Search results for: plaza carlos III

Private Contractors Are What’s Keeping Cuba’s Online Shopping Site ‘TuEnvio’ Alive

14ymedio, Havana, March 22, 2021 – The Cuban delivery platform TuEnvío could have used the pandemic as an opportunity to develop and improve its services but, after more than a year, the consensus is that the platform is a disaster. Even the state-run news site Cubadebate acknowledges as much. The problems are less technological and more … Continue reading “Private Contractors Are What’s Keeping Cuba’s Online Shopping Site ‘TuEnvio’ Alive”

Insatiable, Etecsa Seeks to Take Over Remittance Business in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 19 March 2021 — “Two recharges with bonus in a single month, they must be very hard up for money,” thinks Lázaro Miguel, a 27-year-old young man who makes a living in Havana updating mobile operating systems and selling vouchers for cell phones. So far this year, his work has multiplied because the state … Continue reading “Insatiable, Etecsa Seeks to Take Over Remittance Business in Cuba”

Life Gets More Difficult Every Day in the Cuban Capital

14ymedio, Havana, 5 March 2021 — The streets of Centro Habana, one of the municipalities of the Cuban capital with the most covid-19 infections, record the desolation that reigns in many corners of the island. Proof of this desolation is in this image – taken today by a photographer from 14ymedio – of a retiree rummaging through … Continue reading “Life Gets More Difficult Every Day in the Cuban Capital”

Red Carpet for Dollars, Service Entrance for Pesos

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguea, Havana, 14 December 2020 — When the Plaza de Carlos III shopping mall in downtown Havana opened on Monday, there was a special entrance for customers with foreign currency. They were allowed to enter a home appliance store through the front door. Those who wanted to buy products with Cuban pesos were … Continue reading “Red Carpet for Dollars, Service Entrance for Pesos”

Soldiers Deployed to Guard Hard Currency Stores

14ymedio, Havana, December 1, 2020 — The areas around several Havana stores have been under heavy guard by military and special forces troops since Monday when windows in one of the stores were smashed. Purchases at these stores, known locally as MLCs (the Spanish initials for “Freely Convertible Currency”), can only be made with foreign currency, … Continue reading “Soldiers Deployed to Guard Hard Currency Stores”

Adios Western Union, Come Back Soon Western Union

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 November 2020 — Four, three, two … A countdown marks the closing time of the Western Union office in Cuba this Monday. When the clock strikes six in the evening, a long era of remittances through the US company will be over, an end resulting from the sanctions imposed … Continue reading “Adios Western Union, Come Back Soon Western Union”

Cuban Authorities Report "Potentially Dangerous" Covid-19 Outbreak at La Epoca Store

14ymedio, Havana, 25 May 2020 — La Época store in Central Havana has been the focus of an outbreak that is “potentially dangerous for the province” according to the president of the Provincial Defense Council, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar. Eleven people who had been in this mall tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, when 15 … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Report "Potentially Dangerous" Covid-19 Outbreak at La Epoca Store”

Cuban Government Mobilizes Public Transport to Deliver Online Purchases

14ymedio, Havana, 15 May 2020 — After weeks of delay and amid an avalanche of demands, this Friday Cuba’s government-run online shopping service TuEnvío has tried to complete a part of the pending deliveries. The Cimex corporation, which manages the e-commerce platform, announced that it will reopen purchases shortly and add new stores. During the day today, … Continue reading “Cuban Government Mobilizes Public Transport to Deliver Online Purchases”

Day 33 to 38 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: There is Always an Eye That Sees You

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 27 April 2020 — Life does not stop. We may be in a health emergency or quarantine, but children continue to be born, couples separate and the pipes break. We know about this last thing in our house, where we spent several days trying to repair a leak that made our already complicated … Continue reading “Day 33 to 38 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: There is Always an Eye That Sees You”

In the Face of the Authorities’ Inaction, Cubans Mobilize Themselves Against Coronavirus

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, March 20, 2020* — In front of the television screen, Cubans watch the days pass by without authorities ordering the closing of the borders, the suspension of classes, or more strict measures of quarantine. While life seems to continue at its normal rhythm on the Island, many citizens and private businesses … Continue reading “In the Face of the Authorities’ Inaction, Cubans Mobilize Themselves Against Coronavirus”

"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 5 February 2020 —  You hear the sound of hammers and a wheelbarrow that comes loaded with mortar to finish building the bathroom. At the home of Olivia, age 28, there is an incessant movement of builders but the sound of the works can stop at any time. “I am waiting for … Continue reading “"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba”

Why the Reopening of the Cuatro Caminos Market Failed

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 18 November 2019 — Economists and analysts will say otherwise, but Amalia, 68, has her own version of events. This Saturday she decided to visit the Mercado de Cuatro Caminos, in Havana, to observe with her own eyes the reopening of the most important commercial center in the Cuban capital. “When I saw … Continue reading “Why the Reopening of the Cuatro Caminos Market Failed”

Out of "Fear of the US" Several Spanish Businesspeople do Not Want to Accompany King Felipe VI to Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 30 October 2019 — “It is normal for them to be afraid of the United States,” Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in reply to a question from the online media OKdiario about the decision of some Spanish businesspeople not to accompany the Spanish Royals on their visit to Cuba. “They will know what they are … Continue reading “Out of "Fear of the US" Several Spanish Businesspeople do Not Want to Accompany King Felipe VI to Cuba”

Businesses Comply With "Capped" Prices Out of Fear of Complaints

14ymedio, Havana, August 1, 2019 — Notice boards of missing products or those corrected in a hurry are part of the scene this Thursday as capped prices of drinks go into effect in private cafes and bakeries in Havana, a governmental measure that intends to contain inflation after the salary increase in the state sector. … Continue reading “Businesses Comply With "Capped" Prices Out of Fear of Complaints”

Cuban Schools Lagging in Sports

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 11 July 2019 — “Breathe deeply, touch your shoulders with your hands”, the young PE teacher instructs some children who laugh, leave the line and from time to time follow the instructions of the teacher, while they play an improvised football match with a handball. The scene takes place in the Havana … Continue reading “Cuban Schools Lagging in Sports”