CUBAN PURCHASES IN THE US ROSE TO MORE THAN 27 MILLION USD IN FEBRUARY

HAVANA, Apr.9th. Purchases made by Cuba in the US amounted to more than 27 million dollars (USD) in the month of February, showing an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2023.The figures, which were released by the US-Cuba Economic and Trade Council, do not distinguish whether the executor of the purchases was only the Cuban government, or whether they include those imported by the private sector on the island, say micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

In the food and agricultural field, the report details, Cuba spent USD 18,346,341 on the purchase of chicken meat, this being the largest acquisition.

In this same sector, the island’s purchases extended to another series of products such as pork, powdered milk and roasted coffee.

In addition, other items such as cane sugar, cigarettes and machines for the manufacture of confectionery products are included.

A breakdown of imported foods details that about 8,832,358 USD were spent on chicken meat (frozen), a total of 6,639,954 USD on chicken hindquarters (frozen), and 2,874 on chicken thighs (frozen). .029 USD.

On the other hand, in pork (frozen) the figure was 707,872 USD; in canned chicken meat paste, $686,474; in milk powder, 651,726 USD; and in fertilized chicken eggs for incubation, about 519,838 USD.

Finally, the report highlights other products such as sweetened milk/cream, for which USD 455,761 was paid; roasted coffee (decaffeinated), $358,934; and sheep offal (frozen), $353,217.

All of these foods are part of the exemptions to the US embargo on food products and medicines made by the US government. In addition to these, the sale of automobiles to Cuba has recently been allowed.

In this case, a category that is on the rise judging by the numbers, more than five million USD were spent in the second month of 2024 between new and used conventional cars, in addition to electric vehicles.

This figure is almost 20% of the total value of imports in the month. To better exemplify it, it would be necessary to say that 4,983,708 USD were spent on new cars, in addition to another 109,500 USD on used vehicles and 21,895 USD on self-propelled electric trucks.

Forklifts and spare parts for heavy machinery for agriculture or construction were also purchased for an amount of more than USD 275,000.

Thanks to this trade flow, Cuba occupies the 46th position as the US export market for agricultural and food products covered under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA) of 2000.

CUBA REGISTERS THE MOST WORRYING ENERGY DEFICIT OF THE YEAR

HAVANA, March 9. After a delay in today’s information note, the state-run Unión Eléctrica de Cuba this morning offered the most worrying figures so far this year:a maximum impact of 1,367 megawatts on Thursday, which did not coincide with peak hour, and a more serious forecast for this Friday, which would rise to 1,416 megawatts.

The Electrical Union states that the service due to a deficit in generation capacity was affected from 04:49 in the morning on Thursday, without being able to be restored in the early hours of this Friday, when an impact during the day of 1,300 megawatts is estimated.

Out of service due to breakdowns today are units 1 and 3 of the Santa Cruz thermoelectric plant, 4 of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and 2 of the Felton.

This Friday, unit 8 of the Mariel thermoelectric plant, the Guiteras energy block and unit 6 of Nuevitas are undergoing maintenance, also outside the National Electrical System.

Another 79 distributed generation plants, the Moa fuel plant and the Santiago de Cuba plant are also out of service, but all of these effects are due to the lack of fuel, according to the Electrical Union, which also reports 15 plants with low coverage.

Blackouts reach Havana, but inside it is still worse, Cubans complain

The report “Cuba Collapses and Also Goes Out,” published this week by the Cuba Siglo XXI Ideas Laboratory, emphasizes the impossibility of solving the energy problem in Cuba.

Emilio Morales, president of Havana Consulting Group, told Martí Noticias that “in the way the country is structured, the country’s economy, the management of investments and everything else, under these current conditions, it will be impossible to transform “The Cuban energy matrix is collapsed.”

For his part, Jorge Piñón, a Petroleum Expert from the University of Texas, also interviewed by Martí Noticias, pointed out that “the eight thermoelectric plants, which have been in operation for more than forty years, need constant maintenance and require capital investments that they have not had.”

Cuba registers the most worrying energy deficit of the year

According to the report, the regime’s plans to have 37% of its basic energy generation capacity in renewable energy “is a mirage and a fantasy since the Cuban problem is structural.”

“We are one hundred percent supporting renewables in Cuba, but they have projects like the Biomass project of the Ciro Redondo Central that is invested, stopped, after investing 186 million dollars to produce 65 MG and is not operating, why? “Because there is no sugar!” said the expert.

Morales recalled that Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said last year “that in December the blackouts would end.”

“What we are seeing is a worsening of the critical situation that the Cuban energy system has and the blackouts are going to come left and right because they do not have money to buy oil, they do not have money, not to change the plants, to repair them! “They don’t have money.”

UNITED STATES NEGOTIATES INVESTMENTS IN CUBAN AGRICULTURAL

HAVANA, Feb 21. A delegation of US officials is in Havana to assess possible investment opportunities in the agricultural sector.This is a group made up of thirteen American delegates, led by Ted McKinney, Executive Director of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).

The objective is to explore opportunities for agricultural cooperation between the United States and Cuba. From February 18 to 22, this commission’s main goal is to unravel the possible trade barriers faced by American agricultural products, and optimize the political dynamics that govern bilateral trade.

NASDA is a nonprofit entity that represents agricultural authorities in all fifty states and four U.S. territories.

This Wednesday they will report, in a press conference from the Grand Aston Hotel in Havana, the results of these negotiations with the Cuban regime and will present the different opportunities they detect in this strategic meeting for the expansion of agricultural trade between both nations.

Michael Scuse, Secretary of Agriculture of Delaware, expressed from 2023 the need to resume a normal course in agricultural trade relations, predicting mutual benefits as a result of the sale of products such as grain and legumes to Cuba, and the import of tropical fruits and Cuban organic products to the US market.

Statistical data from the Cuban regime indicate that in recent years there has been a significant growth in food imports from the United States.

The negotiations between the governments come at a time when Cuban agricultural production is in a precipitous decline and the lack of food is hitting the island’s population. Food shortages have become one of the main problems for the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Economic analyst Pedro Monreal warned at the end of last year about the downward trend in Cuban agricultural production, marked by an alarming decrease in essential foods such as rice, corn and vegetables.

According to Monreal, the only reported increase concerns the bean sector, 20.04% higher than the previous year, although it barely represents 54% of what was produced in 2019.

While some items such as taro and onion reflect modest increases, the sharp decrease in the supply of foods for mass consumption, exceeding 16%, and the deep crisis in pork production – practically 90% lower since 2018 – Highlight the severity of the situation.

Amid this productive crisis, the export activity of countries like Spain has gained ground by becoming the main supplier of pork to Cuba. Another meat product that Cuba imports is chicken, but in that case it does so mostly from the United States.

HAVANA, Jan. 15th. The Cuban Milling Company assured in state media that the wheat flour necessary to produce bread for the basic basket in January is already on the island.Through a television report, it was learned that about 700 tons of flour are needed daily to produce bread for the standardized family basket. Their non-availability “on several occasions” caused “effects in bread production in Cuba in recent months.”

The lack of bread in some wineries in the country, together with the poor quality of this product, has been reported by many users on networks in recent times.

However, according to the commercial director of the aforementioned state organization, Zayli Pérez Hernández, “the current year began with a more favorable situation since the raw materials are guaranteed to be able to be produced until January 31.”

The flour necessary for this, she added, was recently unloaded from a ship in the port of Havana, and another in Santiago de Cuba. This arrival “allows all the company’s mills to have the cereal,” the director stated.

According to the Cuban government, bread production remains one of the priorities in feeding the population. That is why, according to the television report, the flour unloading was carried out “despite breakdowns such as those of the main elevator of the threads for 60,000 tons, located in the capital municipality of Regla.”

Later, it was reported on this machinery whose last repair occurred on December 23 of last year, but due to the state of the rails, and their lack in the country, “we had to resort to innovation to solve the situation.”

Since last year, the supply of flour has been one of the biggest problems that the island has faced. The government maintains that its causes are “the effect of the United States blockade of Cuba since the ships have been in the port, but due to delays in payments, the unloading has been delayed.”

In mid-2023, the Cuban Bread Chain indicated that they had not stopped looking for options to restore service on the island. Among them, they mentioned the association with non-state forms of management to guarantee the supply of inputs.

CUBA HAD THE WORST SUGAR HARVEST IN THE LAST 125 YEARS

FAILURE IN A FLOATING POWER PLANT LEAVES GUANTÁNAMO AND SANTIAGO DE CUBA WITHOUT ELECTRICTY

HAVANA, January 14. A massive blackout left the provinces of Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba without electricity this Saturday night, reported the Cuban Electrical Union (UNE).As explained by the entity, the cause was the shutdown of a Turkish floating electricity generation plant located in the Bay of Santiago de Cuba, from where it supplies energy to eastern Cuba.

“At 9:04 pm, an internal failure occurred in the floating generation of Santiago that triggered service outages of the 110 kV lines of the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo,” indicates the information note published by the UNE and by the Havana Electric Company on Telegram.

According to the text, “at 10:25 pm the damage was restored.” However, complaints about lack of electricity continued on the aforementioned channels.

The UNE assured that it is working to determine the cause of the failure in the floating plant for its subsequent commissioning.

Hours earlier, state media had said that the floating plant located in Santiago de Cuba was paralyzed due to lack of fuel. According to the newspaper Trabajadores, this impact, in addition to breakdowns in six of the Cuban thermoelectric plants, would cause a deficit in generation capacity.

In total, the impact on Saturday was expected to exceed 821 MW at the electrical peak.

The effects of Saturday night were not only in eastern Cuba. In Havana, dozens of people were complaining late at night on the Telegram channel of the Electric Company about the intermittency in the service, and about blackouts of several hours.

Meanwhile, the Cuban government will increase the electricity rate by 25 percent for customers who consume more than 500 kilowatts/hour. According to the island’s authorities, it is a measure to encourage savings, to which, yesterday, several Internet users responded that the service provided by the company was not even worth what Cubans currently paid.

HOW DID THE DOLLAR AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL CURRENCIES START IN CUBA IN 2024?

HAVANA, Jan 2. Let no one be taken by surprise if dollars, MLC and euros start in a busy year in 2024.
The previous 12 months were a celebration for international currencies on the island and for the MLC, which constantly rose in price, and now, there are many signs that the informal market will remain active and “hot.”

This January 1, the USD was quoted at 265 Cuban pesos according to the non-state media El Toque, while the MLC was paid at 242 and the Euro reigned, with a value of 270 pesos.

The numbers above point to some stability following the decline in the MLC price on December 31. This downward trend has been notable for just over a week, the moment of maximum value of international currencies and also of the Cuban virtual currency during December.

The MLC, which reached a value of 250 pesos between December 15 and 24, is now trading at 8 pesos less, while the dollar and the euro also fell, but not as much.

The described trend began shortly after the statements of Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, announcing changes in the official dollar rate in Cuba.

Marrero did not specify what the new value would be and it is difficult to presume whether the government’s idea is to increase or decrease it since the last time the State took action on the matter and propped up the dollar at 120 pesos, in the informal market international currencies were They fired rapidly and the effect was the complete opposite of what the country’s authorities were looking for.

During his speech before the National Assembly of People’s Power, Marrero attacked non-state media that record exchange rates in the informal market, considering that it was from a “foreign country and a computer” that the exchange rate that governs the country is projected. the country.

“In addition, this exchange rate is speculative and is taken as a reference to set all the abusive prices that are today at the national level,” he said.

Previously, the Granma newspaper had published a text ensuring that the informal currency rate “does not represent the reality of the island’s economy.” However, this is the rate that Cubans use for their transactions.

The government believes that inflation and high exchange rates on the island are partly the fault of these media. Consequently, the Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil, recently assured that the informal currency market is “one of the main distortions facing the economy,” and that it must be “ordered.”

INTERANNUAL INFLATION OF THE CUBAN FORMAL MARKET AT 31.78% IN NOVEMBER

HAVANA, Dec. 12  The year-on-year inflation in Cuba’s formal market stood at 31.78% in November, compared to 34.05% in the same month of 2022,due mainly to increases in restaurants, transportation and food, the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) reported this Tuesday.

This organization does not reflect the evolution of prices in the majority and best-stocked informal market on the island, which is more affected by inflation due to its absolute lack of regulation and the severe shortage of basic products in the formal market.

The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 2.29% compared to the previous month, specified the ONEI, which puts the accumulated inflation until November at 27.03%.

By category, the year-on-year increase in Restaurants and Hotels (49.33%) stood out, followed by Transportation (37.49%) and Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (37.11%), traditionally the most inflationary items.

All categories experienced year-on-year price increases, many with double-digit rates, except Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, which fell 19.46%. The least inflationary were Health (0.99%) and Communications (0.46%), sectors controlled by state monopolies.

This strong increase in prices follows that registered in 2021, when the ONEI estimated inflation at 77.33%, and the 39.07% rebound in the Cuban formal market in 2022. There are no alternative CPI measurements to the official one in Cuba.

There is also no reliable data on the evolution of the Cuban informal market, where some prices of basic products have doubled in the last 12 months. Some independent estimates put informal market inflation in 2021 at around 500%.

Since Cuba imports 80% of what it consumes, according to UN estimates, the depreciation of the Cuban peso (CUP) with respect to the dollar (the currency in which it is purchased abroad) is relevant in this inflationary spiral.

In the last 12 months, the Cuban currency has gone from 175 CUP per dollar in the informal market to the current 270 CUP, a depreciation of 54%, according to the exchange rate prepared by the unofficial media El Toque, converted into an index of reference for media and experts.

Cuba has been going through a serious economic crisis for three years, something that is evident in the shortage of basic products (such as food, medicine and fuel), the partial dollarization of the economy, the depreciation of the peso, prolonged and frequent blackouts and a strong increase Of the prices.

The effects of the pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions and errors in national macroeconomic and monetary policy are the main causes of this crisis, which is fueling migration – mainly to the US – and social unrest.

Cuba trips in 2024                   

Do you have a sister church in Cuba? When was the last time “you” were blessed by Cuban hospitality? In 2023 there were seven trips to Cuba that is to: Holguin Norte, Ceigo de Avila and Sancti Spiritus districts. Yet our numbers of visitors to their sister churches were minimal. Yes, you can travel to Cuba. I understand the hesitancy because of Covid but this should not be a deterrent. For the sister church wanting to take larger sums of funds to their sister church going on a trip is a great way to get funds to them.

We have implemented many changes with our trip agenda’s:

v  Shorter trips five to six days

v  Trip size, maximum five

v  Minimizing travel

v  More time at sister church “if possible”

v  Price has not changed… $1,900 per person

v  Personal time at your sister church

v  United States church purchasing pig for pig roast at sister church and entire village in Cuba 

We are making plans for 2024 trips in:

v  February, Sancti Spiritus

v  March/April, Holguin Norte

v  May, Per needed

v  September (full) Ciego de Avila

v  October, Holguin Norte

v  November, Ciego de Avila

All subject to change as needed.

If you're interested in a life altering experience in Cuba with your sister church or you have never been to Cuba and God is calling, you. Just email, text or call me.

We need to get back to Cuba!

Dan Christopherson

Email: Christforcuba@gmail.com

Text and phone: 941-468-7209

HAVANA, Nov 21. Pork production in Cuba fell by almost 90% in four years and Spain has taken advantage of this decline to become the main exporterof the product to the Island, according to the Institute of Foreign Trade of the Iberian nation (ICEX), on its exports and investments.

The ICEX study, titled “The pork sector market in Cuba”, reveals that pork production on the Island decreased by almost 90% between 2018 and 2022, when 15,000 tons were obtained, according to that Spanish entity. .

According to official figures from the Cuban State, almost 200,000 tons of pork were produced on the Island in 2018. Four years later, the authorities announced a goal of 26,000 tons, but the state press has not published the production obtained.

The report from the Spanish Institute points out that the economic crisis that Cuba is going through affects all aspects of the country’s life and significantly affects animal husbandry.

As the report points out, the majority of companies dedicated to livestock production are in state hands. “There is also a recently created mixed company that is dedicated to this sector,” the report notes.

In September 2022, the official press reported that the Carne D’Tres MSME was the first private company in Cuba authorized by the Government to receive foreign investment.

Meat production in Cuba is also mainly in the hands of state companies and some with foreign participation, according to the document. For this reason, the main source of supply of pork is imports, which, according to the ICEX, increased from 10 million dollars in 2018 and 40 million in 2022.

The main supplier of pork to Cuba in 2022 was Spain, according to the ICEX. A report from the Spanish entity from November last year maintained that “pork meat” had been the most exported product from Spain to Cuba from January to September 2022.

According to this ICEX report, the second largest exporter of pork to Cuba is Canada, and Brazil is in third place.

Until 2021, Spain and Canada exported similar figures of pork to Cuba, but in 2022 the Iberian nation’s exports increased. That jump was due “to subheading 0203.29, relating to frozen pork,” according to the report.

But that amount of imported pork, which quadrupled in four years, does not reach the tables of most Cubans. According to the report itself, “the main factors behind the demand for pork currently are: tourism and the consolidation of the middle class.”

For Cubans, pork has become a luxury item that those who do not receive remittances from abroad cannot afford. The average salary of a worker, which is around 4,000 pesos, is not enough to purchase the meat that used to be very present in the population’s diet and whose consumption was traditional at the end of the year.

At the moment, in Santiago de Cuba it is sold for 500 pesos; In Holguín, the price is around 380 pesos, but it is scarce. In Havana, it already exceeds 600 pesos.

In September, a Cuban MSME began marketing imported pork at 650 Cuban pesos per pound and, as another of these businesses did in Havana, but with chicken, it sold the product in the middle of the street, directly from the refrigerated container that left the port. .

In October, it emerged that the already low goal of producing 27,000 tons of pork in 2023 would be difficult to meet. As is usual in official discourse, the state press blamed the probable non-compliance on the US embargo.

Days before, the state press had reported that the Granma Provincial Pork Company owed thousands of pesos in freely convertible currency (MLC) to pork producers. Producer Alejandro Sosa Rodríguez denounced that he had been waiting since last February for payment for the meat that he sold to the state company after signing a contract.

The entity proposed to pay the debt with the feed used to feed the pigs, but the farmer learned that the type of feed with which they proposed to pay him had been in deficit for more than a month.

MARIEL LANGUISHES AFTER INVESTING TO RECEIVE LARGE SHIPS, WHICH STILL DO NOT ARRIVE

HAVANA, Sept. 26th  Several months after completing the dredging of the access channel to the port, begun more than ten years ago to allow the entry of larger vessels,The directors of the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) regret that not a single one of these vessels, up to 366 meters long, has entered their container terminal.

“The Mariel terminal (…) is still awaiting the arrival of its first Post Panamax ship,” reports OnCuba, to which Mariel executives assured that they are in “negotiations” with several foreign shipping companies.

The eagerness of officials for the entry of vessels such as the Post Panamax or the Neo Panamax – up to 366 meters in length, 52 meters in width (width), and 15 in draft (depth) – lies in the concern that the port, in which million-dollar investments have been made, is not turning out to be as profitable as expected.

Canal widening allows large ships to make direct calls, saving time and money on “transportation costs”

Additionally, the canal widening allows large ships to make direct calls, saving time and money on “transportation costs.”

But Havana’s main interest is for the port of Mariel to become the most important transshipment point in the Caribbean, which would bring with it a substantial injection of capital for the country.

Martín José Spini, general director of the facility, insisted that the characteristics of the port, its geographical location, “security, certification and infrastructure” make the Mariel terminal the ideal option for international shipping companies, and that If no deep-draft ship has been received so far, he assures, it is because of the “complex global economic scenario, resulting from the pandemic, and the United States sanctions, which, among other difficulties, prevent ships arriving to Cuba can touch US ports in the next 180 days.

Without being sure that it will have the success they expect, Mariel’s managers set the bar even higher. Currently, the terminal has a capacity of 800,000 20-foot containers, and an expansion is planned to allow it to receive up to three million containers. However, annual traffic does not exceed 300,000.

“If these obstacles are overcome, and it is able to get closer to what is planned in its Master Plan, the Mariel container terminal would consolidate itself as one of the most important in the region, and a fundamental piece for the Cuban economy, severely affected by the crisis and in need of a commercial and financial injection,” underlines the newspaper, which recalls that Mariel is the “main enclave for attracting foreign investment” with more than 44 companies in operation of the more than 60 approved since the founding of the ZEDM in 2013.

With the creation of the ZEDM, a decade ago, the Cuban Government expected to receive some 12.5 billion dollars in foreign investments

With the creation of the ZEDM, a decade ago, the Cuban Government expected to receive about 12.5 billion dollars in foreign investments, at a rate of 2,500 per year. However, according to figures offered by state media, by 2023, the facility had barely reached $3.34 billion in total investment.

However, both officials and the press ignore the multiple “difficulties” that the terminal has faced in recent years, which have little to do with the US blockade.

At the beginning of September, the ZEDM announced that four years after its establishment in Cuba, the company Suchel TBV S.A – a joint venture with the Vietnamese Thai Binh Detergent Joint-Stock Company –, with an initial investment of 17.6 million dollars, still It was not in operation.

In 2020, the Russian state railway company RZD, which had agreed a year earlier with the Cuban Railways union for the restoration of the island’s railway structure, stopped operations due to recurring non-compliance by the Cuban side.

His plans included modernizing the train system that connects with the port of Mariel. Now, after a Chinese company took over the project abandoned by the Russians in 2022, ZEDM managers promoted the rail connection as a “reliable route” for the transfer of merchandise arriving at the port.

Officials, however, strive to sell the ZEDM as a “project that promotes, through foreign investment, technological innovation and industrial concentration, sustainable economic development, while ensuring environmental protection.”

However, this September 25, according to maritime tracking applications, the port of Mariel has only three vessels on its docks, a container ship from Cyprus, a Panamanian oil tanker, and the Baris Bey boat of the Turkish company Karpowership which, far from protect the environment, as the ZEDM assures, it emits toxic gases and presents a high risk of oil waste spills.

WHY CUBA’S TOURIST RATING IS CRUMBLING

HAVANA, Sept. 21st. In the heart of Old Havana, near the waterfront and the Parque Central, old American cars from the 40s and 50s are lined up by the dozen at attention, waiting for foreigners eager to discover the capital. “There are almost no Yumas (foreigners),” assures this Havana woman. If the months of September and October attract fewer travelers due to the risk of cyclones, tourists are rarer than usual.

The Cuban government has invited many Spanish influencers in recent months to promote the island, but the destination is struggling. Several European and Canadian tour operators have even recommended against it, citing shortages and even insecurity.

“Exercise great caution in Cuba due to shortages of basic necessities, including food, medicine and fuel,” Canada’s ever-cautious Foreign Ministry warned earlier this month. France Diplomatie, for its part, is more “soft”.

The travel advice service warns of problems with on-site payment and fuel shortages which can hamper travel. The United States’ policy towards Cuba – classified as a state sponsor of terrorism, which requires a visa to visit the United States afterward – is now also harming the destination.

“My tour operator clearly advised me against Cuba for my family trip with my grandmother at the end of the year, telling us that travel would be complicated,” says Chloé, a French woman.

Following the professional’s advice, she will finally head for another sunny winter destination, in this case, Thailand. For those who prefer the Caribbean, Jamaica, Yucatán or Santo Domingo are sometimes put forward by travel agencies as an alternative to Cuba.

See also

New shortages

In fact, the warning could not be more accurate when it comes to shortages. Cuba lacks everything and it’s getting worse. The Canadian ministry lists a long list of common sense tips to fully enjoy the island.

Cuba has always dealt with food and, cyclically, gasoline shortages. But the lack of medicines, born from the Covid pandemic, is relatively new.

The island has a large pharmaceutical industry, but now exports the vast majority of its medicines abroad, due to a lack of foreign currency to cover the food needs of the population. American sanctions and restrictions, combined with the pandemic and absolutely catastrophic regime management, have worsened shortages for Cubans and, to a lesser extent, for tourists.

“Leave without having too many expectations…”

Considering visiting Cuba in the coming months means first asking yourself what you expect from a trip to the island. An organized stay should take place without unpleasant surprises, as tourist guides always anticipate difficulties.

To the point of prioritizing the well-being of tourists over that of Cubans. “A Guagua (bus) of tourists stopped at the bank. The guide pushed aside the Cubans who had been waiting for their turn for 30 minutes and put the Yumas before everyone else,” complains Pedro, a Havanese.

All-inclusive hotels remain a safe bet, even if the choice of food is much less than in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, for example.

It’s all a question of means and what you’re looking for… Because, in fact, it would be better to opt for a five-star establishment from an international hotel chain if you plan to visit the country in the coming months. Hotels with exclusively Cuban capital are struggling.

And the Canadian daily Le Soleil headlined a few weeks ago quite aptly: “All-inclusive hotels in Cuba: leave without having too many expectations”.

What about insecurity?

An individual trip requires more organization, especially since the situation differs from one city to another. The island’s first destination and preferred arrival point, Havana suffers little.

Despite the shortcomings, good hotels, Casas Particulares (homestays), and restaurants remain numerous and the traveler with euros in his pocket will find what he needs, provided he is not too demanding. Cuba is a country outside of time and the latest capitalist fashions.

The second destination is seaside resorts. Even the rigorous Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives satisfaction to the resorts of Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria, Guardalavaca (near Holguin), Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco.

On the other hand, traveling to the Oriente (east of the island), to the regions of Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo, Holguin, and Baracoa, is more hazardous, due to the lack of basic necessities. “My family lives in the Oriente where the daily Apagones (power cuts) last for hours,” confides Yamile, a Havana woman.

Whatever the mode of travel chosen, it is better to bring to Cuba everything you will need, especially medicines. Cuban doctors are excellent, but sorely lacking in the latter.

Several independent Cuban media and social networks have mentioned an increase in insecurity on the island. For the moment it only affects Cubans among themselves, at a level considered worrying. Attacks against tourists remain truly exceptional. Thefts in Casas Particulares are very rare.

The victims are often single foreigners bringing unknown Cubans into their rooms. The owners of the Casas keep an eye on things, but they can’t always plan everything.

And a Western diplomat tells this story: “A few years ago I saw a man arrive at the embassy in his boxers and a t-shirt. Everything had been taken from him.

He was accompanied by a very beautiful Cuban woman and certainly did not understand that with accomplices she had stolen his money.”

CUBA UNDER CYCLONE ALERT IN THE EXTREME WEST OF THE COUNTRY

HAVANA, Aug 28  Cuba decreed this Monday the cyclone alert phase for its westernmost provinces due to the passage of tropical storm Idalia, which meteorologists expect to become a hurricane in the next few hours.The center of Idalia is located in the Caribbean Sea, between the Mexican province of Yucatan and the western tip of Cuba, advancing at about 11 kilometers per hour in a northerly direction, towards the United States.

The National Staff of the Civil Defense of Cuba decreed the Cyclonic Alert phase for the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, because “the weather conditions continue to deteriorate” in the area.

The western third of the island is already experiencing moderate to heavy rain since Sunday afternoon, when the information phase was declared. Rainfall is expected to intensify in the coming hours and may cause flooding.

The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) predicts winds in the west of the country that on Monday afternoon will reach 75 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, and “strong and intense rains.” In the center of the storm they already exceed 100 kilometers per hour.

This means that there could be rises in the sea in low areas of the coast due to “strong swells”.

The Cuban forecast indicates that in the next 12 to 24 hours Idalia will maintain its “slow movement” and that it will gain a little more in organization and intensity.

So far some 8,000 people have been rehoused and it is expected that throughout this Monday the residents of the Bailén and Boca de Galafre regions, in the province of Pinar del Río, will be evicted, and the same measure is being studied in other locations, such as Guanímar (Artemisa).

In the west of the country, where a year ago Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc that is still visible, measures have also been taken to prevent flooding in inhabited areas, protect crops and guarantee the water supply.

Ian caused the death of five people and left considerable damage to more than 100,000 homes, agriculture, and electricity, telephone and drinking water supply services.

Early in the morning in Cuba, the center of the storm was 190 kilometers east-southeast of Cozumel (Mexico) and 190 kilometers south of Cabo de San Antonio, the westernmost point of Cuba.

Fuente

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR PROPOSES REMOVING CUBA AS A SPONSOR OF TERRORISM

HAVANA, Aug. 8th. Democratic Senator Peter Welch has presented a proposal to remove Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism in the United States, as a measure to advance bilateral relations between the two nations.In his statement for the Congressional Record, Welch points out that the current policies towards Cuba are a failure and are contributing to scarcity and hardship in the country, which has led to an increase in the migratory flow of Cuban citizens to the United States. .

The senator suggests several measures to improve diplomatic relations, including the waiver of extraterritorial sanctions under Title Three of the Helms-Burton Act and the sending of an ambassador to Havana.

Welch believes that the United States must take concrete steps to improve relations with Cuba and put an end to the blockade imposed by the White House more than six decades ago.

Although President Joe Biden promised changes in Cuba policies, he has so far held the same line as his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump. Welch’s proposal seeks to promote a significant change in US policy towards Cuba and foster a rapprochement between the two nations.

The removal of Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism is a measure that the United States can and should take to rebuild its relationship with the island, according to the Democratic senator.

CUBA RECEIVES ANOTHER 27 RAFTERS RETURNED BY THE US.

HAVANA, Aug 6th Cuba received a new group of 27 rafters returned from the United States, with which there are 4,210 irregular migrants from the island deported bythe Washington authorities, by air and sea, so far in 2023, the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) reported this Sunday.

These rafters returned the day before had participated in four illegal exits from the island and were later intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard Service (USCG).

Three of those returned were on probation “for serving criminal sanctions at the time of leaving the island” and “they will be made available to the corresponding courts for the revocation of said benefit,” said the Ministry.

The deported Cubans were received by the island’s authorities in the port of Orozco (Bahía Honda, western province of Artemisa).

Cuba and the US have a bilateral agreement so that all migrants who arrive by sea are returned to the island.

This was added last November to the airway. Both countries agreed to resume deportation flights for “inadmissible” people held at the border with Mexico.

Returns by air between Cuba and the US had been suspended since December 2020.

During this fiscal year, which began on October 1, more than 6,800 Cubans have been intercepted by the USCG on trips to the coast of the state of Florida (USA).

During 2023, Cuba has also received repatriated migrants from the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

ANOTHER 120 CUBAN DOCTORS ARRIVE IN ITALY´S CALABRIA REGION

HAVANA, Aug 6  Another 120 Cuban doctors recently arrived in Italy today to join the 51 specialists who since the end of last year have contributed to the improvement of health care in the southern region of Calabria, according to local media. According to a report published on the website of the newspaper Il Quotidiano del Sud, upon their arrival, last Friday night at the Calabrian airport of Lamezia Terme, the doctors from the Caribbean nation were received by the regional president, Roberto Occhiuto, who thanked them for being here.

«In recent months, his colleagues who arrived in Calabria, last December. They have made a fundamental contribution to our region, to keep hospitals open and provide answers to patients”, and we are sure that “you will also integrate very well, and it will be a successful experience”, Occhiuto said.

The governor pointed out that “when I announced that I would hire Cuban doctors, many criticized me for this initiative of mine, and today everyone in Italy wants to imitate me.”

“There are specialties that are difficult to find such as emergency, orthopedics, cardiology, and among the Cuban doctors who arrived there are specialists in these sectors.”

“I thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has helped us in recent weeks to overcome some bureaucratic problems, as well as the University of Calabria”, where specialists recently arrived from the island will temporarily stay, to receive an intensive course in Italian.

For his part, the rector of that high study center, Nicola Leone, who joined the reception, also expressed his gratitude “as a Calabrian”, and told them that “I appreciate their spirit of sacrifice and their availability”.

“I interacted with the colleagues who have preceded them, and I was able to appreciate the enthusiasm and desire to participate in an important mission,” Leone added to the doctors, who in the coming days will begin working in healthcare centers in Calabrian towns such as Cosenza, Catanzaro , Crotone, Reggio and Vibo.

On May 23, the Ministers of Health of Cuba and Italy, José Ángel Portal and Orazio Schillaci, respectively, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration in the fields of health and Medical Sciences.

During the signing of the document, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, in the context of the LXXVI World Health Assembly, Schillaci recognized Cuba’s progress in health matters and scientific and biopharmaceutical research.

The Italian minister thanked the help provided in 2020 by Cuban collaborators from the Henry Reeve brigade in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions, during the most critical moments of the confrontation with the Covid-19 pandemic in that European nation.

US EMBASSY RENTS CHINESE ELECTRIC CARS FROM A CUBAN COMPANY

HAVANA, May 24th  The Biden administration has allowed a U.S. company to sell electric cars to Cuba in a bet to help the island’s private sector, but the days American-made Teslas will be rolling on Havana streets are still to come. Instead, cheaper Chinese models, some assembled in Cuba, are already on the island’s roads and available for rent.

One unexpected client? The U.S. embassy in Havana.

The embassy is, for now, putting aside the tough economic war on China’s rhetoric and renting at least four Chinese-made electric models from a Cuban-government-run agency, according to the Cubatrade.org blog, run by John Kavulich, head of the New York-based U.S. Cuba-Trade and Economic Council.

In a statement to the Miami Herald, a State Department official confirmed that the embassy is renting “numerous electric cars that are available for rent in Havana” due to the ongoing fuel crisis on the island and “will continue to do so until the crisis abates.”

“There are no American-made electric cars in Cuba available for rent,” the official added.

Last November, the Biden administration authorized a U.S. company, Premier Automotive Export Ltd., based in Maryland and with offices in Miami, to sell electric cars to small private business owners on the island.

No cars have made it to private businesses on the Caribbean island yet, because bureaucratic requirements on the Cuban side have slowed down the process, John Felder, the company’s head, told the Herald.

Felder also got a separate U.S. government license — also the first of its kind — to sell electric cars to foreign embassies in Havana in 2017. He sold the company’s first — and so far only— electric car to the Guyanese embassy in Cuba that year, a Nissan Leaf.

Though the U.S. embassy can import the cars it needs directly, Kavulich questioned why embassy officials did not contact Felder before deciding to pay the Cuban government and use Chinese electric vehicles.

“Why license a U.S. company to export EVs to Cuba- to citizens, private companies, and embassies and then ignore them, not ask for assistance?” Kavulich said. “Adding to the dismay, the U.S. company offered to donate EV chargers and the offer was rebuffed by the U.S. Department of State.

In February 2022, the State Department turned down an offer by Felder to donate and install four chargers at the U.S. embassy in Havana and the residence of the chargé d’affaires.

Citing “impediments in the electrical infrastructure and a lack of trained mechanics on the island to service electric vehicles,” the State Department said at the time that it was “unlikely” its embassy in Cuba would import electric vehicles in the near future.

Felder said he was surprised when he learned the embassy was now renting the Chinese models. He said he was not approached by State Department officials about buying or renting electric cars for the embassy.

China’s Advantage in Cuba

But the embassy’s decision underscores a broader reality: Despite efforts to make it into the Cuban market, American companies lag way behind China, which has already built a larger economic presence on the island.

China has become Cuba’s leading trading partner, and Chinese companies have been granted preferential treatment thanks to the two communist countries’ political alliance.

An assembly plant for cars and scooters in Havana, a joint venture between China’s Tianjin Dongxing Industrial and Commercial Group and Cuban state-owned company Minerva, has produced 2,500 electric scooters and 1,500 electric tricycles and is planning to increase production to 10,000 each this year, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.

In 2015, the Cuban government ordered 719 cars from China’s electric automaker BYD for tourist rentals. In 2021, Cuban state company Transtur said it had incorporated a fleet of Chinese-made electric cars into their rental offers for tourists and had set up a network of charging stations on Transtur facilities.

The State Department official did not say how many cars the U.S. embassy is renting, how much it is paying, nor the name of the government agency providing the vehicles.

One State Department official told the Cuba trade blog that the rental agency is not on the Cuba restricted list —Cuban companies Americans cannot do business with.

Since fuel shortages have been common on the cash-strapped island in recent years, critics said the embassy could have planned and transitioned to electric cars sooner, in accordance with the Biden administration’s policies to embrace green technologies.

The State Department official said the embassy plans to do so in the near future.

“The U.S. Embassy Havana currently does not operate any electric vehicles in its motor pool in Havana,” the official said. “All Department of State vehicles have a lifecycle and the Embassy is currently in the process of transitioning a large percentage of its vehicles to American-made electric vehicles and expects to have that process completed sometime in 2024.”

The U.S. government has recently authorized at least two other Miami-based companies to export cars to small private business owners in Cuba. Earlier this month, Fuego Enterprises, a company run by Cuban-American entrepreneur Hugo Cancio, received a license to export conventional vehicles and hybrids.

An unaffordable technology

But a transition from fossil fuels is still a distant reality for Cubans. The country lacks a robust infrastructure to support electric vehicles, which is why Felder’s company is offering clients who buy a car free charging stations.

But in a country where inflation and faulty monetary policies have lowered state monthly salaries paid in local pesos to the equivalent of $50 or less, cars are a pricey luxury, even more so electric vehicles imported from the United States.

Felder said he is selling EVs in a price range from $35,000 to $105,000 made by Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, among others. He said 10 Cuban clients are waiting to purchase the vehicles.

Felder said his potential clients are private business owners, and he said he, too, was surprised to find out that some may have that kind of money. Still, he said he expects most to choose the most affordable options. His company has sold Cuban entrepreneurs four electric scooters at a much lower price.

Felder, a former Chrysler executive credited with introducing the first electric car to the Caribbean in 2009, said he plans to introduce a relatively new technology to the island: bidirectional EV charging stations that can send back energy from the car to the electrical grid.

“There is a severe gas shortage, so this would make such a difference on Cuba’s energy grid,” he said.

But while the Biden administration has sought to minimize money flows going to the Cuban government, Cuban-government-run companies will take a cut from each sale, as the government mandates that private businesses must use a state import agency to buy all foreign supplies and merchandise.

To the original car price tag, Cuban state companies acting as intermediaries add a fee, sometimes as high as 30% of the price, Eduardo Aparicio, the head of Apacargo Express, one of the Miami-based companies authorized to sell cars to Cuba, said, according to the news site On Cuba.

Felder said he is waiting for the Cuban state import company working with him to get a final authorization “code” from the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Trade.

“The longer they wait, the more money the government is losing,” he said.

TOTAL BLACKOUT’ FOR CUBAN COMPANIES TWO HOURS A DAY

HAVANA, Apr. 19th  “Between 11 in the morning and one in the afternoon you have to disconnect the central electricity and have zero consumption.”This is the information that state companies in the province of Sancti Spíritus are receiving. The measure implemented a few days ago, aims to drastically reduce energy expenditure in search of a desperate palliative to the fuel deficit that Cuba is experiencing.

“Now the guidance, unlike other times when we were asked to turn off some lights and air conditioners, is that we must shut down the central power to avoid consumption between those hours,” explains an employee of a branch of the Cimex Corporation, managed by the Cuban military, which deals with part of the retail trade in the province.

“In our office, from 11 in the morning until one in the afternoon, the central electricity must be cut off, which complicates all our work that involves computers, printing invoices and other tasks that need electrical equipment,” laments the worker.

In a nearby office of the state telecommunications monopoly, Etecsa, the panorama is repeated. “When last year we were told that we had to turn off the lights and air conditioners, people looked for solutions,” says a young employee who prefers anonymity. “In order not to have to suffer from the heat, the workers brought their own fans.”

Instead of saving electricity in the two regulatory hours of blackout, in many of these premises consumption remained unchanged. “We went from using two air conditioners to have eight or nine fans connected.

What was saved on the one hand was spent on the other,” acknowledges the man, who works in the area of attention to the population.

“We closed and did not accept more customers at that time, but we had to stay inside the office, which was hellish because of the heat, especially in the summer,” he says.

“Apparently they realized that a lot of electricity was not being saved, and now the administrator will be in charge of turning off the central power. No one will be able to connect their fan or charge their cell phone.”

The measure joins others that have been taken in the province and throughout Cuba due to the fuel crisis that the Island is going through. “We have a very diminished fleet of merchandise delivery trucks; we have had to change the hours of supplying the stores, and now there are two hours a day when we will not be able to do anything,” says the employee, summarizing the situation in the provincial subsidiary of Cimex.

Sancti Spíritus, a territory that connects the flow of vehicles arriving from the west to the east of the Island and vice versa, has experienced a notable decrease in traffic.

“Now you spend hours to get from the city of Sancti Spíritus to Trinidad because the drivers don’t have fuel,” says Mirna, age 59, whose family is divided between the provincial capital and the beautiful Valle de los Ingenios.

“Sometimes I go for days without seeing my daughter, as if we lived in different provinces. If you look at a map, her house is right there. With no cars or trucks, we are incommunicado within the province itself,” she adds.

Mirna does not seem very worried about the repercussions that the new energy-saving measure will have on the lives of workers in the state sector. “They don’t do much anyway,” she concludes. “Here it’s been a long time since you could do paperwork or budgets during those hours, so it’s more of the same.”

Next Monday, Mirna’s husband, who has an administrative position in a municipal office, will have to “turn off the electricity” at work. “He can’t do anything else.

It’s what they’ve told him and what he has to do, but he already told me that during that time he’s not going to stay inside the premises, which is an oven. He says he’s going to sit in the park.”

NO FUEL IN HAVANA

HAVANA, Apr. 13th  Marta and Manuel, two Spaniards who arrived in Havana this Good Friday on the Air Europa flight, pass through the door of the José Martí international airport and come across a dark esplanade full of people holding signs with the name of a tourist. The taxi stand is empty. The lack of fuel has hit the strategic tourism sector, and the Madrid couple spends two hours waiting for a vehicle to take them to Old Havana.

“This is not how tourism can be recovered,” says the employee who manages the taxi stand. The man calls again and again on his mobile phone to the possible taxi drivers who relieve the long line that has been formed after the arrival of the European flight.

But the answer he receives is almost the same: “I don’t have fuel.” After half an hour, a yellow Citröen arrives in front of the line of desperate travelers. “This is my last trip because what I have left of gasoline is not enough for another,” he says.

Several tourists hurry to get on the buses that will take them to Varadero and other resorts. “We are making the trips to leave the customers in the hotels but we have had to cut the excursions,” explains a driver who begins to read a list of British surnames to confirm the travelers he will take in his vehicle. “For almost a month we have only had fuel for transfers to and from the airport,” he emphasizes.

On the other side of the street, in the shadows, the drivers of several private vehicles load luggage into trunks and shout among themselves the coordinates to find fuel. “The Santa Catalina gas station has none; neither does Boyeros and Ayestarán although they told me that they saw a tank unloading an hour ago at the one on G and 25.”

The information, more valuable for filling the tank of the vehicle than the money itself, has created networks of solidarity among drivers who, in addition to spreading the word about where the supply has arrived, help each other in the lines in front of the gas station, which can last for days.

“We are four taxi drivers and we take turns in line. The station that had fuel last week doesn’t have it anymore. We wouldn’t have a life if we had to be in line all the time,” explains a young man who rents a cab from the Taxi-Cuba Company.

“The tourists who arrive don’t know this, and some rent a car to go to the provinces; then they get stranded on the road because they can’t fill the tank,” the driver tells 14ymedio. “At first, passenger cars had priority, but if there is no gasoline, it doesn’t matter if you have priority. If there isn’t any there isn’t, and they can’t invent it.”

Marta and Manuel managed, after a long wait, to get into a vehicle on the way to a private rental house in the historic center of Havana. “Can we meet tomorrow for an excursion to the Zapata Swamp?” they inquired of the taxi driver.

The payment proposal, an interesting amount of euros, would have been absolutely irresistible a few months ago, but the driver declines. “I can’t, this is the last gasoline I have left. Tomorrow I have to take care of getting more, and that will take me all day or all week.”

Rumors are circulating among taxi drivers that fuel problems will be solved on the 18th. In March, the British agency Reuters announced the shipment of oil from Venezuela that was going to be the largest in memory in a long time. The Nolan oil tanker, Panamanian-flagged and sanctioned by the United States, was in the Venezuelan port of San José loading 1.53 million barrels (400,000 barrels of oil and 1.13 of diesel), destined for Cuba.

Although the ship was supposed to arrive at the end of March, the shortage, visible at the Island’s gas stations, suggests that it arrived late or that the unloading has been slow.

Radar positioned the Nolan for the last time off the coast of western Africa, but that was 111 days ago, and the sanctioned tankers travel with the transponder turned off to hide their location. The Venezuelan government opponent María Corina Machado said last week that the oil tanker was in the port of Antilla, in Holguín, according to a satellite application.

But the effects of the lack of fuel are not only noticed by tourists and Cubans who want to fill their tanks. The blackouts are already back, and national television announced that a “complex” day is expected this Monday. Yesterday, Sunday, the deficit reached 368 megawatts (MW) at around 20:20, coinciding with peak time.

Although the Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE) assures that “this weekend it managed to meet the demand,” many Cubans have complained about more than three hours without power in different parts of the Island.

“Last night there was a blackout here from 10:27 pm until a little more than 1 am. I couldn’t rest well, and today we face the day-to-day to see how to survive,” lamented a woman from Cienfuegos. “I have just seen the list, and during the day there should be no problem, but in Remedios there is a deficit from 9 to 3 in the afternoon,” added another.

For today, UNE predicts a deficit of 200 MW, but 550 MW is expected to be missing at the peak. In its statement, the electricity monopoly speaks of a shortage in the distribution because of “failures and lack of maintenance,” correcting the information provided on television, which said that the lack of availability is due to “problems” in the distribution of fuel, which has not yet arrived.

“They don’t have oil because they don’t buy it, and they don’t pay for what they buy. Period.” says a user when reading the forecast for the day.

Meanwhile, the recovery work of the Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas thermoelectric plant continues after the accident that cost the lives of two people this Friday and injured two more when they were trapped by the collapse of a 23-foot high wall while cleaning the soot in the chimney of the plant.

La Guiteras is the largest thermoelectric plant in the country, but last year it was out of service for more days than it produced energy.

US FARMERS VISITING HAVANA LOSE GROUND IN TRADE WITH CUBA

HAVANA, April 4 U.S. farmers visiting Havana said on Tuesday that they are “losing” in their attempt to boost trade with Cuban producers and urged the Joe Biden government to ease restrictions allowing investment in the sector on the island.

Biden eased restrictions on travel, remittances, and migration in May, pledging that the United States would do more to support the fledgling private sector in Cuba.

Those announcements, however, have been too slow to materialize, said Paul Johnson, leader of the US-Cuba Agricultural Coalition, an organization of more than 100 members that include agricultural entities, corporations and growers.

We are losing and we are tired of losing,” Johnson told reporters after the opening of a trade forum in Havana.

Little has changed on the island since a similar group of farmers from the United States landed last April. Many farms have been closed due to a lack of investment, equipment, fuel, and other inputs, which has contributed to a food shortage in Cuba.

“It’s frustrating for us in the United States, because I think it’s something we can fix. We have to go back to our government… and insist that the private sector is a path forward for development,” he said.

“We are capitalists. We invest in private businesses all over the world. Why can’t we do it in Cuba?” he asked.

In August 2021 the Cuban government lifted a ban on private businesses in place since 1968. More than 7,000 of these small private businesses have opened since then, according to the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

The Cold War-era US embargo on Cuba, which prohibits some trade and financing between the two countries, continues to complicate investment ties. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta)

WESTERN UNION

HAVANA, March 18th U.S. company Western Union reestablished the sending of remittances to Cuba from all over the United States this March 3.The member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said on Twitter regarding the news that “the U.S. unilaterally suspended the sending of remittances from the U.S. to Cuba in 2020 to create economic pressure on the Cuban population.”

“It was one of the measures to reinforce the blockade adopted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the diplomat added.
As made known by the company Orbit S.A., which managed remittances to the Island from Europe and Canada in 2022, this expansion of remittance operations from the U.S. is a legitimate activity that since 1995 operated in Cuban territory, in accordance with international standards and that since 2020 had been stopped for the U.S. market by unilateral decision of the U.S. Government.

Orbit S.A. also informed that the test phase of the service to Cuba that Western Union had started on January 4 of this year, in some offices in Florida, was already completed, so it proceeded to extend the service to all locations of its network on U.S. territory.

The beneficiaries of remittances in Cuba have the possibility of receiving them directly in their bank accounts in foreign currency, from the Metropolitano, BPA and Bandec banks, a service made possible thanks to commercial links subscribed with international financial companies, and which favors both the remittance recipients and senders, as they have access to fast, safe and less costly banking channels for their processing.

The population will be updated on the official channels that Orbit S.A. will incorporate to its management, the company indicated.

Cuba Embargo..

A bipartisan group of senators on Monday introduced a bill that would end the commercial blockade on Cuba while maintaining other U.S. laws that impose human rights-based restrictions on the island nation.

The bill, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), showcases political divisions over a blockade that’s been in place more than six decades.

An array of powerful Democrats and Republicans oppose leniency toward the Cuban regime, to say nothing of a radical policy shift such as lifting the trade embargo.

But some Republicans see Cuba as an untapped market of 11 million people a stone’s throw from Florida, and some Democrats see the embargo as a Cold War-era anachronism.

“I have long pushed to reform our relationship with Cuba, which for decades has been defined by conflicts of the past instead of looking toward the future,” Klobuchar said in a statement.

“By ending the trade embargo with Cuba once and for all, our bipartisan legislation will turn the page on the failed policy of isolation while creating a new export market and generating economic opportunities for American businesses,” she added.

It’s no coincidence that both Republican co-sponsors are from Kansas, a major agricultural state.

“The unilateral trade embargo on Cuba blocks our own farmers, ranchers and manufacturers from selling into a market only 90 miles from our shoreline, while foreign competitors benefit at our expense,” Moran said. 

In 2020, Cuba’s top imports were poultry meat, wheat, corn, concentrated milk, rice and dried legumes, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. And its top import partners were Spain, China, Italy, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

While the United States is one of the top exporters of food to Cuba — indeed the top exporter, according to a January 2022 report by CBS Miami— restrictions on trade make it harder for U.S. farmers to export their food there, according to a 2021 report from the Congressional Research Service(CRS).

And because of the embargo, the Cuban government imposes restrictions on who can import and distribute U.S. products, further diminishing the market for those goods.

I’m proud to sign onto the Freedom to Export to Cuba Act. It’s important for the United States to boost our economic opportunities and increase market access for American-made goods,” said Marshall.

According to the CRS report, Cuba was the ninth largest export market for U.S. agricultural products before 1960; it now ranks as the 50th market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Dominican Republic, a U.S. ally in the Caribbean with a population similar to Cuba’s, ranks 15th and over the past three years has imported seven times more U.S. agricultural products than Cuba.

Because of its proximity to Cuba, the United States has a baked-in advantage over other major agricultural producers, but countries such as Brazil remain competitive because of unfettered trade with the island.

“This legislation will expand market opportunities for U.S. producers by allowing them to compete on a level playing field with other countries. It is time to amend our own laws to give U.S. producers fair access to market to consumers in Cuba,” Moran said.

While the economic argument may sway some Republicans from the plains states, any easing of sanctions on the communist regime is an uphill battle.

According to the bill’s proponents, it would maintain restrictions tied to the Cuban government’s human rights record and to its takeover of private property following the 1959 revolution.

“We can expand opportunities for American businesses and farmers to trade with Cuba while still holding the Cuban government accountable for its human rights record. This bipartisan legislation is a smart fix that will create American jobs and benefit the Cuban people,” Murphy said.

But if the bill is picked up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), it will face two powerful Cuba hawks on either side of the aisle in Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and panel Chairman Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.).

So good luck with that,” said a senior Democratic aide.

And even if the bill manages to avoid SFRC, it’s unlikely it will be put to a vote unless leadership is convinced there’s enough support for to get 60 votes.

Still, the bill gives voice to those who seek to rethink a policy toward Cuba that’s remained essentially static for more than half a century.

It is long past time for us to normalize relations with Cuba,” Warren said. “This legislation takes important steps to remove barriers for U.S. trade and relations between our two countries and moves us in the right direction by increasing economic opportunities for Americans and the Cuban people.”

A MAJOR WILDFIRE IN EASTERN CUBA THREATENING HUNDREDS AS IT NEARS NATIONAL PARK

HAVANA, Feb 21st  A major wildfire in eastern Cuba was spreading closer to a national park on Monday, threatening hundreds of residents in its path, Cuban state television said Monday.Firefighters were attempting to control the blaze that started this weekend in the mountainous Pinares de Mayari region in Cuba’s Holguin province, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the capital Havana, with strong winds and dry conditions fueling its rapid spread.

The flames have already consumed more than 150 hectares (371 acres) of land and prompted the evacuation of about 600 residents from the small towns of Vivero 2, Pueblo Nuevo and La Mensura.

Local media reported on Monday that the fire was approaching the Mensura-Piloto National Park, which occupies an area of around 8,480 hectares (20,955 acres).

Television footage showed large plumes of smoke and fire rising from the forest.

Cuba reported 80 wildfires in January, according to reports from the park ranger service.

Mobile phone and data services down across Cuba

HAVANA, Feb. 17th An outage Thursday night knocked out cellular telephone and data services across much of Cuba, state-owned telecom company Etecsa said.“We inform our customers that there is currently an outage on mobile services. We are working to identify the malfunction for services to be resumed as soon as possible,” the company said on its Twitter account.

Cell phone services — calls, texting and internet browsing — began experiencing issues around 7:00 pm (2400 GMT Friday), several AFP journalists observed.

“One hour without internet (even if it is not rare), but without being able to make a call… and without texting. Even the emergency numbers are out of service, it’s really catastrophic,” said a Twitter user identifying herself as Rosanna and living in the province of Camaguey.

 Activity on social networks was sharply reduced, the AFP journalists also noted.

Etecsa recently indicated that its infrastructure was being strained by the island’s steadily growing number of users.

New Flight information getting into Havana..

Feb. 13th Traveling from Miami to Havana, Cuba is a popular route for both tourists and locals. With its rich history, culture, and tropical climate, Havana attracts millions of visitors each year. If you’re planning a trip to the city, there are several airlines that offer flights from Miami to Havana with a variety of ticket prices.

Here is a breakdown of the airlines that fly from Miami to Havana, as well as their prices:

American Airlines

American Airlines offers daily flights from Miami to Havana with prices starting at $150 for a one-way ticket. This airline offers a comfortable and convenient travel experience with amenities such as in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is another popular option for flights from Miami to Havana. With prices starting at $99 for a one-way ticket, this airline offers affordable travel for budget-conscious travelers. Southwest also offers a Rapid Rewards program, where you can earn points for future travel

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines offers flights from Miami to Havana with prices starting at $250 for a one-way ticket. This airline provides a more premium travel experience with in-flight entertainment and comfortable seating options.

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways is known for its affordable travel options, and flights from Miami to Havana are no exception. Prices start at $129 for a one-way ticket and the airline offers a variety of amenities such as free Wi-Fi and a comfortable seating experience.

In addition to these airlines, there are also several charters that fly from Miami to Havana, offering a more budget-friendly option for travelers. These charters typically have lower prices than the major airlines, but they may not offer the same level of comfort and amenities.

When choosing your airline, it’s important to consider the prices, flight schedules, and amenities that are most important to you. To find the best deal on your Miami to Havana flight, it’s a good idea to compare prices and book in advance.

In conclusion, there are several airlines that offer flights from Miami to Havana, each with its own prices and amenities. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly option or a more premium travel experience, there is an airline to meet your needs. By researching and comparing prices, you can find the perfect flight for your next trip to Havana.

Cuban diplomats exchange views with U.S. church members

The impact of the sanctions and blockade measures by the United States government against Cuba were discussed during an exchange between Cuban diplomats and parishioners of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.
During the meeting, the diplomats explained the current situation of the island, particularly the economic transformations being carried out, as well as the aspects that characterize the bilateral relationship between the two countries today.
The group of Presbyterian religious learned about the sectors of life of the Cuban population and the spheres of the economy where the consequences of six decades of blockade are most appreciated.
In addition, the diplomats explained how these regulations limit the ability of U.S. religious organizations to relate with their counterparts in Cuba, both in terms of joint projects and in facilitating humanitarian support of various kinds. 
The Cuban diplomats urged the religious to get to know Cuba from its roots and share with its people as the most effective way to understand the history and realities of the Caribbean nation, as well as to promote good relations between Cuba and the United States, taking into account the geographical and cultural proximity.
For her part, the president of the Cuba Partners Committee of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Marilyn Sieber, pointed out that the church remains committed to promoting ties between the peoples and religious communities of Cuba and the United States, as well as advocating for the lifting of economic sanctions against Cuba in the near future.

UNITED STATES AND CUBA CONTINUE LAW ENFORCEMENT DIALOGUE

HAVANA, Jan. 20th. On January 18-19, U.S. and Cuban officials met in Havana to discuss topics of bilateral interest on law enforcement matters under the U.S.–Cuba Law Enforcement Dialogue.This type of dialogue enhances the national security of the United States through improved international law enforcement coordination, which enables the United States to better protect U.S. citizens and bring transnational criminals to justice.

These dialogues strengthen the United States’ ability to combat criminal actors by increasing cooperation on a range of law enforcement matters, including human trafficking, narcotics, and other criminal cases.

Enhanced law enforcement coordination is in the best interests of the United States and the Cuban people.  This dialogue does not impact the administration’s continued focus on critical human rights issues in Cuba, which is always central to our engagement.

The Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Justice co-chaired the dialogue for the United States.   Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Havana also participated.

These discussions marked the first Law Enforcement Dialogue between the United States and Cuba since 2018.  The United States and Cuba held four Law Enforcement Dialogues from 2015 to 2018. Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the Government of Cuba where appropriate to advance U.S. interests.

TRIPADVISOR RECOGNIZES CUBA AS 2023 TOP “DESTINATION”

HAVANA, Jan.19th The list, which gathers those sites worldwide that experience the highest growth in interest within the popular travel site, was led by Cuba, followed by Vietnam and Mauritius. Regarding award comments, TripAdvisor highly recommended travelers take advantage of their visit to Cuba to roaming around Old Havana´s charming streets.

As part of the awards, Dubai was selected as the number-one global tourist destination, London as the top spot in Europe and third in general, and New York as the top-ranked place in the United States.

Award winners were identified based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings specific to various traveler award subcategories, Tripadvisor detailed.

Cuba to Relax Pandemic Restrictions for incoming Travelers

HAVANA, Sept. 7th Cuba is set to relax pandemic border control measures for international passengers starting Nov. 15, the island’s Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) announced Monday on its website.

Support Cuba’s emerging market economy by ending the blockade

HAVANA, March 3rd Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel recently announced the country’s most sweeping market liberalization in decades.

Coronavirus in Cuba: Complicated Situation in Havana Continues

HAVANA, Feb. 10th This Tuesday there were five deaths from COVID-19 and the new infections amounted to 858 to reach close to 35,000 cases, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP). In both statistics, Havana presents the most alarming situation.

What Cuba Wants from Joe Biden

HAVANA, Jan. 29 (CNN) Few countries around the world likely breathed a sigh of relief following the 2020 US election as deeply as Cuba did.

Cuba Hopes Biden Will Quickly Resume Obama-era detente

HAVANA, Jan. 22th (Reuters) Cuba is hopeful U.S. President Joe Biden will swiftly reverse his predecessor’s hardline approach toward the island and resume the policy of detente begun by the Obama administration, a top official in Havana told Reuters.

Cuba Exceeds 4,000 active cases from COVID-19

HAVANA, Jan. 17th Cuba surpassed 4,000 active cases of COVID-19 at the end of this Friday, the day in which four people died on the island as a result of the disease.

Cuba-United States Relations in 2020

HAVANA, Jan.10th The Trump administration has reversed virtually all of Obama’s policies toward Cuba.

Airlines’ Silence, Creates Chaos

HAVANA, Jan. 7th (HT) The sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases throughout Cuba in December led the government to backtrack on reopening.

Cuba to Limit Entry from Dominican Republic

HAVANA, Dec. 28th  (DT) Cuba decided to limit the entry of travellers from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Haiti as of January 1, to stop the current COVID-19 outbreak, the Public Health Ministry (Minsap) reported today.

For Biden’s Cuba Policy, Quid Pro Quo Incrementalism is Doomed to Fail

HAVANA, Dec. 22th As the anniversary of President Obama’s Dec. 17 historic breakthrough on relations with Cuba approaches, Joe Biden’s incoming administration has the opportunity to revive the successful détente that, as vice president, Biden endorsed and supported.

Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel Says Ready to Talk with Biden

HAVANA, Dec 18th Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that he was ready to talk with US President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021, “on any subject”.“We are willing to discuss any issue, what we are not willing to negotiate and what we will not give in on is the revolution, socialism and our sovereignty,” Xinhua news agency quoted Diaz-Canel as saying on Thursday while addressing the annual session of Parliament.

New Rules for Americans Visiting Cuba

HAVANA, Dec. 18th Flying is the easy part. As of mid-December 2020, there are over a dozen flights a day between the US and Havana departing from the Florida cities of Miami, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale. Operating airlines include American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Swift Air and JetBlue.

Biden Plots Cuba Reset in Rebuke of Trump’s Sanctions

HAVANA, Dec. 16th President-elect Joe Biden’s team plans to bring the U.S. closer to normalized relations with Cuba, reversing many of the sanctions and regulations imposed during the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter.

Potatoes USA Sent Seed Potatoes to Cuba for Trials

HAVANA, Dec. 12th Potatoes USA announced earlier today that it has sent the first shipment of U.S. seed potatoes to Cuba.

Minimum Salary in Cuba to Increase Fivefold

HAVANA, Dec. 12th (AFP) Cuba will increase its minimum wage fivefold as part of reforms due to come into effect on January 1 as it unifies its two official currencies, the official gazette said on Friday.

Projected Development of Renewables in Cuba

HAVANA, Dec. 1st. As part of Cuba’s National Economic and Social Development Plan for 2030, the country aspires to increase the share of renewable energy on its electric grid to 24%.

Biden Wants to Thaw Relations with Cuba

HAVANA, Nov. 26th Stirred by breathless warnings of a socialist menace, Cuban Americans turned out for President Trump in massive numbers.

Facing Severe Shortages, Cubans team Up

HAVANA, Nov. 23th In Cuba, the search for basic goods such as nails or toilet paper can mean queueing for several hours at a store. To avoid the wait, many Cubans are joining WhatsApp and Telegram chat groups that alert them where they can find products or find someone looking to barter goods.

The Return of Mules to Cuba’s Airports

HAVANA, Nov. 21th As Western Union closes down operations in Cuba and Havana Airport is now open, “mules” are back in the skies. These human couriers and importers with lots of cash provide a greater burden for US customs and immigration authorities. This occurs especially at Miami Airport, notes the US-Cuba Commercial and Economic Council (CubaTrade), reports Efe news agency.

Remittances Between US and Cuba

HAVANA, Nov 13 (PL) The Cuban financial company Fincimex and the American Western Union agreed to suspend the payment of remittances as of November 23,

Jose Marti Airport Reopens

HAVANA, Nov 15 (PL) The Jose Marti international airport of Cuba’s capital is resuming its commercial, regular and charter operations on Sunday under strict health protocols,

Cubans Applaud Biden Win

HAVANA, Nov. 7th (Reuters) Drivers honked their horns and applause erupted in Havana on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election, reflecting hopes on the island that he would seek to improve U.S.-Cuban ties. Many Cubans say they do not expect the Democratic former U.S. vice president to lift the decades-old American trade embargo on Cuba or that bilateral relations will return to the heady days of detente under former President Barack Obama.

For Cuba, Any US President will be better Than Trump

HAVANA, Nov 9th (AFP) Most Cubans don’t know Joe Biden, or what policies he will pursue toward the island, but they are crystal clear on one thing: any US president will be better than Donald Trump.In the presidential election, Trump owed his big win in the US state of Florida in large part to his strident denunciation of leftist governments in Latin America, which resonated loudly and clearly with conservative Cuban-Americans in Miami who loathe the communist government in Havana.

Cuba has Big Stake in U.S. Election After Trump’s Trashing of Detente

HAVANA, Nov. 1th (Reuters) Pensioner Esperanza Chacón, 89, prays every day for Donald Trump to lose the U.S. presidential election. Like many Cubans, her livelihood has been threatened by Trump’s tightening of the U.S. trade embargo on the island.

Trump Takes New Measures on Remittances to Cuba

HAVANA, Oct 24 (PL) The implementation of new measures on remittances to Cuba is a sign of the US insistence on harming the people, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced.

Cuba Says U.S. Trade Embargo Cost More Than $5 Billion Last Year

HAVANA, Oct.22th Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez made the comments at the launch of an annual campaign for a United Nations resolution condemning the embargo put in place after Cuba’s 1959 revolution.This year’s U.N. General Assembly vote, originally set for October, was postponed to May next year due to the pandemic. It will be the 29th time Cuba has marshalled international support against the embargo.

Cuba and the 2020 Elections

HAVANA, Oct. 12th (by Arturo López-Levy) The main alternative in the 2020 presidential elections, with respect to Cuba, is summarized in the probability of unlocking the asymmetric conflict with candidate Biden and with more uncertainty in a second term with Trump.

What Cuba Can Expect from the US Elections

HAVANA, Oct. 9th (IPS)  Cuba continues to pay close attention to the US electoral campaign. A foreseeable decline in bilateral relations or the return to a dialogue that was interrupted over three years ago depends upon the victory of one candidate or another on November 3rd.

Cuba Opens Most of Country to Tourism As Enters “New Normality”

HAVANA, Oct 8 (Reuters)   Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said late on Thursday that most of the Caribbean island nation would open to international tourism starting next week as it moved towards a “new normality” after containing its coronavirus outbreak.

Last Travel Status to Cuba for Americans

HAVANA, Oct. 6th Cuba, like much of the Caribbean, has been on tourism lockdown since March. Airspace reopened to international travel on July 1, but to prevent the spread of Covid-19 into the general population, visitors were permitted only to the all-inclusive beach resorts off the northeast coast.

How Do We Survive the Pandemic & Crisis in Cuba?

HAVANA , Sept 28th  I’ve just received a combo package of personal hygiene items. For those of you who don’t know what this is, combos have become a trendy term in Cuba. It is used instead of a package and includes a series of items.

How Long Can We Resist?

HAVANA, Sept. 26th (by Julio Antonio Fernández Estrada ) The 2020 pandemic doesn’t end. Since March we’ve been locked up in Cuba. An island is already a water and sun trap without a pandemic having to impose the practice of physical distancing as a barrier against contagion that seems as fast and uniform as if it were a row of falling dominoes.

2000 Pesos Fine for People Who Don’t Keep Social Distance

HAVANA, Sept. 10th The Havana authorities will impose fines of 2,000 pesos on people who don’t keep a physical distance of at least one meter in the lines,said the coordinator of Inspection, Control and Hygiene of the government in the Cuban capital, Orestes Llanes.

Marriott Hotel Chain Leaves Cuba Under Pressure from Donald Trump

HAVANA, Sept. 1st. The US hotel chain Marriott International today abandoned its operations in Cuba due to pressure from the Donald Trump government, reports from the sector in Europe reflect today

Havana to Impose Curfew Starting Sept. 1st

HAVANA, Aug. 28th The Cuban capital of Havana would introduce a curfew from September 1 to September 15 over the deteriorating COVID-19 epidemiological situation, Governor Reinaldo Garcia Zapata said.

Cuba Starts School Year on September 1st, Except for Havana

HAVANA, Aug. 15th The Minister of Education, Ena Elsa Velázquez, said this Friday on the Mesa Redonda television program that the school year will resume in all the country’s provinces on September 1st, with the exception of Havana, given its current epidemiological situation. Read more:

Havana is Closed Except for Tourists’ Reservations and Other Exceptions

HAVANA, Aug. 13th The government of Havana, the epicentre of the current rebound in COVID-19 in Cuba, established greater restrictions than those existing until now for transportation entrances and exits of the city, expecting to curb the transmission of the disease and to prevent it from spreading to other Cuban provinces. Read more:

https://havana-live.com/havana-is-closed-except-for-tourists-reservations-and-other-exceptions/

Cuba Considers “Electoralist” the Suspension of Private Charter Flights from the US

HAVANA, Aug. 15th Cuba rejected the ban imposed on Thursday by the United States on private charter flights between the two countries, considering it an electoral action and harmful to Cubans, although it was clarified that it will have a little practical effect. Read more:

https://havana-live.com/cuba-considers-electoralist-the-suspension-of-private-charter-flights-from-the-us/

23 Tons of Medical Supplies from China Arrive in Havana

HAVANA, Aug. 19th Cuba received 23 tons of health supplies on Tuesday from China to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.A sixth and final flight arrived with a shipment of rapid tests, real-time molecular biology tests known as PCR, and other medical supplies to Havana. Read more:

https://havana-live.com/23-tons-of-medical-supplies-from-china-arrive-in-havana/

The U.S. is Pushing Latin American Allies to Send Their Cuban Doctors Packing

HAVANA, Jan. 21th (By Rachelle Krygier) From the earliest days of the revolution, Cuba has been sending doctors to treat the poor people of the developing world — a key source of income and influence for the island long isolated by a U.S. embargo.

Now the Trump administration is targeting the government’s signature medical brigades, urging U.S. allies to cancel their health cooperation agreements and send their Cuban doctors packing.

Read more:

https://havana-live.com/the-u-s-is-pushing-latin-american-allies-to-send-their-cuban-doctors-packing/

Engineering a future with clean water

A miracle in Cuba

By Joe Henderson | FLUMC

In November 2013, Dan Christopherson was at a remote village in Cuba when he saw a tractor pulling a tanker filled with fresh water to fill a nearby well. Curious, Christopherson asked his Cuban host what was going on.

“The pastor told me, ‘We’re bringing in that fresh water so you don’t have to use the water we use,’” Christopherson said. “I asked him why that was.”

The pastor took Christopherson inside his home and filled a glass with water from the tap. It was dark, polluted and unfit to drink. Read the rest of the story: Water Purification.

“Compadre, did you see the line-up at the Panamanian Embassy?” Lazaro says to me when I pick him up in Trillo Park, in front of the old Strand cinema, where they used to show Fellini and Wajda films.

After the crisis of the Special Period, the place became a joint called the Palacio de la Rumba and we used to go there on Tuesdays to listen to the Septeto Habanero, a glorious Cuban group that we always asked to sing Cómo está Miguel, that anthological song that in its refrain recommends: “If you want to gladden your heart / and lessen the sadness in your soul / listen to the Habanero, that makes no fuss / and then if you feel, drink a rum.”

Vídeo com poesia de Alberto Caeiro, heterônimo de Fernando Pessoa

We had such a good time there so many times with the Habanero that we got into the habit of meeting in front of this place in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood when together we went out to “hunt for stories.” Today’s is tremendous and heartbreaking, or at least that’s how we see it, that’s why, to tie down the sorrow, we ordered some rum before leaving for the Panamanian Embassy.

The mission is in the middle of Fifth Avenue, at the height of 24th Street, and when we arrive there is already a police cordon blocking the way, but we sneak in.

In Zapata Park, in front of the Panamanian Consulate, there is a crowd of young people with worried faces. There are hundreds of people, many with documents in hand, and suddenly the group begins to shout at one another:

“We want to travel! We want to travel!”

The message is thunderous and is directed at Panamanian diplomats to come out and provide explanations. On Wednesday, the Central American nation surprisingly announced that as of this Sunday all Cubans passing through its airports bound for another country will have to obtain a transit visa – a procedure that takes at least 15 days and costs $50. The Consulate was immediately surrounded by hundreds of anguished people, who on Friday were still camped there.

There is a precedent: in November 2021, the Nicaraguan government eliminated the entry visa for Cuban citizens, and since then thousands of people have left the island for Managua with the purpose of continuing their journey to the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data speak for themselves. Since last December, more than 20,000 Cubans have irregularly entered US territory via the Mexican border, almost 15 times more than in the same period last year.

“People can’t take it anymore, they leave en masse through anywhere, even if it costs them dearly and they risk their lives. It’s dramatic,” says Lázaro.

We talk to some young people from Holguín in the tumult. They say to our faces that “you can’t live in Cuba” and show us their airplane reservation. As there are few direct flights between Cuba and Nicaragua and they were afraid that the so-called “Central American route” would be closed, they bought a ticket Havana-Panama-San Salvador-Managua. It cost them $3,400 each (equivalent to four round trips to Spain), paid for by their family in Miami.

Their ticket was for March 13, they say, but with the new Panamanian regulation they will no longer be able to fly and it is a non-refundable ticket. Like them, most of the people gathered here the request Panama that the measure does not go into effect until April, to give time to those who already had the trip in March.

“It’s a stampede,” laments Lázaro, who has lost friends, neighbors, relatives, and two ex-wives in recent years. He says that next to his house lives a babalawo friend, a Santería priest, whose appointment books are full.

“Many of those who intend to leave do witchcraft so that the trip will be granted to them. Every day they sacrifice roosters and pigeons so that the orishas will protect them and they won’t have any problems on the journey.”

Lázaro becomes fatherly with the Holguineros, explaining to them that the risk of leaving by crossing borders is too high: “Everywhere is full of mafias and coyotes, and there is also the possibility of being deported back to Cuba”.

The boys listen to him, but they reply: “The important thing is to get out of here as soon as possible, then we’ll see”.

At this point, and as the message is not getting through, Lázaro takes me to the nearby restaurant El Aljibe and we order two more rums. He wants me to call the writer Leonardo Padura, author of Like Dust in the Wind, the great novel of post-revolutionary Cuban exile.

Lázaro considers him his “guru”, more on this f**ked topic.

Cuban writer Leonardo Padura, during an interview with AFP at his home in Havana, April 28, 2020.

From the Mantilla neighborhood, Padura says that he watches TV newscasts every chance he gets and that there he hears about a country. “But I go out to the streets of my neighborhood or any neighborhood in Havana, and I see and they talk to me about a different country, like a parallel one.

That country on the street is a country overwhelmed, on the verge of despair due to the lack of almost everything,” he says.

“People have been living for two years in queues to buy whatever they can find, and I hear almost everyone complaining that they don’t even have enough money to get started. No one should be surprised then that there are so many people, of any age and condition, looking for a way to leave this real country, to go anywhere, by any means,” he says.

Lázaro shares Padura’s diagnosis 100%, and with a high-pitched voice, he starts cursing the government out loud for “the situation we have reached”.

He also angrily takes it out on those he calls “the merchants of Cuban anguish”: here he includes the airlines that are making a killing with the needs of the people and their eagerness to leave -today a trip to Managua, by any route, does not cost less than 3,000 dollars; to the polleros [smugglers] who charge per trip to cross the borders; to the lawyers who specialize in getting Cuban emigrants out of the immigration offices in Mexico when they are captured; and also to embassies such as the one in Panama, “which make life more difficult for Cubans and want to charge them 50 dollars for a transit visa that they do not demand from anyone else”.

According to data, he has looked up on the Internet, leaving Cuba for Nicaragua, paying for transportation and coyotes to cross the various borders to Mexico, plus the corresponding bribes to get to the United States, costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per head. “Unfortunately, Cuban pain is good business for all these people.”

The official newspaper Granma admits that there is a “sustained increase in irregular emigration” and also reports news of the repatriation of a hundred people.

But it blames Washington for stimulating this flow by keeping in force laws such as the Cuban Adjustment Act, which grants benefits to emigrants from the island who manage to arrive (although with many more restrictions than before), and for not complying with the migratory agreements signed between both countries, which establish that the United States will grant a minimum of 20,000 immigrant visas per year.

We return to Cayo Hueso and the line in front of the Panamanian Embassy is still on fire. Things are just as heated in the store in front of Padura’s house. As we get out of the car, in front of the old Strand movie theater, Lázaro remembers the glorious sound of the Habanero: “If you want to gladden your heart/ and lessen the sadness in your soul…”. And we say goodbye until tomorrow.

In the evening he calls me. The Panamanian Embassy announced that it is postponing the entry into force of the transit visa rule for Cubans until March 16. “The Holguineros were saved. Tomorrow we must toast,” he exclaims.

Source

“Compadre, did you see the line-up at the Panamanian Embassy?” Lazaro says to me when I pick him up in Trillo Park, in front of the old Strand cinema, where they used to show Fellini and Wajda films.

After the crisis of the Special Period, the place became a joint called the Palacio de la Rumba and we used to go there on Tuesdays to listen to the Septeto Habanero, a glorious Cuban group that we always asked to sing Cómo está Miguel, that anthological song that in its refrain recommends: “If you want to gladden your heart / and lessen the sadness in your soul / listen to the Habanero, that makes no fuss / and then if you feel, drink a rum.”

Vídeo com poesia de Alberto Caeiro, heterônimo de Fernando Pessoa

We had such a good time there so many times with the Habanero that we got into the habit of meeting in front of this place in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood when together we went out to “hunt for stories.” Today’s is tremendous and heartbreaking, or at least that’s how we see it, that’s why, to tie down the sorrow, we ordered some rum before leaving for the Panamanian Embassy.

The mission is in the middle of Fifth Avenue, at the height of 24th Street, and when we arrive there is already a police cordon blocking the way, but we sneak in.

In Zapata Park, in front of the Panamanian Consulate, there is a crowd of young people with worried faces. There are hundreds of people, many with documents in hand, and suddenly the group begins to shout at one another:

“We want to travel! We want to travel!”

The message is thunderous and is directed at Panamanian diplomats to come out and provide explanations. On Wednesday, the Central American nation surprisingly announced that as of this Sunday all Cubans passing through its airports bound for another country will have to obtain a transit visa – a procedure that takes at least 15 days and costs $50. The Consulate was immediately surrounded by hundreds of anguished people, who on Friday were still camped there.

There is a precedent: in November 2021, the Nicaraguan government eliminated the entry visa for Cuban citizens, and since then thousands of people have left the island for Managua with the purpose of continuing their journey to the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data speak for themselves. Since last December, more than 20,000 Cubans have irregularly entered US territory via the Mexican border, almost 15 times more than in the same period last year.

“People can’t take it anymore, they leave en masse through anywhere, even if it costs them dearly and they risk their lives. It’s dramatic,” says Lázaro.

We talk to some young people from Holguín in the tumult. They say to our faces that “you can’t live in Cuba” and show us their airplane reservation. As there are few direct flights between Cuba and Nicaragua and they were afraid that the so-called “Central American route” would be closed, they bought a ticket Havana-Panama-San Salvador-Managua. It cost them $3,400 each (equivalent to four round trips to Spain), paid for by their family in Miami.

Their ticket was for March 13, they say, but with the new Panamanian regulation they will no longer be able to fly and it is a non-refundable ticket. Like them, most of the people gathered here the request Panama that the measure does not go into effect until April, to give time to those who already had the trip in March.

“It’s a stampede,” laments Lázaro, who has lost friends, neighbors, relatives, and two ex-wives in recent years. He says that next to his house lives a babalawo friend, a Santería priest, whose appointment books are full.

“Many of those who intend to leave do witchcraft so that the trip will be granted to them. Every day they sacrifice roosters and pigeons so that the orishas will protect them and they won’t have any problems on the journey.”

Lázaro becomes fatherly with the Holguineros, explaining to them that the risk of leaving by crossing borders is too high: “Everywhere is full of mafias and coyotes, and there is also the possibility of being deported back to Cuba”.

The boys listen to him, but they reply: “The important thing is to get out of here as soon as possible, then we’ll see”.

At this point, and as the message is not getting through, Lázaro takes me to the nearby restaurant El Aljibe and we order two more rums. He wants me to call the writer Leonardo Padura, author of Like Dust in the Wind, the great novel of post-revolutionary Cuban exile.

Lázaro considers him his “guru”, more on this f**ked topic.

Cuban writer Leonardo Padura, during an interview with AFP at his home in Havana, April 28, 2020.

From the Mantilla neighborhood, Padura says that he watches TV newscasts every chance he gets and that there he hears about a country. “But I go out to the streets of my neighborhood or any neighborhood in Havana, and I see and they talk to me about a different country, like a parallel one.

That country on the street is a country overwhelmed, on the verge of despair due to the lack of almost everything,” he says.

“People have been living for two years in queues to buy whatever they can find, and I hear almost everyone complaining that they don’t even have enough money to get started. No one should be surprised then that there are so many people, of any age and condition, looking for a way to leave this real country, to go anywhere, by any means,” he says.

Lázaro shares Padura’s diagnosis 100%, and with a high-pitched voice, he starts cursing the government out loud for “the situation we have reached”.

He also angrily takes it out on those he calls “the merchants of Cuban anguish”: here he includes the airlines that are making a killing with the needs of the people and their eagerness to leave -today a trip to Managua, by any route, does not cost less than 3,000 dollars; to the polleros [smugglers] who charge per trip to cross the borders; to the lawyers who specialize in getting Cuban emigrants out of the immigration offices in Mexico when they are captured; and also to embassies such as the one in Panama, “which make life more difficult for Cubans and want to charge them 50 dollars for a transit visa that they do not demand from anyone else”.

According to data, he has looked up on the Internet, leaving Cuba for Nicaragua, paying for transportation and coyotes to cross the various borders to Mexico, plus the corresponding bribes to get to the United States, costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per head. “Unfortunately, Cuban pain is good business for all these people.”

The official newspaper Granma admits that there is a “sustained increase in irregular emigration” and also reports news of the repatriation of a hundred people.

But it blames Washington for stimulating this flow by keeping in force laws such as the Cuban Adjustment Act, which grants benefits to emigrants from the island who manage to arrive (although with many more restrictions than before), and for not complying with the migratory agreements signed between both countries, which establish that the United States will grant a minimum of 20,000 immigrant visas per year.

We return to Cayo Hueso and the line in front of the Panamanian Embassy is still on fire. Things are just as heated in the store in front of Padura’s house. As we get out of the car, in front of the old Strand movie theater, Lázaro remembers the glorious sound of the Habanero: “If you want to gladden your heart/ and lessen the sadness in your soul…”. And we say goodbye until tomorrow.

In the evening he calls me. The Panamanian Embassy announced that it is postponing the entry into force of the transit visa rule for Cubans until March 16. “The Holguineros were saved. Tomorrow we must toast,” he exclaims.

Source

https://www.hopeforcuba.net/post/want-to-help-adopt-a-tiger