BeltwayBlips - Latest Cuba News Articles

Official in charge of closing Gitmo quits

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:55:20 +0000

The official in charge of closing the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center has resigned, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

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Ex-State Dept official pleads guilty to spying for Cuba

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:46:35 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former U.S. State Department official and his wife pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that they spied for almost three decades for the Communist-led Cuban government.

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Court filing: Cuba spy suspect to plead guilty (AP)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:37:48 +0000

AP - The government says an accused spy for Cuba has agreed to plead guilty.

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Open Cuba to U.S. tourists, leading dissident urges (McClatchy Newspapers)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:22:00 +0000

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — A high-octane effort to let U.S. tourists visit Cuba got a major endorsement Thursday from one of the island's leading dissidents, who suggested that "along with suitcases, Bermuda shorts and sun block, support, solidarity and freedom could come, too."

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U.S. and Cuba practice softball diplomacy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:57:14 +0000

Havana, Cuba (CNN) – A metaphorical timeout has been in place between the United States and Cuba for nearly 50 years. But that could all be changing with the help of sports. Fifty-six Americans flew to Havana this week for a series of games with Cuban counterparts. The games are friendly, But these veteran players take their softball seriously. "Well we sort of got a handle on softball diplomacy and big things start in small places and maybe this will be the spot for it," said U.S. softball player Stu Gray. For the opposing pitcher, it's working. "This bolsters ties between the two countries ... There's a real friendship between us," said Cuban softball player Roberto Castelo. Players from the two baseball-crazed nations are all over 55. "I'd like to see more Americans have the opportunity to come to Cuba and see what Cuba is today. And I think the Cubans appreciate Americans," said U.S. softball player David Brissen. And that idea is gaining traction in Congress. Full ...

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Lawmaker calls for lifting of Cuba travel ban

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:47:08 +0000

The U.S. government has no right to restrict American tourists from traveling to Cuba, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Thursday.

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U.S. and Cuba practice softball diplomacy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:06:38 +0000

A metaphorical timeout has been in place between the U.S. and Cuba for nearly 50 years. But that could all be changing.

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U.S. lawmaker calls for lifting of Cuba travel ban

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:11:18 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The U.S. government has no right to restrict Americans from traveling to Cuba, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Thursday. "It is the only country in the world where our people are not allowed to go," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-California, at the start of a hearing on whether it is time to lift the travel ban. "Let's face it. By any objective measure, the nearly 50-year-old travel ban simply hasn't worked," Berman said, referring to the Communist nation's refusal to embrace democracy.

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Obama says Guantanamo prison to close "next year"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:11:12 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he believes the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be closed next year, but he acknowledged that he will not meet his original January deadline.

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Obama says Guantanamo prison to close "next year" (Reuters)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:09:22 +0000

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he believes the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be closed next year, but he acknowledged that he will not meet his original January deadline.

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US rights group finds abuses rife in Raul's Cuba (AP)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:34:48 +0000

AP - Human Rights Watch says conditions in Cuba have not improved under Raul Castro and in some ways are worse than they had been when his brother Fidel was president.

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Obama admits will miss deadline to shut Guantanamo (AFP)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:36:21 +0000

AFP - President Barack Obama admitted for the first time on Wednesday that the United States would miss the January 2010 deadline he set for closing the "war on terror" prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Obama concedes delay in closing Guantanamo (AFP)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:39:05 +0000

AFP - US President Barack Obama admitted for the first time on Wednesday that the United States would miss the January 2010 deadline he set for closing the US war on terror prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Thomson Journal: Town Divided Over Terror Suspects

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:49:11 +0000

A village is asking itself if the economic advantages of moving terrorism suspects to its prison are worth it.

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Senate blocks effort to halt facility upgrades in U.S. for Guantanamo detainees

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0000

On a mostly party-line vote of 57-43, the Senate defeated a Republican's bid to block spending to upgrade facilities such as the near-empty prison in Illinois proposed to house detainees. > The Democratic-controlled Senate today thwarted an effort to block spending for upgrading facilities in the United States for housing prisoners transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that Illinois officials feared could have complicated efforts to place detainees at a prison in their state.

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Report links donations, lawmakers' support of Cuba embargo (McClatchy Newspapers)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:01:00 +0000

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Supporters of the U.S. embargo against Cuba have contributed nearly $11 million to members of Congress since 2004 in a largely successful effort to block efforts to weaken sanctions against the island, a new report shows.

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Anti-Castro Cubans shift funding to US Democrats (AFP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:42:52 +0000

AFP - Groups opposing Cuba's communist regime have dramatically shifted funding toward the US Democrats since the party took control of Congress in last year's elections, according to a study published on Monday.

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Pro-Cuba embargo money flows to lawmakers

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:09:53 +0000

Supporters of tough U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government have given more than $10 million to congressional campaigns over the last seven years, according to a study.

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Dozens of Gitmo detainees finally get day in court (AP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:15:17 +0000

AP - In courtrooms barred to the public, dozens of terror suspects are pleading for their freedom from the Guantanamo Bay prison, sometimes even testifying on their own behalf by video from the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

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Excerpts from rulings in Guantanamo Bay cases (AP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:19:48 +0000

AP - Case summaries and excerpts from the opinions by U.S. District Court judges for the 30 terrorism detainees ordered released from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison and the eight denied release since late 2008:

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Dozens of Gitmo detainees finally get day in court (AP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:18:51 +0000

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