Source: Havana Times The United States ordered today that relatives of its diplomats working in Nicaragua immediately leave the country, mired in protests against the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. Link: US Tells Diplomats Relatives to Leave Nicaragua ASAP

Source: Havana Times Elsa arrived at Havana airport and when she got to baggage reclaim, she discovered that there was a hole in one of the suitcases. She didn’t know what to do. She felt lost and after thinking about it for some time, she decided to not make a complaint. Link: Baggage

Source: Havana Times Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced Sunday afternoon the repeal of his controversial Social Security reform that triggered widespread protests and the subsequent violent government repression starting five days ago. Link: Ortega Repeals Controversial Reform but Protests Continue in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times During the 8th Summit of the Americas held in Peru, the “civil society” chosen, indoctrinated, funded and guided by the Castro government was the spearhead against other Cubans, the ones they call “mercenaries backed by the CIA”. Link: History and hysteria, journalists and dissidents

Source: Havana Times Several supermarkets and other stores were looted Sunday in Managua, including Wall Mart outlets, as anti-government protests continue to escalate in Nicaragua’s main cities and other localities. Link: Walmart Stores Looted in Managua, Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times The magnitude of the popular reaction came without warning, when a group of young university students and dozens of elderly called, on their own, a peaceful protest against the blow to the population’s finances. Link: Nicaragua Says No to Repression or Back Room Deals

Source: Havana Times Nicaragua’s Private Enterprise Council (COSEP), a close ally until this week of the government of Daniel Ortega, today conditioned a dialogue with the president on the “immediate ending of repression” of the police and government shock forces against demonstrators. Link: Death Toll Reaches 25 in Nicaragua Protest Repression

Source: Havana Times The repression unleashed this week by the Ortega shock troops operating under police protection reveals the regime’s fear of social protest. Here are four key points as to why. Link: Nicaragua: Before and After the Social Security Heist

Source: Havana Times Tuesday April 10th marked five months since my friend Jose Antonio Herrera and I had all of our digital communication and work devices seized. On that grey afternoon, on November 10th, they came and took everything they wanted to. Link: Five Months after Having Our Possessions Seized in Mayari, Cuba

Source: Havana Times Last Sunday, passers-by on 23rd street, in Vedado, were surprised to see a group of people walking along the side of the road carrying photos of stray dogs on their chests. (18 photos) Link: Hope for Those in Cuba without a Voice

Source: Havana Times The police station in Trinidad has received at least one complaint every day over the past week about scams via fraudulent phone calls which encourage customers from Cuba’s Telecommunications Company (ETESCA) to supply top-up cards for mobile phones to alleged “parcel delivery agents”. Link: Technological Scams: Be on the Alert

Source: Havana Times We’ve already started counting down. The opening ceremony of the #00 Havana Biennial will take place on May 5th at a home in Old Havana with a group exhibition, which will include works by Cuban and foreign artists. Link: Countdown to Havana’s Alternative Biennial (with Newsletters & Videos)

Source: Havana Times US Vice-President Mike Pence read a speech full of lies about Cuba and Venezuela and Cuban Ambassador Bruno Rodriguez gave him a forceful response, proving I was right in what I recently wrote here on Havana Times. Link: Bruno Rodriguez Speaks the Truth after Mike Pence’s Lies

Source: Havana Times The government of Commander Daniel Ortega responded to the protests over reforms to the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS) with repression and aggressions against university students and journalists from national and international media. Link: Nicaragua: Government Repression and Censorship in Response to Protests

Source: Havana Times Violence broke out in Managua on Wednesday, April 18, when members of the Sandinista Youth deploying sticks, pipes and stones, along with the Riot Police forces, repressed a march of young people and adults. By Thursday the protests have spread to other cities. Link: Peaceful Protests against Nicaraguan Social Security

Source: Havana Times People here have been talking about reggaeton lyrics for a long time. I remember the famous video which a grandfather uploaded to YouTube, where his trendsetting grandson was grinding on top of a girl like an adult to a raucous reggaeton beat. Link: Free Education with Clowns and Reggaeton

Source: Havana Times The new Cuban president, Miguel Diaz Canel, assured today that his mandate is to give “continuity to the Cuban Revolution in a historical and crucial moment Link: Cuba: New President Promises Continuity

Source: Havana Times Expect days with isolated clouds and a low probability of showers and rains. The winds will be from the east, weak in the mornings and with speeds between 15 and 25 km/h in the afternoons. The maximum temperatures will vary between 30 and 32° C (86 and 90 F) and…

Source: Havana Times The National Candidacy Commission today proposed to the Cuban Parliament the designation of Miguel Diaz-Canel as the only candidate to be the next president of Cuba, replacing Raul Castro. Link: Miguel Diaz-Canel is the New President of Cuba

Source: Havana Times The Cuban Government believes the decision of Canada to immediately send home from the island relatives of the diplomats at its embassy in Havana is unjustified. Canada said the reason is a result of mysterious injuries suffered by its personnel. Link: Cuba Calls Unjustified Canada’s Withdraw of Diplomats’ Relatives

Source: Havana Times “Female and male” is the title of a short video found in the Weekly Package (audiovisuals sold in Cuba for downloading), which I normally buy every Tuesday. This type of material which is strongly homophobic made me sad and bothered me at the same time. Link: Female and Male

Source: Havana Times What do Cubans think might happen on April 19th? Are they worried about Raul Castro leaving office? Do they feel a new president will be able to make any real changes on the island? Link: Cuba, Just Hours before a New President

Source: Havana Times The Israeli-U.S. company Bean & Co., that intends to plant 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of cacao all over the world, has chosen Nicaragua as one of the 18 countries where it will bring this vision to reality. Link: Nicaragua Chosen by US-Israel Company for Huge Cacao Plantation

Source: Havana Times Those who follow my articles (which I hope are quite a few) should know that I live in a suburb of Guantanamo city, the fifth most populated city in Cuba. Link: Be a man!

Source: Havana Times The new President, whoever he is, and everything seems to indicate that it will be current first vice-president Miguel Diaz Canel, will inherit what we Cubans call a great “horse’s head”, of a dead horse of course, from his predecessor. Link: The “Horse’s Head” that Raul Castro Leaves Behind

Source: Havana Times I defend, as a verifiable truth, that differences in behavior, as groups that is, depend infinitely more on the environment in which these individuals develop, than on their genetic predisposition to behave in one way or another. Link: Another Take on Racism in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Only a couple days before a new president is picked in Cuba, the government’s longtime friend, Canada, made a surprise announcement Monday that steps up the mystery over attacks on the health of diplomatic personnel and their families in Havana. Link: Canada Tells Diplomat’s Families to Leave Cuba over Health

Source: Havana Times Despite US president Trump’s talk of walls and deportations, other new approaches have sprung up for potential immigrants detained in the USA. We examine one that’s clearly not a panacea but some consider better than prolonged imprisonment. Link: What Europe (and Latin America) Can learn from the US Immigration System

Source: Havana Times Raul Castro began his tenure in office with reforms that opened the Cuban economy to small private sectors and with the reestablishment of relations with the United States. However during recent years, the pace of opening slowed and the thaw with Washington came to a halt, leaving the new president…

Source: Havana Times Artist Reynier Leyva Novo made official his 3800 CUC (=USD) donation to the #00 Havana Biennial, which will be held from May 5th-15th. Link: Havana’s Alternative Biennial Receives Involuntary Gov. Support

Source: Havana Times Sixteen countries of the Americas, meeting in Lima in the framework of the VIII Summit of the Americas, on Saturday issued the Declaration of Venezuela to make “an urgent call” to the Venezuelan Government so that its elections are carried out through a free, fair and transparent process. Link: Sixteen

Source: Havana Times Osmel Ramirez comments on the strategy used by the Cuban government and its media to try and shape public opinion around the just concluded Summit of the Americas in Lima, Perú. Link: The Cuba Show at the Summit of the Americas

Source: Havana Times The Cuban government condemned the “unilateral” bombing carried out by the United States against Syria and considered it an “outrage against a sovereign state.” Link: Gov. of Cuba Condemns US Attack on Syria Targets

Source: Havana Times Usually when I travel, I record interviews with residents who share about their lives. I didn’t anticipate doing this in Cuba. I worried about the risks. But then Juan Manuel Menendez sat down with me in a Havana park and talked about issues that have long been off-limits to Cubans.

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan government announced Friday that the major fire has been put out in the Indio Maíz (southeastern) biological reserve, after ten days in which the flames destroyed more than 5,400 hectares of humid tropical forest. Link: Nicaraguan Government Says Forest Reserve Fire Extinguished

Source: Havana Times Claribel was a neighborhood representative and president of a municipal government. She has experience working as a leader of state bodies but today runs her own hostel. She told me that she doesn’t want to know anything about the Cuban electoral system. Link: Cuba’s Local Representatives, Public Servants?

Source: Havana Times US vice president, Mike Pence, met Friday in Lima, Peru, venue of the Summit of the Americas, with the Cuban dissident Rosa Maria Paya, who was assured of the support of the Trump Administration. Link: Trump’s VP Meets with Cuban Dissident

Source: Havana Times Cuban President Raul Castro decided not to attend the Summit of the Americas that begins today in Lima, Peru and instead the delegation representing the island is led by his Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Link: Raul Castro Skips the Summit of the Americas

Source: Havana Times Since 2013, Ana Lyem Laraes is the main artist at the Zenit Tattoo studio, located in the town of Santa Fe on the outskirts of Havana. In the beginning, she didn’t have much more than a needle, some ink and her friends’ willingness to be her “pioneering” clients. Link: Can

Source: Havana Times Cuban TV shows images of foreign people and communities living in extreme poverty in order to make us see how disadvantaged they are due to government’s with little or no political will to help them. The objective is to obviously put them into contrast with Cuba. Link: How Cuban TV

Source: Havana Times   By Luis Garcia de la Torre* HAVANA TIMES — Anyone who feels the need to emigrate knows that it Link: How and When a Cuban Decides to Leave the Island

Source: Havana Times A study featured today by Democracy Now sees drastic effects from Climate Change taking place in the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream. Link: Study: Climate Change Is Weakening Gulf Stream Ocean Currents

Source: Havana Times Early Monday morning, the group of eight teenagers and a minor, who had been arbitrarily arrested by Cuban police on Friday April 6th, were released. Threatened with heavy fines or jail, in the end they were given a Warning Letter that can be used against them in the future. Link:

Source: Havana Times Untreated garbage and muck thrown into the Quibo River travels 27 kilometers and even reaches Havana’s University of the Arts (ISA). A group of students and environmentalists decided to draw attention to the serious contamination problem. Link: Havana: Clean-up Effort Draws Attention to the Contaminated Quibu River

Source: Havana Times There is a sign on Libertad Street, one of the main streets in Ciego de Avila, and it reads: “Female Watchmaker”. Yes, female watchmaker, not a male watchmaker, like people say if you ask them for directions. Link: Yes I’m a Female Watchmaker, Why Not?

Source: Havana Times The Venezuelan National Assembly’s Finance Commission, said on Wednesday that inflation reached 67% for March, with the year inflation rate now up to 8,878%. Link: Venezuela: US Dollar Surpasses 400,000 Bolivars

Source: Havana Times The days will remain cloudy from the morning on, with some showers and rains, mainly in the afternoons. The maximum temperatures will be between 28 and 33° C (82 and 91 F), while in the early morning the lows will be between 21 and 24° C (70 and 75 F).

Source: Havana Times “They wanted to take him out of the box and take out his pacemaker because it could supposedly serve another heart patient,” Alberto Manuel’s statement horrified me and led to this story… Link: Dying in Cuba, History Disregards the Poor

Source: Havana Times The fire in the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve that has devoured over 12,355 acres (5,116 hectares) of forestland marked seven days of destruction on Tuesday April 10th. Link: Fire in Nicaragua’s Indio Maiz Biological Reserve could spread to its western border

Source: Havana Times TeleSur, the Venezuela based satellite TV channel we see here in Cuba, has unleashed a media avalanche/advertising campaign for cryptocurrencies recently, especially the Petro… Link: Petro Cryptocurrency: Solution or Scam for Venezuela?

Source: Havana Times In today’s high-tech era, even with the slow advances that are being made on our island, how does a book compete with shiny, bright-colored screens that seem to bubble with life? Link: In Cuba: Books Magically Appear

Source: Havana Times The Polish born yoga practitioner Gosia wanted to show her talent by wandering the streets of Havana and posing in spontaneous fashion among the inhabitants going about their daily routines. (15 photos) Link: Yoga in the Streets of Havana

Source: Havana Times Artist Reynier Leyva Novo will donate 3,800 cuc (= usd) to the #00 Bienal de La Habana (May 5-15), informed the event’s organizing committe on Monday. The money comes from the sale of a work to the Council of the Plastic Arts. Link: A Cuban Artist and his Altruism in

Source: Havana Times When I saw the photos of the inauguration of the Mercabel wholesale market, in the pro-government media’s inflated article, I thought they were strange for a feature about a center of this kind which are normally large commercial spaces. Link: Havana’s Wholesale Market is a Con

Source: Havana Times In our new play, Las Troyanas (The Trojan Women), we will take Euripides’ original script as a starting point, and therefore Greek myth, to perform a story that will take on an interrelationship with our own social situation. Subjects such as abuses of power, gender discrimination and oppression will be…

Source: Havana Times On March 24th, in the town of Perico, Matanzas province, there was a fire which destroyed seven homes completely and two homes were partially damaged. There weren’t any fatalities or people injured. Here’s what happened. Link: An Unforgettable Day in Perico, Matanzas

Source: Havana Times In January, I wrote about a pothole in the middle of 19th street in Havana’s Bahia neighborhood. I wrote that neighbors had planted plants inside the pothole themselves so that people could see it from afar and be able to prevent an accident from taking place… Link: Sometimes an Effective

Source: Havana Times It takes a lot of intellectual energy to understand Cuban reality. There are a large number of facts that are extremely contradictory. Statistics on voting and the reasons people go to the polls are one of those issues. Link: Cuba’s Misleading Election Results

Source: Havana Times The website www.ge.com/digitalvolcano developed by a team of explorers under Sam Cossman has been nominated for a prestigious “Webby,” an award recognizing “the world’s best websites.” It allows the viewer to take a virtual tour of the Masaya Volcano, right up to the lava lake at its core. Link: Nicaragua:

Source: Havana Times The latest repression against teenage Cuban punks took place on Friday, April 6, on Havana’s popular G Street. Such arbitrary actions of the police agents in Cuba resounds. Link: New Police Arrest of Havana Punks

Source: Havana Times I must confess that in spite of there only being three months left until my 81st birthday and having spent the second half of my life tied to the news, I am still worried about the world’s current situation and vehemently wish inequality ends and that I don’t have to…

Source: Havana Times Any man who has ever visited Havana will be familiar with the common occurrence that is the offering of ‘chicas’ by many of the local men. As a young foreign man living here alone, no evening escapes the practice. Link: Havana’s Improvised Pimps

Source: Havana Times Lola and Eduardo’s paths have been wedged together like two forged pieces of metal for the past 17 years since back when they studied acting at the Superior Institute of Art and shared the stage together in a Havana theater troupe. Link: Two Cuban Actors Together in Life and Censorship

Source: Havana Times The ban on leaving the country is used continuously at the convenience of the Cuban government to prevent someone who thinks differently from the official discourse from traveling abroad. This time it was the turn of… Link: Cuban Citizens Blocked from Travel Abroad

Source: Havana Times Every month, something happens that makes me anxious, stressed and afraid… when my body warns me that this something is on its way, I start looking in cupboards and drawers, I take to the street to ask where the black market retail points are, I turn to friends, I ask…

Source: Havana Times I have always said it would be a good start to start knocking down all of those gypsum busts that are up, not only in schools, but in parks, companies, even bakeries and all over the country, in order to really start honoring Jose Marti. Link: The Dangers of Humanizing

Source: Havana Times I have a friend I studied at university with who was very poor when he used to live in Cuba, I think he was the one in the worst financial situation out of all the people on my degree. Link: Are Cubans Just Waiting to Be Spoon Fed?

Source: Havana Times Cuba can learn from Viet Nam to overcome petty attitudes and vindictiveness such as prohibiting 100,000 Cuban expatriates from visiting their homeland, applying a surcharge on Cuban Americans Visas, Passports and Travel instead of devising events as Viet Nam, that encourage their return and investment. Link: A “Doi Moi” or

Source: Havana Times The Brazilian Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio da Silva to stay out of jail while he appeals a controversial corruption conviction, putting a damper on his hopes to run for a new presidency. Link: Brazil’s Lula Must Face Prison Term, says Supreme Court

Source: Havana Times Angel Valodia Matos is the only ever Cuban Taekwondo Olympic Champion. With an interesting CV, he’s had a more than a commendable sports career, however, he is unfortunately remembered more for having kicked a referee in the face during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Link: Angel Valodia Matos: I Still

Source: Havana Times On April 19th, the new National Assembly of People’s Power will hold its first plenary session and will finally approve the National Nomination Committee’s proposal for its own president and the new president of the State Council too. Link: Cuba’s General “Elections” in the Context of Presidential Transition

Source: Havana Times Just a month away from celebrating the #00 Havana Biennial, its team of organizers continue to present promotional material. The event is set to take place at numerous venues in the capital from May 5-15. Link: Promoting the Havana Biennial (May 5-15)

Source: Havana Times Daniel surprised me a few days ago with a copy of his first book which I have just finished reading: Oscar Wilde, the critic as an artist and other essays. Link: Oscar Wilde and his Validity in the 21st Century

Source: Havana Times The days will remain with little cloudiness in the mornings, isolated clouds in the afternoons, with a low probability of rain. The maximum temperatures will run between 29 and 30° C (84 and 86 F) and the lows between 21 and 22° C (70 and 72 F). Link: Havana Weather

Source: Havana Times In spite of having been born in Santiago de Cuba, I had never had the opportunity to visit Cayo Granma. The idea was always dormant in my mind until my work as a tour guide gave me this opportunity when I took a group of US women. (45 photos) Link:

Source: Havana Times   There are reporters who still use terms like “crimes of passion,” Maria Teresa Blandon, founder of the Feminist project Link: The Media in Nicaragua Replicates Violence against Women

Source: Havana Times He is called Fausto because his mother, Margarita, is an avid reader. In his childhood, he had to read Goethe’s universal work twice, obligatorily, until he came to understand the dramatic responsibilty not only of his name, but also of his sensitive mother. Link: Fausto, a Cuban Musician and Writer

Source: Havana Times Being exposed to vulnerable situations as a child, an age where children depend on adults, puts them at a disadvantage and makes them more prone to become victims of violence, even when their families are unaware of this. Link: “Mini Sweet Fifteens” and Early Gender Violence

Source: Havana Times After being expelled from the San Antonio de los Banos School of Film and TV (EICTV), the Actuar Agency has decided to not represent me anymore. I explain here how it happened and what it means. Link: An Unjust Punishment Twofold

Source: Havana Times For a short time, I tried to focus on what was going on in Cuba and elsewhere around this musical phenomenon and its lyrics, which, in my opinion, nearly always belittle women in every aspect, generally-speaking. Link: The Power of Reggaeton

Source: Havana Times A new antivirus for Android devices has been created entirely in Cuba and in now being sold to the Cuban people, under its creator’s management, the Information Security Consulting Services Company, known by the acronym Segurmatica. Link: Cuba Has a New National Antivirus for Android Phones

Source: Havana Times “It’s hard working for a self-employed business owner, you don’t have any guarantees, the only one you do have is that you will earn more than if you work for the State,” explains Ana who works in a paladar cafe in Havana. Link: Cuba and Self-employment, Honesty has a Price

Source: Havana Times The 17th edition of the ICAIC Young Filmmakers Event opens at 2 pm on Tuesday, April 3 at the Charles Chaplin Cinema in Havana. The films will be shown in the afternoons and evenings through Sunday April 8th. Link: Cuba’s Young Filmmakers Event April 3-8 in Havana

Source: Havana Times A friend told me how his father went off on one when he told him: “The Cuban government killed Oswaldo Paya.” The violence that followed prevented any dialogue from taking place. Link: “I Won’t Allow It”

Source: Havana Times I have a neighbor who can’t even leave to go to work before she’s told her husband where she’s going. And when she needs to run a few errands, she has to go into great details about the places she’s thinking of going to. Link: Don’t Ask for Permission, Woman

Source: Havana Times Carlos Alvarado of the governing Citizen Action Party (PAC) won the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday in Costa Rica with just over 60 percent of the vote defeating the openly homophobic candidate Fabricio Alvarado. Link: Homophobic Presidential Candidate Loses in Costa Rica

Source: Havana Times Costa Ricans go to the polls this Easter Sunday to elect their new president, in a second round characterized by polarization and with a marked religious accent. Link: LGBTI Rights Center Stage in Sunday’s Presidential Elections in Costa Rica

Source: Havana Times Cubans in Miami have won themselves a piece of land in the US. Terrified of Castrismo, they fell like expatriates into the exile boat and contrary to popular belief, thought and art are buzzing here in this city. Link: Chronicle of a Journey after being Expelled

Source: Havana Times I was really shocked when I read the news that the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) here in Cuba was excluded, along with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), from taking part in the Civil Society Forum that will be held in Lima, Peru, as part…

Source: Havana Times If you ask any Cuban to list the most pressing economic problems that need to be solved, they will mention our dual currency. While the government insists on how difficult it is to resolve the problem, Repatriado believes it is not really that difficult. Link: Solving Cuba’s Two-Currency Dilemma Is

Source: Havana Times It’s as if the term “civil society” and its meaning don’t matter at all regarding Cuba. If it weren’t such a serious subject, and even an embarrassing one in our case, it would make you laugh. Link: What Actually is Cuban Civil Society?

Source: Havana Times It is a fact that such limited incomes have created an army of former state employees who have been forced to take jobs in the private sector with awful working conditions, but where they do earn considerably more pay. Link: When in Cuba Will Wages be Seriously Discussed?

Source: Havana Times The Central Bank of Cuba denied that the unification of the country’s monetary system is imminent, a rumor that caused a large influx of people at the banks in recent days. Link: Cuba’s Central Bank Responds to Fears on Monetary Unification

Source: Havana Times The United States announced today that as of April 1, the process of requesting immigrant visas for Cuban citizens will take place at its embassy in Georgetown, Guyana instead of in Colombia as in recent months. Link: Cubans Seeking Immigrant Visas to USA Must Now Go to Guyana

Source: Havana Times Santiago de Cuba has a spirituality that leaves a mark on whoever has the unique experience of walking through its streets. (14 photos) Link: Santiago de Cuba and its Visual Mystique

Source: Havana Times Consumption of movies with explicit sex scenes, no matter what the sexual orientation is, could be considered moderate here in Cuba. And as far as I know, consumption isn’t a crime but distribution and commercialization are. Link: Tom of Finland, My Sexual Identity and Expectations for Cuba

Source: Havana Times Ecuador suspended communications to the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, held up in asylum since 2012 in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, after he questioned on Twitter the arrest in of former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont in Germany. Link: Ecuador Turns Off Internet for Wikileaks’ Julian Assange

Source: Havana Times Saturday March 24th will go down in US history as the day that schoolchildren, young people, their parents took to the streets to shout, “Enough” and “No to violence!” Link: The Last Cry for Attention

Source: Havana Times Expect isolated cloud cover and a low probability of rain, in which little change in weather conditions will be perceived. The high temperatures will range between 28 and 29° C (82 and 84 F) and the lows between 19 and 21° C (66 and 70 F). Link: Havana Weather for

Source: Havana Times Private spaces and the way the female imagination visualizes them is a fascinating aspect of gender studies. As I enter this field, I realize that there is indeed a (re)construction of these imaginaries which can be seen in every step a woman takes in her environment here in Cuba, which…

Source: Havana Times Since the beginning of this year, I have been remembering the articles I used to write for Havana Times. I really miss writing them as I’ve been away due to a series of personal setbacks which, in taking them on, have been a challenge for me. Link: I’m Writing Again

Source: Havana Times In Cienfuegos, the city I live in, hearing bakers hawk their bread is a very common thing. They aren’t bakers though really, as they don’t make bread, they just sell it on the street. Link: What Fate Awaits Our Grandparents?

Source: Havana Times The ruling Cuban Communist Party acknowledged errors and delays in economic reforms, calling for greater involvement of state agencies. Link: Communist Party of Cuba Recognizes Errors in its Economic Reforms

Source: Havana Times El Ciervo Blanco is a project created by young Cubans who are trying to spread awareness about everything relating to magic, mythology or religion. Today, I wanted to share information with you about a video game that is being promoted by the El Ciervo literary group. Link: Paths of the

Source: Havana Times While serving as an Army intelligence analyst in Iraq, Manning leaked a trove of documents in 2010 about the Iraq War to WikiLeaks. Link: Freed Whistleblower Chelsea Manning on Iraq, Prison & Running for Senate

Source: Havana Times Think of Cuba and a few things pop to mind. Fidel Castro, socialism, excellent rum and arguably the world’s best cigars Today, however, it is estimated that almost as many ‘fake’ cigars are sold in tourist scams than real ones. Link: Cuba’s Counterfeit Cigars: Know your Fakes

Source: Havana Times The Cuban state-owned press is focusing on its shoe-shining role, to polish up an election result which bestows upon Russia’s new Tsar six more years in government to rule with an iron fist, according to his own strange way of understanding democracy. Link: Putin Polishes the Picture of Russia We’re

Source: Havana Times The Art Teachers Program, the school and the idea, were all a part of Fidel Castro’s dream to make Cuba “the most cultured country in the world.” However, just like his projects for Social Workers and fast track Primary School Teachers, this one was more ambitious than reality could allow…

Source: Havana Times There are many things that ordinary Cubans do all over the island in order to survive in a country where wages are purely symbolic. I can name many examples off of the top of my head… Link: Getting Through Another Day in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Years ago, when I first set foot and my life up outside my home country, like every immigrant I imagine, I began to look at and eagerly try to discover the opposite sex in Chile who I used to watch walking by: women in Santiago de Chile, in my case.

Source: Havana Times Critics of the Cuban Revolution, of its political system and government keep on mentioning “Cuba’s problems” in articles and comments that they publish on different platforms, which, in the abstract, would lead readers to believe that Cuba is a country full of problems… Link: Is Cuba the only Country with

Source: Havana Times Henry Falcon is afraid of the same thing the rest of the opposition is, but he believes not participating is far worse when the majority of the Venezuelan people want to go to the polls. Some in the opposition consider him a shill for the Maduro government. Osmel Ramirez gives…

Source: Havana Times A new study shows that the social networks in Nicaragua are the principal platforms used by youth to obtain news and to support social justice causes and mobilizations. Link: Social Media Increases Participation of Nicaraguan Youth in Social Justice Causes

Source: Havana Times While the Venezuelan people are sinking more and more into poverty and despair, kidnapped by the elites that monopolize political and economic power, the left is unable to offer the country a progressive alternative to overcome the crisis. Link: Where is the Venezuelan Left?

Source: Havana Times Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Thursday a monetary reconversion based on a new currency, the Sovereign Bolívar, which he said will come into force on June 4th. We explore what that might mean. Link: What Will a New Currency Mean in Venezuela?

Source: Havana Times Cuban and US companies have signed an agreement to apply the Cuban product Heberprot-P in the United States, which reduces the risk of amputation due to diabetic foot ulcers. The accord is pending FDA approval. Link: Cuban Medication for Diabetic Foot Heading to the US

Source: Havana Times Two rural women were tortured and burned alive in a town in the north of Nicaragua over a debt that wasn’t even theirs, police said Friday when they presented two confessed authors of the crime. Link: Two Women Burned Alive in Nicaragua

Source: Havana Times I have been working with the San Antonio de los Banos School of Film and TV (EICTV) for sixteen years. This is what happened with Argentinian director and actress Norma Angeleri, who I have been working with in an actors direction workshop for six years. Link: My Unexpected Expulsion

Source: Havana Times Thatcher or Reagan’s anti-union maneuvers were well covered here in our government media; I personally remember the TV coverage that the Telefonica workers strike got here in Cuba when in Spain Aznar privatized the company. Link: Neoliberalism and Cuban Bus Drivers

Source: Havana Times The work of Cuban artist Tania Bruguera as an activist is highly esteemed by those who seek freedom of speech. Link: Tania Bruguera: “Art Goes Beyond Them”

Source: Havana Times Baracoa is one of the most beautiful cities in Guantanamo province and even though it is surrounded by a lush landscape and clean beaches which provide people with the opportunity to go and visit them and swim in their warm waters, residents in Cuba’s First Town don’t have very many…

Source: Havana Times ViaDanza is a Cuban-German dance company, which was founded on March 16th 2010 and is currently being represented by the Actuar Performing Arts Agency which belongs to Cuba’s Culture Ministry. (24 photos) Link: The Cuban-German ViaDanza Company

Source: Havana Times The president of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, suddenly resigned on Wednesday in a message recorded on video that was broadcast on television. He is the first standing president to fall in the multinational Oldebrecht corruption scandal. Link: President of Peru Resigns Amid Oldebrecht Corruption Scandal

Source: Havana Times The days will begin with little cloudiness increasing in the afternoons, with a very low probability of rain. The high temperatures will range between 23 and 27° C (73 and 81 F) and the lows between 18 and 20° C (64 and 68 F). Link: Havana Weather for March 22-28

Source: Havana Times When I was a child, I always wanted to visit the Transport Museum located in Santiago de Cuba. Back then, my hunger to visit this place was fed every summer when we would pass it by on the bus with my relatives and friends on the way to the Playa…

Source: Havana Times Experts in these money issues have argued that our future prosperity will only come about when there is a single currency. However accomplishing this has proven a long drawn out process, thus far without an ending. Link: In Cuba People are Worried over the Two-Currency System

Source: Havana Times Relatives of femicide victims protested Tuesday in the Nicaraguan capital to demand that the government act to curb the deadly gender violence which since January has claimed the lives of 17 women in the country. Link: Nicaragua Women Protest against Wave of Femicides

Source: Havana Times Nicaraguan poet Gioconda Belli expressed her fear Tuesday that the Government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo “criminalizes” the right to criticism and freedom of expression through social networks, approving laws similar to those of Venezuela. Link: Gioconda Belli Warns that Ortega May “Criminalize” Social Networks

Source: Havana Times In light of recent times, many institutions have moved, been updated and transformed. The parental unit we come from is no exception. Link: Cuban Families are Constantly Changing

Source: Havana Times Vladimir Putín won another “performance election” last Sunday according to Whitney Kimball writing for The Muse, in reporting on the video response from the feminist punk collective Pussy Riot. Link: Pussy Riot Video on Putin’s Reelection

Source: Havana Times Cuba’s government controlled press has taken on another bad habit. Instead of dedicating itself to what its only job should be (journalism), it has decided to put on the Inquisition toga and purge the profession. Link: The New Inquisition Taking Place in Cuba

Source: Havana Times President Donald Trump today banned all US citizens from all types of transactions with petros, the cryptocurrency launched by Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. He also imposed a new round of sanctions against a group of government officials. Link: Venezuela: Trump Imposes New Economic Sanctions

Source: Havana Times The media is the result of progress made over many years seeking to spread information quickly, from and to every nook and cranny in the civilized world. The Internet and TV have been two of the greatest achievements made in this regard, however, just as a tool can be used…

Source: Havana Times I have tried to find “undeniable” achievements using my own rationale, that would be considered “almost” exclusive to Cuba and, thus, most likely attributable to the Castros’ leadership. Link: The Cuban Revolution has Made Questionable Progress

Source: Havana Times In Nicaragua, official policy of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo applauds teen pregnancies, considering them a symbol of “prosperity”. Link: The “Miracle” of Child Mothers

Source: Havana Times The Cuban government has opened its first wholesale basic foods market for private cooperatives, but at this time other self-employed workers will not have access. Link: Cuba Opens a Wholesale Market for Private Food Service Cooperatives

Source: Havana Times In Cuba, your vote is secret, but you are allowed to personally share how you voted and I have had the desire to explain mine… I cast a blank vote this time. Link: Why My Vote was Blank in Cuba’s General Elections

Source: Havana Times These springs have become a feature of our daily reality. If only they really were natural springs. But, truth is that they are just sewer leaks. As a Cuban citizen, I am concerned about just how frequently this happens and I have looked into why this is happening. Link: Unwanted

Source: Havana Times After 350 years of slavery in Cuba and 60 years of racism during the pseudo-Republic, it was naive to think that this monster could be wiped out with a speech made by Fidel Castro in February 1959 and others which he made throughout his time in office. Link: Are Racist

Source: Havana Times Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino today rejected rumors of a possible coup d’état in the face of an alleged discontent in the barracks over the recent arrest of several officers. Link: No Coup in Venezuela, says Defense Minister

Source: Havana Times Granma, the Cuban Communist Party’s official newspaper, surprisingly broke its pattern of behavior when it comes to dealing with political dissidence by dedicating three detailed articles to the project of Rosa Maria Paya. Link: Rosa Maria Paya, a Dissident in the Cuban Media

Source: Havana Times A friend told me in an email about an event that has shaken Spain, where he lives. The murder of an eight-year-old boy. I searched for the news online, and while reading, I felt the resounding drama and hysteria. Link: Front Page News

Source: Havana Times I had patiently been waiting for March 8th to write about women’s valor. That which many people don’t appreciate or pretend not to see but which is there, always spontaneously showing its vital presence. Link: A Well-Deserved Tribute

Source: Havana Times The 72 hours I spent in the city where I was born was enough for me to appreciate several positive aspects firsthand about the city’s renovation and transformation work to its buildings, streets and parks. (37 photos) Link: My Recent Visit to Santiago de Cuba

Source: Havana Times Since many years ago, there is a battle of ideas of colossal dimensions in this world. On the Left are those who defend the most just ideas. On the Right, you find those who defend Capitalism’s ideas, with different nuances. Link: Socialism: the People’s System

Source: Havana Times During the coming days there will be winter conditions, in Cuban terms, with little chance of rain in the capital. The high temperatures will oscillate between 23 and 28° C (73 and 82 F) and the lows will be between 17 and 21° C (62 and 70 F). Link: Havana

Source: Havana Times The massive abandonment of drivers from the Havana state-run bus company has greatly affected the transport of up to 700,000 passengers daily, local media reported today. Link: Bus Driver Deficit Aggravates Havana Transport Crisis

Source: Havana Times Gerardo Chijona, the director of Adorables mentiras; the co-director of the famous movie Memorias del Subdesarrollo, has directed a piece of garbage which should be wiped off the Cuban film map. I personally believe it’s a waste of money and time. Link: A Cuban Film Not Worth Seeing

Source: Havana Times Long lines in front of the insufficient number of offices of Western Union, combined with the temporary suspension of monetary remittances via Internet by the previously efficient Sendvalu, is causing alarm given the increasing participation of transfers from the outside in the national economy. Link: Difficulties in Receiving Money Wired

Source: Havana Times At the end of 2017, over 600 Cuban lawmakers in the National Assembly of People’s Power, the one chamber legislative power, unanimously approved the State Budget for 2018, like they normally do. Link: Cuba’s Elite and the Centralized Economy

Source: Havana Times I perfectly remember where I was a dozen years ago when I opened up a newsletter from the World Council of Churches and read that heading: “Where God is a Man, Men think they are Gods”. Link: Where God is a Man, Men think they are Gods

Source: Havana Times EL CAYO (the keys) are the two words that are drummed into many children in Villa Clara’s heads from seventh grade onwards as the magic answer to leaving poverty behind… Link: Cuban Youths in the Tourism Business

Source: Havana Times “The day was a triumph and a reaffirmation of the Cuban electoral system,” said Alina Balseiro, president of the National Electoral Commission, at a press conference. Link: Cuban Government Celebrates Election of the 605 Legislators

Source: Havana Times I just spoke with Cuban theater director Adonis Milan. He was detained incommunicado until early Monday morning when he was released under a heavy downpour. After his abduction off the street on Saturday afternoon, his name was not among the list of detainees in any police station where his mother…

Source: Havana Times Would it be wiser to exchange US Dollars to another currency prior to traveling to Cuba or should I just exchange US Dollars to CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) when arriving in Havana? Photo: diariodelasamericas.com Link: Which Currency Should I Take on My Trip to Cuba?

Source: Havana Times Blackouts have once again become a regular occurrence, at least in Mayari, Holguin, since the beginning of February. attributed to potential temporary breaks in the electricity distribution lines and because they don’t commonly make repairs with the power flowing, suspending the service. Link: Blackouts Are Making a Comeback in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Jesus Arencibia describes three examples of Cubans mistreating Cubans at a store, in a collective taxi and at a meeting. Link: Complicit Silence in Today’s Cuba

Source: Havana Times Cuba held its second phase of General Elections on Sunday with a massive turnout interpreted by the government as overwhelming support for the country’s leaders their policies and the Communist Party. Link: Cuba’s Unique and Extraordinarily Democratic System

Source: Havana Times These days, what’s most talked about on the streets of the capital, apart from the lack of food, is the television program Bailando en Cuba (Dancing in Cuba). Almost no opinions are heard on the general elections both before and after the vote on Sunday. Link: Voting in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Saturday at 4:10 pm, the young theater director and activist Adonis Milan was kidnapped at the intersection of 13 and 6 Streets Vedado, Havana. Link: Havana Theater Director Kidnapped on Election Eve

Source: Havana Times This past week I met a couple of friends and the conversations I had with them left me with a very sour taste on the palate. Link: Cuba, a Dark Future with Gray Stitching

Source: Havana Times After hundreds of women have died at the hands of machista violence in Nicaragua over the past five years, Vice President Rosario Murillo has declared that she is “concerned” about these cases. Link: Nicaragua: VP Murillo Sweeps Violence against Women Under the Rug

Source: Havana Times This Sunday, March 11th, Cuba celebrates a historic parliamentary election because it means the end of Raul Castro’s presidency, although he is expected to stay at the head of the all-powerful Communist Party of Cuba. Link: How is the President of Cuba Chosen?

Source: Havana Times Women in Havana on International Women’s Day 2018. (33 photos) Link: Havana Women on International Women’s Day

Source: Havana Times Beautiful, intelligent and hardworking, jocular, charismatic, dancers, are some of the many good things that we appreciate of women, for which the following photographs are dedicated today. (10 photos) Link: To the Women of Guantanamo

Source: Havana Times We Cubans also have reasons to join this initiative against sexist violence and in favor of eliminating discrimination in all its forms. The objective is to make visible the important work that women do… Link: What Do Cubans Know about Today’s International Women’s Strike?

Source: Havana Times On Sunday, March 11, the second stage of the general elections will be held in Cuba, which, as every five years, calls citizens to vote to elect all the deputies to the National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament), as well as well as the delegates to the Provincial and Municipal…

Source: Havana Times At least in Santiago de Chile, it is very comfortable to be Cuban when people invite you to a place to eat and drink. Although other friends who live in other latitudes have told me they have experienced the same thing. Link: Being Cuban in South America

Source: Havana Times Recently, there has been a mass and free sterilization campaign for dogs and cats that has been taking place in the buildings of the beautiful Quinta de los Molinos, located on Carlos III Avenue, Central Havana. (10 photos) Link: International Sterilization Day in Cuba

Source: Havana Times Cooler temperatures, cloud cover and some rains can be expected in this 7-day forecast period. The high temperatures will range between 24 and 28° C (75 and 82 F) and the lows between 19 and 20° C (66 and 68 F). Link: Havana Weather for March 8-14

Source: Havana Times That’s why when I watched Chavez and his Bolivarian political movement win, talking about a new brand of socialism, about social justice and democracy, I couldn’t do anything but sympathize and celebrate the victory. Link: The Collapse of the Chavez Model in Venezuela and Cuba’s Roll

Source: Havana Times A girl named Alejandra stands before me – tall, shy, pretty, speaking in short phrases, dimples flashing when she smiles. If this girl lived in Mexico City or Havana, even without economic resources, she would have been able to interrupt her pregnancy under safe and hygienic conditions. Link: Having an

Source: Havana Times Cuban society is moving more and more towards individualism, saving oneself at any cost, in the face of the chaos and social disorder that have taken over the country. Link: Cuban Socialism’s New Man in Havana’s Capitolio

Source: Havana Times Grey reinforces the stitches on the new dress that will adapt to many young girls’ waistlines. She inspects the work while she touches up the details on the embroidered band that once embellished the finest lingerie. Link: Cuba: Recycled Sweet Fifteen Dresses

Source: Havana Times Nicolas, a product the Cuban Communist Party’s Nico Lopez School for leaders in Havana, is unaware of every president’s maxim: to be a political intellectual. Link: Maduro and the Future of Venezuela

Source: Havana Times Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received strong support Monday from his allies from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA), on the fifth anniversary of the death of commander Hugo Chavez. Link: Maduro Receives Support from his ALBA Allies

Source: Havana Times Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Venezuela on Monday to attend the 15th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA). Link: Raul Castro Arrives in Venezuela for Chavez Tribute and ALBA Meeting

Source: Havana Times The thing that really struck me about this wasn’t that people who dedicate themselves to tattoos want to organize themselves, but rather who the people were pushing this project and its content. Link: An Association for Cuban Tattoo Artists

Source: Havana Times “Rocks are rocks, it’s true, but climbing in Cuba isn’t the same as climbing anywhere else. Climbing in Cuba has as much to do with Cuba as it does with climbing.” Link: Cuban Rock Climbers

Source: Havana Times The article “Some men don’t change”, written by my colleague and friend Irina Pino, has made me sink into my own memories and doubts. Link: Do Women Change?

Source: Havana Times The first time somebody called me “sir” in the middle of the street, I continued to walk on, taking another few steps, as if it wasn’t me they were speaking to, because that “sir” couldn’t be addressed to me, but not stopping immediately almost cost me a fine. Link: The

Source: Havana Times This Monday, March 5th, marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Hugo Chávez, and the Venezuela he left is unrecognizable, with an economy in collapse, never-ending political tension and growing poverty that has led millions to flee the country. Link: Venezuela, Unrecognizable 5 Years after Chavez

Source: Havana Times The Cuban government said on Friday that the decision of the United States to make permanent the skeleton staff at its embassy in Havana “responds to political motivations and has nothing to do with the security of its officials. Link: Cuba Criticizes Trump’s Decision to Maintain Reduction in Embassy Staff

Source: Havana Times Her morning run is just the collection of money collected the day before in the thousands of bets that are made every day on the illegal Cuban lottery… Link: Going Deep into Cuba: Organized and Tolerated Crime

Source: Havana Times The OPEC Fund for International Development will grant a loan of 45 million dollars to finance a solar energy project in Cuba. The Cuban government aims to change its energy matrix, which is currently highly dependent on subsidized oil from Venezuela. Link: OPEC to Finance Solar Energy Project in Cuba

Source: Havana Times A few days ago, I was lucky enough to visit this idyllic place called Viñales, located in the western part of the island and surrounded by spectacular landscapes. Link: Is Vinales in Cuba?

Source: Havana Times Venezuela’s early presidential elections have been postponed for almost a month and will now be held on May 20th, the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas informed on Thursday. Link: Venezuela Elections Postponed to May 20th

Source: Havana Times The United States has decided to maintain the personnel cut in its embassy in Cuba, carried out in September over alleged attacks on the health of its diplomats, still under investigation without having yet found out the cause. Link: Cuba to Remain Off-Bounds for US Embassy Staff

Source: Havana Times I have read in our national press that drones will soon be used in farming, a technological privilege which very few developed countries in this world have, and I couldn’t help but think about two people: the mythical Don Corleone and my friend Tania. Link: Cuban Agriculture… What a Shame

Source: Havana Times At the end of last year, Cuba’s museum of dissidence scheduled an event dedicated to gender violence called “Mi cuerpo es mio” (My body is mine). Link: Inclusion or Ambiguous Views

Source: Havana Times Cuba is 50 years behind the rest of the world in some regards. However, that said, I must admit that it some ways it finds itself on the same level as any other developing country. Link: Cuba and Three Key Technological Projects

Source: Havana Times The Nicaraguan environmental group “Fundacion del Rio” makes known its concern over the road building project into the Indio-Maiz biological reserve that will promote further deforestation and colonization. Link: Nicaragua: Indio-Maiz Reserve Still Threatened

Source: Havana Times “I know that not everyone has the opportunity or availability to hit the road and get to see Cuba without first planning it, and much less alone. I am self-employed and I dictate my timetable. I work, I save and I leave.” Link: Can Cubans Get to Know Their Own

Source: Havana Times During this 7-day forecast period the days will be somewhat warm with little cloudiness during the mornings and a little more abundant in the afternoons. The highs will range between 24 and 29° C (75 and 84 F) and the lows between 19 and 21° C (66 and 70 F).

Source: Havana Times On Wednesday, Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rossello said the US Treasury Department has unexpectedly slashed the disaster relief loan for the island, cut from $4.7 billion USD to $2 billion. Link: Puerto Rico Relief Slashed by US Treasury Department

Source: Havana Times To start the ball rolling, Cuban president Raul Castro ordered his subordinates to convene a working group to plan the project involving some 30 specialists. He assigned the task of overseeing the effort to the current first vice-president, Miguel Diaz-Canel. Link: Cuba to Create an Institute to Keep Fidel’s Ideas

Source: Havana Times Havana Times expresses its solidarity with El Estornudo, the latest victim of government censorship in Cuba, because it is our duty to insist on respect for freedom of expression. Link: Another Independent Media Censored in Cuba

Source: Havana Times I find it despicable to question the Cuban Revolution’s achievements, from any angle, even more so when lies are used to take advantage of the ignorance many readers have about the subject. Link: The Cuban Revolution’s Undeniable Progress

Source: Havana Times During this time of withdrawn silence, the organizing team behind the #00Bienal in Havana have made great progress. The event is set for May 5-15. Read here what we’ve been up to. Link: Where Is Havana’s #OOBiennial At? (+Video)

Source: Havana Times Tensions are mounting between Havana and Madrid ever since the Spanish government canceled the king and queen’s visit to Cuba, which the Cuban government eagerly wanted. Link: Cuba vs Spain, Hypocrisy and Journalism

Source: Havana Times It’s been two years now that I first signed up on the SNET network, which emerged spontaneously due to the lack of internet access here in Cuba and I have praised it in more than one of my articles. However, this time, I have nothing positive to say, rather I…

Source: Havana Times It’s hard for some men to assimilate the fact that women sometimes don’t want to respond to their sexual advances and try to sidestep them by saying that all they want is a friendship, that they don’t want to get into a relationship… Link: Some Men Don’t Change

Source: Havana Times Revenues from the sale of Cuban cigars reached 500 million dollars in 2017, an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year, informed the directors of the Spanish-Cuban company Habanos S.A. Link: Habanos Claims Half Billion Dollars in Cuban Cigar Sales in 2017

Source: Havana Times Ever since I began making Political Theater, one thing hasn’t stopped tormenting me, it’s almost psychological torture. It has something to do with the fact that you end up living in a constant state of paranoia. Link: From Worms to Repatriates: Cuba’s Exile Community

Source: Havana Times There are hundreds of drawings, some of which are murals that are over 20 meters wide, making the most of the faded white which prevails on walls of buildings that have partially collapsed over the past few decades. (7 photos) Link: An Art Gallery for Absent Minds Spreads across Havana

Source: Havana Times What will happen in a Cuba that wakes up one day with “FULL” internet access? People who already have a computer or a cell phone could access the Internet freely, create their own websites, upload videos, photos, exchange information and opinions and be virtual citizens… Link: When Cuba has FULL

Source: Havana Times She is nearly 30 years old and still hasn’t had any children. She is already feeling society’s pressure on her: what are you waiting for? In our society, where gender stereotypes are still firmly rooted, being a woman means being a mother, just like that, by default. Link: Are Women

Source: Havana Times We could make a cantata to bread; it has been with humanity since the beginning of time and maybe until the end. Could it be that the end of time has come to Venezuela? Link: Eating Bread Has Become a Luxury in Venezuela