Negotiations between the Colombian government and the country's leftist rebels must succeed, Pope Francis said on Sunday, as he noted that the talks to end South America's longest-running conflict were facing a "crucial moment."
The Marxist organization FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) has just come off what they have deemed a positive set of peace talks in Havana and proposed the creation of a new pact with the Colombian government.
Regularly scheduled commercial flights between the United States and Cuba could be taking off by the end of the year if Washington and Havana reach an agreement on the issue.
Pope Francis next month will celebrate a Mass next to the iconic Che Guevara portrait in Havana's Plaza de la Revolución, a setting previously chosen for similar visits by his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Colombia's peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have reached one of its lowest points as the rebel group continues to carry out violent attacks.
On Friday the 88-year-old former communist revolutionary, who had retreated from his position due to illness, appeared in public for the first time in more than a month to meet with cheese masters at the Food Industry Research Institute in the capital city of Havana.
The communist island country, that is currently experiencing a thaw in relations between the U.S. for the first time in over fifty years, has just opened 35 Wi-Fi access points across the nation.
Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on Wednesday blasted the Obama administration's move to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Havana as a "slap in the face" to Israel, which has repeatedly called for the local U.S. mission to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Obama administration's plans to complete efforts to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba in early July may run into trouble in Congress, where Republicans would have to approve funding to upgrade the U.S. Interests Section in Havana to a full-scale Embassy.
Cuba is ready to name an ambassador to the United States by the end of the month, the Communist country's leader, Raúl Castro, said on Tuesday. President Obama "may" have chosen the U.S. ambassador to the island.
More than 1,000 people marched in Havana this weekend in what the Associated Press called a "colorful gay rights march" led by Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban leader Raúl Castro.
The online travel agency CheapAir.com plans to start selling direct charter flights between the United States and Cuba beginning Wednesday. The company's move is another sign that the rapprochement President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro initiated last November is beginning to have practical effects.
"Cubanacan" will a major event as it is the first opera in almost 50 years to come out of Cuba. The work is written by Charles Koppelman and composed by Roberto Valera. The production team recently announced that director Charles Chemin was brought into create the vision for the work's premiere.Chemin has an extensive background in theater and film, but "Cubanacan" will be his first crack at opera. The Frenchman called in from his native country to talk to Latin Post about how he got involved with the project and his vision for bringing Cubanacan to life.
The rapprochement between the United States and Cuba could mean that tens of thousands of U.S. yachts could soon descend on island, an influx for which the country's infrastructure is not prepared.
Tourists in Cuba tend to appreciate its "unique character (as) one of the world's last remaining bastions of Communism," and many who fear the country will soon be "Americanized" due to warming relations with the United States are flocking to the island to take in the traditional flair.
President Barack Obama on Monday said that his administration's overture to Cuba will usher in reforms on the island and that he hopes to open a U.S. Embassy in Havana by mid-April. He cautioned that the opening of a full-scale diplomatic post does not mean that ties between Washington and Havana would be completely normalized.
Cuban representatives made their way to Foggy Bottom on Friday for the second round of talks with their U.S. counterparts. The goal of the meeting is to pave the way for the openings of a U.S. Embassy in Havana and a Cuban Embassy in Washington.
Conan O'Brien has taken a cue from President Barack Obama's efforts to warm ties with Cuba and, over the past weekend, filmed the March 4 episode of his TBS show in Havana.
The Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerilla group met Tuesday with plans to meet again Wednesday to discuss how to resume peace talks that have been suspended since Nov. 17.
