DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Cuba fuel shortages spark fistfights, queues and holiday cutbacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Havana, Cuba CNN —As the gas lines grow longer, tempers in Cuba are growing shorter. Since mid-April, Cuba has been beset with its most dire fuel shortages in years, prompting comparisons to the severe disruptions Cubans suffered after the fall of the Soviet Union. Lines stretch for blocks even at gas stations where there has been no fuel for days. Taxi drivers wait in line to fill fuel at a petrol station in Havana. “How can we go to May Day when we have to be in a line for gas,” she said.

☆ A Cuba Without May Day? Here’s What Happened.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Emiliano Rodríguez Mega | Ed Augustin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsSevere fuel shortages have forced the Cuban authorities to cancel the widely celebrated International Workers’ Day parade, which had been set for Monday. But Havana’s Revolution Square, which features a giant statue of the island’s national hero, José Martí, will look nothing like that this May Day. In recent weeks, Cuba has struggled with fuel shortages across the island caused by supplier nations not delivering, according to its president. Cuba usually consumes between 500 and 600 tons of fuel daily, President Miguel Díaz-Canel, said earlier this month. Now, he said, the island has less than 400 tons a day.

[1/5] A Cuban tanker ship enters Havana's bay with a sign that reads in Spanish: "No more blockade", referring to the trade embargo on Cuba imposed by the U.S., Havana, Cuba, April 25, 2023. Venezuela's oil exports to Cuba so far this year have dropped to 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) from almost 80,000 in 2020. Cuba has also imported since November at least five cargoes from Russia, a long-time supplier, as well as fuel from Caribbean terminals and Europe, the data shows. Officials also blame U.S. sanctions, which complicate the financing and transport of fuel to Cuba, for the crisis. Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and oil ministry, Pemex, and Mexico's foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

☆ Russia´s Lavrov in Havana on Latin America drive to shore up support
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba April 20, 2023. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERSHAVANA, April 20 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Thursday with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in Havana, the latest in a series of visits to shore up support among Russia's closest allies in Latin America. Lavrov told reporters that Russia and Cuba, both facing sanctions from the United States, understood one another. Russia´s foreign minister earlier this week visited Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua, meeting with the presidents and top officials in each country. Lavrov told reporters in Havana that another such deal to provide wheat to Cuba was in the works.

☆ Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel wins a second term
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Havana, Cuba CNN —Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was given a second five year term by the country’s National Assembly on Wednesday, despite the severe economic conditions currently faced by the communist-run island. He replaced Raul Castro as president in 2013 and as First Secretary of the Cuban communist party in 2018. Following the Obama administration’s policy of rapprochement with Cuba, former President Donald Trump abruptly reversed course, implementing some of the toughest economic sanctions in decades. Diaz-Canel said the protestors were pawns of the US, part of a plot to bring down the Cuban government. The Biden administration responded with additional economic sanctions and has called on Diaz-Canel to release the prisoners.

☆ Cuban lawmakers vote for president amid crisis, no change expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA, April 19 (Reuters) - Cuban lawmakers convened on Wednesday to appoint a new president for the next five years, at a time of social and economic crisis near unprecendented since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Lawmakers and the newly elected leaders will face daunting challenges during their coming five-year term. Candidates for president and legislative leaders were proposed in secret by lawmakers prior to Wednesday's session, then vetted by a National Candidacy Commission. The 470 lawmakers slated to vote were elected on March 26 in a popular ballot with no opposition candidates. The newly elected president is scheduled to address the nation later in the day.

☆ Cuba's fuel shortages due to supplier nations not delivering, says president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People wait in line for the arrival of a fuel tank truck in Havana, Cuba, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, April 14 (Reuters) - Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the island's ongoing gasoline shortages were caused by countries contracted to supply the fuel not complying with their requirements due to "a complex energy situation." Besides car owners, truckers, taxi drivers, tourists and public transport have all been hit by the shortages. Diaz-Canel underlined that the shortages were a result of "non-compliance" from the supplier nations, rather than inefficiencies or issues within the country's energy institutions. Venezuela, one of Havana's political allies, has for decades supplied Cuba with oil from its state oil firm PDVSA under a cooperation agreement signed in 2000.

☆ In pioneering workshops, U.S. trains Cuban entrepreneurs to do business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Cuban entrepreneurs Maria Puga and Ana Torres pose for a photo at their atelier in Havana, Cuba, April 3, 2023. "Cuba's state-run economy has traditionally not delivered, and recently has delivered even less," Ziff said in an interview. The United States, which says it operates "transparently" in Cuba, is not alone in seeking to promote Cuba's fledgling private sector. Diplomat Ziff said the United States was seeking ways to ease the burden of U.S. sanctions on private business but in a way that would not inadvertently benefit the Cuban government. "The biggest impediment to doing business in Cuba is the Cuban government," Ziff said.

☆ Cubans head to the polls, all eyes on voter turnout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cuba´s government, saddled by shortages, inflation and growing social unrest, has encouraged unity in Sunday´s vote, calling on citizens to vote together in a broad show of support for the communist leadership. Ana Lydia Velazquez, a 78-year old retired Havana resident, told Reuters that message resonated with her. "I believe all Cubans should go to vote, to help our country improve, and advance," she said. Anti-government forces, primarily off-island in a country that restricts dissident political speech, have encouraged the opposite, calling on Cubans to abstain and labeling the election a "farce." The winning 470 candidates, who serve for five years, will choose the next president of Cuba from among their ranks, further raising the stakes of Sunday's vote.

☆ As Cuba election day nears, some voters ask, 'why bother?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HAVANA, March 22 (Reuters) - Like a growing number of Cubans, 77-year-old Havana resident Humberto Avila says he will likely sit out Sunday's legislative elections. The retired university professor says he's done the math - 470 candidates, 470 open seats - and sees no point in voting. Abstention has spiked in recent elections, rising to a four-decade high of 31% of eligible voters in municipal elections in November. "This vote is for the Revolution ... and to continue to defend our socialist system," Diaz-Canel told textile workers in Santa Clara. Rey Lazaro Blanco, a 19-year old geography student at the University of Havana, told Reuters he will vote on Sunday.

☆ Cuba's president meets CEO of Russia's Rosneft amid fuel shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, March 5 (Reuters) - Russian oil firm Rosneft's CEO Igor Sechin met with Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel late on Saturday, the island's leader said, amid an acute fuel shortage that has service stations temporarily shuttered and hours-long gasoline queues. Several tweets on Cuba's Presidency account emphasized the good relations between the two countries, but did not specify the reason for the visit by the state-run oil firm's boss. Cuba's former leader Raul Castro has also flown to Caracas for the occasion, Cuban state-run media said. Russia, hit by Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine, is looking to strengthen political and economic ties with other countries opposed to what it calls U.S. hegemony. Cuba has been under a U.S. economic embargo since 1962 after a Communist revolution led by former leader Fidel Castro.

☆ Global leaders condemn assault on Brazilian government buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable. BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT LUIS ARCE"We strongly condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress, Palace and Supreme Court by anti-democratic groups. A return to normality is urgently needed and we express solidarity with Brazilian institutions. We categorically condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress and make a call for the immediate return to democratic normality."

☆ Cuba says its allies have pledged help to end its economic crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HAVANA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - China, Russia, Algeria and Turkey have pledged to restructure Cuba's debt, provide new trade and investment financing, and help ease an energy crisis, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told state-run media following a rare trip abroad last week. Cuba's debt with business partners and suppliers has ballooned, leading some to refuse to do business with Cuba unless it is in cash, according to foreign business and diplomatic sources with knowledge of recent transactions. Cuba's current foreign debt is considered a state secret. Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, the Caribbean island nation reported its foreign debt at $19.6 billion. "There is no short-term solution to Cuba's electric power sector challenges; the system is old, tired and broken.

☆ Cuba wins China debt relief, new funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - China has agreed to restructure Cuban debt and provide new trade and investment credits to the beleaguered Caribbean Island nation after a meeting in Peking between the two Communist countries’ leaders. Gil was speaking in an interview with official media traveling with President Miguel Diaz-Canel as he returned home over the weekend from a tour of Algeria, Russia, Turkey and China. Analysts estimate the debt in the billions of dollars, although no official figures are available. Gil said China had agreed to quickly complete a floating dock, wind power and solar energy project, among others. President Diaz-Canel told the official media after talks in Peking that debt was at the top of his agenda with President Xi Jinping who sympathized with the difficulties Cuba was going through.

☆ Russian and Cuban leaders meet in Moscow, hail 'traditional friendship'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday met with his Cuban counterpart in Moscow, where the two unveiled a monument to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and hailed the “traditional friendship” between their sanctions-hit nations. We have always supported Cuba on the international stage and we see that Cuba takes the same position towards Russia,” Putin said. Other top Russian officials struck similar tones in their meetings with Díaz-Canel, who arrived in Moscow on Saturday. Cuban state media reported that Díaz-Canel’s agenda will focus on the energy sector, very sensitive for the island as it battles shortages of food, medicines and fuel. Havana’s main regional political ally, Venezuela, has sold the island the oil Cuba needed for the past two decades.

☆ Evoking Castro, Putin and Cuban leader pledge to deepen ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend an unveiling ceremony of a monument to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2022. MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel unveiled a monument in a north Moscow square on Tuesday to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, pledging to deepen their friendship in the face of U.S. sanctions against both countries. It creates the image of a fighter," Putin said of the statue, which portrays Castro gazing into the distance with hands on hips. "The reasons for the current conflict in this zone must be sought in the aggressive policy of the United States and the expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders," he said. The resulting standoff, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to the brink of nuclear war.

☆ Gay couples in Cuba marry under new law
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The code was approved after heavy campaigning by the Cuban government, and support by the most vocal advocate for gay rights on the island, Mariela Castro, the daughter of former president Raul Castro. It made Cuba the ninth country in Latin America — following Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia — to legalize gay marriage in recent years. Despite that, a third of the country, 33.15%, voted “no.” The text faced a large campaign against it from evangelical groups that reject gay marriage. Ismael Francisco / APThe new law goes further than equal marriage — which activists tried to include in the Constitution in 2019 without success — or the ability for gay couples to adopt or use surrogates. “I’m happy for what the wedding means,” Laura added to The Associated Press very circumspectly, wiping tears away alongside her mothers.

PINAR DEL RÍO, Cuba — Brigades of electrical workers were focused Wednesday on restoring electricity to the western region of Cuba, where Hurricane Ian made landfall the day before, leaving the entire country without power. Crews were working to bring power back to the Pinar del Río Province, where the eye of the then-Category 3 storm entered Cuba, and the municipality of Artemisa, where Ian's gusty winds knocked power out. In Pinar del Río, a region known for its agriculture and a source of produce for much of Cuba, crops such as rice, yucca and beans were lost. Yamil Lage / AFP - Getty ImagesCuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said damages in Pinar del Río "are great, although it has not yet been possible to account for it." Hurricane winds bent countless pieces of metals used as roofs all over Cuba, particularly in Pinar del Río.

☆ Cuba approves same-sex marriage in unusual referendum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The code would allow surrogate pregnancies, broader rights for grandparents in regard to grandchildren, protection of the elderly and measures against gender violence. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has promoted the law acknowledged questions about the measure as he voted on Sunday. The measure had been approved by Cuba’s Parliament, the National Assembly, after years of debate about such reforms. But there is a strong strain of social conservatism in Cuba and several religious leaders have expressed concern or opposition to the law., worrying it could weaken nuclear families. That has meant a greater opening not only the once-dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also to Afro-Cuban religions, protestants and Muslims.

☆ Cubans approve gay marriage by large margin in referendum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A voter casts his vote at a polling station during the new Family Code referendum in Havana, Cuba, September 25, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Cubans approved gay marriage and adoption overwhelmingly in a Sunday referendum backed by the government that also boosted rights for women, the national election commission said on Monday. "Justice has been done," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote in a tweet. The 100-page "family code" legalizes same-sex marriage and civil unions, allows same-sex couples to adopt children, and promotes equal sharing of domestic rights and responsibilities between men and women. Preliminary results from the electoral commission showed 74% of 8.4 million Cubans eligible to vote participated in the Sunday referendum.

☆ Cuba votes to legalize same-sex marriage, decades after LGBTQ people in the country were persecuted and sent to labor camps
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cuba has voted to legalize same-sex marriage, election officials said on Monday. The country voted in a referendum to amend its Family Code, which is part of the constitution. Decades ago, LGBTQ people in Cuba were persecuted and sent to labor camps. According to election results, around two-thirds of people who voted in the referendum did so in favor of the amendments. It's a significant moment for the island country which, during the 1960s and 1970s, persecuted LQBTQ people and sent to labor camps.

☆ Cubans head to polls to vote on government-sponsored code to legalize gay marriage, adoption
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

referring to a family code referendum to take place on September 25, is displayed in Havana, Cuba, September 19, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"My expectation is that most of the population will vote 'yes'," Diaz-Canel said. The code, which has undergone 25 drafts, nearly 80,000 townhall-style meetings and 300,000 suggestions from the public, is expected to draw millions of Cubans to the polls. There are no independent, outside observers of Cuban elections, however, citizens may observe the count at their precincts immediately following the vote. "The vote will be close ... aspects of this code have divided the opinions of the public, even families," she said.

☆ Niciun membru al familiei Castro nu va mai fi la putere în Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-16 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +4 min

În câteva zile, niciun membru al familiei Castro nu va mai fi la putere în Cuba. Congresul Partidului Comunist, care începe vineri, va pune capăt celor şase decenii de "regim frăţesc" și lasă locul unei noi generaţii. Reuniunea, ce se va desfăşura în spatele uşilor închise, va avea lor după exact 60 de ani de la proclamarea de către Fidel Castro a caracterului socialist al revoluţiei. Desemnarea lui Diaz-Canel drept nou prim-secretar, postul cel mai important în Cuba, ar urma să aibă loc în ultima zi a congresului, luni. "Faptul că Raul Castro cedează conducerea Partidului Comunist în Cuba nu este o schimbare adevărată", a notat marţi pe Twitter senatorul american de origine cubaneză Marco Rubio.

Persons: Castro, Fidel Castro, Raul, Miguel Diaz, revoluţiei ., Diaz, Canel, Împreună, Raul Castro, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Ramiro Valdes, convertibil, Norman McKay, McKay, cubaneză Marco Rubio, Harold Cardenas, american Donald, Trump Organizations: Congresul Partidului Comunist, The Economist Intelligence Unit, Partidului Comunist, Partidul Comunist Locations: Cuba, Havana, Cubei, american, cubanez, Castro, Agerpres, cubaneză

☆ Cuba va administra propriul vaccin în primul semestru din 2021
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-30 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Insula va putea "să imunizeze populaţia cubaneză împotriva coronavirusului în primul semestru din 2021", a declarat directorul Institutului de vaccinare Finlay (IFV), Vicente Vérez Bencomo, citat de jurnalul oficial Granma.Două vaccinuri candidate împotriva COVID-19 sunt în curs de elaborare la IFV, Soberana 01 şi Soberana 02.Vicente Vérez Bencomo a făcut aceste declaraţii cu ocazia unei vizite la institut a preşedintelui cubanez Miguel Diaz-Canel.Cele două "soberana au avansat bine în testele clinice, primul încheie faza 1, iar al doilea intră în faza 2", a precizat el.Unui grup de circa o mie de voluntari li se vor administra diferite variante de Soberana 02 în ianaurie şi, după ce vor fi făcute evaluările, va putea începe faza 3 cu participarea a 150.000 de persoane la Havana, a mai spus Vicente Vérez Bencomo.În prezent, se poartă negocieri pentru a efectua faza 3 a vaccinului Soberana 02 şi în alte ţări, dată fiind numărul scăzut de cazuri de COVID-19 în rândul populaţiei cubaneze.Centrul de inginerie genetică şi biotehnologie lucrează, de asemenea, la două vaccinuri candidate împotriva coronaviruslui, numite Mambisa şi Abdala.Oamenii de ştiinţă cubanezi au o vastă experienţă în domeniul cercetării vaccinurilor. Programul naţional de vaccinare infantilă prevede 11 vaccinuri, dintre care opt produse pe insulă, pentru a lupta împotriva a 13 boli, scrie agerpres. Deşi o resurgenţă a numărului de cazuri este constatată din cauza redeschiderii frontierelor, numărul de cazuri rămâne scăzut în Cuba, mai ales în comparaţie cu vecinii săi: duminică se ridica la 11.434 de cazuri, dintre care 143 de decese, pentru o populaţie de 11,2 milioane de locuitori.

Persons: Finlay, Vicente Vérez, Vicente Vérez Bencomo, Miguel Diaz, Vicente Organizations: agerpres Locations: Havana, Deşi, Cuba

Search resuls for: "Miguel Diaz"

24 mentions found