HAVANA (Reuters) – Havana was once dubbed the ‘Paris of the Caribbean’ for its beautiful architecture, vibrant arts scene, and flourishing nightlife. Now it even has its own Eiffel Tower. The illuminated four-meter (13-ft) high replica by Cuban blacksmith Jorg... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Ever since the novel coronavirus reached Cuba, a tall cardboard box with arms and legs can be seen tottering around a Havana suburb, popping into the bakery or butchers, or browsing the newspaper stand. This is Feridia Rojas, 82, who decided... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s artists are rising to the occasion during the coronavirus lockdown, taking to rooftops and balconies to create music or dance. A pair of twins in the Acosta Dance Company are stuck at home after the troupe’s world tour was suddenly ca... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Dozens of renowned Cuban artists from across the political spectrum are calling for the release of dissident artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara who was arrested 10 days ago, decrying this as an outdated act of censorship. The 32... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Camila Cabello is making up for lost time. The 22 year-old singer has been on a roll since joining girl band Fifth Harmony six years ago, going solo, and scoring hit records like “Havana” and duet “Senorita” with boyfriend Shawn Mendes.... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Cuba Gooding Jr pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new charges of sexual misconduct involving a third woman, less than a month after pleading not guilty to accusations of groping one woman’s breasts and pinching another’s buttocks. Go... More »
(Reuters) – Legendary Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, who achieved global acclaim in the 1940s and went on to run the internationally renowned National Ballet of Cuba for decades, died on Thursday at age 98, state-run media said. “Alicia Alonso has gone and lef... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.’s trial on charges of groping a woman at a Manhattan bar was postponed Thursday as prosecutors revealed they had brought new charges against him in connection with another incident. Gooding is expected to appear in M... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Jason Sanchez, 35, was able to start buying spare parts online last year for his cellphone repair shop in Havana thanks to the advent of cryptocurrency trading in Communist-run Cuba. Cuba, which in many ways remains stuck in the analogue pas... More »
VENICE, Italy (Reuters) – A ring of Cuban operatives seeking to infiltrate anti-government groups exiled in Miami in the early 1990s is the focus of French director Olivier Assayas’ “Wasp Network”, a star-studded political thriller based on a true story. Starr... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – On the run from U.S. tax authorities, tech guru John McAfee puffs a cigar aboard his towering white yacht in a Havana harbor and says he can help Cuba evade the U.S. government too – by launching a cryptocurrency that defeats a U.S. trade em... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s Communist government on Thursday issued a decree legalizing the country’s independent movie industry in a move that should facilitate production, although critics said it fails to resolve issues of censorship and distribution. Until n... More »
(Reuters) – Lucas Cavallini and Jonathan David each scored a hat-trick as Canada romped to a record-setting 7-0 win over Cuba in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday to seal their spot in the Gold Cup quarter-finals. It marked the first time that two players h... More »
PUNTA PERDIZ, Cuba (Reuters) – Some artists like to go on a countryside retreat to foster their creative process. For Cuba’s Sandor Gonzalez, there is no better place to sketch than several meters below the surface of the sea, surrounded by iridescent Caribbea... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – The Cuban government has ordered its state-run power system to further reduce electricity generation in the latest sign that a cash crunch exacerbated by new U.S. sanctions is taking an economic and human toll, a newspaper reported on Sunday... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – A blustering bureaucrat fills a form out with your personal details and hands you a badge declaring you an inspector qualified to police Communist-run Cuba’s cultural sector under a controversial new decree. This interactive performance by C... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cones of white paper sprout from the seasalt-eroded pillars of one colonial building along Havana’s seafront, elaborately painted curtains cascade from another while out front children play with an installation of multicolored hoses. Havana’... More »
SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA, Cuba (Reuters) – A restoration center to preserve the work of Ernest Hemingway opened in Cuba on Saturday, highlighting an area of cooperation with the United States even as bilateral ties between the old Cold War foes have chilled agai... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s economy grew 1.2 percent in 2018, below the government’s forecast, and is expected to expand 1.5 percent in 2019 despite falling export revenues and continued austerity measures, the communist-run country’s economy minister said on Fr... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel said more than 90 percent of the Cuban doctors who had been providing medical care in Brazil have returned home after his government ended a cooperation deal following a diplomatic row. Cuba’s communist gov... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Once a month for the last decade, Pepe Casanas, a 78-year-old Cuban farmer, has hunted down a scorpion to sting himself with, vowing that the venom wards off his rheumatism pains. His natural remedy is no longer seen as very unusual here. Re... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Tania Bruguera and several other Cuban artists were detained in Havana on Monday after trying to stage a protest against a new decree that they fear will hamper creativity and increase censorship of Cuban culture. Bruguera, the most high-pro... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. private citizen who visited China has reported symptoms like those of U.S. diplomats afflicted with a mysterious illness in Havana and Guangzhou, a U.S. State Department official said on Thursday. The person, who was not named by ... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s government is pushing ahead with a plan to hire 100 Cuban doctors despite opposition from a doctors’ union that says the money could be used to employ local physicians instead. President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed the deal last year and ... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – A group of Cuban artists launched an alternative arts festival this weekend in Havana in response to the Communist government saying it was postponing the official biennial by a year to prioritize funding on rebuilding after Hurricane Irma. ... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – A group of Cuban artists plans on Saturday to launch a biennial independent of state institutions on the Communist-run island, despite fierce opposition from the government, which has called it a “provocative maneuver.” Organizer Luis Manuel... More »
Alan Gross and his wife Judy face a news conference in Washington hours after his release from Cuba on December 17, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque HAVANA (Reuters) – When Alan Gross heard the Trump administration’s renewed U.S. push to expand internet in Cuba, d... More »
A view of a replica of New York’s statue of Cuba’s independence hero Marti beside Cuba’s flag in Havana, Cuba, January 28, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini HAVANA (Reuters) – U.S. supporters of improved relations with Cuba joined the top leadership of the Car... More »
Britain’s choreographer Christopher Bruce (C) works at the Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta’s dace studio in Havana, Cuba, January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini HAVANA (Reuters) – Former Royal Ballet star Carlos Acosta, whose dynamic masculinity on stag... More »
2017 Kennedy Center Honorees (seated L-R) dancer,actress and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, TV writer Norman Lear, Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan and (standing L-R) Rapper LL Cool J and singer and songwriter Lionel Ritchie pose for a group photo at t... More »
2017 Kennedy Center Honorees (seated L-R) dancer,actress and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, TV writer Norman Lear, Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan and (standing L-R) Rapper LL Cool J and singer and songwriter Lionel Ritchie pose for a group photo at t... More »
ANAHEIM (Reuters) – Chile’s Arley Mendez returned from more than four years of international competitive exile to defeat Iran’s Olympic champion Kianoush Rostami in the men’s 85 kilogram class at weightlifting’s World Championships on Sunday, while Sohrab Mora... More »
FILE PHOTO: Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party speaks at the Conferederation of British Industry’s annual conference in London, Britain, November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mary Turner/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s opposition Labour... More »
Niuris Higueras (C), one of Havana’s most successful restaurateurs in Havana, sits with U.S. clients at her restaurant in Cuba, November 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini HAVANA (Reuters) – An association of Cuban businesswomen has asked to meet with Repub... More »
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the unveiling of 2,800 documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy but yielded to pressure from the FBI and CIA to block the release of other records to be reviewed further. More »
A play parodying the lengths some Cubans will go to in order to earn a few tourist dollars set against the backdrop of socially critical graffiti is adding punch to Havana’s annual theater festival. More »
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that, subject to receipt of further information, he planned to allow the opening of long-secret files on the November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy due for release next week. More »
(The Sports Xchange) - Addison Russell had two hits and four RBIs as the Chicago Cubs scored four runs off Max Scherzer in the fifth inning to beat the Washi More »
(The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's Major League Baseball playoff games:- - -Yankees 1, Indians 0Greg Bird led off the bott More »
The man forecast to replace Cuban President Raul Castro early next year rejected U.S. demands that the Communist-run country change its political and economic system. More »
Xiao Ruoteng became the first Chinese man to take gold in a major global individual all-around competition since Yang Wei at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he claimed victory at the world championships in Montreal on Thursday. More »
The Cuban diplomats expelled from the United States this week included all those dealing with U.S. businesses, Cuba's embassy in Washington told Reuters on Thursday, dealing another blow to bilateral commercial ties. More »
The Trump administration will order nearly two-thirds of Cuba's diplomatic personnel to leave the United States after months of mysterious "attacks" that have damaged the health of American embassy staff in Havana, according to a congressional source and a per... More »
Kohei Uchimura's remarkable tenure as world all-around champion ended on Monday as the Japanese pulled out of qualification at the gymnastics world championships in Montreal with an apparent lower left leg injury. More »
The United States is crafting a plan for a drawdown of staff from the American embassy in Havana in response to still-unexplained incidents that have harmed the health of some U.S. diplomats there, U.S. and congressional officials said on Thursday. More »
Hurricane Irma took aim at heavily populated areas of central Florida on Monday as it carved a path of destruction through the state with high winds and storm surges that left millions without power, ripped roofs off homes and flooded city streets. More »
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday that President Donald Trump had directed full federal resources to help with Hurricane Irma at it batters the Florida coast and that his latest briefing on the storm caused him great concern. More »
Oil prices steadied on Friday after almost a week of sharp rises as Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms in a century, drove towards Florida after tearing through the Caribbean. More »
Texas on Monday edged toward recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey as shipping channels, oil pipelines and refineries restarted some operations and authorities lifted an evacuation order for the area around a once-burning chemical plant. More »
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang appeared in public for the first time in more than a month on Monday, ending an absence from the political scene that triggered online speculation about his health and position. More »
A child tries a school uniform at a recycling store in Havana, Cuba, July 5, 2017. Olaff Alejo’s salt lamps are eerily beautiful and designed to purify the air. More »
A four-day parade of men’s fashion has kicked off in New York, showcasing the 2018 Spring/Summer collections of rising designers, several making their debuts on this closely watched global stage. More »
A man holds a Cuban flag and a picture of the Russian Orthodox church as he waits for Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to lead a mass, in Havana, Cuba February 14, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini The Russian Foreign Ministry said on ... More »
A man sits in his apartment across from the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba June 13, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday a policy of engagement with Cuba has financially benefited the island’s government in violation of U.... More »
Lights are projected on the facade of the Gran Hotel Manzana during its official inauguration, in Havana, Cuba June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer Towering cranes dot the Havana skyline as communist-run Cuba races to build luxury hotels, amid indignation among some... More »
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 6, 2016. REUTERS/Alvin Baez/File Photo Puerto Rico on Monday declared that... More »
The Hotel Santa Isabel is seen in Old Havana, Cuba May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer U.S. online travel services company Expedia (EXPE.O) said on Tuesday it had started offering online booking for hotels in Communist-run Cuba, hoping to capitalize on a boom in to... More »
Cuban artist Maisel Lopez paints the wall of a state art gallery in Havana, April 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer The gigantic black and white portraits of children started appearing on walls around a suburban neighborhood of Havana two years ago, the work of Cuban... More »
Cockfighting enthusiasts watch a fight at a cockfighting arena in Moron, central region of Ciego de Avila province, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini Cuban farmer Pascual Ferrel says his favorite fighting cock’s prowess was “off the charts,... More »
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (C), looks on at a meeting with Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca (not pictured) in Havana, Cuba, April 19, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini The Trump administration and the Cuban government nee... More »
Puerto Rico handed the Dominican Republic their first World Baseball Classic (WBC) loss since 2009, beating the defending champions 3-1 in their Pool F opener at Petco Park in San Diego on Tuesday. More »
U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence (L) attend a healthcare meeting with key House Committee Chairmen at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump’s ad... More »
Cuba’s President Raul Castro attends an ALBA alliance summit to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, March 5, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Cuban President Raul Castro harshly criticize... More »
FILE PHOTO: Boston Red Sox batter Ryan Lavarnway hits a two-run single off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald during the first inning of a MLB spring training baseball game in Bradenton, Florida, March 18, 2013. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File photo ... More »
Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro addresses the audience during an official visit to Honduras, in Tegucigalpa, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera Communist-ruled Cuba on Wednesday said it had foiled a serious plot aiming... More »
Cuba’s President Raul Castro addresses the audience during the National Assembly in Havana, Cuba, December 27, 2016 in this handout photo provided by Cubadebate. Courtesy of Cubadebate/Handout via Reuters Cuban President Raul Castro made it clear to a visiting... More »
A painting representing artist Remigio Hernandez and his late wife is seen at his self made ‘Museum of Baby’ at his home in Moron, Cuba, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini Lack of money has not kept Remigio Hernandez from making striking art. Witho... More »
The Mississippi ports of Pascagoula and Gulfport signed agreements in Cuba on Monday with an eye to future business and with a Republican U.S. senator from the state looking on, despite concerns President Donald Trump might backtrack on improved relations. More »
U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he talks to journalists who are members of the White house travel pool on board Air Force One during his flight to Palm Beach, Florida while over South Carolina, U.S., February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Highlights of ... More »
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson The governor of Colorado said on Sunday he believes the Cuban government wants to further improve relatio... More »
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order rolling back regulations from the 2010 Dodd-Frank law on Wall Street reform at the White House in Washington February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump’s a... More »
A visitor walks at the ‘Fashion Art Havana’ exhibition in Havana, Cuba, January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini A fantastical blue bird emerges from leaves in the latest work by Manuel Mendive, considered Cuba’s top living artist. But this isn’t a framed... More »
Cuba on Monday named Vice Admiral Julio Cesar Gandarilla to the powerful post of Interior Minister, replacing Fernandez Godin, who died on Friday at the age of 78. More »
By Lin TaylorLONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The number of women parliamentarians in Britain is “shockingly low” and the government should set More »
FILE PHOTO: An ash tray with cigarette butts is pictured in Hinzenbach, Austria, February 5, 2012. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, and will kill one third more people by 2030 than it does now, acco... More »
Containers are seen at the Mariel port in Artemisa province, Cuba January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa Cuba’s economy shrank 0.9 percent this year in tandem with the crisis in key trading partner Venezuela, President Raul Castro told the National Assembl... More »
An employee of a state-owned candy store looks outside, near a painting depicting Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro, following the announcement of Castro’s death, in Havana, Cuba, November 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer Cuba’s most prominent dissident group cal... More »
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks to reporters at the State Department in Washington, U.S. October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry offered his condolences to the Cuban people on Saturday, adding that the United States wo... More »
U.S. Vice President Elect Mike Pence speaks to members of the news media upon his arrival at Trump Tower to meet with U.S. President Elect Donald Trump in the Manhattan borough of New York City, November 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar U.S. Vice President-elect M... More »
U.S. President elect Donald Trump walks up a staircase to depart the lobby of the New York Times building after a meeting in New York, U.S., November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that his administration wou... More »
They’ve had the Rolling Stones. Now Cubans are about to hear tenor Placido Domingo sing live for the first time. More »
A woman walks past a photograph of former President Fidel Castro after the announcement of his death, in Havana, Cuba, November 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer From the Bay of Pigs invasion to a historic visit by President Barack Obama to Havana, Cubans have known ... More »
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno testifies before the 9-11 commission in the Hart Senate office building on Capitol Hill in Washington April 13, 2004. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst MR/JDP Blunt-spoken Janet Reno, who served eight years as the first woman U.S. ... More »
Dancers perform during the opening of the 25th International Ballet Festival of Havana, in Havana October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini A woman in a floaty dress wrestles a minotaur who reflects her inner demons in “Errand into the Maze”, one of the Ma... More »
Residents stand on a pier ahead of Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares Haiti and Jamaica urged residents in vulnerable coastal areas to evacuate and Cuba suspended flights on Sunday as bands of rain from Hurr... More »
A woman carrying her daughter casts her vote in a referendum on a peace deal between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels in Medellin, Colombia, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Fredy Builes Colombians narrowly rejected a peace deal ... More »
Supporters of ‘No’ vote celebrate after the nation voted ‘No’ in a referendum on a peace deal between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels,in Bogota, Colombia, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/John Vizcaino Colombia’s government and ... More »
Inesia Laguerre cradles her grandchild at the shelter set up in the Lycee Philippe Guerrier ahead of Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Fears mounted in Haiti as Hurricane Matthew edged... More »
Sep 25, 2016- Miami Gardens, FL, USA- A moment of silence for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez who passed away from a boating accident this morning, prior to a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandator... More »
Keith Richards (2nd R) arrives with his wife Patti Hansen and fellow bandmate Ronnie Wood (L) and his wife Sally Humphreys on the red carpet for the film ‘The Rolling Stones Ole Ole Ole! : A Trip Across Latin America’ during the 41st Toronto International Film... More »
Brazil’s new President Michel Temer attends the presidential inauguration ceremony after Brazil’s Senate removed President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia, Brazil, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino Brazil’s Senate ousted President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesda... More »
WASHINGTON U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday said the United States remains committed to bringing home Americans held captive overseas and helping their families, a year after the administration promised to overhaul its handling of hostage situations. “We ... More »
HAVANA The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free, outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the Communist-led country that once censored the veteran British band’s music. The Stones started their first-ever s... More »
HAVANA When Carlos Carnero’s rock band Los Kent plugged in guitars and drums to play Rolling Stones covers on Cuba’s Island of Pines in the 1960s, soldiers stopped the gig at gunpoint in minutes and marched the musicians onto a boat heading back to the mainlan... More »
HAVANA The Rolling Stones are welcoming Cubans to their free concert on Friday with Mick Jagger speaking Spanish in a video on YouTube, though few are likely to see it, given Cuba’s scant Internet penetration. “We have played in many incredible places but this... More »
HAVANA U.S. President Barack Obama finally got a chance to meet Pánfilo, the Cuban television character, when he appeared in a skit shot in Havana for a popular comedy show that sometimes pokes fun at the Cuban government. The U.S. embassy in Cuba released the... More »
HAVANA Global ballet star Carlos Acosta returns to his Cuban roots when his new dance company takes to the stage next month. Since retiring last year from London’s Royal Ballet where he was principal guest artist, the 42-year-old has gone back to his native Ha... More »
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama launched a final push on Tuesday to persuade Congress to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite strong opposition from lawmakers who do not want detainees transferred to the United States. The presiden... More »
WASHINGTON Republican lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday to counter President Barack Obama’s bid to close the Guantanamo detention center, underscoring the difficulty he faces keeping a promise to close it before leaving office next year. Republican R... More »
HAVANA U.S. President Barack Obama is welcome to visit Cuba but not to meddle in its internal affairs, a senior foreign ministry official said on Wednesday on the eve of the first anniversary of the two countries’ historic rapprochement. “The day that the pres... More »
