U.S. President Barack Obama's spokesman on Thursday denied any White House role in allowing a visit to Cuba by rapper Jay-Z and pop star Beyonce last week, after the hip hop mogul released a song that suggested he had presidential permission for the trip.
"I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury (Department)," Jay Carney said to laughter among reporters.
"I am absolutely saying the White House, from the president on down, had nothing to do with anybody's personal - anybody's travel to Cuba," Carney added. "That is something that Treasury (Department) handles."
Jay-Z hit back at critics of his trip in a rap entitled 'Open Letter,' released on the Internet on Thursday, saying he was a "boy from the 'hood but I got White House clearance."...
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11:54 AM, Apr 12, 2013
Miami: A visit by American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay-Z to Havana last week was a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, a source familiar with the itinerary said on Monday. The longstanding U.S. trade embargo against Cuba prevents most Americans from traveling to the communist-led island without a license granted by the U.S. government. Three Cuban-American members of Congress, all Republicans from...
10:07 AM, Apr 09, 2013
Havana: Fight your way through mangrove swamps shoulder-to-shoulder with bearded guerrillas clad in the olive green of Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Your mission: Topple 1950s Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Out to foil you are helmeted Batista soldiers and police in mustard-yellow uniforms who pop out from behind trees and fire from trucks and farmhouses. You pick them off with a vintage Colt .45 or Springfield rifle in classic...
12:46 PM, Mar 29, 2013
Cuba will host the 5th Montecristo Golf Cup from April 25 to 27 at the Caribbean resort of Varadero, 87 miles east of Havana, tourism authorities announced. ...
02:45 PM, Mar 11, 2013
Weeping and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez's supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election and keep his self-styled socialist revolution alive. ...
06:00 AM, Mar 07, 2013
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer, silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and plunging his divided oil-rich nation into an uncertain future. ...
08:09 AM, Mar 06, 2013
A snow-white polar bear cub was brought into the Buffalo Zoo, NY, on November 27, 2012. ...
12:55 PM, Mar 04, 2013
Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance Sunday by joining the opening session of the National Assembly, state media reported amid speculation the gathering could give clues on planning for a future leadership succession. ...
06:18 AM, Feb 25, 2013
Countering criticism that her debt-strapped government was squandering funds by organising fairs and festivals, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday hit back at the Marxists, saying her regime will continue celebrations for people, not for North Korea or Cuba. ...
02:19 AM, Feb 09, 2013
Dressed in colourful skirts, a group of 25 men from different walks of life gathered at the famous Cubbon Park in Bangalore, pledging support to women and their rights. ...
07:23 PM, Jan 12, 2013
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba on January 10 while thousands of supporters rallied in his honor on the day he should have been sworn in for a new six-year term in the South American OPEC nation. The postponement of the inauguration, a first in Venezuelan history, has laid bare the gravity of Chavez's condition after complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area....
09:49 AM, Jan 11, 2013
A man eating tiger cub killed a year-old girl in Gondia, Maharashtra, who became its fifth victim in the last three weeks. The tiger's killing spree has created fear in villages adjoining Navegaon Bandh National Park. ...
11:15 AM, Jan 05, 2013
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is being treated for "respiratory deficiency" after complications from a severe lung infection, his government said, pointing to a deepening crisis for the ailing 58-year-old president. Chavez hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since his December 11 operation in Cuba, and the latest report from his government on January 3 night increased speculation that he is unlikely to be able to be sworn in for another...
06:23 PM, Jan 04, 2013
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in stable condition and spent December 31 with his daughters, the cancer-stricken leader's son in law said in an appeal for supporters to ignore rumors about his condition. Chavez has not been seen in public nor heard from in more than three weeks. The vice president said on December 30 that the 58-year-old was suffering a third set of complications after surgery in Cuba on...
12:35 PM, Jan 01, 2013
Caracas: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez returned to Cuba on Sunday for more surgery after a recurrence of cancer led him to name a successor for the first time in a sign the disease may force an end to his 14-year rule. Supporters prepared to gather in city squares across the South American country, shocked and saddened by the news from the 58-year-old socialist leader, who made the announcement in a...
06:49 PM, Dec 09, 2012
The US is bracing for Hurricane Sandy which is set to hit its east coast either later on Monday or on Tuesday morning. It has already unleashed its wrath on Central America and the Caribbean. At least 60 deaths have been reported in the Caribbean. ...
10:44 AM, Oct 29, 2012
Pott-Au-Prince (Haiti): As Americans brace for Hurricane Sandy, the Caribbean is still suffering. Officials say storm-related death toll has risen to 65 as of early Sunday. Haitian authorities have reported 51 of those deaths. Continued rains have added to the initial jolt of the hurricane. The country is especially vulnerable due to its ramshackle housing and flood-prone hillsides, as well as the fact 370,000 people are still living in emergency...
08:28 PM, Oct 28, 2012
Havana: Fidel Castro has appeared in public for the first time in months, a top hotel executive told The Associated Press on Sunday, challenging persistent rumors that the aging revolutionary is near death. The 86-year-old leader dropped off a Venezuelan guest at the Hotel Nacional on Saturday afternoon, then stayed for about half an hour to chat with hotel staff, commercial director Yamila Fuster said. "Fidel Castro was here yesterday,...
10:57 PM, Oct 21, 2012
