Over a half century later, as U.S. and Cuban officials met last week for historic talks to begin normalizing diplomatic relations, it was evident that trust remains the same: scarce. But this first step in the present détente augurs well for a process that will require patience and skillful managing of expectations in both countries.... More
Ever since the inception of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Our America has entered a new stage and advanced toward independence; sovereignty over our natural resources; integration and construction of a new world order; and, social justice and democracy of the people, by the people and for the people. There is a stronger commitment to justice and the rights of the peoples today than in any other historical period.... More
Washington, January 14 (Reuters-RHC) - Several U.S. Republican senators proposed legislation on Tuesday that would place a moratorium on the release of most of the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying they posed too much danger to the United States and its allies.... More
Petrolia, January 12 (RHC) -- When U.S. President Obama announced on December 17th that he would direct his administration to start normalizing relations with Cuba, there was one big obstacle: the blockade on Cuba would still remain in place. As Obama stated, the blockade has been codified in legislation. He announced his intention to engage with Congress about lifting the blockade. But with both chambers of Congress now in the hands of the Republican party, it doesn’t appear likely. But the reality is that Obama doesn’t need Congressional permission. As he did when he announced he would defer deportation for certain undocumented residents, Obama can – and should – act on his own, said Matt Poppe in an article published Monday by Counterpunch newsletter.... More
Sanibel, January 8 (RHC)–- The restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States unlocks new prospects for the island’s economy. Some steps, including the removal of the US trade embargo, are prohibited by the Helms-Burton Act, adopted by the US Congress in 1996. But the renewal of Cuba’s membership in the International Monetary Fund is a real possibility, pointed out a former IMF historian in an article published by Project Syndicate website.... More
Cambridge, January 2 (RHC)-- With Western economic sanctions against Russia, Iran, and Cuba in the news, it is a good time to take stock of the debate on just how well such measures work. The short answer is that economic sanctions usually have only modest effects, even if they can be an essential means of demonstrating moral resolve, according to Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University, in an article published by Project Syndicate, an opinion web page.... More
No amount of money can buy a human life, therefore it must never be marketed, Cuban doctor Aleida Guevara said in a recent interview with Russia Today, speaking on the devastating Ebola epidemic in West Africa.... More
Hi amigos radioaficionados all around the world ... this is the weekend edition of your favorite radio hobby program.... Dxers Unlimited with yours truly, Arnie Coro at the microphone, I am now ready to bring to you about ten minutes of information about our favorite way of spending whatever spare time is available... that is no other than playing with our radios.... More
Hi amigos radioaficionados all around the world, now listening to the empty short wave frequencies left in that state recently by the close down of Radio Exterior de España transmissions from the Noblejas, Toledo site that was the only one left of that station. Several comments circulating via the Internet highlight that the supposed replacement for the short wave service via the Internet were not attractive at all, and certainly no match to the professional level of the now lost station.... More
On February 9, 1995, a year before the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, House Representative, and New York Democrat Charles Rangel introduced a bill, the Free Trade with Cuba Act, designed to remove the blockade and begin a dialogue with Cuba. Congress opted instead for a hard-line stance against Cuba. ... More
There is a domestically troubling reality in the US of rising public concern over the US military prison in Guantánamo, Cuba. Is there some background on the case to get the ball rolling? Abu Wa’el Dhiab, a Syrian who has been cleared for release from Guantánamo since 2009, is challenging the US military’s practice of feeding detainees on hunger strike through tubes inserted into the stomach through the nose. He and other detainees consider the feeding to be torture, and request an end both to it and to Guantánamo guards forcibly removing them from their cells for the treatment. Dhiab and an undisclosed group of detainees are on hunger strike to protest against their incarceration without charge.... More
Washington, October 29 (RHC-PL) -- The U.S. and Israel have once more remained alone against the world regarding the blockade against Cuba, according to a new article published in The New York Times on Wednesday.... More
Statement by H.E. Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, on item 40 of the agenda of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly entitled: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. ... More
The run up to the election was anything but placid!. After a tight race, marked by innumerable twists and turns, not the least when the main opposition candidate Eduardo Campos was killed in a plane crash on the campaign trail, Brazil’s left-wing president, Dilma Rousseff, was re-elected on October 26th to a second four-year term with 51.6% of valid votes. Aécio Neves, of the centre-right opposition, won 48.4%. It is the fourth election in a row won by her Workers’ Party the PT.... More
The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday takes up a resolution on “the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” The assembly, for the 23rd straight year, is expected overwhelmingly to condemn the U.S. policy. Last year, the vote was 188-2, with Israel joining the U.S. in supporting the status quo.... More
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