Translator: Regina Anavy – Page 82

The Putrefaction of Castroism

Poverty is everywhere, along with fanatical sectarianism, from which sexual preferences does not escape

Photo of Rodríguez Street in Havana /14ymedio

14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 1 September 2024 — Castro’s totalitarianism is immersed in a process of self-demolition regardless of acts against its opponents. The social crisis is very profound, consistent with the ocean of lies and myths on which he built his abusive fiction.

The population’s knowledge of the reality weakens social control and increases the lack of trust in the authorities. People are realizing that they have been deceived and manipulated, which does not satisfy anyone.

For decades, the vast majority of Cubans have suffered political repression; more than half a million citizens have passed through prison with sentences of between one day and 30 years. Thousands of people have been executed by firing squad.

The misery has kept its distance only from the elites. Poverty is everywhere, with the addition of a fanatical sectarianism, from which sexual preferences did not escape.

People are realizing that they have been deceived and manipulated, a reality that does not satisfy anyone

However, the regime, through surveillance and repression, hid everything that could damage the image of peace and tranquility that it sought to present to both Cubans and foreigners, including the social problems.

They did it so well that a popular song in which “Lola” was murdered at three in the afternoon, an atrocious femicide I would say today, disappeared from the radio waves, as did the red chronicles of the press media. continue reading

It was shocking: the media stopped reporting on weddings, baptisms and parties, in addition to murders and street fights, as if the endangered social class was responsible for the mess. Even more, rumors — “las bolas” [the balls] as we called them — were extinguished because they were misinformation, and with that accusation you could end up in prison.

Unfortunately, there was no lack of subjects who believed the stories, since they collaborated in the gestation and development of a complicit silence that hid political abuses and social injustices.

The Castros, by decree, made the public believe that in their paradise there was no domestic violence, no robberies and, even less so, murders, except those that the rulers themselves committed by executing thousands of their citizens for conspiring against them.

Even more, rumors, “las bolas” [the balls] as we called them, were extinguished because they were disinformation, and with that accusation you could end up in prison

It is true that violence in any of its expressions is present in every society. However, in Cuba, as part of the great farce that has been the totalitarian dictatorship, only the most immediate neighbors of the tragedy know the facts.

However, the exaggerated control that the totalitarian system imposed on everything related to information during the last 65 years is breaking at the political and social level, a result that will undoubtedly negatively affect its survival.

The Castro slogan of “Homeland or Death,” as the writer Jose Antonio Albertini points out, was useful for the narrative of a threatened homeland, but the supporters of totalitarianism realize that they no longer have a homeland and that only the dead and the prisoners remain.

The breaking of silence is not the will of the autocrats, but thanks to a new generation of journalists, very different from many of their peers in the early days of totalitarianism, who were silent out of fear or simply believed in the proposals of the false redeemer, the silence has been broken.

It is important and fair to recognize the risks run by those who strive to report from behind the walls of Castroism. They have chosen a difficult path, full of danger, in which the only sure compensation is jail and the satisfaction of fulfilling a duty.

It is an indisputable truth that social tension throughout the country is increasing

If political censorship was effective, social censorship has been even more so. I remember that the press, from time to time, reported a shooting or the capture of a group opposed to the dictatorship. On the other hand, it never reported a murder.

It is an indisputable truth that social tension throughout the country is increasing. Disagreements between neighbors sometimes can end in murder, and, as if that were not enough, social insecurity and a lack of police protection have encouraged robberies with homicides, as happened recently in the town of Ceballos, in Ciego de Ávila.

Social disintegration in Cuba affects everybody and is the sole responsibility of present and past authorities. The Island is an erupting volcano, and, hopefully, the explosion will be political and not social.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Spain Invites Cuban Players To Join Its Team in the Baseball Classic

The Federation of Professional Baseball Players of Cuba launched a call for Cubans who want to play in the World Classic with Spain / Fepcub

14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 1 September 2024 — Spain, looking for a ticket to the 2026 Baseball Classic, opened the doors to Cuban players who wish to join its team. The invitation was released this Saturday through the Federation of Professional Baseball Players of Cuba (Fepcube) and “is open to any eligible athlete,” says the Instagram post.

Cubans with the opportunity to play for Spain will be those who meet any of these requirements: “have a Spanish passport, have a Spanish father or mother, be born in Spain or permanently resident in the European country.”

They must also fill out the corresponding application before September 16, the day on which Spain will present a list of 50 athletes, from which it will define the national team that will compete for one of the four tickets available to participate in the Baseball Classic, which will be played simultaneously in the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico. Cuba is located in group A, along with Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama and one more rival to be defined.

The Spanish national team has played two qualifying phases, the first in 2012, which gave it access to the 2013 World Classic, and later in 2016, where it was eliminated. continue reading

The Cuban team that won a children’s tournament in the Dominican Republic / Jit

The promotion of Fepcube generated controversy among users on social networks, who questioned the organization for moving away from its initial objective, which is the formation of a team of exiles and not to contribute to the selection of another country. The organization has not offered a position on this point.

It is not the first time that Spain has incorporated Cuban players into a national team. The current European champion team was formed in 2023 with athletes from the Island. The payroll included pitcher Pablo Guillén and catcher Omar Hernández, who ended up being the event’s leader in home runs and scored runs. Also on the team were pitchers Rogelio Armenteros and Carlos Sierra, fielder Frank Hernández and bench coach Néstor Pérez.

Meanwhile, on the Island, the official media Jit highlighted the triumph of the U-12 children’s team in the tournament that took place at the stadium of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in the Dominican Republic, according to Play-Off Magazine.

In the final game, Cuba defeated Venezuela 9-2 and was proclaimed the tournament champion. The official journalist, Boris Luis Cabrera, specified that Asnel Torres and Alfredo Despaigne were recognized with the award for the Most Valuable Player in the final.

The tournament served as preparation for the Cuban team, which on October 19 will take part in the Pan American Championship played in Panama. In this event, three tickets will be at stake for the World Cup in 2025, which will also be based in Panama.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cartoonists From ‘Mazzantini’ Save August From Editorial Lethargy

The online magazine has had a lot of work since Nicolás Maduro refused to leave Miraflores on July 28 / Alen Lauzán / Mazzantini

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 31 August 2024 — In Cuba there is no more money, even for Martí. It is true that the cult of the man Cubans call ’the Apostle’ in his land always had something of alms, and there was no tribute – from the Civic Square to Martí Notebooks – that did not require passing the hat to the battered popular pocket. But Castroism, or this limbo without a label that came later, always has had its own imprint on misery.

No one forgets the famous 28 volumes of Complete Works with a prologue by Juan Marinello that, in some Cuban houses of worship, still accumulate dust. It was even said that there was a volume 29, the prophetic volume, censored for talking about Fidel, communism, computer science, reorganization and other futuristic subjects. Less memorable – for how little it lasted in bookstores – are the critical editions that, if we pay attention to what the professional martyrologist Marlene Vázquez says, will remain eternally incomplete.

With prose in the style of Martí, the imitation of Martí is always an apostolic parody – Vázquez says that “at the moment, the directors of the Center for Studies on Martí is looking for sources of financing for the printing of volumes 30, 31 and 32, now finished.” And he promises that, “as usual, those who contribute will be recognized on the credits page of the corresponding volume.”

It was even said that there was a volume 29, the prophetic volume, censored for talking about Fidel, communism, computer science, reorganization and other futuristic subjects

Vázquez does not say if he expects dollars, euros or the humble pesos with the face of the Apostle. He limits himself to reminding the Government of the propaganda service they could offer: “In the present, in the midst of the loss of values that we are experiencing, and willing to win it by ideas, that great work is very useful.” This sample of the art of seduction appeared in Cubadebate, but any Cuban knows that it won’t come to anything, much less so in dollars.

In the antipodes of the mendicant Center for Martí Studies is the Havana Historian’s Office. This is demonstrated by the resurrection, after years of lethargy, of Ediciones Boloña, one of the projects that the current deputy director, Perla Rosales, most quickly dismantled, after the death of Historian Eusebio Leal. Reinvented and with money, Bologna publishes in an expensive volume the classic, “La Habana. Apuntes históricos (Historical Notes),” by Emilio Roig.

The presentation was attended by Rosales and the entire general staff – the military metaphor is not exaggerated – of the Office. The “Notes” of Roig, the old republican historian whom Castroism did everything possible to forget, had not been published since the 1960s.

On the decline, the publication of Cuban books in exile also seems to be on a lethargic holiday – it happened in January, with almost no titles and very few that were outstanding. The bad streak broke with a book of drawings and notes, “Cartografía Personal (Personal Cartography),” by Jorge Pantoja. The artist, born in Havana, composes the book that every Cuban should be making: an anthology of his school notebooks, correspondence with his mother and doodles.

The publication of Cuban books in exile also seems to be on a lethargic holiday

Personal cartography is a return to Pantoja’s childhood brought to light, the chronicle of the birth of his imagination. It raises the tension between feeling and doctrine, the precocious and the unknown, the rigid and the adventurous. In the end, the trajectory described is the foundation of his own experience as a creator, which is found in those remote notes.

The return to mythology – one of his favorite themes – defines Roberto Méndez’s new book of poems, “Descenso de Alcestes” (The Descent of Alcistis), (Casa Vacía). With a whole arsenal of books in tow, Méndez now summons Hercules and Orpheus, who traveled to hell and returned, and Mozart, who faced death but did not return.

The ones who do not rest – the real cartoonist never does – are the cartoonists of Mazzantini.* The “magazine of bulls, goats and horns, genetic or hybridized” has had a lot of work since Nicolás Maduro refused to leave Miraflores on July 28. The cover of number 52 shows the dictator’s floating head in a dystopian museum of old tyrants. Puzzled, Maduro is Castro’s neighbor, who looks at him crosseyed.

The metamorphosis of the Grand Master Mason Mario Urquía Carreño into a major of the Ministry of the Interior, the stampede of leaders, the blunders of Cuban Television and the pranks of State Security complete the edition. And at the end, a quote from Manuel Marrero that could well be the government’s response to Marlene Vázquez’s request for money: “We never promise our people,” says the chubby prime minister, “what we know we won’t be able to give.”

*Translator’s note: Mazzantini was a bullfighter, considered “muy guapo,” which means he was very courageous, like the subversive cartoonists of the magazine.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Success of Emigrated Cuban Coaches Tops Off the Mediocre Performance of Cuban Officialdom in Paris

They won 28 medals in the Olympic Games: 11 gold, 10 silver and seven bronze

Iván Pedroso coaches Jordan Díaz, Olympic champion in triple jump in Paris 2024 / Instagram

14ymedio, Havana, 30 August 2024 — At the Paris 2024 Olympics there were 50 Cuban coaches who had emigrated and were in charge of training athletes in 30 countries. They earned 28 medals with their work, triple those obtained by the Cuban delegation (just nine). The result highlighted the impact of exile on the Island’s sport, which this year had its worst performance since Munich 1972.

Of the prizes obtained by Cuban coaches, 11 were gold, 10 silver and seven bronze. Boxing alone, one of the most important disciplines for Cuba, gave other countries nine gold metals. The other two were distributed in other sports.

The biggest success story in Paris was that of Enrique Steiner. Together with Julio Lee from Santiago, he coached the Uzbekistan boxers, who imposed their dominance in the men’s branch. The country won five gold medals under his command: Hasanboy Dusmatov (112 lbs), Abdumalik Khalokov (126 lbs), Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev (147 lbs), Lazizbek Mullojonov (203 lbs) and Bakhodir Jalolov (over 203 lbs). In Cuba, Steiner coached the national youth and adult boxing teams. continue reading

Boxing alone, one of the most important disciplines for Cuba, gave other countries nine gold metals

Three gold medals, also in boxing, went to China, which was under the preparation of Raúl Fernández. In the women’s branch, Wu Yu (110 lbs), Chang Yuan (119 lbs) and Li Qian (165 lbs) won the titles.

The ninth golden metal in boxing with a Cuban coach was obtained by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif (146 lbs), center of one of the greatest controversies about the gender of athletes in Paris. Pedro Luis Díaz, who left an outstanding school in Cuba, was her mentor. He was part of several Olympic cycles under the tutelage of the historic Alcides Sagarra, and he contributed to the development of such figures as Félix Savón, Joel Casamayor, Yan Barthelemí and Héctor Vinent, Olympic legends of the Island.

In Paris, Cuba barely added two medals in boxing, the worst in that discipline in the Olympic Games in 56 years. The Island has received almost a third of the boxing medals in its history; it won 80 of the 244 it has received in the Olympics. The coup could be even worse, because boxing is not contemplated for Los Angeles 2028.

In the world of athletics, Iván Pedroso, in his role as a coach, already has an impressive record. In Tokyo he led the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas to the gold, with a world record in a triple jump of 15.67 meters (51.4 feet). Now, in Paris, his pupil, Jordan Díaz – an exiled Cuban athlete who represented Spain – won gold in triple jump. The second and third place of that competition were also jumpers from the Island, but under the flags of Portugal (Pedro Pablo Pichardo) and Italy (Andy Díaz).

Iván Pedroso, in his role as a coach, already has an impressive record. In Tokyo he led the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas to the gold. Now, in Paris, his pupil Jordan Díaz won the gold

As an athlete, Pedroso added a gold medal in Sydney 2000, in addition to having been four times world champion outdoors and five times indoors. His 29.4 feet jump in Sestriere, Italy, in 1995, could have been a world record, but, after a controversy over the wind, it was decided not to recognize it.

The eleventh gold medal of a coach from the Island in Paris was the one obtained by the Dominican Marileidy Paulino. With Yaseen Pérez, from Havana, as her coach, she won the 400 meters (656.2 feet), setting an Olympic record, and she is also the current world champion of the discipline, which made her the only multi-medalist woman in the Dominican Republic.

The number of Cuban coaches working in other countries has grown over the years, along with multiple cases of exile. In Tokyo 2020, 44 were counted, representing 23 nations, and in the last decade alone, more than 1,000 athletes and coaches have fled the Island. This has been a hard blow to the aspirations of Cuban sports internationally.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba’s State Telecommunications Company, Etecsa, Is Mainly Responsible for the Failure of Banking Reform

This sign says it all: “Transfers are not being accepted, connection problems”

A customer of ’El Paquete’ waits for her hard drive to be loaded with movies, music and video games / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 30 August 2024 — The employee moves the mouse with agility. He connects the hard drive that a client has brought and begins to copy folders with movies, music and video games. The heat and successive operations activate the computer’s internal cooler, and a purr fills the small place, one of the many points available to buy the paquete semanal [weekly packet] in the neighborhood of Cayo Hueso, in Central Havana. In the midst of so much technology and digital files that come and go, a sign stuck on the computer lands in a more analog and rudimentary world: “Transfers are not being accepted, connection problems.”

The Cuban government’s attempt to extend electronic payments, a fundamental pillar of the so-called bancarización — banking reform — runs into countless obstacles every day. To the suspicion of merchants, who see in virtual money a strategy of the authorities to have greater control and surveillance over their income, are added the difficulties with the mobile phone data service, indispensable for any operation of this type. “The inspectors come and want to fine us because we don’t have the option of shopping through QR codes, but today the internet hasn’t worked for us all day,” complains the young man, while collecting cash from a woman who arrives in search of the latest episodes of a Turkish soap opera.

In the midst of so much technology and digital files that come and go, a sign stuck on the computer lands in a more analog world

In much of the neighborhood the situation was being repeated. A market with powdered milk and vegetable oil where customers put their hands in their pockets and take out a lump of bills to pay the bill. A private restaurant that says on the menu that you can pay for the portions of vieja ropa and tostones with just “a click of the mobile” but that did not have a connection continue reading

to the web this Friday either. A religious object store where not even the orishas had managed to activate the 4G signal on the saleswoman’s cell phone. Everyone, at some point in their business, had the little square module printed with all the information for electronic collections, but in no case did it work.

Not even the ’orishas’ had managed to activate the 4G signal on the seller’s mobile phone

“They can’t blame us individuals because Etecsa is one of the group who invented this bancarización thing,” said the technician from a nearby appliance repair shop. “They invented a solution and created another problem,” he continued, while an old woman sitting in front of him counted a dozen 100 and 200 pesos bills to collect enough cash to buy a rice cooker. A few inches from the woman’s wallet, a piece of paper, crumpled and stained by moisture, showed the tangled structure of a QR code and the chimerical phrase: “Quick and safe, pay here.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba: Acopio Will Pay Successful Tobacco Growers in Sancti Spíritus Partly in Hard Currency

The State only has 1,962 acres secured of the 5,607 that it planned to exploit for tobacco

The farmers had already warned that planting tobacco was not profitable / Granma

14ymedio, Havana, 30 August 2024 — Exactly one year ago, with hands on their heads, the authorities of Sancti Spíritus wondered what to do to revive tobacco production. Whatever the methods were, they didn’t work, and this August, almost at the end of the process of hiring the vegueros (tobacco growers), the State has only 1,962 acres secured of the 5,607 that it planned to exploit.

The figure is equivalent to just 35% of the plan, which will provide, according to estimates, 948 tons of tobacco if the land yields 1.1 tons per 2.5 acres. The original plan, however, was to end the campaign that begins this September with more than 2,569 tons of tobacco, Isidro Hernández Toledo, director of the state company Acopio in the province, told the newspaper Escambray.

“There is a delay; the tobacco should have been contracted between March and April, but by waiting for an incentive to be offered to the planters, the contracting for the new campaign is behind,” regrets the official, who explains that the State finally gave and offered the vegueros a stimulus in MLC (freely convertible currency). However, it is still to be seen if this will increase production. continue reading

It is hard to understand why the regime gives so little to a sector that generates a large part of the foreign currency income that the Island obtains

It is hard to understand why the regime gives so little to a sector that generates a large part of the foreign currency income that the Island obtains. In fact, the farmers themselves announced the debacle a year ago, when the Sancti Spíritus campaign was “the worst in history,” and they did it again last March, when they declared to the official press that planting tobacco at the price paid by Acopio no longer gives results.

However, the State, now with a financial rope around its neck, has taken it for granted. “We think that a recovery can begin, which pleases the vegueros, because today in national currency, the sun-cured tobacco does not have good profitability and has been one of the biggest reasons producers stopped sowing,” Hernández confessed to Escambray.

The incentive, however, is not for all the vegueros, but will be paid according to the quality of the tobacco delivered, in addition to other requirements. “The producers have the right to sell the tobacco for hard currency, applying 2% to the value of the quality that determines the price, and deducting the cost of imports and national productions that have a component in MLC. Among the requirements are complying with the contracted planting plan and obtaining an agricultural yield of at least 1.2 tons per 2.5 acres in irrigated areas, and one ton in dry areas (which depend on rain),” he clarified.

This is a variation of the production incentive implemented in October 2023, when they promised to deliver to deliver to the growers 50% of what was used in fertilizers and pesticides

In summary, this is a variation of the production incentive implemented in October 2023, when they promised to deliver to the growers 50% of what was used in fertilizers and pesticides, it they managed to surpass the 1.4 tons per 2.5 acres plan. As for the state of sowing this year, it is clear that the measure didn’t work either.

“In addition to the low profitability of the crop lately, there is a lack of sheds to cure the tobacco, many sick and elderly producers who held the land in usufruct [a form of leasing] and then abandoned it, and places where there is no guarantee of water – something vital to achieve high agricultural yield. Hernández also added to the list the deficit of workers in many areas, mainly because not all vegueros can pay what the day laborers ask,” Hern.

While the growers are concerned about the profitability of the product, the Havana cigar is a symbol of luxury anywhere in the world. Of the billions raised annually by the industry, however, only the minimum is reinvested to keep the business afloat.

While the growers are concerned about the profitability of the product, the Havana cigar is a symbol of luxury anywhere in the world

Last July, at an event in London, the Hunters & Frankau house auctioned off Cuban cigars to all kinds of international celebrities who did not hesitate to offer large sums for them. In a single night, Habanos SA raised 5,150,000 euros, barely a small sum in its coffers, but with which the Cuban growers could rescue the industry.

However, the chance of this happening is as unlikely as Sancti Spíritus being able to revive its current tobacco campaign at this point. Hernández knows it very well, and he described the coming production – without using big words – as “discreet.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Drama of Deported Cubans Who Leave Their Family in the United States

When Cuban deportees return fromthe US to the Island, they are taunted by the immigration authorities at José Martí airport

Vivian Limonta and her husband Osmani Pérez before she was deported / Video capture / Univision

14ymedio, Havana, August 30, 2024 — “I’m happy about everything you’ve been through,” blurted out a José Martí International Airport officer to Vivian Limonta, one of the 48 Cubans deported by the U.S. last Wednesday. The mother of a hyperactive child with attention deficit, not even her marriage to an American saved her from forced return. The authorities of the Island, to rub salt in the wound, added: “See how bad that country is, look: they bring you like dogs.”

Limonta was a beneficiary of the Migrant Protection Protocols that Washington initiated in 2019. However, due to a setback, she could not attend the appointment scheduled in the Court in 2020, so she was given the probation form I-220B, for which they have deported dozens of Cubans. Her words, interviewed this Thursday by Univision, attest to the effect that deportation had on her: “I’m devastated. I’m speechless.”

Limonta had been detained since last July at the Broward Migrant Detention Center of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE). The appeals filed by her lawyer were dismissed. The evidence of the distance between her and her family on the Island, who consider her “counterrevolutionary” for publishing statements on social networks critical of the regime, were not mitigating. Her son and her husband were left behind. continue reading

Osmani Pérez went to the office of Congressman Carlos Giménez but could not prevent his wife’s deportation / Video capture / Univision

“I never thought that the United States Government would separate me from my son like this and deport me,” she lamented.

Limonta’s husband, Osmani Pérez – who has lived in the United States for 31 years – tells how his wife “collapsed emotionally” after her arrest. He feels “disappointed” by the resolution of the case, because he assumed that Washington would defend the family unit above all else.

In an attempt to stop Limonta’s deportation, her husband went to the office of Congressman Carlos Giménez, who pointed out in a statement that his office fights tirelessly for the rights of all residents “despite the bad decisions of this Administration (of Joe Biden), including those of admitting Castro repressors to our country while punishing victims, as in this case.”

In this “fight” to avoid being returned to Cuba are Olga Díaz, 84 years old, and her daughter Nilda Cordero, who arrived in Florida the last week of August along with 19 other rafters. All migrants were given a deportation order.

Díaz was allowed to stay with her family until the situation is resolved, but her daughter is detained in Broward. “We arrived with the hope of a new life, but now I’m here without my daughter and that hurts me deeply,” the elderly woman told Telemundo 51.

In this “fight” to avoid being returned to Cuba are Olga Díaz, 84 years old, and her daughter Nilda Cordero, who arrived in Florida along with 19 other rafters

Immigration lawyer Eduardo Soto, who took over the case, explained that the situation “is complicated,” although they hope that “justice will prevail” and that both women will be able to remain in the United States.

The governments of Havana and Washington have a bilateral agreement so that all migrants arriving by sea to US territory are returned to Cuba.

Since June 5, stricter measures against irregular migration have come into force. Among them, that rafters could “face criminal charges,” in addition to the usual measures. “They will not be eligible to apply for asylum,” and they will be “prohibited” from entering US territory for at least five years, according to the US Embassy in Havana.

Between January and August 29, Cuba has received 1,046 deportees from different countries. The most recent return was that by Bahamian authorities of 16 rafters (9 men, 4 women and 3 minors) from Villa Clara.

In April 2023, deportation flights resumed, mainly for people considered “inadmissible” after being held on the US border with Mexico.

According to a recent report by US Customs and Border Protection, in June 17,563 Cubans arrived in the United States, the lowest figure during a calendar month of the current fiscal year 2024 that began last October.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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With the Beginning of the School Year, Cuban Families Fear the Spread of the Oropouche Virus

Official data minimize the presence of the disease and admit only a few severe cases of the Oropouche virus

The population fears the expansion of Oropouche fever in a context of constant unhealthiness, with the presence of stagnant water

14ymedio, Madrid, 29 August 2024 — There is concern on the Island after the director of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, Francisco Durán, spoke on Wednesday of a “considerable increase” in cases of Oropouche fever. Since the detection of the first patient in May, 506 cases have been diagnosed, “the lowest figure in the Latin American and Caribbean region,” the doctor said. But the situation on the ground does not reflect the official optimism.

“In 99 municipalities?” questions one of the thousands of users who have reacted on networks to Durán’s statements. “I would say that in all the houses and state hotels of Cuba there is no one left who has not been sick with either dengue or Oropouche. Having it diagnosed is not worth the five pesos since there is a lack of reagents, even for a minimal leukogram, which makes it difficult. How can we expect a confirmation of antigens?

“If they don’t count those who have not gone to the doctor, the figure remains very small. At least where I live even the dogs have caught it,” says a reader of Cubadebate.

Durán, who mentioned the presence of fever in all the Cuban provinces, added that “so far no serious cases or deaths have been reported, and 80% of the people who have been suspected of contracting the disease without testing positive have recovered at home.” How? continue reading

“If they don’t count those who have not gone to the doctor, the figure remains very small. At least where I live even the dogs have caught it.”

Agustín has been in bed for 21 days, confined to his home in El Globo, in Calabazar. Although his friends consider him a very healthy man, he points out that the virus left him “fried,” and only after these three weeks has he been able to talk.

Durban insisted that at first it was thought that the virus had no complications, but recent studies – especially in Brazil – have revealed serious cases “with encephalitis, meningitis, maternal-child transmission, abortion, fetal death, four newborns with microcephaly and two deaths.” In Cuba, he boasted, there have only been “clinical conditions with meningitis, with satisfactory recovery.”

Meningitis as a complication associated with Oropouche has made parents tremble, fearful of contagion. Although arbovirosis is only transmitted by the bite of the mosquito, the networks have been filled with messages in which fear is expressed about the possibility that meningitis – which is transmitted by contact and through the air – will circulate in schools. The fear is, for now, unfounded, but that has not mitigated the tension as the school year approaches.

“I hope that measures are taken – at least the obligatory mask at school and hand gel. People send their children with everything,” says a mother. “Likewise,” another replies, her face showing concern, “I am upset with that story of meningitis, with the children going to school now.”

Durán’s words about how to prevent the disease have also irritated the population. The official stressed that the most important thing is “the sanitation of the environment, since Oropouche is transmitted by the bite of the mosquito of the genus Culex and the culicoid (jején, or gnat), which breed in dirty water.”

“With the greatest respect, don’t scare the people anymore,” a man said on Facebook. Drinking water runs in the streets, the little that comes in. The sewers are a joke; garbage overruns the streets of any municipality; the heat is infuriating due to the lack of power, and the mosquitoes and jejenes have a good time. Nothing is fumigated, for God’s sake, Dr. Durán.”

The sewers are a joke; garbage overruns the streets of any municipality; the heat is infuriating due to the lack of power, and the mosquitoes and jejenes have a good time

The minister described the epidemiological situation in general as “complex,” since influenza and dengue are circulating simultaneously.

Oropouche was first detected in 1955 near the river from which it inherits its name, in Trinidad and Tobago, and is also known as “sloth fever,” since the first researchers discovered it in a three-toed sloth.

In 2024, Oropouche arrived in Cuba and other countries in which there had never been a precedent, such as Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Brazil. To date, there are more than 8,000 cases, and the Pan American Health Organization issued an epidemiological alert in July 2024. Several cases have already been detected in Europe, most of them in Spain (16), imported by travelers arriving from Latin America.

On Tuesday, U.S. health authorities said they have identified 21 cases of Oropouche fever among people returning from Cuba, three of whom had to be hospitalized.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Fuel Crisis in Cuba Gets Worse and the Lines Lengthen at the Hard Currency Gas Stations

“When I got to the service center I had 300 cars ahead of me”

Fuel is for sale at the Vista al Mar service center in El Vedado, but only in dollars

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 29 August 2024 — Havana seems to have returned to the worst days of the fuel crisis. Piled up and bored, since the beginning of the week the drivers wait daily for hours in line and often don’t manage to buy. On a tour by 14ymedio through several gas stations in the city, even those that charge in dollars, usually empty, had lines this Thursday.

“It’s not just today. Yesterday I went to all the service centers of El Vedado, Guanabacoa and Miramar and only found gasoline on the Puente de Hierro, near the bay tunnel,” Yoel, driver of a private Moskvitch, tells this newspaper. “Even at Infanta and San Rafael, where I always buy, there wasn’t a drop,” he says. Finding a place with fuel, as expected, is not enough: “When I got to the gas station I had 300 cars in front of me.” He left without buying.

Piled up and bored, since the beginning of the week the drivers wait for hours every day

This Thursday, Yoel took to the streets again in search of gasoline. This time the tour took him through the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, where “not a single service center had anything.” Finally, at the Tángana, in El Vedado, the driver joined a line no less long than the previous day’s line to refuel. continue reading

“They told me that here and the 25 and G service center are the only places where they are selling gasoline, but I don’t want to risk going there and find the same number of people or more than here. It’s better to wait, and if I don’t make it today either then I’ll have to try again,” he sighs, resigned.

Cars have been in line at the Tángana in El Vedado since early morning / 14ymedio

To top it off, he says, several drivers in the line have told him that the cards to buy fuel are failing, which delays the line and makes the drivers more nervous. “Those who don’t even have Fincimex cards have to look for where to recharge, because that’s the only one that’s working now. With the others the connection fails,” he explains.

The lack of fuel is also noticeable in state transport, says Yoel. “Today I haven’t seen a state bus pass by all day,” he says.

“That station is for the privileged who can pay in dollars,” Yoel complains. “The rest, we have to endure here under rain, sun and clouds.”

A few blocks from Tángana is the Vista al Mar gas station, which has been selling fuel exclusively in dollars since last June. The place was the last in the capital to be transformed into a service center collecting “hard currency,” and, although some cars are clumped together in line – mainly almendrones – the short line is far from those that have formed in front of the neighboring premises – one to refuel and another to fill jerricans – that already go around the block.

The line at the Tángana service center goes around the block / 14ymedio

“This service is for the privileged who can pay in dollars,” complains Yoel. “The rest of us have to endure it here in rain, sun and calm.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Mexico López Obrador Administration hired 5,223 Cuban Doctors; Another 198 Arrived on Tuesday

A flight with 198 Cuban doctors arrived last Tuesday in Mexico

14ymedio, Ángel Salinas, Mexico City, August 29, 2024 — The Government of Mexico accelerated the arrival of Cuban doctors for one month before the end of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s mandate. The goal is to have 5,223 doctors “as soon as possible,” an official confirmed to 14ymedio. The second stage provides for the “arrival of 4,023 health workers,” a figure higher than the 3,800 that the director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (Imss), Zoé Robledo, had announced last July.

“In October, the López Obrador Administration ends, and the plans are to have almost the total number of doctors. However, the incorporation into hospitals will be delayed because an introductory course is required, in addition to confirmation of the documents needed to practice,” the source stressed.

The doctors, who are specialists in several disciplines, are arriving in groups of between 198 and 200 at Felipe Ángeles International Airport (Aifa), where, according to the official, “there are scheduled flights.” Another 200 are expected this Friday or Saturday. continue reading

A group with 12 specialists from the Island was sent to the state of Sonora / Facebook/Imss Bienestar

Four groups have arrived in Mexico between August 2 and 27, making a total of 800 doctors. The first group of 200 doctors arrived on August 2, and two other groups, with 200 and 199, respectively, landed on August 8 and August 23 at the Aifa terminal.

The Cuban ambassador to Mexico, Marcos Rodríguez Costa, shared images last Tuesday, of 198 Cuban specialists who will join “hospitals and centers in 12 states, located in distant and highly marginalized communities.”

This newspaper received data on the arrival of two Cuban specialists at the Cupuan Health Unit, in the municipality of Zirándaro, a town with less than 1,000 inhabitants. Another two were sent to Yerba Santa, in the municipality of Acatepec, with 825 inhabitants. Both sites are located in Tierra Caliente, in the state of Guerrero, the site for which 600 physicians were hired in 2022, arguing a “deficit of specialists.”

The official said that another important group of specialists concluded their training this Wednesday at the hospital of the Guerrero community of Zumpango del Río, where an introductory course in rheumatology and child psychiatry was provided to treat bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents.

Twelve Cuban specialists arrived in the state of Sonora this Thursday to provide care in hospital and first-level medical units that are difficult to cover.

In the state of Guerrero there is another group of Cubans who have just completed an introductory course / Facebook/Jos Santy

The deployment of Cuban doctors has accelerated due to the proximity, on September 1, of the sixth government report of López Obrador. “The president will discuss the hiring of the Cubans, as well as the purchase of the Abdala vaccine against Covid as part of the agreement with the Island. He will also cover the continuity that Claudia Sheinbaum’s government will offer,” says the official.

The Cuban doctors are part of Imss-Bienestar, the free health organization created by the current government to replace the Popular Insurance, in force until last year. However, the official could not confirm the payment they will make to the company Neuronic Mexicana, a subsidiary of Neuronic S.A. Cuba, which since 2018 is a representative of the products and services of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry of the Island, under the presidency of the Cuban Tania Guerra.

However, it is known that Cuban specialists connected to Imss-Bienestar will receive salaries of 50,000 pesos ($2,732 per month), in addition to a bonus of 10,000 pesos ($545), for a total of $3,277. Of that amount, the total that will end up in the hands of the Island’s doctors and what will remain in the government’s coffers is unknown.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Santa Clara Baseball Coach Escaped Cuba During the U-12 World Series in Pennsylvania

Coach Carlos César Martínez with a baseball team / Facebook/La Tijera

14ymedio, Havana, 28 August 2024 — Baseball coach Carlos César Martínez was not on the plane that returned to Cuba on Monday with the delegation that attended the World Series of Minor Leagues, held in Williamsport. After his escape during the competition in Pennsylvania, the Villaclareño met with his brother, who already lived in the U.S..

Martínez was one of the three coaches of the Santa Clara U-12 team that represented the Island in the World Series. His escape was confirmed this Tuesday by the Pelota Cubana media, which said that he had not returned to Cuba, unlike his colleagues, Everaldo Pedroso and Andy Zamora. Martínez was presented with “a unique opportunity and knew how to make the most of it,” summarized journalist Miguel Rodríguez.

“The relief pitching couldn’t hold out.” With that phrase, for its part, the official media Jit described the elimination of the Santa Clara team against Mexico in the tournament on August 20. They did not explain, however, that those led by Everaldo Pedroso reached the sixth and last inning with a 4 to 1 advantage. Two home runs by the Mexican athletes defined the game, which was 4 to 6.

“The weak point was the relief pitchers,” said Rodríguez, although he recognized that in the last challenge, “the Cuban opener Deivy Hernández did great mound work for four and two-thirds innings, allowing one score and striking out five batters.”

The Santa Clara team with coach Carlos César Martínez / Facebook/Carlos César Martínez

A year ago, José Pérez, one of the coaches of the Bayamo team that competed in the Minor League World Series, left his delegation under “cover of darkness” in the Grove area, also in Pennsylvania, where the Island team stayed, according to a report from North Central PA.

The escapes have fatally wounded Cuban sport. This Tuesday it was reported that, after touching down on Spanish soil, the goalkeeper of the soccer team, Leonardo Hierrezuelo, separated from the rest of his teammates in the departure lounge.

The team that is preparing for the Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, which will take place between September 14 and October 6, thus suffered its second escape in five days. Last Friday, one of its leaders, Harold Aguilera from Camagüey, escaped to Portugal. The sports authorities on the Island have not yet reported any of these escapes.

Nor is there any talk of the definitive departures of athletes. The most recent was that of the 21-year-old baseball player Xian Vega, who has been in Nicaragua since last Monday and is training at the International Baseball Academy of Central America. His goal: to convince some US talent scouts and sign a contract with a Major League team.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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More Than 115 Repressors of the Cuban Regime Have Established Themselves in the United States in the Last Year

The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba has identified more than 1,000 former Cuban officials who have settled in the United States

Florida legislators Carlos Giménez and Ana María Rodríguez, with Rolando Cartaya of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba / X

14ymedio, Havana, 28 August 2024 — More than 115 repressors who joined the ranks of the Cuban regime have entered the United States in the last year. The figure is five times higher than that reported in February 2023 by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, based in Miami, which manages a program to identify those who, having contributed to the repression on the Island, intend to settle in a democratic country.

The information was revealed at a press conference this Tuesday. Tony Costa, director of the organization, reported that they have “identified more than 1,000 repressors of the Cuban regime (living in the United States) and more than 115 who have entered this country in the last year, many of them lying.”

Accompanied by Florida Republican legislators Carlos Giménez and Ana María Rodríguez, and activists such as Samuel Rodríguez – who manages an economic fund to help prisoners from the protests of July 11, 2021 – Costa indicated that these former officials “have abused the immigration system to come to the United States.” Attorney Santiago Alpízar explained that the humanitarian parole program that has accepted many of the repressors is plagued by “abuses.”

Communist Party members, State Security agents, prosecutors and judges are among the Cubans who have recently arrived and who have been identified in the Cuban Repressors digital project. continue reading

It is illegal to give an immigration status to a person who is part of the Communist Party or who is linked to it. It’s against the law

“It is illegal to give an immigration status to a person who is part of the Communist Party or who is linked to it. It’s against the law. These people, who are linked to the regime, who have been repressors in Cuba, have no right to be here,” said Congressman Giménez.

He mentioned cases such as that of prosecutor Rosabel Roca Sampedro, who asked for years in prison for young people who participated in the massive protests on 11 July 2021 in Cuba – for “attack and contempt” – and that of Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, former secretary of the Communist Party in Cienfuegos, who arrived on August 16 in Miami, where part of his family resides.

At the press conference, some testimonies of the repression carried out by these former officials in Cuba were presented. Activist Samuel Rodríguez, exiled in Florida, spoke of Rafael Reyes: “He was in charge of my imprisonment when I was only 18 years old. That man is retired here, in Homestead. He searched houses for religious material to imprison elderly people,” he said.

He also mentioned the case of Judge Melody González Pedraza, responsible, among other cases, for sending to prison four young people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the property of regime officials in November 2022. All of them were sentenced by the Popular Municipal Court of Encrucijada, Villa Clara, with González Pedraza presiding, for the crime of attack. The first three received four years in prison, and the fourth, three years.

Melody González Pedraza traveled to the United States and remains detained by immigration authorities while awaiting a political asylum hearing

González Pedraza traveled to the United States and remains detained by immigration authorities while awaiting a political asylum hearing.

Journalist Roberto Quiñones, whom the Cuban government imprisoned for trying to cover a trial of a religious couple who wanted to educate their children at home, also spoke about his case. A judge, Amalio Alfaro Matos, “denied me the amparo (protection order), despite the fact that I made an appeal, which was maintained but never judged, a right of all defendants to prove that there was a due process,” he said. He even mentioned that he had known the judge since before 1999, when he was imprisoned for the first time. Now Alfaro Matos lives in Tampa, Florida.

Another victim, Elixir Arando, said that two of the people identified by the foundation harassed him when he lived in Guantánamo: “It is unheard of to know that these people who repressed us, who beat us, are living and enjoying freedom in this great country.”

The number of repressors is equivalent to about 10% of all those reported in the database of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, which “reveals the worrying reality that people involved in human rights violations continue to arrive and settle in US territory,” the NGO warned in a statement.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Isla de la Juventud Has Only One Means of Transport in Service, Called ‘Perseverance’

The ’Río Júcaro’ and ’Río Las Casas’ ferries have reached the limit of their “water periods”

The ’Perseverance’ ferry is overexploited and requires “extreme care in its operation” / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, 28 August 2024 — “Is the Isle of Youth isolated?” The question of Cuba’s Minister of Transport this Wednesday, more than doubt, sounded like a joke. The situation, however, is serious, and Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila himself diagnosed it: the plane that covers the Havana-New Girona route is out of service due to technical problems; the Río Júcaro and Río Las Casas ferries – used in the Batabanó-Nueva Gerona-Cayo Largo del Sur circuit – are under repair, and the Perseverancia ferry, the only one that operates, is overexploited.

The panorama is that of an imminent collapse, and Rodríguez Dávila recognized it on his very active Facebook profile. In his message, he pointed out that the ferries have already been operating for more than 20 years and have reached the limit of their “water periods” – the normal life of a boat – with a serious lack of maintenance. The fault, he justified, is “the timely unavailability of convertible currencies for the acquisition of materials, inputs and basic pieces.”

Currently, he said, work is going at full speed on the repair of the Río Las Casas ferry, which went out of service on August 10, and, “if it is restored, it could return to the traffic with limitations.” The situation is even more complex, because only when they finish fixing this boat can the work on the Río Júcaro begin. continue reading

The panorama is one of imminent collapse, and Rodríguez Dávila recognizes it on his very active Facebook profile

The boats are unusable, and without flights to the territory, the Perseverancia ferry – which began operations a year after it was announced with great fanfare – is now the only means of transport for passengers since August 11. The minister warned that the boat is being overexploited and asked for “extreme care in its operation.” The ticket, at 200 pesos, is expensive for those who have to travel frequently and is one more limitation.

In addition, the ferry, which was built “somewhere in Asia” in 2018 – the authorities did not specify – and which Cuba bought for a “millionaire” amount from an unknown manufacturer, will work for two and a half years before being taken for maintenance, a date that is still far away, if you take into account that its first test trip was in July 2023. The boat’s workload could accelerate that process and leave the inhabitants of the special municipality without a means of transport.

Another transportation problem in the area is that the ferry cannot dock in Cayo Largo del Sur, since it has a greater draft than what is allowed. In addition, Perseverance now has some problems with air conditioning equipment, according to Internet user Sheila Pray, who responded to the minister’s post saying that “in these hot times, the Batabanó-Gerona crossing is infuriating.”

Another transportation problem in the area is that the ferry cannot dock in Cayo Largo del Sur, since it has a greater draft than what is allowed

While many comments thank Rodríguez Dávila for his analysis – his interaction on Facebook has given him a popularity that his colleagues in the Council of Ministers lack – others were critical of the isolation of the Isla de la Juventud. “Today we live with the fear of climate change and breakdowns, of ’I believe’ and ’I hope’, and that’s without counting the outrageous loss of quality in care for the traveler. Efforts to solve the situation do not appear to be coming in the near future,” commented Oscar Arteaga.

“We are also human beings, and, unfortunately, geography did not help us, and the Government never did anything to construct a road, as was done in the Cayería Norte,” commented Damaris Ramos.

For many others, the solution to get out of the crisis is obvious: let several “private or foreign companies” take care of creating a route that, traditionally, has had trouble operating .

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Offers ‘Sandinista Fighters’ to Venezuela if a ‘Counterrevolution’ Is Mounted

María Corina Machado says that “the end of the regime of horror is approaching”

rchive photograph of an act of protest against the results of the presidential elections. / EFE/Latif Kassidi

EFE (via 14ymedio) San José/Caracas, August 27, 2024 — The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, offered this Monday to his ally and Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, to send “Sandinista fighters” in case a “counterrevolution” is mounted in Venezuela.

During a virtual summit with heads of state of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), Ortega told Maduro not to rule out a civil war in Venezuela, like the one fought in Nicaragua in the 1980s of the last century, in the middle of the Cold War.

“I want to alert Nicolás, and I’m sure you already have thought, analyzed and prepared (…), as they (the Venezuelan opposition) have already failed at this maneuver (of reversing the electoral results), and there is no turning back, no step back ; Nicolás is the legitimate president.” They could now take up arms, as happened here, said the Sandinista leader.

According to Ortega, Colombia could be the scene of a Venezuelan “counterrevolution” because of the extensive border it shares with Venezuela, and where the United States has military bases.

Ortega said that the “battle” in Venezuela “would be much greater” than the one that took place in Nicaragua, “because the Colombian Army is involved”

The Nicaraguan president commented that he does not see Colombian President Gustavo Petro “feeding” that possible “mercenary army,” but he does see other former rulers, among whom he mentioned Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) and Iván Duque (2018-2022).

“There are Yankee military bases (in Colombia), and, therefore, do not rule it out, because imperialism today is more wounded than ever by this victory (in Venezuela). Do not rule out their ability to organize an armed counterrevolution, like those that were organized against us during the first Sandinista Government,” he said. continue reading

In that scenario, Ortega said that the “battle” in Venezuela “would be much greater” than the one that took place in Nicaragua, “because it involves the Colombian Army, Colombian mercenaries, Colombian murderers and Colombian drug traffickers.”

Therefore, the Sandinista leader advised Maduro to “prepare to fight the battle and defeat them, because I am sure that if that battle occurs you will win.”

“And rest assured that if that battle happens, you will have Sandinista fighters accompanying you in that battle,” he offered. “And I am sure that just as thousands of (foreign) fighters joined the battle of Nicaragua against (Anastasio) Somoza (Debayle), thousands of Latin American and Caribbean fighters will also join the defense of the Bolivarian revolution,” he added.

In addition, Ortega says he broke relations with Brazil and called his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, “a lackey,” who wanted to be the “representative of the Yankees” in Latin America.

Lula is one of the presidents of Latin America who had a “brutal and “cowardly reaction” for not recognizing Maduro’s triumph

The Sandinista leader said that Lula is one of the presidents of Latin America who had a “brutal and cowardly reaction” for not recognizing Maduro’s triumph, and that he is part of the other “servile, traitorous, lackey governments. Brazil has presented itself as very progressive and very revolutionary. Now it says that the elections have to be repeated (in Venezuela). I say ’Brazil’ meaning Lula,” he reproached.

Ortega said that Lula “in a shameful way” is “repeating the slogans of the Yankees, the Europeans and the lackey governments of Latin America.”

“You’re a lackey, too, Lula! You’re groveling, too, Lula!” exclaimed Ortega, who also criticized the Brazilian president’s previous government management. He recalled that in Lula’s first Administration, “uproars” of corruption such as “the Lava Jato scandals”* broke out.

“Remember all that (…). Apparently it was not a very transparent Government, not very clean. Remember, Lula, and I could tell you a dozen more things,” he continued. “If you want me to respect you, respect me, Lula. If you want the Bolivarian people to respect you, respect the victory of President Nicolás Maduro and don’t be a lackey,” he added.

On August 8, the Brazilian ambassador to Nicaragua, Breno de Souza Brasil Días da Costa, left the country after being expelled by the Ortega Government, according to the official version, for not attending the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution on July 19. In reciprocity, the Government of Brazil decided to expel the ambassador of Nicaragua, Fulvia Castro.

“And since being president of the great country that is Brazil, you have wanted to become a representative of the Yankees in Latin America”

In the past, Lula had a close relationship with Ortega when the Brazilian leader traveled to Managua in 1980 for the first anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, an occasion on which he also personally met the Cuban president, Fidel Castro.

In recent months, however, the relationship has deteriorated, especially due to the “political persecution” that the Government of Managua maintains on former Sandinistas and religious leaders.

Lula himself explained the situation last month, at a press conference with foreign correspondents in Brasilia, in which he revealed that Ortega has not answered his phone since Pope Francis asked him (Lula) to advocate for a bishop detained in Nicaragua.

In this regard, Ortega confirmed that he did not answer Lula’s phone call because to receive a message from the Vatican, which he said is a State “in favor of the Empire,” the Holy See should communicate directly with him. “We don’t need intermediaries. We didn’t ask Lula to be an intermediary. We didn’t answer Lula, and he got upset,” he said.

Lula regretted that this happened with “a guy who made a revolution like the one Ortega did to defeat Somoza,” and said that today he does not know “if that revolution was because he wanted power or because he wanted to improve the life of his people.”

In this regard, Ortega said that if he is a dictator, then so is Lula: “What could Lula say, since he has said this publicly, and how many times has he been in power? Already for two terms. That is, it seems he likes being President.”

“And from the presidency of the great country that is Brazil, you want to become a representative of the Yankees in Latin America,” he added.

Ortega explained by saying, “that’s why we broke off relations with Brazil,” because although Nicaragua is a small country, “we have dignity.”

Ortega sees Gustavo Petro “competing” with Lula to be the “representative” of the United States in Latin America

Ortega sees Gustavo Petro “competing” with Lula to be the “representative” of the United States in Latin America.

“Petro, what can I say about Petro? Poor Petro, poor Petro. I see Petro as competing with Lula to see who will be the leader to represent the Yankees in Latin America,” said the Sandinista leader.

Lula and Petro insisted on Saturday on the need to publish the electoral results, “broken down by polling station,” after the endorsement of Maduro’s victory by the Supreme Court of Venezuela, of which they “took note.”

“Both presidents remain convinced that the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data,” according to a joint statement from both countries.

Lula and Petro agreed on a common position on the Venezuelan electoral process after telephone conversations held on Friday and Saturday, according to information released by the Brazilian Presidency.

The two heads of state reaffirmed that “the political normalization of Venezuela” must acknowledge “that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence in diversity.” They also called on “all those involved to avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression.”

“Today I can’t tell you the exact moment in which we are going to achieve victory, but yes, with absolute conviction, I tell you that the destiny of this fight is the liberation of Venezuela”

On the other hand, Lula and Petro “took note” of the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela to validate Maduro’s victory in the presidential elections of July 28, questioned by much of the international community. In this sense, they reiterated that they “are still waiting” for the publication, by the National Electoral Council (CNE), of “the tally sheets, broken down by polling station.”

The CNE proclaimed Maduro the winner without having published the disaggregated results, while the largest opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), said that Edmundo González Urrutia won the contest by a wide margin.

The declaration of both countries was expected after the statement released on Friday by eleven American countries (Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay), in which they rejected the Supreme Court’s endorsement of Maduro. The governments of these eleven countries questioned the ruling of the Venezuelan court and warned of its “lack of independence and impartiality.”

However, Brazil and Colombia did assess the Supreme Court’s ruling and instead insisted that they “keep their channels of communication with the parties open,” and they reinforced “their willingness to facilitate understanding between them.”

“Our tactics are so diverse that they will not be able to contain them, and we will act with precision so that they cannot prevent our advance”

For her part, the anti-Chavista leader María Corina Machado said on Monday that “the end of the regime of horror is approaching” in Venezuela, where “a new phase of the opposition strategy” has begun, in order to “substantiate the victory” obtained by Edmundo González Urrutia.

“Today I cannot tell you the exact moment in which we are going to achieve victory, but yes, with absolute conviction, I tell you that the destiny of this struggle is the liberation of Venezuela, the construction of a luminous country where we can live well, with dignity,” she said in an audio published on YouTube.

In that sense, she called on Venezuelans to prepare for “a new way of organizing and mobilizing in the street” that, she explained, will be “highly” effective to run “the least possible risk.”

“Our tactics are so diverse that they will not be able to contain them, and we will act with precision so that they cannot prevent our advance,” said the former deputy, who again denounced a “criminal repression,” especially after the last elections.

She added that Maduro and “his criminal environment,” after the “overwhelming and indisputable victory” of González Urrutia, sought to “justify their fraud” through the TSJ, whose Electoral Chamber validated the re-election of Maduro for a third consecutive six-year term in power.

“Nicolás Maduro reached the end of his path, he lost all contact with reality, they do not understand anything that is happening in Venezuela,” said Machado, the main champion of González Urrutia.

The PUD called for a demonstration on August 28, a month after the elections, against electoral “fraud” and to insist on the triumph it grants its standard bearer based on “83.5% of the tally sheets” collected the night of the vote by witnesses and poll workers, documents that the Government describes as “false.” Later, the Government also called for street events that same day, but to celebrate the controversial re-election of Maduro.

“We have witnessed a conspiracy of the public authorities to hatch a plot of complicity to prevent public access to the results”

Meanwhile, the traditional leaders of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) warned on Monday about what they consider a conspiracy of state institutions – “openly controlled” by the Government – against the will expressed in the July 28 elections, whose official result gave the victory to President Nicolás Maduro.

The PCV, a group influenced by the TSJ, pointed out that the Court is not impartial, and, therefore, its confirmation of Maduro’s re-election does not clear doubts or resolve complaints about transparency made to the CNE.

The validation issued by the TSJ “is a new demonstration of the existence of a conspiracy woven from the high spheres of political and economic power against the Constitution and popular sovereignty expressed in the vote,” the Party said in a press release.

In this way, they reiterated their demand for the CNE to publish the disaggregated results that confirm Maduro’s victory, as expected in the election schedule, although the TSJ ruled last Thursday, that it will keep the voting records under protection.

“We have witnessed a conspiracy of the public authorities to hatch a plot of complicity that, through pseudo-legal processes, prevents public access to the results printed in the tally sheets and to the boxes where the physical vote of each voter is protected,” the communists continue.

In addition, they condemned the fact that the TSJ ruling “is used as a justification to expand the repression,” in reference to the protests and police operations after the elections that have left a total of 25 deaths and more than 2,400 detainees, according to State sources.

For all of the above, the PCV asks the Prosecutor’s Office to carry out “the relevant investigations to determine the responsibilities of the electoral body,” since it “did not fulfill its functions by refusing to publish the results broken down by table and by suspending subsequent audits.”

*Translator’s note: Operação Lava Jeto, or Operation Jet Wash, investigated corruption in Brazil’s government in 2014. Lula was convicted of money laundering and spent 580 days in jail. His conviction was nullified in 2021 by the Supreme Court. Lula ran again for President in 2022 and was granted a third term.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Baseball Player Xian Vega Leaves Cuba and Hopes for a Professional Contract in the United States

Baseball player Xian Vega trains at the International Baseball Academy of Central America / Facebook/Gustavo Mederos

14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 27 August 2024 — Cuban baseball player Xian Vega, 21, has been in Nicaragua since last Monday. Born in Havana, his goal is to reach the United States to look for a job opportunity in a Major League professional team. Meanwhile, he trains at the International Baseball Academy of Central America, according to sports journalist Francys Romero.

It will be in September, at the academy facilities and under the gaze of the talent scouts, when Vega will show his skills. Talent, according to Romero, is not lacking: he was one of the members of the list of best Cuban U-18 baseball players drawn up by the reporter.

Vega was a key piece in the Cienfuegos team, in charge of the director Jorge Rodríguez, and he stood out for his level of play in the last three National Series. Last season, he had a batting percentage of .268/.333/.351, four home runs and 25 RBIs. continue reading

In addition, he was part of the national team that represented the Island in the Pan-American U-23 Championship that took place in Nicaragua in 2023.

Baseball player Bryan Ramos rejected Cuba’s invitation to join the team that will participate in the Premier 12 / Facebook/Francys Romero

Son of actor Herón Vega and grandson of one of the great figures of Cuban cinema, Daisy Granados, the young baseball player emigrates in a moment of weakness for the Cuban Baseball Federation, which is struggling to form a team of Cuban emigrants, who play in the Major Leagues, to participate in the international Premier 12 contest, which will be played from November 9 to 24 in the cities of Guadalajara and Tepic (Mexico).

The Federation received a resounding no from Chicago White Sox player Bryan Ramos, who in 15 games recorded an outstanding batting average. Ramos claimed that he is focused on his work with the team that in 2018 hired him on an entry bonus of 300,000 dollars.

The Federation’s invitation was also rejected by pitcher Denny Larrondo, who plays in the Minor Leagues as part of the Arizona Diamondbacks sports franchise. According to journalist Yordano Carmona, the “Villaclareño told them no, that he did not agree to play with them.”

Julio Robaina, Omar Estévez, Yosver Zulueta, Edgar Quero, Michel Baez and Elian Leyva are also on the list of players who have been invited and have declined.

The players who have accepted so far are Ronald Bolaños, Lázaro Armenteros, Yadir Drake, Darién Núñez, Ernesto Martínez Jr., Yusniel Padrón-Artiles, Yoan López, Roberto Sulivan Baldoquín, Alexei Ramírez and Yadil Mujica.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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