HAVANA, 6 October (By Matt Sloane CNN)  It may seem unlikely, but Havana, is one of the healthiest cities on the planet. Yes, much of the country is in abject poverty, and the trade embargo by the United States has kept some of the best medical technologies out of health care workers’ hands. But a […]

HAVANA, 4 October  Cuba’s state-owned telecommunications operator Etecsa is limiting the activation of new mobile phone lines in the provinces of Havana and Holguin, reports AIN. The operator has not provided any explanation for these limitations. One of the possible explanations is the recent activation of e-mail access from mobile phones by Cubacel, which boosted […]

HAVANA, 2 October (by Narayan Ammachchi) Cuba will soon begin offering direct flights to Costa Rica, as the Caribbean country intensifies its efforts to bolster its tourism sector in the face of the ongoing U.S. embargo. Cubana de Aviación, the nation’s top airliner, says it will begin running flights to Costa Rica from November 16.Cubana had […]

HAVANA, Oct. 2  With a month and half to go before Havana hosts its annual marathon, known as the Marabana, some 370 runners from 39 countries have already registered to compete, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) reported Wednesday. If the trend holds, Cuba could see a record number of international runners take part in the […]

HAVANA, 1 October (Ramon Espinosa AP) Cuba’s central bank chief is giving new details about the elimination of a special currency, saying that the shift will require putting more pesos into circulation and issuing higher-denomination bills. Elimination of the stronger currency is one of the toughest challenges facing Cuba’s struggling socialist economy, forcing officials to eliminate […]

HAVANA , Sep 30 (acn)  Some 400 delegates and guests, half of them Cubans, will meet today in this city to discuss the role of universities in the health of population. Renowned personalities of medical education and public health of the United States, Great Britain, Angola , Mexico, Venezuela , El Salvador, Belgium, and other […]

HAVANA, 28 September  (Michael Weissenstein AP)  A Canadian automobile executive has been sentenced to 15 years in Cuban prison on corruption-related charges that officials here call part of a broad campaign against graft, his company said Saturday. Ontario-based Tokmakjian Group said the charges against its president, Cy Tokmakjian, 74, were concocted as an excuse to […]

HAVANA, 27 September  Cuba’s state-run tourism industry is increasingly doing business with the country’s new class of private entrepreneurs, trying to improve quality of food and lodging while maintaining a grip on the sector’s biggest sources of foreign exchange. One of the country’s highest tourism officials provided new details on the initiative in an interview […]

HAVANA, Sept 26  (Reuters)  Cuban President Raul Castro granted more authority to the man who has led the campaign to modernize Cuba’s socialist economy, naming Marino Murillo as economy and planning minister on Thursday, the government said. Former Economy Minister Adel Yzquierdo, 69, was demoted from minister to deputy minister but will retain his position […]

HAVANA, 25 September  (Havana Times Elvira Pardo Cruz)  Many are the obstacles we must dodge as we head for work or go out for a stroll around the city. One sees men wearing helmets and overalls in hectic movement, oblivious to the hot tropical sun and what day of the week it is. Their minds […]

HAVANA, September 24  (acn)  Cuba’s National Ballet Company (BNC), directed by Alicia Alonso, will be present with prima ballerina Yanela Piñera and leading dancer Camilo Ramos at the 20th International Gala of Ballet to be held on September 27 and 28 at the Grand Opera House of the German city of Dortmund. The Cuban dancers […]

And Brujas, pero también brujos, tooTomorrow September 24, at 6 p.m., Sandra Ceballos launched her latest exhibition, Brujas, pero tambíen brujos (Female Witches, but also Male) at Línea 106 gallery. A project of Aglutinador-Brücke, the Museo de Arte Maniaco (Museum of Manic Art, or MAM), and Línea 106, the group show features work by close […]

HAVANA, September 22 (acn) Cuba, interested in strengthening the French market as one of its main tourists sources, will participate tomorrow in the 36th edition of Top Resa, a fair renowned for promoting tourism in Europe, to be held in Paris. According to statement from the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR by its Spanish acronym), the […]

HAVANA, 20 Sepember ( AFP) The Cuban government announced plans on Friday (Sep 19) to sell nearly 9,000 state-owned restaurants to private operators, the latest step in the island’s economic reforms. Cubans frequently complain about the country’s 8,984 state-owned restaurants, which are famous for poor quality, bad service and running out of food. Deputy Trade […]