CUBA: Student Denies Arrest, Says Criticism Was ‘Within the System’

A Cuban university student who made headlines around the world when a videotape of him questioning aspects of the country’s socialist system was posted on the Internet defended his right Tuesday to express constructive criticism from within the system and said that contrary to rumour, he was never arrested for speaking out.

U.S./CUBA: Justice Not So Blind in Politically Charged Cases

Following the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush outlined the basis for the so-called "war on terror", arguing "if you harbour a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist."

POLITICS-CUBA: Fidel Re-Elected to Parliament – Will He Become President?

In national elections for the Cuban parliament’s next five-year term, all nominated candidates were elected, including President Fidel Castro, who has been away from government duties since Jul. 31, 2006 for health reasons.

RIGHTS-CUBA: Fewer Political Prisoners, More Arbitrary Arrests – Dissidents

The number of political prisoners in Cuba fell last year, but arbitrary detentions increased, according to a report released Wednesday, by the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN).

POLITICS-US: Cuba Policy Remains in Far-Right Hands

Concerned over the rise of "realist" influence over the final year of the Bush administration's foreign policy might extend to Cuba, right-wing hawks are mobilising against any possibility that Washington might ease its hard-line stance, or its 46-year-old trade embargo against the Caribbean nation.

AGRICULTURE-CUBA: Waiting for Announced Reforms

While saving up for the extra expenses of the year-end holidays, Cubans are hoping that 2008 will bring reforms, at least in agriculture, that will result in a more varied supply of food, at affordable prices.

CUBA: Sails of Popular Education Catch Winds of Socialist Change

The growing role of popular education in local experiences of social change is spurring debate about the need for more active participation by the people of Cuba in the social transformations that are inevitable if it is to remain a socialist country.

RIGHTS-CUBA: Door Ajar to UN Rapporteurs

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler’s visit to Cuba left the door open to future visits by other high-level U.N. Human Rights Council officials, after several years of tension with Havana.

POLITICS: U.N. Spurns Cuba Embargo for 17th Year

The United Nations General Assembly Tuesday snubbed the United States for its hostility towards Cuba, amid fresh calls for an end to the 45-year economic and financial embargo imposed on the socialist island.

CUBA: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff – Studying the Soviet Legacy

Although Cuba survived the demise of its communist allies in the early 1990s, the legacy of its close relationship with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe may still have a bearing on the future of socialism on this Caribbean island nation.

POLITICS-CUBA: Women, Local Elections and People’s Power

Marisol Cabrera has become quite at ease as president of the municipal government of the Cuban town of Placetas. But nine years ago it was another story, and she herself had doubts. "I wondered whether I was capable of this, it felt like a huge challenge. There was no tradition of women in this post," she says.

Q&A: ‘Being Silenced Is So Serious That the Reason Pales in Comparison&#39

A decision by the Cuban Radio and Television Institute (ICRT) not to broadcast several video clips by national filmmakers rekindled controversy about the government’s cultural policy and its effects on the media.

CUBA-VENEZUELA: Strategic Alliance Cemented

Signing a string of economic agreements with Cuba Monday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez further tightened his close alliance with this Caribbean island nation’s ailing leader, Fidel Castro, who he considers a mentor and the "father of all revolutionaries."

CUBA: Social Beefs, Proposals Voiced in Widespread Debates

Like Pandora’s box, the popular debates promoted by acting Cuban President Raúl Castro have brought to light countless problems that affect the daily lives of Cubans, who are now hoping to see their proposals for solutions on the official agenda in the short or medium term.

DEATH PENALTY-CUBA: Sentences Uphold De Facto Moratorium

Military tribunals that have tried serious cases of murder and kidnapping in the last few weeks in Cuba have opted for life sentences or 30-year prison terms instead of the death penalty, which has not been applied in this country in more than four years.

CUBA-US: Academic Exchange Continues, Despite Embargo

Relocating the 27th Latin American Studies Association (LASA) International Congress from the United States to Canada has meant that 138 Cuban academics have been able to take part in the event, which promotes dialogue and academic exchange in the region.

RIGHTS-US: Cuban Five Get Another Day in Court

A federal appeals court here heard arguments Monday in a case that has sparked wide debate about the right of a country to defend itself against perceived "terrorists".

CUBA: Gradual Changes But No Surprises, A Year On

A year after the announcement that changed life in Cuba in the blink of an eye, this Caribbean island nation continues to defy, as it has so often in the past, expectations about the present and future of its socialist system.

CUBA: Raul Castro Acknowledges Day-to-Day Hardships

Cuba’s acting president, Raúl Castro, made a frank assessment of the situation in his country Thursday, acknowledging difficulties and challenges faced by Cubans in their daily lives, ruling out the possibility of short-term solutions, and warning that it is essential to bolster production, especially of food.

POLITICS-CUBA: (When) Will Fidel Return?

President Fidel Castro will not be attending the Jul. 26 celebrations, one of the most important annual commemorations of the Cuban Revolution, and this prolongs uncertainty over whether or not he will resume his official functions until the forthcoming elections.

RIGHTS-CUBA: Dissident Group Sees No Improvement

The temporary retirement of President Fidel Castro on Jul. 31, 2006 has resulted in no change in "the civil, political, economic and certain cultural rights situation," which continues to be "unfavourable," a dissident human rights group said on Thursday.