Cuba's National Assembly to convene Aug. 1 as islanders await economic overhaul

<p style="text-align: justify;">The Canadian Press. By The Associated Press. HAVANA - The head of Cuba's parliament says lawmakers will convene on Aug. 1 as the island considers a battery of highly anticipated economic reforms. The changes promise to open up some space for more private activity in the tightly controlled economy. They include relaxing restrictions on the sale of private property and increasing opportunities for entrepreneurship and independent co-operatives. Read More

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Communist Party to Consider Allowing Civil Unions

<p style="text-align: justify;">Is marriage equality on the docket for Cuba’s Communists? That’s the word according to Mariela Castro of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education. In an interview with a Spanish radio station, Castro said that the Cuban Communist Party intends to discuss the issue next January at their Party Conference, a follow-up to April’s Party Congress. Read More

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Alarcon Ratifies Cuba’s Support for Puerto Rico’s Independence

<p style="text-align: justify;">2011.07.12 - 08:28:44 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. La Habana, Cuba.- Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon ratified on Monday&nbsp; Cuba’s support for the continuous struggle of Puerto Rican patriots in the name of its decolonization and total independence. At the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp of Artemisa province, the top official expressed his conviction that Puerto Ricans will achieve their sovereignty if they continue the struggle in all spheres.&nbsp; Read More

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Flights to begin from Fort Myers to Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">July 12, 2011. The Office of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection has approved Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) as meeting the criteria to provide flights between the United States and Cuba.RSW was one of 12 airports in the United States to be added to the authorized list that had previously included only three U.S. airports: Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.“We appreciate the administration for designating Southwest Florida International Airport as a gateway to Cuba,” said Robert M. Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority Read More

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Martinique Chosen as Guest Country for Int’l Caribbean Festival 2012

<p style="text-align: justify;"><br /> 2011.07.11 - 18:02:07 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. Santiago de Cuba.- The 31st edition of the Fiesta del Fuego Caribbean Cultural Festival wounded up Saturday in the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba, its traditional venue. This year the Festival was dedicated to Trinidad and Tobago, while the guest country for the 2012 edition will be Martinique. Read More

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New Fragrances for the Cuban Soap Industry

<p style="text-align: justify;">2011.07.11 - 15:36:08 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu / Havana, Cuba.- The average Cuban citizen prefers the perfumed soap, which widely differs from the current tendency on the issue all over the world. Adriana Escoriza Martínez, Technical Director of the Suchel Fragrance enterprise, explained that the local brands of soaps Nácar and Batey stopped being commercialized in the local free market as in the case of Nácar, it had an almond´s penetrating smell and some persons complained about their skin´s irritation. Read More

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Omara Portuondo & Chucho Valdés

<p style="text-align: justify;">By: Cormac Larkin at www.irishtimes.com. July 11 2011. There is a flavour in Latin- American music – a sentimental blend of tears and treacle – that has fallen out of fashion in the Anglophone world and can take some readjustment for jaded Western palates. With Omara and Chucho, it’s worth the effort. Two living legends of Cuban music – he, the maestro of Afro-Cuban jazz, she, the queen of the Buena Vista Social Club – deliver the sort of performance that, if you heard it in some atmospheric club in Havana, might restore your faith in romance. Read More

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Guatemala: Tribute to Facundo Cabral Condemns Violence

<p style="text-align: justify;">By: Jennifer Socorro Ramon. 10:39Guatemala City, Jul 11 (Prensa Latina) Dozens of artists participated in a tribute on Sunday to Argentine singer-songwriter Facundo Cabral, who was murdered here on Saturday.It was not a traditional concert and the public could not remain silent, because of the anger, fury, indignation and so many spontaneous feelings during the performances, which condemned the absurd crime. Read More

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Anthony Bourdain on taking 'No Reservations' to Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">Anthony Bourdain in Old Havana, Cuba.By Rebecca Ruiz, Senior editor, msnbc.com. In the season premiere of "No Reservations" airing tonight, host Anthony Bourdain visits Cuba for the first time. He spends the hour falling for Havana's old school charms, from its retro cars and architecture to its passionate baseball fans to its so-called "sleeping" beans, which are eaten only after they've sat overnight. U.S. tourists who have long dreamed of visiting the communist country should take note. Now that the Obama administration has issued new rules for traveling to Cuba, average Americans can visit the country provided they do so with tour operators that provide educational experiences. Read More

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Cuba beats Taiwan 6-3 in the World Baseball Challenge

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Paul Huang&nbsp; /Contributing Reporter. Taiwan proved no match for Cuba in their second game at this year’s World Baseball Challenge, dropping a 6-3 decision at the Citizen Field Park in Prince George, Canada, on Sunday evening to even their record in the tournament to 1-1.Starter Chen Kuan-ju, winner of Taiwan’s first game against a different Cuban squad in the World Port Baseball Tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, late last month, lasted less than an inning as the Cubans took him to school with a pair of homers — the first, a three-run shot by Frederich Cepeda and the second, a solo blast by Jose Abreu, to take a surprising 4-0 lead. Read More

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