The 21st United States-Cuba Friendship Caravan will tour 130 cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico starting next July 3 to 22. The initiative of collecting humanitarian aid, coordinated by the Pastors for Peace religious organization, challenges the both the economic blockade on Cuba and the ban on travel that prohibits ordinary US citizens from visiting the Caribbean country without special US Treasury Dept. permission.
Read MoreThe Cuban authorities made a call to strengthen water saving faced by the ongoing drought since November 2008, reported IPS. The month of May closed with barely 49 per cent of the historic average rainfall, which has led to the country’s reservoirs only containing 41 per cent of their capacity.
Read MoreThe president of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, announced to the Central American nation’s parliament that he will travel to Cuba this year, although the date has still not been set. Funes expressed his interest in taking advantage of the island’s progress in areas such as science, technology, medicine and sports. This would be the first visit by a Salvadoran president in the last 50 years, reported IPS.
Read MoreThis year Cuba’s universities will reach the graduation of a million persons, of which more than 31,000 students are from 129 countries, said Gustavo Cobreiro Suárez, rector of the University of Havana, the island’s oldest. The island’s total population is 11.2 million.
Read MoreHAVANA TIMES, June 4 — Cuba plays at home tonight against Argentina as this year’s Men’s World Volleyball League kicks off. The match is at 8:40 at the Ciudad Deportiva Sports City arena in the capital.
Sixteen teams begin play this weekend in eight cities around the world. Cuba competes in Group D with Germany, Poland and Argentina. Group A is comprised by Brazil, Bulgaria, South Korea and Holland; Group B includes Serbia, China, Italy and France; and Group C has Russia, USA, Finland and Egypt.
Read MoreFreedom for the Cuban Five was the motive behind a car caravan conducted this past Sunday by members and supporters of the Spanish organization “Defensem Cuba” (Let’s defend Cuba). (21 photos)
Read MoreThe trial of confessed terrorist Luis Posada Carriles will finally take place on January 11, 2011, according to a decision by a court in the city of El Paso, Texas, reported IPS. Posada, claimed by Venezuelan justice for the bombing of a commercial Cubana Airlines plane in 1976, should answer for migratory fraud and false testimony.
Read MoreThe US government reiterated its request to the Cuban authorities for the release for humanitarian reasons of Alan Gross, a contractor from that country imprisoned on the island since December 3, according to statements to the press by Philip Crowley, U.S. Department of State spokesperson. Gross was distributing communication equipment when he was arrested and charged with carrying out espionage activities.
Read MoreCuba reduced by close to half its commercial exchange with Canada in 2009 and to more than a third with Spain, Italy and Venezuela, revealed a report by the National Office of Statistics (ONE). According to the source, last year imports fell to eight billion dollars as compared to 14 billion in 2008.
Read MoreThe U.S. Catholic Church offered its backing to Cuba’s Catholic Church in its efforts to improve the situation of political prisoners in the island, according to statements by Juan Molina, advisor to the Office for International Justice and Peace of the Episcopal Conference. The mediation begun last May 19 already resulted in the relocation of six inmates in their provinces of origin
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