The Spanish airline Iberia will return to Cuba after two years of having suspended its flights as being "unprofitable". With their routes to the island canceled since April 2013, Iberia recently announced it would open its destination Havana from next June 1, and of the cities of Cali and Medellin (Colombia) from July 3. The president of Iberia, Luis Gallego, was pleased to announce the return of his airline to the Cuban capital, and argued that "when we suspended the flights to Havana two years ago we committed to return when we could make the route sustainable in time " to which he added ¨time has come ´ Moreover, Gallego said the return of Iberia is due to changes made to the airline in recent months, which has enabled them to strengthen its presence in Latin America, a market that is considered of "natural projection." As reported, for flights to Havana, like Cali and Medellin, Iberia will work its new Airbus A330, which have direct aisle access, more comfortable seats in economy class, single entertainment on demand in all seats, Wifi and GSM connectivity. The company will operate with prices that already are at 599 Euros round trip to Havana...

Cuban authorities have freed 36 "persons over which the Government of the United States had shown interest," according to the words of President Raul Castro on December 17 - and that in Cuba they are usually called dissidents. The number given by the US government in recent ads restoration of relations between the two countries amounted to 53 and from Wednesday, the Cuban government has been gradually releasing these people, in compliance with the agreement and after the upcoming high-level talks, which will begin next January 21. According to the press release of one of the organizations opposing the government on the island, the UNPACU, Patriotic Unión de Cuba, 29 of the released belong to their ranks and provide a list of names with their respective affiliations. However, the Cuban government has made no official reference to the subject, but the sectors of dissent and foreign media follow the issue with keen interest. Earlier this week, the State Department spokesman, Jen Psaki, confirmed that there were already some of the agreed releases, though he declined to disclose the number or identity of those released at the time. Psaki, at a press conference, said the US government "is not trying to...

The elimination of the National Union of Collection and the reduction of 41 percent of the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture -6441 positions less and more than 15 million annual savings in salaries-are perhaps two of the most important measures adopted in Cuban agricultural sector after the government allowed in late 2008 the granting in usufruct of idle land in the country. The information was given on Friday by the minister, Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero, who gave an account of his work to the deputies of the National People's Assembly, which met last week. And although the new provisions will not per se promote growth in food production in the country, the package of regulations and relaxations of the last 6 years also failed, both can be noted, finally, the necessary separation of business functions of the government concerning the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a possible reduction of bureaucratic obstacles that undermine the production and marketing of agricultural products. Among the measures announced by the Minister including 17-efective immediately-are designed to remove obstacles in the development of the Basic Units of Cooperative Production (UBPCs), another 23 to "equal conditions" for productive ways and integration to the Domestic Trade...

Alan Gross, a USAID contractor imprisoned in Cuba since 2009, suspended on Friday the hunger strike that began on April 3, his lawyer Gilbert Scott said in Washington. Gross, 64, said his "hunger strike is suspended from today” after a telephone conversation with his mother, who asked him to end the protest. Still, Gross notified his attorney that “other protests will occur," but did not specify the dates or the ways in which they will, AFP reported. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegally distributing telecommunications equipment in Cuba as part of a mission of the U.S. Agency for Development Assistance (USAID), Gross and his wife have repeatedly noted the passivity with which the U.S. government has taken efforts for his release, although recently the Secretary of State, John Kerry said he had " some ideas " to get it. In recent days, the scandal unleashed by the AP on the case of ZunZuneo-a "Cuban Twitter" based on sms created and funded by the USAID-has brought to the fore the work of the agency of subversion against Cuba, which Gross was employed at the time of his arrest. According to Gilbert, this was "the straw that broke the camel’s...

The Cuban Ministry of Transport has just released in Internet a classified site where you can post announcements of sale, purchase and provision of services for any class of vehicle. The name chosen for the site is "De todos" and as a sort of "official" Revolico of transportation , will be accessible to Cubans who have access both to Internet and the national network. According to the note of Granma newspaper, its "sole purpose is to facilitate efficient, practical and free of charge communication in a virtual market." The possible categories for ads are those of cars, motorcycles, jeeps, bikes, trucks, vans, buses, minibuses, trailers, parts and accessories, rental cars, driving school and vehicles repairing, and it also includes the possibility of hanging "up to three photos that do not exceed 256 kilobytes." Within the option that allows "create ad", users can enter the amount of the desired price and the type of currency (CUC or CUP) in which they wish to sell. Also, as other ad pages, it has boxes to put your name, phone and email. It also has the option of advanced search by categories "phrase in the body of the ad," price ranges and currency type....

Since some 3 years ago, thousands of self-employed in Cuba started, under the license of "dressmaker or tailor," to invest in businesses of selling clothes, shoes, lingerie and many other imported products. In September 2013, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MTSS) "redefined" this license clarifying that "does not include the marketing of industrial or imported clothing " and, according to José Barreiro, advisor to the Minister of MTSS, the measure entered "into force for immediate execution." However, weeks later the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers agreed to extend the operation of these convenience stores of imported clothing until the last day of the year-about two months-which would allow self-employed to liquidate their inventories and recoup some of the investment. Referring to the topic, Cuban President Raul Castro in his recent speech to the National Assembly of People's Power, said: " Recent events have highlighted inadequate control by the government institutions in the face of illegalities in the exercise of self-employment , which were not confronted and resolved promptly , creating a climate of impunity which in turn stimulated the rapid growth of activities that had never been authorized in the scope defined for certain occupations ....

Prices of local and national and international long distance, along the ones from landlines to the mobile network , the setup fee , monthly fee , major movements , and other supplemental services for fictitious persons will be raised by resolution of the Ministry of Communications issued on September 10, 2013 , and will become effective on January 1, 2014 . From this date , companies and agencies must submit their budget to significant variations in their current telephone consumption , as if they have now , for local calls, a basic fee of 450 minutes worth 9.95 CUP , and after this quota is consumed , the fate per minute is 0.03 CUP ( daytime call) and 0.02 CUP (Night call ) in 2014 will be charged the base fee of 20.00 CUP that will have no bonus , so that every minute will be charged at 0.20 CUP (daytime) and 0.14 CUP ( night ) . The bonus 450 minutes to 9.95, consumed between 6:00 am and 5:59 pm, will now be converted into 90.00 CUP, a tenfold increase. This information has spread like wildfire. Apparently, yesterday on November 21, the various state divisions have begun to receive...

Despite obstacles in their path, 15 friends refuse to be self-employed and propose a cultural cooperative in the context of the adoption of this type of management and property beyond agricultural sector. Psychologists, Licensed on Social Communication, Laws, a public relations practitioner and academics as Hiram Hernandez Castro, and troubadour Inti Santana, make up this group that also seeks, in addition to profitability of a new business, offering a new kind of cultural space in several respects: its cooperativist management and the services they will provide. The idea is a ¨cafe -concert¨, where we would have a live trova programming, alternative music ..., we would offer diverse food service-that will be guaranteed by ourselves, in addition to workshops, conferences, and a space for exhibitions, events, etc.. , Inti Santana says. Hiram Hernandez Castro, Professor of Philosophy at Havana University, clarified that with the cooperative they want not just living from what they know how to do, but to live as we think. Since July 1st this year, 124 non-agricultural cooperatives began operating in the country in the production and service sectors, specifically in agricultural markets, transportation, waste recovery, construction and transport services. So far, the selection or creation policy has...

The United States-Cuba relations seem to find lately several common points on which work without both political positions change or give in too much. The latest news about these days comes via a press statement by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, which discloses the Havana realization of "a technical meeting of experts in search and rescue operations" from both nations. In this regard, the statement reveals that it was agreed, "on preliminary bases, an Operational Procedure for Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (...), which will be subject to the final approval of the two governments." With the clarification that "the talks were held in a climate of respect and cooperation," the document notes the participation of senior leaders of Search and Rescue in both nations, as leaders of their respective delegations, representatives of public institutions on both sides of the strait. This "technical meeting" is the third in which official delegations from both countries have engaged in just two months. The first, with respect to migration, took place on July 17 in Washington where transcended, by the U.S. side, the decision to grant multiple entry visas, valid for five years,for  Cubans visiting the United States in character of "non-migrants". The...

The Cuba blogosphere community already has a digital magazine that now comes to light in the networks. The group of young bloggers in the country is committed to reach as many people as possible and for this, since their meeting at the Martin Luther King Memorial Center last July, they decided to create this regular publication. In its making work a group of young bloggers, elected by the community, who are responsible for collecting and selecting the texts. With over 10 members from various parts of the country and different professions, this editorial board is coordinated by newly graduated journalist Rafael González Escalona-editor of the blog The Microwave-, who spoke with OnCuba. "It was agreed to make a digital magazine-for the legal conditions of the press in Cuba we cannot aspire to more, not even that, where to include both the Cuban blogosphere activity and other issues of interest to its members. It doesn’t have preset sections even if we give certain thematic coherence to each issue. " Due to the continuous interpretations of what the "Cuban blogosphere" is Rafael explains that it refers to "an ecumenical term that includes anyone approaching Cuban life from the blogs." Designed entirely to...

This Sunday, when Cubans voted for its representatives to the national and provincial parliaments, they were casting one of the most important votes in recent decades. After the Sixth Congress and the First Conference of the Cuban Communist Party in April 2011 and January 2012 respectively, and after starting the process of "updating" of the national economy, which has reached all areas and sectors of society and policy, the next five years will be crucial for the country.