The Cuban government extended from 50 to 99 years the right to the use of state lands by companies from other countries that invest in the island, with the aim of “giving foreign investors greater security and guarantee in real estate businesses, for the sustainable development of the country and the national economy,” according to a decree published in the Gaceta Oficial.
Read MoreA delegation from the ruling Spanish Workers Socialist Party (PSOE) will arrive in Cuba next August 31 to back President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s policy of dialogue with the island, Leire Pajín, that organization’s secretary, announced. The mediation of the Catholic Church, with the backing of Madrid, achieved the Cuban authorities’ promise to release 52 political prisoners, of which 26 have already been set free.
Read MoreThe foreign ministers of Cuba and Paraguay, Bruno Rodríguez and Héctor Lacognata, met in the island’s capital as part of the sixth bilateral meeting of the consultation mechanisms, the local press reported. A total of 727 young Paraguayans are studying in Cuba, while more than 8,000 persons from the South American nation have learned to read and write thanks to the Yo sí puedo (Yes I Can) Cuban literacy method.
Read MoreCuba began the process of selecting its team for the 2010 COPABE Pan American Games/World Cup Qualifying Tournament to take place in Puerto Rico from October 1-10. A shortlist of 39 players was announced on Thursday.
Read MoreI believe that to begin to solve our problems in Cuba the Cuban government should pick up the microphone and say, “Starting tomorrow, no one else on this island will be punished or penalized for thinking differently.”
Read MoreThe Economist magazine online runs a feature story on Thursday about the dealings of Chilean multimillionaire Max Marambio in Cuba and the now defunct Rio Zaza joint venture with the island’s government.
Read MoreThe governor of the state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, will try to get the release of U.S. contractor Alan Gross, detained in Cuba since December 2009 charged with espionage. Richardson, who is on a visit to the island, told CNN that he had met with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and had attempted to convince him of the advantage of releasing Gross.
Read MoreVenezuelan President Hugo Chávez met Wednesday with former Cuban President Fidel Castro, with whom he discussed the international situation for several hours, especially the danger of a nuclear war, reported IPS. Later Chávez met with his counterpart Raúl Castro, with whom he reviewed the state of bilateral relations. The visit to Cuba by the Venezuelan president had not been previously announced.
Read MoreJuan Juan Almeida, son of deceased Commander of the Cuban Revolution Juan Almeida, will arrive today in Miami from Mexico, after having received a temporary exit permit from the island’s government, the Miami-based El Nuevo Herald reported. Almeida, author of the book Memorias de un guerrillero cubano desconocido (Memories of an Unknown Cuban Guerrilla), which criticizes the Caribbean nation’s political system, will be treated for a bone disease in Los Angeles.
Read MoreMore than 20,000 persons will have learned to read and write in Argentina at the close of 2010 thanks to the Cuban Yo sí puedo (Yes I Can) literacy program, Claudia Camba, president of the A Better World is Possible (UMMEP) foundation, affirmed. Camba also said that some 29,000 persons have been operated on as part of Operation Miracle, a regional initiative for free ophthalmologic care launched in 2004 by Cuba and Venezuela.
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