Cuba to free 8 more political prisoners

<p style="text-align: justify;">Published March 05, 2011.| EFE. Havana –&nbsp; The Cuban Catholic Church announced Friday the release and exile to Spain of another seven political prisoners, including one of the five "Group of 75" dissidents who remain behind bars eight years after their arrest in a March 2003 crackdown. Read More

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Cuba a viable market for Texas agriculture

<p style="text-align: justify;">Blair Fannin, Texas AgriLife. Mar. 4, 2011. U.S. food, agriculture and forestry exports to Cuba reached $361 million in 2010, and while down 31 percent from the previous year, Cuba remains a viable market for Texas, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.Dr.&nbsp; Parr Rosson said that Texas businesses are well positioned to compete in Cuba because of the quality of products and proximity to the market.&nbsp; In some years, the U.S. supplies the majority of food imported by Cuba, he said.Corn, wheat, rice, meat, poultry, cotton and forest products have a potential market in Cuba. Read More

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Cubans to Participate in Roller-Skating Qualifying Tournament for Pan-American Games

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Cuba, March 4 (acn) The Cuban national roller-skating team departed on Friday to Argentina to participate in a qualifying regional tournament for the Pan-American Games of Guadalajara, Mexico.Tony Garcia, bronze medalist at the Central American Games in Cartagena de Indias 2006, is the leader of the Cuban team to the tournament, which will begin on March 5 and will end on March 13. Read More

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Polio Vaccination Campaign Underway in Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">Havana, Mar 4 (Prensa Latina) The 50th National Polio Vaccine Campaign begins Friday in Cuba, with the goal of immunizing more than 500,000 children.According to reports from the Public Health Ministry, the program has two stages, the first running March 4-10, and the second, April 22-28.Some 372,000 children under the age of 3 will receive two doses (in drops) of the vaccine, while reactivation will be for 134,377 9-year-olds (up to 11 months and 29 days). Read More

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Cuba frees dissident, other prisoners

<p style="text-align: justify;">Associated Press. HAVANA – A well-known Cuban political prisoner is set to walk out of jail, Roman Catholic officials and the man's wife said Friday, bringing to just four the number of dissidents that remain behind bars from a notorious 2003 sweep.Pedro Arguelles, who was serving a 20-year sentence for treason and other charges, was told he would be allowed to return to his home in central Cuba, his wife Yolanda Vera told The Associated Press. Read More

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Cuban VP Receives Brazilian Candidate to Head FAO

<p style="text-align: justify;">Havana, Mar 4 (Prensa Latina) Cuban First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura received José Graziano da Silva, Brazil''s candidate for the post of director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.During their meeting Thursday in the Palace of the Revolution, Machado ratified to the visitor Cuba's support for his candidacy in the upcoming June FAO elections in Rome, according to Granma newspaper. Read More

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Japanese baseball coaches to train Cubans

<p style="text-align: justify;">Japan Herald. Friday 4th March, 2011.People's Daily. Three Japanese baseball coaches arrived here Thursday to give a course to their Cuban counterparts on pitching, batting and physical training until March 17.The coaches are Masatake Yamanaka and Atsuyoshi Otake, former coaches of Hosei and Waseda universities respectively, and Shinji Inoue, former outfielder of the Yomiuri Giants. Read More

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Clinton urges Cuba to release US contractor

<p style="text-align: justify;">WASHINGTON (AFP) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday urged Cuba to release "unconditionally" American contractor Alan Gross as his trial on espionage charges was due to begin.Clinton told reporters that the United States is "deeply concerned" about Gross, who has been held in Cuba for more than a year and whose release has long been demanded by US officials. Read More

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Tampa presses for air franchise to Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">An editorial Friday in The Tampa Tribune:We have never followed the foreign-policy logic of allowing flights to Cuba from Miami but not from Tampa, home to thousands of Cuban-Americans.So when President Barack Obama recently decided to allow any airport that is capable of handling the immigration oversight to apply to host direct charter flights, we joined many other Tampa interests in welcoming the business opportunity.Flying directly to Cuba from here would cost less than going through Miami. Read More

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Benicio Del Toro in Cuba to Direct Segment for 'Seven Days in Havana'

<p style="text-align: justify;">11:27 PM 3/3/2011 by Agustin Mango. The actor makes his helming debut with the collective film, whose other participating filmmakers include Julio Medem, Laurent Cantet, Pablo Trapero, Gaspar Noe, Elia Suleiman, and Juan Carlos Tabio.BUENOS AIRES -- Puerto Rican Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro arrived in Cuba earlier this week to direct a segment in the collective film Seven Days in Havana.Del Toro's first time as a director will be a documentary featuring an American actor traveling to the island for a seminar. Read More

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