Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Green Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Summits
Business Video
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
Afghan Journal
Africa Journal
India Insight
Global News Journal
Pakistan: Now or Never?
World Video
Politics
Politics Home
Front Row Washington
Politics Video
Technology
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
Felix Salmon
Breakingviews
George Chen
Bernd Debusmann
Gregg Easterbrook
James Pethokoukis
James Saft
John Wasik
Christopher Whalen
Ian Bremmer
Mohamed El-Erian
Lawrence Summers
The Great Debate
Unstructured Finance
Newsmaker
MuniLand
Money
Money Home
Analyst Research
Global Investing
MuniLand
Reuters Money
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Life & Culture
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Left Field
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Article
Comments (0)
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Pakistan let China see crashed U.S. "stealth" copter
6:58pm EDT
Markets heading to new danger zone: Zoellick
6:53pm EDT
Death toll rises in Indiana State Fair stage collapse
|
6:43pm EDT
Death Toll Up to 5 in Indiana 'Sugarland' Stage Collapse
8:29am EDT
Bodies found in California could be missing toddler, father
2:17pm EDT
Discussed
206
Obama says he inherited economic problems
198
Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law
107
Stock index futures tumble on S&P downgrade
Watched
Taking off for Russia's airshow.
Sat, Aug 13 2011
Underwater volcano erupts off Oregon coast
Wed, Aug 10 2011
Stage collapse kills four
Sat, Aug 13 2011
Singer Pablo Milanes urges more freedom in Cuba
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Gay man marries transsexual woman in Cuban first
Sat, Aug 13 2011
Cuba's fading Fidel Castro turns 85 on Saturday
Fri, Aug 12 2011
Sea defeats body, not spirit, of swimmer, 61
Tue, Aug 9 2011
Chavez to return to Cuba for more chemotherapy
Fri, Aug 5 2011
Cuban court upholds sentence for jailed American
Fri, Aug 5 2011
Analysis & Opinion
Capitalism with a human face?
Are you ready, athletes? Blow and go!
Related Topics
Entertainment »
Fashion »
Cuba »
By Pascal Fletcher
MIAMI |
Sun Aug 14, 2011 11:09am EDT
MIAMI (Reuters) - One of Communist-ruled Cuba's best-known singers, Pablo Milanes, said in quoted comments he would like to see more freedom to protest on the island as he prepared for a controversial concert this month in Miami.
Miami's Spanish language El Nuevo Herald newspaper published an interview on Sunday with the 68-year-old two-time Grammy award winner, whose melodic and evocative ballads are well known in Latin America and internationally.
Milanes' planned August 27 concert in Miami, a bastion of anti-communist Cuban exiles in the United States, has touched off a storm of discord between those who criticize him as a stooge of the communist government in Havana and many fans and supporters who defend his right to perform in Miami.
Ties between the United States and Cuba remain cool but cultural exchanges of Cuban and U.S. artists and musicians have increased as U.S. President Barack Obama has boosted people-to-people contacts through special licenses that can be granted under the longrunning U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.
Milanes, a privileged celebrity in Cuba where authorities allow him to travel and perform widely outside the island, said his Miami concert sought "peace and love" and he wanted to "hold out a hand to those who extend their hand to me".
"I'm not going to criticize anyone and I don't want to be criticized. I simply want to be heard as a man who sings his songs," he told El Nuevo Herald.
Describing himself as a "progressive, tolerant, left-wing revolutionary", Milanes made clear he believed there should more freedom of expression in Cuba, including the right to protest, and more freedom for Cubans to travel abroad.
"Every human being has the right to protest, and, what's more, has the duty to say what he thinks," he said.
He indicated he felt economic reforms introduced by Cuban President Raul Castro, which have opened up more private enterprise, had not gone far enough to promote other freedoms.
"When one thinks of the reforms, you think they're going to come united with a series of freedoms, such as freedom of expression, but it's not happening like that," El Nuevo Herald quoted Milanes as saying. It said he gave the interview by phone from Spain, where he was performing.
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
The U.S. government says Cuba continues to persecute dissidents who oppose its one-party communist system.
Washington has also condemned the imprisonment by Havana of a U.S. aid contractor who brought Internet technology equipment to the island -- where such technology is strictly controlled -- while traveling there on tourist visa.
Cuba describes political dissidents as mercenaries and traitors in the pay of Washington.
Milanes said Cuba's state-controlled media suffered from "self-censorship".
He also criticized Cuban government curbs on travel to and from the island, saying those born in Cuba should be able to visit their homeland freely, while Cuban citizens should be allowed to leave if they wished "without needing a card or passing through a bureaucratic filter".
Milanes said Cuban officials discriminated against blacks in the multi-racial population, adding this had created "castes" and privileges passed on inside white families.
The singer, who in 2006 sent a letter to then ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro wishing him a speedy recovery, said he himself was persecuted in Cuba in his early 20s, when he was sent to a military work camp along with other "freethinkers". Also sent to such camps were homosexuals, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and common criminals.
Several Cuban exile groups have asked Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez to halt Milanes' planned concert in the city, and have warned of protests, but supporters of the initiative say it could help promote reconciliation among Cubans.
(Additional reporting by Manuel Rueda, Editing by Jackie Frank)
Entertainment
Fashion
Cuba
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
Entertainment News From the Wrap
Finally: AMC Renews 'Breaking Bad' With 16-Episode Order
9:08pm EDT
Deal ends tense standoff that, at one point, had producer Sony talking to FX about running the final season of the Emmy-winning series
Relativity Sets Chinese Production/Distribution Partnership
7:40pm EDT
Studio enters partnership with several top Chinese investment arms and entertainment companies to co-produce films and distribute in China; it remains unclear as to how much cash Relativity will net
Blame the Media for Feeding the Narcissistic Gang Mentality of the London Rioters
6:17pm EDT
The media hasn't learned that the need for public attention by gang members is constant. And, the more attention they get, the more they act out
AMC Exec's Fake Twitter Account: 'We've Slashed The Killing's Chewing-Gum Budget'
5:56pm EDT
With his network standing accused of cheapness following the expensive re-upping of "Mad Men," original programming head Joel Stillerman comes under humorous fake-Twitter account fire
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Social Stream (What's this?)
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Mobile
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electric trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.