10/01/2013 | Argentina

Gov't announces Mitre, Sarmiento carriages to be replaced

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced in a televised speech that all the coaches of the Sarmiento and Mitre train lines will be renovated. She also criticized City Mayor Mauricio Macri and said she considers a $3.80 subway fare "outrageous."

13/01/2013 | Argentina

CFK in Abu Dhabi, first stop of Asian tour

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner arrived to the United Arab Emirates in the first stop for her Asian tour which includes visits to Vietnam and Indonesia as part of an eleven day-long official trip. CFK first visit was to Cuba, where she met with family members of ailing Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez.

21/08/2012 | World

Diana Nyad ends swim from Cuba to Florida

Veteran long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad reached dry land, although not the way she had hoped after giving up on her fourth and possibly final attempt to make the 103-mile (166-km) swim from Cuba to the United States.

25/08/2012 | World

Tropical Storm Isaac drenches Haiti, aims for Cuba

Tropical Storm Isaac dumped torrential rains on Haiti, where thousands of people remain homeless more than two years after a devastating earthquake, and began its assault on eastern Cuba on Saturday.

29/12/2012 | World

Spaniard convicted in Cuban dissident death returns home

A Spanish political activist who was convicted in the death of prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya in a car crash in Cuba in July arrived in Spain to serve out his four-year prison sentence, media reports said.

14/04/2012 | World

US makes plea to overcome 'Cold War diplomacy'

US President Barack Obama called for the possibility of overcoming “the diplomacy of the Cold War,” today in reference to the dispute with Cuba, whilst participating in the CEO summit given prior to the inauguration of the VI Summit of the Americas taking place in Cartagena, Colombia.

04/05/2012 | World

Jailed US contractor in Cuba pleads for brief release

A US contractor imprisoned in Cuba praised Raúl Castro's economic reforms but called the Cuban government's treatment of him "shameful" in his first media interview since he was jailed more than two years ago.

20/08/2012 | World

US swimmer pushes forward on Cuba-Florida swim after storm

American long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad pushed ahead today, overcoming a night of lightning, rain and whipping winds in her latest bid to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

06/03/2012 | World

US watchful for ‘potential turbulence’ in Venezuela

United States Air Force Commander, General Douglas Fraser, in charge of the US Southern Command, stated before Congress that the Department of Defence is “watchful for potential geopolitical turbulence that could impact US citizens,” and highlighted the uncertainties of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez health and economic instability.

27/03/2012 | World

Pope, Castro meet as official squashes reform hopes

Pope Benedict and Cuban President Raúl Castro met on Tuesday for talks on a papal trip that has sparked hopes for economic and political change, but one national leader said there would be no political reform on the communist island.

28/03/2012 | World

Pope gives huge mass, urges for changes in Cuba

Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up his visit to Cuba today with an enormous Mass before hundreds of thousands of people in emblematic Revolution Square. “Cuba and the world need change,’’ he said.

29/07/2011 | World

Cuba approves flights from 9 more US cities

Air travel between the United States and Cuba will become easier with the opening of charter flights to the forbidden island from an additional nine US cities announced by Cuba authorities.

24/10/2011 | World

Castro accuses NATO for Gaddafi’s 'murder'

Castro denounced NATO for its role in the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, saying the "brutal military alliance has become the most perfidious instrument of repression the history of humanity has known."

10/12/2011 | World

Cuba dissidents say 200 detained up to UN rights day

Cuban opposition said toay that about 200 people had been temporarily detained by the Communist-led Caribbean island's security services ahead of the international UN human rights day.

12/03/2011 | World

US contractor sentenced to 15 years in Cuba trial

US aid contractor Alan Gross has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the Cuban state, state-run television reported, in the latest setback to relations between two Cold War enemies.

26/03/2011 | World

Carter to meet Castro, religious leaders in Cuba

Former US President Jimmy Carter will meet with Cuban President Raúl Castro, the leader of Cuba's Catholic Church and the island's Jewish community during a Havana visit starting on Monday amid speculation he will seek the release of a jailed US aid contractor.

16/05/2011 | World

Cuba further loosens regulation of private sector

Communist-run Cuba has given all small businesses the authority to hire labor and will loosen other regulations governing private enterprise, the government said in a statement.

21/01/2011 | World

Cuba stops US mail in new hiccup in relations

Cuba has suspended postal deliveries to the United States, its mail firm said, in a step backward for ties between neighbouring countries that have made cautious progress in repairing a Cold War-era rift.

08/02/2011 | World

Cuba unblocks access to controversial blog

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez said the Cuban government apparently has unblocked access to her blog, which had been off limits on the island's Internet since 2008.

09/02/2011 | World

Cuban dissident blogger talked to the Herald after her blog was liberated

“I wonder if this is for good,” she told the Herald. “By blocking us (accesses to our blogs), the Government has been strengthening us,” she added in a phone conversation from the island.

04/02/2013 | Latin America

Fidel Castro says Chávez improving after tough cancer fight

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is getting "much better" as he recovers from cancer surgery almost two months ago in Havana, Communist Party newspaper Granma reported today.

04/02/2013 | Latin America

'French Spiderman' climbs landmark Havana hotel

With hundreds of people watching from the streets below, the so-called French Spiderman, Alain Robert, scaled the landmark Havana Libre hotel today in a free climb that he said wasn't too hard.

24/01/2013 | Latin America

Colombia peace talks take a break, no major advances reported

FARC rebels and the Colombian government adjourned their latest round of peace talks today with no major advances toward ending their long conflict and said they had significant differences to overcome despite some areas of agreement.

26/01/2013 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chavez overcomes infection, still having treatment

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection, but is still being treated for breathing problems after cancer surgery in Cuba last month, a government minister said today.

03/02/2013 | Latin America

Amid domestic change, Cubans march to the polls

Cubans went to the polls to elect a Communist Party-selected slate of 612 deputies to the National Assembly at a time of change in how they live and work but not in how they vote.

04/01/2013 | Latin America

Chávez swearing-in can be delayed, Venezuelan VP says

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's formal swearing-in for a new six-year term scheduled for Jan. 10 can be postponed if he is unable to attend due to his struggle to recover from cancer surgery, his vice-president said today.

14/01/2013 | Latin America

Cubans cleared for travel under new law

Cuba's new, freer travel policy took effect today and for some notable Cuban dissidents it turned out to offer greater freedom than they had expected.

16/01/2013 | Latin America

'Talk to us,' Venezuela's Capriles urges Chávez

Venezuela's opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, called today for a proof of life from ailing President Hugo Chávez who has not been seen since cancer surgery in Cuba five weeks ago.

15/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez has 'full intellectual capacity' after surgery

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has recovered "full intellectual capacity" after a six-hour cancer operation in Cuba this week, an official said today, but offered few details on the socialist firebrand's physical condition.

20/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez 'awake' and 'in good conditions'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is conscious and recovering a week after a cancer surgery he underwent in Cuba, and "in good conditions" after suffering a respiratory infection, according to Vice-President Nicolás Maduro.

01/01/2013 | Latin America

Venezuelan VP says Chávez 'absolutely aware of his situation'

Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro stated during an interview that President Hugo Chávez is "aware of the complex situation he is going through," and blasted the press over the rumours about of his condition.

11/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez begins recovery after 'successful' surgery

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's cancer operation in Cuba yesterday was a success, his vice president said, adding that the complex surgery had lasted more than six hours and he would be recuperating for several days.

12/12/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez 'in stable condition' after operation

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is in stable condition after his cancer operation in Cuba, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said today.

13/12/2012 | Latin America

Chavez's condition improves after suffering complication from surgery

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suffered bleeding as a result of a six-hour operation in Cuba meant to treat a third bout of cancer, the government said.

07/12/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez back from Cuba medical treatment

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returned from Cuba today following cancer-related medical treatment, walking and joking at the airport in a first public appearance in three weeks that quashed rumors he might have been at death's door.

09/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez suffers cancer recurrence, names potential successor

Venezuela's President Hugo Chaáez returns to Cuba for more surgery after a recurrence of cancer led him to name a successor for the first time in a sign the disease may force an end to his 14-year rule.

10/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez arrives in Cuba for surgery, vows 'I'll be back'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez flew to Cuba early today for cancer surgery, vowing to return quickly despite admitting the disease could curb his 14-year rule of the South American nation.

29/11/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's VP says Chávez doing well in Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is doing well as he receives medical treatment in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said today, despite a two-week absence from public view that has raised fresh doubts about his health.

03/12/2012 | Latin America

Chávez will travel to Brazil for summit, ambassador says

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez will travel to Brazil for a regional summit at the end of this week despite cancer-related medical treatment in Cuba, Brazil's ambassador said on today.

06/12/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chavez likely to miss Brazil summit due to health

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will not attend a regional trade summit in Brazil, sources said.

18/10/2012 | Latin America

Fidel Castro reappears in print after months of silence

A letter by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro congratulating a Havana medical institute on its 50th anniversary was splashed across the front pages of Cuban newspapers in his first appearance in print in four months.

22/11/2012 | Latin America

Colombia FARC rebels free 4 Chinese captives held since 2011

Colombia's FARC rebels freed three captive Chinese oil workers and their translator after holding them in jungle camps for more than a year, the defence ministry said today, an apparent goodwill gesture as the rebels seek to negotiate a peace accord to end five decades of war.

27/11/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez to continue medical treatment in Cuba

Following a nearly two-week absence from the public eye, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel to Cuba for medical treatment, months after he underwent chemotherapy and radiation for cancer there.

05/10/2012 | Latin America

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez detained in Cuba

Prominent dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, a Buenos Aires Herald contributor, has been arrested along with her husband Reinaldo Escobar, in the city of Bayamo, Cuba, a website with close ties to Cuban government reported today.

16/10/2012 | Latin America

Cuba to lift broad travel restrictions

Cuba will scrap much reviled travel restrictions starting in January, easing most Cubans' exit and return, state media said today, in the communist island's first major immigration reform in half a century.

18/10/2012 | Latin America

Colombian government, FARC rebels to meet in Cuba for peace talks

Colombian government and leftist rebel negotiators agreed to meet in Cuba in mid-November to start what are likely to be thorny peace talks aimed at patching together an end to half a century of conflict, both sides said.

10/09/2012 | Latin America

Cuba says power mostly restored after massive blackout

A failure in a main transmission line in central Cuba caused a blackout that cut electricity for hours to more than half the country on Sunday night, but now power has been mostly restored, the government said.

20/09/2012 | Latin America

Cuba says ending US embargo would help both countries

Both the United States and Cuba would benefit if Washington would lift its longstanding trade embargo against the island, but US President Barack Obama has toughened the sanctions since taking office in 2009, a top Cuban official said.

04/10/2012 | Latin America

Colombian president says doing well after cancer surgery

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made his first public appearance after prostate cancer surgery and said he was fine and working from his hospital room.

21/08/2012 | Latin America

Former Cuban officials get prison terms for corruption

Three former vice ministers in Cuba's Basic Industry Ministry and nine nickel industry executives have been sentenced to long prison terms for corruption, Cuban state media said.

05/09/2012 | Latin America

Colombia names team for peace talks with FARC rebels

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos unveiled a six-man team to negotiate with FARC rebels in the hope of ending almost 50 years of war.

07/09/2012 | Latin America

Cuba struggles with foreign investment, growth

Cuba's failure to encourage more foreign investment is crippling its economic performance and putting its goal of sustainable growth in danger unless changes are made, local experts and diplomats said this week

30/07/2012 | Latin America

Survivors of crash that killed Cuba's Paya say it was accident

Two European politicians who survived a car crash that killed prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya said that no other vehicle was involved and denied suggestions they had been deliberately forced off the road.

03/08/2012 | Latin America

Driver in death of Cuban dissident had bad driving record

The Spanish politician who was driving a car that crashed in Cuba last month, killing the island's top dissident, was in proceedings to have his license revoked, according to Spain's national traffic authority.

13/08/2012 | Latin America

Fidel Castro turns 86

Revolutionary icon Fidel Castro turns 86 today. Castro has been out of view for almost two months, not having appeared in any way or published one of his occasional opinion columns in the state press since June 19.

14/07/2012 | Latin America

Cuba says cholera outbreak not spreading

Cuba said that a cholera outbreak in eastern Cuba is diminishing and has not spread to other parts of the country.

26/07/2012 | Latin America

Cuba broadens economic reforms, plans new measures

Cuba adopted a new tax code this week and said it would loosen regulations on some state companies while turning others into cooperatives, as one of the world's last Soviet-style economies moves in a more market-friendly direction.

27/07/2012 | Latin America

Cuba blames Spanish driver in crash that killed dissidents

A Spanish politician was to blame for a car crash that killed two Cuban dissidents, including Oswaldo Paya, Cuba said in a report on an accident that has raised suspicions among opposition activists and some foreign governments.

18/05/2012 | Latin America

Chávez breaks silence with phone call

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ended a weeklong silence after his latest cancer treatment with a call to state television, singing a folk song and vowing to deepen his self-styled socialist "revolution."

19/06/2012 | Latin America

Chávez has 16-point lead in latest Venezuela poll

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has a 16-percentage-point lead over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles ahead of an election in October, a new opinion poll showed today.

13/07/2012 | Latin America

Ship sails direct from Miami to Havana for first time in 50 years

The ship named ‘Ana Cecilia,’ which set sail on Wednesday from Miami to Havana, arrived today to the main port in Havana, beginning a regular shipping service between the two cities that has not been being carried out for over five decades.  

26/04/2012 | Latin America

Chávez back from Cuba after cancer treatment

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has returned home after 11 days of cancer treatment in Cuba as the state television showed images of the Head of State chatting with his vice president and other aides after arriving at Caracas' international airport early today.

07/05/2012 | Latin America

Chávez breaks silence, says governing Venezuela

President Hugo Chávez broke a week-long silence to deny he had left Venezuela rudderless during his cancer treatment in Cuba and to promise a resounding re-election win in October.

16/05/2012 | Latin America

Daughter of Cuban leader Raúl Castro to visit US

Cuban President Raúl Castro's daughter is scheduled to visit California next week to speak at a conference of experts on Latin America during a rare US trip by a member of Cuba's ruling family.

23/04/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez calls home to squash death rumors

A healthy-sounding President Hugo Chávez called Venezuelan state television from Cuba to dispel rumors fanned by a nine-day silence that he had died undergoing cancer treatment at a hospital in Havana.

23/04/2012 | Latin America

Cuba plans massive shift to 'non-state' sector

Cuba will move nearly 50 percent of the state's economic activity to the "non-state" sector, a senior Communist party official said, the latest signal the island is headed toward a mixed economy.

24/04/2012 | Latin America

Chávez 'alive and kicking' in Cuba, pictures released

Photos released by the Venezuelan government showed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez wearing a track suit and strolling in a garden in Havana with Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro, playing bowls with his brother, Adán, and kissing a crucifix as he hugged his daughter, María Gabriela.

14/04/2012 | Latin America

Chávez skips Americas Summit, heads to Cuba for radiotherapy

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, will not be participating in the VI Americas Summit which began today in Cartagena and is set to travel to Cuba in order to continue his radiotherapy treatment, Venezuela foreign minister, Nicolás Maduro informed today.

15/04/2012 | Latin America

Latin America rebels against US over Cuba

Unprecedented Latin American opposition to US sanctions on Cuba left President Barack Obama isolated at a summit on Sunday and illustrated Washington's declining influence in a region being aggressively courted by China.

16/04/2012 | Latin America

Summit concludes without joint declaration, split over Cuba and Malvinas

The 6th Summit of the Americas ended yesterday in the Colombian city of Cartagena de indias without a joint declaration thanks to divisions over Cuba and Argentina's sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands.

06/04/2012 | Latin America

Reflective Chavez weeps at Mass, asks for God’s help

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wept and asked God to spare his life during a pre-Easter Mass after returning from his latest session of cancer treatment in Cuba. Chavez has undergone three operations in less than a year, and received two sessions of radiation treatment.

06/04/2012 | Latin America

After half century, Cubans again celebrate Good Friday

Bells rang from Roman Catholic churches throughout Havana on Friday to remember the death of Jesus Christ as Cubans celebrated a holiday on Good Friday for the first time in more than half a century.

08/04/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez lands in Cuba for treatment

Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías returned to Cuba on Easter Sunday for a third round of radiation therapy.

31/03/2012 | Latin America

Cuba declares Good Friday a holiday at pope's request

Cuba has declared next week's Good Friday a holiday following a request from Pope Benedict during his visit to the island, state media said on Saturday.

02/04/2012 | Latin America

Ecuador's Correa to skip Summit of the Americas

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said he will not attend this month's Summit of the Americas in Colombia, nor any other gathering that excludes Cuba or fails to address what he calls the region's most pressing issues.

05/04/2012 | Latin America

Chavez back in Venezuela after treatment in Cuba

President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela today after his latest session of cancer treatment in Cuba, as he aims to fight off the illness and win a new six-year term in an October election.

28/03/2012 | Latin America

Pope to end Cuba trip with mass, Fidel Castro meeting

Pope Benedict will step onto Cuba's biggest stage today with a public mass in Havana's Revolution Square as he wraps up a trip that began with a blast at communism and will end with a visit with Fidel Castro.

28/03/2012 | Latin America

Pope meets with Fidel Castro

Pope Benedict ended his visit to Cuba on Wednesday by urging the communist-run island to search for "authentic freedom" and condemning a 50-year-old US trade embargo while also making time to meet with ailing revolutionary icon Fidel Castro.

29/03/2012 | Latin America

Chavez back in Venezuela after radiation therapy

President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela today after a first session of radiation treatment in Cuba that he hopes will cure his cancer and allow him to win a new six-year term in October.

24/03/2012 | Latin America

Chávez returning to Cuba for radiation therapy

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will return to Cuba to begin radiation treatment for cancer on Sunday, but said he was in good shape and would be back home in several days.

26/03/2012 | Latin America

Pope lands in Cuba for 3-day visit

Pope Benedict arrived in Cuba for a three-day visit to showcase improving Church-state relations and push for a larger Church role at a time of change on the communist island.

27/03/2012 | Latin America

Pope calls for more justice, peace, freedom in Cuba

Pope Benedict urged Cubans to build a better, "renewed and open society" and pressed the communist government to give the Catholic Church more liberties to help the country as it faced an uncertain future.

16/03/2012 | Latin America

Chávez returns to Venezuela from Cuba after surgery

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez flew home after cancer surgery in Cuba that will require him to have radiation therapy ahead of October's re-election bid.

19/03/2012 | Latin America

Cuba releases Ladies in White as pope visit nears

Cuba released 70 members of the dissident Ladies in White group detained during the weekend but warned them not to attend activities related to next week's visit of Pope Benedict, the group's leader said.

23/03/2012 | Latin America

Cuba will listen to Pope Benedict with respect, foreign minister says

“Cuba will receive and listen affectionately and respectfully to what Pope Benedict XVI has to say,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez told the international press today. His remarks come just a few hours after the international media published the Pope’s views on the island’s regime.

08/03/2012 | Latin America

Cuba calls exclusion from regional summit 'unacceptable'

Cuba said it was "unacceptable" that it will not be invited to an upcoming hemispheric summit in Colombia and blamed the United States for insisting that Cuba be excluded.

13/03/2012 | Latin America

New photos show Chávez recovering in Cuba

The Venezuelan government published several new photos showing president Hugo Chávez during his recovery stage in La Habana on Tuesday, after undergoing surgery to have a malignant tumor removed.

14/03/2012 | Latin America

Seeking pope's help, Cuban dissidents occupy church

Cuban dissidents occupied a Roman Catholic church in Havana in what a Church spokesman said was part of a broader orchestrated action to get Pope Benedict to press for change when he visits later this month.

01/03/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez 'working' after Cuba operation

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez is back working on government affairs from Cuba after a successful operation for his suspected recurrence of cancer, allies said.

01/03/2012 | Latin America

Cuban government to open new ministries

Cuba will create two new ministries as part of President Raul Castro's campaign to reorganize the government and make it more effective, state media reported.

02/03/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela publishes photos of Chávez with Fidel

Venezuela published photographs of President Hugo Chávez chatting with Cuba's Fidel Castro and walking in a hospital as he recovers from cancer surgery on the Communist-led island.

23/02/2012 | Latin America

Chávez goes to Cuba on Friday for cancer surgery

Venezuela's ailing socialist leader, Hugo Chávez, will fly to Cuba on Friday for an unknown period to undergo new cancer surgery that has shaken the South American nation before an October presidential election.

24/02/2012 | Latin America

Emotional Chávez heads for surgery in Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez bade an emotional farewell to anxious supporters on Friday en route to Cuba for new cancer surgery, vowing to return for victory in the October election.

28/02/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela says Chávez's lesion 'completely' removed

Surgeons "completely" removed a lesion from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's pelvis and the socialist leader is in good physical condition after the operation in Cuba, Venezuela's vice president said on.

30/01/2012 | Latin America

Rousseff arrives to Cuba to talk trade, ties

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff arrived to Havana for a two-day visit focused on trade, but nagged by Cuba's ever-present human rights issues.

31/01/2012 | Latin America

Rousseff vows to maintain economic aid to Cuba

Brazil is willing to keep its commitment to Cuba and maintain its economic cooperation with the island, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday during a two-day visit to Cuba in which she will be focused on trade.

21/02/2012 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez to undergo another operation

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said he will have to undergo another operation after doctors found a 2-centimeter lesion in his pelvis during medical tests in Cuba.

11/01/2012 | Latin America

Ahmadinejad starts one-day Cuba visit

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Havana today for a one-day visit amid heightened international tensions after an Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in a Tehran car bombing.

20/01/2012 | Latin America

Jailed Cuba dissident dies in hunger strike

A 31-year-old jailed dissident, Wilmar Villar Mendoza, died in eastern Cuba from the effects of a 56-day hunger strike and what fellow opposition activists believe was mistreatment by the Cuban government, a Cuban human rights activist said.

22/01/2012 | Latin America

Cuba's Ladies in White call dissident death 'murder'

The opposition group "Ladies in White" accused the Cuban government of "murdering" by neglect a 31-year-old dissident who died last week following a hunger strike in prison.

25/12/2011 | Latin America

At least 38 dead in Haitian shipwreck off Cuba

At least 38 people died today when a boat carrying Haitian migrants sunk off the coast of Guantanamo province in far eastern Cuban, Cuban television reported.

26/12/2011 | Latin America

Cuba makes more reforms to retail sector

Cuba will open up more of the country's retail services to the private sector next year, allowing Cubans to operate various services such as appliance and watch repair, and locksmith and carpentry shops, official media reported.

06/01/2012 | Latin America

Fidel Castro says world marching into abyss with shale gas

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said the world was on an "inexorable march toward the abyss," which he blamed in part on the discovery and exploitation of vast reserves of so-called "shale gas" around the world.

22/12/2011 | Latin America

Cubans wait, hope for end to travel limits

Cuba is abuzz with speculation that President Raúl Castro will soon announce policy changes making it easier for Cubans to travel abroad from their communist island.

23/12/2011 | Latin America

Cuba says to release 2,900 prisoners

Cuba, which is preparing for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI next spring, will release 2,900 prisoners in the coming days for humanitarian reasons, including some convicted of crimes against "the security of the state," the Cuban government said.

24/12/2011 | Latin America

US regrets Cuba failure to free Alan Gross

The United States deplored Cuba's apparent failure to free Alan Gross, a US. citizen serving a 15-year prison term in a case that has stalled progress in US.-Cuba relations, as part of an announced humanitarian release of some 2,900 prisoners.

09/12/2011 | Latin America

Cuba govt supporters block march by dissident women

Dozens of slogan-chanting Cuban government supporters faced off with dissident women on Friday and prevented them from marching in the street on the eve of international Human Rights Day.

13/12/2011 | Latin America

In Cuba, old clunkers and Soviet cars now for sale

Want to buy a blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air for $11,000 or a Soviet-made Lada 1600 for $15,000? Or for that matter, sell one?

19/12/2011 | Latin America

US voices concerns over Venezuela’s Cuban, Iranian ties

The United States believes increasingly warm ties between Venezuela, Iran and Cuba do not benefit the Venezuelan people, US President Barack Obama said in an interview with a Venezuelan newspaper published today.

08/11/2011 | Latin America

Castro daughter, dissident blogger clash on Twitter

Social media moved into a new realm in technologically backward Cuba when Cuban President Raúl Castro's controversial daughter Mariela began tweeting and quickly got into the Twitter equivalent of a shouting match with dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez.

28/11/2011 | Latin America

Cuban government to contract with private sector

The Cuban government will begin contracting out some services to the private sector next year in a break from the state-dominated past aimed at helping small business develop, government insiders said.

02/12/2011 | Latin America

Chávez hosts CELAC summit, snubs US, Canada

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez hosted fellow Latin American leaders to launch a new regional body that pointedly excludes the United States.

20/10/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela’s Chavez: ‘I'm free of illness’

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez declared himself cancer-free today, four months after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor that shook the South American nation ahead of a 2012 presidential vote.

25/10/2011 | Latin America

UN urges end to US Cuba embargo for 20th year

The UN General Assembly called for the 20th straight year on the United States to lift its trade embargo against Cuba, as the communist-run island dismissed as fraudulent US moves to ease some restrictions.

03/11/2011 | Latin America

Cuba set to allow buying, selling of homes

Cubans will be able to buy and sell houses for the first time in more than five decades in a long-awaited reform that legalizes what many have done for years but also restricts how much property they can own, state-run press said.

14/10/2011 | Latin America

Leader of Cuba's 'Ladies in White' dies at 63

Laura Pollán, one of the founders of the dissident group Ladies in White, has died in a Havana hospital at the age of 63, fellow dissidents.

15/10/2011 | Latin America

Cuba's Ladies in White mourn leader, vow to go on

"Ladies in White" leader Laura Pollán was remembered with a simple altar in her home in a crumbling Havana neighborhood and vows that the group she founded in defiance of Cuba's government would go on.

19/10/2011 | Latin America

Chávez plans 'thanksgiving' after Cuba cancer tests

Venezuela's convalescing President Hugo Chávez said he would be home on Thursday for a thanksgiving ceremony at a religious shrine after checks in Cuba following cancer treatment.

28/09/2011 | Latin America

Obama: Cuba must reform before US eases stance

The United States is ready to change its stern policy toward Cuba but has not seen steps from Havana that would justify lifting its embargo, President Barack Obama said today.

29/09/2011 | Latin America

Fidel Castro: 'Many things will change in Cuba in spite of the US'

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro lashed out at US President Barack Obama today for suggesting bilateral relations could improve if Cuba became more democratic, and he said the communist nation would not bow to US pressure.

07/10/2011 | Latin America

Convicted Cuban agent released from Florida jail

A Cuban spy convicted of infiltrating a Cuban exile organization in Florida was released from a US jail after serving 13 years of his 15-year-sentence, his lawyer said.

03/09/2011 | Latin America

Cuban defense minister dead at 75

General Julio Casas Reguerio, Cuba's defense minister and longtime aide to President Raúl Castro, died of heart failure at the age of 75, the Cuban government said.

10/09/2011 | Latin America

Castro says rumours of his death make him laugh

Fidel Castro, in an audio aired on Venezuelan state television late last night, joked about rumours circulating in the capital, Miami and on Twitter over the past few weeks that he was gravely ill or had died.

17/09/2011 | Latin America

Chavez heads to Cuba for more chemotherapy

Venezuela's cancer-stricken leader Hugo Chavez said he will return to Cuba today for a fourth and probably last round of chemotherapy, vowing to be recovered and fit for a tough re-election campaign next year.

17/08/2011 | Latin America

Cuban singer's Miami concert plan drums up discord

Cuban singer Pablo Milanés has not yet played a note of his planned Aug. 27 concert in Miami but the event has already drummed up unharmonious debate among Cuban exiles between opponents and supporters of the event.

30/08/2011 | Latin America

Cuba dissidents ask Church to stop harassment by state

Leaders of the dissident group Ladies in White asked the Catholic Church to intervene with the Cuban government to end what they described as violent acts against them and other human rights activists.

02/09/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez finishes third chemo session

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ended a third round of chemotherapy, saying he "couldn't feel better" as he led a caravan to the presidential palace cheered on by thousands of supporters.

05/08/2011 | Latin America

Cuba upholds 15-year jail sentence for American contractor

Cuba's Supreme Court upheld the conviction and 15-year prison sentence of jailed American aid contractor Alan Gross, the Cuban government said today, in the latest blow to US-Cuba relations.

06/08/2011 | Latin America

Chávez to return to Cuba for more chemotherapy

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said he will return to Cuba for a second session of chemotherapy to treat a cancer that has forced him to slow his pace ahead of a re-election bid next year.

14/08/2011 | Latin America

Singer Pablo Milanes urges more freedom in Cuba

One of Communist-ruled Cuba's best-known singers, Pablo Milanes, said in quoted comments he would like to see more freedom to protest on the island as he prepared for a controversial concert this month in Miami.

20/07/2011 | Latin America

Cuba-US relations at stake in American contractor’s trial

Future prospects for improving US-Cuba ties will be at stake when Cuba's highest court hears an appeal on Friday from jailed US aid contractor Alan Gross against his 15-year sentence for crimes against the state.

22/07/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chavez says first chemo successful

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his first phase of chemotherapy treatment for cancer was successful, and he is preparing for a second phase to eliminate the risk of malignant cells.

30/07/2011 | Latin America

Cuba readies new phase in retail sector reform

Cuba will broaden private retail service beyond beauty parlors and barbers in October to include everything from coffee shops to locksmiths, and may even rent space on busy streets, an official told parliament.

04/07/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chavez vows to win health battle

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Monday he had to submit to "strict" medical treatment but would win the battle to regain his health after an operation in Cuba for a cancerous tumor .

05/07/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela celebrates independence with Chávez home

Venezuela celebrated the 200th anniversary of its independence with President Hugo Chávez back in his palace after a triumphant return from cancer surgery in Cuba that has left him weakened but defiant.

16/07/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's ailing Chávez delegates some powers

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez delegated some powers to his vice president and finance minister, hours before a planned departure to Cuba for cancer treatment.

29/06/2011 | Latin America

New footage shows Venezuela's Chavez chatting with Fidel

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez was shown and heard chatting animatedly with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in new video footage released today as rumors swirled over his health.

01/07/2011 | Latin America

Chávez is to go back soon, military assures calm

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is recovering "satisfactorily" from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and will be home "soon," the head of the South American nation's military said today. General Henry Rangel Silva added.

01/07/2011 | Latin America

Cuba plans limited housing and auto market

Cuba will authorize limited housing and car markets by 2012, the Communist party newspaper Granma said today, a move awaited by local residents since the early 1960s when home and most auto sales were banned.

23/06/2011 | Latin America

Chavez ‘stronger than ever’ but not home soon, says minister

Nearly two weeks after surgery in Cuba, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is "stronger than ever" but will not rush home until he is ready, his defense minister said today.

24/06/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chavez tweets from Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, not seen in public in over two weeks, ended his unusual silence with several Twitter messages today, but said nothing about his health after an operation in Cuba.

27/06/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela: opposition demands information on Chavez's health

Demands by Venezuela's opposition for information on President Hugo Chavez's health grew louder today and bond prices rallied on speculation the socialist leader could be seriously ill.

11/06/2011 | Latin America

Venezuela's Chávez has successful surgery in Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had a successful operation on in Cuba for an abscess in the pelvis discovered on the last stage of this week's tour around Latin America, his government said.

13/06/2011 | Latin America

Chavez recovers from surgery in Cuba, Castros at bed side

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said today he had his "full faculties" after an operation in Cuba and was still managing government affairs despite being ordered to rest for several days more.

16/06/2011 | Latin America

Ban Ki-Moon in Brazil rallying for support, Cuba delays re-election

UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon is in Brazil rallying for support for his candidacy for a second term as the head of the United Nations. The trip marks the conclusion of a South American tour that has taken him to Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay.

31/05/2011 | Latin America

Lula arrives in Cuba for work meeting with Raúl Castro

The former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is to arrive today in Cuba to meet the island’s mandate Raul Castro in a tour that will also include a visit to Chavez’ Venezuela. According to the Cuban official newspaper Granma, Lula will hold “a work meeting” with Raúl Castro and will visit “sites of economic interest.”

02/06/2011 | Latin America

Lula meets Castro brothers in Cuba

Brazilian former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met Cuba’s mandate Raúl Castro and former president Fidel Castro who Lula regarded as being “very talkative as usual” during short trip to Cuba.

07/06/2011 | Latin America

Body of Cuban dissident exhumed, family to emigrate

The body of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, whose death by hunger strike last year provoked international criticism of Cuba was exhumed for cremation today, his family said, enabling them to take his remains when they emigrate to the United States.

03/05/2011 | Latin America

Cuban, breaking own record, rolls longest cigar

A Cuban cigar roller broke his own record by rolling the world's longest cigar, a monster smoke that stretched 268 feet 4 inches (81.8 metres), or most of the length of a football field.

09/05/2011 | Latin America

Historic transition: Cubans might be able to travel abroad

Cuba might be about to undergo a historic transition.Raul Castro’s government might allow Cubans to travel abroad, said local government in a new political reformed plan.it is going to be the first time in over fifty years that Cuba’s citizens are allowed to travel abroad as tourists.

24/05/2011 | Latin America

New entrepreneurs on the rise in socialist Cuba

The salvation of socialism in Cuba is taking some odd turns, with words like "competition," "marketing" and "opportunity" being heard for the first time in decades on the communist-led island.

17/04/2011 | Latin America

Cubans welcome Castro call to limit leaders' terms

Cuba will consider placing term limits on its leaders to assure new blood in the goverment, President Raúl Castro said in a speech kicking off a Communist Party congress on the island he and his brother led for more than five decades.

18/04/2011 | Latin America

Cuban communists approve landmark reforms

Cuba's Communist Party approved landmark economic reforms and voted for new leaders in a key party congress to chart Cuba's future, state-run media reported

30/04/2011 | Latin America

Cuba hunger strikers seek release of jailed US man

Two obscure Cuban dissidents who sewed their mouths partially shut and launched a hunger strike a month ago said they were prepared to die for their demands, which include freedom for jailed US contractor Alan Gross and improved human rights.

27/03/2011 | Latin America

Jailed US man likely focus of Carter Cuba trip

Former US President Jimmy Carter will begin a three-day visit to Cuba on Monday for what is described as a "private, non-governmental mission" where the main topic may be the fate of a US aid contractor jailed for setting up illegal Internet service.

28/03/2011 | Latin America

Jimmy Carter starts Cuba visit, to discuss ties

Former President Jimmy Carter, returning to Cuba for the first time since a groundbreaking 2002 trip, began a three-day visit on Monday to discuss troubled US-Cuba relations and is likely to talk about the fate of imprisoned US aid contractor Alan Gross.

08/04/2011 | Latin America

Anti-Castro Cuban exile cleared of lying over bombs

A Texas jury acquitted an 83-year-old anti-Castro Cuban exile and former CIA operative, considered an archfoe by Havana, of charges he lied to US authorities about his role in bomb attacks against tourist areas in Cuba in 1997.

26/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba to release eight more political prisoners

Cuba will free eight more political prisoners and send seven of them to Spain, the Catholic Church said, as the government continued to release jailed dissidents.

16/03/2011 | Latin America

Cuba to free another prisoner from 2003 crackdown

Cuba will release one of the last political prisoners still in jail from a 2003 government crackdown, the Catholic Church said.

18/03/2011 | Latin America

Cuban dissidents harassed on crackdown anniversary

Supporters of Cuba's communist government harassed Cuban dissidents as they tried to mark the anniversary of a 2003 crackdown that sent 75 government opponents to prison for long sentences.

12/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba frees political prisoner against his wishes

A political prisoner who had refused to leave prison was freed against his wishes as Cuba continued to release jailed government opponents.

19/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba frees another political prisoner

Cuba has freed another political prisoner, leaving only six still behind bars from a group of 52 that President Raúl Castro has promised to release, the Catholic Church said.

23/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuban hunger striker remembered a year after death

The family of late hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo put flowers on his grave and sang the Cuban national anthem on the first anniversary of his death that provoked international condemnation of Cuba's human rights.

02/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba to free four more political prisoners

Cuba will soon free four more political prisoners and send them to Spain as it continues to clear jailed opponents from its prisons, the Roman Catholic Church said.

04/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba to seek 20-year sentence for US contractor

Cuban prosecutors will seek a 20-year prison sentence for jailed US aid contractor Alan Gross, who is accused of espionage in a case that has stalled US-Cuba relations, the Communist Party newspaper Granma said.

11/02/2011 | Latin America

Cuba releases another political prisoner

Cuba released a political prisoner and told another he could go free as the government continued to clear dissidents from its prisons.

12/01/2011 | Latin America

US, Cuba hold fresh round of migration talks

US and Cuban officials sat down for a fresh round of migration talks that have been overshadowed by the case of a US contractor jailed in Havana on suspicion of espionage.

28/01/2011 | Latin America

Cuban dissident arrested for third time this week

A well-known Cuban dissident and about 15 associates were arrested as they tried to march down a street in central Santa Clara province, the third time in as many days they were detained for mounting peaceful protests.

29/01/2011 | Latin America

Cuban dissident home after arrest

Internationally acclaimed Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas was home resting after being arrested on Friday and then hospitalized briefly for chest pains, his mother said.

11/04/2012 | Sports

Mexico's Calderón arrives in Cuba pledging better relations

Mexican President Felipe Calderón pledged to improve his government's rocky relations with Cuba and seek new trade opportunities when he arrived for a short visit to the communist island.

01/08/2012 | Sports

Judo: Campos out in men's -90kg round of 32

04/08/2011 | Entertainment

Bolshoi celebrates Cuba's peerless ballerina Alonso

Russia's Bolshoi Theater celebrated the 90th birthday of Cuban dancer Alicia Alonso with a gala performance this week of Russian classics performed by her pupils and countrymen.

04/08/2012 | Entertainment

New Orleans bar case dropped against actor Cuba Gooding Jr

New Orleans authorities will not pursue misdemeanor battery charges against actor Cuba Gooding Jr. after a run-in with a bartender at a Bourbon Street bar, according to a city spokesman.