Cubans Prohibited From Lining Up at Stores at Night

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 28 August 2020 — Long before the pandemic began, even before the “economic situation” was announced last September, the verbs mark (your place in line), wake up early and wait have been the most conjugated in Cuba. The lines that have accompanied our lives for decades have increased in size and gained prominence in the streets of … Continue reading “Cubans Prohibited From Lining Up at Stores at Night”

Pandemic in Cuba and People with Disabilities: Forgotten or Protected?

14ymedio, Havana, 20 August 2020 — Under the sun, with her cane, Xiomara waited this Tuesday outside the Coppelia ice cream parlor in Havana to get the ten scoops of ice cream that each customer is allowed to buy, but neither her disabled person’s card nor the requests to the employee allowed her to enter … Continue reading “Pandemic in Cuba and People with Disabilities: Forgotten or Protected?”

The Limits of Terminology

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 22 August 2020 — In one of his most recent speeches, Miguel Díaz-Canel referred, among other issues, to “the Economic Strategy designed to face the crisis situation generated by the pandemic,” and saw the need to make it clear that “in its implementation it will be demonstrated that we do not … Continue reading “The Limits of Terminology”

The Offensive Against ‘Hoarders’ Comes To The Hard Currency Stores

14ymedio, Havana, August 21, 2020 —  In the middle of the pandemic and the social differences that the hard currency shops generate, a case of corruption related to these State businesses now comes to light. Several citizens in Guantánamo, in confabulation with workers in the TRD Caribe chain, carried out “illicit actions” to obtain merchandise … Continue reading “The Offensive Against ‘Hoarders’ Comes To The Hard Currency Stores”

Hiding the Lines, a New Strategy to Conceal the Shortages in Cuba

The new directive now is for stores to ‘disguise’ their lines (14ymedio)14ymedio, Havana, 18 August 2020 — Lines continue to be the common denominator for the vast majority of Cubans. Line up for the bank, line up for the market, line up for the pharmacy, line up for everything. In front of each store there is a line. And now, … Continue reading “Hiding the Lines, a New Strategy to Conceal the Shortages in Cuba”

With the ‘Portero’ App, Government Controls the Lines and the Private Lives of Cubans

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 11 August 2020 — “Yesterday you bought ground meat, today you can only buy tomato puree,” warns an employee after scanning the identity card of a woman who is waiting to enter a store in Centro Habana. With the Portero app — the word means ’doorkeeper’ — installed on their mobiles, hundreds … Continue reading “With the ‘Portero’ App, Government Controls the Lines and the Private Lives of Cubans”

Cuban Police Fight Illegal Currency Trafficking

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, August 12, 2020 — Along with hoarders and coleros — people paid to wait in line — unofficial money changers are on the police’s radar. They are after individuals who exchange dollars and other hard currency on the black market. Raids began after digital classifieds began appearing on internet portals, where … Continue reading “Cuban Police Fight Illegal Currency Trafficking”

Cuban Government Goes After Resellers Through Social Media

14ymedio, Havana, 6 August 2020 — Digital platforms are the new troubled river in which police operations against resellers and hoarders fish . A television report released this Wednesday details the offensive, in the city of Pinar del Río, against an informal merchant who used Facebook to promote her merchandise. “Several houses located in the provincial capital served as warehouses … Continue reading “Cuban Government Goes After Resellers Through Social Media”

Cuba’s Enemy is Not 90 Miles Offshore, But in the Lines

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, 3 August 2020 — “Speculators and product hoarders will be punished with 180 days in prison,” reads the text of legislation that could have been passed this week, were it not for its effective date of that far off 1962. Since then, and for almost six decades, resellers have been … Continue reading “Cuba’s Enemy is Not 90 Miles Offshore, But in the Lines”

Seller of Auto Parts Arrested in the Middle of Cuba’s ‘Battle Against Illegalities’

14ymedio, Havana, August 2, 2020 — In the bull’s eye of the police and the official campaigns are now hoarders and coleros (someone paid to stand in line for someone else), whom the Government blames for the shortages. The case of a resident in the Havana municipality of Cotorro, accused of “illicit economic activity” and … Continue reading “Seller of Auto Parts Arrested in the Middle of Cuba’s ‘Battle Against Illegalities’”

Is Our National Money Still Worth Anything?

14ymedio, Havana, July 21, 2020 – “Since I’ve had the use of reason they’ve inculcated us with the idea that we’re all equal, and now I understand that it’s not true,” writes Avelino, one reader among many of Cubadebate. Since Monday they’ve made their frustration clear about the beginning of the sale of food and … Continue reading “Is Our National Money Still Worth Anything?”

Huge Crowds In the Stores Where Cubans Can Buy With "The Enemy’s Money"

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 28 October 2019 — The first ones line marked their places starting on Sunday morning, but the long wait failed to reduce the excitement when the foreign exchange store of Havana’s Focsa building opened its doors on Monday. With the official television cameras in place, the staff checked that the customers’ magnetic cards and … Continue reading “Huge Crowds In the Stores Where Cubans Can Buy With "The Enemy’s Money"”

May Day in Cuba With Little to Celebrate

14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 1 May 2019 — The relationship between Cuba’s communist regime and the world of work has been difficult. Therefore, there is not much to celebrate this May Day, nor has there been on previous ones. This relationship has always referred to, by the Cuban government, as “adverse times, characterized by the resurgence of … Continue reading “May Day in Cuba With Little to Celebrate”

The Gran Teatro De La Habana Is Guarded Against Ticket Scalpers / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 26 January 2016 — The National Council of the Performing Arts has taken measures against the resale of tickets at the Alicia Alonso Gran Teatro de La Habana. The Ministry of Culture, which controls the theater, emphasized that the new controls have been established jointly with the venue to eliminate “the unscrupulous action of the … Continue reading “The Gran Teatro De La Habana Is Guarded Against Ticket Scalpers / 14ymedio”