• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

FACTBOX: Cuban reforms under President Raul Castro

Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:32am EDT

(Reuters) - President Raul Castro is expected to tell more about his plans to revitalize Cuba's state-run economy in his speech on Saturday marking the 55th anniversary of the Cuban revolution against U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

World  |  Cuba

Following are some of the reforms he has implemented since formally taking office on February 24.

* Provided additional land for cultivation to private farmers and cooperatives and is offering them credits to get farm equipment as part of an effort to increase food production

* Allowed Cubans for the first time to buy cell phones, computers and other electronics

* Allowed Cubans to stay in tourist hotels that since the 1990s have been reserved for foreigners

* Eliminated salary limits, with aim of providing incentive for better workers to make more money, thus contributing to overall productivity

* Raised by up to 20 percent the amount paid to retirees, with a maximum of 400 pesos, or $18, per month

* Granted new licenses to private taxis, a practice suspended for years, with the aim of improving public transportation

(Reporting by Rosa Tania Valdes, Editing by Jeff Franks in Havana)



More from Reuters

Photo

Democrats win 60th vote on health bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats reached a compromise Saturday with holdout Senator Ben Nelson that secured the 60 votes they need to pass the broad healthcare overhaul sought by President Barack Obama.

A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The food-stamp economy

On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 

Two men shake hands in a file photo.    REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article