Cuba guarantees food rations in bid to defuse tension after protests
Havana, Cuba Reuters Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said this week his communist-run government has secured supply of key subsidised food rations as he moved to defuse tensions just two weeks after protesters took to the streets over widespread shortages. Diaz-Canel, who appeared on the mid-day TV newscast on Thursday, said his government had undertaken an […]
Cuba: Amid blackouts and scarce food, protests rattle ‘cradle’ of the Revolution
DAVE SHERWOOD and ALIEN FERNANDEZ, of Reuters, report from Santiago de Cuba…
Outspoken Cuban priest cries foul as country marks Good Friday
Havana, Cuba Reuters Cuban Roman Catholics held public processions across the Communist-run country on Friday to mark Good Friday, but there was at least one exception in Havana where 150 of the faithful were relegated to the church parking lot. Father Lester Zayas Diaz, 45, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish of Vedado, told […]
Protest erupts in eastern Cuba amid blackouts, food shortages
Havana, Cuba Reuters Hundreds in Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago, took to the streets late Sunday in a rare public protest, according to social media and official reports, and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called for an “atmosphere of tranquility and peace”. Protesters in Santiago chanted “power and food,” according to videos posted on social media, as […]
Essay: As the government returns to hardline tactics of yesteryear, the Cuban people need our prayers and support
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says there is no sign of a let-up in a government crackdown on religious leaders and religious freedom advocates in Cuba…
Cuba turns off some public lighting as energy crisis worsens
Havana, Cuba Reuters Cuba has switched off nearly three-quarters of public lighting during peak hours to cope with a growing energy shortage, state media reported on Tuesday, as hopes to reverse a deepening economic crisis dim. The blackouts, which disrupt daily life and the economy, have plagued the Communist-run country for several years but have […]
Postcards: No visa required – Cuban biologists unravel mysteries of bird migration
DAVE SHERWOOD and ALIEN FERNANDEZ, of Reuters, report from Havana…
StrangeSights: A stone Mercedes in Croatia; an unusual perfume; and, a recycled wood Eiffel Tower
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Colombia and ELN rebels extend ceasefire by six months, agree to set up fund
Bogota, Colombia/Havana, Cuba Reuters Colombia’s government and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels have extended their bilateral ceasefire for another six months starting Tuesday, the same day they announced the creation of a fund backed by multiple donors to finance the process. An initial six-month ceasefire expired last week and was then extended by five days. […]
Families of jailed Cuban protesters file petition for their freedom
Havana, Cuba Reuters Family members of 34 prisoners in Cuba who were jailed following anti-government protests in July, 2021, have filed a petition with lawmakers seeking an amnesty for their loved ones. According to rights groups, some 1,000 people were jailed in the wake of the protests, the largest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution. Some […]