Odds and ends

Some catching up to do…

·         A great article on Cuba’s Latin American Medical School from Catherine Porter of the Toronto Star.  The school has 116 Americans enrolled, she reports.

·         Repsol is “almost certain” that it’s done exploring for oil in Cuba; see stories from AP and the Herald.

·         Juventud Rebelde: The “social movement” of 52,000 Venezuelans who have received medical care in Cuba in the past 11 years has joined the coalition that aims to garner ten million votes for President Chavez in the October election.

·         AFP: Secretary Clinton had a meeting with Judy Gross, wife of jailed USAID contractor Alan Gross.

·         The Hill: Senator Rubio makes his first trip to Cuba by visiting the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo.

·         Internet investor Esther Dyson on a recent visit to Cuba.

·         A Cuban jurist intervewed by Trabajadores says that the labor code is being revised in ways that will favor the prívate sector.  Asked about the kinds of labor complaints that are emerging in the new private sector, she said no significant complaints have come about.

·         Radio Rebelde: From January through April, 92,500 homeowners registered the titles to their homes, and 140,000 did so last year according to Cuba’s Ministry of Justice.  That step, the story says, “guarantees greater legal security to property owners.”  If a property’s title is not updated and registered it cannot be sold or otherwise transferred.