CubaNews articles from November 2006

CubaNews archives from November 2006

Democratic control of Congress could lead to big changes in U.S. Cuba policy.
November 1, 2006... The Nov. 7 general elections may usher in the greatest opportunity to change U.S.-Cuba policy since President Bush assumed office nearly six years ago. If Democrats take over the House of Representatives and--though it's less likely--the...

Cuba's Sugar Ministry looks to ethanol as home-grown fix for island fuel needs.
November 1, 2006... Lots has been written about Cuba receiving Venezuelan crude oil at preferential prices, and about Cuba encouraging foreign giants to explore for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Less is known about the island's efforts to produce home-grown,...

CubaNews assures readers: no conflict of interest.
November 1, 2006... In light of the scandal that gripped The Miami Herald and its sister publication, El Nuevo Herald, last month, CubaNews wishes to assure its subscribers that our newsletter is committed to objectivity, accuracy and fairness in its coverage of...

Fidel and Raul: shared interim period.(Fidel Castro)(Raul Castro)
November 1, 2006... For years, political analysts have theorized considerably about Cuba's transition and succession process. Those emphasizing the notion of succession took for granted two possible outcomes: first, the death of Fidel, and second, his...

Cuba, Caricom to expand free trade pact.
November 1, 2006... Negotiators from Cuba and the 15-nation Caribbean Community are talking about adding hundreds of goods to those already exempted from import taxes under a free trade agreement, according to AP. A deal signed in 2000 by the communist-led...

TCCC plans Jamaica-Cuba fiberoptic cable.
November 1, 2006... Trans-Caribbean Cable Co. Jamaica Ltd. (TCCC Jamaica) has applied for an expansion of its license to construct fiberoptic links to Cuba, but Kingston's Jamaica Gleaner reports that--with the matter still under review by regulators--its...

Florida investment advisor takes a closer look at Cuba.(INTL Consilium LLC)
November 1, 2006... Yet another investment advisor has its eye on Cuba: INTL Consilium LLC, based in Fort Lauderdale. The fund manager sponsored a Sept. 20 seminar at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Miami entitled "You Only Live Once: The Outlook for Economic...

Fidel's illness pushes Herzfeld Fund into high gear.(Fidel Castro)(Thomas Herzfeld)(Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund)
November 1, 2006... There's never been a better time to invest in Cuba, suggests the Toronto Star, in an article portraying closedend fund guru Thomas Herzfeld. "When it comes to mutual funds, there is only one that offers a strong play on the much...

ACLU: Fla. lawbanning Cuba travel is wrong.(American Civil Liberties Union)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The ACLU seeks to suspend a Florida law that bans universities from allowing travel to Cuba, so that professors and students can pursue travel plans for research and academic exchanges. The American Civil Liberties Union argues that the law...

Honduras to send envoy Cuba in January.
November 1, 2006... Honduras announced Oct. 11 it'll post an ambassador to Cuba in 2007, exactly 45 years after the country yanked its envoy out of Havana in the wake of President Kennedy's 1962 imposition of an embargo against the Castro regime. The two...

Radio, TV Marti begin airborne broadcasting.
November 1, 2006... Radio and TV Marti officially launched their new aircraft-based broadcasts, the Miami Herald reported Oct. 25. The new G1 twin turboprop, based in Key West, is to be airborne between 6 and 11 every night except Sunday in an attempt to...

In their own words ...
November 1, 2006... "Now, when our enemies have prematurely declared me dead or moribund, I am pleased to send out this small video to my compatriots and our friends around the world. I am coming along just as planned. I feel whole." --Fidel Castro, appearing...

Smith, Hays face off at Vermont forum on Cuba policy.
November 1, 2006... Wayne Smith and Dennis Hays are on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to U.S. policy toward Cuba, but they agree on at least two things: No. 1, there will be no change in Cuba until President Fidel Castro dies, and No. 2, his...

Officials claim embargo cost Cuba $4 billion in 2005.
November 1, 2006... The U.S. embargo cost Cuba $4.1 billion last year in higher financial and shipping costs, lost business and cancelled contracts--double the amount in 2004--as tougher U.S. rules took a bigger bite out of the island's recovering economy, ...

Lexington Institute's Phil Peters does his homework.(Phil Peters)
November 1, 2006... These days, Phil Peters is in hot demand on the Cuba lecture circuit. With Fidel Castro laying in a hospital bed and the island's immediate future up in the air, Peters' views on Cuba are more highly sought after than ever before--which...

Transport minister, chiefs of Etecsa, Copextel dismissed.
November 1, 2006... Cuba's Politburo has ousted Carlos Manuel Pazo as transport minister, replacing him with Jorge Luis Serra--in the second ministerial cabinet change since Raul Castro assumed the interim presidency three months ago. Cuba's 31-member Council...

For bird enthusiasts, Cuba's a real paradise.
November 1, 2006... Go birding in the United States these days, and you'll likely be tapped on the shoulder by an officer who will want to know what's with the binoculars and camera equipment. Go birding in Cuba, and you will likely find friendly host biologists...

Despite tensions, Cuba-Spain trade hit $1 billion in 2005.
November 1, 2006... Bilateral trade between Spain and Cuba reached $1 billion in 2005, said Raul Becerra, president of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce. He said Spain is now Cuba's No. 3 trading partner, with 8.5% of total trade. It is the most important trading...

U.S. group pledges $10m in microloans.(The Cuba Study Group)
November 1, 2006... The Cuba Study Group, a nonpartisan group headed by Miami banker Carlos Saladrigas, has pledged $10 million in seed money for small-business startup loans aimed at entrepreneurs inside Cuba. But the novel microloan plan must first has to...

Fire damages major Havana oil refinery.
November 1, 2006... A major fire ripped through the Nico Lopez oil refinery in Havana the night of Sept. 27, injuring at least two people, reported Platts Commodity News. Flames from the Nico Lopez refinery, located on the fringes of Havana's port quarter,...

Pebercan pursues Block 7 oil potential.
November 1, 2006... Montreal-based junior Pebercan is gearing up for further development of its Santa Cruz field in Cuba's Block 7. Pebercan's exploration manager, Patrice Bedu, told Upstream magazine on Oct. 20 it plans to spud three more wells this year as...

Cuban-Americans by the numbers.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... 1,448,684--total number of Cubans living in the United States and their descendants 912,686--number of Cuban-Americans who were born in Cuba (63% of the total) 41--average age of the U.S. Cuban population 27--average age of the...

800 foreign firms take part in FIHAV show.(Havana International Trade Fair)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Cuba's 24th annual Havana International Trade Fair (FIHAV 2006), running Oct. 30 through Nov. 4, is expected to generate even more business than in 2005, when contracts came to over $400 million. Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Raul de la Nuez...

Russia offers Cuba $355 million credit.
November 1, 2006... Russia has extended $355 million worth of credit to Cuba for the purchase of Russian cars and trucks, as well as energy and transport infrastructure projects including air navigation systems. The Putin government has also won a commitment...

Czech exports to Cuba up 57% in 2005.
November 1, 2006... Despite years of diplomatic tensions, trade between Cuba and the Czech Republic is surging ahead. The Prague newspaper Pravo, quoting the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, said Czech firms increased exports to Cuba by 57% last year to $21...

Despite uncertainty, Sherritt plans expasions.(Sherritt International Corp.)
November 1, 2006... Canada's Sherritt International said its joint-venture Pedro Sotto Alba nickel plant operated in a venture with state-owned Cubaniquel would produce only 30,000 tons a day this year, compared with the 33,000 tons it has shipped to Canada daily...

Cuban-Chinese trade taking off.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Trade volume between Cuba and China jumped to $890 million as of July this year, up 80% from the year-ago period, said China's ambassador to Cuba, Zhao Rongxian. Total 2005 trade volume was only $830 million, said the envoy, whose comments...

Cuba to help Trinidad boost food output.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Cuban farmers will help Trinidad & Tobago revive its anemic agriculture sector, says Trinidadian PM Patrick Manning. The Associated Press reports that Trinidad--hoping to curb inflation fueled by high-priced food imports--will set up 10...

Despite cost, Europeans still flock to CUBA.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Cuba expects to end 2006 with a record 2.5 million tourists, up from 2.32 million in 2005. Even if business fails to live up to such high-flying expectations, Cuba remains a popular destination, say travel companies. Yet Germany's Deutsche...

Cuba back on standard time.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... After two years operating year-round without changing from "summer" to "winter" time, Cuba re-established standard time on Oct. 29. According to experts, the change actually increases the demand for electricity. For example, in 2003 the...

Cuban rice imports from Vietnam steady.
November 1, 2006... Cuba wants to buy 400,000 metric tons of rice next year from Vietnam, the world's second-largest rice exporter. Reuters, quoting the official Vietnam News Agency, said Cuba made the proposal at an inter-government committee meeting in Hanoi...

CDC liquidates stake in CariFin venture.(CDC Group PLC to be acquired by CariFin)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... CDC Group, a British government development finance corporation, will sell its 60% stake in CariFin for an undisclosed sum, Reuters reported Oct. 16. CariFin is a joint venture with Cuban banks that offers short- and medium-term financing...

Housing deficit being dealt with--slowly.
November 1, 2006... Cuba's National Institute of Housing reported 79,751 homes finished out of a plan to build 100,000 houses this year. This program is a social priority for the country, said Fidel Figueroa, head of Cuba's Ministry of Construction (Micons)....

World's costliest cigar debuts at $440.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... At $440 each, this cigar costs more than most Cubans earn in a year. Welcome to the Cohiba "Behike"--the world's most expensive stogie. Named after a tribal chief of Cuba's indigenous Tainos, the Behike can only be bought in special...

When it comes to sheer size, Camaguey leads the way.(Armando H. Portela)(Province overview)
November 1, 2006... This is the 3rd 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. Camaguey is Cuba's largest province, covering 14% of the island's...

Newspaper exposes 'extreme contamination' of Nuevitas Bay by wire factory.
November 1, 2006... A report by the newspaper Juventud Rebelde describes the "extreme pollution" caused to Nuevitas Bay and the water table by improper waste disposal at a wires and electrodes factory. Built in 1962, the plant operates with outdated technology...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
November 1, 2006... If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! Fax details to CubaNews at (954) 977-2923 or send e-mail to larry@cubanews.com. Nov. 8: Unveiling of "Fidel Castro's Deathbed Portrait." Described by...