Archive - Aug 2009

Diplomats from Sweden, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland and Germany saw Ferrer's wife, Yusnaimy Jorge Soca, at her Havana home and brought donated items including food and clothing. The group said it organized the visit on its own and had not been invited by the couple.

Experts say it's hard to pinpoint what has caused such a drastic drop but attribute it to combination of factors, with the U.S. economic downturn topping the list. Other reasons are the stepped up U.S. law enforcement against smugglers, eased U.S. restrictions on Cuban-Americans and a clampdown by the Cuban government.

The U.S. government should lift all the travel to Cuba restrictions for its citizens, affirmed Bill Richardson, governor of the state of New Mexico, who is on a visit to the island.   Richardson has met with the Caribbean country’s political and business sector authorities.

Cuban hospitals have been equipped with high-resolution devices for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), axial computerized tomography or CAT scan and positron emission tomography (PET). All of these techniques contribute to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

“I’m not an envoy of the (Obama) administration. I’m carrying no message. I’m here as a governor seeking agricultural trade,” he said. “Obviously I do plan to submit my impressions to the administration after I conclude,” he added. “I will do that as a citizen and as a governor. They’re my impressions alone.”

In the view of some analysts, the crisis makes it even more urgent to hold the PCC Congress. The Sixth Congress, postponed since 2002, had been announced for the end of this year. However, the party's Central Committee decided to postpone it until an analysis is carried out "with the entire population."

Juanes, who lives in the United States, told the Miami Herald in an interview published on Wednesday he saw his scheduled September 20 concert in Havana's Revolution Square as a chance to promote reconciliation between Cuba and the United States, which have been ideological foes for nearly 50 years.

“Incredible” was the most common reaction on Sunday night among people who called each other by phone with the question of the moment: “Did you see him.” Others, regardless of political inclination, told family members, “Look, on TV, they’re showing Fidel.” “He’s standing firm,” commented Susana Rodríguez, a store employee.

There has been a steady increase over the last three years, that is, from July 2006 to July 2009. The number represents a six percent increase as compared to the same period of 2008. And there was a 3.1% growth in the number of tourists going to Cuba from January to July of this year, 47,000, more than in the first seven months of 2008.

Richardson met with Alarcon on Monday. On Tuesday he visited chamber of commerce President Pedro Alvarez and Igor Montero, president of Alimport, the Cuban government agency responsible for agricultural commerce.