By the Cuba Journal staff New Jersey-based IDT has become the first US telecommunications company to negotiate a deal that will allow international phone calls between Cuba and the US. According to the Miami Herald, IDT reached an agreement with ETECSA, Cuba’s telecommunications company, on Wednesday. “This is an important first step in the liberalization … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff A new Fort Lauderdale Company is launching a service called SMS Cuba, which will allow Cubans to send text-messages at a much cheaper rate than ever before, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Behind this endeavor is telecom entrepreneur Frank S. Caruso, who began working on the concept after a … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff American poet Richard Blanco visited Cuba this week as one of a recent series of expressions of softening of relations between the United States and Cuba, according to a report by ABC News. At President Obama’s 2012 swearing-in, Blanco became the first immigrant, first openly gay person, and first Latino … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff Cuba has announced that it will be broadening public internet access capabilities by equipping government-run internet centers with Wi-Fi, according to CBC. It will also be reducing the cost of the use of such sites by over 50-percent, and while a $0 per hour fee will remain, this price cut … Read more
By Cuba Journal staff photo by: Anna Rydin On Friday, Reuters cited sources suggesting the Obama administration is expected to announce an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies and restore diplomatic relations severed more than five decades ago. The announcement is expected in July, clearing the way for Secretary of State John Kerry to visit … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff Cuba has reached an important first step in its debt negotiations with the Paris Club, according to the Voice of America. The two sides have agreed that the Caribbean island owes $15 billion relating to a default in 1986. “The final amount of $15 billion has been approved by both … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff Philippe Pouletty had a proposal for a vaccine to treat chronic Hepatitis B. His idea was to work with the Cuban government to float a company on Euronext, with the government as shareholder, according to Reuters. But it’s a little too soon for these kind of “capitalist proposals,” as Pouletty … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff Given what is at least a strong perception of quality in Cuban healthcare, coupled with world-class beaches, it’s no surprise that Cuba is looking to expand its position in the growing area of health tourism. The island’s health officials have announced plans to expand the island’s health tourism offering, according … Read more
Above: the Melia Cohiba hotel in Havana By the Cuba Journal staff Is now the time to invest in Cuba? The answer is yes, but with conditions; investment will take time to materialize, it seems. An event this week at the Brookings Institution, “Rethinking Cuba: New opportunities for development,” assembled high-level Cuba experts to look … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff The United States House of Representatives has voted to retain restrictions on travel to Cuba by US citizens. The House voted 247-176 to retain the restrictions, which was included in a bill involving transportation funding. According to a report in the Telegraph, the provision “would block new rules issued in … Read more
