Cuba to allow sale of homes, cars

1 July 2011 Last updated at 18:30 GMT Until now, only cars built before the 1959 revolution could be freely bought and sold The authorities in Cuba have released more details of their plans to allow people to buy and sell their cars and homes for the first time in 50 years.

The new laws will open up a private property market and enable Cubans to buy any car they can afford.

Private property has been severely restricted on the Communist-run island since the revolution in 1959.

The proposed laws, which still have to be passed by parliament, are part of a shake-up of Cuba's struggling economy.

Communist Party newspaper Granma published details of the plans for the new laws, which it said had been discussed in a recent meeting of top government officials.

Under the proposed laws, which are expected to be passed by parliament by the end of the year, Cubans will be allowed to sell their home for money.

Under the current system, individuals can swap houses, but officially money cannot change hands.

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says the system has led to a corrupt black market involving underhand payments.

Cubans will still only be allowed to own one home, and the sale of homes will be taxed, but the move is aimed at easing Cuba's severe housing shortage.

Granma reported that a ban on the sale of cars registered after the 1959 revolution would also be lifted, a measure which will allow Cubans to buy and own any car they want.

The changes are part of a wider package of reforms aimed at updating the Cuban economic model.

Cuban President Raul Castro has championed limited free-market reforms since taking the reins of power from his brother Fidel in 2008.

In April, the Communist Party Congress backed 313 reforms which included relaxing the laws on foreign travel and allowing Cubans to set up small businesses.

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NZ to buy homes ruined by quake

23 June 2011 Last updated at 10:01 GMT The quakes have left parts of Christchurch uninhabitable New Zealand's government has agreed to buy more than 5,000 homes wrecked by Christchurch's devastating earthquake.

The authorities say areas of the city will have to be abandoned for several years and estimate the cost of buying the homes at NZ$600m (?300m; $500m).

Prime Minister John Key said the government was still considering whether a further 10,000 homes would have to be demolished.

February's earthquake killed 181 people and left thousands homeless.

The February tremor was part of a sequence of thousands of quakes and aftershocks that have hit the city since last September.

The government has divided the city up into four colour-coded zones - red, orange, green and white.

Mr Key said it would be three to five years before any rebuilding could take place in the red zone.

"A minimum of 5,000 homeowners were in a situation where they couldn't get a property rebuilt on their land for the entire time that their children were in high school," he said.

The government would offer to pay them for their homes or their land, depending on their insurance situation, he said.

A further 10,000 homes in the orange zone are still being assessed.

The government has been criticised for taking too long with the compensation claims.

But Mr Key said the Earthquake Commission had only recently been set up, and was dealing with 350,000 separate claims.

Meanwhile, the government has set up a website for residents to find out which zone their homes are in.

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