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☆ I lived in Cuba for 20 years. Moving back to the US has me questioning the meaning of 'home.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Conner Gorry | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

After living there for 20 years, she saw herself as an immigrant, rather than an expat. I'm in the toothpaste aisle at Target, dumbfounded by a selection that runs several shelves long and as many high. After more than 20 years in Cuba, where Close-Up and La Perla were the only choices for most of that time, I'm overwhelmed by the number of options. In Cuba, moreover, women have full autonomy over their bodies, which I feel is the only way it should be. Comfort food, like a juicy hamburger, is one of the great things about living back in the US.

Persons: Conner Gorry, —, La Perla, Davidson Jose Salgado, Harley, Davidson, Fidel Castro, I'd, you've, I'm, doctor's, Carolyn Gorry, I've Organizations: Service, La, World Trade, Harley, Diplomats Locations: New York, Havana, Target, Cuba, Detroit, Pakistan, Haiti, —, Dijon

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ In a Communist Stronghold, Capitalists Become an Economic Lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( David C. Adams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A modern grocery store whose shelves are packed with everything from pasta to wine fills a spot in central Havana once occupied by a drab state-owned flower shop, its ceilings and walls repaired and repainted. A former state glass company in a Havana suburb now houses a showroom for a private business selling Cuban-made furniture. And at the Cuban capital’s port, forklifts carefully unload American eggs from a refrigerated container. The eggs are bound for an online private supermarket that, much like Amazon Fresh, provides home delivery. These ventures are part of an explosion of thousands of private businesses that have opened in recent years across Cuba, a remarkable shift in a country where such enterprises have not been permitted and where Fidel Castro rose to power leading a communist revolution determined to eliminate capitalist notions like private ownership.

Persons: Fidel Castro Locations: Havana, Cuban, Cuba

☆ For U.S. Cuban claims holders, spy Manuel Rocha's plea deal raises fresh questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Raul Rubiera | Miami Herald | Getty ImagesWhen Carolyn Lamb saw news of Cuban spy Victor Manuel Rocha's arrest on the news last December, she recognized him immediately. The lower the value of the claims, the less the Cuban government would have to pay in any future negotiated settlement. Ashby assumed Rocha's paranoia about eavesdropping was in response to the George W. Bush administration's opposition to the Cuba claims buying business. But according to the Justice Department, by that point Rocha was already in his third decade as a Cuban agent. File photo of former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, talking to the press on the 11th of July 2001.

Persons: V, Manuel Rocha, Steel Hector, Davis, Raul Rubiera, Carolyn Lamb, Victor Manuel Rocha's, Rocha, Lamb, Lamb's, Castro, Justin Solomon, CNBC Castro didn't nationalize, of Rocha, Fidel Castro's, It's, Jason Poblete, Poblete, John Kavulich, Sears Roebuck, Timothy Ashby, Ashby couldn't, Ashby, George W, Bush, Little, Covert, Gonzalo Espinoza Organizations: Miami Herald, Steel, Cuban, US State Department, National Security, Cuban Telephone Company, " Beverage Company, CNBC, Pepsi, General Electric, Century Fox, Cuba Trade, Economic Council, Justice Department, Citizen, State Department, National Security Council, DOJ, Cubans, FBI, AFP, Getty Locations: America, Omaha, Bolivia, Cuba, Havana, United States, Cuban, Rocha, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Argentina, Miami, Chile

☆ A shadowy Russian assassination unit may be behind mysterious 'Havana syndrome' cases: investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new investigation has linked a shadowy Russian unit to instances of 'Havana Syndrome.' Carrie's account of "Havana Syndrome" was reported in an investigation jointly published by 60 Minutes, German outlet Der Spiegel, and investigative outlet The Insider. The outlets link Unit 29155, a shadowy Russian assassination unit, to multiple incidences of the syndrome, which is formally known to the US government by the term "anomalous health incidents," or AHIs. The Insider traced the movements of several Unit 29155 operatives around the time of several instances of alleged Havana Syndrome. AdvertisementHowever, in 2021 unnamed US officials told Politico that the GRU was at least suspected in ongoing investigations into the syndrome.

Persons: Der Spiegel, —, Carrie, she's, Greg Edgreen, Joy, Albert Averyanov, Marc Polymeropoulos, Insider's Aylin Woodward, It's, Walter Reed Organizations: Service, FBI, Der, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, The, National Intelligence, US, Politico Locations: Havana, Russian, Florida, Cuba, China, Russia, Tbilisi , Georgia, Moscow

☆ Outspoken Cuban Priest Cries Foul as Country Marks Good Friday
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Nelson Acosta and Marc FrankHAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban Roman Catholics held public processions across the Communist-run country on Friday to mark Good Friday, but there was at least one exception in Havana where 150 of the faithful were relegated to the church parking lot. “It is not possible today to introduce Jesus Christ without introducing to him a people who are having a hard time,” he said. The Cuban government largely blames U.S. sanctions for the crisis and U.S. subversion for the unrest, charges that Washington denies. “What I have heard from the government is that there are 111 authorized processions throughout the country,” he said. Christmas and then Good Friday were recognized as holidays and religious processions are now common.

Persons: Nelson Acosta, Marc Frank HAVANA, Lester Zayas Diaz, Parish, Christ, ”, Jesus Christ, ” Zayas, Washington, Ariel Suarez, Cuba's, Zayas, Pope John Paul, Marc Frank, David Gregorio Organizations: Communist, Reuters, Facebook, U.S, Cuban, Cuba's Bishop's Locations: Cuban, Havana, Vedado, Cuba

☆ Cuba sees rare protests amid power cuts and food shortages
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Demonstrators took to the streets in at least four cities on Sunday to complain about hours-long power cuts and increasing food scarcity. The island has seen frequent power cuts and shortages of food, fuel, and medicine since the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting Cubans to flee to the United States in record numbers. US diplomats said Sunday they were monitoring the protests and called on the Cuban government to listen to the demonstrators. The Cuban government, which typically does not allow organized dissent, did not say how many protesters had been arrested. After island-wide demonstrations in the summer of 2021, more than 1,000 Cubans were put on trial and convicted of rising up against the communist-run government, according to human rights groups.

Persons: Miguel Diaz, Canel, Fidel Castro’s, Diaz Organizations: CNN, Cuban, country’s Communist Party, Twitter Locations: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, United States, Miami’s, Cuban, Havana

☆ ‘Havana syndrome’: Despite symptoms, NIH research finds no evidence of mysterious ailment in brain scans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Some current and former CIA officers have raised concerns that a CIA task force in charge of investigating Havana syndrome soft-pedaled its investigation, CNN has previously reported. The control group was small and not perfectly matched to those with Havana syndrome. In the second study, researchers tested hearing, balance, eyesight and neuropsychological state, and they looked at blood biomarkers, in the two groups. Headache was a common concern among the participants with Havana syndrome. The study concluded that whatever caused Havana syndrome seems to create symptoms “without persistent or detectable physiologic changes.

Persons: David Relman, don’t, ” Relman, ’, AHIs, Relman, Trump, ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Dr, Leighton Chan Organizations: CNN, National Institutes of Health, Stanford, CIA, AHIs, CNN Health, NIH Locations: Havana, Cuban, Bogota, Colombia, Vienna, Austria

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

☆ How Beyoncé Jolted the Cuban Singer Daymé Arocena Into a Fresh Era
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ed Morales | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Running her fingers through her dreadlocks in an outdoor cafe overlooking San Juan’s grittily trendy Calle Loiza strip, Daymé Arocena reflected wistfully on an old flame. “There’s a song on the album, ‘American Boy,’ that I wrote 10 years ago,” she said, discussing a track from her latest LP, “Alkemi,” due on Feb. 23. “He was a serious bass player from New York, the first person who introduced to me free jazz. But I felt the song was so simple, so easygoing, so … pop, that it didn’t fit what I wanted” at the time. “I had that double world of rumba at home and Bach at school,” she said and smiled.

Persons: Arocena, ”, Santos Suárez, Amadeo Roldán, “, Bach Locations: San, New York, Santos, Havana

☆ Opinion: Is Putin serious about preferring Biden? Ask Fidel Castro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin fired off a few intriguing statements during a Wednesday television interview with loyal journalist Pavel Zarubin. Among them was his claim that he would prefer that President Joe Biden win the 2024 US presidential election. After his first summit in Geneva with Biden as president, back in 2021, Putin sounded a similar note. But on Wednesday, the Russian president was contemptuous.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Fidel Castro, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Castro, Fidel, Zarubin, Putin, Biden, “, ” Putin, Angela Merkel, Merkel’s, —, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Carlson “, didn’t, Donald Trump, Castro didn’t Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Texas Gov, Russia “, KGB, Fox News, CIA, Russia, Ukraine Locations: Havana, Cuba, Russia, Geneva, Labrador, Europe, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Cuba Charges 30 Over Massive Chicken Heist
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba has charged 30 people for stealing 133 tonnes of chicken and selling them on the street in a rare major heist at a time of food shortages in the communist-run nation. The chicken had been earmarked for Cuba`s "rationbook" system introduced after the late Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution to provide subsidized staples for all. Rigoberto Mustelier, director of government food distributor COPMAR, said the quantity stolen was the equivalent of a month`s ration of chicken for a medium-sized province at current distribution rates. The amount of chicken available via the rationbook has fallen sharply in recent years as economic crisis has brought scarcities of food, fuel and medicines. Authorities did not say when the chicken theft took place, but noted it likely occurred between midnight and 2 a.m., when they detected fluctuations in the temperature of the cold storage facility.

Persons: Fidel Castro's, Rigoberto Mustelier, Dave Sherwood, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: TV, Authorities Locations: HAVANA, Cuba, Havana, Cuban

☆ Havana waves and high winds hurl jellyfish and seaweed into the streets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —An unusually strong cold front slammed Cuba’s north coast on Tuesday, with white-capped waves flooding streets with seawater, causing scattered power outages and littering the capital Havana with blowing trash and downed branches. People navigate through a flooded street on a raft in Havana, on February 6, 2024. Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty ImagesAt dawn, the water flowed through some city streets like coastal rivers, moving jellyfish, seaweed and flotsam several blocks landward. “The climate has changed.”Havana, a coastal city built centuries ago on the Gulf of Mexico, is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and strengthening storms brought on by human-caused climate change, scientists and city planners have said. Rising sea levels threaten some coastal cities like Havana and could completely wipe from the map low-lying states in parts of the South Pacific Ocean.

Persons: Yamil Lage, ”, Jaqueline Dalardes Organizations: CNN, Getty, UN Locations: Havana, Florida, Cuba, AFP, of Mexico

☆ Colombia Government, ELN Rebels Are Yet to Agree Ceasefire Extension -ELN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA (Reuters) - The government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas have not yet agreed to extend their bilateral ceasefire for another six months, the rebel group said on Monday. The government of President Gustavo Petro restarted peace talks with the ELN in 2022 as part of a policy of 'total peace', to end Colombia's six-decade conflict, which has left more than 450,000 dead. An initial six-month ceasefire expired last week and was extended for five days, a measure that will end on Monday night. "Measures are being taken to resolve factors of crisis factors and add new elements of commitment to be fulfilled by both parties, with the purpose of agreeing on an extension of another six months of this temporary and national bilateral ceasefire," the ELN delegation said in a statement. The statement was released ahead of the close of a sixth cycle of talks between the rebel group and the government in Cuba's capital, Havana.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Franklin Paul Organizations: National Liberation Army Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Cuba's, Havana

☆ Cuban President Sacks Economy Minister as Controversy Grows Over Price Hikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel sacked economy minister Alejandro Gil on Friday, state media reported, as controversy continued to grow over the delay of recently announced measures to hike the price of fuel and transportation fares in the communist-run country. The Council of State, under Diaz-Canel`s direction, has appointed Central Bank president Joaquín Alonso, 60, to replace Gil. The upheaval comes just two days after the government put off an unpopular five-fold hike in gasoline prices planned for Feb. 1, saying a cyberattack from outside Cuba had thwarted implementation. Former economy minister Gil had advocated for the unpopular plan to raise prices for many government subsidized services, and has long been criticized for his management of the country`s near-bankrupt economy. Gil's planned price hikes, initially announced in December and early January, rocked Cuba, where residents have long depended on a vast program of state subsidized food, fuel and medicine.

Persons: Miguel Díaz, Canel, Alejandro Gil, Diaz, Joaquín Alonso, Gil, Elba Rosa Perez, Eduardo Martinez, Alberto Lopez, Manuel Santiago Sobrino, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: of State, Central Bank, Technology, Food Industry Ministry Locations: HAVANA, Cuban, Cuba, Santa Clara

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the world’s largest and most influential publishers, Simon & Schuster, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The list tells many stories, through the books selected, not selected, and the evolution of what has been highlighted. “A group of Simon & Schuster staffers took on the daunting challenge of selecting 100 titles from our history that are believed to best represent the breadth and depth of the company’s publishing program, across imprints,” the publisher announced Wednesday. “That book actually had an influence on the course of events.”Like many leading publishers, Simon & Schuster began as an independently owned company and vastly expanded after the 1960s. Along the way, Simon & Schuster acquired numerous other publishers, whose books are now part of the S&S catalog and its centennial list.

Persons: Simon & Schuster, Simon, Gregory Hartswick, Prosper Buranelli, Margaret Petherbridge, Richard Simon, Max Schuster, ”, Schuster, Jonathan Karp, Sloan, veteran’s, Karp, “, — Ralph Ellison, Maya Angelou, Richard Wright, Harper, James Baldwin, Alex Haley, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, ” Karp, Ntozake Shange’s, Jenny Han’s “, ” Carlos Eire’s “, ” Siddhartha Mukherjee's “, ” Jason Reynolds ’, Safiya, Wendy Sherwin, didn’t, John Irving, Bruce Springsteen’s, Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Pulitzer, Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Rivals ’, Barack Obama’s, Hillary Clinton, Scott Fitzgerald’s “, ” Ernest Hemingway’s “, Alan Paton’s “, Scribner, Judy Blume’s “, Margaret ”, Walter Isaacson’s “ Steve Jobs, Frederick Backman's, Ove, Dale Carnegie’s, Leon Shimkin, David McCullough's, Wright, Blume, Woodward Organizations: Simon &, New York, HarperCollins, Dial Press, Doubleday, Knopf, “, Rivals, KKR, Win, Carnegie Locations: ”, Snow, Havana

☆ I've written 66 guidebooks for Lonely Planet. Here are the top 10 places I've ever visited.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Brendan Sainsbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Havana remains one of my favorite cities in the world to visit. Diego Grandi/ShutterstockI've visited Havana over 30 times and studied and researched the city for 10 different guidebooks. I love the Cuban city for its irrepressible street energy and animated, resilient people. When first arriving in town, I gravitate to the historic squares and thoroughfares of the Old Town and then head for a lengthy stroll along the Malecón sea drive. Here, at one of the city's most famous meetup spots, I can get a handle on the city's mood, reacquaint myself with my Cuban friends, and see what's changed since my last visit.

Persons: Diego Grandi, Shutterstock I've Locations: Havana, Cuban

☆ Colombia, ELN Rebels Extend Ceasefire With View Toward Longer Renewal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BOGOTA (Reuters) - The government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels said on Monday they would extend a bilateral ceasefire for five days while they finish evaluating a much longer extension to the measure. The two sides are holding peace talks aimed at ending the guerrilla group's part in 60 years of armed conflict. They began a six-month ceasefire in August 2023, which expires on Monday. "Once the evaluation of the bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire and the current cycle (of talks) is finished, the extension will be signed," the two sides said in a joint statement from Havana, where they are holding the current round of talks. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Julia Symmes Cobb, Sandra Maler Organizations: National Liberation Army Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Havana

☆ Pope Francis takes on vested interests to speak out on humanitarian crises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Analysis Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Alessandro Di Meo/AP Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Gokhan Tan/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Francis, “, ”, Regina Coeli, Vincenzo Pinto, Juan Manuel Santos, Santos, Alessandra Tarantino, L'Osservatore Romano, VINCENZO PINTO, Simon Bar Sabbae, Pope, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Karekin, TIZIANA FABI, Giuseppe Ciccia, MAX, Pope Francis tries, Pope Benedict XVI, Alessandro Di Meo, Evo Morales, OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Federico Lombardi, Lombardi, Gregorio Borgia, Getty Pope Francis, Raul Castro, Castro, GABRIEL BOUYS, ANDREAS SOLARO, Kurukkal SivaSri, Mahadeva, Pope Francis in, Eranga, Franco Origlia, Bartholomew I, Gokhan Tan, San Gregorio Magno, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, Oli Scarff, Barack Obama, SAUL LOEB, Santa Sabina, Max ROSSI, Daniele De Sanctis, Pope Francis ', FABIO FRUSTACI, Benedict XVI, Benedict, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Osservatore Romano Pope Francis, Vinicio Riva, Riva, CLAUDIO PERI, Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, Fotografia, Father Don Renzo Zocca, Osservatore Romano, LUCA ZENNARO, Jorge Saenz, Dan Kitwood, Jesus, Internationalis Paulus VI, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Roman Catholic Church's, Peter Macdiarmid, Pope Francis Prev, it’s, He’s, Filippo Monteforte, Donald Trump’s, Czerny, Trump, Donald Trump, Melania, Evan Vucci, Reuters “, ” Cardinal Czerny, Cardinal Czerny, doesn’t, Francis ’, “ Jesus Organizations: CNN, Getty Images, Colombian, Revolutionary Armed Forces, International Catholic Rural Association, Vatican, AFP, Getty, Catholic Chaldean, St, Mercy, ARIS MESSINIS, MAX ROSSI, Getty Images Bolivian, Cuban, Sunday, Queen, getty, Rainbow Association, Renault, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Intelligence, Warner Bros, Discovery, “, Republican, Reuters Locations: St, AFP, Colombia, Rome, Tbilisi , Georgia, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Poland, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Vatican City, Moria, Lesbos, Peter's, Mexican, Havana, Cuba, Mexico, Santa Cruz , Bolivia, South America, Ecuador, Paraguay, La Paz, Bolivia, Italian, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Havana and Washington, Vatican, Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Istanbul, Italy's Calabria, Jerusalem's Old City, Argentina, Roman Parish, San, Rome's, Santa, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Argentine, America, Gaza, Nove, Lampedusa, Italy, Ciampino, Czechoslovakia, Canada, United States, Africa

Federal prosecutors said on Monday that a retired State Department official worked for decades as a secret agent for Cuba, and told an undercover F.B.I. agent that the United States was “the enemy.”In a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Miami, the prosecutors said that the diplomat, Manuel Rocha, had secretly aided Cuba’s “clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States” since 1981 as he rose undetected through the ranks of the diplomatic corps and the National Security Council. Mr. Rocha, 73, appeared to have met with handlers from Cuba’s premier spy agency as recently as 2017, prosecutors said, and boasted that his 40 years of spying on behalf of the communist government in Havana had “strengthened the revolution immensely.”For more than two decades, Mr. Rocha handled matters related to Latin America in a series of roles at the State Department under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, including a stint as ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. More recently, Mr. Rocha, a native of Colombia who grew up in New York, served as an adviser to the U.S. military command responsible for Cuba.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Cuba’s, . Rocha, “, Rocha, Bill Clinton, George W, Bush Organizations: State Department, United, National Security Locations: Cuba, United States, Miami, Havana, America, Bolivia, Colombia, New York

MIAMI (AP) — A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with serving as a covert agent for Cuba's intelligence services dating back decades, the Justice Department said Monday. Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba's behalf since at least 1981, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials. The complaint, filed in federal court in Miami, charges Rocha with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. The 73-year-old had a 25-year career as a U.S. diplomat, including top posts in Bolivia, Argentina and the U.S. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: —, Manuel Rocha, Rocha Organizations: MIAMI, Justice Department, Cuban, Associated Press Locations: American, Bolivia, Miami, U.S, Argentina, Havana

"Given the transition in Argentina, we are handing the subject to the new government, which has indicated they want a deal," the Brazilian foreign ministry spokesman said. A European official with knowledge of the talks said Argentina was no longer open to finalizing the deal on Mercosur. Argentine negotiators who were due to travel to Brasilia for final push to close the deal canceled their trip, a Brazilian government trade official told Reuters. Officials wanted to wrap up agreements before Argentina's Milei takes office on Dec. 10, as he has criticized the trade deal that took two decades to negotiate. Argentina's incoming foreign minister, Diana Mondino, said it was important to sign the EU-Mercosur accord after she visited Brasilia last Sunday to meet Brazil's foreign minister.

Persons: Javier Milei, Milei, Diana Mondino, Anthony Boadle, Marcela Ayres, Lisandra, Matthew Lewis Organizations: European Union, Mercosur, Argentine, Reuters, EU, Milei, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Argentina, Mercosur, Brasilia, American, Brazil, Argentine, Belen, Madrid, Jorgelina, Rosario, Buenos Aires

☆ Cuban family business produces flour from coconut and yucca amid shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Alien Fernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Entrepreneur Gabriel Perez, 38, poses for a photo as he checks slices of banana put to dry in his farmland in the rural outskirts of Havana, Cuba, November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini Acquire Licensing RightsHAVANA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - On a small farm outside Havana, a Cuban family-run business produces gluten-free flour from banana, coconut and yucca, preferring locally-sourced ingredients to pricey imports as Cubans seek innovative solutions to a growing food crisis. His business, Bacoretto, dries and mills yucca, rice, banana and coconut into organic flour preferred by gluten-intolerant consumers, who have only recently been able to find food products tailored to their dietary needs in Cuba. Byproducts of their processes are used to make coconut oil, coconut-fiber rope, vinegar and fermented products and sweets, Perez told Reuters. It produces 6 to 8 kilograms (13.2 to 17.6 pounds) of flour a week, Perez said, in small batches, in addition to byproducts, with a staff of eight people.

Persons: Gabriel Perez, Alexandre Meneghini, Perez, Fidel Castro's, Alien Fernandez, Nelson Acosta, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Havana, Cuba, Rights HAVANA, Caribbean

☆ Young Thug trial: Opening statements begin in rapper’s racketeering trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christina Maxouris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The prosecution began opening statements Monday morning in the racketeering trial of Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug, who is accused of leading a violent street gang in the Atlanta area affiliated with the national Bloods gang. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was charged alongside more than two dozen other people under the state’s expansive Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – known as RICO. Young Thug is among six defendants who have pleaded not guilty to all charges and are standing trial in an Atlanta courtroom, the judge said Monday. Prosecutors say Young Thug is the cofounder of a criminal street gang – Young Slime Life – that’s responsible for violent acts dating back a decade. The trial is expected to last months and could feature a star-studded list of witnesses, including rappers Lil Wayne and Killer Mike.

Persons: Young Thug, Young, Jeffery Williams, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Gunna, –, Brian Steel, Thug, “, ’, Willis, Trump’s, that’s, Steel, “ Jeffery, ”, he’s, Camila Cabello, ” Travis Scott, Drake, Childish Gambino, Ludwig Göransson, Marquavius Huey, Deamonte Kendrick, Gotti, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan, Shannon Stillwell, Lil Wayne, Mike Organizations: CNN, Bloods, Judge Ural Glanville, Prosecutors, WXIA Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Fulton, “ Havana

☆ EU human rights envoy in Cuba to discuss aftermath of 2021 protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, speaks during a meeting with Cuban authorities in Havana, Cuba, November 24, 2023. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, on a visit to Cuba earlier this year, announced Gilmore`s visit but told reporters the EU would not "impose" demands on the island`s government. Rights groups say around 1,000 Cubans were jailed for their political beliefs following the demonstrations and several subsequent protests. "No one is convicted for their political opinions," Cuba`s foreign ministry said prior to Gilmore`s visit on social media. "We call on the Cuban government to respect the human rights of everyone, including the rights of political prisoners and those unjustly detained."

Persons: Eamon Gilmore, Alexandre Meneghini, Gilmore, Josep Borrell, Fidel Castro's, Luis Barrios Díaz, la Torre, Barrios Diaz `, Dave Sherwood, Alien Fernandez Organizations: Human Rights, Cuban, REUTERS, Rights, EU, European Union, U.S, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Havana, Cuba, Rights HAVANA, United States, EU, Cuban

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