Cuba

Couple Allegedly Conspired to Provide Classified Information to Cuban Government

June 5, 2009 -- A former State Department official and his wife have been arrested on charges of serving as illegal agents of the Cuban government for nearly 30 years and conspiring to provide classified U.S. information to the Cuban government.

The arrests were announced today by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Ambassador Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today released the following statement on the Organization of American States General Assembly’s resolution on Cuba:

“This weak resolution undermines the OAS’s foundation by only paying lip service to the principles upon which the Democratic Charter stands. It allows for loose interpretation of what should be a clear set of fundamental democratic principles and standards regarding human rights, and we are already seeing this interpretation play out.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar joined 16 other Republican and Democratic Senators on a bill introduced yesterday easing U.S. trade restrictions to Cuba, the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009, S. 1089. The bill would help U.S. farmers and ranchers export their products to Cuba by allowing timely and direct cash payments for agricultural goods.

The bill also requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Additionally, the bill lifts the current travel ban, allowing U.S. citizens and legal residents to travel to Cuba, and it eases restrictions on exports of medicines and medical devices.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) joined a bipartisan group of fifteen Senators to introduce legislation easing travel and trade restrictions on Cuba.

"I have long said that trade with Cuba is an opportunity the United States cannot ignore," Senator Roberts said. "It is in the best economic and national security interests of the United States."

Many of the provisions in the bill, S. 1089, the "Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009," are similar to legislation Senator Roberts has supported in the past including:    » read more »

Crapo says Idaho agriculture could reap benefits

May 20, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Idaho agriculture could benefit from better trade opportunities with Cuba under legislation introduced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and a large bipartisan group of co-sponsors in the Senate.

Crapo, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, joined with Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) to introduce the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009.    » read more »

April 13, 2009 -- Today, the Obama administration announced a series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking office.

All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects basic human, political and economic rights of all its citizens. President Obama believes these measures will help make that goal a reality.    » read more »

26 August 2008 -- Tropical Storm Gustav has slightly weakened as it moves towards the Caribbean island nations of Jamaica and Cuba, but forecasters say it will grow stronger during the next few days.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Gustav is has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers an hour. Forecasters say the storm is heading northwest on a path that will take it between Jamaica and the southeastern coast of Cuba between Wednesday and Thursday.

Gustav is expected to regain hurricane strength today once it clears the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. Forecasters said late Tuesday it could become a Category Two storm on the scale that measures a hurricane's power and potential destructiveness.    » read more »

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
500 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2008

...GUSTAV STRENGTHENING SOUTH OF HAITI...SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL LATER
TODAY...

AT 5 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS ISSUED A
HURRICANE WATCH FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF LAS TUNAS...
GRANMA...HOLGUIN...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...AND GUANTANAMO. ALSO THE
GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA HAS CHANGED THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH TO A
HURRICANE WATCH FOR JAMAICA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY
WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM BARAHONA IN THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC WESTWARD TO LE MOLE ST NICHOLAS HAITI. PREPARATIONS TO
PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.    » read more »

17 June 2008 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has held talks with former Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana for what Cuba's state-run media have described as an "animated and warm" meeting. No photos or videos of the meeting were made public.

The Communist Party newspaper, Granma, reported Tuesday that Mr. Chavez and Mr. Castro met for three hours Monday to discuss the world's food, energy and financial crises. Mr. Chavez last traveled to Cuba in March.

President Chavez said Monday that Mr. Castro is "alive and well, thinking, writing and dictating important strategies for Cuba and Latin America. Mr. Chavez also was quoted by the French news agency as saying Mr. Castro's younger brother, Raul Castro, is "at the helm" of the Cuban revolution.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- “I am honored to join local, state and national leaders, as well as members of the Cuban community in Florida and throughout the nation, as they stand in solidarity with those unjustly imprisoned on the island of Cuba.

“For nearly half a century, the government of Cuba has denied its people access to the most fundamental, God-given liberties, blatantly ignored human rights violations and repressed opposition voices.

A prisoner at the Bush administration's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility: Photo by Habacuc (CC)    » read more »

05/21/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today released the following statement regarding the "Day of Solidarity with the Cuban People:"

"No person anywhere in the world should be persecuted or imprisoned for their political beliefs. Whether it be injustices taking place in Cuba or anywhere else around the globe, it is important to shine a spotlight on such situations so we can learn from them and work to bring about change that not only includes, but requires, political freedom."

Source: California Governor

May 20, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired a hearing today on global internet freedom and corporate responsibility. The hearing examined the role of U.S. internet companies in the suppression of freedom of speech and press in certain countries.

"Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed to all people and the advent of the internet has allowed billions of people to exercise this right more fully," Durbin said. "But many confront censorship and jail time for expressing themselves online. U.S. technology companies face difficult challenges when dealing with repressive governments, but they have a moral obligation to protect freedom of expression."    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement in commemoration of Cuban Independence Day:

"Today Democrats join Cuban Americans and the Cuban people in commemoration of Cuba's independence from Spain more than 100 years ago. More than 11 million Cubans live under the tyranny of the Castro brothers' regime today, denied their rightful place among the democratic nations of our hemisphere. The Democratic Party remains committed to supporting the brave dissidents who struggle for freedom every single day, and who have put their lives on the line so that someday soon, their children and grandchildren can enjoy the liberties every human being deserves."

Source: DNC

31 March 2008 -- A U.S.-based press freedom organization has criticized Venezuela's growing restrictions on freedom of the press, Cuba's jailing of journalists and U.S. court pressure on reporters to reveal confidential sources.

The Inter American Press Association wrapped up its midyear meeting Sunday in Caracas with a statement that accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of using attacks and intimidation to curb criticism of his government.

Last year Mr. Chavez refused to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television and replaced it with a state-run channel that airs government propaganda.

The IAPA also said Cuba's detention of 25 journalists amounted to a demonstration of total intolerance.    » read more »

Washington, Feb. 26, 2008 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek met to discuss bilateral trade. Following the meeting they held a press conference to highlight the plight of the Cuban people, with whom the Czech people stand in solidarity as a nation that has made a successful transition from what Gutierrez called the “tyranny of communism” to democracy. Gutierrez is pictured giving Topolanek a bracelet imprinted with the Spanish word for change, “cambio,” which are worn in solidarity with the Cuban people.    » read more »