News

Dominican Republic President Leonel Antonio Fernández arrives in Cuba Thursday on an official visit. The Cuban press reported that Fernandez will meet with his counterpart Raul Castro to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties. No mention was made whether the Dominican leader would also meet with ex-President Fidel Castro.

Yunieski Maya, not long ago the top right-handed pitcher on team Cuba, is headed for Washington to play with the Nationals. “Maya was by most measures the best pitcher in Cuba the season immediately before his 2009 departure,” said Cuban Baseball expert Peter C. Bjarkman.

The Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba had five of its computers seized by US Customs officers at the US-Mexican border on Wednesday morning, states the organization website. As this note is written the group carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba is now in customs on the Mexican side of the border.

A former New York City school teacher was banned from returning to the school district for having taken five students on a field trip to Cuba back in 2007 with their parents consent.

The U.S.-Cuba Friendship Caravan, organized by the Pastors for Peace Interreligious Foundation, will cross today the U.S.-Mexican border with a shipment of 100 tons of humanitarian aid that includes school supplies and hospital equipment, computers, sports devices and construction tools.

The release of 52 political prisoners announced by the Cuban government aims “to influence the U.S. Congress to ease the embargo and put an end to the travel to Cuba ban,” said Jaime Suchlicki, director of the Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies of the University of Miami. Suchlicki affirmed in a report that Washington should not make any “concession” in response to the measures since this would strengthen the island’s government.

The National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) will discuss the new Law of Modification to the Political-Administrative Division in its next regular session, to be held in the Cuban capital July 28-August 2. The law establishes the division of Havana province into two territories, Mayabeque and Artemisa, and other restructurings in Matanzas and Guantánamo. Cuba currently has 14 provinces and one special municipality.

Each time a Pastors for Peace humanitarian caravan to Cuba has attempted to cross the US-Mexican border the question has been whether the US authorities would confiscate all or part of their aid to enforce the US embargo, which took place on several occasions.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced Tuesday that he will travel to Cuba next Monday to participate in the anniversary of the 1953 attack on the Moncada garrison that sparked the Cuban Revolution. While the Cuban media has not announced whether former President Fidel Castro will be attending the commemoration in Villa Clara, Chavez said he was going to Cuba “to be with Raul, Fidel and the Cuban people.”

Cuba’s Interior Ministry has issued a summons for Chilean businessman Joel Max Marambio in connection with serious irregularities including bribery, embezzlement and fraud at the Cuban-Chilean joint venture Alimentos Rio Zaza.