News

The 21st Havana Cigar Festival opened today in the Cuban capital, reported sources from the Habanos S.A. joint venture. The participants will have the opportunity until February 27 to taste new products, visit factories and tobacco plantations, and finally attend the gala supper, where the Havana Cigar of the Year Prize will be announced.

Some 400,000 persons went to the Cuba International Book Fair, whose first stage (Feb.12-22) in the Cuban capital concludes on Sunday, reported IPS. Starting Monday, the book presentations and sales as well as other children’s and cultural activities related to literature, will be held in another 16 cities throughout the island.

A report issued by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind) states what a growing number of US legislators have come to conclude: US policy towards Cuba has proven ineffective and should be reevaluated.

Venezuelan President Hugo arrived in Havana Friday evening on an unannounced trip to meet with his counterpart Raul Castro and possible former President Fidel Castro. Chavez is fresh off a victory last Sunday on a referendum to abolish term limits that will allow him to remain in the presidency as long as the voters wish.

The officer lists four fundamental reasons to eliminate the embargo: the high cost for the Cuban people, its use as an excuse by the Caribbean country’s government, the need to open a market for U.S. products and Washington’s change of image before the international community regarding this issue.

More than 30,000 persons have been treated for ophthalmologic problems in Haiti after the installation in Port-au-Prince in 2006 of a center under Operation Miracle, a free eye surgery program developed by Cuba and Venezuela, reported IPS.

The Mexican Senate asked US President Barack Obama to put an end to that nation’s nearly half century blockade against Cuba. Last week the same Senate requested that the US Supreme Court consider holding a new trial outside Miami for the Cuban Five, imprisoned for over a decade in the US on what numerous legal authorities and human rights groups from around the world consider unsubstantiated charges including conspiracy to commit espionage.

The drug dependency rate in Cuba is very low and “the national effort to deal with and control the country’s borders is excellent,” said the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, who is carrying out a visit to the island.

The state-run Cubapetroleo Company (CUPET) will drill 24 new oil wells this year with its own financing and foreign technical advice, announced its director Julio Jimenez. The Caribbean country produces around 80,000 barrels a day of crude, close to half of its needs, which it covers with imports from Venezuela, reported IPS.