Cuba rolls out more free-market reforms amid US pressure

Cuba unveiled regulations on Thursday aimed at attracting foreign investment, trade and tourism to the Caribbean island as it continues to adopt free-market reforms under pressure from Washington and a crippling economic crisis.



The country's Gaceta, or national registry, published 34 pages of new rules and law changes that, at least on paper, make the island's white-sand beaches, workers and real estate more accessible to foreign and national investors.



Cubans are cautious as they endure increasingly severe U.S. sanctions, continuous blackouts and an opaque government that has until recently resisted market reforms.



Foreign Commerce Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga acknowledged hard times and an adverse environment for attracting foreign investment, but said the rules would help chart a new course.