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Cuba

Capital: Havana; GDP growth (annual %) 2014 : 2.7%;

Higher earning Why a university degree is worth more in some countries than others

A university education may expand your mind. It will as well fatten your wallet. Data from the OECD, a club of rich nations, show that graduates can expect far better lifetime earnings than those without a degree.

The size of this premium varies. It is greatest in Ireland, which has a high GDP per chief and rising inequality. Since 2000 the unemployment rate for under-35s has swelled to 8% for those with degrees – but to additional than 20% for those without, and nearly 40% for secondary school drop-outs. The country’s wealth presently goes disproportionately to workers with letters next their names.
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First direct commercial flight from US in more than 50 years lands in Cuba

The initial regular direct commercial flight from the United States arrived in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, marking an significant new step in thawing ties between the former Cold War foes.

The JetBlue flight touched down at 10:57 a.m. local time at the Abel Santamaria International airport, carrying 150 passengers, inclunding numerous airline executives and US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.

JetBlue will presently fly three times a week to Santa Clara until Oct. 29 before scheduling a daily flight.
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Obama administration loosens Cuba embargo with new measures

The Obama government is loosening the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba with a new round of regulations allowing American companies to sell to Cuba on credit and export a potentially wide range of products to the Cuban government for the initial time, officials said Tuesday.

The changes are President Barack Obama's third attempt to spur U.S.-Cuba commerce despite an embargo that still prohibits most forms of trade with the island.

U.S. travel to Cuba has exploded since Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro declared detente in 2014. But U.S. hopes of building wider trade between American businesses and Cuba's private sector have been largely frustrated by Congressional reluctance to end the embargo itself and by the island's labyrinthine restrictions on imports, exports and private business.
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Key Facts: H.E.Mr.Alberto J. Blanco Silva,Ambassador

Full name: Republic of Cuba
Population: 11.2 million (UN, 2011)
Area: 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles)
Major language: Spanish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 81 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Cuban peso = 100 centavos
Main exports: Nickel, sugar, tobacco, shellfish, medical products, citrus, coffee
GNI per capita: Estimated to be upper middle income: $3,946 to $12,195 (World Bank, 2009)
Internet domain: .cu
International dialling code: +53

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2017/05/14
There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation.

The database, produced by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, includes more than 1,200 relevant policies across 164 countries, which account for 95% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Airbnb bets on boom in Cuba tourism
2015/04/05
Airbnb has opened its site to Cuba, making it one of the initial US companies to open shop on the island since the dramatic thaw in tensions between Washington and Havana last year.

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