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September 2008
- Hurricanes Prompt Calls to Soften Restrictions on Cuba
  
  Washington Post | Sep 24, 08 10:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The devastation Hurricanes Gustav and Ike wrought on Cuba has prompted the US to offer direct aid for the first time in the 47-year history of its embargo on the island, but even ardent anti-Castro Cuban Americans are pushing for more, the Washington Post reports. While not all favor lifting the embargo, there is a broad consensus that limits on travel and remittances from the US are oppressive, particularly in this time of crisis. More »
- Hurricanes Smoke Cuban Cigar Biz
  
  Miami Herald | Sep 18, 08 2:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Back-to-back blows from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike have the Cuban tobacco industry reeling, reports the Miami Herald . Hurricane Ike alone destroyed half of this year's tobacco plants, more than 3,000 tobacco-drying barns and nearly 9,000 homes for workers. The destruction occurred just days after Gustav had already wreaked havoc on a similar scale. More »
- 4 Killed as Ike Ravages Cuba
  
  Associated Press | Sep 9, 08 4:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hurricane Ike killed 4 people in Cuba and drove 1.2 million from their homes as the savage storm tore a path of destruction through the island, AP reports. Buildings and utility poles toppled and cars were crushed as the storm raced toward Havana. “This critter was angry, really angry,” said a resident. The storm fell to Category 1 yesterday but is likely to strengthen again before slamming Louisiana, Texas, or northern Mexico this weekend. More »
August 2008
- Gustav Now a Cat 3 Hurricane
  
  Associated Press | Aug 30, 08 8:02 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Gustav swelled to a fearsome Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph as it neared Cuba early today, the AP reports. The storm, which killed 71 people in the Caribbean, rolled over the Cayman Islands last night, with fierce winds that tore down trees and power lines, but there was little flooding. Gustav could strike the Gulf Coast anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, but forecasters said there is a better-than-even chance that New Orleans will get slammed. More »
- Cuba Jails Rocker for 'Geriatric Castro' Lyrics
  
  Guardian (UK) | Aug 29, 08 5:23 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Cuban rock star has been jailed and will be charged with "subverting communist morality" because his lyrics scorn the revolution, and rip "geriatric" Fidel and Raul Castro, the Guardian reports. Gorki Aguila, front man for underground band Porno para Ricardo, could face up to four years in prison if convicted of the charges. More »
- Castro Backs Cuban Athlete Who Kicked Ref
  
  Associated Press | Aug 25, 08 5:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An ailing Fidel Castro expressed "total solidarity" today with a Cuban martial artist who kicked an Olympics referee in the face, the AP reports. Castro supported a claim by the taekwondo athlete's coach that the contest was fixed and marred by a bribery attempt. "They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote of Angel Matos, who faces a lifetime ban from the sport. "He could not contain himself." More »
July 2008
- Cuban Youth Prefer Facebook to Revolution
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Jul 26, 08 9:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Cuba's youth are restless, but many are more concerned about access to Facebook, flat-screen TVs, and trips abroad than political change, reports the Christian Science Monitor . Young people say that they pressured Raul Castro to allow cell phone and computer ownership, but they remain disillusioned about the prospects for greater change. More »
- Cuba Rebuilds Spy Network in Fla., Agent Says
  
  Miami Herald | Jul 5, 08 3:59 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Cuba has rebuilt its spy network in Florida to its highest level in 10 years, a US Army expert on Cuban agents tells the Miami Herald . The FBI rounded up more than a dozen spies in 1998, but they have all been replaced, bringing Florida’s spy population to around 210, Lt. Col. Chris Simmons said. His revelation is the first in recent years by a US official on Cuban spies. More »
June 2008
- Elian Spotlight Shows Obama Weak Spot
  
  Politico | Jun 24, 08 11:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Eight years after the Elian Gonzalez standoff contributed to Al Gore’s defeat, the row is back in the headlines and causing trouble for Barack Obama. Obama’s stance on Cuban issues, not to mention the prominent roles Elian’s father’s lawyer and a Clinton deputy AG play in his campaign, have angered many members of Florida’s Cuban exile community, Politico reports. More »
- Elian Case Returns to the Spotlight
  
  Miami Herald | Jun 20, 08 10:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When the battle over whether to send young Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba raged in 2000, Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator nowhere near the fray. But two of the candidate's current advisers played a role, and that connection has some Cuban-Americans ready to protest the senator's speech this weekend in Miami. Elian's great-uncle is leading the charge, the Miami Herald reports. More »
- Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions
  
  Agence France Presse | Jun 20, 08 8:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The European Union has agreed to lift sanctions against Cuba, much to the annoyance of the White House. "We see encouraging signs in Cuba and I think that we should show the population in Cuba that we are ready to work with them," an EU official tells the AFP. It's a largely symbolic victory for Cuba and Spain—which lobbied for the change—because sanctions have been suspended since 2005. More »
- Ailing Fidel Appears on TV
  
  Associated Press | Jun 18, 08 5:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An animated Fidel Castro appeared on state-run Cuban TV yesterday, in the first such broadcast of the ailing revolutionary since January. Castro, standing in some parts of the video, was seen chatting in a garden with his brother Raul, the current Cuban president, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the AP reports. The trio discussed the global food and oil crises and the effect of Midwest floods, Chavez told reporters. More »
- Top Vacations Off-Limits to Americans
  
  Foreign Policy | Jun 14, 08 4:53 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Here are top spots for an exotic foreign trip—except that Washington has labeled them off-limits or far too dangerous. Foreign Policy lists five: Mt. Kumgang is North Korea's "unspoiled spiritual retreat," but Americans will be quarantined by Pyongyang if they can even get in. More »
- Prison of Cuban Baseball Ensnares US Agent, Too
  
  Vanity Fair | Jun 13, 08 3:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Politics is keeping "at least half a billion dollars of baseball players in Cuba right now," one agent tells Michael Lewis as he investigates, for Vanity Fair , the case of an American sports agent now in jail for smuggling athletes. Gus Dominguez appears to be a victim of politics on the US side—though that web isn't half as tangled as the one facing athletes on Castro's island. More »
- Hard Workers in Cuba Will Finally Get Their Due
  
  Miami Herald | Jun 12, 08 4:42 AM CDT

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Stories

Hurricanes Prompt Calls to Soften Restrictions on Cuba

Hurricanes Smoke Cuban Cigar Biz

4 Killed as Ike Ravages Cuba

Gustav Now a Cat 3 Hurricane

Cuba Jails Rocker for 'Geriatric Castro' Lyrics

Castro Backs Cuban Athlete Who Kicked Ref

Cuban Youth Prefer Facebook to Revolution

Cuba Rebuilds Spy Network in Fla., Agent Says

Elian Spotlight Shows Obama Weak Spot

Elian Case Returns to the Spotlight

Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions

Ailing Fidel Appears on TV

Top Vacations Off-Limits to Americans

Prison of Cuban Baseball Ensnares US Agent, Too

Hard Workers in Cuba Will Finally Get Their Due