Cuba congress OKs reforms

<p style="text-align: justify;">By ISABEL SANCHEZ. April 28, 2011, 8:00am. HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) —&nbsp; Cubans can buy and sell homes and cars for the first time in 50 years under reforms approved at a landmark Communist Party congress in Havana seeking to secure the island's socialist future.President Raul Castro also surprised many by proposing that top political positions should be limited to two five-year terms. Read More

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Cuba makes final preparations for five-wells hydrocarbon hunt

<p style="text-align: justify;">Jeremy Cresswell. Aberdeen Press and Journal. Cuba's Ministry of Basic Industry (MINBAS) says that the first of five deepwater exploration wells planned for the Cuban sector of the Gulf of Mexico is to spud this summer. It will be drilled as soon as Saipem's new Scarabeo 9 semi-submersible rig arrives from the Far East. The basic unit was built by Yantai Raffles in China and transferred to Singapore for completion.Manuel Marreno, the ministry's oil sector director, told attendees at the Fourth International Earth Science Convention in Havana that the wells will be drilled between 2011 and 2013 in water depths ranging from 400-1,500m. Read More

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CONCACAF Proposes New World Cup Qualifying Format: United States Would Enter In Semis

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Jeremiah Oshan. Apr 27, 2011 - Under the newest proposed CONCACAF 2014 World Cup qualifying format, recently presented to FIFA and awaiting approval in May, the United States would enter in the semifinals along with Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras and Cuba.Those six teams -- the region's six highest in FIFA's March rankings -- would be joined by the winners of the six quarterfinal groups and would be split into three four-team groups. The semifinals would begin in June 2012. Read More

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Eating in homes a fine way to dine in Havana

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Ann Trieger Kurland. Globe Correspondent / April 27, 2011. HAVANA — Chugging along in a cobbled together 1953 Dodge taxi (vintage US cars are common here), we drive past Art Deco buildings and colonial-style mansions, a reminder of Havana’s past grandeur. Now, roads are worn and structures are crumbling from neglect. We ride down the Malecón, the road winding along the Gulf of Mexico, and leave shabby neighborhoods behind as we make our way to La Cocina de Lilliam. This is one of the city’s best paladares, a privately owned restaurant in a home, which is a legal enterprise here. Read More

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