Daily Headlines: March 4, 2009

* U.S.: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis made her first public appearance five days after being confirmed and assured a crowd of Miami union supporters that "there's a new sheriff in town."

* Cuba: Raul Castro sacked Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and vice president Carlos Lage because they were seduced by the “honey of power” according to ex-dictator Fidel Castro.

* Venezuela: State-run oil company PDVSA will slash production costs by 40% partly due to the low price of crude oil.

* Argentina: The nation’s government and farmers reached a deal that may hopefully avoid repeating the crippling strikes of 2008.

Image- miamiherald.com (“Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke at a community meeting Monday evening at Greater Bethel AME Church in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.
MARICE COHN BAND / MIAMI HERALD.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, Bloomberg, Reuters, MSNBC, Xinhua

Castro shakes up Cuban cabinet

Cuban president Raul Castro fired ten members of his cabinet on Monday in a move that he cited would make the government “leaner and more responsive.”

Among those who were let go were leading officials including Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and vice president Carlos Lage. Most of the sacked officials will be replaced senior ministry bureaucrats; for instance, chief diplomat Perez Roque will be replaced by a deputy- Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

Several of the ministers who were let go had been highly loyal to previous president Fidel Castro and might have had their own aspirations for the presidency. The timing of the move is interesting as it comes at a time of a potential thawing in U.S.-Cuba relations.

According to several anonymous “academics” interviewed by IPS, the cabinet reshuffling will not lead to significant changes in Cuba. (Ed. – it would've been very helpful to know who these sources are):

Academics who spoke to IPS do not see, however, major novelties in the shakeup, nor do they believe it will bring about the hoped-for changes in the economic sphere. "Perhaps it is early to express an opinion, but for now I just see more of the same," said one, who asked to remain anonymous…

Another academic, who also asked not to be identified, said institutional structures should be simplified at all levels, "to ensure that productive enterprises or units have the necessary autonomy."

Image- CBS News
Online Sources- IPS, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, AP, Al Jazeera English, Reuters