Cuba

Date: February 8th, 2005 |

The island famous for cigars has banned smoking in many public places, including restaurants except in designated smoking areas. The penalty for lighting up has not been established, so many Cubans wonder whether and when the new law will be [read more]

Cuba

Date: October 28th, 2003 |

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The Bush administration vowed to step up prosecution of Americans who travel illegally to Cuba; the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate voted to ease the travel ban. What will happen is anyone’s guess, but the likely outcome for now is something akin to the status quo, where humanitarian and educational groups can travel legally [read more]

Cuba

Date: September 4th, 2001 |

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The ban on U.S. citizens spending money in Cuba will be more dutifully enforced under President Bush even though pressure is mounting in Congress to lift the restrictions entirely. Reportedly the Treasury Department will engage in surveillance of flights coming in from Cuba to other countries such Canada and Mexico in an effort to catch [read more]

Cuba

Date: July 16th, 2001 |

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Phoning friends or family in Cuba over the holidays will be difficult now that the Cuban government has announced a severing of telephone service with the U.S. effective Dec. 16. The action follows the failure of U.S. telephone companies to pay a ten percent surcharge put in place at the end of October. The last [read more]

Cuba

Date: June 29th, 2004 |

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The tightening screws of U.S. policy against travel to Cuba loosened a little this week when the Treasury Department, which enforces the Cuba embargo, extended by one month the time in which Americans legally visiting Cuba had to return to the U.S. or face fines of $55,000. The deadline is now July 31 rather than [read more]

Cuba

Date: June 14th, 2002 |

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The police presence in Havana’s tourist district has been increased in an effort to make the city more welcoming for visitors and to deter petty crime. Crime has increased in the last few years since Cuba opened itself up for more tourism and foreign investment, but sentences have also been increased to discourage [read more]

Cuba

Date: July 19th, 2001 |

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A Canadian tour company canceled planned cruises to Cuba because of threats of violence and a bomb scare. The inaugural cruise was scheduled to stop in Havana Nov. 18, but was put on indefinite hold because the company could not guarantee the safety of its passengers and crew. More than 400 Americans were booked for [read more]