Survivor says her husband went missing. The other occupants were shipped back to the island. Women and children freed, men still in custody.
Analysts agree that the Venezuelan president will need to put aside some of his anti-imperialist jargon and socialist practices to stay in play.
The role played by Uruguay's President in the process which led to Wednesday's announcements that the United States and Cuba are to restore full diplomatic ties, was praised by Presidents Barack Obama, Raul Castro and international analysts.
The first Latin American pope in history sent letters to Obama, Raúl Castro and brokered negotiations which ended up in Wednesday's announcement that both countries are to resume full ties.
Presidents Obama and Castro finalize details over the telephone, make announcement. US restrictions require Congressional approval to be fully lifted. Alan Gross released. Other swaps ensue.
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today welcomed the “historic announcement” made by the Presidents of Cuba and the United States, Raúl Castro and Barack Obama, of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as the re-opening of embassies in Washington and Havana, the lifting of certain commercial restrictions and the beginning of new paths for cooperation on issues of mutual interest, among other measures.
Cuba asked international companies on Monday to invest more than 8 billion dollars in the island as it attempts to kick-start a centrally planned economy starved for cash and hamstrung by inefficiency.
United Kingdom Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire has become the first UK Minister to visit Cuba in almost ten years. His three-day time in the country included meetings with senior government figures and others to discuss bilateral relations including trade and investment. He will also raise UK concerns about the human rights situation.
The United Nations General Assembly for the 21st time on Tuesday condemned the economic and trade embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba, a policy that has been in place for over half a century. 188 countries out of 193 voted against the restrictions imposed by Washington against Cuba, which date back to 1962, three years after Fidel Castro took power in a revolution.
US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger drew up plans to smash Cuba with air strikes nearly 40 years ago, government papers obtained by researchers show. He was angered by Cuba's 1976 military intervention in Angola and was considering retaliation if Cuban forces were deployed elsewhere in Africa.