Anti-Castro protest beset by problems

A planned protest against the Cuban government by Cuban-Americans based in Florida has stalled just as it was getting under way.

Two boats with about thirty people on board set sail from Florida to stage the protest against the authorities in Havana.

But one of the boats broke down with engine trouble.

The protesters -- from a Cuban exile group, Democracy Movement -- said their aim was to highlight the use of food rationing cards by the Cuban authorities to manipulate and control the Cuban people.

They had planned to set off fireworks from the Florida Straits, close enough to the Cuban coast to be seen from the island.

It's not clear now whether they'll go ahead with their protest.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service