From Jesus Diaz, Gizmodo:  This is really strange and nobody is talking about it: the Russians are getting their Tu-95 Bear strategic nuclear bombers deep into European airspace without permission.

From Andrea Rodriguez, the AP:  Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro said Tuesday that unrest in Libya may be a pretext for a NATO invasion.

From the Weekly Standard: So, according to this new Russian military doctrine, France – as a NATO state – is now officially an enemy of Moscow. "With ‘enemies’ like France selling super-modern assault ships," opined one Moscow military analyst, "Russian doesn’t need ‘friends’ like Venezuela, Iran or Cuba."

A senior Russian general says his country is contemplating basing strategic bombers in the Caribbean, either on a Venezuelan island or Cuba. 

Russia and Cuba are getting cozy again.  After almost two decades of estrangement, the odd couple is back, and this time it’s an open relationship.  They are both looking to involve other partners, namely Venezuela and Nicaragua, and Russia has made clear there are no more lavish gifts like the old Soviet subsidized oil price.  But once again, it is a marriage of convenience, not a union of soulmates.

The EU and Cuba have formally restored diplomatic relations, five years after the EU imposed sanctions against Havana following mass arrests of dissidents.

The U.S. government has sought to advance democratic and free-market change in Cuba for 47 years. Those efforts have failed. Indeed, the transfer of power from Fidel Castro has produced little change in Cuba’s politics and took place with no manifestations of broad popular demands for an end to one-party Communist rule.

Calling for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, The Atlantic Council of the United States presented “A Road Map for Reversing U.S. Relations with Cuba” on June 21st, 2007.