Us-cuba Normalization

The start this week of the first regularly scheduled commercial flights from the United States augurs the likely demise of Cuba's "mules" -- suppliers of last resort for scarce consumer goods on the island.

Cuba and the United States have much to negotiate before the two nations can normalize ties frozen for more than five decades, top US diplomat John Kerry said Wednesday.

A delegation of US lawmakers headed by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, on Sunday, met with dissidents for the first time since the countries announced plans to normalize ties, an activist said.

The start this week of the first regularly scheduled commercial flights from the United States augurs the likely demise of Cuba's "mules" -- suppliers of last resort for scarce consumer goods on the island.

Cuba and the United States have much to negotiate before the two nations can normalize ties frozen for more than five decades, top US diplomat John Kerry said Wednesday.

A delegation of US lawmakers headed by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, on Sunday, met with dissidents for the first time since the countries announced plans to normalize ties, an activist said.