News

Cuba Wins Baseball Opener vs. Japan

Team Cuba had an easy time against usually tough Japan winning their opening game of the Haarlem Baseball Week 6-0 behind eight innings of shutout pitching of Freddy Asiel Alvarez. Cuba’s offense was led by Yunier Mendoza who had three hits and three RBIs and Alexei Bell who also had three hits and scored twice. Rolando Meriño and Donal Castro also drove in a run each.

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Sugarcane Production in Hard Times

More than 17 per cent of the areas set aside for the planting of sugar cane in Cuba are idle, reported the island’s state-run press. During the last harvest yields per planted hectare were the worse in the country’s history, with barely 27 tons. Insufficient payment to producers, labor and technical indiscipline, and the lack of exigency and control of the directive are the principal causes of the decline.

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Fariñas Stops Hunger Strike

Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas stopped, at least for four months, the hunger strike which he began on February 24 to demand the release of 26 sick political prisoners, according to his statements to the press. Fariñas’ decision followed the announcement of the release of 52 political prisoners, which the Cuban government said will take place in three to four months.

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Cuba-US Should Duplicate Spy Swap

In light of events over the last two days, a similar swap with Gross and the Cuban Five, allowing all to return to their countries and families, would be a historic sign of goodwill that could lead to the end of a half-century long adversarial relationship between the United States and Cuba.

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Cuba Makes Volleyball Final Round

The Cuban Men’s Team has made it to the six-team final round in the World Volleyball League to take place from July 21-25 in Cordoba, Argentina. While first round play is still not over, the Cubans were already declared the winners of Group D.

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US Pleased by Cuba Prisoner Accord

In the most positive U.S. statement on developments in Cuba in recent memory, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday said the reported agreement between President Raul Castro and the Cuban Catholic Church regarding the release of 52 political prisoners was “very welcome”. “I spoke late last night with the Spanish Foreign Minister, Minister Moratinos, and we welcome this. We think that’s a positive sign. It’s something that is overdue, but nevertheless, very welcome.”

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Cuba Dissidents to Travel to Spain

The 52 dissidents that the Cuban government will release in the coming months will travel to Spain, although they can settle down in other countries later on, affirmed Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who before returning to Madrid told the press that President Raul Castro’s commitment is to release all political prisoners, whose properties in the island will not be confiscated.

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Cuba to Update Seismological Equipment

Cuba will modernize the equipment at nine stations of its earthquake detection system with technology installed by Chinese specialists, announced Raúl Palau, deputy technical director of the Geodynamic Observatory of the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba. This year the island has reported around 25 earthquakes, one of which was 5.5 degrees on the Richter scale.

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Germany to Accept Two Prisoners at Guantánamo

Germany will receive in its territory two of the prisoners at the U.S. prison camp in the Guantanamo Naval Base, according to the agreement reached between Washington and the European Union, reported IPS. When U.S. President Barack Obama got to the White House in 2009 he promised to close that prison but he has faced resistance from Congress.

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