The 30th Cuban International Tourism Fair begins Monday in this capital, reported IPS. Russia will be the guest of honor on this occasion, with a delegation of hotel companies and tour operators headed by Alexander Radkov, vice president of the Federal Tourism Agency. This year the island expects a growth in the number of visitors from Russia to reach the figure of 45,000.
Read MoreAfter hundreds of thousands of Cubans took part in the traditional International Workers Day parade in Havana on Saturday, the small group of protestors known as the Ladies in White held their habitual Sunday march without incident.
Read MoreSalvador Valdés, general secretary of the Central Organization of Cuban Trade Unions (CTC), the only union organization in the island, asked for support for the reforms begun by the government of Raúl Castro, officially known as “updating of the economic model,” in his speech during the May Day parade in Revolution Square in this capital. According to Valdés, those changes will require “extraordinary efforts and sacrifices,” and he called for “sharing shortages and efforts to overcome them.”
Read MoreCuba could become a partner with India in the area of biotechnology, affirmed Miguel Ramírez, the island’s ambassador to that Asian country, when speaking at the 4th India-Latin America and the Caribbean Meeting being held in New Delhi. According to the diplomat, cooperation could take place especially in the sphere of human vaccines, where the Caribbean country has made important progress.
Read MoreThe Cuban authorities banned the import of auto and motorbike engines and bodyworks, which they had approved two years ago, according to a new resolution published in the Gaceta Oficial. Two months before the government also decided to cancel the purchase of modern cars abroad to replace older models.
Read MoreCuba owes the United States six billion dollars for the expropriation of U.S. persons and companies carried out by Fidel Castro’s government after 1959, according to data from the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. The island’s government, for its part, has documented that the US embargo has caused Cuba losses worth more than 96 billion dollars.
Read MoreIt’s sad that Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has not found more intelligent arguments against transgenic foods and that he was only able to appeal to machismo, which served to reinforce existing prejudices against male homosexuality.
Read MoreCuba’s new requirement that travelers to the island either have coverage from an approved foreign health insurance company or purchase a policy from a Cuban firm at the airport takes effect on Saturday May 1.
Read MoreHunger striker Guillermo Fariñas, who wants the Cuban government to release what he considers sick political prisoners, said he would not abandon his protest that nears 70 days. Fariñas, who is not a prisoner himself, had been asked by 88 dissidents to end the strike but rejected their request. “It’s not the moment to take the pressure off the government,” he told foreign press in Havana, reported IPS.
Read MoreThe Cuban government has decided to make new investments in sea cargo vessels as well as modernize port facilities. The goal is to increase freight movement by sea, which currently only represents 1.9 percent compared to 79.2 percent by truck.
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