After almost a full semester of application, the Foreign Investment Law begins to demand new administrative and legal changes . This is confirmed by three complementary regulations published by the Official Gazette, which regulate wages in this activity, the tax rate on a portion of its workers, and operation of the employing agencies. During the sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power, Cuban deputies received information about the current state and prospects of implementing the law. Deborah Rivas, Director General of Investment of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX by its Spanish acronym), explained that the actions are aimed at what the Cuban side can resolve by itself beyond obstacles such as blockade, lack of hard currency and previous years failures. This basically tries to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and renegotiate and liquidate debts with foreign partners. In this regard, Rodrigo Malmierca, MINCEX head, noted that the main promoters for getting foreign capital are those investors who are already settled here. Rivas insisted on the proactive role to be played by national counterparts to finalize the initiatives presented to the Office. "We do nothing with having organized politics, updated standards, lower approval time, if we fail in...

John Kerry wants to be the first US Secretary of State to visit Cuba in the last 60 years. In a statement posted on the website of the Department of State, the chief US diplomat welcomed the move towards normalization of relations with the government of the Caribbean nation. Kerry announced that in January 2015, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, will travel to Cuba heading a US delegation and will participate in the next round of migration talks between the two countries. The initiative would be part of the "directive of the President to discuss progress towards restoring diplomatic relations." "I was a seventeen year old boy watching a black and white TV when I first heard an American President to speak of Cuba as the prisoner island," said the Secretary of State in his statement, adding that for five and a half decades, the policy against Cuba only served to "isolate the United States, instead of isolating Cuba." Kerry predicts the beginning of a long negotiation. "As we did with Vietnam, change our relationship with Cuba will require an investment of time, energy and resources. The steps taken today reflect our firm belief that...

Pope Francis spoke out through an official statement from the Holy See to welcome the decision of the governments of the US and Cuba to reestablish diplomatic relations. The Secretariat of State of the Holy See emphasized its role to promote closer relations and announced that the Vatican is willing to continue supporting the new phase of links between the two parties.   OnCuba now fully reproduces the statement issued on Wednesday December17, 2014 by the Secretariat of State of the Vatican: The Holy Father is highly pleased by the historic decision of the Governments of the United States and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, in order to overcome, in the interest of their respective citizens, the difficulties that have marked their recent history. During recent months, the Holy Father Francis has written to the President of the Republic of Cuba, His Excellency Raul Castro, and the President of the United States, His Excellency Mr. Barack H. Obama, inviting them to solve humanitarian issues of common interest such as the situation of some detainees, to begin a new phase in relations between the two parties. The Holy See, which last October hosted at the Vatican the delegations of the two...

US President Barack Obama began his speech referring to the "complicated" relationship between the US and Cuba for more than five decades and announced that this day would be historical for both countries. In his words he confirmed that had telephone conversations yesterday with Cuban President Raul Castro to finalize the details on the exchange between American prisoner Allan Gross and the three Cubans imprisoned in the United States who are already in their respective nations. Obama made official the decision to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba and open a US embassy in Cuba. "A new chapter in relations between our countries begins today," the president said , adding that "we can not keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result." He emphasized also the intentions of the United States to continue working in the greater empowerment of Cuban citizens. The first black US president referred to the relationships they have with China, "a country also ruled by a communist party" and Viet Nam, with whom they were at war decades ago. The President pointed out the benefits for both countries on cooperation in various fields such as health, education, science and sport. He also stressed the possibilities...

Alan Gross, on American soil since yesterday morning, said at a press conference that the Cuban people is in no way responsible for his imprisonment for five years on the island: "For me, the Cubans, at least most of them they are incredibly kind, generous and talented. "He added: "It's a blessing to be a citizen of the United States. Thanks President Obama for everything you have done on this day, "according to a statement published in The Guardian. "The decision to organize and secure my release was made from the Oval Office. In the last letter I sent to Obama, he wrote that despite having been imprisoned for five years, I would not change my job for his, and of course I would not do it in this glorious moment, "said Gross in his short speech from the office of his lawyer in Washington DC. Regarding the news of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, the former prisoner praised the decision by President Barack Obama to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, noting that more than five decades of history showed that the old policy did not work, AP noted. According to The Washington Post,...

"Fellow citizens, since my election as President of the Councils of State and Ministers, I have reiterated on many occasions our willingness to have a respectful dialogue with the government of the United States." Thus Raúl Castro began his speech where he announced to his country the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States. The Cuban president confirmed to have held a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Barack Obama, with which "progress has been made in solving some issues of interest to both nations." "We have agreed the restoration of diplomatic relations," Castro said in the middle of his speech. He also confirmed that the Cuban agents Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero and Ramon Labañino, returned to Cuba on Wednesday morning morning after being released from US prisons. " This decision by President Obama deserves the respect and recognition of our people," stated Castro, adding a thank to support offered from the Vatican by Pope Francisco, for his efforts to improve relations between Cuba and the United States. He also referred to the facilities provided by the Canadian government to hold the dialogue. Raul Castro also reports the return to USA of USAID subcontractor Alan Gross and a Cuban descent...

Alan Gross, a US citizen sentenced in Cuba from 2011 to 15 years in prison for espionage, was released today, confirmed the news agency AP. The case of Alan Gross has been seen as a central point for a possible improvement of relations between the US government and Cuba in recent years. Havana had repeatedly expressed the wish to establish a dialogue with Washington on a possible swap between the US contractor and the three Cuban agents imprisoned in US jails, based on "humanitarian concerns of both governments and their families”. Although it has not been made official, several international media report that three Cubans, the group known as the Five, were released as part of this exchange. According to CNN, the release of Gross by Cuba was accompanied by an exchange of prisoners. "Cuba also freed a US intelligence source who has been imprisoned in that country for over 20 years, although authorities did not identify that person for security reasons," he adds. Both Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama will deliver at noon today to address the issue.

New provisions on payment to workers in companies with foreign capital, their contribution to Social Security, and the functions of the employer entities will come into effect today as part of the regulations published in the Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 53, which give continuity to Resolution 16/2014 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, complementary of Law 118 of Foreign Investment. These are three resolutions of the ministries of Labor and Social Security (MTSS by its Spanish acronym), Economy and Planning (MEP by its Spanish acronym), and Finance and Prices (MFP by its Spanish acronym), of which Vladimir Regueiro, MEP Revenue director; Zamira Marin, MTSS vice minister and Deborah Rivas, Foreign Investment Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, provided details at a press conference. Zamira Marin referred to Granma newspaper this morning that Resolution No. 42, issued by MTSS establishing a change in wage formation which will involve an increase in the income received by these workers, something that was made so far in a centralized manner from salary scales approved in the country. Now the payment will be agreed with the business of foreign capital taking into account the wages paid to positions of similar complexity...

The American newspaper The New York Times published on Monday a new editorial that refers to the economic transformations taking place in Cuba led by the government of Raul Castro, and have allowed citizens of the island "to create livelihoods that are not fully subject to state control.” The pace of reform has been hesitant, says the newspaper, and notes that have had "with plenty of backtracking from the government's old guard, Which views Further liberalization of the economy as an abdication of the socialist system Fidel Castro made sacrosanct.” The article entitled The Cuban economy at a crossroads reviews the history of the island and its economic relations, since before 1959, when the United States was the largest importer of sugar, the main product of Cuba. After the triumph of the Revolution, Fidel Castro's government strengthened state control and "brought` an ever more anemic and backward economy, one propped up by Moscow Largely," reported The New York Times. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to a collapse of the Cuban economy due to the crisis of the '90s there was openness to foreign investment and self-employment. In 1999, Havana found a new benefactor in the newly...

Cuba will participate in the Seventh Summit of the Americas to be held in April 2015, in Panama. Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panamanian Vice President and Foreign Minister, announced to the press during a visit to Miami that Cuba, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador have already confirmed their presence at the summit. Sait Malo said that "even in the heterogeneity of the region, the issues that unite us are the most and we are going to be focused on them. To do this, the entire American continent must be present. " A few days earlier, the Secretary of State John Kerry said that issues to discuss between presidents are more important than thinking about who will attend the Summit. The State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, also assured that indeed the great event can have "credibility" even with the assistance of Cuba . In 2012 the Cuban government did not attend the sixth edition of the Summit, as the United States and Canada were radically opposed, while the host country, Colombia, considered unanimity as a prerequisite to invite the island. This is the first time an invitation is extended to Cuba to participate in the...

By: Martha Luisa Hernandez Cadenas   The end of this theatrical year leaves me a sense of excessive joy. I am not referring to a festive enjoyment (which may well be it), or a complacent enjoyment (which by harmful and common, might well fit it) but the enjoyment of witnessing encouraging stage experiences (reflections on them would be excessive, if making justice). Processes which I will discuss below catch my eye , by how they have chosen to explore text, thematic or conceptual motivations, and by saying how I am not only referring to the formal treatment that those aesthetic impulses have had, but to the processes themselves, its constitution as experiences and thus their refraction before the public. I think, with nostalgia, in ¨La ultima cena¨ (The Last Supper) by El Ciervo Encantado. Earlier this year, this work eminently trans-disciplinary, closed and inaugurated a stage in the life of the unique Cuban group. Those presentations were, no doubt, an unnamed party, shared among friends and dissimilar creators, which served to celebrate, from a critical and reflective stance, what the project led by Nelda Castillo has been. Also, marked mainly by the performative , those shows at La ultima cena...

The Cuban Dr. Felix Baez Sarria, who got infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone, returned last Saturday to Havana after being released from Geneva University Hospital . Baez came from Switzerland in a regular Air France flight and was received at José Martí International Airport by Cuban Health Minister, Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda, his family and the press. In his first statement, the specialist in Internal Medicine said he would return to West Africa to "finish what he started." He also thanked the World Health Organization (WHO), health personnel who treated him and the government and people of Cuba by their support. Last Friday, the Geneva University Hospital issued a statement reporting the overall improvement of the Cuban doctor, confirmed by laboratory tests without fear of contagion. Baez integrated the "Henry Reeve" brigade and is part of the more than 200 physicians serving in West Africa to face the epidemic of Ebola. So far over 6,000 people have died from this cause and 17,256 cases were detected, according to WHO. Social networks were flooded with messages of respect for Felix Baez and his fellow missionaries, and personalities of the world have expressed their admiration for the humanitarian work undertaken by...

The Cuban film Conducta has received the Silver Caravel for best picture at La Rabida section of Huelva Film Festival 2014, with mention to the Spanish Shimbare, by Alex Sampayo. Director Ernesto Daranas rededicated the laurel those who made possible the production of his film, to work with staff who shared much of his work, film students who accompanied him, as well as children and actors from the film. The Festival of Huelva was also the scene where SGAE presented its annual script award, which this time went to the young Cuban director and screenwriter Carlos Lechuga (Molasses). During the last month, Conducta has added to its previous awards the prize by the International Federation of Critical and Children's Jury Prize for Best Film at the International Children's and Youth Film Festival Schlingel, Germany. The Award for Best Film at the Giffoni-Macedonia Festival and most recently was awarded the Pre-Columbian Gold Circle Best Picture and UNICEF Award for Best Film About Children in the Bogota International Film Festival. When he was asked about these results Daranas commented: "Conducta is only part of the actuality of our cinema. The awards provide visibility to a movie, but we must draw attention to...

John Hemingway, a grandson of the renowned American writer, Nobel Prize for Literature, on Tuesday added his voice to calls on Washington to advocate for the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, reports the news agency EFE. At a press conference where the basis of a campaign led by the Latin America Working Group, with the participation of US and Cuban scientists to demand a deepening in the exchanges in the field of Marine Science were explained, John said it is important that restore ties after more than 50 years of estrangement, because both countries "need recognize each other at once and do things in a normal way." Similarly, Hemingway, journalist and writer as his grandfather urged American authorities to remove the island from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, one of the main obstacles to any approach, since, as he stated, Cuba "it is not a terrorist country, as far as I can see.” At 54, the grandson of the author of The Old Man and the Sea had a special permission to travel to Cuba for the first time last September with his brother Patrick and other US scientists, experience that coincided with the...

Cuban doctor Felix Baez Sarria, member of the Henry Reeves medical brigade in Sierra Leone, was diagnosed with Ebola and is now under treatment at a Switzerland-based specialized center, with no complications, the Cuban Health Ministry reported on Wednesday. The report published on Granma newspaper explains that on November 16, the Cuban doctor, a specialist in Internal Medicine who had already assisted Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, began to have a 38 and 39 degree fever, no other symptoms. The doctor was immediately transferred to the Kerry Town Ebola Treatment Center in the capital of the country. The doctor was submitted to the Ebola test on November 17 and diagnosed with the virus. At present the Cuban health worker is being assisted by British professionals with large experience in the treatment of the disease, and who maintain direct communication with the Cuban medical brigade, the newspaper explains. Following the proposal of the World Health Organization, Doctor Felix Baez Sarria was transfered to the Geneva University Hospital, in Switzerland, since the center is highly specialized in the treatment and management of highly-transmissible infections. Experts and directives are closely following the progress of the patient, who has not presented any complications and...

The first of August last year, 2013, procedures for requesting and granting Multiple Entry Visas to the US came into effect, a new type of visa for Cuban citizens that allow them to enter that country on dissimilar occasions over a period of five years. From then until now, 40,000 B2 Visas (tourism) have been awarded, and most of these have been Multiple Entry Visas, according to Timothy P. Roche, Consul General of the United States Interests Section in Havana, who agreed to talk to OnCuba on the main consular services, recent changes in their rates, Diversity Visa Program and on evolution in the last 14 months of the issuance of the Multiple Entry Visa. On September 12 there were changes in rates of consular services of the United States relating to immigrant visas. What are the major changes and what are the reasons for the new rates? The American Law establishes that the Department of State has to recover all costs of consular processes. We do this through the collection of payments from visas. Every year the State Department conducts a cost study to pinpoint the actual costs of consular and visa services worldwide. For example, in 2012 we...

The Wifredo Lam Center in Havana served yesterday afternoon as venue for the meeting between Mr. Tom Udall, a Democratic senator from the state of New Mexico, Ruben del Valle, president of the National Council of Arts (CNAP), Margarita Gonzalez, artistic assistant director of the Center and a group of Cuban artists, representatives of several cultural generations including Eduardo Roca (Choco), the Capote brothers, Eduardo Abela, Michel Mirabal, Mabel Poblet, Susana Pilar and Humberto Diaz. As Udall said, Cuba and New Mexico are culturally connected as artists from both regions have received similar influences and experiences. "I would like to accomplish some exchange with them," he said. The senator showed interest in the work of the artists, who gave him a sample of their work in catalogs. Rubén del Valle spoke to the guest on the features and conditions of work of Cuban artists, the education system in our country and future expectations of art in Cuba. "This today was a moment of rapprochement on the basis of mutual respect. If there is an understandable universal ambassador that is precisely the art and Cuban art movement is one of the strongest in Latin America and worldwide, "he said. "Since the...

Perhaps history played an important role, or the sun, which often lands on the wall of the Malecon and adheres to the eclectic buildings and fortifications of Intramuros (walled city). Although it is very likely that it was the sea. A city guarded by sea must have a deserved lead. Selected from over 1200 cities in over 220 countries, Havana competes with 13 other finalists, to be among the new Seven Wonders of the World Cities, contest organized by Swiss foundation New7Wonders, as announced last July in Lisbon, Portugal. Currently the voting process is in its final stage, which began on October 7 and will conclude on December 7 this year, a day in which the Seven Wonder Cities of the World is revealed. The traditional way to vote-still on- is through www.new7wonders.com site, although in many countries it is possible to do so through text messaging. The 14 finalists, according to polls, are Barcelona, Beirut, Chicago, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, La Paz, London, Mexico City, Perth, Quito, Reykjavik, and Vigan. The New7Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland, was founded in 2001 by filmmaker and writer Bernard Weber, with the aim of contributing to the protection of cultural and natural...

A new editorial in the American newspaper The New York Times, published Monday in print, is critical on the strategies that from the United States seek to overthrow the government in Havana. The paper refers to the Helms-Burton Act, signed by President Clinton after Cuba shot down two US aircraft, noting that “has served as the foundation for the $264 million the United States has spent in the last 18 years trying to instigate democratic reforms on the island”. “Far from accomplishing that goal, the initiatives have been largely counterproductive. The funds have been a magnet for charlatans, swindlers and good intentions gone awry. The stealthy programs have increased hostility between the two nations, provided Cuba with a trove of propaganda fodder and stymied opportunities to cooperate in areas of mutual interest”, says the The New York Times. The article titled In Cuba, misadventures while trying to overthrow a regime, reported the change experienced in the politics of the United States regarding the Island with the arrival of President George W. Bush in 2001. Since that time, the US Agency for International Development, USAID, became the primary vehicle for pro-democracy work in Cuba, says the newspaper. “Spending on initiatives to...

One day, one of my daughters asked me, “Mom, how does Cuba sound?” Without stopping to think about what a funny question it was, I answered as if I’d thought of it before: “Cuba sounds like Los Van Van.” Few artists have taken root in the culture of their people as deeply as Juan Formell did in Cuba’s. Forty-five years ago he founded the band Los Van Van, and he captivated a country; he made it his own, absorbed it, and then gave it back in lyrics and music; he made it dance, sing, and rejoice, and he spread that joy and that way of being to many places around the world. Early on this year we had planned to devote the last issue of 2014 to Los Van Van, which celebrates its 45th anniversary on December 4. We never imagined then that Juan Formell, the band’s founder and leader, would no longer be with us; the Cuban people bid him farewell on May 1st. This special issue is a tribute to Juan Formell’s Los Van Van, the emblematic band of Cuban popular music. In this issue, we bring you one of the last interviews granted by Formell; another with...

To prepare this special issue dedicated to Los Van Van and especially to the band’s founder and leader, Juan Formell, we approached Yaimara, the woman who loved him and was loved by him in the last years of his life, and the mother of the youngest of his six children. Our initial intention was to interview her and ask for her help in compiling and selecting photos. We had heard many times about her dedication to and love for Formell, and about her simplicity, poise, and warmth. Yaimara visited OnCuba’s office, and her easygoing manner and smile and her honest gaze made it seem as if we had met before; she inspires immediate confidence and has a very pleasant presence. The first thing that she said to me was, “Tahimi, I’m very grateful for your intentions, but I would rather not do an interview. I’m not important enough for an interview, and I would feel uncomfortable.” I immediately understood what she was trying to say, and we began chatting about her 6-month-old son, Lorenzo, and his father: Juan Formell. Yaimara talks about Formell in the present: about his tenderness, simplicity, and sincerity. Remembering that he passed away a few months...

By: Duanys Hernandez Torres   Cubans Luis Tiant, Orestes Minoso and Antonio Oliva are among the ten proposed to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. On December 7 and 8 a committee of 16 people in San Diego will be responsible for deciding the fate of the Cubans. Orestes Minoso is an idol in the Chicago White Sox, and was the first black player to wear that team´s flannel. The legendary "Minnie" participated in nine All-Star games and won three Gold Gloves. He also tied for the record of playing in the majors for five decades since he debuted in the 1949 season and officially retired in 1980. The great Matanzas player averaged 298 in his lifetime in the majors, with an OBP of 389 and drove in 1023 runs. The Cuban Comet was characterized by his great explosion when running the bases that led him to win three leaderships in stolen bases and triples. The call to Cooperstown at 88, after several ballots that he has not been accepted, it would be a fine gift for his fruitful career. Luis Tiant Jr. won over two hundred games in the MLB. His record of 229 wins...

An editorial of the US newspaper The New York Times, published on Sunday, claims that one of the biggest obstacles to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States is the presence in Cuban jails for five years of the contractor Alan Gross. The newspaper states that the solution of this conflict is in the hands of the Obama administration, as it could swap Gross for the three Cubans who were convicted as spies, along with two others, over 16 years ago and are still in prison. The New York Times then explains the details of the imprisonment of Alan Gross, who, posing as a tourist, entered communication equipments to the Caribbean nation to provide internet access, thus violating the Cuban laws, all as part of a contract with USAID. For this reason Gross was sentenced by the Cuban authorities to 15 years in prison for crimes against the integrity of the state. After talks between the two governments, a few months after the judgment, an agreement was not reached, and some US officials believe that Cuba will require the release of all three agents in exchange for Gross. To do this , Obama would have to...

The Cuban collaborator Jorge Juan Guerra Rodriguez died in the afternoon of Sunday October 26 in Guinea Conakry, at age 60, as a result of malaria with cerebral complications, reports the Ministry of Public Health of the island in a statement that reproduces Granma newspaper. Jorge Guerra Juan Rodriguez, a native of the province of Sancti Spiritus, was part of the advanced Cuban medical brigade that arrived on October 6 to the African nation to address the epidemic of Ebola. He worked for over 30 years in the Provincial Health Directorate of his hometown and had participated in an internationalist mission in Mali. According to the notice issued, Jorge Juan Guerra Rodriguez, who had the position of economist in the brigade, from October 22 began with a diarrheal illness that is associated with an eating disorder. Subsequently, with continued symptoms, he was treated at the Donka hospital with "outpatient treatment with antibiotics, hydration and diet." On October 24, continues the information from the Ministry of Public Health, there were signs and symptoms of worsening, that made them think of Malaria, a diagnosis that was confirmed at the Pasteur clinic, to which he was moved to receive the corresponding treatment. "A...

By: Francys Romero   The season of Major League Baseball in 2014 concluded for Cubans. However, players from the Island have signed a year of dramatic stories and individual performances that made it to record books. Five Cubans were included in the All Star Game; they would have been six if José Fernández had not been injured that May night at Petco Park. In total there were 25 Cubans in the big leagues this year, including 8 rookies. We propose a final balance of the Cuban players that dazzled the Majors in 2014 by order of relevance and contribution to the team wins (WAR). We also included those that left traces of talent and will return or debut in 2015. José Dariel Abreu (317/383/581) 36 HR 107 RBI ALL STAR GAME / WAR: 5.5 José Dariel Abreu Just named Rookie of the Year in the American league by Sporting News, and probably with the same outcome in the ¨real¨, scouts predicted Abreu was a 25 HR and 85 RBI player. Abreu showed to be superior to this, a top player. He was second in OPS (964) in the American League second only to Victor Martinez and Rookie of the Month...