Things, or at least “hearing about things” seems to have slowed down a bit over the past week. Most of what’s happening now in the States is zeroing in on domestic politics. Oh, and the Olympics; Cuba’s got 13 medals as of the writing of this weekly roundup, hotels are becoming hospitals in the central province of Ciego de Avila, China’s had “enough with sanctions,” the Internet is a political hot potato, the U.S. issues new sanctions and three Cubans on air mattresses are stopped by Russia trying to get into the EU.
That’s what we’ve got for you in our Weekly News Roundup, a general summary of the headlines from the week, for this week, August 6th, 2021.
By the way, none of the opinions in any of the stories below represent ours; we’re just sharing them with you. If you are a journalist or you have seen a story that you’d like us to consider for future weekly news roundups, please send us a note and a link to the story here.
ESPN: Julio Cesar La Cruz wins heavyweight final for Cuba’s third boxing gold in Tokyo
La Cruz capped the trifecta Friday with a clear victory over Russian heavyweight Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, putting on a defensive masterclass in his 5:0 win. Read more on ESPN.com.
LA Times: Op-Ed: ‘He’s no Fidel.’ Public shaming of Cuba’s leader is a new thing in post-Castro Cuba
Immediately after the street protests on July 11, Díaz-Canel went on Cuba’s national TV and blamed delinquents, backed by the United States, for organizing the riots, without offering proof. Read more on latimes.com.
NBC News: Cuba battles soaring Covid cases with hotels becoming hospitals
“The people are very frightened. Every day, more sick, more deaths — a relative, a neighbor, a friend,” said Mayi Del Valle, a 49-year-old library worker from the town of Ceballos. Read more at NBCNews.com.
Newsweek: China Tells U.S. ‘Enough with Sanctions!’ and Pledges to Support Cuba
China has called on the United States to cease its decades-long campaign of sanctions against Cuba and has pledged support for the fellow Communist state under new pressure from President Joe Biden’s administration. Read more at newsweek.com.
Reuters: U.S. issues new Cuba sanctions, Biden promises more to come
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions, which appeared to be largely symbolic, were a reaction to “actions to suppress peaceful, pro-democratic protests in Cuba that began on July 11.” Read more at reuters.com.
BBC: Russia stops Cubans trying to enter EU on air beds
Three Cubans who took the desperate step of trying to cross one of Europe’s most sensitive border rivers on air beds now face deportation from Russia. Read more at bbc.com.
The Guardian: Why the internet in Cuba has become a US political hot potato
After Havana shut down online access for 72 hours, the battle is on to keep the country connected. Read more at theguardian.com.
NBC News: Cuba policy is domestic politics. It’s a tough spot for Biden.
Some demands about what to do to Cuba are not practical, and “Republicans know this,” said one critic, but the GOP also knows Cuban Americans want bold action. Read more at NBCNews.com.
Weekly Cuba News Roundup: July 30, 2021
Many of you have been looking to us for updates on the situation on the ground in Cuba. While we firmly stand by our brand and mission of being bridge builders, without getting into politics, we also realize that today’s environment can’t be ignored. We recognize that ignoring politics is impossible and that we need to keep our eyes open to the humanitarian crisis in front of us.
Going forward we will continue to tell stories that offer perspectives and information that bring us closer together. This new column, however, will share with you a handful of the stories that we read during the week. It will pull together five to seven headlines that kept us informed and that we thought should keep you informed too.
So with that, this first weekly Cuba News Roundup is a doozy; Biden hosts Cuban-Americans at the White House, Mexico tells the US, “back-off, we’re delivering supplies to Cuba,” The Cuban embassy in Paris was bombed (and the US is being blamed), Jews are supporting the anti-Castro protests, five (possibly six) Cuban generals have died in ten days, The Washington Post criticizes the Cuban government’s dealing of Black Cubans, and The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN are all reporting on the post-protest crackdown. Plus, Mexico’s president proposes to declare Cuba a World Heritage Site.
NBC News: Biden to host Cuban American leaders to discuss response to Cuba protests
President Joe Biden will host Cuban American leaders at the White House on Friday to discuss the recent historic protests in the Caribbean nation and his administration’s response, including new sanctions on Cuban leaders and establishing internet access for Cubans. Read more on NBCNews.com
Newsweek: Cuba’s Foreign Minister Blames U.S. After Paris Embassy Attacked With Molotov Cocktails
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the U.S. government of initiating campaigns of “violence” on Monday after the country’s foreign embassy in Paris was attacked by gasoline bombs. Read more at Newsweek.com.
Related Post: Poll Results: Here’s How Many of You Participated In Protests
Haaretz: Why Cuban-Jews in the U.S. Are Cheering on anti-Castro Protests
Cuba’s Jewish community has kept a low profile for decades, and is doing the same in light of the recent protests. Cuban-Jewish leaders in Florida, meanwhile, express strong solidarity with the island’s demonstrators. Read more at Haaretz.com.
Related Post: What It’s Like To Be Cuban-American Right Now
NBC News: Mexican President Says Sending Fuel Cargo to Cuba Is Their Sovereign Decision
Mexico’s president asserted his country’s right to send fuel to Cuba and said on Tuesday that U.S. sanctions on the island were “inhumane,” after a diesel cargo shipped by Mexico’s state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos arrived in Cuba’s Havana port. Read more at NBCNews.com.
CNN: Trump’s Inroads With Florida Latinos Are Influencing Democratic Response to Cuba
Democrats in South Florida, beleaguered by a tough 2020 election in the state, have been privately and publicly urging their party leaders to embrace the protests against Cuba’s communist regime that are roiling the island nation. Read more at CNN.com.
Related Post: Cubanos Con Biden’s Mike Rivero and Daniela Ferrara Want Dialogue
WPLG: Mystery in Cuba – 5 High-Ranking Generals Died in Just 10 Days
The Cuban government hasn’t released the cause of death of the five high-ranking generals who have died in the last ten days. Read more at Local10.com.
Related Post: The July 11th Protests Didn’t Happen Overnight
The New York Times: ‘Terror’: Crackdown After Protests in Cuba Sends a Chilling Message
In a remarkable act of defiance, thousands of Cubans took to the streets two weeks ago and chanted “We’re not afraid!” Many are now terrified. Read more at NYTimes.com.
Miami Herald: Mexico’s President Says Declare Cuba a World Heritage Site.
It sounds like a joke, but Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador has proposed that Cuba be declared a “World Heritage Site” for being an “example of resistance” against U.S. aggressions. Read more at MiamiHerald.com.
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El Equipo
Hola todo el mundo. Sometimes our stories are sourced from multiple people on our team. Or, we like to keep you guessing... You know... anonymous. And, for that, soy el escritora; "El Equipo." We exist to amplify the voices of writers, photographers, and content creators in the space between the United States and Cuba, and we also feature stories from Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the Latinx community in the US. Topics of interest are personality-driven and include pop culture and music, featured current events, climate and the environment, and travel and tastemakers. Oh, and of course we're always 100% independent. No governments, businesses or other influencing factors play a role in our work.
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