US President Barack Obama extends 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba for another year.
In a statement, Mr Obama said that it was in the US national notice to extend the Trading with the Enemy Act which covers the trade embargo.
It is mainly a symbolic step because the final decision rests with Congress. In a statement, Mr Obama said that it was in the US national notice to extend the Trading with the Enemy Act which covers the trade embargo.
Under legislation from 1996, the Helms-Burton Act, the embargo can only be lift when Cuba is deemed to have begun a democratic transition.
Cuba has been under a financial, deal and travel ban since 1962 - one of the last surviving remnants of the Cold War.
Critics see it as a missed opportunity to signal a further readiness to ease relations between the two countries.
Mr Obama has lifted some of the restrictions allowing Cuban-Americans to visit relatives whenever they need and send money home.
The Cuban authorities have describe these changes as little more than a cosmetic coat of paint, but the US administration continues to demand that Cuba must first show signs of reform before lifting the embargo.
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