CubaNews articles from September 2006

CubaNews archives from September 2006

Fidel's transfer of power to Raul sparks U.S. debate over direction of Cuba policy.(Raul Castro)
September 1, 2006... While the Bush administration says it won't change its policy towards Cuba, Fidel Castro's decision to cede power to his brother Raul has touched off a new debate on the effectiveness of the embargo. Undoing the embargo will not be easy....

Cuba after Castro: leading pundit offers views on what'll happen after Fidel dies.
September 1, 2006... Raul Castro will pull Cuba out of stagnation and push forward reforms aimed at transforming the Cuban economy into a more socialist market-oriented system dominated by capitalist standards of organization, management and fiscal policy. ...

White House allocates $80 million to 'end information blockade'.
September 1, 2006... The Bush administration has approved a two-year, $80 million program to end what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the "information blockade" in Cuba, and also to boost efforts toward a democratic transition on the island after Fidel...

CIA forms new mission to keep tabs on Venezuela, Cuba.(Central Intelligence Agency)
September 1, 2006... Despite their obvious differences in size and population, Cuba and Venezuela have forged a friendship unlike any other in Latin America. Both countries--burdened by a long history of poverty and corruption--are today run by anti-American...

Closing of Havana's free zone worries foreign investors.
September 1, 2006... Cuba has closed Havana's free-trade zone, located just east of the city in Berroa--in effect kicking out firms that have been doing business there for years. This information comes to CubaNews via a Canadian investor who's been active in...

Ex-oil minister is Venezuela's new envoy to Cuba.
September 1, 2006... Ali Rodriguez, Venezuela's former foreign minister--and minister of energy and mines before that--will replace Adan Chavez as ambassador to Cuba. The appointment was confirmed Sept. 1 by President Hugo Chavez, Adan's older brother, in a...

Political prison population drops to 316.
September 1, 2006... The number of political prisoners in Cuba dropped to 316 from 333 in the first six months of this year, but the government stepped up extrajudicial harassment of opponents. "The slight decline... appears to reflect a change in the form of...

OFAC religious travel regs confuse churches.
September 1, 2006... At least two congregations whose activities in Cuba triggered a $34,000 fine for the Alliance of Baptists have been granted their own travel licenses by the same agency that issued the fine, AP reported Aug. 28. The Treasury Department...

In their own words ...(quotations on Cuban-American relations)
September 1, 2006... "At this time of uncertainty in Cuba, one thing is clear: The United States is absolutely committed to supporting the Cuban people's aspirations for democracy and freedom. We have repeatedly said that the Cuban people deserve to live in...

Rodriguez: no to free-market economy.
September 1, 2006... Cuba's economy grew by 12.5% during the first half of 2006, claims a top Castro confidante--but don't expect any changes in the Marxist-oriented economic system at all. Jose Luis Rodriguez, the country's minister of economy and planning,...

India's ONGC Videsh signs offshore oil exploration deal.
September 1, 2006... India's state-run petroleum company has signed a deal to explore Cuba's Gulf of Mexico waters for oil in an area covering 4,300 sq kms (1,660 sq miles). The agreement was announced Sep. 10 by Fidel Rivero Prieto, director of Cubapetroleo...

Despite talk, 2006 sugar harvest yields dismal results.
September 1, 2006... Cuba's sugar minister vowed to increase sugar production to take advantage of sharply higher prices on the world market, but even the government acknowledged that the challenge is just too difficult. Ulises Rosales del Toro said Aug. 7 that...

Sherritt: U.S. crackdown on Cuban nickel is no big deal.
September 1, 2006... Canada's Sherritt International Corp., the largest single foreign investor in Cuba, is responding angrily to the Bush administration's recent threat to crack down on Cuban nickel exports. The threats come as nickel prices have more than...

Cuba and China: similarities and differences.(economic development and international trade)
September 1, 2006... As we approach the end of Fidel Castro's era, especially after his failing health, much has been discussed about the kind of changes or reforms that Raul Castro and the younger leadership might make. It has been a common assumption--for the...

A year after Katrina, Louisiana once again considers Cuba.
September 1, 2006... One year after Hurricane Katrina devastated their state, officials in Baton Rouge are once again turning their attention to Cuba--and the opportunities the island offers for Louisiana. Michael J. Olivier, Louisiana's secretary of economic...

2006 hurricane season: so far, so good.
September 1, 2006... Three storms--Florence, Gordon and Helene--were swirling around the Atlantic at press time, though none of them posed much of a threat to the Caribbean or the U.S. mainland. "September and October are the most dangerous months for the...

Cuba's Jews mull uncertain future in a post-Fidel scenario.
September 1, 2006... Cuban Jews on both sides of the Florida Straits reacted with emotions ranging from joy to sadness to unbridled patriotism, following the Jul. 31 announcement that Fidel Castro--for the first time in 47 years--was no longer president of Cuba....

Cuban media on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.
September 1, 2006... "Not even the Nazis undertook a retaliation of such proportions against a civilian population."--Radio Habana Cuba, Jul. 1, 2006. "The Israeli military counts on the total support of the government of the American President George W. Bush...

New Mexico's Navajos ink Alimport deal.(Empresa Cubana Importadora de Alimentos)(Artículo breve)
September 1, 2006... The Navajo Indian tribe has signed a letter of intent to sell wheat, apples, yellow corn, onions and pinto beans to Cuba--marking New Mexico's first agricultural agreement with Cuba's state-run Alimport agency. The agreement, signed in...

Barcelo plans 6 new hotels in Cuba.
September 1, 2006... Spanish hotel chain Barcelo will open six new properties in Cuba between now and 2010, according to Travel Trade Caribbean. This will bring Barcelo's Cuba portfolio to nine hotels with a combined 4,500 rooms. Three of these properties will...

Cuba develops monoclonal antibody.
September 1, 2006... The first-ever monoclonal antibody obtained from transgenic plants for the purpose of purifying a human vaccine was registered in Cuba by the State Center for the Control of Medication Quality (CECMED), a regulatory arm of Cuba's Ministry of...

Coffee crop could be the best in years.
September 1, 2006... Cuban agricultural officials say better weather, improved organization and higher prices will bring a recovery in coffee production from last season's record-low crop. Reuters reported Aug. 21 that coffee picking is getting underway in...

Citrus crop recovers from last year's disasters.
September 1, 2006... Jaguey Grande, Cuba's largest citrus orchard, expects output close to 600,000 tons of oranges and grapefruit during the 2006-07 harvest, following a rough prior season due to a hurricane and drought. Reuters, quoting from a Radio Rebelde...

Alarcon blasts OFAC over Scotiabank case.(Ricardo Alarcón)(US Office of Foreign Assets Control)(Artículo breve)
September 1, 2006... Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba's National Assembly, accused the U.S. government of making the Jamaican branch of Canada's Scotiabank deny its services to the Cuban Embassy in Kingston. Gisela Garcia Rivero, Cuba's ambassador to...

Ethnaol production up worldwide.
September 1, 2006... Sugar-producing nations are increasingly using cane to produce ethanol as they seek new markets for the traditional crop and demand for renewable fuel soars, said world sugar experts meeting in Havana. Peter Baron, president of the...

Cuba now top recipient of Bancoex loans.(Banco de Comercio Exterior de Venezuela)(Artículo breve)
September 1, 2006... Venezuela's Foreign Commerce Bank (Bancoex) up to July has granted loans amounting to $90.8 million, a 96% increase compared to the same period in 2005, reports El Universal newspaper of Caracas. Bancoex President Gustavo Marquez said...

Court favors U.S. in Cohiba dispute.
September 1, 2006... The U.S. government has upheld the rights of a New York company to use the Cohiba brand name on cigars it makes outside Cuba. Doreen Hemlock, writing in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, says the decision not to hear a Cuban appeal basically...

Iran ships 500 rail cars to Cuba.
September 1, 2006... Iran will be exporting 500 freight and passenger trains to Cuba valued at $135 million, said the Cuban deputy minister of transportation noted. The news came during Roberto Ricardo Mauro's visit to Pars Wagon Co. in Arak, 250 km southwest...

Geneticists study Cuban twins.
September 1, 2006... Five out of 1,000 births in Cuba are twins, according to experts speaking at the recent Congress on Community Genetics in Havana. Eight provinces surveyed--Pinar del Rio, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Guantanamo,...

Isla de la Juventud: Cuba's only 'island municipality'.(includes data on economy, natural resources, industry, infrastructure)
September 1, 2006... Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth)--known until 1978 as Isla de Pinos (Isle of Pines)--is the largest of all the islands and islets within Cuban territory. Sizewise, its 2,204 square kilometers (851 square miles) make it the sixth-largest...

Calendar of events.(Calendario)
September 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. Sep. 11-16: 14th Non-Aligned Summit, Havana. Representatives of 116 nations,...