CubaNews articles from July 2005

CubaNews archives from July 2005

From strawberry daiquiri mix to soymilk, Florida firm sees huge potential in Cuba.
July 1, 2005... Two gregarious New Yorkers with a background in food service think they've discovered how to make it big in Cuba. Brooklyn-born Richard Waltzer, 36, and his business partner, 42-year-old Craig Jacobs, originally from Queens, both drive...

No more war: Cuba sends MDs, not guns, to Africa's most impoverished countries.
July 1, 2005... After nearly four decades of engagement with Africa, Cuba's health and educational services are more in demand than ever by Africa's poorest nations. At the moment, some 4,000 Cubans are working on various technical and scientific missions...

House panel votes to defund enforcement of OFAC ruling.(Office of Foreign Assets Control)
July 1, 2005... A House of Representatives panel has voted to strip the Treasury Department of money to enforce a new Bush administration ruling that opponents say threatens continued U.S. food exports to Cuba. The House Appropriations Committee, by voice...

Louisiana state officials plan 2nd trade mission to Cuba.
July 1, 2005... Louisiana officials will return to Cuba this month as a followup to a trade mission in March that generated a commitment by Cuban officials to buy $15 million worth of Louisiana products over the next 18 months. Felipe Martinez, speaking at...

Cuban exile appeals ruling in Club Med property lawsuit.
July 1, 2005... A 95-year-old Cuban exile and her son have asked a federal appeals court to allow them to sue Club Med over disputed property in Cuba. Elvira de la Vega Glen and her son Robert are trying to sue Club Med because they say the French company...

Accor to take over management of Riviera, Capri hotels.
July 1, 2005... French hotel group Accor S.A. will manage Cuba's legendary Riviera and Capri hotels, Reuters reported Jun. 16. The value of Accor's new management contract wasn't disclosed by Eric Peyre, Accor's country sales manager for Cuba. He did,...

APCS dissident meeting in Havana: winners and losers.(Assembly to Promote Civil Society)
July 1, 2005... Organizers of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society (APCS)--Marta Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonne Carcass and Ren Gomez Manzano--view their May 21 event in Havana as a major success. According to them, the fact that the gathering was held at...

Florida's Graham urges U.S. to extradite Posada.(Luis Posada Carriles)(Bob Graham )
July 1, 2005... Retired Florida lawmaker Bob Graham says President Bush must extradite accused Cuban-born terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela or face discredit among the international community over its anti-terrorist policy. Graham, a former...

EU backs away from sanctions against Cuba.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The European Union won't revive diplomatic sanctions against Cuba, despite the expulsion of several EU lawmakers who tried to attend an opposition conference in Havana last month. According to Reuters, EU foreign ministers meeting in...

Radio, TV Marti Broadcasts raise concern.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Continuing delays in the purchase of an aircraft to broadcast TV and Radio Marti's signals to Cuba is stoking fears on Capitol Hill that the specialized C-130 currently being used may be reassigned to Iraq, reports the Miami Herald. At...

In their own words ...
July 1, 2005... "I have a message for those assembling to protest oppression in Cuba: As you struggle for the freedom of your country, the American people stand with you... We will not rest. We will keep the pressure on until the Cuban people enjoy the same...

More sugar mills may be closed down.
July 1, 2005... Cuba has begun preparing sugar workers for mill closings in the wake of this year's record-low crop and the prospect that next year's will be more or less the same, Reuters reported Jun. 28. Estimated output of 1.3 million tons of raw sugar...

Reviving coffee in Santiago de Cuba.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The replacement of old coffee plantations with new ones is at the center of a local strategy in Santiago de Cuba to recover Cuba's traditional coffee production levels. Experts monitoring the initiative tell Radio Havana Cuba that the...

Drought takes toll on citrus production.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Cuba's largest citrus orchard reported final tonnage would be 425,000 tons of grapefruit and oranges, 75,000 tons less than expected due to dry weather. "Despite irrigation difficulties, Matanzas citrus workers have collected 400,000 tons,...

Vicki Huddleston: current Cuba policy a big mistake.
July 1, 2005... It was 1991, but Vicki Huddleston remembers her first and only meeting with Fidel Castro like it was yesterday. "We had just signed a tripartite agreement with Cuba on Angola and Namibia," she recalled with a touch of nostalgia. "Jeff...

Virgin Atlantic inaugurates nonstop London-Havana flights.
July 1, 2005... Virgin Atlantic Airways has begun direct flights between London and Havana, in a move expected to generate $60 million in annual income for Cuba. The inaugural flight Jun. 27 carried the airline's founder, Sir Richard Branson, who posed on...

Spanish companies in Cuba seek to recover lost ground.
July 1, 2005... Cuba's trade relations with Spain haven't always followed political realities. The 13th meeting of the Entrepreneurial Bilateral Committee in late May proved that. The gathering, held in Havana, was headed by Javier Gomez Navarro,...

Sleeper hit 'Habana Blues' featured at French film festival.
July 1, 2005... Spanish filmmaker Benito Zambrano was the brainchild behind the sleeper Cuban hit film "Habana Blues"--a movie about two young Cuban musicians and their struggle to secure a recording contract, which they believe will earn them a better...

Cuban record labels to go online.(www.musicapremium. terra.es)
July 1, 2005... SDAE, the digital arm of Spanish authors' society SGAE, is building a comprehensive online music store for Latin repertoire from Spain and Latin America, Billboard magazine reported Jun. 23. The first step in SDAE's initiative involves...

U.S., Cuba battle over 14 songs.(Termidor Music Publishers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Fourteen songs are at the center of a U.S.-Cuban copyright dispute involving the immensely popular Buena Vista Social Club. Los Angeles-based Peer International Corp. is suing a Cuban state entity, Termidor Music Publishers, in a London...

Tenn. lab sells blood-clot devices to Cuba.(Wortham Laboratories Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Tennessee-based Wortham Laboratories Inc. says it has become the first U.S. company to make a substantial direct sale of medical goods to Cuba in more than 40 years. Wortham Laboratories Inc. announced in mid-April that it had completed...

October is worst month for hurricanes.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A study of hurricane patterns stretching back more than 200 years shows that hurricanes are most prevalent in October, and in the western region of Cuba. From 1799 to 2004, says experts at the Cuban National Weather Center, the island was...

Blackouts blamed on slow plant repairs.(Felton theremoelectric )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Repairs are taking longer than expected at Cuba's Felton theremoelectric plant--the country's largest--and the resulting widespread blackouts are inconveniencing residents in Havana and at other locations, the news agency EFE reported Jun. 27....

Poll: little change in cash remittance flow to Cuba.
July 1, 2005... Cubans living in the United States still send around $460 million a year to relatives on the island despite restrictions tightened by the White House last summer, according to the Miami Herald. The newspaper, quoting the results of two...

2,000 self-employment permits revoked.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Cuban authorities have revoked over 2,000 licenses from self-employed workers across the island, reported the government weekly Tribuna de La Habana on Jun. 19. The action is part of Fidel Castro's ongoing campaign to reassert state...

Sherritt: Cuba operations more profitable.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Canada's Sherritt International reported higher profits in its oil and gas activities to reach $16.9 million during the first quarter 2005, mostly from its Cuban operations. That's up 21.3% from the year-ago period, said Sherritt's...

New nickel mine being exploited in MOA.(Che Guevara refinery)
July 1, 2005... The Che Guevara nickel refinery in Moa, Holguin province, has begun mining a new field, replacing a previous one, Yagrumaje, that had been depleted after 20 years in use. Industry sources say this will guarantee the necessary raw material...

Italian-Cuban garment venture announced.(Auge signed an agreement with Acropoli Impex S.A.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Cuban company Auge has signed a production agreement with the Italian firm Acropoli Impex S.A. to make garments for the international market. The clothing will be sold under the line MINAS and produced at a factory equipped with...

Habanos opens cigar shop in Shanghai.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Habanos S.A., the world leading distributor of premium cigars, has opened its first franchised store in Shanghai. La Casa del Habano is the company's fourth outlet in China. The new store will sell about 20 Cuban cigar brands and over 30 kinds...

Cuba introduces new premium rum brand.
July 1, 2005... French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard, which has a 50-50 venture with the Cuban state to produce Havana Club rum, has become the world's No. 3 liquor company with its purchase of British rival Allied-Domecq. Pernod Ricard helped set up...

Luxner photo site revamped.(Luxner News Inc. www.luxner.com)(Brief Article)
July 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...

Servimatica leads Cuba's computer manufacturing sector.
July 1, 2005... Despite all the hype about Cuba becoming a leader in the IT sector, the fact is that the island--where computer ownership and Internet access is carefully monitored--has only one computer assembly plant. The Havana factory is run by...

Gaping hole in U.S. anti-Castro policy?
July 1, 2005... Last June, the United States reinforced its decades-long economic embargo against Cuba with new restrictions on U.S.-based travel and remittances to the island. The basic goal of these measures, according to the State Department, is "to...

Reader: article on elderly Cubans is biased.(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... While no one would disagree that Cubans living on a peso pension today have difficulty making ends meet, the article by Diana Marrero, "For older Cubans squeezed out of job market, life is a constant struggle" (CubaNews, May 2005, page 1) is...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
July 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. Jun. 19-24: 13th International Expocaribe Trade Fair, Santiago de Cuba....