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By Matt Spetalnick, David Adams and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON/HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it had promised to free, senior U.S. officials said, a major step toward détente with Washington. The release of the remaining prisoners sets a positive tone for historic talks next week aimed at normalizing relations after decades of hostility, the officials said. They described the Cuban government’s release over the weekend of the last detainees on the list as a milestone but said they would keep pressing Havana to free more people the United States considers political prisoners. The officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not say how many prisoners were released over the weekend or identify them. But the White House will provide the names of all 53 to Congress and expects lawmakers to make them public, the officials added. There had been questions over whether Havana would release all 53 prisoners as part of the deal Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17 to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago.
Monday, 12 January 2015 21:54

Will Cuba rejoin the IMF?

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 U.S. trade embargo, are prohibited by the Helms-Burton Act, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. But the renewal of Cuba’s membership in the International Monetary Fund is a real possibility. Cuba was one of the IMF’s 40 original members. It was involved in much of the preliminary planning for the 1944 Bretton Woods conference, and had an active delegation there. As early as 1941, Cuba worked together with other Latin American countries in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a monetary role for silver, alongside gold. Later, it helped to secure greater voting rights for small states and a special status for Latin American countries on the IMF Executive Board. After Cuba joined the IMF (and the World Bank) in 1946, it played a positive role in the Fund for the next 12 years. In 1954, it became the 10th country to accept the full obligations of the Fund’s Article VIII, eschewing the use of foreign-exchange restrictions on international trade. In 1956, it took a routine loan from the Fund, repaying it the following year.…
Saturday, 10 January 2015 21:50

Cuba frees 30 political prisoners

HAVANA, Cuba – At least 30 Cuban political prisoners have been released in the last 48 hours, dissident leaders said Thursday, as Cuba moves towards normalizing ties with the United States. Washington and Havana announced a historic bilateral rapprochement in mid-December in which Cuba agreed to free 53 political prisoners as part of a deal to end a five-decade standoff with the United States. “So far we’re counting a total of 30 releases, including 24 from the UNPACU,” said José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), a dissident group based in the communist island’s east.
Monday, 29 April 2013 08:48

Cuba ends half-century ban on pro boxing

HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba is breaking a five-decade ban on professional boxing and joining an international semipro league. Fighters will compete for sponsored teams, box without protective headgear and earn $1,000 to $3,000 a month. The country has a long and storied boxing tradition and is usually a force at international amateur tournaments. This move represents a big step for the island's Communist authorities, who long ago decided pro sports were not in keeping with Marxist social ideals. The new format, the World Series of Boxing, consists of 12 squads from across the globe that square off in a series of five fights using a point system similar to the pros. The World Series of Boxing is organized by the international boxing association known as AIBA. The competition begins in November.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010 11:13

Embargo is now tighter, Cuba says of U.S. trade

Cuba says the U.S. trade embargo against the island has toughened under President Barack Obama. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said Wednesday that enforcement of the 48-year embargo, which Havana calls a "blockade," has become stricter in some areas. He said since Obama took office, the United States has levied larger fines and applied sanctions more vigorously. Rodríguez said the embargo has cost the island $751 billion and Obama has not lived up to expectations for U.S. policy toward Cuba. Last year, President Obama called for a new beginning in relations with Cuba and eased restrictions on travel and money transfers by Cuban-Americans to family in Cuba. However, he left the trade embargo in place, saying it is up to Cuba to take the next step. The United States and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations. They have interests sections that are technically part of the Swiss embassies in each other's capitals.
Cuba's government plan to lay off half a million state workers and encourage them to move into private sector jobs is part of a sweeping economic reform. Economic experts say Cuba faces several challenges in fostering private businesses. For months, President Raúl Castro has been warning about inevitable layoffs in the state sector, which represents 95 percent of Cuba's economy. He says the state is struggling because too many workers are redundant and have low productivity. Monday, the Cuban Workers Confederation unveiled a plan that includes cutting more than 500,000 state employees by April. The labor union group says the government cannot continue to support entities with inflated payrolls and losses that drag down the island's economy.
Spain says Cuba's release of dozens of political prisoners would improve its relations with the European Union and the United States and could eventually lead to the lifting of the long-standing U.S. embargo against the Communist-led island. Speaking Wednesday in Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos told Parliament that the releases would have "political consequences" in U.S. relations with Cuba and prompt a shift in EU policy toward the island. Moratinos' remarks coincided with the arrival of a 12th freed political prisoner in Madrid. Another eight are expected in the Spanish capital this week. Cuba has agreed to release 52 political prisoners in a deal involving Madrid and the Roman Catholic Church.
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