Tourist
The Dark Side Of Tourism in Cuba
The Dark Side Of Tourism in Cuba 14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Viñales, 27 June 2018 — At the entrance to Calle Obispo a guide explains to her customers the restoration works in the historical center of Havana. A few yards away, the line to exchange currency is full of foreigners and in the corner bar one […] Continue reading
Elliott Abrams: Has Trump Made the Right Move in Cuba?
Elliott Abrams: Has Trump Made the Right Move in Cuba? Elliott Abrams, Newsweek • June 22, This article first appeared on the Council on Foreign Relations site. Congratulations to President Trump for a serious (though not total) reversal of the terrible Obama policy toward Cuba. Why? Because the Obama policy was values-free, granting all sorts […] Continue reading
Will New Cuba Travel Policy Hurt U.S. Airlines?
Will New Cuba Travel Policy Hurt U.S. Airlines? Zacks Equity Research On Jun 16, President Trump announced some changes to current U.S. policy on Cuba, which were put into action by his predecessor Barack Obama. The new policy is in line with Trump’s promise during the campaigning phase. In fact, Trump had reportedly tweeted in […] Continue reading
Being Rich Is Banned in Cuba
Being Rich Is Banned in Cuba / Iván García Ivan Garcia, 8 June 2017 — The die is cast. At the special session of the National Assembly of People’s Power held on May 31 and June 1 at the Palace of Conventions, delegates have, as expected, approved the economic plan for 2016 to 2021 and […] Continue reading
Trump’s Cuba policy tries to redefine ‘good’ U.S. tourism. That includes putting them back on tour buses.
Trump’s Cuba policy tries to redefine ‘good’ U.S. tourism. That includes putting them back on tour buses. By Nick Miroff June 17 at 2:43 PM The American traveler in Cuba — sweating, disoriented and probably a bit woozy from the rum drinks — is once more at the heart of the struggle for the island’s […] Continue reading
Americans will still be able to travel to Cuba, but rules will be stricter
Americans will still be able to travel to Cuba, but rules will be stricter BY MIMI WHITEFIELD mwhitefield@miamiherald.com The good news for Americans who want to travel to Cuba is they still can, but a draft of President Donald Trump’s presidential policy directive indicates they shouldn’t even think of sneaking away for a day on […] Continue reading
Foreigners and Cubans: Princes and Paupers
Foreigners and Cubans: Princes and Paupers FRANCISCO ALMAGRO DOMÍNGUEZ | Miami | 15 de Junio de 2017 – 15:39 CEST. A woman friend of mine who lives in Miami recently traveled to the Island with her children. As her father is Cuban, she wanted her children to meet the family members who are still there. […] Continue reading
The Cuban visa business: murky but profitable
The Cuban visa business: murky but profitable BY ABEL FERNÁNDEZ abfernandez@elnuevoherald.com Despite the recent start of regular commercial flights to Cuba by U.S. airlines and a record number of passengers, the process of traveling to the island can be murky and confusing to U.S. visitors. After decades of charter flights, the U.S. commercial flights are […] Continue reading
Drug smuggling a risk if US relations with Cuba shift, officials say
Drug smuggling a risk if US relations with Cuba shift, officials say By Patrick Oppmann, CNN Updated 1005 GMT (1805 HKT) June 12, 2017 Havana, Cuba (CNN)For Cuban officials on the front lines of the fight against drug trafficking, the Trump administration’s threat to roll back improved relations between the United States and the communist-run […] Continue reading
They Deceived Us With Tourism
They Deceived Us With Tourism 14ymedio, Marta Requeiro, 29 May 2017 — There was a time when I saw it as natural. I understood, to say it in a certain way, that Varadero beach was not ours despite its being in Cuban territory. My unconscious viewed the image of that strip of land, like many, […] Continue reading
Economic Crime, the Pitfall in the Path
Economic Crime, the Pitfall in the Path 14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, 22 May 2017 — The saleswoman described her merchandise in a murmur: loggerhead turtle steaks, beef and shrimp. The man salivated, but replied that he could not buy any of those products, the most persecuted in the informal market. Every opponent knows that […] Continue reading
Reagan: Won’t visit Cuba until people are free
Reagan: Won’t visit Cuba until people are free May 30, 2017 Michael Reagan Perspective Expedia is now booking hotels in Cuba. American Airlines is flying American tourists from Miami to Havana. For more than a year American-owned cruise lines have been hauling U.S. citizens by the thousands to the Castro brothers’ beautiful socialist paradise 90 […] Continue reading
Do we Cubans still need permission to enter state establishments?
Do we Cubans still need permission to enter state establishments? JORGE ENRIQUE RODRÍGUEZ | La Habana | 31 de Mayo de 2017 – 07:34 CEST. I recently went to buy cigarrettes at the Ruinas del Parque bar-restaurant, located on the corner of Obispo and Aguacate, in Old Havana. I said “good afternoon” to the doorman, […] Continue reading
Cuba beach invaded by millions of crabs
Cuba beach invaded by millions of crabs By NBC News Published: April 25, 2017, 12:39 pm CIENAGA DE ZAPATA, Cuba (NBC News) — Cuba’s Bay of Pigs has been invaded again, this time not by U.S. backed anti-Castro forces, but by millions of red, yellow and black landcrabs. Each year, after the first spring rains, […] Continue reading
Crabs invade Cuba’s Bay of Pigs
Crabs invade Cuba’s Bay of Pigs April 25, 2017, 10:59:00 AM EDT By Reuters By Sarah Marsh BAY OF PIGS, Cuba, April 25 (Reuters) – Cuba’s Bay of Pigs has been invaded again, this time not by U.S.-backed anti-Castro forces, but by millions of red, yellow and black landcrabs. Each year, after the first spring […] Continue reading
Social justice in Cuba? No racism?
Commentary: Social justice in Cuba? No racism? Javier Garcia-Bengochea Guest Columnist Privacy Policy It ain’t what you don’t know that hurts you. It’s what you think you know that just ain’t so … Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige paraphrasing Mark Twain. It’s called fake news. For decades, Cuba has promoted a false narrative regarding […] Continue reading
Cuba needs new laws and stronger action targeting human trafficking – UN rights expert
Cuba needs new laws and stronger action targeting human trafficking – UN rights expert 21 April 2017 – A United Nations human rights expert has urged Cuba to consider introducing new legislation to ensure that everyone who falls victim to trafficking in persons can be identified and helped, and the authorities can take action against […] Continue reading
Green Gold From Cuba’s Fields
Green Gold From Cuba’s Fields 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 7 April 2017 – A shout disturbed the morning’s tranquility. “Avocaaaaaaado!” shouted the roving salesman as he toured the streets of Central Havana. Considered the “green gold” of foods, this fruit could become an important source of income for the island, due to the high level […] Continue reading
In the twilight of the Castros
In the twilight of the Castros By Stephen Kinzer APRIL 14, 2017 SANTA CLARA, Cuba THIS PROVINCIAL CAPITAL in central Cuba throbbed with life on a recent Saturday night. In one plaza, a Beatles cover band sang “Ticket to Ride” for an enthusiastic crowd. Exuberant groups of gay men made their way toward a club […] Continue reading
It Is Forbidden To Sell Cheese In The Cuban Countryside
It Is Forbidden To Sell Cheese In The Cuban Countryside 14ymedio, Bertha Guillen, Candelaria, 11 April 2017 — The milk boils on the rustic stove while on the table the cream is churned to make butter. The whole family revolves around the modest production of artisan cheese, a product targeted by the police and appealing […] Continue reading
Rice Without Pebbles For The Tourists
Rice Without Pebbles For The Tourists 14ymedio, Marta Requeiro, Miami, 13 April 2017 — I still have a clear memory of the Cuban TV show Cocina a minuto, every Sunday before noon. It disappeared, of course, when it was no longer possible to make the recipes with what the people had at their disposal in […] Continue reading
Cuba after Fidel Castro: Full of life, but it is life on the brink of death
Cuba after Fidel Castro: Full of life, but it is life on the brink of death By ANNIKA HERNROTH-ROTHSTEIN • 4/10/17 8:00 PM HAVANA — The young woman sees me watch in amazement as she gets up from her seat and attempts to carry the four bags with her through the aisle of the plane, […] Continue reading
In Cuba, young people are weighing professional dreams against the allure of the new economy
In Cuba, young people are weighing professional dreams against the allure of the new economy PRI’s The World April 11, 2017 · 4:45 PM EDT By Deepa Fernandes Seven-year-old Havana resident Jennifer Alvarez loves school. Her favorite subject is math, but “sometimes it’s complicated,” she says. Alvarez is a sweet little girl, being raised by […] Continue reading
What the Future Holds for U.S.-Cuba Relations
What the Future Holds for U.S.-Cuba Relations Apr 11, 2017 Latin America North America When the Obama administration reestablished U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 2014, many experts predicted that it would bring a flood of new money to the island, transforming its economy and political culture for the better. Almost two-and-a-half years later, […] Continue reading
Tips from a traveler to Cuba
Tips from a traveler to Cuba By Amelia Rayno APRIL 7, 2017 — 1:45PM AMELIA RAYNO During a solo people-to-people tour of Cuba, I learned some important things through trial and error. Here are some important tips I wish I’d known before I went: • Bring more cash than you think you need; prices across […] Continue reading
The Thousand Faces of “Journalism”
The Thousand Faces of “Journalism” / Miriam Celaya Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 29 March 2017 – An opinion piece published in recent days by El Nuevo Herald gives me a disturbing feeling of déjà vu. It is not the subject – overflowing with a number of articles by different authors – but its focal point, […] Continue reading
more reliant on the US than ever
Cuba: more reliant on the US than ever ROBERTO ÁLVAREZ QUIÑONES | Los Ángeles | 27 de Marzo de 2017 – 16:38 CEST. The best way to appreciate how that Cuba’s economy today depends on the US more than ever before in its history is to engage in a very simple mental exercise: imagine that […] Continue reading
How the Black Market Keeps Cuba’s Private Restaurants in Business
How the Black Market Keeps Cuba’s Private Restaurants in Business The challenge of running a restaurant “a la izquierda” by Suzanne Cope Mar 21, 2017, 2:02pm EDT On a recent January evening, tourists and a few Habaneros sat under a palm frond canopy sipping rum cocktails, listening to a live band playing Cuban folk songs […] Continue reading