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CUBA

Culturally themed cruises approved

Carnival Corp has won approval from the United States to operate culturally themed cruises to Cuba and plans to start taking travelers there next May, joining a growing list of maritime companies hoping to profit from a thaw in relations between Washington and Havana. The US and Cuba have been working for months to improve relations after more than five decades of animosity that led to a US trade embargo. They formally agreed last week to restore diplomatic relations on July 20.