For the first time in five decades, the U.S. is allowing ferry service between Florida and Cuba. At least four companies said they were notified Tuesday of approvals by the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, the first since Washington imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. Licensed were Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Baja Ferries of Miami, United Caribbean Lines Florida of Greater Orlando and Airline Brokers Co. of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Passenger ferries could be set to run between Florida and Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years after the US government approved new services.

One thing is certain about Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba in September: He is going to be welcomed with open arms. “He will receive the warmest hospitality of the Cuban people,” the island’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, said on Wednesday. It couldn’t be any other way. After all, Francis played a pivotal role in creating the conditions for a new relationship between Cuba and the United States, after more than half a century of enmity and distrust.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro will share the same stage on Friday in an encounter rich with symbolism as their countries set aside decades of mistrust and attempt to to restore diplomatic relations.

Americans are flocking to Cuba by the tens of thousands this year. Next year it may be millions. The architecture of Old Havana has lasted hundreds of years, but will it survive the onslaught of tourists and rampart commercialism that so despoils other Latin American capitals? Most Americans will marvel at the magnificently preserved pre-revolutionary building and the colonial architecture dating back centuries

Former longtime Cuban president Fidel Castro has appeared in public for the first time in more than a year, official media reported.

Cuba is a small country, yet it is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea. In square miles, including the many keys and islets that dot its coastline, it is just a bit larger than Tennessee. Put another way, it could hold Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey with a little room to spare...

Cuban prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to 20 years for officials accused of stealing eight million eggs from state companies. State newspaper Granma reported that the scam had cost Cuba more than $350,000 (£230,000) in lost revenue. Prosecutors accuse 19 officials of using false accounting, fake receipts and unauthorised delivery routes to run a black market in eggs.

Catamaran builder Brian Hall is too young to remember when ferries plied the route between Florida and Cuba in the 1950s, but he has plans to be among the first to revive the once-popular route. ...

EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Fallon may have taken NBC's Tonight Show to Phoenix and Los Angeles – but Conan's in Cuba. Conan O’Brien and a small crew flew to Havana Thursday and have spent the weekend filming for his TBS late-night show’s March 4 episode, becoming the first American late-night show to film in Cuba since the US embargo began in 1962.

Already renowned for fine rum and fancy cigars, Cuba is carving out a new luxury niche that is attracting Latin American elites to the communist-run island: thoroughbred jumping horses. By importing colts and fillies from the Netherlands, Cuban trainers are creating prized competitors capable of fetching more than $40,000 from buyers at private auctions, with much of the proceeds going back to the government-led equine enterprise.

"The Cuban threat was the familiar one that runs through Cold War history, with many predecessors."

Photographs of Fidel Castro were published on Cuban government websites late Monday, the first time in months that new images have been released of the ailing former ruler. The photos were taken last month when the head of the Federation of University Students visited Castro at his home. The visit occurred after Castro sent a letter to the students that endorsed his brother Raúl’s move toward normalizing relations with the United States.

The United States and Cuba clashed over U.S. immigration policy on Wednesday at the first session of high-level talks seeking to restore diplomatic ties between the Cold War adversaries. The Americans vowed to continue granting safe haven to Cubans with special protections denied to other nationalities while Cuba complained the United States encourages Cuban doctors to defect, calling it a "reprehensible brain drain practice." The talks will continue on Thursday with the two sides...

When US State Department officials and representatives of the Cuban government meet in Havana this week, it will be the first time in 35 years that a senior-level official has led a US delegation to the island nation. Roberta Jacobson, the assistant secretary of state in charge of the western hemisphere, who has previously served as the State Department’s coordinator for Cuban affairs, will be leading the US delegation. The meetings she will lead, which begin on Wednesday...

Cuban exiles in Miami say they have detected "tension" between close relatives of Fidel Castro and "military circles" in Cuba by the many rumors that have been unleashed in recent hours on the death of the former Cuban president. Exile sources consulted by EFE said Wednesday that the information coming from Havana reveals "tension" among the military, as well as family relations of Fidel Castro.

Cuba has promised its citizens better Internet access in this New Year.

Luis Abel Bango spent seven years searching for his dream car, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. He finally found it on Cuba's far western tip, buying it off the original owner for $7,000.

Cuba said Monday that it has a right to grant asylum to U.S. fugitives, the clearest sign yet that the communist government has no intention of extraditing America's most-wanted woman despite the warming of bilateral ties.

Online searches for trips to Cuba are up a staggering 95 per cent following US President Barack Obama's plans to re-develop relations between the two countries. Tourists are being warned that if they want to see 'the real Cuba' they should book their trips now, before the Caribbean country becomes 'Americanised.' President Obama announced a 'new chapter' in US relations with Cuba, with plans announced by the White House include easing access for US citizens...