International Book Fair in February

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA.—The 20th International Book Fair, Cuba 2011 will take place February 10-20 in the capital and through March 6 in the country’s provinces, under the banner "To read is to grow." This edition pays tribute to the bicentenary of the first independence of Latin America, to the 220th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution and the First Declaration of the Abolition of Slavery, according to the Cubarte website. Read More

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Cuba eliminates taxes for US money transfers

<p style="text-align: justify;">Cuba and the United States reached an agreement with money transfer company Western Union to eliminate the taxes that were previously imposed for remittances in Cuban convertible pesos, according to the BBC news agency.According to that source, the measure came into affect last week but was made public when the US Treasury Department’s International Affairs office sent out a resolution authorizing that type of transaction. Read More

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Record-setting pitcher Lazo retires in Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA (AP)—Right-handed pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo has retired from Cuban baseball after dominating hitters for two decades.Lazo is Cuba’s career win leader, with a 257-136 record over 21 seasons. He played in four Olympics and both World Baseball Classics. Only one Cuban pitcher has bested his 2,426 career strikeouts.He arrived for a game honoring him on Sunday in a horse-drawn carriage at the stadium in Pinar del Rio. Read More

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Pinar del Río for an early tobacco harvest

<p style="text-align: justify;">Written by Maritza Padilla Valdés. December 2010.The tobacco growers of Pinar del Rio, major producer of the leaf in Cuba, expect to conclude the year with most of the areas planted in the best growing season. Read More

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Pablo Milanés to perform in Pinar del Río

<p style="text-align: justify;">Renowned singer and songwriter Pablo Milanes will perform on January 20, 2011, at the Provisional Square of the Revolution of Pinar del Rio as part of a national tour started last November in the eastern provinces of the island.After some international commitments, the author of the famous song Yolanda, will retake the second part of the tour with one of the presentations in the westernmost territory of Cuba planned for late January. Read More

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Mexico Tourism Drops due to Crisis, Lack of Safety

<p style="text-align: justify;">12/25/2010. The lack of safety on the streets and the economic situation of the Mexican family are responsible for the climate of uncertainty in some tourism destinations in the country''s center, north, and south, the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels (AMHM) informed. Read More

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Square of Three Crosses, a place full of symbolism

<p style="text-align: justify;">Just at the end of the Amargura, Real del Jigüe and San Antonio streets have the inhabitants of Trinidad, the south central city of Cuba, declared a world heritage, one of the most singular and distinctive spaces: the Plaza de las Tres Cruces (Three Crosses Square), also previously known as Calvario. Read More

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Qatar prime minister in Havana

<p style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar was in Havana to talk about the state of relations with Cuba and discuss “regional and multilateral” issues, according to official daily Granma.State company Qatari Diar is building the $75 million Gran Paraiso luxury resort on Cayo Largo del Sur and a $70 million luxury hotel on the Malecón in Havana. Qatar is also seeking to invest in other areas of the Cuban economy, the Qatari ambassador in Havana said earlier this year. Meanwhile, Cuban doctors are staffing a provincial hospital in Qatar. Read More

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Oil joint venture gets formal go-ahead in Venezuela

<p style="text-align: justify;">The Venezuelan national assembly granted Petrolera Vencupet S.A. the right to explore for heavy or extra-heavy crude in Venezuela. Read More

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Cuban intellectuals express comprehension and optimism

<p style="text-align: justify;">12/26/2010. Cuban intellectuals express comprehension and optimism. Cuban intellectuals expressed in this eastern city comprehension and optimism regarding the Project of guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and Revolution, currently in the process of popular debate.In an assembly of the committee of the Cuban Association of Writers and Artists (UNEAC, after its initials in Spanish) in the province of Granma, creators from different areas praised the recent speech by President Raul Castro. Read More

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