Source: Havana Times Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, soon to be officially beatified as a saint, demonstrated with his life his calling to “see and hear his people’s suffering. His behavior was a full exercise of Christian charity.” Today our bishops are doing the same. Link: “In the Name of God, I Order You:

Source: Havana Times Ever more ferocious repression and attacks on the bishops hardened the position of 21 countries. Only Venezuela and St. Vincent remained in support of the Ortega government. The majority of the governments demand an end to the repression and disarming of the paramilitaries. Link: OAS Resolution Isolates Nicaragua’s Ortega

Source: Havana Times Years ago, you could purchase this highly valued product, which was imported from Canada, the US or Brazil, according to its packaging. Domestic trade used to distribute it among the population via the food rations booklet or at hard-currency stores. Link: Traditional Cuban Cuisine: from Chicken to Chicken Gizzards!

Source: Havana Times You only have to take a stroll through Havana to realize how what government media refers to as “vandalism” is growing every day. What’s going on? Not even the media can explain it. The thing is that the Cuban people are always the ones to suffer the consequences of everything.

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan State prosecutor has filed a formal accusation against Medardo Mairena, representative for the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy at the National Dialogue Table, and Pedro Mena, a rural leader. The two have been charged with the crimes of murder, terrorism, organized crime, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, damages to…

Source: Havana Times Irlanda Jerez, a leader of the merchants at Managua’s largest market, the Oriental, one of the sectors of society protesting against the Ortega government, was detained today by the police in Managua. Her whereabouts are unknown at this time. Link: Opposition Leader Abducted in Nicaragua as OAS Condemns Violence

Source: Havana Times Exactly three months after a wave of protests began in Nicaragua, the OAS today approved a resolution that urges the government of Daniel Ortega to “support an electoral calendar,” a formula of calling for early elections as a way out of the worse crisis in four decades in the Central…

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, there are supply and demand agro-markets, which differ from state-run markets because they always have produce, but prices are much higher. Here the law of “take it or leave it” is applied, and the sellers set the tune, some of which would rather see their produce go to…

Source: Havana Times Gerald Vazquez Lopez’ shroud reflected on the one hand his passion for Nicaraguan folklore, and on the other his involvement in the university students’ struggle against Daniel Ortega’s government. The 23-year old was arrayed for his funeral in a traditional folkdance guayabera and a Panama hat. Under his chest he…

Source: Havana Times It’s night-time. Suspicious eyes roam the streets. Poetry is being read, songs are being sung and there are cries at a new alternative festival “Poesia Sin Fin”, in a corner of Old Havana. We don’t all fit inside the house. The audience gathers outside a door and window to hear…

Source: Havana Times The regime of Daniel Ortega launched an armed offensive on Tuesday morning against Masaya, specifically in the indigenous neighborhood of Monimbo, the epicenter of the resistance against the dictatorship. Link: Ortega Launches Massive Attack against Masaya

Source: Havana Times The Puerto Rican singer Rene Perez Joglar, popularly known as “Residente”, recently sent a message to protesters who are demanding the resignation of Daniel Ortega. In the message, he declared that those in Nicaragua who are unhappy should protest “to the end”. Link: Vocalist “Residente” Urges Nicaragua to Protest “to

Source: Havana Times The Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy* (ASCE) will hold its 28th annual conference titled “Cuba: After Raul?.” The three-day event takes place on July 26-28, and will feature scholarly presentations and roundtable discussions by world-class experts, including from Cuba. Link: Association for the Study of the Cuban

Source: Havana Times This second piece of video art formed part of the third project I created for the Alternative Havana Biennial which took place in May. This time, I was lucky to have Czech-born artist and photographer (now living in the US), Sonia Domkarova, performing at the screening. Link: Vulgarly Classic II

Source: Havana Times Everybody knows that there has been a upswing of repression and censorship of artists here in Cuba. Now, with the government’s so-called “constitutional reforms”, Decree-Law no. 349/2018 and its Chapter of Violations has appeared, with a new crime of contempt against artists. Link: Persecution of Cuban Artists and Intellectuals Gains

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan Parliament, dominated by the Ortega family governing party, approved two laws on Monday to criminalize the ongoing protests now reaching three months. Link: Nicaragua Gets Catch-all Terrorism Law to Make Protesting a Crime

Source: Havana Times After an especially bloody weekend in which Nicaraguan government forces attacked opposition demostrators in numerous cities, the OAS, UN and CELAC all reacted today to the deepening crisis in the Central American country. Here is the report from dpa news. Link: International Outcry Grows on the Nicaragua Crisis

Source: Havana Times Greetings to all rockers in Cuba, the good news is that rock band “Malas Noticias” has played at Havana’s rock venues over the past few days and they were a real hit! These guys from Matanzas play covers by famous rock bands such as Guns and Roses, Led Zeppelin, Beatles…

Source: Havana Times After six decades, Felipe Lazaro hasn’t stopped fighing against ruin and oblivion. He returns to his happy childhood in a Guines from yesteryear, the main town to the south of Havana, which finds itself in ruins today. His most recent book, “Invisibles triangulos de muerte” (2017), was recently published by…

Source: Havana Times When you think you’ve seen it all, Venezuela’s Minister of Petroleum and PDVSA president, Manuel Quevedo, turns up with a mass to pray for oil as a way to increase production. Link: Let it Rain Oil in Venezuela

Source: Havana Times Shootings, abduction of opponents, attacks on churches, priests and bishops and at least ten dead, marked Sunday in the continuing attempt by Daniel Ortega to crush the civic rebellion against his government. Meanwhile, international condemnation of the escalation of violence is growing by the day. Link: Nicaragua Bloodbath Continues, International

Source: Havana Times HAVANA TIMES – Nicaraguan singer/songwriter Carlos Mejia Godoy, author of many of the songs sung by the Sandinista rebels in their battle against the Somoza dictatorship in the 1970s, makes a dramatic call to Daniel Ortega to stop the killing unleashed since April by his government’s forces. Link: Carlos Mejia

Source: Havana Times The 24th edition of the Sao Paulo Forum is being held in Havana from July 15-17. It brings together leaders, former presidents and social leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, with the aim of uniting ideas and efforts. The goal is to put an end to the International Right’s…

Source: Havana Times The three diplomats hope the Swedish government will act in the UN, where it currently chairs the Security Council, and use the international tools at its disposal. Link: Former Swedish Ambassadors to Nicaragua Concerned about the Crisis

Source: Havana Times A new Cuban Constitution is being written by the “Revolution’s” own system as I myself type this article. However, there’s no reason to believe that it will include any of the real changes we Cubans need. Most of the Cuban people don’t understand the importance of this moment for the…

Source: Havana Times Marina Castro and her son managed to save their lives by chance. Marina, 57, was the owner of the house that collapsed in the Cerro neighborhood due to heavy rains that lashed the Cuban capital on Thursday afternoon. Link: Another House Collapses in Havana, What’s Next for the Survivors?

Source: Havana Times Two students dead and another 16 wounded resulted from a government ordered paramilitary attack on Managua’s UNAN university and a nearby Catholic Church where many took refuge, reported dpa news on Saturday. Link: Brutal Paramilitary Attack against Students in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times Medardo Mairena, coordinator of the National Council in Defense of the Land, the Lake and Sovereignty, was arrested at noon on Friday, July 13, at Managua’s Augusto C. Sandino Airport and taken to a jail cell in El Chipote. Link: Rural Leader Medardo Mairena Detained in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times At least 90% of Managua’s businesses closed on Friday following the call for a national strike by the Civic Alliance with support from the main business chambers, to continue demanding that Daniel Ortega negotiate his peaceful exit from power after unleashing the worst slaughter in four decades in Nicaragua. Link:

Source: Havana Times Two resolutions have been proposed in the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding the crisis that Nicaragua is suffering, a calamity that on Thursday reached 86 days with a toll of 264 deaths, and rising by the day. Link: Two Proposals on Nicaragua at the OAS

Source: Havana Times It’s taken us almost a year to discover what the Government was doing when it suddenly stopped issuing self-employment licenses, without any warning. New regulations have just been published and the government has also announced that it will take another six months before licenses are granted again Link: The Cuban

Source: Havana Times I am deeply saddened by the views of some politicians from the International Left when, in the name of anti-imperialism, they express their solidarity with Daniel Ortega’s corrupt and repressive government. I think they are suffering an ideological paralysis… Link: Nicaragua’s Drama and International Political Opportunism

Source: Havana Times The brutal repression of Daniel Ortega’s government against the Nicaraguans demanding his exit from power after more than eleven years as president, now counts over 250 dead and has succeeded in dismantling the roadblocks and barricades in the majority of the country. Link: “Upping the Ante for Ortega in the

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, nobody would think to demand (at least in public spaces) that women earn less money than men for doing the same jobs or for bars to reserve their admission rights depending on the color of their clients’ skin, in spite of there still being daily expressions of machismo…

Source: Havana Times On the eve of three months of the largest crisis in four decades in Nicaragua, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged its parent organization, the Organization of American States and the rest of the international community to demand that the Government of Daniel Ortega put an immediate end to…

Source: Havana Times For 20 years now, we have seen a food product here in Cuba called PELLY, which is also known as Chicotico because of the smell its cheesy flavor emits. Children have been the ones who consume this product the most, thanks to their parents who buy it for them. Link:

Source: Havana Times The hot days will continue during this 7-day forecast period with partly cloudy skies by the end of the morning and some scattered rains in the afternoons, especially towards the south of the capital. The high temperatures will be 31 and 32° C (88 and 90 F), while the lows…

Source: Havana Times Ever since the Bicicletear La Habana project began, Yasser Gonzalez, the event’s main organizer, has advocated for more alternative and sustainable projects in a city where vehicle traffic, and all of its derivatives, are truly harmful to our health. (13 photos) Link: There’s Nothing Like Cycling around Havana

Source: Havana Times On Monday, from the freedom of his own bed and recovering from the hunger and thirst strike that led to his release after being unfairly imprisoned, scientist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola gave a conference to a group of artists and ecologists. Link: Cuban Families Have the Future in Their Hands

Source: Havana Times Over this past horrific weekend, first the God of Wrath that our disoriented leaders pray to had them proclaim peace while causing nine deaths in Carazo alone. Then, to top things off, on Monday July 9th, we witnessed… Link: Not Even God Could Stop Them

Source: Havana Times The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Government of Germany and Human Rights Watch on Tuesday all condemned the latest episodes of violence in Nicaragua, including the attacks by pro-Ortega mobs against the Catholic bishops. Link: Nicaragua’s Government Condemed Internationally over Violence

Source: Havana Times Jacinto Suarez is one of the most influential men in Daniel Ortega’s FSLN party. He presides over the Foreign Relations Commission of the Nicaraguan Congress and he’s also the man in charge of the party’s international relations. Link: A US-Supported Coup in the Making in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times It’s really symptomatic that street protests are peaceful in countries with neoliberal governments, in spite of the gravity of the situation (as we will go on to see with this article), while protests take on a more warlike character in countries with progressive governments. Link: Differences Between Protests in Latin

Source: Havana Times According to the Cuban government and its spokespeople, Cuban youth are Imperialism’s favorite target to try and overthrow the Revolution. And they see us as a vulnerable sector who are inclined to be fooled. Link: Cuban Youth Aren’t Communist

Source: Havana Times After a weekend of bloodshed that left at least 11 people dead, dozens of people injured and disappeared in Carazo, the religious delegation from Managua’s Catholic Church (headed by Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Apostolic Nuncio, Waldemar Stanislaw and Managua’s auxiliary bishop, Silvio Baez) traveled to Diriamba where they were attacked by…

Source: Havana Times After several days of an armed offensive against protesters in many cities of Nicaragua, resulting in dozens killed and hundreds wounded and kidnapped, the Ortega government issued a declaration today to let the population know of its plans to pacify the country. Link: Ortega Defends and Accuses Opponents of Terrorism

Source: Havana Times A mission of the Catholic Church made up of bishops and the apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua, Waldemar Sommertag, was attacked today by supporters of the Ortega government in the city of Diriamba, in the south of the country. Link: Ortega Forces Assault Catholic Bishops and Journalists in Diriamba, Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times Even though I read all of the comments people leave on some of my articles, I can almost never respond (because of limited Internet access), much less write to everyone who might reject or support my ideas. Link: Let Me Explain…

Source: Havana Times It’s pitiful and ridiculous that these evangelicals are using politics as an excuse and mention our historic leaders, who I understand were, and are, the ones who can manipulate our lives to their every whim and fancy. Link: We are also God’s Children

Source: Havana Times On July 7, Daniel Ortega burned the last bridges that offered him the possibility of negotiating an exit from power in gradual steps and of advocating for his party to maintain some influence in the government institutions during a future democratic transition. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega Burns His Last Bridges

Source: Havana Times Lia Villares is a Cuban artist who many people only bespeak for her political impact on the island’s artistic world. She is a writer, filmmaker, and was the bass player in the punk band Porno para Ricardo. Link: “Living Freely Is a Wise Decision” says Cuban Artist Lia Villares

Source: Havana Times Hundreds of Managua street vendors discovered that the protests were an opportunity to earn some money. Among them was Luis Manuel Ortiz, killed on June 30th during the “March of the Flowers” march, a demonstration protesting the many killings of youth and children. Link: Street Vendors in Nicaragua’s “Blue and

Source: Havana Times President Daniel Ortega rejected in Managua on Saturday moving up the 2021 elections as a way out of the worst political crisis in Nicaragua in the last four decades and harshly criticized his opponents, whom he described as “assassins” and “coup seekers.” Link: Ortega Banks on Governing Nicaragua Until 2022

Source: Havana Times The Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy announced the rescheduling of the march “Together We are a Volcano”, for next Thursday, July 12. It also called for a 24-hour national strike [supported by business organizations] for Friday the 13th and a vehicle caravan through the neighborhoods of Managua on Saturday,…

Source: Havana Times In the run up to our tenth anniversary we just began an ongoing campaign seeking reader support for our online publication, which brings you non-stop news and commentary from Cuba as well as some other Latin American coverage especially from Venezuela and Nicaragua, close allies of the Cuban government. Link:

Source: Havana Times Pressure and threats emanating from Nicaragua’s Bank Regulatory Board (Superintendencia) were rejected outright by business owners, producers and lawyers. Banks warn that government “interference” could “generate widespread distrust in the financial system.” Link: Nicaragua’s Bank Regulatory Board “Plays with Fire” by Invading Client Confidentiality

Source: Havana Times Amidst a government campaign to tackle fuel theft, we have learned from official statistics that private taxi drivers are buying an average of only half a liter* of fuel per day from state-owned gas stations, which are popularly known as CUPET, and the only ones authorized to sell oil products…

Source: Havana Times For Janier Garcia, the protests that began in Nicaragua on April 18 have brought him new experiences. It was the first time he ever saw a mob raining blows on people in Managua. He had left Diriamba with some friends to protest against the Social Security reforms, but he never…

Source: Havana Times It’s common for married people to get tired of each other after living together for so long and for passion to dwindle. It’s normal: these are the stages of love. Hopefully you’re left with affection, common ground and friendship. Link: Marriage and Convenience

Source: Havana Times When I got off the phone with Ariel Ruiz Urquiola, I couldn’t hold back my tears. It has all been so painful. I can only put my thoughts into writing, I’m speechless. His “manic depressive” state was the reason given for his release. Link: Ariel Released and Cuban Police Call

Source: Havana Times The acting National Police Chief and the FSLN point man at Managua City Hall were pointed at for crimes and brutal repression. The Albanisa vice-president is punished for corruption and embezzling millions of dollars of public funds. Link: Nicaragua: US Sanctions Three Key Figures of Ortega’s Inner Circle

Source: Havana Times In the early hours of Wednesday, July 4th, a group of hooded men set fire to the house of Yubrank Suazo’s parents in Masaya, also destroying the family’s Ramiro Suazo and Son hammock factory. Yubrank is a leader of the 19th of April Movement in Masaya. Link: “They’re Not Going

Source: Havana Times Imagine you’re sitting in your living room and you receive a call. You don’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line, but this person knows your name, your children’s names, your address and what you do. Link: A Hundred Years of Forgiveness for Venezuelan Thieves

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan revolt to oust President Daniel Ortega from office began over two and a half months ago. University students initiated the “civic revolution,” called the April 19th Movement, but campesinos, civil society and several business organizations soon joined in, as well as feminist groups, the LGBQI community, and the…

Source: Havana Times This is a video art that I specifically conceived to participate in the recently concluded Alternative Havana Biennial. With Vulgarly Classic, I wanted to do something more intense and personal, and where, as in almost all my work, I am the center of attention. Link: Vulgarly Classic I

Source: Havana Times Nicolas Casanas brought his children and several descendants together to take charge of the farm work. He applied a simple division of duties and assigned each one specific responsibilities. None of them earn money. Link: The Casanas Family: Communism in Practice?

Source: Havana Times The days will be warm, with skies partly cloudy from the morning. Cloud cover will increase in the early afternoon, and occasional showers and thunderstorms will be likely in the capital. The high temperatures will be at 31 and 32° C (88 and 90 F), while the lows will be…

Source: Havana Times For nearly three months, Nicaraguans have suffered through one of the gravest social and political crises in the country’s history. Be it behind the barricades or via cellphone screens, thousands of young people have witnessed atrocious crimes and it is taking its toll on their mental health. Link: How the

Source: Havana Times Service to others is perhaps one of the most significant shortcomings we have in our culture and, by extension, our education. Other countries with ancient traditions founded on spiritual practices believe that serving is a path towards self-fulfillment. Link: Making Tourists Want to Return to Cuba

Source: Havana Times The former head of the Nicaraguan Army, (Ret.) General Humberto Ortega, today urged his brother Daniel, to order the paramilitary forces to be deactivated and call early elections. His statement verifies something Daniel has yet to admit, that his government armed paramilitary forces to support Police repression efforts. Link: Ortega’s

Source: Havana Times As many of you know, I work the land. My official profession is “farmer”, although that’s not the profession I identify with. I feel like a communicator more than anything else. Although I must be honest, what I really like is politics, but I refuse to take part in this…

Source: Havana Times We have become accustomed to seeing a special kind of ethnography of Havana neighborhoods reflected in Luis Lamothe Duribe’s work, from the memory we have of his first exhibitions (which “Multitud” formed a part of) and this has imprinted itself as a mark of this Havana artist’s art in our…

Source: Havana Times The four are all professionals with advanced technical experience in the area of human rights, criminal investigation and the fight against corruption. All have participated in well-known cases in Latin America, such as that of the 43 disappeared students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico, and similar cases in Guatemala, Peru and Argentina.

Source: Havana Times A criminal cell, composed of eight heavily armed men, perpetrated early Sunday morning a robbery against over a hundred Cuban doctors who were staying in a temporary camp near Caracas where they are working, reported caraotadigital.net, Link: Mass Robbery of Cuban Doctors in Venezuela

Source: Havana Times For a tightrope artist, the rope is his workplace. He or she could happily spend days and nights on a rope thrown across an empty chasm, watched with admiration. For a corrupt dictator, on the other hand, a tightrope is a tottering nightmare. Link: Ortega Walks the Tightrope in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times US imperialism has always pinned its hopes on young people in countries with governments they don’t like, because they have progressive governments who are determined to make their people as happy as they can be and not to hand their countries over to multinational corporations which will only bleed them…

Source: Havana Times Suddenly I received a call telling me that they freed Ariel; I had not felt so happy for a good while. We still do not know how everything will be from the legal point of view, but at least Ariel can stop his hunger strike. Link: Ariel is Free, He

Source: Havana Times The Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy announced on Monday in a Managua press conference two new protest activities to keep up the pressure on the Ortega-Murillo government and push for a solution to the 75-day crisis in Nicaragua. Link: Nicaragua: Civic Alliance Announces New Protests

Source: Havana Times If there’s one thing that makes me uneasy, it’s watching a shark fight a sardine. Even more so, when the fight is rigged in the shark’s favor. This is the same uneasy feeling I’ve had watching some recent news reports on Cuban TV, which deal with the fight against corruption…

Source: Havana Times Those who have followed the news related to scientist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola should know that; after what appeared to be a rigged trial, he was sentenced to one year in prison. His sister Omara, has all the evidence in a video recorded by Ariel at the time of his arrest.

Source: Havana Times Who hasn’t hitched a ride before? Asking for a ride, spending countless nights on local and interprovincial transport forms a part of our everyday routines, at least here in Cuba. I am already well over forty and I have spent half of my life hitching rides. Link: Hitching and Rides

Source: Havana Times Dear Readers, incredibly Havana Times will arrive at its tenth anniversary in October of this year, bringing you non-stop news and commentary from Cuba, as well as some other Latin American coverage especially from Venezuela and Nicaragua, close allies of the Cuban government. Link: Why Havana Times Needs Your Support

Source: Havana Times The victory of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico meant a slam to the status quo and a turn, partly of unknown dimension, to the left in the region’s second largest economy. Initial convincing results from the National Electoral Institute granted Lopez Obrador 52.7 percent of the vote. Link: Mexico

Source: Havana Times In June 2018, the list of available essential medicines in Cuba was short by 45 drugs, according to Public Health authorities. However official sources say that shortages today aren’t as serious as they were last year, Link: Cuba Faces Lingering Medicine Shortages

Source: Havana Times The main brands of clothing, footwear and other industries operating in Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones issued a statement on Saturday, demanding that the government of President Daniel Ortega respect the rule of law, cease repression and guarantee freedom of assembly and expression. Link: Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zone Multinationals Ask Ortega

Source: Havana Times Once again armed groups associated with Daniel Ortega’s regime attacked a massive peaceful march on Saturday, resulting in 11 persons wounded with firearms (two are brain dead). Link: Nicaragua: Attack on the “March of Flowers” Leaves 11 with Bullet Wounds

Source: Havana Times El Salvador prosecutors have started an international extradition process for former president Mauricio Funes (2009-2014), who was charged with embezzling over 231 million USD, with a judge issuing an arrest warrant for the former president who has been in exile in Nicaragua. Link: El Salvador Demands Extradition of Funes from

Source: Havana Times The organized invasion of private properties, both urban areas and rural farms is interpreted by lawyers and those affected as a clear retaliation against private business people for breaking the model of dialogue that the Private Enterprise Council (Cosep) had maintained with the Ortega government for the last decade. Link:

Source: Havana Times If you ask me who I want to vote, my answer would be everyone: the more, the better. We should all definitely have this power, but this reminds me of what the popular Spider-Man says, “with great power comes great responsibility” and voting, well my idea of voting, is a…

Source: Havana Times At a time when the country still hasn’t recovered from the many losses it suffered when hurricane Irma swept through last September, the national forestry authority, as well as members of Havana’s urban planning department, have decided to contribute to the environmental and urban ruin of the capital’s Vedado neighborhood.

Source: Havana Times Members of a mission of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) were prevented on Wednesday from entering the cells of the infamous El Chipote detention and interrogation prison, in Managua. Link: Nicaragua: Human Rights Commission Entry to El Chipote Prison Blocked

Source: Havana Times The “March of the flowers”, in memory of the children and teenagers killed during the protests against the Ortega government, is now set for Saturday June 30th. The protest in Managua begins at the Alexis Arguello monument at 10:00 a.m. and will proceed to the Jean Paul Genie roundabout. Link:

Source: Havana Times Luci Valenti, president of Canatur, demands an early solution to the crisis. She says the president must recognize that “he can no longer govern,” adding, “For half of what has happened in the country, other leaders around the world would have resigned.” Link: Nicaragua Tourism Executive says “Ortega Must Resign”

Source: Havana Times Ariel Ruiz Urquiola has a scientific background and chose to become a farmer. He lived and worked in Vinales, Pinar del Rio, on a farm which was given to him by the Cuban State under lease at no charge. However, today, this PhD in Biological Sciences finds himself in prison.

Source: Havana Times Memory in pictures. Cuban Film Institute Posters 1960-2017, is the name of an exhibition which was recently inaugurated at the National Museum of Fine Art’s building dedicated to Cuban Art and is open to the public through August 12th. (21 photos) Link: Tribute to Movie Posters at Cuba’s Fine Art

Source: Havana Times A few days ago, I called a businessman friend who is usually a jokester. I didn’t expect that when I asked him how he was, he would answer – “very depressed”, then be unable to continue any further. His voice broke, and I could hear that hoarse sobbing that emerges…

Source: Havana Times When I watch movies that are set in first world countries, the thing that shocks me the most is the self confidence that people have in excess. Not a confidence that stems from financial superiority, but from a system where citizens can complain about officials, the State, the Government. Link:

Source: Havana Times Following the government’s decision to destroy many of the barricades in Leon, the citizens opted on Tuesday to dig trenches on the streets of the Laborio, Zaragoza and Sutiaba neighborhoods, as a means of protection against the government’s feared paramilitary squads in pickup trucks. Link: Leon, Nicaragua Residents Dig Trenches

Source: Havana Times The days will be partly cloudy, with some showers in the afternoon associated with the daytime warming. The winds will be variable and weak, slightly more intense in the afternoons with speeds up to 25 km/h. The maximum temperatures will be 30 and 31° C (86 and 88 F), while…

Source: Havana Times The United States asked the Nicaraguan Police to return vehicles donated by that country because they were “used to violently repress” the peaceful protests against the government, reads a statement from the US Embassy in Managua released today. Link: US Withdraws Police Vehicles Used to Repress in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times There is no revolution without art. Nicaragua is experiencing a new social awakening and music is not far behind. Five artists sing to this new social struggle Link: Nicaraguan Musicians in Times of Revolution

Source: Havana Times A 660 million dollar withdrawal in deposits (12% of the total) in two months increases the chances of Nicaragua’s Central Bank (BCN) finding itself forced to take drastic measures to tackle this problem. One possibility would be a freeze on bank accounts. Link: Nicaragua’s Banks See 12% of Deposits Withdrawn

Source: Havana Times An eco-activist needs to have the awareness and conviction that they are doing something good at every level, for the environment which they understand to be their own, for the environment that belongs to their loved ones and for the environment that belongs to society as a whole. Link: An

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, the word “counter-revolutionary” means the same thing as “heresy”. For nearly six decades now, people who haven’t supported or fought against the political system that the Fidelista revolution imposed have been labeled “counter-revolutionaries”. It means being a “worm”, “enemy of the people”, “mercenary serving Imperialism” or “stateless”. Link:

Source: Havana Times Reports of human rights violations in Cuba have been repeated in different academic and news spaces. And people’s rights to a home and related matters also appear in these complaints. Link: Cuban “Socialism” or State Capitalism?

Source: Havana Times The theft and sacking of the Catholic Church facility located on the outskirts of the City of Matagalpa took place on the day that Bishop Alvarez was traveling with Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes to Italy for a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Francis, concerned about the widespread violence unleashed in…

Source: Havana Times The government’s dodging at the dialogue table doesn’t mean that the Civic Alliance is going to abandon it, although some sectors of the population believe that Ortega merely wants to gain time and avoid the central topic of the National Dialogue, which is the democratization. Link: Ortega Regime once again

Source: Havana Times Erick Lopez is the athlete with the largest number of medals from the Pan American Games (18) and the most honored in the history of Cuban gymnastics, however, he has always been uncomfortable in front of the cameras. Publicity wasn’t his thing, and in spite of being unable to avoid…

Source: Havana Times Cuba is an eminently agricultural country, which is on its way to becoming a developed nation, the main obstacle being the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US for nearly 60 years. Modernizing agriculture and livestock production is something that needs to be done and much is being…

Source: Havana Times The clamor in the streets exerts pressure on the National Dialogue and on the Civic Alliance which is trying to point the way to a democratic way out of the crisis in Nicaragua. Meanwhile, President Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have unleashed widespread paramilitary violence to try and squash…

Source: Havana Times A new session of Nicaragua’s national dialogue concluded Monday without relevant agreements, following the government’s steadfast refusal to discuss early elections and the replacement of electoral and judicial authorities, said leaders of the opposition Civic Alliance. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega Refuses to Discuss Early Elections

Source: Havana Times The name of Havana’s iconic “Ciudad Libertad” (Liberty City) never made better sense. Four years ago, a group of young people created a space, using their own resources and initiative, where they could express themselves freely: their own skatepark. Link: Skateboarding in Cuba: a Marginalized Sport

Source: Havana Times Chong is the surname of a woman who spends a lot of time at the bodega store, although she only goes to buy bread. She recently confessed that at her age she needs to socialize a lot in order to feel alive because her two children, four grandchildren and two…

Source: Havana Times In human terms, the most terrible thing of the government repression in Nicaragua are the more than 210 lives cut short and more than 1,500 injured, but also the economic cost to the whole country is very high. Link: The Crisis in Nicaragua in Terms of Economic Losses

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, schools have been almost fascist, well at least post-1959. Ever since primary school, whenever we have talked about the universe’s origins, I remember how teachers used to give us Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution as the absolute and irrefutable truth. Link: Who’s Right?

Source: Havana Times Freedom, this concept that has been manipulated and abused so much over the ages, is still the driving force that gives principled men and women strength; this is Ariel Ruiz Urquiola’s case. Link: Ariel Ruiz Urquiola is dying

Source: Havana Times I’m waiting for the bus in front of a crime scene. The day is windy, and it looks like it’ll rain soon in Managua. The water from the rainy season will make a clumsy effort to wash clean the blood that’s still there on the other side of the highway.

Source: Havana Times At six in the morning, the line to get into the Department of Immigration & Foreign Services already stretches for over four blocks. At that hour, traffic is paralyzed and the businesses that specialize in immigration paperwork have been working for over an hour. Since the crisis began in Nicaragua,…

Source: Havana Times Cuban scientist and farmer, Ariel Ruiz Urquiola, is now in the prisoner ward of the Abel Santamaria Provincial Hospital in Pinar del Rio, and has not yet been given serums. Ariel has been on a total hunger and liquid strike for eight days. His sister tries to visit him. Link:

Source: Havana Times Hooded men lurking behind trees and jumping out, snipers on rooftops, homes burning down while children scream inside and people shot down in the middle of the street with a bullet to the head… These images all form part of Nicaragua’s new violent reality. Link: Nicaragua is a Transformed Country,

Source: Havana Times Little has been said about the role of the multilateral organizations in supporting the Ortega-Murillo government. That role, as far as we know, still remains unchanged, despite the events in Nicaragua that began on April 18th and now toll well over 200 deaths in the repression. Link: Multilateral Organizations Silent

Source: Havana Times Some people are sleeping outside El Chipote, the Nicaraguan government’s favorite place to interrogate political prisoners, and they aren’t thinking about moving until their loved ones are released. Most of them were arbitrarily arrested by hooded “civilians” and police. Link: The Cries of Families Waiting Outside Managua’s El Chipote Jail

Source: Havana Times At 3:30 in the afternoon of this Friday, June 22, I was released. I was imprisoned for three days in a cell at the Mayari police station. According to what they told me in front of my family and then alone, I would have no more peace. I will be…

Source: Havana Times If Robin Hood were to work on Miramar’s 5th Avenue instead of in Sherwood Forest, he wouldn’t be the “prince of thieves” but the “prince of resolvers”. We Cubans call stealing “resolving” and in Cuba everyone steals because we all have to resolve things in some way or another. Link:

Source: Havana Times In its devastating final report presented this morning in Washington D.C. before the OAS, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) stated that “the repressive action of the State”, in addition to having caused the deaths of hundreds of Nicaraguans, has left at least 1,137 injured. and 507 detainees. Link:

Source: Havana Times Travel is sometimes the way you get to understand what is happening back home. When I travelled from Cuba to visit Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, I found a city center filled with women’s stories, distributed on flyers and posters. Activism seemed alive here. Dozens of women were camping…

Source: Havana Times The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) meets on Friday morning at 10 AM in Washington D.C. (8 AM in Nicaragua) in a special session to hear and address a report on the crisis taking place in Nicaragua since April 18th. Link: OAS Special Session Friday on

Source: Havana Times Over 11 years, society as a whole became used to expressions of this relationship between political and civil society. Poor people used to say, “thanks to the Comandante and his wife, I have a house”; and better-educated academics used to say, “Ortega is a genius, a clever statesperson…” Link: Why

Source: Havana Times The private sector should intensify their use of the means at their disposal to increase pressure on the regime, risking their money in the same way that the people are risking their life, health and peace of mind at the roadblocks, marches and even in the Dialogue, notes one of…

Source: Havana Times Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced Wednesday that the national minimum monthly wage will triple by decree to compensate the hyperinflation, which means it will now stand at just over a dollar. However with the food allowance it will approach 2 dollars. (One US dollar equals 2.8 million bolivars on the…

Source: Havana Times He gave up his news reports and studio recordings. He overcame the social dogma that mothers are better prepared to look after babies and he became one of the few men in Cuba to ask to take Paternity Leave. Link: A Father Taking Paternity Leave in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Old poems written by Ernesto Cardenal have gained new life. His writing about a bloody dictatorship seem to have been written a couple of days ago, inspired by the most recent fatalities and repression in Nicaragua. But, they weren’t. They were created a half century ago under the Somoza dictatorship.

Source: Havana Times Invasions of private properties have increased swiftly in different Nicaraguan departments, including Managua, in recent days. People affected have reported that land-takers are taking advantage of the country’s socio-political crisis and the National Police’s decision to not deal with such illegal actions, which is making legal uncertainty in the country…

Source: Havana Times On Wednesday, the president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH, independent organization), Vilma Nunez, urged American countries to express their “emphatic disapproval” of Daniel Ortega’s government at the OAS Permanent Council’s meeting which is set to take place in Washington on Friday. Link: Human Rights Activists in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times The days will be warm and partly cloudy, with some showers in the afternoons. The winds will be variable and weak in the mornings, and in the afternoons breezes with speeds of up to 25 km/h. The maximum temperatures will be stable at 31° C (88 F), while the lows…

Source: Havana Times About 30 kilometers from the city of Santiago de Cuba, in the town of El Cobre, a small settlement in the Sierra Maestra Mountains, is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, Patron Saint of Cuba and Oshun in the Yoruba pantheon. (22 photos) Link: A Pilgrimage

Source: Havana Times “Around 10:30 or 10:45 p.m., my telephone began ringing like crazy, with calls and messages saying that there were five pick-ups outside my business with some 30-armed men.” Two hous later fire had devoured the small complex of businesses that Nicolas Bolanos and his partners and friends took fifteen years…

Source: Havana Times Just a few days left now until the summer holidays begin, which every year go on through July and August, when our young children and teenagers finish their studies and dedicate all of their time to having fun in different ways. (12 photos) Link: Summer in Guantanamo

Source: Havana Times Yesterday, on June 19, 2018, in the afternoon, 85-year-old Rafael Alcides passed away. The sensualist poet, friend and main character in “Nadie” managed to do what very few can: “Live in keeping with their ideals.” The end of his journey has left a deep abyss in not only the people…

Source: Havana Times Drawing on his experience as a political negotiator during the revolution against the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, Ramirez warned of Ortega’s isolation within his family bunker while his representatives in the National Dialogue aren’t privy to their leader’s agreements with the United States government. Link: Sergio Ramirez: Ortega Negotiated his

Source: Havana Times On Tuesday when we published a commentary by the farmer and journalist Osmel Ramirez Alvarez on the subject of reforms to the Cuban Constitution, we did not imagine that he had been arrested a short time earlier in his house for writing in publications like ours, which are not controlled…

Source: Havana Times Shooting at will, riot police and paramilitary forces took control of part of the City of Masaya, to the east of Nicaragua’s capital on Tuesday, after they broke down roadblocks, which had been set up by civilian protesters. Human rights organizations have announced that there have been at least five…

Source: Havana Times The representative of the United States before the Organization of American States (OAS), Carlos Trujillo, arrived in embattled Nicaragua today to meet with the authorities and the opposition in Managua, including a possible encounter with Daniel Ortega. Link: US Representative to the OAS Arrives in Nicaragua for Meetings

Source: Havana Times Taking a look at the 1940 Constitution, I came across some very interesting things. The rights and democratic headway we lost in 1952 to be exact, which is what the Cuban people need today. Link: Cuba’s 1940 Constitution Would Give Us the Rights We Need

Source: Havana Times Uruguayan journalist Fernando Ravsberg has been complaining about not receiving an affirmative response to several requests for new accreditation to work in Cuba, where he has lived for 28 years. Link: Why is the Cuban Gov. against Ravsberg and his Blog?

Source: Havana Times Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s regime is turning to paramilitary groups to repress Nicaragua’s civic rebellion (which on June 18th reached two months) because it is “cornered”, according to security experts, who ponder the role of the Army. Link: Nicaragua’s Paramilitary Groups Receive Orders “from the Highest Level”

Source: Havana Times When I was a university student and to be near my faculty because transport was even worse back then, I went to live in my aunt’s apartment in the Alaska building which was a huge, central and beautiful building on 23rd and M Streets. Link: My Friend, the Educated Cuban

Source: Havana Times “I don’t know what we could expect from you, a mother who showed no pity for her own daughter, flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood. But even amid the grief of over 170 deaths, you haven’t stopped the lies, nor felt any scruples…” Link: Gioconda Belli Writes

Source: Havana Times He goes with her to every doctor’s appointment. He looks after her healthy and stable diet. Both share plans and errands. They both experience the joys and stress of waiting. He supports her when she does exercises that prepare her for the delivery. Fortunately, this image is becoming more and…

Source: Havana Times Two months after the crisis that has convulsed Nicaragua began, the country continues to be mired in chaos and terror, far from a negotiated solution that will help resolve the worst conflict since the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Link: Nicaragua Continues Deep in Crisis after Two Months

Source: Havana Times Before US Secretary of State gives Cuban youth his own opinions about Cuba and some words of wisdom, he should first inform himself about our country’s reality properly so as not to come across a fool with a speech which only invited our youth’s laughter. Link: Cuban Youth Reject Pompeo’s

Source: Havana Times The love millions of people abroad have for their relatives in Cuba is greatly appreciated when they send these articles which help to lessen their needs. Instead of facilitating our people receiving things that the State has no way of providing at a reasonable price, why are they imposing a…

Source: Havana Times Ana Damaris Mojica feared it would all end badly. But now, her baby is a day old. It doesn’t know that the country is in deep crisis and in the middle of violent confrontations, but it’s already lived through the worst. Link: A Victory for Life at a Roadblock in

Source: Havana Times The legal director of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), Gonzalo Carrion, accused the Army of being “committed to the state of terror,” for allegedly tolerating paramilitary groups attacking civilians protesting against the Ortega government. Link: Human Rights Group Accuses the Nicaraguan Army of Repressing Civilians

Source: Havana Times In the solitude of his bunker in El Carmen -the enclave of the State-Party-Family-, President Daniel Ortega took five days to “reflect” on the justice and democratization agenda and the road map for his departure from power that the bishops presented him in the name of the National Dialogue. Link:

Source: Havana Times Many people in Cuba have heard the surnames Ruiz Urquiola by now. The mystery that surrounds both Ariel and Omara has become an obsession for me, both of whom are excellent in their fields of work. Link: Two Siblings Fighting a Deadly Disease: Publicly Criticizing the Cuban Government

Source: Havana Times The Government of Nicaragua and the Civic Alliance agreed on Friday evening to urge the presence in the country of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a mission of the European Union (EU) , as well as the OAS secretary…

Source: Havana Times There aren’t any cobblestones in this area, but that didn’t stop them from finding materials for defending their community: tree trunks, a piece of a fence, construction leftovers, rocks, some broken television sets… anything can be useful for creating a (false) sense of security; they don’t know if it will…

Source: Havana Times The famous singer/songwriter Carlos Mejia Godoy denounced Friday an attack by police and paramilitaries on the home of musician Milciades Herrera and the subsequent kidnapping of one of his relatives, whose whereabouts are unknown. Link: Carlos Mejia Godoy Accuses Nicaraguan Government of Attack

Source: Havana Times Political and economic changes in Cuba today would make you think that the system is undergoing a growing process and evolving. Some academics discuss the spontaneity, lack of discussion and non-participation that has always gone hand-in-hand with Cuba’s reforms processes. Link: Cuba’s New Constitution: Challenges and Rights

Source: Havana Times Last Tuesday, I went to a Western Union office in Villa Panamericana, a neighborhood to the east of Havana, about five km from the center. I needed to withdraw some money that an old friend had sent as a birthday present. Link: Going Beyond Western Union

Source: Havana Times A 24-hour national strike called by the Civic Alliance paralyzed Nicaragua on the eve of the resumption of a dialogue with the government and amid new attacks by police and paramilitary forces against civilian protesters that raised the death toll to more than 160 in a little less than two…

Source: Havana Times Over 100 barricades were erected to defend the university city, after the first, more local citizens’ strike took place on Tuesday and today, Thursday, June 14th, they joined the national work stoppage. Link: Leon, Nicaragua Behind Barricades in Repudiation of the Ortega-Murillo Regime

Source: Havana Times Humid and warm days are expected this 7-day forecast period, with showers and isolated rains in the afternoons. The high temperatures will range between 28 and 30° C (84 and 86 F), with the lows between 23 and 24° C (73 and 75 F). Link: Havana Weather for June 14-20

Source: Havana Times The graffiti movement hasn’t had the same strength here in Cuba as it has in the United States or Europe. There are very few remains of aboriginal pictographs and there are some signs that texts mixed with images were stamped onto walls in Old Havana’s trading areas during colonial times.…

Source: Havana Times When they say “go to your classrooms”, these uniformed bodies all look the same: clean, ironed, straight, tight; apparently there’s no difference between one young kid and another. But, if you take a look at their shoes, their cell phone, watch or any other personal item, you begin to see…

Source: Havana Times “Put down your arms, my countrymen on the police force. Stop your acts of repression and join the peaceful protest.” Link: A Call to Nicaragua’s Police: “Put Down Your Arms”

Source: Havana Times A few hours before the beginning of Thursday’s 24-hour general strike called by the Civic Alliance in Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega agreed to return to the dialogue table on Friday, announced the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference (CEN) mediators of the process. Link: Ortega Agrees to Resume Dialogue in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times In 1978, during the last years of the Somoza dictatorship, I wrote a poem calling for a strike. I never thought this poem would once again be necessary, much less while engaged in the burning effort of my youth: overthrowing what I thought would be the last tyrant my eyes…

Source: Havana Times At the places I regularly go, La Casa de la Amistad, El Submarino Amarillo, La Maison, where rock music takes control, I meet friends in their 50s whose view of sex has changed after menopause. They are experiencing it in different ways… Link: Cuban Women in their 50s Talk Sex

Source: Havana Times This video is an advance of a documentary in construction in which I will put forth the process of setting up my house studio for the recently concluded Alternative Havana Biennial. I will be showing my different photographic and audiovisual work. Link: Mini-documentary of My Participation in the Alternative Havana

Source: Havana Times Miguel Diaz-Canel declared that he would fight against corruption. In this new struggle, the Cuban people are unaware of the level of freedom a Cuban president has when he is subjected to the Communist Party and the military elite. Link: Democracy, Corruption and a New Cuban Government

Source: Havana Times Our current Constitution dates back to 1976 and even though some amendments were made later, it continues to be a contradictory Carta Magna in nature which denies Cuba the most basic democracy and the Cuban people’s sovereign rights. Link: The Constitutional Reforms Cuba Needs

Source: Havana Times The main business chambers of the country called Tuesday for a 24-hour national strike on Thursday, June 14th, as an “extreme measure” to force President Daniel Ortega to respond to the proposal for the democratization of the country presented by the bishops of the Episcopal Conference. They also demand he…

Source: Havana Times Recent news, not only in Havana, speak about a noticeable increase in civic protests, both individual and group, in the face of different situations which regularly meet the absurdity of a widespread and chronic socio-economic and political crisis. Link: Cuba: What it Means to Take a Stand

Source: Havana Times That proposal was presented to the bishops and the Civic Alliance that participate in the suspended National Dialogue by US Ambassador Laura Dogu and Caleb McCarry, a delegate of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who visited Nicaragua over the weekend, informed Medardo Mairena, coordinator of the National Council for the…

Source: Havana Times Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, today denounced new attacks by police and paramilitaries against civilian protesters in different areas of the country and urged the authorities to stop them. His message was titled “Urgent Denunciation”. Link: Cardinal Brenes Urges Ortega to Stop the Attacks on the Nicaraguan Population

Source: Havana Times “Here we have Daniel Ortega’s response.” You can hear it. It resounds on every corner. “Bang. Bang. Bang.” They are dry and continuous shots, from AK-47s. Rifles. East of Managua, The Maria la Auxiliadora neighborhood on the east side of Managua has been attacked without mercy. Link: Ortega’s Police and

Source: Havana Times Harley Morales is living in a kind of cloister at the moment. This 26-year-old sociology student at Nicaragua’s Central American University sleeps in a safe house, together with another 40 university students who are representatives of the student groups that have risen during the current political crisis. Link: Nicaragua: “Our

Source: Havana Times Cuba will be one of the more than a hundred countries that won’t have its national soccer team playing in the World Cup in Russia, but that won’t stop soccer fever from taking over the island’s sports enthusiasts. Link: Cuba’s Soccer Fans Ready for the World Cup

Source: Havana Times American Airlines has suspended flights between the cities of Managua and Miami for security reasons due to the serious crisis that is shaking Nicaragua, the company said in a statement today. Link: American Airlines Suspends Flights to Nicaragua over Widespread Violence

Source: Havana Times Although Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega “is smothering in blood” the civic protests that have engulfed the country for weeks, the “insurrection” is “ever more irreversible,” stated Ernesto Medina, rector of the Americana University (UAM) in an interview. Link: University Rector: “Nicaragua’s Insurrection Becoming Irreversible”

Source: Havana Times The Cuban government said Sunday that it continues to find no evidence of the causes of the alleged attacks on the health of officials at the US embassy in Havana, which has reported new cases. Link: Cuba Says Clueless on Health Problems of US Diplomats in Havana

Source: Havana Times Roadblocks multiplied over the weekend in Nicaragua’s capital after the opposition called upon the population to organize and defend themselves against the Government in their peaceful nationwide protest. Link: Roadblocks Intensify and Death Toll Rises in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times Cobblestone barricades rise up in the neighborhoods, while roadblocks of different materials are installed at the entrances to the city. “We are going to close everything until they leave,” referring to Daniel Ortega and his wife/VP Rosario Murillo. Link: Managua Virtually Shut Down by Barricades

Source: Havana Times After having remained in power for eleven years, leading a corrupt regime that demolished the democratic institutions and concentrated all state powers under his control, Ortega had the opportunity to corroborate his supposed democratic convictions regarding civic struggle. He failed completely. Link: Ortega’s Exit from his Bunker

Source: Havana Times After their apparent falling out with the Nicaraguan Catholic bishops trying to mediate a now suspended national dialogue between a student led Civic Alliance and the government, president Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have brought in an evangelical preacher from Puerto Rico to help their cause to remain…

Source: Havana Times After 52 days entrenched in the facilities of the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (UPOLI), turned into a bastion of the university resistance, the Student April 19th Movement decided to abandon the campus today, due to the “large number of infiltrators” in the university. Link: Students Leave UPOLI, Because Infiltrators “Want

Source: Havana Times We don’t really know the exact scale of the corruption in Cuba. Figures on corruption aren’t published and most cases punishable by law aren’t published by pro-government media. We only know about the ones which are in the government’s political or strategic interest, which circulate on cell phones or by…

Source: Havana Times When the majority of students who are protesting against Ortega’s regime today were born, Daniel Ortega had already been Nicaragua’s president and left this position. When he returned to office in 2007, the majority of these young people hadn’t finished sixth grade. Link: Nicaragua’s Student Movements Standing Up to Ortega’s

Source: Havana Times Francisca Ramirez. “We’re not giving in, the people don’t want Ortega to remain in power, and they want him to resign. We’re asking the population to get out on the streets,” added the leader of the anti-canal movement that has supported the student led uprising. Link: Ortega Determined to Remain

Source: Havana Times Colon, the largest and most emblematic of Havana’s cemeteries, has innumerable mausoleums and sculptures that are true works of art. But in this work what we want to highlight are some of the epitaphs present in their funeral niches, and the flowers that residents in this city put daily to…

Source: Havana Times When I was a student, teachers used to tell us that the socialism sweeping through Cuba was a preparatory phase for the real objective: Communism. In this forthcoming period of our history, money would no longer exist and people would be working totally out of consciousness. Link: It’s Time for

Source: Havana Times Will Diaz Canel be another great waste of time like Raul Castro? Will a better Cuba start with the new president? While time makes this clear, I can either wish or flee. Eros or Thanatos. Link: Is Diaz-Canel the politician we need?

Source: Havana Times Dear Luis Almagro, I understand that it’s difficult for you to assimilate the fact that Daniel Ortega, one of the nine leaders of the Sandinista Revolution, has become a dictator. How can you ask us to “strengthen the democratic institutions” of the Ortega dictatorship if there IS no democracy? Link:

Source: Havana Times A highly awaited meeting between President Daniel Ortega and the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua concluded today without concrete results. The disappointing outcome came at day 50 of what are now nationwide protests with a death toll of at least 127 persons and more than 1,200 injured. Link:

Source: Havana Times Four decades ago, the popular armed insurrection deposed the dictator Anastasio Somoza, while the FSLN presented itself as the only protagonist, baptizing the process as the “triumph of the Sandinista Revolution”. Today we Nicaraguans are experiencing a kind of déjà vu with the new dictator Daniel Ortega… Link: The Role

Source: Havana Times Nicaragua’s Episcopal Conference has announced that it will meet with President Daniel Ortega today at Casa de los Pueblos, the old presidential palace, in Managua, in order to discuss issues relating to “justice and democracy”, so as to assess whether the National Dialogue process can be resumed or not. Link:

Source: Havana Times On June 2nd 2018, a special session of the National Assembly of People’s Power was held, with 35 members absent, which is a lot for their first meeting. On that day, important agendas for Cuba’s present and future were passed without any kind of discussion. Link: My doubts about Cuba’s

Source: Havana Times Only a real Cuban will understand this article; only somebody who has lived in Cuba over the past 20 years will know what I’m talking about. Link: The Embarrashment of Being Invited in Your Own Home

Source: Havana Times The probability of isolated showers and occasional storms in the capital will continue to rise, especially in the afternoon hours. The maximum temperatures will reange between 29 and 31° C (84 and 88 F), with the lows around 24° C (75 F). Link: Havana Weather for June 7-13

Source: Havana Times Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accepted a request from the bishops of the Episcopal Conference to meet on Thursday to address the future of dialogue, the Catholic Church body informed today in a statement. Link: Ortega to Meet Thursday with Nicaragua’s Bishops

Source: Havana Times The director of the Institute of Economic Studies and Public Policies (IEEPP), Felix Maradiaga, rejected accusations by the Nicaraguan National Police that linked him to “a dangerous criminal gang that has dedicated itself to sowing terror, murders … and other crimes”, in Managua. Link: Nicaragua: Threatened Academic says “The Police

Source: Havana Times In the face of Daniel Ortega’s government’s abuses against the Nicaraguan people, “the only way out” left to us “are the streets,” said Medardo Mairena, an anti-canal rural leader and member on the now suspended National Dialogue. Link: Roadblocks Intensify Nationwide in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times Jose Adan Aguerri, president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) declared that President Daniel Ortega should leave government “as soon as possible”. The declaration occurred in the course of an interview with the Spain based website “El Pais”. Link: Nicaragua’s Private Sector Calls for an End to the

Source: Havana Times Ileana Alvarez, founder of the Cuban feminist magazine Alas Tensas (Tense wings) is a hard-working woman who loves what she does. She works at her home in Ciego de Avila and enjoys every moment greatly. Ever since we discovered that she was being harassed by State Security, we have tried…

Source: Havana Times Terror and violence shook the city of Granada on Tuesday, the main colonial and leading tourist city of Nicaragua, where alleged paramilitaries attacked anti-government protesters, one of whom died, and burned City Hall, reported the Red Cross and the Government. Link: City Hall Burned in Granada, Nicaragua’s Leading Tourist City

Source: Havana Times Stores selling religious items are new-found establishments to pop up in the country in recent times, yet they experience envious business health. In Santa Clara, around 10 of these businesses have sprung up over the past two years. Link: A Seller of Wonders in Santa Clara, Cuba

Source: Havana Times Although the massacre perpetrated by the Government of Nicaragua in April and May was not included on the official agenda approved for the 48th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) that opened this Monday in Washington, OAS sources assured that on Tuesday a “declaration” on Nicaragua will…

Source: Havana Times The Mormon Church announced on Monday that it is pulling out its remaining missionaries in Nicaragua due to the prolonged violence in the Central American country. Link: Mormons Complete Pull-out from Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times The OAS General Assembly, the most important annual meeting of the organization that brings together the countries of the Americas, began Tuesday its second and final day in Washington, where it will discuss a draft resolution that could initiate the process of suspension of Venezuela as well as resolution regarding…

Source: Havana Times The civic struggle, headed by the university students, stands out for their refusal to use the methods of war to confront the State repression against Nicaraguan society. The densely populated citizen marches and the roadblocks are their principal instruments of struggle. Link: For Sandinistas, who aren’t Danielistas, it’s Time to

Source: Havana Times Ever since Miguel Mario Diaz Canel was formally named President by the National Assembly of People’s Power on April 19th, he has made it clear that his mission isn’t to bring about change in Cuba but to ensure continuity. Link: Can Change Occur in Cuba under Diaz Canel?

Source: Havana Times My first instinct when I saw what was happening in Nicaragua was to buy a plane ticket and go. It was difficult to keep a rational head upon seeing so much injustice and my people in pain. I logged out of Facebook for a few hours and sat down to…

Source: Havana Times A source connected to the National Police told us that vigilante groups (which the Government continues to deny their existence) are made up of Managua City Hall employees, civilian-dressed policemen, former policemen, veteran guerrilla fighters and gang members from Managua’s neighborhoods and other cities. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega’s Death Squads are

Source: Havana Times Religion has deep roots in Cuba and there being a church in every small town throughout the country (no matter how remote it is), is proof of this. Likewise, you can walk through Havana by following its church trail: Guanabacoa, Central Havana, Bahia, Regla, Old Havana… (19 photos) Link: Havana’s

Source: Havana Times The Cuban Constitution dates back to 1976, which was approved during Fidel Castro’s height of popularity in a vote which had a 98% turn-out, with 98% of the population supporting the constitution. Link: Will there be Significant Constitutional Reform in Cuba?

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramirez says that President Daniel Ortega has let “the evil genie out of the bottle,” by responding to the crisis that his government faces with “chaos and terror”, a response that has caused over a hundred deaths in six weeks, according to human rights organizations. Link:

Source: Havana Times Belinda Peña didn’t sleep on Saturday night. At two in the morning she left from the State of New Jersey for Washington D.C. Before leaving her house, she made sure to mount the placard she had made stating “Stop Genocide in Nicaragua,” in the vehicle. Link: Will the OAS Debate

Source: Havana Times From the Central Highway heading toward the town of Esperanza, you can see a place which appears to be a garbage dump, at first sight. There, Yenobys Sanchez Perez (who is only 26 years old) leads a private imports replacement project which saves Cuba tens of thousands of dollars, every…

Source: Havana Times Political conflicts like the one affecting Nicaragua pass through several defined stages: rupture of the status quo; intensification of the violence and the conflict; general fatigue from the former; and the final break, culminating in a change of regime. Link: Nicaragua: The Civic Rebellion and the Regime’s Final Stages

Source: Havana Times Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, former archbishop of Managua and emblematic figure of the Catholic Church of Nicaragua for several decades, died today at 92, the government reported on its website “El 19 Digital”. Link: Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo Dies in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times A group of representatives of the Civic Alliance, which is leading the protests against the Government of Nicaragua, traveled Saturday to the United States to raise awareness of the situation in the Central American country at the OAS General Assembly that begins on Monday. Link: Nicaraguans Seeking to Oust Ortega

Source: Havana Times In the country with the world’s largest oil reserves, President Nicolas Maduro has already made every Venezuelan a millionaire. However, that does not mean that they can eat decently or buy the medicines or basic products they need. Link: Maduro Postpones Issuing New Currency in Venezuela

Source: Havana Times The “Mothers of April” Movement condemned the massacre that occurred during the peaceful Mother’s Day march of May 30th, which left many more Nicaraguan families in mourning. They called on the business sector to declare a national work stoppage to pressure the exit of the Government of Daniel Ortega. Link:

Source: Havana Times On September 21st 1998, Yosier Hernandez Quinones, then 7 years old, confirmed that miracles really do exist. Even today, twenty years later, people still remember that night in the Pinar del Rio province, which includes the city of Candelaria. His mother, Aida Hernandez Quinones (54 years old), hasn’t forgotten a…

Source: Havana Times Here’s a poem by Gioconda Belli published for Nicaraguan Mothers Day which falls each year on May 30th. On the date this year, hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans joined the mothers of so many young people killed in the government repression of peaceful protests since mid-April. Link: Gioconda Belli Writes

Source: Havana Times Over the past few weeks, news of a Cuban political prisoner, scientist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola, has traveled the entire world. Ariel is serving an unfair sentence after a summary trial was held on May 8th in Pinar del Rio province. He was arrested at the farm he shares with his…

Source: Havana Times The Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General, Luis Almagro, stands firm as an important ally of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo so they can stay a few more years in the presidency of Nicaragua. Link: Almagro’s Unwavering Support for Ortega in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times As Nicaragua slips deeper into violent chaos with the Ortega-Murillo government clinging to power amid massive protests, the US Embassy in Managua just closed its doors today, June 1st, reported 100% Nocitias. Link: USA Shuts Down its Nicaragua Embassy

Source: Havana Times When the Revolution triumphed in Cuba, a system to distribute products and food was implemented and regulated by the State to ensure that every Cuban had food, clothes and shoes, relying on the Rations Booklet. Even though other countries in Socialist Europe had also implemented this system. Link: The Rations

Source: Havana Times It took them seven months to decide to intervene and it’s clear that they’ve only done this because other complaints have been made, demanding them to act; recently, there was a petition signed by many farmers who said their credits had been stolen. Link: A Pitiful Outcome

Source: Havana Times Today, I am cooking with gas, after more than three months. Our community got together to organize getting a truck that would be responsible for distributing gas containers and I was lucky enough to get my name down on a list. Link: Smoke Signals from Venezuela

Source: Havana Times Student, business and civil society leaders demanding the resignation of the Government of Nicaragua called today to “intensify the civic and peaceful protest,” after the violence that occurred on Wednesday and that according to the Police left 15 dead and 218 wounded. Link: Call to “Intensify Civic Protest” in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times The bishops worked all Wednesday night to issue a statement in which they affirm that “the National Dialogue cannot be resumed as long as the people of Nicaragua continue to be denied the right to demonstrate freely and continue to be repressed and killed.” Link: Nicaragua Dialogue Frozen, Says Bishops

Source: Havana Times It’s hard for me to understand how a large part of the Cuban population don’t want a political change on the island, they prefer changes in economic management which improve their material conditions instead. Link: Why Cuba’s Political System Must Change

Source: Havana Times Enlivened with the same music and songs and new ones being written, today, Nicaragua’s youth are fighting against a dictatorship with the same patriotism youth did yesterday [in the 1970s against Somoza]. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega Says Protestors are “Rightwing Vandals”

Source: Havana Times The days will be slightly warm, with clouds from the end of the morning, and some chance of rain and isolated storms. The maximum temperatures will range between 29 and 30° C (84 and 86 F), while the lows will be between 23 and 24° C (73 and 75 F).

Source: Havana Times Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega warned Wednesday that he will not abandon the government, responding to the demands of his opponents who have urged him to withdraw from power. Meanwhile new incidents left at least two dead and more than a dozen injured after a massive opposition march. Link: Ortega Says

Source: Havana Times These days in Cuba have reminded me of that passage where Garcia Marquez said that in Macondo it rained so much that the fish were in the air. Almost 20 days without seeing the sun, something very unheard of these days, has kept Havana sleepy. Link: Weeks of Rain Brought

Source: Havana Times The National Dialogue process, which began on May 16th, was suspended at is fourth session (Wednesday 23rd) because no agreements were being reached, after benefitting both the Nicaraguan people involved in protests since April 18th and the Ortega dictatorship. Link: Nicaragua: The National Dialogue Process Thus Far

Source: Havana Times Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived in Caracas today to meet his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, on his first official trip abroad since he assumed the presidency in mid-April. Maduro is the Cuban government’s top political and economic ally. Link: Cuban President Visits Maduro in Venezuela

Source: Havana Times Businessman Piero Coen Ubilla, president of a large conglomerate that wields a lot of weight in Nicaragua in financial services, agroindustry, cattle raising, the agricultural sector, real estate and ID solutions, hopes to see a “rapid”, “peaceful”, and “constitutional” way out of the political, economic and social crisis that has…

Source: Havana Times Oh, how powerless I felt when I went to get my motorbike fixed and I heard a 10-year-old boy, the mechanic’s son, say to his father: “this happened so suddenly, because everything was calm last week.” And it really was. Before April 19th… Link: Masaya, Nicaragua a Tourist Hub Now

Source: Havana Times Several days ago, the Mothers’ April 19th Movement, parents of dozens of murdered youths, called for a march in Managua on Mothers Day, Wednesday, May 30th, demanding justice and an end to the killing. Link: Nicaragua: Mothers with Murdered Children to Lead March in Managua

Source: Havana Times Amnesty International (AI) denounced today that the Government of Nicaragua committed “crimes of international law”, by “exercising a lethal repressive policy” against the ongoing protests that began on April 17, with evidence of having “intentionally deprived the life of political opponents and protesters. Link: Amnesty International Issues Scathing Report on

Source: Havana Times On Monday April 30th, an order was given to close down the gym. Taking to the street to do their workouts, like they do every day, was how the owner and the club members chose to respond to this injustice. Link: Gym Closed Down and Club Members Take to the

Source: Havana Times I recently attended the presentation of visual and film projects to a delegation from New York’s Modern Art Museum, at the alternative base of the Hannah Arendt Institute for Artivism, Instar, led by Tania Bruguera. Link: No to Pressure on Cuba’s Independent Artists

Source: Havana Times At the dialogue table, in the medical centers, the press rooms, in the occupied universities, and behind the barricades, there are women. We talk with some of them. Link: Women in Nicaragua’s Ongoing 2018 Rebellion

Source: Havana Times The government of Nicaragua and an alliance of students, business people and civil society agreed Monday to resume the dialogue suspended last week with a view to resolving the serious crisis in the country, reported the Episcopal Conference, mediator in the process. Link: Nicaragua: Gov. and Civic Alliance Say Yes

Source: Havana Times Amnesty International and human rights activist Bianca Jagger, denounced the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua for an attack Monday by “Sandinista mobs” against a university in the capital, and urged him to “stop the murders” in the country. Link: Amnesty International Tells the Gov. of Nicaragua to “Stop the

Source: Havana Times A group of unknown gunmen attacked the facilities of the University of Engineering (UNI) in the Nicaraguan capital today, after students barricaded themselves inside. During the assault, another group set fire to the facilities of the nearby official radio station “Nueva Radio Ya.” Link: Ortega’s Leading Radio Station Burned in

Source: Havana Times Anita is now an old woman but she remembers how she was banned from going to university in spite of her high grades as a student, because her records featured the dishonorable Baptist label. “It seems that the Revolution had already forgotten that its first great martyr was Frank Pais,…

Source: Havana Times I recently heard about “Discoabuelos”, an activity which as the name implies is a space where older adults can go to move their bones, dance, unwind, like when they were younger. Alamar’s Discoabuelo, which is run by the Cuban Artex company at the En Guanyabera Cultural Center, takes place every…

Source: Havana Times Compulsory Military Service is a social arrogance, a democratic perversion and there is no rational justification for society, as a whole, to decide to force someone to spend a period of time serving as a soldier, even when the majority decide that its right. A real democracy has limits, it…

Source: Havana Times A joint commission, created in Nicaragua to try and unblock the dialogue between the government and the opposition Civic Alliance and resolve the acute crisis that is shaking the country, will meet for the first time on Monday, announced today the mediation commission formed by the Catholic Episcopal Conference. Link:

Source: Havana Times Far rightwing candidate Ivan Duque and the left leaning Gustavo Petro, who embody two opposing views on the peace process in their country, will contest the Colombian Presidency on June 17 after obtaining the highest percentage of votes in the first round, but not enough to win outright. Link: Duque

Source: Havana Times As subtropical storm Alberto heads north with an expected landing on Monday somewhere in the Florida Panhandle, rains persist in the capital extending through the western and central Cuban provinces. Link: Rains in Havana as Alberto Heads for Florida

Source: Havana Times Zoilamerica Ortega Murillo, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega’s stepdaughter, said the president is “capable of anything to hold on to power” and that he and her mother, Vice President Rosario Murillo, act “like wounded gods” faced with the protests that shake the country. Link: Zoilamerica: Ortega and Murillo are “Wounded Gods

Source: Havana Times During their recent visit and investigation, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) requested that the Nicaraguan State adopt precautionary measures to guarantee the security of the 13 young people from different student movements who have participated in the National Dialogue. Link: Protective Measures Sought for Nicaraguan Students

Source: Havana Times A few days ago, I spoke to Andres, a neighbor from the Perico municipality in Matanzas province, who told me that the fire which took place on March 24th on Bernal Street, between Gonzalez and Infesta streets, was the result of a “jealousy attack”. Link: Femicides in Cuba?

Source: Havana Times The first named storm of the hurricane season threatens western Cuba, parts of Florida and the Northeastern Gulf Coast with heavy rainfall. The government of Cuba issued a tropical storm warning for the western province of Pinar del Rio, reports the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Link: Alberto Could Bring

Source: Havana Times The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on Friday condemned new acts of violence that took place this week in three cities in Nicaragua, where three people were killed and dozens more wounded. It also issued a precautionary measure to protect students. Link: Renewed Violence in Nicaragua Condemned by IACHR

Source: Havana Times Francisca Ramirez said President Ortega has already demonstrated “he is unable to govern” because he ordered the population to be repressed. “They are sick from power and they think they own Nicaragua,” she said. Link: Nicaragua Peasant Leaders: The Streets are Our Place to Protest

Source: Havana Times Hours after the Boeing 737-200 exploded in the surroundings of the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, at least a dozen short recordings taken from the place of the event were going viral and being passed between the millions of mobile phones functioning in today’s Cuba. Link: Amateur Videos Reveal

Source: Havana Times A Cuban province has lost over 60 inhabitants all at once. Since Friday, images of the Boeing 737-200 accident have been replaying, over and over again, on screens in Holguin’s pharmacies, barber shops, cafes, restaurants and homes. Link: Silence and Mourning in Holguin, Cuba

Source: Havana Times The opposition’s strategy is a classic example of political clumsiness. They had the opportunity to win and they chose to lose, because by not taking part that’s exactly what they did. Elections aren’t perfect in Venezuela but they are possible… Link: Maduro, Venezuela’s Most Skilled Politician

Source: Havana Times A Cuban woman was crying on a news report on Chilean TV. She was the mother of a young man who would have turned 22 years old last Sunday. But, he couldn’t because he was torn to pieces and died in a plane crash at Havana’s Jose Marti Airport. Link:

Source: Havana Times A few weeks ago, I wrote several poems and I reveal my feelings and determination in one of them to not form part of a reality that has been killing me slowly. I thought that I would never have to leave my country, but life, and my actions… Link: A

Source: Havana Times WIFI hotspots already have their own discourse because that’s where Cubans show themselves for what they really are, full of insecurities, contradictions and confusion. This is perhaps the most real-life press office for gauging public opinion. Link: Snapshot of an Afternoon at a Havana WIFI Hotspot

Source: Havana Times The United States responded to the expulsion of two of its diplomats ordered by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro with a reciprocal measure. On Wednesday, the State Department gave the charge d’affaires of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington and the vice-consul in Houston 48 hours to leave the country. Link: US

Source: Havana Times The showers and rains will continue in Havana, with some heavy storms. The winds will be from the southeast and the south, with speeds between 15 and 25 km/h. The high temperatures will oscillate between 26 and 29° C (79 and 84 F), while the lows will be between 23…

Source: Havana Times The protestors offered to relax roadblocks if the government would allow the agenda to procede, but dialogue ends without agreements, and the protests intensify demanding that Ortega and Murillo leave. Link: Nicaragua Panorama Darkens as Ortega Rejects Agenda for Democratization

Source: Havana Times The national dialogue between the Government of Nicaraguan government and a civic alliance of students, business people and civil society was suspended today due to failure to agree on the agenda to be discussed, while violent confrontations were reported in the city of Leon that left one dead and at…

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, the pre-established calendar year doesn’t coincide with the farming year. There are two well-defined planting seasons, which aren’t determined by human whim but by Nature itself: spring and the cold season. Link: A Bad Year for Agriculture in Cuba’s Eastern Provinces

Source: Havana Times Cuban anti-Castro fighter Luis Posada Carriles, considered a hero by his exiled compatriots and accused of terrorism by Havana and Caracas, died today in a home for veterans in Florida at age 90, informed his attorney. Link: Anti-Castro Warrior Luis Posada Carriles Dies at 90

Source: Havana Times The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced in Salt Lake City, Utah on Tuesday that it will transfer out of the country over half of its 327 missionaries distributed in Nicaragua. The remaining 158 missionaries in the country will be moved to areas “that are safe, Link: Mormon

Source: Havana Times The national dialogue that began a week ago in Nicaragua is heading towards decisive hours, as President Daniel Ortega,72, resists the call to abandon his position and the threat of students and rural residents to put pressure on him by closing the terrestrial traffic between borders. Link: Nicaragua: Decisive Hours

Source: Havana Times The preliminary report on the April killings in Nicaragua from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is definitive in its findings regarding the dimensions of the horrors suffered by the victims of the repression. Its conclusions on the responsibilities of the State for excessive use of police and paramilitary violence…

Source: Havana Times The Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua issued an urgent statement Tuesday denouncing a campaign of discrediting and death threats that some of the Catholic bishops and priests are suffering, especially the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio Baez, one of the five bishops mediating the National Dialogue currently underway and scheduled to…

Source: Havana Times Drivers are the ones to blame, according to the police, and let me repeat: “in spite of the country having an aged vehicle pool, a road network in average condition and poor level of road signs,” and yet the government, who holds an absolute monopoly over everything to do with…

Source: Havana Times In my opinion, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES’ performance was a smashing success, and that’s why I invite every band who wants to come play here to this venue: you have an audience with open arms, anxiously waiting to dance and have fun. Link: Rock at Havana’s Salon Rosado de la Tropical

Source: Havana Times Nelson Mandela, the tireless fighter who struggled against apartheid in South Africa, is the star of the new traveling exhibition “Mandela 100”, at the Africa House on 157 Obrapia Street in Old Havana. It will be open to the public from May until August. (22 photos) Link: Mandela 100: Exhibition

Source: Havana Times Some hard-currency retail stores in Havana are selling Auchan-brand (supermarket) salt imported from Spain. A one kilo bag sells for 0.60 Convertible Pesos (CUC). This is the best product of its kind that the Cuban population have access to, who have been suffering salt shortages in regular Cuban pesos Link:

Source: Havana Times The Government of Nicaragua accepted Monday to address a list of 15 recommendations from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) stemming from the serious violations of fundamental rights during the crisis that has been affecting the country for over a month. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega Government Accepts Call to Stop

Source: Havana Times Venezuela is increasingly isolated internationally after numerous countries refused to recognize the results of the elections held on Sunday. Likewise, US president Trump signed an executive order to limit the capacity of the Maduro government to sell off the country’s assets. Link: Reactions after Maduro’s “Great Victory” in Venezuela

Source: Havana Times The University Coalition on Monday proposed the adoption of a “law to set the framework for transition and democracy”, with its first step the immediate destitution of Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, something the government has thus far refused to consider. Link: Nicaragua Hears Demands for Ortega’s Exit and Early Elections

Source: Havana Times On Friday May 18th, at the Actuar Agency, the Labor Justice Committee (OJL) informed me of its recent decisions regarding the complaint I filed because this former organization, especially its director Jorge Luis Frias Armenteros, violated my artistic representation contract because of my online activity against government and Party leaders.

Source: Havana Times The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) today urged the Government of Nicaragua to “immediately cease the repression” of social protests and to investigate and punish those responsible for 76 deaths since last April in the country. Link: Nicaragua: Ortega Government Urged to Stop Repression and Investigate Deaths

Source: Havana Times While it’s important to be in touch with others and up-to-date, you also need to know where and when to use a mobile phone. Why? Even though I don’t have the exact figure, I do know that many fatal accidents take place because of cellphone use. Link: Mobile Phones, a

Source: Havana Times A month ago, the classrooms were the ideal sites for Nicaraguan students to meet with their teachers. Today, some of the youth go out daily to demonstrate against the government, while others remain in the hallways of the universities they’re occupying. Still others have been killed during the protests. “The…

Source: Havana Times I met Ezequiel Rodriguez outside the literary cafe on 23rd and 12th streets. He seemed to be going through a tough time. Months later, I saw him again at the presentation of the second edition of the digital magazine Confluencias, promoted by members of Regla municipality’s literary workshop. Link: Ezequiel,

Source: Havana Times The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela declared on Sunday evening Nicolas Maduro the winner of the controversial presidential elections, with almost 68% of the votes, more than triple his weak opponent Henri Falcon (21%), who did not recognize the result. The CNE said the voter turnout waws 46%. Link:

Source: Havana Times The blocks of Leon became a blue and white tide on Saturday that celebrated the new liberation of what is known as Nicaragua’s university city. There was also a caravan in Managua and protests in other cities. Link: The Roar of the Lion: “Ortega Must Go!”

Source: Havana Times Venezuelans will vote or abstain Sunday in a controversial election in which President Nicolas Maduro seeks re-election against three rivals of little weight, after the leading opposition candidates were disqualified. The opposition coalition calls on citizens to boycott the vote claiming it is fraudulent. Link: Venezuela Elects President Today amid

Source: Havana Times An armed attack on a university in the capital of Nicaragua on Saturday night, left at least four students injured and broke the truce promised by the government in the now uncertain national dialogue, coincided student and religious sources. Link: Attack on University in Nicaragua Breaks Truce and Darkens Dialogue

Source: Havana Times Cuban authorities today found one of the black boxes in “good condition” of the Boeing 737-200 plane that crashed Friday in Havana, leaving 110 dead and three survivors. They also released the full passenger list of the tragedy. Link: Passenger List Released of Fatal Plane Crash in Havana

Source: Havana Times The current upheaval in Nicaragua has been a flashback for many people of the events that took place 40 years ago in the Central American country. At that time much of the population had rebelled against the Somoza dictatorship. Today the Ortega family government is facing similar mass protest demanding…

Source: Havana Times Cuba is fighting a fierce diplomatic battle in Geneva. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and his “Elite Squad” have been charged with the mission of highlighting the positive side of the Cuban government, maximizing and sugarcoating its social achievements and reducing and distorting those which represent human rights violations. Link: Face-off

Source: Havana Times This coming October, the Cuban Revolution will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its birth, when Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, the Father of our Homeland, an educated, wealthy lawyer and owner of a sugar mill and slaves, put all of his fortune and life on the line for Cuba’s freedom, which…