From NPR Dec 9

By Nick Miroff

Cuba has some the most extensive coral reefs in the hemisphere, but political strains between Washington and Havana largely have kept American scientists away.

A new partnership for marine research is trying to change that at one of Cuba’s most remote places, far from people and pollution.

Off central Cuba’s southern coast, hundreds of tiny islands stretch into the Caribbean. They are ringed

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From Reuters

A U.S. judge Tuesday reduced the prison terms of two convicted Cuban spies in the latest twist of a high-profile espionage case that has strained already hostile ties between Havana and Washington.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard cut the sentence of Ramon Labanino, also known as Luis Medina, from a life term to 30 years, an assistant to the judge told Reuters.

In a separate later ruling, Lenard

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By Bob Skloot

From the 2nd to the 27th of November, 2009, the Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association hosted a visit from two noted Camagueyano artists, Orestes Larios Zaak (a painter) and Gregorio Perez Escobar (a sculptor). The visit had political significance because the Cubans received among the first artists’ visas issued by the U.S. government under the new Obama administration. Among the many events and appointments the Cubans had was…