Cuban dissidents labeled the excellent decision to lift restrictions on Obama

The Cuban internal dissent described today as “excellent” by the news that the U.S. president, Barack Obama, decided to lift restrictions on travel and remittances from those who have relatives in the island. Opposition representatives said that now the ball is on the roof of the Government chaired by General Raúl Castro, who claimed to release political prisoners and allowing the departure of the Cubans on the island freely.

“I think a good thing, very positive, that the Cuban people will receive with joy,” he told Efe the economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe, one of the 75 caught in the “black spring” of 2003, which now has a non-licensed .

Obama ordered the Departments of State, Treasury and Commerce to launch delay, the lifting of restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba, said today in Washington Efe a senior.

In addition, the U.S. Administration will issue to facilitate communications with the island and make an appeal to the Government of Havana not to interfere with shipments.

“I expected this because I believe a man of honor and he said it was going to do,” Espinosa said in reference to Obama’s decision.

“Now we expect the Cuban government, which is a new situation and has no speech for President Obama,” he said.

He added that the “logic” says that Havana should respond with an attitude of “softening, flexibility, these new circumstances,” although Cuba has often gone against that. ”

To Elizardo Sanchez, a Cuban Commission for Human Rights recognized by the government, the step taken by Obama’s “Chronicle of a decision announced” that can “facilitate the process towards normalization of bilateral relations.”

Sanchez believes that the decision to Obama now demand a determination “similar” in Havana with the application of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of transit, so that Cubans can come and go “free of island. ”

“Hopefully at least a symmetrical response of the Government of Cuba, although I must confess my skepticism,” said Sanchez.

He added that measures taken in Washington and announcements from General Castro on his willingness to talk are still “modest steps” to normalize relations.

Miriam Leiva, a founder of the Ladies in White (relatives of those imprisoned in 2003), noted that Obama’s decision “very important” because it removes an artificial separation of families and helps those who desperately need help here. ”

But it thinks that would require that “the Congress (U.S.) to allow Americans to travel freely to Cuba,” not only to those who have relatives on the island, “because that would create a contact that will allow an exchange very beneficial. ”

He insisted that now “there has to be positive steps” in Havana, to “show goodwill” as “lift the blockade that the government has for the Cubans.”

“I applaud the move by Obama,” he told Efe in turn Hector Palacios, another prisoner of the group of 75 with a non-licensed, and added that Cuba has to take the next step with the release of political prisoners.

The Cuban government also has to get out of the trench and allow people to travel if you want, said Palacios, who last week presented a paper of three opposition groups are demanding that Obama’s arrival to ensure that money intended to Washington internal opposition on the island.

Vladimiro Roca, the Agenda for the Transition, said that the measure of Obama’s “positive” and said that the decision taken in 2004 by then-President George W. Bush to increase the period to three years between trips to the island Cuban-Americans “do not hurt the people and the Cuban government.”

However, Rock did not see “for now” an eventual normalization of relations between the two countries.

Obama today signed a budget law that relaxes restrictions on travel to Cuba

Washington, 11 mar (EFE) .- The U.S. president, Barack Obama, is scheduled to sign today the relaxation of restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, a measure contained in a budget law that passed the Senate last night. The White House confirmed to Efe that “expects” Obama sign today so far, something that could at 1120 local time (15.20 GMT), when according to his official schedule has scheduled an announcement on the specific budget items that Congress added to the law, often to benefit their constituency.

The law passed last night by the Senate reversed a series of measures that the former president, George W. Bush had adopted in 2004 and tightened the conditions for sending remittances or traveling to the island, against the U.S. maintains an embargo for over 45 years.

Now, Americans can visit their relatives in Cuba once a year by the time they want, instead of once every three years and only for fourteen days as was the case since 2004.

From now on, these people may also spend on the island up to $ 170 per day, instead of the 50 authorized by Bush.

In addition, more flexible regulations governing the export of medicines and food to the island, which until now were limited to one hundred U.S. dollars a month.

It also expands the definition of family to include cousins, aunts and uncles. So far only one could visit relatives or to rescue up to second degree: parents, siblings, children, grandparents or grandchildren.

This means that many more U.S. citizens may travel to the island and many more Cuban citizens may receive assistance from their relatives in the U.S.

The law is expected to adopt today Obama may be a prelude to a deeper review of its policy towards Cuba.

“We review our policy towards Cuba in order to determine how best to encourage democratic change on the island and improve the lives of its people,” he said on Tuesday the U.S. Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner.

Obama creates a new post responsible for information technology

The U.S. president, Barack Obama, on Thursday created the new post of responsibility for the information, by the investment policy and control of federal spending on information technology, announced the White House.

Obama appointed Vivek Kundra, the current strategy and operations officer of technology in the municipality of Washington, for the position of federal chief information at the White House.

Obama and meets one of his campaign promises of bringing the government in the twenty-first century “to use new technologies to reform and encourage exchanges between Americans and their executive.

Chinese governor of Tibet said that it needs more law enforcement

Sarkozy to Mexico to join forces in the international arena

PARIS (AFP) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy, begins Sunday in Mexico for an official visit “to join forces at the international level, especially in the upcoming G20 summit in London on the global crisis and the relationship with Cuba as a source of Elysée.

A case of a French woman convicted of the Mexican justice to 60 years in prison for kidnapping will also be addressed in the talks with President Sarkozy of Mexico Felipe Calderón, told the press the same source of the palace. France has “the desire to strengthen cooperation and join forces in the international arena” with Mexico, a country with which it maintains a “political no clouds,” said the source who requested anonymity.

He stated that France is working “shoulder to shoulder” with Mexico for the G8 to become G13 on a permanent basis and recalled that Mexico is currently the coordinator of the G5 (China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Argentina).

The next meeting is April 2 in London’s G20 summit, the G8 together with the major emerging countries, to which Mexico and Paris seek “closer together”.

We also talk about Cuba after the “starting point” meant that the recent mission in Havana, former French Socialist minister Jack Lang, said the source who denied that Paris is preparing a presidential trip to the island. “No visit to Cuba in preparation,” he said.

On Wednesday, after reporting to Sarkozy on his mission, Lang said that “prepares a presidential visit” but clarified that the president “has not yet taken any decision.”

“Mexico has always had a very careful policy towards Cuba, and President Sarkozy will listen carefully to” what you say Calderon, said the source of the Elysée questioned whether France and Mexico are working together on Cuba.

In any case highlighted the “unanimity” of Latin America to demand the lifting of the embargo the U.S. imposed on Cuba since 1962.

Sarkozy and Calderon, who will meet Sunday night at a “private and relaxed” along with his wife, Carla Bruni, Margarita Zavala, will meet four times on Monday, during the official agenda of the visit.

The case of Florence Cassez, the French 34 years on appeal on Tuesday sentenced in Mexico to 60 years in prison for kidnapping, is also among the topics the two leaders discussed.

“Florence Cassez can choose between an action on appeal or request a transfer to a French prison, as permitted in international force, said the source.

This visit, Sarkozy will go with three contracts under the arm, one on building a factory for vaccines and another on installing security cameras in the City and a third on the sale of helicopters.

In Australia-France relations “everything is perfect but there is an achievement gap,” said the source.

Mexico is the fourth largest trading partner of France in the entire Western Hemisphere, behind the United States, Brazil and Canada, with a volume of 2660 million in bilateral trade (according to 2006 figures).

A total of 300 French firms established in Mexico registered a turnover of 12,000 million dollars and generates about 80,000 jobs.

The official agenda will start on Monday, when Sarkozy, who will be accompanied by several ministers, including Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, is received at the National Palace in Mexico.

Then attend a formal sitting of the Senate and will meet with the mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard.

Responsible for large French companies will be part of the delegation will attend a bilateral business meeting.

Obama promises action after disastrous unemployment figures in the U.S.

COLUMBUS, USA (AFP) – President Barack Obama on Friday vowed to take action, after the atrocious official employment figures showing that the U.S. economy 651,000 jobs eliminated in February, bringing unemployment to 8.1% of the economically active. “This morning we learned that we lost another 651,000 jobs throughout the country, only in February,” said Obama.

“That leads to a staggering total of 4.4 million jobs lost during the recession,” Obama said during a graduation ceremony for police cadets, who were able to keep their jobs thanks to investments made from the incentive plan economic 787,000 million dollars sponsored by Obama.

“We have a responsibility to act and that is what we intend to do as president of the United States,” he concluded.

The fall of the workforce was announced by the Department of Labor is in line with the forecasts of analysts, who expected a reduction of 650,000 jobs.

But the department also revised sharply upward its estimate of the number of jobs lost in the previous two months: 655,000 in January (instead of the 598,000 announced), and 681,000 in December (against 577,000 before), making it the month that more jobs were lost in the U.S. since October 1949.

Consequently, the unemployment rate rose 0.5 point compared to its estimated level in the previous month to reach a level not known since the start of the recession of the early 1980s.

The industry, beaten in the last two years, has lost 276,000 jobs, after having deleted the previous month 379,000.

The tertiary sector, which employs about 85% of the nonagricultural workforce lost 375,000 jobs, after removing 276,000 in January.

“The picture is ugly and seems to be getting worse with respect to the previous month,” said Robert MacIntosh, chief of the economics of investment firm Eaton Vance. “It’s a deep, dark recession.”

MacIntosh noted that the report suggests a long road ahead for the devastated U.S. economy.

“I think in 2010 we will actually see growth,” he added.

He added that unemployment is a “leading indicator and retrospective that will worsen even if there is a shift in the economy.”

Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s secretary, Hilda Solis, said that greater efforts to revive the ailing economy.

“We will continue doing whatever is necessary to break the destructive cycle of job losses in this country and will work again to the United States.”

Aaron Smith, the website Economic.com said the unemployment rate could accelerate to 10%, even more difficult to sell in the United States in this situation.

“While the aggressive policy of government help, it will take time,” he said.

However, some analysts said that there are modest signs of hope for the small improvement which existed between December and January.

“It was a grim, but it is not a death spiral,” said Cary Leahey, chief economics Economic Decisions.

The total number of unemployed persons in the United States is now 12.5 million people, according to the official figure of Labor. They added about 5.6 million people who claim to want to find a job but who for various reasons are not included in the economically active population.

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