Dissidents opposed to Cuba’s regime were arrested when they tried approaching Pope Francis in Havana on Sunday, an activist group reported. The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba identified the dissidents as Patriotic Union of Cuba members Zaqueo Baéz, Boris Reni, Aymara Nieto Muñoz and Maria Josefa Acon Sardiña, who is also a member of the Ladies in White, a peaceful protest group founded by female relatives of Cuban political prisoners.
The Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara’s daughter, Aleida Guevara refused to go to a mass Pope Francis conducted on Sunday during his historic Cuban trip, saying it would be “hypocritical” of her to be present.
Argentine president Cristina Fernández took part in Pope Francis' Sunday's mass from Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion, as she watched the pontiff in the company of her Cuban counterpart Raul Castro. Sitting next to the Cuban president, CFK followed Francis' services as he called for society to “protect the most fragile,” in a service witnessed by more than 100,000 worshippers at the Havana landmark.
Brazil's Supreme Court banned corporate contributions to political campaigns and parties, a hot issue as investigators in the country's biggest corruption scandal say such financing was used by businesses to win lucrative contracts with state-run oil company Petrobras.
Pope Francis praised Cubans' spirit in the face of adversity in a message broadcast ahead of his trip to the impoverished island. It does me a lot of good and helps me to think of your faith in the Lord, of the spirit with which you confront the difficulties of each day, the pope said in a message played on state television.
The United States on Friday issued regulations easing restrictions on US companies seeking to do business in Cuba and opening up travel in the latest action to weaken the trade embargo amid warming relations with the Castro brothers regime.
The UK GREAT pavilion at Uruguay's main agri-business exhibition in Montevideo received the top prize for its category while a stall from the Falkland Islands, tended to by Islanders, is estimated to have been visited by 10% of the more than half million visitors that attended the week-long Expo-Prado.
The Bank of England may have to cut rates to combat low inflation, rather than raise them as its next move, its chief economist Andy Haldane has said. UK inflation may not pick up in the second half of the year, and there are risks of fallout from emerging economies, he said in a speech.
A business delegation from the Falkland Islands participated in Uruguay's main agri-business show at the Prado grounds with a stall in the British GREAT pavilion. The week attendance was described as 'surprising and successful' and Falklands lawmaker Gavin Short addressed an open letter thanking all those involved in helping with the Islands' presence.
Falkland Islands fishing company Fortuna Ltd has become a sponsor and research partner in a PhD student ship on southern blue whiting. The Falkland Islands Government fisheries Department (FIFD) and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) are also collaborators in this research project.