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Archive - Jul 31, 2011

Tampa's economic forecast looks good as it opens flights to Havana, Cuba

<p style="text-align: justify;">Walter Courts. Tampa Political Buzz Examiner. July 31, 2011. Tampa - There was a saying that one can tell the financial condition of a city, by the number of unfixed potholes in its streets. Well, Tampa has or is fixing its potholes. The financial status of Tampa is impressive, despite a 28% decline in property tax revenues since 2007, core services have been unaffected. Read More

New Investments in Varadero

<p style="text-align: justify;">2011.07.31 - 08:14:14 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu / Varadero, which is the main tourist resort in Cuba, exhibits a high-level hotel infrastructure and continues its plan of investments in order to increase its current tourist capacity up to 18 thousand rooms.The new building works that are planned to be carried out during the current year and the next one in this tourist resort located in the peninsula of Matanzas, include the Patriarca hotel´s final construction stage which will have up to 400 hundred rooms. Read More

Cuban MPs Informed on Science, Environment-Related Issues

<p style="text-align: justify;">By. Raquel Maria Garcia Alvarez.10:53Havana, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) Cuban legislators are being informed on Saturday about the work of the Ministry of Science and Environment prior to the seventh ordinary period of sessions of the seventh legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (Cuba''s parliament). The Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary meeting as of August 1, and on July 28-29 the members of the 12 Permanent Committees held work sessions. Read More

Cuba Leads Medals in ALBA Games

<p style="text-align: justify;">By: Osmany González Tocabens.10:55Caracas, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban delegation is already the medal leader although four finals are left before the end of the 4th ALBA Games, which included more than 2,000 athletes from 23 countries. On Friday, Cuba totaled 160 gold medals, ahead of Venezuela (153), which led the tournament until the third from last date of competitions. Read More

Cuba prepares for parliamentary session on economic reforms

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Juan O. Tamayo.elnuevoherald.com. Complaints of continuing corruption, shortfalls of food production and other economic ills rattled Cuba Friday on the eve of a session of parliament expected to endorse Raúl Castro’s ambitious efforts at reforms. “Order, discipline and exigence,” Castro demanded at a cabinet meeting in which he laid out the string of problems undermining his reforms, according to a report Friday in the state-run Granma newspaper. Read More

Golf course condo buyers will get unlimited ownership

<p style="text-align: justify;">In a surprise change from previously announced 99-year leasehold arrangements for golf course real estate, the Cuban government agreed to let a Canadian developer sell condominiums in perpetuity.Three investor groups from Britain and Spain whose golf course real estate projects are in similarly advanced stages of planning hope the government will apply same arrangement to their projects as well. Although banks consider 99-year agreements as equal to outright ownership, perpetual ownership might convince more individual buyers to take the plunge and invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Communist island. Read More

Cuba readies new phase in retail sector reform

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Marc Frank | Reuters. HAVANA (Reuters) - 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. The measures, which take effect in October, are yet another step in President Raul Castro's plan to get the state out of administering thousands of small businesses by turning them over to employees to compete with a growing private sector. A Communist Party daily Granma report on Saturday cited the testimony of Internal Trade Minister Mary Blanca Ortega before parliament's Economic Affairs Committee. Read More

Cuba renews appliance sales amid economic changes

<p style="text-align: justify;">AP.By PETER ORSI - Associated Press. Saturday July 30, 2011. HAVANA (AP) — Cuba is renewing sales of energy-sucking appliances, reversing a pillar of Fidel Castro's "energy revolution" in response to popular demand and to support the growing ranks of independent workers under an economic overhaul launched by President Raul Castro.The measure covers appliances such as air conditioners, electric stoves, coffee makers, grills and sandwich makers. The appliances will begin going on sale gradually as they become available, according to a notice published in the Official Gazette and dated Friday. Read More

UN Project to Benefit Cuban Marine Areas

<p style="text-align: justify;">By: Raquel Maria Garcia Alvarez. 30 de julio de 2011, 00:05Pinar del Río, Cuba, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) Marine areas in Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba, will benefit from an international project funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), which supports environmental research and initiatives in those areas.Four protected areas of this western region have been included in the GEF program, which will allocate over five million USD to Cuba in five years. Read More

Cuba Encourages Capitalism While Marking the 58th Anniversary of the Start of Communism

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Steve Harrigan. Published July 29, 2011.FoxNews.com.When Cuba marked its 58th anniversary of the start of the Communist Revolution this week, a key message from Vice President Jose Machado was that Cubans need to work harder. Machado, 81, who spoke for 25 minutes while President Raul Castro who attended the ceremony sat silent, blamed corruption and inertia for Cuba’s economic woes. In past years the holiday was marked by lengthy speeches from Fidel Castro lauding the revolution and attacking the U.S. government. Read More