News Archives - Page 1145 of 1384

Cuba Frees another Prisoner of Group of 75

Eduardo Diaz is the latest in a stream of political prisoners to be released in Cuba, after a major round up of 75 “dissidents” alleged to be on the US payroll back in 2003.

Cuba Seizes Over Three Tons of Drugs in 2010

The Cuban authorities seized 3,023 kilograms of drugs in 2010, less than in 2009, the majority coming from drops on the island’s coasts, the General Department of the National Revolutionary Police reported. The detection of forbidden substances also decreased on the domestic market due to the control of marijuana plantations and the illegal marketing of psychotropics, controlled drugs and LSD.

Cuba and China Increase Trade

Cuba and China increased the volume of their bilateral trade in 2010, which amounted to 1.8 billion dollars, Liu Yuquin, Chinese ambassador to the island, announced. However, that figure is still below the 2.2 billion registered in 2008. The Asian country sells automobiles, buses and electric appliances to its Caribbean trade partner, which exports rum, sugar and biotechnological products.

Cuba Presents New Version of Free Software

Cuba presented the new version of the NOVA operational system, based on Linux, as part of its strategy to migrate to free software. At the presentation made at the 2011 Informatics Fair, the deputy rector of the University of Computer Sciences (UCI), Héctor Rodríguez, affirmed that NOVA is a very promising system for businesses, because it is adaptable to the needs of clients and offers greater informatics security.

Cuba Shrimp Production Dips

Shrimp production in Cuba decreased from 4,323 tons in 2006 to only 3,100 tons last year, Amado Posada, director of the Business Group for Shrimp Development, announced. According to the specialist, the crisis in this sector is due to technological violations, organizational problems, corruption, instability in supplies and deterioration of the productive infrastructure.

US Gov. Envisions Cuba Protests

The reforms begun by the Cuban government could increase the discontent of the population and unleash protests, James Clapper, director of U.S. National Intelligence , affirmed in a speech to Congress regarding the world threats to the security of the United States. Clapper expressed his reservations on the ability of the Cuban economy to recover and absorb the excess labor force in the state sector.

Fiber Optic Cuba Means Big Changes

The first move was the government buy out of Telcom’s (Italy) minority share of the Cuban Telecomunications Co. ETECSA. The second was to unblock access on the island to the most well known Cuban blog internationally, Generation Y, put out by Yoani Sanchez.

UNICEF Recognizes Work for Cuba’s Children

Cuba has demonstrated that “the problem of children is not a matter of economic resources but rather of political will,” UNICEF representative Juan Ortiz said in statements to the island’s press. “Being a blockaded country and with scarce resources, it achieved that the implementation of the rights of children be a model, with indicators that are among the highest in the world.”

Drop in Government Housing Construction

State housing construction decreased 7.5 per cent in 2010 as compared to the figure planned by the government, while the private sector reported an increase of 158 per cent, according to the report “Housing: Selected Indicators. January-December 2010” of the National Office of Statistics (ONE). The island’s government, which has a housing deficit of more than half a million units, hopes to build 43,000 homes this year.

Book Fair Begins in Cuba

The 20th International Book Fair of Cuba will be inaugurated today at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress in the Cuban capital, the local press reported. This year the event is dedicated to the cultures of the peoples of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and to the bicentennial of the first independence of Latin America and the Caribbean.