Cuba

Number of tournament teams to expand through qualifying rounds in 2013

02/19/2008 -- World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) today announced the final eight teams that will be invited to participate in the 2009 World Baseball Classic next March, as endorsed by the tournament's Steering Committee.    » read more »

2/19/2008 -- Hillary Clinton: "As you know, Fidel Castro announced that he is stepping down as Cuba's leader after nearly 50 years of one-man rule. The new leadership in Cuba will face a stark choice -- continue with the failed policies of the past that have stifled democratic freedoms and stunted economic growth -- or take a historic step to bring Cuba into the community of democratic nations. The people of Cuba want to seize this opportunity for real change and so must we.    » read more »

February 19, 2008, Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on the resignation of Fidel Castro:

"Today's resignation of Fidel Castro is nearly half a century overdue. For decades, Castro oversaw an apparatus of repression that denied liberty to the people who suffered under his dictatorship.    » read more »

February 19, 2008, Chicago, IL - Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on Fidel Castro stepping down.

Statement from Senator Barack Obama:
"Today should mark the end of a dark era in Cuba's history. Fidel Castro's stepping down is an essential first step, but it is sadly insufficient in bringing freedom to Cuba.    » read more »

30 January 2008 -- Official results from Cuba's recent parliamentary elections show that interim President Raul Castro has won more votes that his ailing older brother, Fidel Castro, in uncontested polling for the legislature known as the National Assembly.

The government Wednesday released results showing that the 76-year-old Raul Castro received 99.4 percent of the ballots cast in the family's base of Santiago in eastern Cuba. It was the highest percentage in the country.    » read more »

24 January 2008 -- Long-time Cuban leader Fidel Castro says he thought he was dying when he became very ill in July, 2006.

Mr. Castro's comment was in an essay he wrote, which was published Thursday in the state-owned Cuban newspaper Granma.

In the essay, the Cuban leader discussed his recent meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Mr. Castro wrote that he told Mr. da Silva he has dedicated himself to thinking and writing, after Mr. da Silva commented on how well he looked.    » read more »

Despite Pledge Not to Block Young Leaders

20 December 2007 -- Speculation continues over what Cuban leader Fidel Castro's intentions may be following his cryptic message earlier this week about his future role. The ailing communist ruler says he wants to remain consequential until the end of his life, but at the same time will not block the rise of younger leaders.

Cubans are still pondering their long-time ruler's message, which came in a letter read on a state-run television program.    » read more »

20 December 2007 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has visited Cuba for a lunch meeting with his ailing mentor, President Fidel Castro.

President Chavez arrived Wednesday on his trip that will include attending an oil summit later in the week. The visit comes two days after President Castro released a letter hinting at retirement from the Cuban leadership. In the letter, read on Cuban state television Monday, Mr. Castro said he would not obstruct the rise of a new generation of leaders.    » read more »

13 December 2007 -- A Spanish court has rejected a bid to have Cuban leader Fidel Castro charged in the deaths of nine prisoners in Cuba during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

The court in Madrid ruled Thursday that Mr. Castro is the Cuban head of state and, therefore, immune from prosecution in Spain.

A Miami-based group called the Committee to Aid Dissidents-2506 filed the lawsuit. Spain allows the prosecution of crimes against humanity even if the alleged offenses occurred outside Spanish territory.    » read more »

December 9, 2007 -- Summary: In 2002, Governor Huckabee strongly advocated lifting the embargo against Cuba saying it "harm[s] our own agricultural and business interests," "has not helped the people of Cuba" and has "provided Castro with a convenient excuse for his own failed system of government."

"Huckabee, the GOP governor of Arkansas, wrote to President Bush seeking action against the embargo." (Jeffrey Birnbaum, "Business to Bush: Let Us Into Cuba!", Fortune, 5/27/02)    » read more »

21 November 2007 -- Cuba has set January 20 as the date for national elections that will determine whether ailing leader Fidel Castro will remain the island's president. The vote may confirm the transfer of power to Fidel's brother, Raul Castro.    » read more »

08 November 2007 -- The Cuban government says weeks of flooding, made worse by Tropical Storm Noel, left one person dead and damaged more than 21,000 homes.

Cuban authorities detailed the destruction in a brief announcement published Thursday in state-run newspapers.

The government estimated that flooding in the eastern areas of Cuba caused about $500 million in damage.

Heavy rains began soaking the region in mid-October. Tropical Storm Noel made matters worse when it crossed over the region at the end of the month, destroying buildings and crops.    » read more »

November 5, 2007 -- (Havana, Cuba) -- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today witnessed the signing of $10 million in agricultural sales during his fourth visit to Cuba. The Governor arrived this morning for a one-day visit that coincided with the opening of the 25th annual Havana International Trade Fair.    » read more »

- Center of Disorganized Tropical Storm Noel About to Emerge Off the North Coast of Haiti
- New Warnings Issued for the Bahamas

MON OCT 29 2007, NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL -- AT 1100 AM EDT (1500Z) THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS UPGRADED THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.    » read more »

800 AM EDT MON OCT 29 2007: NOEL BECOMING LESS ORGANIZED BUT CONTINUES TO PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING RAINS OVER HISPANIOLA

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN
BAHAMAS...INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE COAST OF HAITI...AND IS RECOMMENDED FOR THE SOUTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM BARAHONA WESTWARD.    » read more »