Archive - Jul 2009

In his regular Thursday spot on state television, Cuba's top economic commentator Ariel Terrero said the Comptroller General's Office, to be created through new legislation, will try to ensure that state revenues are properly used.

Cuba has ordered austere energy savings this summer, and the secretive Council of Ministers and Communist Party Central Committee met this week to consider more cuts to cope with budget deficits and plummeting export profits.

The actors presence lent a bit of Hollywood glitz to warming U.S.-Cuba relations, and may have been the precursor for the making of a film in Cuba. Benicio del Toro received an award and Bill Murray stole the show when he improvised a version of the song "As Time Goes By," then jokingly passed around a hat, asking for money.

Compared with other countries in bad terms with U.S., Cuba seems positively benign. The Cuban regime has no apparent interest in nuclear or biological weaponry, it is not guilty of sponsoring terrorism in neighboring states, it is no longer trying to export "socialist revolution," it is not guilty of nuclear proliferation. So, why not talk to them?

“My main opponents in the world championships will be the US hurdlers” said Robles, after it was publicly announced that Chinese Liu Xiang, current world champion, can not participate in the event.

In its online edition, Communist Party newspaper Granma said four oil-related contracts had been signed during a visit on Tuesday by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to the island that was his country’s close ally during the Cold War.

US companies cannot directly supply the market because of a trade embargo, but the future is looking brighter than for many years due to leadership changes on both sides.

The U.S. Interests Section in the Cuban capital city has unplugged an electronic sign that flashed messages aimed at criticizing and needling the Castro government. The move has apparently been matched by the Cuban government, which has dismantled its own anti-U.S. billboards nearby.

Under the first agreement, Cuba will provide specialist eye care staff and equipment over a three-year period, while Jamaica will provide the Cuban medical team with services including accommodation and travel.

Raul Castro replaced ailing brother Fidel last year and since then has pushed for a more efficient and streamlined government and economy. He replaced his economic Cabinet in March amid the worst financial crisis Cuba has gone through since the demise of former benefactor the Soviet Union in 1991.