Search results for: mules

China Enters the Competition in Online Commerce in Cuba With Tiendas Caribe

14ymedio, Pedro Espinosa, Havana, 15 December 2023 — GD-Mart is the new Cuban Chinese business that practices the policy of apartheid, although Cubans have not been long in finding a way to take advantage of it. The official press announced with great fanfare last week the inauguration of the establishment, located on Infanta Street in … Continue reading “China Enters the Competition in Online Commerce in Cuba With Tiendas Caribe”

Five-Year Tourism Visas Are Back for the United States but the Processing Will Be Done Outside Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 18 August 2023 — The United States will reissue B2 visas, valid for five years, which allow Cubans to travel to the US as tourists, according to three official Washington sources speaking to journalist Mario J. Pentón from América Noticias. However, these long-term permits must be granted at third-country offices, since the White … Continue reading “Five-Year Tourism Visas Are Back for the United States but the Processing Will Be Done Outside Cuba”

The Candonga, a Havana Street Market that Has Everything

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 1 July 2023  —  For Cubans, “to live under a bridge” means to have fallen from grace, to be reduced to poverty. However, the daily swarm of vendors, buyers, dealers, pickpockets, drunkards and fortune seekers under the bridge at 100th and Boyeros in Havana belies that old saying. This is … Continue reading “The Candonga, a Havana Street Market that Has Everything”

Clean Up Needed at La Candonga de Santa Clara, Cuba, After a Fire Destroyed Several Kiosks

14ymedio, Havana, 29 June 2023 — A fire devastated the commercial area of Santa Clara known as La Candonga on Wednesday. The fire destroyed between seven and ten sales kiosks, according to the first official report, and the cause of the fire is being investigated. The event became known a few hours after the death … Continue reading “Clean Up Needed at La Candonga de Santa Clara, Cuba, After a Fire Destroyed Several Kiosks”

Thanks to Cuban Ingenuity, the Regime Is Losing Control of Dollar Transactions

14ymedio, Havana, 23 June 2023 — Javier operates a food service business in Central Havana serving both tourists and locals. His customers have the option of paying for his services in pesos, dollars or euros, currencies this businessman has no intention of leaving on the table. Because he has a Spanish passport, he was able … Continue reading “Thanks to Cuban Ingenuity, the Regime Is Losing Control of Dollar Transactions”

Economic Disorder, Castroism’s Vocation / Jeovany Jimenez Vega

Jeovany Jimenez Vega, 15 Dec 2020 (Readers note: This article is more than three years old, but has just been translated for this site] — We are so accustomed to Castroism’s autocratic punches that we end up reacting in the same way every time the Cuban authorities announce with suspicious solemnity some “set of new … Continue reading “Economic Disorder, Castroism’s Vocation / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”

Cabaiguan Has It All: Cubans, Canary Islanders and Commerce

14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus 3 April 2023 — “There have always been people with money here,” says a vendor of household utensils in  Cabaiguán, a town in Cuba’s Sancti Spíritus province. He is talking to a recently arrived visitor from another province, who is surprised both by the wide range of products the vendor … Continue reading “Cabaiguan Has It All: Cubans, Canary Islanders and Commerce”

A ‘Mule’ is Punished for Trying to Send a Toy Helicopter to Cuba

14ymedio, Miami, 31 January 2023 — One of the few consolations of Carlos (fictitious name), who left Cuba last year for Nicaragua, desperate like so many other Cubans to seek a better life in the United States, is that at least now his children and nephews, who were left on the Island, could have decent … Continue reading “A ‘Mule’ is Punished for Trying to Send a Toy Helicopter to Cuba”

Cuba: What Food Sovereignty is Marrero Talking About?

14ymedio, Elías Amor, Valencia, 14 November 2022 — Food sovereignty happens to be one of the new chimeras of the Cuban communist regime. Prime Minister Marrero was invited to outline the main points of the policy in this area during the virtual “International Forum on Hybrid Rice Assistance and Global Food Security.” The truth is … Continue reading “Cuba: What Food Sovereignty is Marrero Talking About?”

Inspectors Fine Garage Sale Vendors in Havana

14ymedio, Natalia Lopez Moya, Havana, 5 November 2022 — A sign that, only a few days ago, was advertising a garage sale on 26th Street in Havana had suddenly disappeared, leaving customers to wonder if the owner had either skipped town or had nothing to sell. The truth is the sale was cancelled out of … Continue reading “Inspectors Fine Garage Sale Vendors in Havana”

Mexican Company Magnicharters Denounces Theft of Luggage from Their Flights to Cuba

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 22 October 2022 – The tourist operator Bojórquez has sent a stern letter to the Cuban airport authorities, denouncing the misplacement of suitcases, removal of belongings from passengers’ luggage, and the substitution of waste matter for passengers’ property, in flights operated by the Mexican airline Magnicharters. The company considers these … Continue reading “Mexican Company Magnicharters Denounces Theft of Luggage from Their Flights to Cuba”

The Police Sweep up Vendors from the Doorways of Havana

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 23 October 2022 — The urban landscape of Havana lacks an important element these days: informal vendors who, in parks and doorways, offer everything from matches to soft drinks. A police operation carried out last week swept up these vendors, who sell basic products that are scarce in state stores. … Continue reading “The Police Sweep up Vendors from the Doorways of Havana”

Cuban Customs Corrects Itself and Will Allow More Powerful Generators to be Imported

14ymedio, Havana, 6 September 2022 — Despair over the lack of electricity has provoked the first amendment to the package of measures “to save the Cuban economy” that, in reality, simply made the import of some non-commercial items to Cuba more flexible. The provisions of the General Customs of the Republic went into effect on … Continue reading “Cuban Customs Corrects Itself and Will Allow More Powerful Generators to be Imported”

Cubans Are Allowed to Bring in Preserved Meats and Pasteurized Milk from Thirteen Countries

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, August 3, 2022 — Cubans will be allowed to bring home canned meats and ultrapasteurized milk from as many as thirteen countries according to regulations made public on Tuesday by the Ministry of Agriculture. The news was reported by government media outlets, which cited a memo by the ministry announcing a “relaxation” of … Continue reading “Cubans Are Allowed to Bring in Preserved Meats and Pasteurized Milk from Thirteen Countries”

Cubans Will be Able to Import Five Cell Phones, Three Computers and Two Motorcyles

14ymedio, Havana, 28 July 2022 — The new provisions of the General Customs of Cuba on imports from individuals on a non-commercial basis have been announced this Thursday. The Official Gazette specifies that Cubans will be able to import up to five cell phones — versus the two that were allowed — two electric generators, … Continue reading “Cubans Will be Able to Import Five Cell Phones, Three Computers and Two Motorcyles”