Cuba law doesn't travel  9/30/02 Palm Beach Post: "Yet state Rep. Jerry Maygarden, R-Pensacola, the House majority leader, is among those who recently have gone. So he can go, but Professor Gilson can't? The next thing to go should be the law."

Europa molesta por trato de Cuba a las empresas de EU  9/29/02 El Nuevo Herald: "Los países europeos exigieron que Cuba aplique las mismas reglas comerciales a sus empresas --las cuales apoyaron a La Habana en tiempos de crisis-- que para sus nuevos socios estadounidenses, quienes ahora montaron una gigantesca feria de sus mercancía aquí."

Ventura casts long shadow at Cuba trade show  9/29/02 Minnesota Public Radio: "Minnesota exhibitors say he's placed the state on the map in the mind of the Cubans who approach their exhibit booths. Prior to leaving, Ventura said he hoped his presence could help ease U.S. trade restrictions against the island. "You've seen an embargo for over 40 years that was supposed to end the Castro regime. Clearly it hasn't worked. And after 40 years, in any type of situation, you have to look at alternatives. President Castro's going to be here whether we're trading with Cuba or not. That's a fact. And so why penalize the Cuban people over a difference in governments?" Ventura said.

Fate of Cuba Provisions Unclear  9/28/02 Latin American Working Group on Cuba: "Legislation to reform US-Cuba policy has been stalled by a very busy Senate that has not yet voted on several key spending bills. One of those bills, the Treasury and General Government Appropriations bill contains language passed by the House that would ban funds for the enforcement of travel restrictions to Cuba. The House bill would also lift the current cap on remittances and would ban enforcement of financing restrictions on food and medicine sales. The Senate version of the bill, which has yet to be debated on the floor, has the travel provision included in the bill, and will likely pass similar amendments to the House regarding remittances and financing. Whether the Senate floor will ever vote on this bill however remains unclear."

National Summit on Cuba and Capitol Hill Advocacy Day Call for Easing Cuba Embargo  9/28/02 Latin American Working Group on Cuba: "These were big days for those of us who are working to end the embargo against Cuba. On Tuesday, September 17th, there was a National Summit on Cuba at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, a conference showcasing the wide range of support across the United States for easing the embargo on Cuba. On Wednesday the 18th, approximately 300 Cuban-Americans, and others, held a Legislative Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, meeting with members of Congress and their staff to urge them to ease the embargo."

Tape is bizarre development in Torricelli, Chang saga  9/28/02 North Jersey News: Torricelli is a rabid anti-Cuban senator from New Jersey who has run into trouble over corruption charges.

Putting Business Above Discrepancies In Cuba  9/27/02 Black World Today: "Representatives of nearly 300 companies from the United States set aside their political differences with Cuba's socialist government to attend the first U.S. food and agribusiness trade show that opens Thursday in the Cuban capital, keen on bringing home contracts for sales of food. On display at the trade fair are the first U.S. livestock sold to Cuba in four decades, including a pair of buffalo calves, and a couple of pigs, whose meat is a favourite among Cubans, as well as a wide range of products with brandnames that have not been seen in Cuba in over forty years of hostility between the two countries."

Canadians spied for U.S. in Cuba  9/27/02 Ottawa Citizen, Canada: "On occasion, information from Canadians living in Cuba was also reported, particularly observations of Catholic priests and nuns. Other intelligence came from Canadians who had travelled to Cuba, including the editor of the United Church Observer." The Church, again.

Visa Woes Cancel Cucho Valdes Concert  9/26/02 AP

Buchanan Calls For Lifting Trade and Travel Restrictions Against Cuba  9/26/02 CNS News: "Former presidential candidate and conservative pundit Pat Buchanan, a staunch opponent of free trade agreements, said Wednesday that if he were sitting in the Congress he'd vote in favor of lifting trade and travel restrictions against Cuba because it is time for America to embark on a new policy toward the communist-run nation."

Prosecutors Say Chang Advanced Torricelli Probe  9/26/02 WNBC: The Torricelli Act in 1992 tightened the blockade. Now the senator is battling corruption charges.

Dozens of Fla. firms going to Cuba expo  9/25/02 Miami Herald

Feuding over Cuba policy claims victim  9/24/02 Financial Times, UK: "Monday's announcement ends months of uncertainty about the fate of Mr Pascoe, a founder of the leftist Democractic Revolution Party (PRD) and one of the few leftists to serve in the administration of Mr Fox. Going against the government line Mr Pascoe declared after the UN vote that he had urged the Fox administration to abstain, violating diplomatic protocol."

U.S. Companies Flocking to Cuba's Food Fair  9/24/02 LA Times

Cuba: Stiff New U.S. Rules Make It Tougher To Visit The States  9/23/02 Black World Today: "But this year was the first time that nominees from this socialist island nation were unable to secure visas to participate in the ceremony. Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto blamed ''a dim-witted and anti-cultural attitude on the part of some U.S. government officials.''

Isidore clobbers western Cuba  9/21/02 Miami Herald

Bush uses 9/11 to target socialist Cuba  9/21/02 Workers World News Service

Cuba denies misleading U.S. on terror  9/19/02 Miami Herald: "An angry Cuban government Wednesday denied allegations that it deliberately tried to mislead U.S. investigators on the war on terrorism, saying it had in fact offered genuine help to Washington, only to be rebuffed."

YANKEES IN CUBA  9/19/02 Radio Progresso, Miami

West Nile virus: Part of Hussein's plan – via Cuba?  9/18/02 CS Monitor: "Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who has a special familiarity with intelligence matters, last week urged the government to explore the possibility of a terrorist link to the US outbreak of West Nile virus."

Cuba hampers war on terror, U.S. says  9/18/02 Miami Herald: "Bush administration officials ''raised the bar'' on what would constitute ''real cooperation'' from Cuba to make sure that the Castro government would not meet those requirements, the official added on condition of anonymity."

Cuba embargo backers brace for vote setback  9/18/02 Sun Sentinel, Florida: "But some embargo supporters wondering whether Bush can afford to anger farmers and others eager to sell products to Cuba with a veto."

U.S. judge mulls motion to overturn conviction of Canadian in Cuba trade case  9/17/02 Canada.com: "The legal team for a Canadian citizen convicted of violating the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba made a post-trial motion Tuesday to have the verdict overturned. James Sabzali, 43, was convicted April 3 of violating the trade ban for his part in the sale of water purification products on behalf of international subsidiaries of the Pennsylvania-based Bro-Tech Corp."

"In Saving Itself, Cuba Saves Others" - Democracy and US Policy on Cuba  9/15/02 Counterpunch: "Primo io, dopo io, sempre io, viva io. - Benito Mussolini.

Fin al escándalo del embajador de México  9/14/02 El Nuevo Herals: "Con abrazos y petición de perdón concluyó ayer el enfrentamiento público de tres semanas entre la Cancillería Mexicana y su embajador en Cuba, Ricardo Pascoe, quien fue ratificado en su cargo. El Oficial Mayor de la Cancillería, Mauricio Toussaint, dijo que las explicaciones y documentación que entregó Pascoe a la Secretaría deja ''adecuadamente solventadas'' las supuestas irregularidades que dieron origen a la denuncia por supuesto desvío de dineros."

África olvidada  9/14/02 Granma: "La grave situación económica y sanitaria existente en África fue puesta de relieve con lujo de detalles en la Mesa Redonda Informativa transmitida ayer sobre ese continente por la radio y la televisión a todo el país."

Mexico recalls ambassador from Cuba  9/13/02 NandoMedia: "Mexico has recalled its Cuban ambassador to question him about financial irregularities, the latest development in a feud between Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda and his envoy on the island. Foreign Ministry officials say a pair of audits have revealed that Ambassador Ricardo Pascoe misspent about $86,000 of his budget. Pascoe arrived in Mexico City late Thursday. Most of the complaints - such as the "duplicated payments" - appeared to be practices that are common among foreign offices in Cuba. Many companies pay their Cuban employees a small amount to supplement the $20 to $40 a month they might earn from the state employment bureau, which provides all workers to foreign companies and embassies."

Cuba Takes to Internet to Refute U.S. Terror Charge  9/13/02 Reuters: "Communist-run Cuba launched a Web site on Friday to refute U.S. charges that it sponsors terrorism and to seek support in the United States for the release of five Cubans imprisoned there for spying. Answering questions on the Web site, the head of the National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon, said Cuba was cooperating with its longtime foe, the United States, on countering international terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "We are doing everything we can," he said, citing the opening of Cuban airspace to diverted air traffic the day of the attacks and accepting without protest the use of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay as a detention camp for prisoners from Afghanistan."

Florida is sued over law on Cuba  9/13/02 Sun Sentinel, Florida: "A Florida Atlantic University researcher who wants to attend an academic conference in Cuba has filed a federal lawsuit to ensure university officials can't discipline him for going. Engineer Ross Gilson is challenging the constitutionality of a Florida law passed six years ago that bans all state employees from traveling to "any country located in the Western Hemisphere which lacks diplomatic relations with the United States." The only such country is Cuba."

New Cuban site on US Terror Charges  9/13/02 www.antiterroristas.cu

Pensacola group gets lunch with Castro  9/12/02 Broward Herald: "Cuban President Fidel Castro invited officials from this Florida Panhandle city to an unexpected six-hour lunch. The officials were on a trade mission to Cuba aimed at drumming up business for the city's port."

General denies Cuba backs terrorism, points finger at Miami  9/12/02 Dallas Morning News

Ventura, Others Protest Reich's Cuba Comment  9/12/02 High Plains Journal, Kansas

Georgia Ag Commissioner Speaks at National Summit on Cuba Next Week  9/12/02 PR Newswire: "Georgia's Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin will speak at the National Summit on Cuba being held next Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Irvin is one of the state leaders chosen to speak on the Changed Political Equation panel. Commissioner Irvin will talk about how food trade with Cuba has changed and can continue to change the agricultural economy in Georgia. The National Summit on Cuba is set for Tuesday, September 17, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Co-chaired by Sam Gibbons, former 34- year U.S. Representative from Tampa, Florida, who was chairman of the U.S. House Trade Subcommittee, and Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation from Texas, the summit is sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba (AHTC), the World Policy Institute, and supported by the USA Engage coalition of more than 650 U.S. corporations."

SCENES FROM A LATE SUMMER HAVANA WEDDING  9/12/02 Radio Progresso

The Miami mafia’s September 11  9/11/02 Granma: "On that same date in 1980, Miami mafia capos were celebrating the success of their latest feat of terrorism: the murder of Félix García Rodríguez, a Cuban diplomatic at the United Nations, carried out in a New York street by Pedro Remón, the deadliest killer at their disposal. It was the one and only assassination of a UN diplomat and the news immediately made world headlines. Pedro Remón, who was never punished for his crime and continued his life as a terrorist, is currently detained in Panama with gang leader Luis Posada Carriles; he could soon be returning, unpunished, to his Florida residence."

Ventura asks for apology over Cuba comments  9/10/02 Miami Herald: "Gov. Jesse Ventura asked Monday for an apology from President Bush and Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich over comments made about Ventura's planned trip to Cuba… Reich, who was born in Cuba and fled to the United States after Fidel Castro came to power, said the Cuban president uses American politicians who visit the communist nation ``as props.'' He also said he hoped Ventura and the business leaders wouldn't engage in ''sexual tourism'' while visiting Cuba. ''I found Assistant Secretary Reich's comments offensive and at the very least, he and President Bush owe my wife and children a personal apology,'' Ventura said."

Ventura quiere que Reich y Bush le pidan disculpas  9/10/02 Nuevo Herald: "Reich dijo que el líder cubano Fidel Castro utilizaba a los políticos norteamericanos que visitaban el país como ``accesorios de utilería''. También dijo que esperaba que ni Ventura ni los otros líderes empresariales se dedicaran al ''turismo sexual'' durante su visita a Cuba. ''Considero que los comentarios de Reich son ofensivos y lo menos que pueden hacer, tanto él como el presidente Bush es pedirle disculpas a mi mujer y a mis hijos'', dijo Ventura."

Mafia anticubana en Miami "está que arde", dicen expertos en Cuba  9/10/02 Prensa Latina: "Randy Alonso, conductor de un panel televisivo realizado la víspera, dijo que entre esa mafia se han encontrado crispaciones y expresiones entre la derrota y el cinismo, a causa de la cantidad de voces que se alzan cada día más en ese país norteño en favor del levantamiento del bloqueo."

Cuba donates insecticide to China's flood-hit areas  9/10/02 XinhuaNet: "The Cuban government donated 2,000 liters of insecticides worth 50,000 yuan (6,041 US dollars) to China Tuesday to help fight mosquitoes in its flood affected areas. Chinese Vice-Minister of Health Huang Jiefu and Cuban Ambassador to China Alberto Rodriguez Arufe attended the donation ceremony."

Cuba After Castro?  9/9/02 Alternet

Minnesota Governor Urged To Stay Away From Cuba  9/9/02 CNS News: Otto von Reich at it again - "Otto Reich, a Cuban exile and assistant secretary of state for western hemispheric affairs, told the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press that "Castro uses these visitors as props" to hang onto power. Ventura is scheduled to visit Cuba from Sept. 25-28. He plans to attend the first-ever U.S. Food and Agribusiness Exposition in Havana. The Westport, Conn.-based PWN Exhibicon International is organizing the exposition. It is the first and only exhibition specifically licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department to promote the sale of American food products in Cuba. More than 150 Minnesota food companies such as Cargill, Hormel, Land O'Lakes and International Multifoods are expected to participate in the exposition."

Leader of Cuban exile group charts new course for foundation  9/8/02 Sun Sentinel, FL: "But while Mas Canosa's venerable reputation endures, the organization he founded more than two decades ago is facing dissension under his son, Jorge Mas Santos, including the departure of 22 of its 171 board members last year. Many who quit were close friends of Mas Canosa, but resigned to start their own group - the Cuban Liberty Council - because of disagreements with the foundation's direction under his son."

Cuba vuelve a recibir petróleo venezolano  9/7/02 BBC Mundo: "El presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, anunció el sábado que su país reanudará el envío de petróleo a Cuba a partir del domingo. Los embarques de crudo venezolano habían sido suspendidos durante el breve golpe de estado contra Chávez en abril pasado, debido a que Cuba se había retrasado en sus pagos."

Cubans Jittery About Providing Census Information  9/6/02 Black World Today: "An intense campaign by Cuba's socialist government is aimed at calming fears that the new Census on Population and Housing, which begins to be carried out on Saturday, could uncover irregularities like black market purchases or illegal housing arrangements. Every day, the government-controlled radio and TV stations loudly insist on the benefits of knowing exactly ''how many we are'' and the need to assess the conditions of housing as well as shortcomings in the areas of housing and social security in this Caribbean island nation."

Anti-Defamation League's Message to Cuban Jews: No Comment  9/6/02 NewsMax: Rabid right winger Myles Kantor at it again.

Cuba May Help Mozambique Produce Low-Cost Aids Drugs  9/5/02 All Africa: "Cuban Foreign Minister Filipe Perez Roque said in Maputo on Wednesday that his country is able to help Mozambique produce low-cost anti-retroviral drugs to retard the development of the deadly disease AIDS. He made the statement on his arrival in Maputo, coming from South Africa, where he took part in the World Summit on Sustainable Development. "I came to Maputo in response to an invitation from my Mozambican counterpart, Leonardo Simao, to exchange ideas with brothers with whom we are linked by very old ties ever since the struggle against colonialism", Roque said."

Cuban-Americans Urge New Approach To Cuba -- On September 18, Cuban-Americans Will Converge On Capitol Hill To Support Upcoming Votes To Free Travel and Humanitarian Trade To Cuba  9/5/02 Northern Light

U.S.-CUBA: THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED  9/5/02 Radio Progresso, Miami: "The official positions are rejected by numerous sectors. The Washington-based American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) ... rejects any travel restriction and urges scientists to take advantage of the bilateral cooperation in this sector. In 2000, it even created an entity to determine the extent of the exchanges and expressed an interest in increasing them, with studies in both scientific communities."

Pensacola seeks Cuban trade  9/5/02 Sun Sentinel, Florida: "Florida's House majority leader became one of the state's highest-ranking elected officials to travel to Cuba when he joined two Pensacola officials Wednesday on a four-day mission to market the panhandle city's port."

National Summit on Cuba Will Demonstrate Cuban-American, Republican Support For Upcoming Votes to Ease Cuba Embargo  9/4/02 Northern Light: scroll down for text - "The Summit -- to be held on Tuesday, September 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC and extending into a Lobby Day led by Cuban Americans on Wednesday, September 18th -- is expected to send a shock wave through the political establishment, particularly as it will debunk the perception of pro-embargo solidarity among Cuban-Americans and the national Republican Party."

Cuban Political Prisoners...in the US  9/1/02 Counterpunch: "The arrested Cubans were involved in anti-terrorist activities -- so cherished by the government of the United States in word -- but were acting against the wrong kind of terrorists. Some of what they uncovered about possible terrorist and drug activities of Cuban exiles -- including information concerning the 1997 hotel bombings -- they actually passed to the FBI, usually delivered via diplomats in Havana. This presumably is what lay behind the statement in the Criminal Complaint that the defendants "attempted manipulation of United States political institutions and government entities through disinformation and pretended cooperation"{9} -- i.e., putting every action of the Cuban defendants in the worst possible light…. The United States is currently engaged in a world-wide, open-ended, supra-legal campaign to destroy the rights of any individuals who -- on the most questionable of evidence or literally none at all -- might conceivably represent any kind of terrorist threat. But if the Cubans -- with a much longer history of serious terrorist attacks against them by well known perpetrators -- take the most reasonable steps to protect themselves from further attacks, they find that Washington has forbidden them from taking part in the War Against Terrorism. This is particularly ironic given that the same anti-Castro exiles have committed numerous terrorist acts in the United States itself."

Five Slayed on Cuban Farm  8/31/02 AP: "Assailants entered a home in village in western Cuba and killed five people, including four members of a family, apparently by cutting their throats, relatives of the victims said Saturday. Such crimes are rare in Cuba. The attack comes nine months after five people, including a couple from Miami and an 8-year-old boy, were shot and killed in their car on a road from Havana in a robbery attempt."

Gov. Bush urges Minnesota Gov. Ventura not to visit Cuba  8/30/02 AP

Brunswick poised to ink sister-city relationship  8/28/02 Times Record, Maine: "Brunswick and the city of Trinidad, Cuba, could become sister cities as soon as October. That's when two Brunswick town councilors will travel there to formally establish the relationship. Those involved with the project hope this will lead to cultural exchanges, some of which already are occurring. The Brunswick-Trinidad Sister City Association, a group of residents from Brunswick, Bath and surrounding towns, is orchestrating the project. The group has raised about 90 percent of the $5,000 it will need to send Councilors Jacqueline Sartoris and Forrest Lowe to Cuba."

Cuba: Census To Measure Two Decades Of Changes  8/27/02 Black World Today: "''Besides evaluating how many college graduates we have, the census will enable us to find out how many of them are working in jobs related to their studies, and how many people work, are looking for a job, or have more than one source of employment,'' he added. The census will also provide more specific data on the aging of Cuba's population of 11 million, 14 percent of whom are over 60. In addition, it should shed light on internal migration flows, the number of couples living together without being married or separated without getting divorced, the increasing number of female heads of households, and the makeup of the population in terms of skin colour."

Cuba Offers To Help US Fight West Nile Mosquito Virus  8/27/02 CNS: "The Cuban government is willing to cooperate to its fullest capacity with public health authorities in the United States and other countries in the hemisphere in terms of research and any efforts needed to confront this new threat to the health of the citizens of this hemisphere," according to a government statement issued in Havana."

Invasor front page with History of Che in the Congo.  8/26/02 Invasor: scroll down to the end to look over the stories of the Che in the Congo - " Los hombres de Tatu - Desde la mirada de una joven - La traductora - El Che era capaz de hacer lo que pedía a otros que hicieran - Pombo, el escolta del Che - El Che educaba con el ejemplo - Como caído del cielo - "Teté, no traiciones" - De la mano del Che - Un hombre extraordinario."

Los hombres de Tatu  8/26/02 Invasor: "Víctor Dreke, uno de los combatientes que acompañó al Che al Congo, narra algunos de los momentos de aquella histórica gesta. Este trabajo fue extraído de la revista Somos Jóvenes digital."

Castro card no longer holds sway in Florida  8/22/02 Financial Times: "Sergio Bendixen, a Miami-based polling expert on Hispanic issues, says the proportion of non-Cuban Hispanics is rising fast in Florida. They accounted for just 10 per cent of the Hispanic population in 1992, in 2000 they rose to a third, and by 2004, Mr Bendixen says, are expected to account for half of all Hispanics in the state. They tend to vote for the Democrats. Puerto Ricans are the largest and fastest-growing non-Cuban group, followed by immigrants from the Dominican Republic. "They're voting completely the opposite of the Cubans," says Mr Bendixen. For example, in 2000 the Democrats' presidential contender, Al Gore, secured the votes of 80 per cent of non-Cuban Hispanics. Mr Bush took more than 80 per cent of the Cuban-American vote. The Cubans are still a power to be reckoned with in Florida. Compared with the state's other Hispanics they are more likely to register and to vote. Dario Moreno, a professor of political science at Florida International University, says Cubans are more politically active than other Hispanics."

Brazilian candidate out of touch on Cuba  8/22/02 Miami Herald: "Luiz Inacio ''Lula'' da Silva, the leftist candidate leading in the polls for Brazil's Oct. 6 presidential election, has substantially moderated his rhetoric on domestic issues. But judging from some of his answers during a recent question-and-answer session, some of his foreign policy views remain tainted by 1960s anti-Americanism." From a card carying member of the Miami Mafia, Andres Oppenheimer.

A TWO-BARRELED SHOTGUN - The Church and the Cuban government  8/22/02 Radio Progresso

The Politics of the Cuba Embargo - Personal Loyalty in Congress  8/21/02 Counterpunch: "A binding vote with full debate on the merits of the embargo or the travel restrictions has still not happened and apparently is not in the cards this year again because of Armey and the well named Delay. Therefore Congresspersons cannot meaningfully vote against the embargo as Armey now suggests. The "demand" of the two Miami congresspersons is the same weak excuse Armey and then Senate majority leader Trent Lott gave for their maneuvering two years ago. Despite what Armey says, it's obvious from what our President has said about Cuba issues and the way things work in Washington that Armey and Delay have been acting under the direction of the White House. It's also clear that if Armey were running again, he wouldn't be trying to take the hit for the Administration. Delay has been uncharacteristically quiet on Cuba issues this summer. He appears to be the choice for our next Speaker if the Republicans keep control of the House in November. If this happens it's doubtful t! hat the Cuba embargo will be voted on until 2005 if ever."

GOP can't win many friends with this man  8/21/02 Orlando Sentinel: by María T. Padilla - "Florida Republican leaders could have done much better than Edison Misla Aldarondo when choosing a poster child for their campaign to lure Hispanic voters. Manuel Noriega, perhaps? Misla Aldarondo, former speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives, was charged last week with drugging and raping a 17-year-old girl in his home."

Spying, profit motive merge in little-known Cuba agency  8/20/02 Miami Herald

More hyperbole on Cuba  8/19/02 Palm Beach Post: "With public and congressional support dwindling, believers in the Cuban embargo are reaching for reasons to justify failed policy. Inevitably, they are portraying the embargo as a necessary measure in the global war on terrorism." A measure of how the Miami Mafia is loosing ground in its home state?

Christian Coalition Head Arrested In Miami-Dade Gay Vote Fraud  8/17/02 35Gay.com: Batista's people were expert at vote fraud.

Cuban customs service bans VCRs  8/16/02 Cubanet: "The Cuban Customs service (Aduana General de la República) issued orders to its officers August 10 not to allow video cassette recorders (VCRs) entry into Cuba. Before that date, VCRs could be brought in by paying a levy equal to the original cost of the equipment, which is what Cubans visiting from abroad were doing, in order to leave the machines with their relatives in the island… a reliable source who asked that his name be withheld said the warehouses for stores selling in the dollar economy "are brimming with VCRs that will go on sale shortly." No word, official or otherwise, on when, where, or for how much." Unlike some stories published here, this seems factual.

Floridians Say Sharon Visit a Sop To Bushes  8/16/02 Forward

Bacardi accused of campaign to oust Castro  8/15/02 Guardian, UK: "The Bacardi rum company has been engaged for more than 40 years in clandestine attempts to overthrow the Cuban government by both violent and other means, according to a new book. The company is accused of bankrolling extreme rightwing groups and American mainstream politicians in an effort to remove Fidel Castro and re-establish its profitable empire on the island. Bacardi is the world's largest rum company, with annual sales of more than 240 million bottles in 170 countries. Its history stretches back to 1862 when it was founded in Santiago de Cuba by a Frenchman and a Catalan. But behind its image of a fun drink for partygoers, is an empire that has devoted millions of dollars of its profits towards removing Castro and the current Cuban government, which nationalised its properties in 1959, according to the Colombian journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina in his new book, Bacardi, the Hidden War." Not to mention that from its founding in 1862, Bacardi was built on slave labor and owes REPARATIONS.

BACARDI ACCUSED OF FUNDING CAMPAIGN TO DESTROY CUBAN REVOLUTION  8/15/02 Radio Havana: "The book "Bacardi: The Hidden War," by Colombian writer Hernando Calvo Ospina, also explains that directors and leading shareholders in Bacardi were instrumental in the establishment in 1981 of the Cuban- American National Foundation, which became one of the main players in the effort to kill Fidel Castro and overthrow the Cuban Revolution."

Cuban man explains defection  8/13/02 AP: "Widespread economic problems on the island, Hidalgo said, could produce an uprising against the system Fidel Castro began imposing on the island 43 years ago. "There is lot of concern among the elite that this could occur," he said, speaking in Spanish. One element of the unrest is what he called "skyrocketing unemployment across the country." Food is scarce, and many Cubans must get by on one meal a day, he said."

Debate Over Tying Cuba to Terrorists  8/12/02 LA Times: "Opponents of the embargo scoff at these arguments as yet more of the overheated rhetoric that surrounds the politically charged issue of Cuba. They note, for example, that not even the Bush administration claims any Cuban ties to Al Qaeda or other Islamic terrorist groups. These critics contend that the embargo's defenders are playing the "terrorist card" in desperation because fewer Americans believe that Cuba should be cut off from U.S. tourism and trade."

Economic links aim of Cuba visits  8/11/02 Miami Herald: "Two weeks ago, Tampa Mayor Dick Greco -- accompanied by more than a dozen business and civic leaders -- stepped onto a private jet that touched down one hour later at Havana's José Martí Airport. His four-day visit, which included a one-on-one meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro, is the latest in an increasing number of trips to the island by politicians from Florida and elsewhere. Their quest: economic gain for the people they represent."

An Open Letter to George W. Bush on US Policy Toward Cuba by Nelson P. Valdés  8/9/02 Counterpunch: "Nationalism is a wonderful tool to unite people against a foreign threat, and you continue to provide the foreign threat. You should know that, you are experiencing and benefiting from it. It will be naive of you to think that such policy works only in the US and not in Cuba. The permanent threat from your side, brings unity into the ranks of the revolutionaries while convincing Cuban citizens not to be too critical of things on the island. Well you and your Attorney General know THAT! It is easy to shut people up on the grounds of battling imperialism just 90 miles away. The short distance between our two countries has worked for revolutionaries and not for you, and the Cubans are really thankful--so I have decided to let you know."

Armey's support for trade with Cuba may signal doom for embargo  8/9/02 Duluth News Tribune, ND: "But an anti-embargo coalition that includes farm-state lawmakers, northern Democrats and others has been gaining strength steadily in recent years. They argue that a free flow of goods and people to Cuba will accelerate the move to a more democratic system while opening up that market to American companies. Two weeks ago, the House adopted by a lopsided 262-167 vote a measure that would end restrictions on American travel to the island nation. If the Senate adopts similar language, as expected, and congressional conferees agree, President Bush will face a tough choice between executing the first veto of his term or accepting the first major easing of the embargo in four decades."

Armey says U.S. should lift embargo against Cuba House majority leader argues trade would benefit U.S. market, speed up island reform  8/9/02 SF Chronicle: "Speaking at a trade promotion event in Wichita, Kan., on Wednesday, Armey acknowledged that congressional support for the four-decade-old restrictions was fading. "If (the restrictions) last a year, it will be the last year," said Armey, who plans to retire from Congress at the end of the year."

Todos los territorios cubanos estarán listos en los próximos días para el censo  8/9/02 Trajabadores: Cuba does not tally race as is done in the US.

Armey says U.S. needs access to Cuban markets  8/8/02 AP: "House Majority Leader Dick Armey said Wednesday the United States needs to have access to Cuban markets, saying his votes against easing trade and travel restrictions to the island came from his loyalty to two Cuban-American House members. Armey, R-Texas, made the statements to reporters before speaking at a trade forum hosted by U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kansas. The forum was held at Kice Industries, a manufacturer of grain processing equipment. The retiring House leader said he believed Cuba will be open to trade, and that economic sanctions against Cuba may not last much beyond this year."

Cuba/España.- España es el principal inversor extranjero en Cuba  8/8/02 Europa Press

Free the Five Cubans!  8/8/02 freethefive.org: new web site on the fate of the Cuban counter-terror agents working in the US who received harsh sentences for keeping Bush's pals under surveillance.

What's next for US-Cuba policy?  8/8/02 LA Working Group: "Following very strong votes in the House of Representatives calling for reform to US policy towards Cuba, the next few months will prove whether the will of Congress will this year become law. In July, the House voted in favor of amendments to the Treasury/Postal appropriations bill which would lift the travel ban to Cuba, as well as lifting restrictions on financing for food and medicine sales, and lifting restrictions on remittances that can be sent to Cuban relatives. In addition, the House rejected an amendment by Porter Goss (R-FL) which would have eliminated the travel provision until the President had certified that Cuba was not producing bioweapons and not supporting international terrorists."

Cuban defectors in Canada pressured, bishop says  8/8/02 Miami Herald

Cuba: Using Creativity To Boost Inflow Of Visitors  8/7/02 Black World Today

Estudiantes cubanos a Olimpiada Internacional de Informática  8/7/02 Granma: "A Cuba le nacen talentos en todas partes", expresó el profesor Francisco Hernández, tras presentar a los cuatro estudiantes que representarán a nuestro país en la Olimpiada Internacional de Informática que se desarrollará del 18 al 25 de agosto en la ciudad de Yong In, ubicada a 30 kilómetros de Seúl, capital de Corea del Sur. A ese evento anual asistirán equipos de 70 naciones, y son África y América Latina los menos representados." Photo shows the appropriate hair style.

Posada in El Renacer, 60 meters from the Panama Canal  8/7/02 Granma: "For many observers, Posada Carriles’ arrival at El Renacer Rehabilitation Center and reunion with the rest of his terrorist gang, looks like another attempt to illegally spirit him out of the country. The move adds to the Panamanian authorities’ unjustifiable rejection of an extradition request by the Cuban government, a lack of response to the Venezuelan government’s extradition request, the many legal irregularities and constant visits to Panama by big-time Miami mafia members."

Dance Cuba! performance canceled in Vail  8/7/02 Summit Daily News, Colorado: "Because of new and unexpected processing requirements for visas by the United States government, Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba! will be unable to travel to Vail to appear at the Vail International Dance Festival. The company was scheduled to perform Aug. 8-11."

Researchers try to save colonial Cuban documents  8/6/02 AP: "Researchers from the University of Florida are working to preserve millions of pages of historical documents dating as far back as 1578 that have been locked up in Cuban archives since 1959. The researchers made a deal with the Cuban National Archives in March to preserve and copy about 10 million handwritten records of life, business and shipping in Havana from 1578 to 1900."

Another one of ours!’  8/6/02 Granma: "Thanks to Codina and the Miami-Cuban cabal, he got to know Leonel Martínez, another ultra-right businessman whose known specialty was drug trafficking. Between 1985-6, Martínez brought more than 1,500 kilograms of cocaine into Miami. He was arrested in 1989 and later sent to prison. The federal prosecutors were in possession of a telling photo of Jeb Bush offering Leonel Martínez his hand, but they refused to pass it on to the press. Meanwhile, Martínez had contributed various checks to the Fund for the Future of America, headed by Vice president Bush, and later donated money to his presidential campaign."

Reasons for Cuban's Ouster Revealed  8/5/02 Newsday: "According to those who have seen it, Castro's younger brother and designated successor, Defense Minister Raul Castro, takes Robaina to task for unauthorized contacts with former Spanish Foreign Minister Abel Matutes at a time of prickly relations between the two countries. Raul Castro mentions one telephone conversation between the two men -- evidently taped by Cuban state security -- in which Matutes tells Robaina he considers him "my candidate" -- an apparent reference to Cuba's future leadership. As for the favors, Robaina reportedly accepted dining-room and bedroom furniture for his home from an Italian businessman, according those who have seen the video. Robaina also reportedly received $25,000 for the running of the foreign ministry from Mario Villanueva, the jailed former governor of the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Villanueva was arrested for allegedly using his office to protect a drug cartel that smuggled cocaine into the United States from Mexico's Caribbean coast."

Former aide to Castro's brother defects to U.S.  8/3/02 Chicago Sun Times: "A former adviser to Fidel Castro's brother has defected, apparently becoming the highest-ranking Cuban official to seek political asylum in the United States. Alcibiades Hidalgo, 56, once was Raul Castro's chief of staff. He also served as Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations from 1992 to 1993 and was a member of the Central Committee of the island nation's Communist Party. He fell out of favor with the government in the mid-1990s, he said."

Cuba pretende ganar espacio en mercado mundial de software  8/2/02 Prensa Latina: "Aunque demorará unos cuatro años en alcanzar a todo el país, dijo, el proceso de digitalización de la telefonía supera ya el 70 por ciento de la red nacional, tras partir de un tres por ciento en 1994, fecha de creación de la entidad mixta Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA). Hace ocho años, remarcó, el índice de teléfonos por cada 100 habitantes era inferior a dos, cifra que se triplica hoy, a pesar de que aún resulta baja para las exigencias de la sociedad moderna. El ministro señaló además que el programa de extensión de los servicios telefónicos debe concluir este año con la instalación de unas 70 mil nuevas líneas, una 10 mil menos que en el 2001, debido a la tensa situación de la economía nacional."

Cuba seeks entry into world information market  8/2/02 Xinhua, China: scroll down - "Meanwhile, the country plans to build a national fiber-optic network at a cost of 50 million US dollars by the end of this year. The network will link Havana with Santiago, the second most important Cuban city, about 900 kilometers east of the capital, and will improve the quality of TV broadcasting and communication."

Cuba's Communist Party expels Robaina  8/1/02 Miami Herald: "Party members who watched the undated two-hour tape told foreign news agencies and the Mexican daily La Jornada that Robaina, 46, was accused of dishonesty in his relations with foreign officials and business people."

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 for 8/02 - 9/02

List of Cuban provincial papers and other sites

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Cuba in the News Archive for 8/02 - 9/02

List of Cuban provincial papers and other sites

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

Cuba in the News
Archive for 8/02 - 9/02