of 2,200 tons of lemons this year is attainable, since funds exist to buy...

Post-Castro intrigue, Papa Hemingway and interior design.(Book Review)
July 1, 2004... Periodically, CubaNews offers glimpses and reviews of books we think will interest our readers. This month, we present three new books; one is a serious analysis of the post-Castro scenario and how the United States should deal with it, while...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... 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. 29-Jul. 2: CubaExpobuceo 2004, Varadero. Event focuses on underwater...