The crux of the matter is that any calamity that causes Cuba to suffer hunger, war, shortages of medicine or insufficient financial resource rebounds in the lives of all Cubans on the island, as well as with the dissidents, with their relatives and with their friends.
Read MoreCuba reiterated its call to speed up the reforms in the UN Security Council in statements by Rodolfo Benítez, the island’s representative, when speaking at the 5th round of intergovernmental negotiations on changes to that multilateral agency. Benítez expressed the support of his government and of other countries for a more balanced and effective relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly.
Read MoreThe archbishop of Chicago, Francis George, will travel to Cuba next week to reciprocate a visit by his Cuban counterpart Dionisio García, president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, announced the archbishop of the city of Santiago de Cuba. The arrival of the also president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States is taking place in the midst of the dialogue between the Church and the island’s government.
Read MoreThe United Nations recognized Cuba’s cooperation with countries that have suffered natural disasters, such as the earthquake in Haiti, in a message from John Colmes, assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs and coordinator of the multilateral agency’s Emergency Aid. The message was read during the first day of the 8th International Congress on Disasters being held in the island’s capital.
Read MoreVatican Foreign Minister Dominique Mamberti said during a press conference in Havana that he was pleased with the results of the ongoing talks between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government. Mamberti pointed out that “one of the major objectives of the Holy See’s diplomacy is favoring the dialogue between local Churches and the authorities of the different countries.”
Read MoreThe oil spewing from the April 20 explosion of the BP drilling well —with existing and potentially dire consequences— has put the whole Gulf of Mexico, the coasts of Mexico, the coast of the United States and the coasts of Cuba in danger, as well as threatening other Caribbean nations such as The Bahamas.
Read MoreCuba, like many countries, has a departure tax. It is 25 CUC (pesos convertibles) per person (currently around 22-23 Euros) and is payable after check-in and before passing through Cuban immigration to go to the departure gate. Your boarding pass gets a stamp showing this tax has been paid. Without the stamp, you are not allowed through immigration.
Read MoreTo visit an agricultural cooperative in Cuba, arrangements must be made through the Asociación Nacional de Agricultores Pequeños (ANAP or the National Association of Small Farmers).
Read MoreCuban folk singer Silvio Rodriguez has been on tour recently in the United States. When he was in Oakland, California on June 12th, documentary photographer Bill Hackwell was on hand to capture these images. (9 photos)
Read MoreIn Guantanamo, the covered wagon is part of tradition. It’s not because people want to go to “Bayamo en Coche” (Bayamo in Carriage), like the line from the song made famous by the popular artist affectionately known as “Tiburón” (shark), but because out of necessity for many years this has been the most common form of getting from one place to another.
Read More