WCVB’s Russ Nelligan visited Cuba and captured these images of a country buzzing about the upcoming visit of President Barack Obama. “In the coming days we will try to make transfers in dollars with banking entities in third countries and in the United States to verify such transactions can be done”, Rodriguez told a news conference. “The U.S. has stopped supporting us from a moral point of view, from one of solidarity”, said Mr. Gonzá lez, who was also recently arrested.
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Venezuela, a major political and economic ally of Cuba, provides some half of the fuel that Cuba needs to meet domestic demand, while Havana supports the social health and education plans promoted by the Venezuelan government. The game will be the first for a big league team in Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles played Cuba’s national team in Havana in March 1999.
“Let’s not forget that the Castro regime has been guilty of countless human rights abuses”, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday. Consequently, the industry petitioned the president to bring that to an end.
White House officials are mindful that Obama can not appear to gloss over deep and persistent differences.
And from now on American tourists can feel free to enjoy their people-to-people “educational” exchanges on a beach outside Havana so long as they certify on a US government form that indeed their trip was for educational purposes and not just tourism.
It followed more than a year of secret talks in Canada and at the Vatican, directly involving Pope Francis. Obama administration officials didn’t immediately confirm or deny the arrival of the dissidents on US soil.
In the past, Americans using that option had to travel on organized, group tours through a company licensed by the U.S. Those tours were costly and allowed visitors less flexibility.
His letter flew to Cuba on Wednesday on the first direct mail flight since shortly after the 1959 Cuban revolution.
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Outside experts say while Cuba has made some positive moves, they’ve been small, and it’s not clear when – or even if – more progress will be achieved. The US business community wants those ties as well, along with improved relations with Latin America, which is why Republicans will eventually give in. “But so does a journey of a only few steps”. The two countries reopened their embassies a year ago. “Working with human rights organizations, Cuba could also send a message to the world that it welcomes accountability and transparency, and that it is willing to be held to the same degree of scrutiny as its peers across the Americas”.
