Search results for: Special Period

Vima Foods, Spanish Emporium which Sells Low-Quality Items for High-Quality Prices

14ymedio, Olea Gallardo, Havana, December 14, 2023 — The wedding last weekend in Havana of Víctor Moro Morros-Sarda and Alexandra Lacorne made the news in Spain’s gossip columns for having brought together several figures who frequently make appearances on their pages. Among the 400 guests were Tamara Falcó, Marchioness of Griñón, daughter of Isabel Preysler … Continue reading “Vima Foods, Spanish Emporium which Sells Low-Quality Items for High-Quality Prices”

Only an Adjustment Plan and Monetary Reform Can Stop Cuba’s Growing Fiscal Deficit

14ymedio, Madrid, 14 December 2023 — The increase in the fiscal deficit of 2023 by 44.4%, announced this Wednesday by the Cuban Government, arouses unfavorable comments from several independent economists, who regret the lack of a plan to fight against an inflation of 27% so far this year. According to the decree that modifies the … Continue reading “Only an Adjustment Plan and Monetary Reform Can Stop Cuba’s Growing Fiscal Deficit”

‘Fama y Aplausos’, the 20 Story Havana Building That Has Become a Hell

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 14 December 2023 — A quick touch with the index finger and middle finger on the shoulder is the key to knowing that the building known as Fama y Aplausos (Fame and Applause), on the corner of Infanta and Manglar in Havana, is the home of important official spokespeople who handed … Continue reading “‘Fama y Aplausos’, the 20 Story Havana Building That Has Become a Hell”

The Author of the Controversial Book ‘Cuban Privilege’ Receives an Enthusiastic Welcome in Havana

14ymedio, Havana, 9 December 2023 —  “It is a pleasure not to be in a hostile environment, unlike Miami,” American professor Susan Eckstein said this Friday at Casa de las Américas in Havana,  amid laughter and the complicity of the public. The author of Cuban Privilege (Cambridge University Press, 2022), a controversial study on the immigration facilities granted … Continue reading “The Author of the Controversial Book ‘Cuban Privilege’ Receives an Enthusiastic Welcome in Havana”

In Cuba, an Abandoned Thermoelectric Plant Serves as Homes for About 50 People

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 25 November 2023 —  The abandoned site of the Frank País thermoelectric plant, a mass located in the vicinity of Havana Bay, could serve as the setting for an apocalyptic film. However, a rusty armchair next to a turbine, two recently used buckets, and lines hung with clothes, are signs that several … Continue reading “In Cuba, an Abandoned Thermoelectric Plant Serves as Homes for About 50 People”

Havana’s 100-Year-Old Reina Street Church Restored with Funds of Unknown Origin

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 22 November 2023 –Dust-free altars, new paint and luminous stained glass. One of the most iconic buildings in Central Habana, Sacred Heart Church on Reina Street is celebrating its centenary after a major renovation. Though the scaffolding has been removed and the interior is spotless, questions remain. Who financed the … Continue reading “Havana’s 100-Year-Old Reina Street Church Restored with Funds of Unknown Origin”

Cuba’s Iconic Ice Cream Parlor Coppelia Closes Because ‘There is No Ice Cream, No Milk, No Sugar’

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 9 November 2023 —  The emblematic Coppelia ice cream parlor, located on L and 23, in the heart of Havana’s El Vedado, is closed on all four sides this Thursday, with the lights off and the tables cleared. Again, as was the case earlier this year, there is no ice … Continue reading “Cuba’s Iconic Ice Cream Parlor Coppelia Closes Because ‘There is No Ice Cream, No Milk, No Sugar’”

Who Controls the Cuban Economy?

14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 31 October 2023 — It seems like a lie, but now we are entering a new phase. For communist leaders, it is already recognized that even though the blockade continues to be the main threat to the economy, “there are many potentialities in different places that are not yet exploited.” … Continue reading “Who Controls the Cuban Economy?”

Customs is Not at the Service of the Cuban Economy. Quite the Opposite

Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 8 October 2023 — The richest areas of the planet are committed to free trade, the absence of tariffs and customs taxes. Competitiveness and tax collection are normally favored by this type of fiscal design. It so happens that in Cuba the communists go in the opposite direction, and thus, the … Continue reading “Customs is Not at the Service of the Cuban Economy. Quite the Opposite”

Havana Club Will Produce in Cuba 2,500 Bottles of Tributo Rum at 500 Euros a Bottle

14ymedio, Havana, 24 October 2023 — With 2,500 “exclusive” bottles of Tributo rum, which will be sold at a price of 500 euros each, Havana Club International will celebrate its thirty years of creation this November at the Expocuba fairgrounds. The new edition of the drink celebrates the “rescue” of the brand, in the middle … Continue reading “Havana Club Will Produce in Cuba 2,500 Bottles of Tributo Rum at 500 Euros a Bottle”

In Cuba, Official Culture Loses Ground in the Face of Dynamic Private Offerings

14ymedio, Havana, 20 October 2023 — Cuba’s officialdom celebrates the Day of Cuban Culture by declaring the existence of a new enemy: the “cultural colonization” promoted by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The oxygen that the “new economic actors” have given to the sector contrasts with the situation that – not without reluctance – … Continue reading “In Cuba, Official Culture Loses Ground in the Face of Dynamic Private Offerings”

It Wasn’t a Missile That Demolished the Lebredo, ‘The Best Maternity Hospital in Cuba’

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, October 19, 2023 — Cuba’s ruins have one thing in common: slogans with large letters painted on pieces of walls. In the case of the old Lebredo maternity hospital, located in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, the message – a dig at former U.S. President George Bush – ends with … Continue reading “It Wasn’t a Missile That Demolished the Lebredo, ‘The Best Maternity Hospital in Cuba’”

A Costa Rican Company to Export Eggs and Gourmet Coffee to Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, 2 October 2023 — The Costa Rican company that shipped twenty-four tons of meat to Cuba in August will export flavored beverages, soft drinks, fruit purees, bottled water, coffee and eggs to the Island in the coming days. The company claims that it has the capacity to operate 150 containers and that it … Continue reading “A Costa Rican Company to Export Eggs and Gourmet Coffee to Cuba”

Havana’s Pan American Stadium, Another Ruin of Cement and Rusted Steel in the Cuban Landscape

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 30 September 2023 — Three decades of abandonment weigh on the Pan American Stadium in Havana. The cornerstone of a pharaonic sports complex built by Fidel Castro in 1991, after fulfilling its initial purpose – to demonstrate to the world that socialist Cuba was capable of organizing a high-caliber event – … Continue reading “Havana’s Pan American Stadium, Another Ruin of Cement and Rusted Steel in the Cuban Landscape”

Emigrants Have Sent 52 Billion Dollars in Remittances to Cuba in the Last 30 Years

14ymedio, Madrid, September 19, 2023 —  Over the last three decades, Cuban emigrants have sent their relatives on the Island, a total of 52.252 billion dollars in remittances and another 50 Billion in consumer goods. The data is included in the most recent report by the organization Cuba Siglo 21, signed by academic Emilio Morales, who points … Continue reading “Emigrants Have Sent 52 Billion Dollars in Remittances to Cuba in the Last 30 Years”