The National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) will discuss during its next regular session a bill for the division of Havana province, bordering on the Cuban capital, into two new territories: Mayabeque and Artemisa, reported IPS. The measure would attempt to make more efficient the administration of that area, one of the Caribbean country’s key agricultural regions.
Read MoreLast year Cuba received 81,000 tourists more than in 2008 but revenues from the tourist industry decreased by 10 per cent, according to a report released by the National Office of Statistics (ONE). Canada continues at the head of the issuing markets, with 914,000 visitors, while the number of U.S. tourists increased 25 per cent, to surpass the figure of 52,000, including many Cuban-Americans visiting family.
Read MoreThe Zaza Dam, Cuba’s largest reservoir with a capacity to hold 1.020 billion cubic meters of water, is barely storing 14 per cent of that volume due to the drought that is affecting the island since late 2008, reported the local press. The decrease in the water level has forced the authorities to speed up fishing in that aquifer to avoid the massive death of the fish because of lack of oxygen.
Read MoreSpanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will talk with Pope Benedict XVI on the human rights situation in Cuba when he meets with the Supreme Pontiff next Thursday in the Vatican, reported sources close to the Executive in Madrid. The dialogue will take place three weeks after the beginning of the talks between the Cuban government and the Catholic Church.
Read MoreAcid rain has increased in recent years in Cuba, affirmed Osvaldo Cuesta Santos, head of the Contamination and Atmospheric Chemistry Centre (CECONT) of the Institute of Meteorology. According to the specialist, 25 per cent of the precipitations in the island contain light to high levels of acidity. The most affected areas are located in industrial regions such as Moa, Cienfuegos and Havana.
Read More“They are blown up and used as decorations for parties, filled up with booze and sneaked inside clubs and also used to keep money dry while swimming. The condom serves many purposes in Castro’s Cuba.”
Read MoreIn unison, the jury for the Second HT Photo Contest expressed its desire to congratulate the participants for their excellent submissions. The job of selecting was so painstaking that one of the 20 jury members said she’d prefer not to be a judge in the future to avoid the agony.
Read MoreThe 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.
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