Cuba experiencing steep decline in U.S. travelers

Cuba, once bustling with heavy-spending Americans, sees steep decline in U.S. travelers Despite modest tweaking of U.S.-Cuba policy, U.S. travel to Cuba has dropped off significantly Check out this story on northjersey.com: https://usat.ly/2GDXXzX U.S. cruise ships still call on Cuban ports and U.S. airlines, such as American and Southwest, still list Havana and Camaguey as destinations. But Cuba - not long ago bustling with good-tipping, heavy-spending Americans - is experiencing a steep decline in U.S. travelers.

Rubio Convinced Cubans Knew About Attacks on Americans

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Tuesday he's convinced the Cubans had some knowledge of the mysterious attacks on American diplomats stationed there that led to myriad health problems. The Department of State recalled much of its Cuban embassy staff last fall because of the incidents, which officials said could have been sonic attacks.

US senator says no evidence of ‘sonic attacks’ in Cuba

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake says the U.S. has found no evidence that American diplomats in Havana were the victims of attacks with an unknown weapon. Flake, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member and a longtime leading advocate of detente with Cuba, met Friday with high-ranking Cuban officials including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and officials from the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic security and works with foreign law-enforcement agencies.

EU foreign policy chief says ‘blockade’ of Cuba not solution

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini toured the historic center of Havana accompanied by city historian Eusebio Leal Spengler and the EU ambassador to Cuba Alberto Navarro in Havana, Cuba, 3 January 2018. [Alejandro Ernesto/EPA/EFE] Blockading Cuba is not the solution, the European Union's foreign policy chief said yesterday on a trip aimed at strengthening ties with Havana, after Washington tightened restrictions on the island.

Cuba warns U.S. of negative impact of new restrictions

Cuba on Monday expressed "deep concern" over the negative impact the decisions adopted by Washington earlier this year could have on immigration relations between the two countries, calling them "unilateral, unfounded and politically motivated." A press release issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry after a new round of migration talks held by the two countries in Washington on Monday expressed concern over the diplomatic spat that led to the reduction of personnel at the U.S. embassy in Havana The Cuban delegation warned about the negative effect of the suspension of visas by the U.S. mission in Havana.

Most loathsome quote of the day, from Puerto Rican terrorist

Oscar Lopez Rivera, the unrepentant murderer freed by former White House Occupant Obama, visited Fidel Castro's Flintstone-style burial site yesterday, along with a handful of drooling Castronoids. One of these Castronoids was Fernando Gonzalez, one of the so-called Cuban 5, whose spying in the U.S. led to the murder of several Cuban exiles on a Brothers to the Rescue mission.

Maybe he’ll do the wave with RaAol and Joanne, too

We just learned that Oscar Lopez Rivera will be going to Cuba to receive special recognition or an award, as reported by a state newspaper in the island : According to a program prepared for the independence activist - the first after his release last May 17th - , the award will be giv According to the Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP, Lopez Rivera will assist in a political-cultural activity on Monday at th The agenda also includes an exchange with students at the University of Havana's Master Hall, visits to provinces and to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in eastern Santiago de Cuba where he will visit the memorials that hold the remains of National Hero Jose Marti and the leader of the Revolution Fidel Castro.

US makes it more difficult to travel to Cuba, blacklists many large military-run businesses

Americans seeking to visit Cuba must navigate a complicated maze of travel, commerce and financial restrictions unveiled Wednesday by the Trump administration, part of a new policy to further isolate the island's communist government. Now off-limits to U.S. citizens are dozens of Cuban hotels, shops, tour companies and other businesses included on a lengthy American blacklist of entities that have links to Cuba's military, intelligence or security services.

White House implements new Cuba policy restricting travel, trade

President Donald Trump signs his new Cuba policy at the Manuel Artime Theateron June 16, 2017 in Miami, where he unveiled the changes he's making to the Obama-era policies toward Cuba. The Trump administration Wednesday announced tight new restrictions on American travel and commercial exchanges with Cuba, implementing a policy announced by President Donald Trump five months ago to reverse Obama administration normalization with the Communist-ruled island.

Cuban Minister rejects US sonic attack claims

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said today that the United States has provided no evidence for its claims that US diplomats in Havana have come under deliberate sonic attack, and raised the question of whether the Trump administration is using the diplomats' injuries to unwind recent progress in creating closer ties. "There is no evidence, there is no evidence whatsoever, of the occurrence of the alleged incidents or the cause or origin of these ailments reported by US diplomats," Rodriguez Parrilla said today in Washington.

Two Cubans found guilty of spying, sentenced to long prison terms by Castro military court

While the Circus was in full swing, two Cuban natives - one of whom is a U.S. citizen - were arrested in Castrogonia and charged with spying for the U.S. What was the nature of their spying? Unfortunately, there is no information and whatever secrets were being pried into will probably remain secret for a long time, maybe forever. Alina Lopez Miyares and her spouse, Felix Martin Milanes Fajardo, were sentenced to 13 and 17 years in prison, respectively, in a summary proceeding that took place on October 2, behind closed doors in a military court in the Marianao neighborhood of Havana.

FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2015, file photo, a U.S. flag flies at the…

AP obtains a recording of what some U.S. embassy workers heard in Havana as they were attacked by what investigators initially believed was a sonic weapon. The recording of a high-pitched noise is one of many taken in Cuba since attacks started.

Reports from Cuba: Waiting for answers

In recent days Cubans have struggled to take in the news of the reduction of US embassy staff in Havana and the indefinite suspension the processing of visas for Cubans desiring to travel to that country. The diplomatic thaw announced in December 2014 by both governments is currently experiencing a glaciation that could worsen in the coming days with new measures from Washington.

Cubans heartbroken as U.S. not to issue visas in Havana

The United States said it was cutting its diplomatic presence in Cuba by more than a half because of mysterious "attacks" against its embassy personnel and was therefore halting regular visa operations. Photo - Reuters The United States said it was cutting its diplomatic presence in Cuba by more than a half because of mysterious "attacks" against its embassy personnel and was therefore halting regular visa operations.