Cuba Army Staff Chief Visits Naval Base  3/31/03 Angola Press Agency

March supports war, Cuba isolation  3/30/03 South Florida Sun Sentinel: "An estimated 3,000 people walked in solidarity, albeit for various causes, along the storefronts and restaurants of Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana Saturday. The causes that bound Cuban exiles, Venezuelans, Dominicans and other Latin Americans: Opposition to communist Cuba and support of the troops fighting the war in Iraq."

Send a message to Cuba  3/29/03 Boulder Daily Camera: "The Cuban government issued new travel restrictions on U.S. diplomats after accusing James Cason, the principal U.S. diplomat in Cuba, of trying to "foment the internal counterrevolution." His offense? He traveled the island handing out books by Martin Luther King Jr., John Steinbeck and Stephen King. Before the crackdown, U.S. diplomats had to give 72 hours' notice before leaving the province of Havana; now they have to ask Castro's permission to travel the island."

Cuban bishops, others deal on black market to help make ends meet  3/28/03 Catholic News

White House assails a crackdown in Cuba  3/27/03 Boston Globe: "President Bush accused Cuba yesterday of launching ''personal attacks'' against US diplomats and urged Havana to release more than 75 Cuban dissidents who had been arrested in a recent crackdown." How about the hundreds of prisoners in Guantanamo and the many the US is having tortured in places like Egypt, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, where two were recently beaten to death as confirmed by the US military?

US-CUBA/FILM New York's Havana film festival marred by visa troubles  3/27/03 Hoover's: "Rosenberg said at the opening gala on Wednesday that Cuban filmmaker Julio Garcia Espinosa, who is being honored at the event, will not attend the festival because he was unable to obtain a visa. Susana Molina and Rosa Maria Rovira, members of the Cuban Cinematographic Industry and Art Institute (ICAIC) who helped organize the festival, will also be absent for similar reasons, she noted."

Resolution at top U.N. human rights body avoids condemning Cuba  3/26/03 AP: "The annual meeting of the 53-nation U.N. Human Rights Commission has censured the communist island for its lack of democracy and free speech every year over the past decade except 1998. But in wording that will likely draw U.S. protest as well, the draft measure produced by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru and Uruguay simply asks Cuba to accept a visit by a U.N. monitor appointed earlier this year by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights."

Hillel Spends Break in Cuba  3/26/03 Cornell Daily Sun

USAID to Continue Funding Cuba Transition Project  3/26/03 Department of State: "The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) expects to provide $1 million in funding for the University of Miami's Cuba Transition Project (CTP), according to USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Adolfo Franco. The CTP, now in its second year, is a pioneer academic program that conducts research regarding multiple issues affecting Cuba's transition to democracy. Its mission is to prepare and support Cuba's democratic transition in a post-Castro era."

Posada and his accomplices, active collaborators of Pinochet’s fascist police  3/26/03 Granma: "DINA’s objective was to physically eliminate opposition both inside and outside the country. This was how Luis Posada Carriles, Guillermo Novo Sampoll and Gaspar Jiménez Escobedo – all of them founders of the Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations (CORU), along with pediatrician and killer Orlando Bosch – actively participated in a significant number of support tasks for Pinochet’s junta, as advisors or providers of mercenaries, explosive materials and logistical support. A declassified FBI report, dated April 29 1986, confirms a meeting between exiled Cubans and Pinochet on March 17, 1975. Pinochet offered them financial assistance on the condition that they unified the various counterrevolutionary groups. He also promised to mediate in their favor before heads of state in Paraguay and Uruguay, both countries living under cruel dictatorships."

Friends donate life-saving equipment - In contrast to the genocide unleashed by Bush, U.S. doctors demonstrate that solidarity is possible  3/25/03 Granma: "A group of U.S. scientists and medical institutions have donated high-technology equipment valued at $155,000 USD to the Cuban Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery."

Rules changed on Cuba trips  3/25/03 Miami Herald: "Travel permits no longer will be granted to organizations that take individuals to Cuba to participate in ''educational'' exchanges that are not related to academic course work. The change will require more scrutiny of license applications." The War on Culture continues.

Treasury Department cracks down on visas to Cuba  3/24/03 AP: "Students wanting to travel to Cuba for educational purposes would have to show that the trip is for academic course work, the Treasury Department said in a revised rule. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces a longstanding U.S. embargo against Cuba, said it would no longer issue new licenses for "people-to-people educational exchanges." Those licenses, which were authorized on a case-by-case basis, ended up becoming a loophole for groups to travel to Cuba when the educational aspect was barely evident, said Treasury Department spokesman Tony Fratto." The totalitarian tone Treasury uses is beyond countenance.

USWAR/Russia, Cuba call for immediate halt of Iraq war  3/24/03 IRNA

Film captures the private life of Cuba's Fidel Castro  3/22/03 Baltimore Sun: "Frank Pratka of the Baltimore-Cuba Sister City Project is guest speaker."

The Threats of Empire - Mexico, Watch Out!  3/22/03 Counterpunch: interesting material on Mexico, the US, and Cuba.

US/Cuban Relations Say More About Our Lack of Democracy Than Cuba's - Coming to Terms with the Real Havana  3/22/03 Counterpunch

Hijacked plane held for judgment against Cuba  3/22/03 Miami Herald: the rewards of piracy.

Visiting Conditions Worst I Have Ever Encountered: US Attorney, Leonard Weinglass  3/21/03 Antiterroristas: "We have requested the basis for this having taken place and up till now the government agents we deal with all indicate that it is coming from Washington, that they have no knowledge of it, that they recognize that the five have all been model prisoners, and that there is no reason that the institution sees why they should be treated this way except they’re being directed from Washington to do this… I believe that is also a violation of the international covenant pertaining to torture. To keep people 24 hours a day in a lighted cell where they cannot tell day from night and can’t communicate with any other human being is, I believe, a form of torture, and to subject them to this without any basis or justification is just terribly wrong under American and international law. "

Gross violations against Antonio Guerrero and his attorney  3/21/03 Granma: "THE Anti-terrorism Working Group of the National Assembly of People’s Power informed yesterday on Leonard Weinglass’ March 19 visit to his client Antonio Guerrero, carried out under very severe conditions, according to the attorney’s own words."

Cuba expands crackdown; more prominent critics jailed  3/21/03 Miami Herald: "Marta Beatriz Roque, a harsh critic of Fidel Castro who has served time in prison, was among dozens of dissidents picked up Thursday by authorities, bringing to about 70 the number of people taken into custody in the last three days. The government has said many are conspiring with American diplomats in Cuba to drum up opposition to the socialist state."

Senators form group to fight Cuba embargo  3/21/03 Reuters: "The group, which calls itself the Cuba Working Group, is similar to a group in the House, as supporters and foes of the embargo geared up for a legislative battle over trade and travel sanctions against Castro's government."

Proposed Tampa-to-Cuba ferry may go April 15  3/20/03 AP: "A ferry filled with medical supplies, cancer drugs, computers and other humanitarian supplies could be on its way to Cuba on April 15 if it gets government permission. Owners of the M/S Scotia Prince, which currently makes weekly roundtrips from Tampa to Yucatan, Mexico, has been trying for months to get approval to use the 475-foot vessel to deliver humanitarian aid - and possibly passengers - to Cuba."

No country has the right to turn its diplomatic representation into a general quarters for subverting constitutional order  3/20/03 Granma

Cuban plane flown to U.S.; six arrested in hijacking  3/20/03 Miami Herald: "Though Cubans who reach U.S. soil are usually allowed to stay, Orihuela said the six people arrested Wednesday night will be prosecuted on federal hijacking charges -- meaning they could face prison sentences."

Online Journalists Jailed in Cuba  3/20/03 Wired: "In recent weeks, the government has repeatedly charged the [US Interest] Section and its director, James Cason, of fomenting "counter-revolutionary activities" for associating with dissident groups and providing computer equipment, radios, and fax machines to independent reporters."

Arrestos en Cuba  3/19/03 BBC Mundo: "Además se informó de la detención de varias decenas de opositores vinculados a James Cason, jefe de la sede diplomática estadounidense, durante una reciente gira de éste a lo largo de toda la isla."

Cuba announces new restrictions on diplomats  3/19/03 Miami Herald

Cuban society showing signs of tentative acceptance of gays  3/19/03 South Florida Sun Sentinel: to be contrasted with other Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica, where gays are killed with impunity.

Cuba detains dozens of dissidents, restricts U.S. diplomats  3/18/03 AP: "Cuba's communist government announced Tuesday night it had rounded up several dozen opponents and confirmed new restrictions on U.S. diplomats amid worsening relations between the two countries. An official statement on state television accused the chief of Washington's diplomatic mission in Havana, James Cason, of trying "to foment the internal counterrevolution." The statement continued: "No nation, no matter how powerful, has the right to organize, finance and serve as a center for subverting the constitutional order." "

What's Rehberg doing in Cuba?  3/18/03 Independent Record, Montana: "Representative Dennis Rehberg, a strong backer of President Bush's push to unseat Saddam Hussein, recently spent part of this late winter in Cuba. For the representative to take a junket at the behest of a foundation that wants to open trade between the United States and Cuba shows either ignorance of history or that he desperately needed a suntan. Assuming that the representative can afford a couple of tanning booth visits then the other option must be the reason he showed up for a photo-op with Fidel Castro."

Weekly freight service commences between Bahamas and Cuba  3/18/03 Nassau Guardian

St. Mary’s students in Cuba to study its economy  3/17/03 Express News, San Antonio: "Fourteen St. Mary's University students are in Cuba this week examining the island's economy in the wake of 40 years of socialism, isolation and the recent influx of U.S. tourists and business interests. The students, members of a semester-long School of Business and Administration course studying the nation, will spend 10 days in and around Havana."

Human Rights Commission opens in Geneva  3/17/03 Granma: "On behalf of the island, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque has already denounced the intense pressure the U.S. State Department has been exerting on various Latin American capitals to gain backing for another anti-Cuban resolution at the Commission."

Normalizing Cuban relations  3/17/03 Harrison Daily Times: "The first time I saw 2nd District U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder's (Dem. Little Rock) picture all buddied-up with Fidel Castro in Havana and plastered all over the USA Today newspaper, I was shell-shocked. "What the heck were you thinking?" was my reaction." You bet, little buddy!

Bloomington group to visit sister city in Cuba  3/16/03 Hossier Times: "Ten Bloomington residents are off to Cuba to keep working on sister-city projects with the Cuban city of Santa Clara. They hope to open communication with a Santa Clara elementary school and try to set up Indiana University classes that include travel to Cuba. Mike Gasser, a member of the Bloomington sister-city organization, said the group also plans to check on medical equipment it sent to Santa Clara last year… The Bloomington group formerly had a license for its members to travel to Cuba, but the government didn't renew it last year. Members now are traveling on a license granted to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. "This may be the last time, if things go the way they're going, that we'll be able to go with permission at all," said Gasser, an IU computer science professor."

'Limping loony' sends Canadians to Cuba Sun-seeking flock heads farther south as value of their dollar slides, worrying Florida tourism officials.  3/16/03 NYT: "Not only are resorts in Cuba cheaper, she said, many of them offer all-inclusive packages that appeal to the cost-conscious, while few Florida resorts do. "At least 80 percent of our Ontario vacationers are on all-inclusive packages, and in Quebec it's 90 percent," she said. Cuba is less than four hours from Toronto by air. In a twist on recent decades, anxieties about security in the United States may also favor Cuba and other Caribbean destinations, said Heather Nicholson-Morrison, executive director of the Canadian Snowbird Association, which lobbies governments in Canada and elsewhere on behalf of Canadians who head south for the winter."

The African Roots of Cuban Culture: History and Present Reality by Daisy Diaz & Gema Suarez representing the Nicolas Guillen Foundation in Cuba, 15 City Tour, DC-Havana Sister City Project  3/14/03 AfroCubaWeb: "Daisy Diaz Mora represents the Nicolas Guillen Foundation in Cuba, an NGO dedicated to preserving the work and legacy of Nicholas Guillen (1902-1989). Guillen was a foremost Afro-Cuban, a friend of Langston Hughes and Ernest Hemingway, first president of the Nation Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), and the poet laureate of Cuba… Gema Suarez Cabrera is a specialist of the Association of Cuban Musicians, which is part of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). Gema is also the personal assistant of the current president of UNEAC, Harold Gramatges, who is a composer and friend of the late Nicholas Guillen… One of the purposes of this 15-City tour of the two Cuban scholars is to introduce North American audiences, especially the African Community, to Afro-Cuban music, poetry, and cultural life in general, and Nicolas Guillen and Harold Gramatges in particular. The videos and discussion will focus on Cuba’s African Roots that have had an important influence on Cuban society and culture, and the Cuban Revolution… Afro-Cuban culture is now poised to take its rightful place on the world’s cultural stage."

Cuba Limits Travel of U.S. Diplomats  3/14/03 AP: "The State Department is restricting the freedom of travel of Cuban diplomats in the United States, responding to curbs imposed by Havana on U.S. officials in Cuba. State Department sources said they believe the Cuban government made the first move as a means of cutting back on travel by the chief U.S. diplomat in Havana, James Cason."

Cuba limits travel of U.S. diplomats; U.S. reciprocates, officials say  3/14/03 AP

Cuba Won't Let Human Rights Monitor In  3/14/03 AP: "Cuba said Friday it will not let a U.N. human rights monitor visit the island because the U.S.-backed resolution creating her post was illegitimate. Instead, French jurist Christine Chanet would be more useful visiting terror suspects at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said."

Preparing for war on four fronts  3/14/03 Guardian, UK: "Among the few diplomats still in Baghdad are the senior representatives of France, Germany and Russia. The Russian ambassador is understood to be planning to stay even if war breaks out, along with his counterparts from Cuba, the Vatican and a handful of Arab states, while the French and German envoys will leave. Emergency plans are already in place and sources said they could be withdrawn "in a matter of hours". "

Cuba travel ban assailed - Tennessee rep backing legislation calling for U.S. to lift barrier  3/14/03 Knox News, TN: "Calling the U.S. ban on travel "embarrassing," the West Tennessee congressman said every time an attempt is made to lift a travel ban, there are more votes. "There were 262 votes last time; 287 is veto-proof. There are 65 or 70 votes in the Senate to do something different in Cuba," he said."

Brazil Petrobras said interested in Cuba oil exploration  3/14/03 Petroleum World: "Brazil's oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR), or Petrobras, is interested in resuming oil exploration and production activities in Cuba, a spokeswoman for the Cuban embassy in Brazil said Thursday. The Cuban government is inviting oil companies to drill for oil in its offshore fields in the gulf of Mexico."

Cuba: A Unique Harvest  3/14/03 Radio Progresso: "The 2002-2003 Cuban sugar harvest will be unique because of reforms that have been introduced to further diminish the industry’s role as backbone to the national economy. For some years now, that role has been taken up by tourism.

For the Record  3/14/03 St. Augustine Record: "The Northeast Florida Peace Rally will take place at noon on Saturday in the Plaza de la Constitucion. The event is sponsored by People for Peace and Justice. There will be speakers, live music, cookies and information available. Among the speakers are: Alberto Jones, a Cuban-American living in Palm Coast, member of U.S. Cuba Sister City Association, the St. Augustine Friendship Association, the Cuban American llian Education Fund, and President of the Caribbean American Children Foundation."

Street vendors chased from school  3/13/03 CubaNet: " police raid dispersed several street vendors outside the Computing School in central Havana March 10. The peddlers, mostly women who are otherwise unemployed, sell guava and coconut pastries at two pesos each, French fries at five pesos the bag, or a confection similar to a doughnut at one peso each. At 3:00 p.m., the time students have their break and come out of the school to find something to eat, three police cars surrounded the school and disgorged police with riot sticks who started chasing the peddlers. The vendors, for the most part, threw their wares away in trash cans. One of them, Noemí Cárdenas, explained that during raids like these, police fine them 1,500 pesos and divide the pastries among themselves, so the peddlers prefer to ditch them and walk away." The fine is equivalent to 8 months salary and if not paid results in jail terms. Many of the peddlers are black, a fact this right wing publication as usual fails to notice.

Rehberg to organize trade delegation to Cuba  3/12/03 Billings Gazette, Montana: "Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., plans to organize a Montana trade delegation to Cuba to sell state farm goods to the communist government. "I'll get on the phone starting tomorrow," Rehberg said Tuesday, after returning to Washington from a five-day trip to the island with other lawmakers. Rehberg said he will discuss the trip with Gov. Judy Martz and state farm officials. Similar visits by officials from neighboring North Dakota have led to millions of dollars in farm sales."

Latin Grammy group settles in Miami  3/12/03 Miami Herald: "The National Academy has to be in the belly button of the United States, but the Latin Academy is international and has members in all countries that speak Spanish or Portuguese," Díaz said. ``Miami is more a capital of the Latin world than L.A."

Cuba is ready to buy $1 billion in food from the U.S., Emerson says  3/12/03 St. Louis Post Dispatch: "The Cuban government is poised to buy food worth up to $1 billion from the United States over the next year, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Wednesday. Emerson, returning from a five-day trip to the communist country, said the promise of new food purchases came directly from Cuban President Fidel Castro. Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, was one of eight lawmakers who went on the trip. It was organized by the Lexington Institute, a policy group that advocates lifting the 4-decade-old U.S. trade embargo. The congressional delegation was the largest to visit since Cuba's 1959 revolution."

EU opens first Cuba office  3/11/03 BBC: "The ceremony was attended by the European Commissioner for Economic Development, Poul Nielsen, and the Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Perez Roque. Both sides are hoping that the opening of the new office will help strengthen relations. An elegant villa in the upmarket western district of Havana, now the European Union's headquarters in Cuba, will be occupied by a permanent representative and three local staff."

Lawmakers Propose Cuban Town Hall Meeting  3/10/03 AP: "Eight American lawmakers working to change U.S. policy toward Cuba said Monday they would ask the communist government to let as many as 25 members of Congress conduct a town hall meeting with the Cuban people later this year. ``It would be a demonstration of American democracy,'' said Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass. Ideally, Delahunt said, the town hall meeting would be broadcast live on Cuban television and radio - just as was a speech by former President Jimmy Carter last year."

U.S. Lawmakers Renew Push to Ease Cuba Sanctions  3/10/03 Reuters: "Legislation to lift restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba will be introduced in Washington this week as a step toward ending trade sanctions, eight visiting U.S. members of Congress said here on Monday. "Our top priority this year will be to end the travel ban. We need to tear down the wall that we have built that separates Americans from Cuba," said a statement from the largest single delegation of U.S. lawmakers to visit communist Cuba since the 1959 revolution… Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, said legislation lifting restrictions on Americans' travel to Cuba will be introduced in the House of Representatives this week. He said that 25 Republicans and 25 Democratic were sponsoring it. A similar measure passed the House last year but was not taken up by the Senate."

Cuba Charges U.S. Thwarting Jailed Spies Appeal  3/9/03 Reuters: "Cuba charged on Sunday that the United States was holding five Cubans convicted of spying incommunicado to thwart an April 7 appeal of their sentences, and demanded they be allowed to see lawyers. Cuban lawmakers said the agents, who are being held in five different federal prisons, were all placed in solitary confinement Feb. 28, and had since been denied contact with lawyers, family and Cuban officials. "This measure was adopted by Washington with the deliberate purpose of obstructing a just appeals process," the statement by Cuba's National Assembly said, pointing out the lawyers for the five prisoners had planned to consult and visit with them this week to prepare the appeal." The 5 were basically convicted of spying on Miami Mafia narcoterrorist groups.

Cycle trip to 'forbidden' Cuba costs pensioner £5,000 penalty  3/9/03 Telegraph, UK: "Joan Slote would be a remarkable American even if she were not facing a fine of almost £5,000 for visiting Cuba and returning with gifts worth £8.50 for her grandchildren. A medal-winner in the 1993 Senior Olympics, 74-year-old Mrs Slote, from San Diego, California, is fitter than most women half her age and sees the world as one vast cycle track."

Alabama-Cuba Initiative calls for research, projects  3/9/03 University of Alabama: "The Alabama-Cuba Initiative is seeking project proposals for the upcoming Alabama-Cuba Week. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to submit proposals."

Alabama-Cuba Initiative Web Site  3/9/03 University of Alabama

Delegation hopes for trade with Cuba  3/8/03 News Tribune, Missouri: "The Missouri Department of Agriculture is doing its part to open up free trade to Cuba. A trade delegation will travel to Cuba Sunday in an effort to interest the island nation in purchasing agricultural products ranging from pork to fruit fillings to wine from Missouri."

Cuba: Bilateral Cooperation to Be Reinforced  3/7/03 Angola Press Agency: "Bilateral cooperation between Angola and the Socialist Republic of Cuba will be under analysis and reinforced as from today in Luanda, Cuban deputy Defence Minister, Julio Casas Ragueiro, said here."

Largest delegation ever of U.S. lawmakers arrives in Cuba  3/7/03 AP: "The largest single delegation of American lawmakers to ever visit communist Cuba arrived Friday on the Caribbean island, Cuban officials said. The eight lawmakers are members of the Cuba Working Group, which is pushing for changes in American policy toward Cuba, including an end to travel restrictions for U.S. citizens and an easing of four decades of trade sanctions."

Moore travels to Cuba to promote trade  3/7/03 AP: "Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., is in Cuba to promote trade with the United States. Moore and other supporters of increased trade with the island nation want American producers to be allowed to sell more food to Cuba. They argue that the embargo hurts U.S. farmers more than anyone else."

Castro fustiga a cónsul de EE.UU.  3/7/03 BBC Mundo: "El presidente cubano Fidel Castro fustigó duramente al jefe de la Oficina de Intereses de los Estados Unidos en La Habana y amenazó con cerrar esta sede diplomática si continuaban con el apoyo abierto a la disidencia."

Posada reaffirms his determination to continue with his terrorist acts  3/7/03 Granma: "Posada recently reiterated his intentions in an interview with Miami’s Canal 23, in which he defended terror with impunity, which comes as no surprise to anybody in the city where the FBI protects terrorists and arrests those who infiltrate terrorists’ ranks to put a stop to their criminal plans."

Protest at hotel wrecks meeting by advocates of talks with Cuba  3/7/03 Miami Herald: "A news conference intended to boost support for a meeting in Havana next month between Cuban government officials and exiles turned into a parking-lot protest against the hotel management Thursday, which unexpectedly kicked participants off the premises." Unexpectedly? Note the interesting use of the headline blaming the cancelation on protests, which seem to have occurred as a result of the cancellation. The Miami Herald acts on behalf of the hard-liners, again.

Ileana, Lincoln, Money and the Media  3/7/03 Radio Progresso, Miami: "The Miami Herald on Feb. 27 ran an interesting story that was translated and then mutilated by El Nuevo Herald. We wonder why. The story (“Congressional push for Latin media merger”) said in its opening paragraph that “U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Díaz-Balart have urged government regulators to approve a controversial $2 billion merger of leading Spanish-language broadcasters Univisión and Hispanic Broadcasting Corp.” The two legislators are Republicans from South Florida."

Support of Legal Trade with Cuba Keeps Building  3/7/03 Radio Progresso, Miami: items that don't make in the mainstream media, including - "The Port of Tampa Authority will accept an invitation from Cuba to visit Havana later this year. George Williamson, its chief executive officer, said that a trade delegation would go to Cuba after a seminar it will organize in April on trade with the island. Vessels sail to Cuba from other Florida ports with cargo permitted within the limits of the embargo. To this point, Tampa is just a bystander that has been left out of million of dollars of potential business. The region produces several food articles that could be of interest to the island, which used to be one of Tampa’s major trading partners. The letter of invitation, sent by Pedro Álvarez Borrego, chairman of Alimport, the Cuban government’s food importer, said that Cubans hope to establish monthly cargo service between both ends."

Class will see Cuba up close  3/7/03 Rocky Mountain Collegian: "The three-credit class costs around $3,000, which covers tuition, the study abroad administrative charge, the costs of accommodation, air travel from Cancun to Havana, ground transportation, meals and fees. Additionally, students must provide their own transportation to Cancun, which will vary from student to student but will be approximately $500, Bingham said."

Cuba Wins Support to Join EU Trade Pact  3/6/03 AP: "The European Union's head office said Thursday it plans to ask the EU's 15 national governments by July to accept Cuba's request to join the bloc's trade and aid pact with African, Caribbean and Pacific nations… The EU is Cuba's largest trade, aid and investment partner. EU exports to the island have doubled over the last 10 years and stood at 1.43 billion euros ($1.57 billion) in 2001, representing 80 percent of Cuba's imports."

EU Commissioner to visit Cuba  3/6/03 IRNA: "Poul Nielson, European Commissioner in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, will pay an official visit to Cuba from 10 to 14 March."

Havana conference to draw Cubans from afar  3/6/03 South Florida Sun Sentinel: "After an eight-year hiatus, a delegation of Cubans from around the world will return to the island for the third "Nation and Emigration" conference, a meeting participants hope will strengthen ties between Cubans on the island and those living abroad. For Cuban-Americans planning to attend, the April 11-13 conference in Havana presents an opportunity to establish an ongoing dialogue with the island's government, allowing them to lobby for changes that would let Cubans in the United States to easily travel to Cuba."

U.S. Protests Cuba's Decision to Forbid Book Distribution Program  3/6/03 State Department: before defending their plan to shore up dissidents, perhaps State might want to explain denial of freedom of travel to US citizens and also why they are prosecuting a War on Culture with Cuba.

Davis Says Cuba Trip Differed From Greco's  3/6/03 TBO, Florida: Davis' trip was santioned by the new, kindler, gentler CANF - "Not only did Davis, a moderate Democrat, go where others feared to tread, he had a different itinerary from the wave of politicians such as Mayor Dick Greco who visited in pursuit of trade. Greco met with Castro over dinner in July. Davis' most headlined rendezvous was Sunday with Oswaldo Paya, a dissident leading a drive for democracy. During his only meeting with a Cuban official, Ricardo Alarcon, a top Castro adviser, Davis said he sternly told Alarcon of his conversations with ordinary Cubans: ``Everyone in this country lives in fear.'' "

Missourian makes third trek to Cuba  3/5/03 AP: "Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., is headed to Cuba on Thursday to promote trade with the United States. Mrs. Emerson has been a leader in seeking increased trade with Cuba. She wants American producers, particularly farmers in her southeast Missouri district, to be allowed to sell more food to Cuba."

Cuban Scholars Blocked From Attending Scholarly Meeting in Dallas  3/5/03 Chronicle of Higher Education: "When the Latin American Studies Association holds its next International Congress in Dallas this month, one group will be absent: almost all of the 103 Cuban scholars who had registered to attend, including 40 invited to present papers. With only three weeks to go before the once-in-18-months gathering, scheduled for March 27 to 29, only four or five of the Cubans have received an entry visa from the United States."

German deputy minister for cooperation to widen relations with Cuba  3/5/03 Granma

Cuban-style B & Bs  3/5/03 Toronto Globe & Mail: "Not long ago, chain-link fences separated tourists from Cuban society. Now, Cuba's system of casas particulares,private homes that offer affordable and reliable overnight accommodations and meals, are making real Cuban life accessible to travellers. Costing $15 to $35 (all amounts in U.S. dollars) a room per night, casas particulares aren't just the choice of the budget-minded. Professionals from Canada, the United States and Europe have learned that in terms of service, food and cleanliness, casas are superior to state-run hotels and a friendly alternative to all-inclusive resorts."

Prof to investigate Cuba's sustainable farming  3/5/03 University of Wisconsin: "A UW-Madison professor will be part of a 10-day fact-finding trip during May to investigate Cuba's transformation from chemical-intensive, industrial agriculture to sustainable and organic agriculture."

Castro keen to avert war, offers help  3/3/03 Asahi Shimbun: "Visiting Cuban President Fidel Castro offered Sunday to help mediate in the twin crises of looming war with Iraq and North Korea's nuclear development program. Castro, who last visited Japan in 1995, said that if asked he would do whatever he could to help lessen tensions. He made the remark during talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also attended the 75-minute meeting in which Koizumi noted that Cuba maintains friendly relations with North Korea. In reply, Castro said, ``The Cuban leadership has not made any direct contacts with (North Korean's current) leader (Kim Jong Il) since former leader Kim Il Sung died.'' However, he added, ``It is important to solve the issues (of North Korea's nuclear development) in joint political efforts with China, Russia and South Korea. Cuba will also do what it can (for the solution).''

Al policía lo defienden su arsenal moral y legal  3/3/03 Granma: "Sin embargo, contra el sentir mayoritario del pueblo que defiende sus conquistas más sagradas y un mañana sin violencia, con orden y seguridad, y desafiando las facultades y confianza depositadas por nuestros compatriotas en los agentes del orden interior, subsisten actitudes agresivas e irrespetuosas por parte de delincuentes y cómplices que se resisten a la acción de la autoridad y atentan contra sus representantes." There have been very few drug arrests, but many for economic crimes such as running a small business.

Congressmen Meet Cuban Dissident  3/3/03 Lakeland Ledger, Florida: "Two U.S. lawmakers expressed support for Cuba's Varela Project after meeting Sunday with the top organizer of the drive to ensure freedom of speech and other civil rights for Cubans. U.S. Reps. Jim Davis, D-Florida, and Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, were the first American congressmen to meet with Oswaldo Paya at his Havana home." The CANF opens up another front!

Pajaro Valley leaders meet with Cuban delegate on possible trade in future  3/3/03 Register-Pajaronian, CA: "Ahh Cuba - the rare rums, the masterful mambos, the political prisoners- yes, that little Caribbean island nation to the south is calling and residents of the Pajaro Valley have answered. Members of Watsonville's business, agriculture, and political sectors gathered Friday to welcome Cuban delegate Jose Luis Noa of the Cuban Interest Section during his afternoon visit to Santa Cruz. Noa is touring Santa Cruz County as part of the Sister Communities project. On Sept. 10, 2002, the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors passed a resolution supporting a "sister-city" type partnership between the county and the Guamá municipality in the Santiago Province. The resolution joins the county to a growing movement in the United States to utilize citizen diplomacy and break down the cold-war barriers between the two neighboring nations."

Hay 45 entrenadores cubanos al servicio del Estado Táchira  3/2/03 Aporrea: "El gobernador en su mensaje de bienvenida llamó a los cubanos "hermanos del deporte" y destacó que llegaban a la tierra de la cordialidad. Defendió el convenio de cooperación firmado entre la República Bolivariana de Venezuela y Cuba que conllevará a mejores resultados, mediante el fortalecimiento de la "solidaridad y conciencia del pueblo latinoamericano".

Double Dealing - Mexico's Foreign Policy Toward Cuba  3/2/03 National Security Archives: "U.S. Documents, Presidential Tapes, Reveal Secret U.S.-Mexican Arrangement Behind Mexico's Heralded Nationalist Support for Castro's Revolutionary Government"

Rough Seas  3/2/03 Tampa Herald Tribune: "Most recently, an attempt to get a permit to operate a similar ferry service from Tampa to the Port of Matanzas in Cuba has been hung up in the U.S. Treasury Department. Although it is a Canadian company, it needs a permit to leave from and return to a U.S. port."

Travel firms hurt by U.S. clampdown on Cuba  3/1/03 Globe & Mail, Toronto: "Despite the widespread expectation that the ban would be relaxed, the government of President George W. Bush has done just the opposite, increasing the numbers of those sanctioned by 400 per cent over the past three years with fines that can run to $50,000. "The attitude is completely shifted. People are really frightened," said Marcel Hatch, who runs the Vancouver-based Cuba Education Tours."

Guerrillero»	«Pinar del Río
El Habanero»	«La Habana
Tribuna de La Habana»	«Ciudad de La Habana
Girón»	«Matanzas
Vanguardia»	«Villa Clara
5 de Septiembre»	«Cienfuegos
Escambray»	«Sancti Spíritus
Invasor»	«Ciego de Ávila
Adelante»	«Camagüey
26»	«Las Tunas
La Demajagua»	«Granma
Ahora»	«Holguín
Sierra Maestra»	«Santiago de Cuba
Venceremos»	«Guantánamo
Victoria»	«Isla de la Juventud

Radio Ciudad de La Habana	Radio Metropolitana
Tiempo 21	Radio Cadena Habana
Radio Sancti Spíritus	CMHW Villa Clara
Radio Victoria	Radio Ciudad del Mar

Bohemia	Habanera
Giga	Temas
Prisma	Negocios en Cuba
Alma Mater	Caimán Barbudo
Mujeres	La Jiribilla
La Gaceta de Cuba	Zunzún
Avances Médicos de Cuba	Travel Trade Cuba
Somos Jóvenes	Opus Habana
Tricontinental	Cine Cubano
Revolución y Cultura	Cuba Internacional
Ciencias de la Información	Salsa Cubana
Juventud Técnica	Pionero
Opciones	El economista
Notinet	El Fénix
Orbe	Senderos

Ceniai	IslaGrande
Infocom	Cubaweb
Infomed	Citmatel
Archivo Nacional	Cubaciencia
Cubanic	Cubarte
Cienfuegos	UPEC
Redsolar	Gobierno cubano
Sitio de Elián	Cuba demanda
Cuba contra el bloqueo	CubAhora
Sitio del Ajedrez en Cuba	Marinas Puertosol
Directorio Turístico de Cuba	Ballet Nacional de Cuba
Casa de las Américas	NO al ALCA

Cuba in the News
Archive: 3/03

List of Cuban provincial papers and other sites

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Cuba in the News Archive: 3/03

List of Cuban provincial papers and other sites

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Cuba in the News
Archive: 3/03