Havana - A draft new constitution for Cuba that paves the way for same-sex marriage as well as the right to private property was ready to go before lawmakers on Thursday for fine-tuning ahead of a referendum next year.

Havana - The first of more than 6,000 Cuban doctors working in Brazil arrived back on the Communist-run island Thursday after Havana announced it was withdrawing from a medical aid program over a spat with President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

Havana - Cuba announced Wednesday it will pull thousands of its doctors out of Brazil in response to president-elect Jair Bolsonaro's "direct, contemptuous and threatening" remarks about its medical aid program.

Havana - In shorts and wearing shoes but no socks, Mauricio Garcia could pass for a tourist as he strolls around Old Havana.

Havana - Cuba on Wednesday handed over to the United States an Interpol-sought American who had been avoiding justice in the neighboring Caribbean nation.

Havana - As the second anniversary of Fidel Castro's death approaches, Cuban authorities are working on a center for the study and promotion of his ideas, the official newspaper Granma reported Saturday.

Havana - Sugar: it's so quintessentially Cuban that even a young, machete-wielding Fidel Castro used to hack away at the cane stalks vital to the Caribbean island's economy.

Havana - American Airlines announced Monday that it would offer more daily flights to Cuba, by 2019, despite US restrictions on Americans traveling to that country.

Havana - Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel sent his first message on Twitter on Wednesday, helping to set a new tone as leader of the Communist-run island compared with his predecessors the Castros.

Havana - Marxist rebels in Colombia said on Monday they will not suspend their insurgency until President Ivan Duque names a new team of peace negotiators to restart Cuban-hosted talks.

Santa Clara - Jose Augustin Hernandez is a 53-year-old local government official in Cuba -- who is transgender, sports a flamboyant pink wig and goes by the name Adela.

Havana - Relations between Cuba and the United States are in decline under President Donald Trump, his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel said in an interview broadcast Sunday."Relations today are in decline.

Havana - Several employees of a Cuban supermarket have been fired for selling 15,000 apples to a single customer in a country regularly plagued by food shortages.

Havana - ELN guerrillas on Monday branded as "unacceptable" conditions set by Colombian President Ivan Duque to restart peace talks in Cuba aimed at ending their insurgency.

Havana - Cuba's Catholic Church has called on the public to reject a plan to legalize gay marriage in the country's proposed new constitution, describing it as "ideological colonialism" imposed by rich countries.

Havana - Born among black slaves on sugar plantations, Cuba's rumba has since become a national icon almost as renown as its cigars or amateur boxers and two years ago was designated by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Havana - Cuba has signaled its willingness to open up the operation of its extensive state railway system to foreign companies in a decree published Wednesday as part of a spate of economic reforms.

Havana - Cuba called on its citizens Monday to join a series of public debates on a new constitution that will recognize the role of market forces and private enterprise in the Communist island's economy.

Havana - The number of tourists visiting Cuba is rising, despite US "campaigns" to curb economic activity on the communist island, Cuban officials announced Friday.

Havana - The national referendum to ratify Cuba's new constitution will take place on February 24, 2019, state television said Thursday.