Cuba

U.S. Businesses Look To Cuba, But See Limited Opportunities So Far

7:57am December 27, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

Restrictions may be falling away, but there are no signs yet that commerce between the countries is about to take off. U.S. agriculture sales to Cuba are actually down, while American tourism is up.

Stonegate Bank's Pompano Beach, Fla., location, shown here, announced it is setting up a correspondent banking relationship with a Cuban financial institution.

Little Florida Bank Goes Where Behemoths Fear To Tread: Cuba

5:15pm December 18, 2015

by Greg Allen

Middlemen, messy currencies and questions galore allude to the price of banking in Cuba — but that's not stopping Stonegate, the first to offer customers a debit card they can use across the strait.

An American Airlines airplane prepares to land at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on Sept. 19. Currently charter flights (including American Airlines charters) are the only way to fly between the two countries, but commercial flights are se

World News

Commercial Flights To Resume From U.S. To Cuba

3:00pm December 17, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

Restrictions on visiting Cuba will remain, but authorized travelers can soon fly directly from American airports to the island nation. Currently, charter flights are the only air travel option.

More than 500 Cuban immigrants hoping to reach the United States live at this school-turned-shelter in northern Costa Rica after Nicaragua, a Cuban ally, closed its border to them.

Cubans Rushing To Enter U.S. Hit Roadblock In Central America

9:20am December 09, 2015

by Carrie Kahn

Thousands from the island, fearful the U.S. will change its preferential immigration policy, are trying to come here from the south — but many are stuck at the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border.

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Mike Owen, park biologist at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve in Florida, documents an orchid growing on a cypress tree.

Scientists Work With Cuba To Bring Lost Orchids Back To Florida State Park

7:23am November 11, 2015

by Greg Allen

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve is home to more than 40 native species of orchids; many more were lost to poaching and habitat destruction. Some of those blooms can still be found in Cuba and may return.

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Pope John Paul II stands before worshipers gathered at the Mass in Santa Clara, Cuba, in January 1998. It was the first of four Masses to be celebrated by John Paul II during his five-day visit to the island.

Previous Papal Visits Changed Little, But Cubans Hopeful For Pope Francis

6:41am October 20, 2015

by Tom Gjelten

John Paul II urged openness during his 1998 tour of the island, but progress has been slow in the 17 years since. Pope Francis, who helped reopen U.S. relations, arrives next week.

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U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (in blue jacket), visits the container port at the Special Enterprise Zone in Mariel, Cuba, on Oct. 6. Cuba is creating the zone to encourage trade and foreign investment. Some foreign companies are eager to move in,

World News

With A New Trade Zone, Cuba Reaches Out To Investors

3:08pm October 16, 2015

by Carrie Kahn

In the port of Mariel, Cuba is creating a huge enterprise zone intended to encourage trade and welcome foreign businesses. Some companies are eager to jump in. The Americans sound a bit skeptical.

People huddle in front of the Habana Libre hotel in Havana, trying to get on the Internet.

World News

Internet Access Expands In Cuba — For Those Who Can Afford It

2:03pm October 06, 2015

by Carrie Kahn

There's a growing number of WiFi hotspots, but access for an hour can cost a couple days' salary. It's leading to a sharp divide between those who can and can't afford it.

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Cuban President Raul Castro and President Obama shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama, in April.

Obama, Castro To Meet At U.N. Next Week

12:48pm September 27, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The two leaders will have their second, informal, face-to-face meeting since April at the General Assembly meeting in New York.

Cuba's President Raul Castro (center) encourages Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (left) and the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, known as Timochenko, to shake hands, in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday.

World News

Peace Breakthrough In Talks Between Colombian President And Rebel Leaders

9:00pm September 23, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Secretary of State John Kerry praised the progress in peace talks in Cuba between President Juan Manuel Santos and the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as Timochenko.