CubaNews articles from September 2008

CubaNews archives from September 2008

Humanitarian, academic groups grapple with tougher restrictions on Cuba travel.
September 1, 2008... A group of Little Leaguers from Vermont and New Hampshire made headlines last month, as they defied two years of bureaucratic obstacles and finally enjoyed a tropical game of baseball on a dirt field east of Havana. "A dream has come...

Obama's Latin American advisor seeks U.S. engagement with Cuba--at a price.
September 1, 2008... With a father who was a top adviser to the Organization of American States and a grandfather who was once Colombia's ambassador in Washington, Dan Restrepo feels he had little choice in his career path. A Latin America expert at the...

Ramiro Valdes Menendez and his role in Raul's regime.
September 1, 2008... For those Cuba-watchers who refuse to accept any notion of reform or improvement under the present leadership of Raul Castro and are still anchored in past assumptions and stereotypes, the political comeback of Ramiro Valdes Menendez is the...

San Francisco billboard urges freedom for spies.
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A huge billboard demanding freedom for five Cuban citizens imprisoned in U.S. jails on espionage charges was inaugurated Aug. 7 at a California rally organized by the U.S. National Committee to Free the Cuban Five....

Ex-officials call current regime 'stalinist'.
September 1, 2008... Former officials of Cuba's communist government say a "democratic and participative" socialism represents the only hope for saving the revolution and restoring the faith of the island's "frustrated, alienated and despairing" people, Spanish...

Cuba names new ambassador to Moscow.
September 1, 2008... Cuba's Council of State has appointed Juan Valdes Figueroa as Cuba's ambassador to Russia, the official newspaper Granma reported Aug. 13. "At the moment of his appointment, comrade Juan Valdes was chief of the Russian and Eastern European...

If FMLN wins, El Salvador to resume Cuba ties.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The leftist front-runner in the race to be El Salvador's next president said Aug. 17 that he'll reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba if elected. Mauricio Funes, a former correspondent for CNN, currently leads polls ahead of the March...

"In their own words ...".
September 1, 2008... "It was terrible. Never in my life have I seen anything like it. My sister's house completely collapsed. She managed to get out before it fell on top of her." --Mirelys, a 32-year-old resident of Los Palacios in the devastated province of...

Gustav causes severe damage across western Cuba.
September 1, 2008... Hurricane Gustav, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit Cuba, caused widespread destruction throughout the province of Pinar del Rio but no deaths, according to preliminary reports reaching CubaNews as we went to press. The Cuban...

James K. Glassman and Washington's 'battle of ideas'.(Interview)
September 1, 2008... Stock-market guru, TV commentator and magazine publisher--James K. Glassman has done it all. For years, this self-professed libertarian has peddled his controversial views on everything from growth-stimulus tax programs to global warming. ...

University opens its doors to free computer software.
September 1, 2008... After years of deliberation, the University of Havana has finally decided to switch over to free software on its network of computers, virtually all of which run Microsoft's Windows operating system. The plan, approved by the University...

Shuttered port of Cardenas offers future possibilities.
September 1, 2008... The recently closed port of Cardenas--once one of Cuba's key sugar ports--has sunk into oblivion with the dismantling of the sugar industry that during the late 19th and throughout most of the 20th century formed the backbone of the local...

Cuba to meet domestic sugar demand in '09.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Cuba expects to meet domestic sugar demand in 2009 for the first time after a major restructuring six years ago of a once-critical industry, AP reported Aug. 6. Sugar Vice Minister Juan Godefoy said the sugar harvest that ended earlier...

Private farmers urged to speak out.
September 1, 2008... Cuba has begun offering private farmers equipment and other resources on credit along with more land, as President Raul Castro seeks to reform agriculture by loosening the state's grip, Reuters reported July 24. Following a decree...

Cuba aims to boost local rice production.
September 1, 2008... Cuba expects to replace 29% of its rice imports in 2009, reports Juventud Rebelde. Nelson Gonzalez, head of the Agriculture Ministry's rice production program, told the daily newspaper Aug. 18 that, after analyzing the limitations facing...

U.S. is now Cuba's no. 5 trading partner.
September 1, 2008... The United States ranked among Cuba's top five trading partners for the first time in 2007 despite the decades-old U.S. trade embargo, as U.S. agriculture sales increased by $100 million, according to Reuters. Trade data for 2007 posted on...

Sherritt to close 4 offshore oil projects.(Sherritt International Corp.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Sherritt International Corp.'s profit fell 39% in its latest quarter as weaker nickel prices and lower finished metals production more than offset record oil prices, said Reuters. The company said it had abandoned its four offshore Gulf of...

Russia's Zarubezhneft to develop oil fields.
September 1, 2008... Russia's Zarubezhneft, which specializes in oil projects abroad, plans to take part in a project to raise yields from reservoirs at the Boca de Haruco field in Cuba, company head Nikolai Brunich told Interfax. The decision to go ahead with...

Computer viruses are spreading.
September 1, 2008... Cuban computer networks have been attacked in recent years by 2,966 "malignant programs," including viruses, "worms" and other malicious software, despite the island's restrictions on private access to the Internet, according to figures...

Judge backs Cubans in Curacao labor dispute.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A federal judge ruled Aug. 9 in favor of three Cuban men who claimed in a 2006 lawsuit that the Castro regime forced them to work as virtual slaves at a shipyard on the Dutch island of Curacao. According to AP,...

Cuba faces cash crunch, warn creditors and suppliers.
September 1, 2008... Cuban creditors and suppliers said in late August they were worried that the island faces a new cash crunch after it notified at least two foreign governments that it could not meet debt payments. Reuters, quoting Western diplomats on the...

Foreign trade shows surplus.
September 1, 2008... Cuba's broadest gauge of its foreign trade swung to a $488 million surplus in 2007--helped by a surge in service exports which traditionally include health care provided in Venezuela. Reuters, quoting official figures, reported Aug. 13 that...

Coral Capital quietly funds Cuba ventures.
September 1, 2008... Ceiba Investments, a growth fund that's helping finance the renovation of Old Havana's Hotel Saratoga and other ventures throughout the island, isn't the only British investment firm active in Cuba. Coral Capital Group (UK) Ltd. is another...

New Fla. laws on academic, family travel challenged.
September 1, 2008... The American Society of Travel Agents filed a "friend of the court" brief in the ABC Charters v. Bronson suit brought against the state of Florida by 16 travel agents specializing in travel to Cuba. ASTA, based in Alexandria, Va., argues...

Caribbean Transfers: cash to Cuba.(Caribbean Transfers Ltd.)
September 1, 2008... Caribbean Transfers Ltd., a Cuban entity registered in the British Virgin Islands, now offers online money transfers to Cuba, accepting credit cards from anywhere in the world--including the United States--to process requests to send funds to...

Cuban docs head for Vanuatu.
September 1, 2008... The tiny Pacific island of Vanuatu is finalizing a deal which will see six Cuban doctors being employed on two-year contracts, Radio New Zealand reported Aug. 10. Vanuatu's director of public health, Len Tarivonda, says they are expected...

The Bacardi empire, gay exile and the Cuban revolution.(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Periodically, CubaNews offers reviews of books we think will interest our readers. This month, we present three new published works for avid Cuba-watchers: BACARDI AND THE LONG FIGHT FOR CUBA "Bacardi and The Long Fight for Cuba: The...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... Sep. 12-13: "Free the Cuban Five" protest, Washington. Events include morning rally at Malcolm X Park, press conference, delivery of petitions to the Justice Department and march to the White House. Details: Ike Nahem, Cuba Solidarity New York,...

Ethanol reconsidered.
September 15, 2008... Following denunciations of the use of food for fuel by Fidel Castro, a top Cuban official said the island hopes to modernize its sugar industry but will scale back plans to boost ethanol production, Reuters said Aug. 6. Luis Galvez,...

As Fidel turns 82, apathy, rising prices prevalent in Cuba--but not rebellion.(Reprint)
September 15, 2008... Raul Castro, whose older brother Fidel celebrated his 82nd birthday on Aug. 11, faces an enormous challenge: Keeping the revolution alive despite a widening generation gap. Since the Castro brothers swept into power in 1959, many of the...

CTC says Cuba's union chiefs ill-prepared.
September 15, 2008... Some 60% of Cuba's labor leaders do not understand collective-bargaining agreements, according to survey results published July 28 by Trabajadores, the official journal of Cuba's only legal union, the CTC. According to Spanish news agency...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
September 15, 2008... An article on Coral Capital by Vito Echevarria (page 13 of this issue) stated that CEIBA Investments is a growth fund helping finance the renovation of Old Havana's Hotel Saratoga and other ventures. In fact, CEIBA Investments Ltd. is an...

Vietnam, Cuba sign cooperation agreement.
September 15, 2008... Vietnam and Cuba have concluded cooperation accords in oil and gas, power, mining and metallurgy in Havana, the Vietnam News Agency reported Aug. 27. During their talks, Yadira Garcia, Cuba's minister of basic industry, told her Vietnamese...

Campesinos to receive microcredits.
September 15, 2008... More than 11,000 Cuban farmworkers will receive microcredits thanks to an accord signed July 25 between the United Nations and Spain's Caja Granada Social Work, which is contributing 90,000 euros (about $140,000) to stimulate employment and...

Jamaica mulls joint fiberoptic project.
September 15, 2008... Jamaica's energy minister, Clive Mullins, received a joint Cuba-Venezuela delegation with the aim of exchanging ideas on an underwater fiberoptic cable project, which promises to benefit all three nations. Seven specialists from Venezuela...

Gustav: where to donate.
September 15, 2008... Readers hoping to help with reconstruction efforts in the wake of Hurricane Gustav are urged to send donations to: * Catholic Charities/Caritas Cubanas. Write "Gustav Relief Fund" on your check and make it out to Catholic Relief Services,...

Shame on everyone!
September 30, 2008... When Myanmar was hit by a killer cyclone early in May, nobody looked at its government before deciding to send aid. When the military regime that rules the country imposed limitations on foreign assistance entering the country, the world's...

Pressure to ease restrictions on Cuba heats up in aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
September 30, 2008... On Aug. 30, just as we were about to put the September 2008 issue of CubaNews to bed, along came Hurricane Gustav--its 212 mph winds making it the strongest storm ever to hit Cuba. Gustav rained destruction on Cuba's westernmost province,...

Hurricane relief: where to send donations.
September 30, 2008... Readers hoping to help with reconstruction efforts in the wake of hurricanes Gustav and Ike can send donations to: * Catholic Relief Services, PO Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203. Tel: (410) 625-2220. Fax: (410) 234-2998. URL: www.crs.org....