AP names reporters in Haiti and Cuba, expands Spanish translation staff

<p style="text-align: justify;">By The Associated Press, Monday, March 14. MEXICO CITY — The Associated Press has appointed Trenton Daniel, a former reporter for The Miami Herald, as its correspondent in Haiti, and has named Peter Orsi, an editor on its Latin America regional news desk, to its bureau in Havana. Read More

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U.S. rejects conviction of contractor by Cuba, demands his release

<p style="text-align: justify;">By LESLEY CLARK. MiamiHerald.com. Washington called on Cuba to release U.S. contractor Alan Gross after he was sentenced to 15 years for crimes against the state.-- A U.S. contractor accused by Cuba of plotting to “destroy the revolution” was convicted of crimes against the state Saturday and sentenced to 15 years in prison, prompting protests from the White House and fury in Miami. Read More

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q&a: Big U.S. travel provider wading into Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">Los Angeles-based AmericanTours International LLC recently announced it would begin offering travel services to Cuba, making it the biggest privately-owned U.S. travel organization yet to go to Cuba. Founded in 1977, ATI serves 1 million foreign visitors to the United States annually. The company is also a preferred travel provider for 50 million American Automobile Association (AAA) members. In an ATI press release announcing its new CubATI program, AAA CEO Don Gagnon touted the “one-stop arrangements” of ATI’s Cuba Web site. Read More

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Bomb victim's friend testifies on militant's trial

<p style="text-align: justify;">AP.Tue Mar 8, EL PASO, Texas – The friend of the Italian tourist killed in the 1997 bombing of the Copacabana Hotel in Havana, Cuba, gave a harrowing account of the explosion and the death of his friend during the U.S. trial of a former CIA operative accused of immigration fraud, perjury and the obstruction of justice in a terror investigation. Read More

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Port, ferry operators want to run a slow boat to Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">Washington Bureau. 10:07 p.m. EST, March 5, 2011. WASHINGTON — Imagine boarding a deluxe ferry boat at Port Everglades or the Port of Tampa one evening, settling into a cabin or a reclining chair and sailing into Havana harbor as the sun rises the next morning, all for $150 to $300 roundtrip.Florida port officials are planning for this tantalizing prospect, while ferry operators push the Obama administration to allow them to make it a reality.For thousands of Cuban-Americans and other passengers scrambling for seats on charter flights to Cuba, ferry service would be a cheaper new way to get themselves and lots of luggage to the island. Read More

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Varadero's Architectural Charm Threatened by Tourism

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Mar 2, 2011 (IPS) - Important architectural works from the Modern movement in Cuba appear to be doomed as a result of the expansion of massive hotel complexes, which threaten to take over the landscape in Varadero, this country's most famous beach resort.The alert was first sounded in 2010 when rumours began to spread about the demolition of the Hotel Internacional and the Hotel Club Cabañas del Sol, two 1950s structures located in a prime area of Varadero, which is 140 km east of Havana, in the province of Matanzas. Read More

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Cuban doctors are on the rural frontlines in Haiti’s cholera epidemic

<p style="text-align: justify;">More than 4,000 people have died of cholera in Haiti, and while the international attention has focused on the country’s capital, Cuban doctors are providing crucial care in rural areas.MIREBALAIS, Haiti -- Wracked by diarrhea, Emmanuel Losier was surprised at what he found when, after two hours on foot, he finally reached the closest cholera treatment center to his central plateau home: plenty of empty beds and Cuban doctors he could not communicate with. Read More

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Fidel Castro expected to resign as Cuba party chief

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Marc Frank. HOLGUIN, Cuba. Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:04pm EST. HOLGUIN, Cuba (Reuters) - The Cuban Communist Party has moved forward the election of new leadership to a congress in April where longtime party leader Fidel Castro is expected to step down, sources close to the party said over the weekend.Castro, 84, previously handed over most of the responsibilities as first secretary but kept the title. His official departure from his last leadership position would be a symbolically important step toward a new era for the island he ruled for 49 years. Read More

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Integrated Farming to Help Reach Food Sovereignty

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Ivet González. SAN JOSÉ DE LAS LAJAS, Cuba, Feb 25, 2011 (IPS) - Based on their own experience, Luisa García and Jorge Medina, whose farm in Cuba produces a variety of food that feeds them year-round, said they have no doubt that food sovereignty can be achieved in their country and in the rest of Latin America. Read More

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Festival shows off Cuba's signature cigars with glitz, glamour and a lot of smoke

<p style="text-align: justify;">The Canadian Press – Thu, 24 Feb, 2011. HAVANA - Debora Garcia sits at a table in a room choked with smoke, gently rolling an unbanded cigar between her delicate fingers. She uses her thumb to measure its width and length, then holds it up to her nose to get a sense of its scent. Finally she writes down her answer and moves on to the next cigar.Garcia is one of 27 cigar sommeliers and other experts taking part this week in a blind "tasting" of Cuba's world-famous smokes — part of the island's glitzy and glamorous Cigar Festival, which draws many of the biggest vendors from around the world each year. Read More

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