Cintio Vitier, the Cuban poet, essayist and novelist, who won the Juan Rulfo prize for literature in 2002 and was considered one of Cuba's foremost intellectuals, has died aged 88.

Local television reported, without providing details, the death of Vitier, who also won Cuba's National Literature Prize in 1988 and was awarded the title of Officer of Arts and Letters by France.

Following his own great passion, Bruce Forsyth presents a BBC TV series on the history of modern dance.

He concludes his journey in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the US, finding the Latin influences on popular dancing, beginning with Saturday Night Fever and the Latin roots of disco.

When Cuba hosted a huge rock concert organised by Colombian singer Juanes and others on 20 September, BBC's Michael Voss was there to report. Watch the video on the BBC website.

The New York Philharmonic has put off plans to perform in Cuba for the first time this month because the U.S. government has not allowed its sponsors to travel to the communist-led island.

"The postponement is due to existing U.S. Government restrictions on travel to Cuba which would affect project funders and supporters, without whose financial support the trip is not possible," it said in a statement on Thursday.

The New York Philharmonic issued a communiqué last week saying that it was indefinitely postponing concerts planned in Havana because of the US financial, commercial and economic blockade of the Caribbean nation.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans flocked to sprawling Revolution Plaza on Sunday for an open-air "peace concert" headlined by Colombian rocker Juanes, an event criticized by some Cuban-Americans who say the performers were lending support to the island's communist government simply by showing up.

Miguel Bose of Spain, one of the other singers in the 5 1/2-hour concert, announced the crowd size at 1.15 million – which would be one of every 10 Cubans. It was impossible to independently verify that number, but Juanes' visit to Cuba was clearly the biggest by an outsider since Pope John Paul II's 1998 tour.

Over a million Cubans attended the 'Peace Without Borders' concert in Revolution Square, Havana, on 20 September. The concert was organised by Colombian singer Juanes who lives in Miami and brought together artists from Miami, Latin America and Cuba, including Los Van Van and Silvio Rodriguez on stage. Juanes said the show was about peace and tolerance, not politics, telling the audience that "the important thing is to swap hate for love".

"We are here for the music and it is a message of peace and unity, not only for Cuba, but for the entire region," said Latin Grammy winner Juanes.

…a welcome revival of this thoroughly delightful, engaging and deeply humane film from 1993 by the late Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.

HAVANA BAD DAY – life's tough in the Cuban capital

Cuban filmmaker Gerardo Chijona will begin filming "Boletos al paraiso" (Tickets to Paradise) on September 19, a film based on the book "Confesiones de un medico" (Confession of a Doctor) which gathers testimonies of AIDS patients and HIV seropositive.

The film, written by Chijona, along with Francisco Garcia and Maykel Rodriguez, is based on the book by scientist Jorge Perez during the time he was the director of the hospital.

London's Cuban dance scene has massively grown over recent years, with dedicated Cuban nights available throughout the city more or less every night of the week – including a few larger 'super club' venues, which have dedicated Cuban rooms.

Omar Puente releases his debut solo album"From There to Here"
(Destin-E World Records, 777-G20011962)
on Monday 5 October 2009

Argentine poet Jorge Boccanera interviewed Silvio Rodríguez following the publication of the Cuban singer's book Cancionero (Songbook) in June, 2009. Cubadebate was granted the exclusive right to publish the unabridged text of their dialogue.

Some reactions in Miami to the Colombian singer Juanes publicized concert in Havana, next September, seem to revive the era of the most accentuated MacCarthysm.

As if we were in the late 50s, when GOP Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, promoted incriminations, gossips and black lists against people suspicious of being communist, now the so called "voices of the Cuban exile", some show and music managers and TV and radio presentators question Juanes for what he wants: to play one of his Peace concerts in a communist country. Some have even called for boycotting his records sales in Florida.