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| Cuba lifts ban on home computers | Cuba lifts ban on home computers |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but a ban remains on internet access. | |
| This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks. | This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks. |
| Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look. | Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look. |
| The desktop computers cost almost $800 (£400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 (£10) a month. | |
| But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad. | But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad. |
| Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods. | Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods. |
| In recent weeks thousands of Cubans have snapped up mobile phones and DVD players. | |
| But only now have the first computer stocks arrived. | But only now have the first computer stocks arrived. |
| Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on the island. | |
| The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo. All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use. | The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo. All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use. |
| Cuba's anti-American ally, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, is laying a new cable under the Caribbean. | Cuba's anti-American ally, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, is laying a new cable under the Caribbean. |
| It remains unclear whether, once the connection is completed, the authorities will then allow unrestricted access to the world wide web. | It remains unclear whether, once the connection is completed, the authorities will then allow unrestricted access to the world wide web. |