An earthquake of 3.0 degrees on the Richter scale shook several areas of Cuba’s eastern region on Monday night, reported the Network of Stations of the National Seismological Service. The quake, the 28th registered this year in the island, did not cause material damage in the towns where it was felt.
Read MoreThe 15th International Poetry Festival of Havana will take place next Sunday in six Cuban cities, with the participation of around 100 representatives from 40 countries, reported the local press. The event is dedicated to the poetry of Latin American countries which are commemorating the bicentennial of the beginning of the wars of independence, and to the centennials of Cuban writer José Lezama Lima and Spaniard Miguel Hernández.
Read MoreCuban VP Esteban Lazo is in Argentina representing the island at the bicentennial celebration of Argentinean independence on Tuesday. Lazo has become the key Cuban figure at numerous international events this year in representation of President Raul Castro.
Read MoreA total of 1,541 persons more than 100 years old live in Cuba. This figure represents 53 more than those registered two years ago, according to a study by the National Department of Older Persons and Social Assistance of the Ministry of Public Health. The issue will be debated at the Satisfactory Longevity: Integral Vision International Seminar to be held in the island’s capital next Wednesday.
Read MoreVenezuelan President Hugo Chávez sent a commission of experts to Cuba to advise the island on how to address the oil slick from the Gulf of Mexico, which will possibly affect its coasts in a few weeks, announced the president. The delegation, headed by the vice president of the state-run PDVSA oil company, Eulogio Del Pino, will help to organize simulations to preview the consequences of the oil spill.
Read MoreThe hurricane season that begins next June 1 will be more active than average due to the weakening of the El Niño phenomenon and the high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, affirmed José Rubiera, director of the National Forecast Centre of Cuba’s Institute of Meteorology. After a devastating 2008, when the country was hit by three hurricanes, in 2009 the Caribbean nation was only indirectly affected by Ida’s passage through the Gulf of Mexico.
Read MoreThe Cuban government will begin today the transfer of the political prisoners to penitentiaries closer to their provinces of origin and will hospitalize those who are ill, affirmed dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who maintains a hunger strike in favour of the release of the latter. The island’s gesture would be the first response to the dialogue with the Catholic Church hierarchy last week.
Read MoreTalks between the government of President Raúl Castro and leaders of the Catholic Church in Cuba may alleviate internal tensions and lead to the release of political prisoners, although the dialogue should be extended to include other social sectors in the country, religious leaders and analysts told IPS.
Read MoreThe U.S. government increased the number of licenses to travel to Cuba, a destination banned for U.S. citizens, affirmed Arturo Valenzuela, Department of State assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs. According to the official, the travel permits for religious reasons increased by 25 per cent while those given for artistic and academic reasons also grew, but to a lesser extent.
Read MoreCuban President Raúl Castro expressed his willingness to take steps regarding the situation of the political prisoners in the island, affirmed Dionicio García, Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba and president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, who met yesterday with the president together with Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino, Archbishop of Havana.
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