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Recent news items on US-Cuba scientific and academic collaboration, the right
to travel, and Cuban science and technology.
No
Judges to Hear Cuban Travel Cases: Accused in 1996 of illegally traveling
to Cuba, piano tuner Ben Treuhaft has waited for his day in a court that does
not exist. The government has not hired a single judge or held a single hearing,
nine years after Congress granted the right to civil hearings for anyone alleged
to have violated the Cuba travel ban. (By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press,
December 17, 2001)
Lengthy
Backlog of Cuba Travel Cases: Nine years after Congress granted the
right to civil hearings for anyone accused of violating the Cuba travel ban,
no judges have been hired and no hearings have been held. (By Ken Guggenheim,
Associated Press, December 16, 2001)
Cuba
Wants U.S. to End Travel Ban: Cuba's foreign minister said the United
States should remove restrictions on travel to Cuba, predicting Tuesday that
2 million Americans visitors would "flood the country.'' (By Gerald Nadler,
Associated Press, November 27, 2001)
El verdadero color
de la tarjeta blanca: Era increíble para sus vecinos que Ela, joven
polaca residente en Cuba desde los años 80, pudiera viajar a cualquier lugar
del mundo sólo con su pasaporte. No necesitaba ningún permiso para ello. Y aún
en nuestros días este asunto es incomprensible para muchos compatriotas. (Por
Amarilis Cortina Rey, Cuba-Verdad / CubaNet La Habana, 27 Septiembre 2001)
Lawmaker:
Cuba Amendment Will Pass: A U.S. congressman who sponsored an amendment
to end the ban on travel to Cuba said Monday he believes President Bush won't
fight the measure. (By Traci Carl, Associated Press, September 10, 2001)
Congressman
Meets Cuban Dissidents: An American congressman visiting Havana as part
of his campaign to end the U.S. ban on most travel to Cuba met Sunday with dissidents,
his spokesman said. (AP, September 9, 2001)
¿Para qué un
pasaporte cubano? : En Cuba, tanto la libreta de productos alimenticios
como el pasaporte son documentos obsoletos. Me puse a pensar en esto -¿manías
de vieja?- cuando registraba recientemente papeles amarillos por el tiempo,
y encontré una libreta de racionamiento de los sesenta del siglo pasado con
casi todas sus casillas llenas, lo que quiere decir que se vendía algo para
alimentarse. Lo contrario de hoy, pues las libretas actuales están prácticamente
en blanco. (Por Tania Díaz Castro, UPECI, Cubanet,
August 31, 2001.)
Cuba's
Hidden Cost: The most frugal American traveler cannot get around the
nasty legal catch that, as part of US sanctions against Cuba, the US government
allows them to travel to Cuba but forbids them from spending any money there.
Nonetheless, around 50,000 US citizens sneak into Cuba every year by travelling
via Canada, the Bahamas or Mexico. Theoretically, unauthorized travel to Cuba
can incur fines of US$250,000 and a 10-year jail term. Such hefty penalties
have never been imposed, but increasingly travelers are being caught out and
asked to pay a small fine. The number of people penalized is still a tiny fraction
of the thousands that go, but the figure jumped from less than 200 last year
to around 450 over just two months this year. (Yahoo News, August 29, 2001.)
Bush
Announces Tougher Line on Cuba: Calling sanctions against Fidel Castro
Cuba "a moral statement,'' President Bush ordered stricter enforcement
of the U.S. trade embargo and greater support Friday to dissidents on the communist
island. Bush also said he was asking the Treasury Department to do more to ensure
that American tourism in Cuba, banned by law, is not occurring under the guise
of permitted pro-democracy cultural exchanges. (By Sandra Sobieraj, Associated
Press, July 13, 2001.)
U.S.
Tightens Cuban Embargo: The Bush Administration appears to be increasing
enforcement of parts of the economic embargo against Cuba this year, denying
visas to Cuban officials wanting to come to this country and more carefully
scrutinizing Americans who fly to the island through third countries like Canada
(By Rafael Lorente Washington Bureau, Sun
Sentinel, July 5 2001.)
Democrats
Move to Relax U.S. Embargo Against Cuba: With the U.S. Senate back in
their control, Democrats are confident they will pass a law this year relaxing
the 4-decade-old trade embargo against Communist-led Cuba, aides said on Wednesday.
(By Anthony Boadle, Reuters, June 13, 2001.)
Silicon Island:
A Cuban Fantasy? With the help of Canadian investors, the last bastion
of communism intends to join the only revolution it missed–the technological
one. (Wired Magazine, Article by Angel Gonzalez,
June 6, 2001.)
New Cuba Medical School Applications Available
IFCO is pleased to announce that an updated version of the application for full
scholarship to study medicine at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences
in Havana, Cuba is now available. Your request for this revised application
for admission to the September semester must include the following information:
Applicant's full name, Complete mailing address, Phone numbers for day and evening,
Information as to when it the best time to reach you, and Email, fax and cell
phone if available.
All applications must be on this new form. Priority consideration will be given
to African-American, Latino/a, Native American, Asian American and other youth
from poor and under-served areas. Applicants must be US citizens between 18
and 25 years of age, and high school graduates.
Please help IFCO spread information about this very special opportunity to study
medicine on full scholarship and return to provide health care to under-served
areas in the US. All community organizers, school counselors, pastors and others
are urged to share this information with your constituents and members. Please
spread the word; forward and share; thank you! IFCO/Pastors
for Peace 402 W 145th Street New York City, NY 10031 212-926-5757 fax: 212-926-5842
email: ifco@igc.org web: http://www.ifconews.org.)
U.S.
Academics Help Delve Into Cuba Treasure Trove: From marriage and dowry
records to cargo inventories and sales of slaves, the daily details of centuries
of Spanish colonial rule in Cuba lie buried amid millions of pages of aging
legal documents in its National Archives. (By Frances Kerry, Reuters, June 1,
2001.)
Sickle Cell Disease
in Cuba: Effect of the Economic Embargo: by Kenneth R. Bridges, M.D.,
Joint Center for Sickle Cell and Thalassemic Disorders, Brigham and Women's
Hospital, Boston, MA( From the Pugwash Conference in Cuba "Medical Research
in Cuba: Strengthening International Cooperation," 15-17 February 2001.)
U.S.
Bars Cuban Envoy From University Lecture: The United States has barred
a senior Cuban U.N. envoy from delivering a lecture on "Cuba after Castro''
at a Pennsylvania university, saying the speech was unrelated to his diplomatic
duties. (Reuters, February 26, 2001.)
Albright:
Bush Can't Change Policy: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
says President Bush would be unable to respond to creative change in Cuba because
U.S. law prevents him from doing anything "until a near perfect democracy
was in place."...Her remarks were directed at congressional action in recent
years that prevents the executive branch from making changes in the U.S. embargo
against Cuba or altering the rules governing travel by Americans to Cuba. (Associated
Press, February 22, 2001.)
U.S.
Policy Experts Encouraged by Talks in Cuba: American foreign policy
experts who produced a report recommending closer U.S.-Cuban ties said on Sunday
they were encouraged by the Cuban government's private response to the proposals
despite an initial public rejection. (By Pascal Fletcher, Reuters, February
18, 2001.)
United State International Trade Commission
Releases Report on the Economic Impact of U.S. Sanctions
with Respect to Cuba. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding
federal agency, prepared the report for the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S.
House of Representatives. As requested, the report provides an overview of U.S.
sanctions with respect to Cuba; describes the Cuban economy, Cuban trade and
investment policies, and trade and investment trends; analyzes the historical
impact of U.S. sanctions on both the U.S. and Cuban economies; and evaluates
the current impact on U.S.-Cuban bilateral trade, investment, employment, and
consumers. (February 16, 2001.)
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