‘That Secret Symphony’, Holguín’s Poetic Dissidence

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 21 May 2022 — Holguín exists thanks to a plague of ants and bibijaguas [leaf cutter ants]. It is the strangest and most enigmatic region of the Island. Columbus entered Cuba through it and in Nipe – the largest bay in the archipelago – the Virgin of Charity was found. In … Continue reading “‘That Secret Symphony’, Holguín’s Poetic Dissidence”

Cuba Continues to Build Hotels with Money of Unknown Origin and for Non-Existent Tourists

14ymedio, Havana, 12 May 2022 — More than 8,930 rooms of the almost 78,000 that Cuba has will remain empty in 2022. The Cuban economist Pedro Monreal, reports that some 1,473 million dollars were invested in these rooms, without revealing the origin of this investment. Monreal suggests adopting “a pause” in hotel investments and targeting … Continue reading “Cuba Continues to Build Hotels with Money of Unknown Origin and for Non-Existent Tourists”

Cuba: Explosion at Havana’s Saratoga Hotel Has Killed 22, So Far

14ymedio, Havana, 6 May 2022 — The Cuban government lamented, this Friday afternoon, the death of 22 people, “including a pregnant woman and a child” due to the explosion of the Saratoga hotel in Havana. In a press conference held by the medical authorities, it was detailed that there are three children in critical condition, … Continue reading “Cuba: Explosion at Havana’s Saratoga Hotel Has Killed 22, So Far”

The Cuban State Only Completed 42 Percent of the Homes Planned for 2021

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 20 March 2022 — The Cuban Ministry of Construction (Micons) only completed 42% of the houses it planned to build in 2021 and 41% of the planned repairs. According to the ministry’s annual report, presented this Saturday by official media, last year 18,645 homes were completed from the state plans, of the nearly … Continue reading “The Cuban State Only Completed 42 Percent of the Homes Planned for 2021”

The True History of the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba

14ymedio, Luis Zúñiga, Miami, 5 February 2022 — On June 5, 1960, Fidel Castro ordered the nationalization of the Texaco company’s oil refinery in Cuba.  The following month, on July 5, he ordered the seizure of the two remaining US refineries, Shell and Esso. Castro let the owners know that there would be no monetary … Continue reading “The True History of the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba”

Experts Predict ‘High Peaks’ of Covid in Cuba Until March

14ymedio, Havana, 12 January 2022 — The progressive increase in coronavirus cases in Cuba will be the norm from now on, and will increase, at least during the first quarter of the year. “[There will be a] rapid growth in the number of confirmed cases, with high peaks, which could strain the health system, but … Continue reading “Experts Predict ‘High Peaks’ of Covid in Cuba Until March”

Cuba Exceeds 1,000 Covid Cases and Changes the Isolation Protocols

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 6 January 2022 — With 1,429 new positive cases for covid-19 reported this Thursday, Cuba exceeded one thousand infections registered in one day, a figure that the Ministry of Public Health had not reported since last October 25 when it reported 1,210 patients. With the increase in cases — this … Continue reading “Cuba Exceeds 1,000 Covid Cases and Changes the Isolation Protocols”

Faced With the Failure of its ‘Ordering Task’, the Cuban Government Talks About ‘Rectification’

14ymedio, Havana, 13 December 2021 — There will be changes to correct the deficiencies of the failed Tarea Ordenamiento (Ordering Task), which was planned for more than ten years and whose execution even the Cuban authorities themselves consider catastrophic. In his 2021 accountability report, presented this weekend, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero admits that “the objective of this … Continue reading “Faced With the Failure of its ‘Ordering Task’, the Cuban Government Talks About ‘Rectification’”

Cuban Government Disqualifies a Doctor for His Criticisms of the Healthcare System

14ymedio, Havana, 23 November 2021 — Retaliation against anyone who expresses themselves on social networks against Cuba’s current healthcare system continues. This Tuesday, a resolution signed by the Minister of Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, “disqualifies from the exercise of [his] profession” Dr. Alexander Jesús Figueredo Izaguirre. “The arbitrariness and denigration continue” just because “I … Continue reading “Cuban Government Disqualifies a Doctor for His Criticisms of the Healthcare System”

Regime Change in Cuba

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 14 November 2021 — Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla was used by Raúl Castro to try to “scare” the young creators of “Archipiélago” and the San Isidro Movement. Bruno summoned the diplomats based in Cuba and said that the excesses announced for November 15 wouldn’t be tolerated. Why? Very … Continue reading “Regime Change in Cuba”

The Next Move of Lopez-Calleja, Raul Castro’s Man

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 25 October 2021 — It is assumed that the agenda of Division General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja now has room for his new commitment: responding to the requirements of the 16,500 inhabitants of the municipality of Remedios, in the province of Villa Clara, where they have chosen him as their representative … Continue reading “The Next Move of Lopez-Calleja, Raul Castro’s Man”

A Million Packages are in Cuban State Warehouses, Waiting to be Distributed

14ymedio, Havana, 8 October 2021 — About a million packages sent to Cuba from abroad have been piled up in state warehouses, some of them for more than a year, while the recipients, overwhelmed by needs, cannot get them delivered. With the worst economic crisis of this century and a growing shortage in the island’s … Continue reading “A Million Packages are in Cuban State Warehouses, Waiting to be Distributed”

Group of Cubans Ask Authorization to Demonstrate in Havana on 20 November

14ymedio, Havana, 21 September 2021 — With the reopening of tourism and schools, scheduled for the middle of November, a way is opened to the reactivation of citizen protests. A group of artists and intellectuals who participated in the spontaneous demonstrations on July 11 has requested authorization for a march against violence on Saturday, November … Continue reading “Group of Cubans Ask Authorization to Demonstrate in Havana on 20 November”

Cubans Losing Patience after Another Outage at the Island’s Main Electric Power Plant

14ymedio, Havana, September 21, 2021 — After so many articles about “improved maintenance at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, after so many promises,” this is what they come out with. That was the reaction of one customer, Valette, to an announcement that most of central Cuba would be without power starting at 5:24 on Tuesday. … Continue reading “Cubans Losing Patience after Another Outage at the Island’s Main Electric Power Plant”

And After July 11th, What Comes Next?

14ymedio, Ariel Hidalgo, Miami, 25 August 2021 — In the worst days of the Special Period crisis, when I was asked during a Miami radio program if I thought that people in Cuba were going to take to the streets, I replied: “The only street where people could launch themselves would be the Malecón, trying … Continue reading “And After July 11th, What Comes Next?”