80 years on, Cuba's Hotel Nacional still shines

<p style="text-align: justify;">By JENNY BARCHFIELD. Associated Press. December 30, 2010 1:41pm EST. HAVANA — The carpets are worn and the rooms have a musty feel. Yet Havana's iconic Hotel Nacional, which marked its 80th birthday Thursday, wears its slightly shabby elegance with pride, an aging beauty a bit past its prime.Cuba Hotel Nacional.The hotel has welcomed movie stars and mobsters, but today's visitors are mostly flip-flop-wearing tourists from Britain and Spain hoping to get a taste of the past at the apricot-colored monolith on Havana's seaside Malecon boulevard. Read More

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Cuban west biodiversity studies deepened

<p style="text-align: justify;">Cuban scientists are widening the studies on biological diversity in Guanahacabibes, Pinar del Rio, considered a Biosphere Reserve in the west of the Caribbean island. Recent explorations verified the excellent conditions of the carsic prairie sheltering many birds, as much permanent residents as migratory birds.New Forms of Rock Art Discovered in Westerrn Cuba Read More

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Two sides of Cuba, the beaches and the Capitol

<p style="text-align: justify;">By KENNETH BAGNELL, QMI Agency. El Capitolio, or National Capitol Building in Havana, Cuba, was the seat of government in Cuba until after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and is now home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences. (Barbara Bagnell/QMI Agency). El Capitolio, or National Capitol Building in Havana, Cuba, was the seat of government in Cuba until after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and is now home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences. (Barbara Bagnell/QMI Agency) Read More

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Cuba, Brazil eye closer ties in post-Lula era

<p style="text-align: justify;">13:37, December 30, 2010. Officials from Cuba and Brazil Wednesday expressed a "common will" to continue enhancing ties after the tenure of Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, which ends on Saturday.The consensus was reached by Cuban First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Brazilian ambassador to Cuba Jose Eduardo Martins during their talks here. Read More

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Marti, el Ojo del Canario, Best Cuban Film of 2010

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Yoama Chappottin Ford. The film Marti, el ojo del canario (Marti, the Eye of the Canary), directed by Fernando Perez, has been chosen by the Cuban Association of Film Critics as the best Cuban film of 2010.A humanistic approach to the Cuban national hero's adolescence, the film won the Colon de Plata Award in Spain for best director and best photography and three Coral Awards along with eight collateral awards at the Havana Film Festival. Read More

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Ghana Athletics Association seeks Cuba/France assistance

<p style="text-align: justify;">December 29, 2010. Accra, Dec. 29, GNA - Professor Francis Dodoo, President of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) says his outfit is seeking collaboration from Cuba and France with coaching experience to enhance the technical capacity of the discipline.He told GNA Sports that "we are in constant discussion with the federations in Cuba and France because they have great track record in that area and can help us improve our capacity." Read More

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Cuba sets to migrate to free, open-source software

<p style="text-align: justify;">19:48, December 29, 2010. Cuba has set a strategic goal in 2011 to migrate most of its computers to open-source software, a move designed to strengthen the country's technological security and sovereignty. Once the migration is fully implemented on the ground, the Cuban Nova Linux will be the operating system used in 90 percent of all working places, and Microsoft Office will be replaced by Open Office in all government institutions, Vice Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Moreno told Xinhua Tuesday. Read More

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High Ranking North Korean Official Sends Cuba Congratulations on Revolution Anniversary

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 29 (acn) North Korean Vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyong Sop sent congratulations to Cuba for the 52 anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Read More

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1000 Indian Farmers to Travel to Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 29 (acn) The government of the Indian southern state of Karnataka will send some 1000 farmers to Cuba in the next moths to learn organic agriculture techniques, reported Prensa Latina news agency. Read More

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This December Could Be the Coldest Month in Cuba in Sixty Years

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 29 (acn) December could become the coldest month in Cuba since 1951 due to the continental and artic cold air masses arriving with cold fronts.According to the Granma newspaper, so far there have been six cold fronts and the most notable minimum temperatures were registered on the early morning of days 15 and 28. Read More

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