Summer is getting ready to swing the door closed. Kids are back in school. And, Cuba is pushing hard to be ready for tourists again. Huh?
Yes. Looks like Cuba’s on a full-court press to get the country back open by November. This includes getting the entire population vaccinated, as young as age two. In other headlines; the US Coast Guard returned 35 people back to Cuba, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston has met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Cuba’s new private sector laws come with some restrictions. Not the least of which is a ban on Cuban American investment. We also included a story penned by Ada Ferrer touching on the influence of the United States on Cuba as her new book, Cuba: An American History, comes out.
By the way, none of the opinions in any of the stories shared on this page 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. (Hero image photo: Nestor Kim)
Travel Weekly: Cuba easing entry restrictions in November
Despite a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in Cuba, the country plans to ease entry restrictions for travelers starting in mid-November, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism. Read more at travelweekly.com.
CNN: Cuba begins vaccinating children as young as two for Covid-19
The Cuban government has begun to vaccinate children as young as two years old for COVID-19, the island’s state media reported, in a bid to get kids back into classrooms. Read more at cnn.com.
Miami Herald: The Coast Guard returned 35 people to Cuba after stopping five boats headed to the U.S.
On Saturday, the Coast Guard returned 35 people to Cuba after stopping them off the Florida Keys in five separate instances. Read more at miamiherald.com.
The Guardian: Cuba review: American history of island neighbor is telling and timely
As Ada Ferrer writes, ‘Cuba – its sugar, its slavery, its slave trade – is part of the history of American capitalism.’ Her new book is called Cuba: An American History. Read more at theguardian.com.
Independent: Boston cardinal meets Cuban leader on visit to Havana
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston has met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at a time of tense relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Read more at independent.com.
Miami Herald: Cuba’s private-sector law comes with restrictions — and a ban on Cuban American investment
Prodded by an uprising, a wrecked economy and a worsening pandemic, the Cuban government is allowing the creation of small and medium-sized private businesses for the first time in decades. Still, most sectors will remain in state hands, and Cubans abroad cannot be owners, despite early suggestions to the contrary. Read more at miamiherald.com.
Weekly Cuba News Roundup: August 27th, 2021
As we wrap up National Cuban Sandwich Day, we leave you with a handful of the top headlines from the past week. For starters, Cryptocurrencies may officially become legit in Cuba. The Cuban government is looking to recognize and regulate them. Diaz-Canel stands by his decision to crack down on protestors, in the face of criticism. Vietnam is getting Cuba’s COVID-19 vaccine and the technology to deliver it. And at the same time, Cuba’s doctors are calling out the government for the way the COVID-19 epidemic is being handled in their country. And, an open letter on Al Jazeera calls for President Biden to lift sanctions on Cuba so that essential medical supplies can get through. That’s an interesting one for us personally because while we’re against the US embargo on Cuba, we personally know of supplies that do get through to Cuba, despite the blockade. Have a great weekend and get those kiddos masked up and when possible, vaccinated so that they can thrive in school this year.
By the way, none of the opinions in any of the stories shared on this page 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.
Bloomberg: Cuba to Recognize and Regulate Crypto on the Island
Havana (AP) – Cuba’s government said Thursday it will recognize — and regulate — cryptocurrencies for payments on the island. Read more at bloomberg.com.
Miami Herald: Cuba’s leader, facing growing criticism, doubles down on order to crack down on protesters
Diaz-Canel recently told journalists working for state-sanctioned outlets that he doesn’t regret the order to crack down on anti-government demonstrators. Read more at miamiherald.com.
Reuters: Vietnam says Cuba to supply COVID-19 vaccine, transfer technology
Cuba will supply large quantities of its home-grown COVID-19 vaccine, Abdala, to Vietnam and also transfer the production technology to the Southeast Asian country by the end of the year, the Vietnamese health ministry said on Tuesday. Read more at reuters.com.
CNN: Cuban doctors voice rare criticism of government’s Covid-19 handling
Following widespread anti-government protests last month, the Cuban government is now receiving unprecedented criticism from health care workers who say officials botched the island’s response to the pandemic. Read more at cnn.com.
Al Jazeera: An open letter to President Biden on COVID-19 vaccines for Cuba
Cuba would be better prepared to cope with the pandemic if US sanctions are lifted to allow for medical supplies. Read more at aljazeera.com.
Weekly Cuba News Roundup: August 20th, 2021
Wow. What a week in Cuba-US news. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Cuban Americans in Miami while the Biden administration continues their hardline approach to relations with the island. New U.S. sanctions have been placed on Cuban officials. The Cuban government made Internet censorship laws official this week with the new decree-law 35, aimed at stifling dissent and online organization. COVID-19 isn’t a good thing to get anywhere, but right now, definitely not in Cuba. Leading Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer was sentenced to four years in prison. And despite everything happening and the tightening of the noose taking place in Cuba, Cuban citizens continue to remain defiant saying, “we felt free.” And that’s another Weekly News Roundup, our high level summary of the headlines from the week, this week, August 20th, 2021. It’s all below.
Oh, and this may help you digest all the news stories coming out these days. Strap it on. Keep your neck straight and hit the news cycle.
NBC News: U.S. sanctions more Cuban officials; Mayorkas meets with Cuban Americans
The U.S. sanctioned more Cuban officials involved in the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Cuba last month after a meeting Thursday with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Cuban Americans in Miami. Read more at NBCNews.com.
BBC: Cuba tightens control of internet after protests
The Cuban government has introduced new regulations on the use of social media and the internet, which critics say are aimed at stifling dissent. The decrees were published in the wake of the largest anti-government protests to sweep through the Communist-run island in decades. Read more at BBC.com.
New York Times: Overwhelmed by Coronavirus, Cuba’s Vaunted Health System Is Reeling
Cuba’s health care system, long a source of national pride, is in acute distress, particularly in distant provinces. After fending off the coronavirus last year, Cuba has been ravaged this summer by the highly contagious Delta variant, which has sent case rates soaring and swamped the country’s medical system. Read more at NYTimes.com.
NBC News: Leading Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer ordered to serve four year prison sentence
Cuba has revoked the right to home detention of leading dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer and ordered him to serve the remaining 4 years of a sentence for assault in prison, sparking criticism that the order was politically motivated. Read more at NBCnews.com.
Politico: White House sticks with hardline approach to Cuba
President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security secretary met Thursday with prominent Cuban American activists here and announced new sanctions on Cuban regime officials, the latest move that aligns the Democrat’s policies more with Donald Trump than Barack Obama. Read more at politico.com.
BBC: ‘We felt free’: Cubans remain defiant in face of protest crackdown
Even during the island’s dire food shortages, most Cubans have coped with characteristic stoicism, taking care that their mutterings of complaint do not grow into loud calls for change, at least not in front of anyone in authority.
Weekly Cuba News Roundup: August 6, 2021
In the midst of crackdowns, Cuba’s government has approved small and medium-sized businesses, analysts give their take on why Cuba’s protests took place, the U.S. Coast Guard sends rafters back, and as Cuba’s COVID-19 crisis continues to spike, there’s a race against time to vaccinate the population. 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.
The Economist: Cuba’s government approves small and medium-sized enterprises
On august 6th the Cuban council of state approved a long-awaited law authorising the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more at economist.com.
Yahoo! News: Why Cubans took to the streets: 3 questions about Cuba’s economic crisis answered
Thousands of Cubans took to the streets across the island around mid-July 2021 in a rare mass expression of dissent in a country known for repressive crackdowns. The government has cracked down by arresting hundreds of dissidents and clamped down on the internet, prompting new sanctions from the U.S. Read more at news.yahoo.com.
WPLG: Coast Guard returns 29 migrants to Cuba after intercepting 4 vessels
Two Cubans with a complicated tale of woes attempted a voyage to South Florida in what the U.S. Coast Guard described on Tuesday as “a 10-foot styrofoam hull rustic vessel.”
They were among the 29 Cubans the U.S. Coast Guard returned to the Communist-run island after failed attempts to get away from economic ruin during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more at local10.com.
NBC News: ‘Living through a war’: In Cuba, a race to vaccinate as Covid surges
Niurka Rodríguez is besieged by Covid-19. Across the road, a famous pitcher who played baseball for her province, Ciego de Ávila, recently died after contracting the virus. Many of her neighbors are infected, and her local clinic has no rapid tests. Read more at nbcnews.com.
Weekly Cuba News Roundup: August 6, 2021
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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