English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, West Palm Beach, 7 August 2019 — The Ministry of Transportation (Mitrans) has once again announced a traffic program for the maintenance and supervision of roads. Far from being a novelty, this would be the most recent of the many road improvement plans that — like housing construction — have cyclically been … Continue reading “Road Repair: Another Challenge to “Continuity””
14ymedio, Havana, October 30, 2018 — “Now it’s a high-risk investment but I hope that in five years everything changes for the better.” That’s the hope expressed by an Italian businessman who has invested in the Island, stumbling over the habitual difficulties of doing business in Cuba. “Since I first became interested until I was … Continue reading “Cuba Looks for Investors Ready to Take Risks”
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 28 March 2018 – On April 19th, when the enigma is finally cleared up about who the new Cuban president (not elected by the people) will be, for the next 10 years, the members of his brotherhood won’t be able to figure out whether to congratulate him or to offer him … Continue reading “The Victorious Failure of the Castro Regime / Miriam Celaya”
Juan Juan Almeida, 28 November 2017 — The first seven Russian TGM 8 locomotives arrived in Cuba last week as part of a questionable railway development project that includes another 28 by 2018. Cuba’s primary official media from the Granma newspaper to the Cubadebate site and the Russian Sputnik reported the arrival of the first seven of 15 locomotives in a lot that will … Continue reading “New Locomotives in Cuba: Investment, Waste or Corruption? / Juan Juan Almeida”
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 28 December 2016 — On December 27th, at the Havana Convention Center, the Eighth Session of the Eighth Legislature of the Cuban Parliament opened, with a balance sheet on the socio-economic results of the year ending and the proposed draft of the National Budget Law for 2017. This time, there is … Continue reading “Cuban Parliament Sessions Predict Somber Times / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya”
14ymedio, Jorge Hernandez Fonseca, 4 August 2015 – Cuba has lived under the rule of the Castro brothers for a long “socialist” period, the result of which has been an impoverished society. The solution now promoted by the authorities is “to befriend the imperialist enemy,” because, “without the restoration of capitalism it is impossible to … Continue reading “In Cuba, We Have The Worst Of Both Worlds / 14ymedio, Jorge Hernandez Fonseca”
HAVANA, Cuba.-The crucial dispute in which the geopolitical, economic, and military interests of major world powers are played is the most relevant one in escalating individual conflicts that have been taking place in other regions–the Syrian and Venezuelan crises are two examples–perhaps of lesser effects globally, but where hegemonic interests also have some influence. Thus, … Continue reading “Putin Looks to Cuba / Miriam Celaya”
“If the media stops talking, let the streets talk” In one way or another, Cuba is taking note of the street protests occurring these days in Venezuela. The most nervous are the olive-green autocrats. According to a low-level party official, since the death of Hugo Chávez on 5 March 2013, the regime has had various … Continue reading “What Is Happening in Venezuela Worries Cuba / Ivan Garcia”
One way or another, the street protests taking place recently in Venezuela are being noticed in Cuba. The most nervous are the olive green autocrats. According to a low-ranking party official, since the death of Hugo Chavez, the regime has had several contingency plans in its drawer, in case the situation in Venezuela were not … Continue reading “Opposition Protests in Venezuela Worry Not A Few Ordinary Cubans / Ivan Garcia”
Given that there are only a few days left before the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is going to be held in Havana, as is usual in these cases, they are rounding up the indigents. The sites where the largest concentrations of homeless people spend the night in the … Continue reading “Round-up of “Indigents” Begins Prior to CELAC Summit / Pablo Pascual Méndez Piña”
