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Cuban security officials toured Key West drug-war center

  0HAVANA, may 5th A delegation of Cuban government national security officials recently toured the Pentagon’s counter-drug center in Key West — a first, signaling a nascent effort in U.S.-Cuban security cooperation, the admiral in charge of the U.S. Southern Command disclosed Wednesday.

Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd described the effort to crack down on illegal trafficking in the Caribbean as an “area of mutual interest” between the two nations that restored diplomatic relations July 20, 2015. The Castro government still has not approved the addition of a military attache to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, he said. So the senior interlocutor there is a Coast Guard liaison.

That officer, Lt. Cmdr. Derek Cromwell, escorted the four-member Cuban security delegation on a familiarization tour of the so-called Joint Interagency Task Force South, or JIATF-South, at the Truman Annex of the U.S. Navy base in Key West on April 21, according to Tidd’s spokeswoman, Army Col. Lisa Garcia.

They got a briefing on the work of the multi-agency, multi-national organization that has been described as Southcom’s command center in the war on drugs, toured the Joint Operating Center there and met with representatives of 18 different countries assigned there.

The JIATF is essentially a tracking center where different U.S. government intelligence, military and law enforcement agencies — along with representatives of Caribbean, Latin American and European nations — try to help down-range aircraft and vessels intercept or thwart illegal air and sea travel. It started off as a nerve center in the war on drugs but has an expanded mandate to include “illicit trafficking.”

Cuban delegate members were identified as Col. Idael Fumero Valdés of the Cuban National Police, part of the Ministry of Interior; Joel Lago Oliva, first secretary of Cuba’s Ministry of External Relations; Lt. Col. Hector Gonzalez Hernandez, chief of Cuba’s Counterdrug Directorate and Lt. Col. Imandra Oceguera Coll, the chief of analysis for the Cuban Border Guard.

The visit signals how much relations between the two nations have changed. U.S. federal agents who cracked a Cuban spy ring in South Florida in the 1990s described two targets of the so-called Cuban Five’s Wasp Network as the Southern Command and U.S. Navy operations in Key West, where the military was setting up the anti-drug-trafficking war room.

In April, however, the delegation got the official visit to the JIATF, stayed in a local hotel and also visited the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Garcia said.

Before taking over Southcom, Tidd traveled to Havana in August as part of Secretary of State John Kerry’s delegation for the flag-raising over the U.S. Embassy. Wednesday, he discussed the Key West visit with editors and reporters of the Miami Herald, describing it as the continuation of contacts made during an 18-nation regional security conference held in Jamaica in January.

It was the 14th so-called Caribbean Nations Security Conference, and was jointly sponsored by the Jamaican government and Southcom. But it was the first one attended by a Cuban delegation. Past conferences, Tidd said, were burdened by a discussion of the absence of the Cubans. This time, he said, “there was a remarkable mutual understanding of what those security concerns are.”

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First US-to-Cuba cruise ship in decades set to sail

carnival-shipThe Adonia, a vessel from the Carnival cruise’s Fathom line, was set to raise its anchors at 3:30 pm (1930 GMT) with some 700 passengers aboard.

HAVANA. May 1th (AFP) The first US cruise ship bound for Cuba in 50 years was set to sail from Miami on Sunday and give travelers a taste of local art, music and dance in a festive offshoot of the restoration of diplomatic relations.

The Adonia, a vessel from the Carnival cruise’s Fathom line, was set to raise its anchors at 3:30 pm (1930 GMT) with some 700 passengers aboard. It is scheduled to sail into the port of Havana on Monday, its first stop on a visit to the communist-run island.

The voyage is the first of what Carnival says will become weeklong cruises to Cuba twice a month, with the goal of promoting cultural exchange between the two countries following a warming of ties that began in December 2014 and culminated last year with the restoration of full diplomatic ties. “Fathom offers a truly historic opportunity for travel to Cuba: a chance to help build new bridges to a rich and vibrant culture that, until now, most US travelers have only seen in photographs,” the cruise ship web page says.

Uncertainty over whether the cruise would take place was cleared up only last week, when the Cuban government of Raul Castro lifted restrictions for seaborne visits of Cubans to and from the United States, opening a door for Cuban-Americans born on the island to board the ships. At first, keeping in mind Cuban restrictions imposed when the island’s Communist regime feared a landing of anti-Castro militants, Carnival refused to accept reservations from such people.

This quickly resulted in charges of discrimination and a firestorm of criticism. Carnival, the world’s leading tour ship operator, eventually relented and began to allow reservations from Cuban-born customers. But its conditions to start the visits were for Cuba to allow its citizens to sail freely.

Cuba ultimately relented after intense negotiations as part of the normalization process, which culminated in a visit to Cuba by President Barack Obama in March. But as the restrictions were lifted so recently, few people of Cuban origin were expected to be on the first cruise ship on Sunday.

Adonia has scheduled cultural activities in its ports of call in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, such as meetings with artists, musicians and business owners, as well as dance classes and guided tours. This is important because full-scale regular US tourism to Cuba is still banned under the US trade embargo, which remains in force despite the diplomatic thaw.

So Americans can travel to Cuba only for cultural, academic, sports-related or religious events.

Carnival is the first cruise line company to win permission from both governments to offer trips, which ended after the Cuban revolution of 1959.The cost of a ticket on the cruise ranges from US$1,800 to US$7,000 per person.

Regular flights from the US to Cuba are expected to begin later this year.

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William Levy’s Trip to Cuba he Plans to Film a Movie

rs_1024x1024-160422145701-1024.William-Levy.1.ms.042216HAVANA,april 27  William Levy’s story is filled with hardships—and one heck of a happy ending!

In an exclusive interview, the handsome actor tells us about his amazing trip to his homeland of Cuba, his first trip back to the island since 2008. But this time, he was back as a star and the bearer of some very exciting news: This summer, Levy plans to fulfill his life-long dream of making a movie in Cuba.

The Dancing with the Stars alum, along with his friends and producers Jeff Goldberg and Eric Brenner, took a last-minute trip to Havana in order to scout locations for their upcoming film. The producers were treated to the best cuisine as the star showed them around his favorite childhood haunts.

But for the actor, this wasn’t just a business trip. He also used the opportunity to surprise his former neighbors and friends whom still live in the very same streets where he grew up.

“There is a powerful connection between William and Cuba. I could see tears welling in William’s eyes as he looked out of the airplane window and saw Cuba on the horizon after so many years,” said Goldberg. “And once he was there, everyone showed such an incredibly warm and genuine love for him.”

“It’s so beautiful to come back to your country, with your people that you know have been through so much, and have them tell you such beautiful things,” Levy explained as his eyes watered. “They told me things like, ‘You don’t know how proud we are of you and we love to see a Cuban being so successful outside of Cuba, because you know how difficult it is for us to leave this country. Seeing you making it is like us making it too.'”


William Levy (@willylevy29) Shares Intimate… por Anna_Vizili

As William walked through the streets, everyone immediately recognized him. In the video below, shot by Goldberg, we see the warm welcome he received in his hometown.

“I gave all of the money that I took, because I would just hand money to people that I knew,” William said. “They all just really need it.”

The father of two plans on returning to Cuba this summer to shoot scenes for his upcoming film, which he will star in and produce.

“It’s just beautiful to be able to film a movie in my land. When I was there and would walk the streets or play baseball without shoes, and I would look out into the endless sea I used to wish I could go to the United States and just do what I wanted to do,” William said. “Now finding myself back in my country and filming a movie there…that’s just something that’s so surreal, I can’t even begin to explain it.”

The actor plans on bringing jobs and a sense of hope to the Cuban film community.rs_634x845-160422145658-634.William-Levy.4.ms.042216

“William is a true ambassador for film production in Cuba. He’s rallying everyone in his circle to create opportunities to shoot there, starting with his next film, an action-thriller that was previously set to shoot in another country. William has always dreamed of making films in Cuba,” Goldberg said. “He wants to show the world how beautiful the country and its people are, and so this is a very exciting moment for him.”

The actor came to the United States at the age of 15 with hopes of making it as a Major League Baseball player. After high school, he was given a baseball scholarship to play for St. Thomas University in Miami.When his mother and stepfather split up, Levy had to quit school and baseball. He felt the need to provide for his family and began working in construction.”It was a devastating moment, baseball was my life,” William said. “But I became the man of the house and I needed to help support my family.”

Since acting was always a passion, he snuck in acting lessons with long days of work. Clearly, it all paid off.

During our interview, politics could have been the elephant in the room, but the star simply said, “I don’t get into politics, I just want what’s best for my country and to see these people that have suffered so much, be able to decide what they want to do and when they want to travel,” Levy said. “It’s all I want. I want happiness and freedom for my people.”

http://www.eonline.com/news/759252/william-levy-shares-intimate-photos-of-trip-to-cuba-and-plans-to-film-a-movie-on-the-island

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UTSA architect working to preseve Hemingway’s Finca Figia

havana-live-finca1HAVANA, April 22th In 1960, the U.S. ambassador to Cuba drove 9 miles outside Havana to Finca Vigía, where he had been a guest several times, to inform Ernest Hemingway that Washington was planning to sever ties with Fidel Castro’s fledgling Communist government.

He said that “American officials thought it would be best if Hemingway demonstrated his patriotism by giving up his beloved tropical home,” Valerie Hemingway, his secretary at the time and future daughter-in-law, recalled in a 2007 article for Smithsonian magazine. “He resisted the suggestion, fiercely.”

Hemingway, who committed suicide a year later, loved Cuba, and Cuba loved him.

Castro, a great admirer of the macho writer, took control of Finca Vigía, or Lookout Farm, and it became a museum — the Museo Hemingway — in 1963. havana-live-tower

Hemingway lived at Finca Vigía from 1939 to 1960 and wrote seven books there, including “The Old Man and the Sea,” “A Moveable Feast” and “Islands in the Stream.” Kept just as it was, it remains one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

“It’s a virtual time capsule,” said William Dupont, professor of architecture at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who for the past 11 years has been a hands-on consultant on the restoration of Hemingway’s Cuba home. “All the trophies, all the liquor bottles are still there, all the books are on the shelves. His Royal typewriter is there in the bedroom, sitting on top of a massive dictionary, as is the animal-skin rug that he stood on while he worked, typing standing up because of his back. He got a gift from the Russian ambassador that is still there. It’s a little model of Sputnik, a desktop paperweight.”

The Cuban government, in conjunction with the Massachusetts-based Finca Vigía Foundation, completed a $1 million restoration of the 1886 stucco home and grounds in 2008 and has been searching for a way to conserve the thousands of documents, photographs and books at the site for years.

In a concrete example of the thawing of U.S./Cuban relations initiated by President Obama, a team of preservationists including Dupont, who is director of the UTSA Center for Cultural Sustainability, will return to Cuba May 8-13 to help Cuban architects, engineers and workers build a new conservation workshop and storage center on the Finca Vigía site.havana-live-see-truh-dining

Mary-Jo Adams, executive director of the Finca Vigía Foundation, said Dupont “has helped our project make great strides. His finesse and understanding of the Cuban people has been incredibly important.”

What is groundbreaking about this exchange is that a shipment of construction materials valued at more than $900,000 is going to the island along with the American expertise.

Funded primarily by the Caterpillar Foundation and Caterpillar Inc., the AT&T Foundation, the Ford Foundation and American Express, it’s the first major export of construction materials to Cuba since the U.S. loosened the trade embargo on the island.

“It’s a big deal for the Cubans,” Dupont said. “It’s a big deal for us, too.”

Caterpillar, which donated $500,000 to the Finca Vigía Foundation, “is proud to be a part of this significant project, and we’re committed to being a business and cultural partner with Cuba,” Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We recognize the importance of preserving the rich Hemingway heritage that unites the American and Cuban people.”

Since materials can be impossible to obtain in Cuba, the shipment will contain virtually everything needed to build the 2,200-square-foot facility, which will house conservation laboratories and a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled storage facility.

“They have plenty of concrete and cement blocks,” Dupont said. “They’ve got rebar, enough for this little building, so what we’re sending them is pretty much everything else, which would include windows and doors, roofing material, gutters, tile, ceilings, pipes, plumbing fixtures, wiring — even hardhats and safety glasses. Some of the HVAC is pretty high-tech, so we’re building it here and then disassembling it to make sure we have all the parts.”havana-live-pilar

Although the building is not an architectural “postcard,” Dupont said, it represents the literal preservation of Hemingway’s legacy, including correspondence and books in which he wrote marginalia comments, as well as travel documents, records and notes of where he was at certain times, passports and maps.

“It’s possible to reconstruct a lot of details of his life and place him in particular areas connected to what he’s writing, so it’s very valuable to scholars of Hemingway,” Dupont said. “To understand where he’s coming from, what his influences are, what he’s seeing while he’s writing, it makes it possible to map out his life.

“That’s what the house contains. So for me as a restoration architect, what we’re keeping our focus on is the legacy of Hemingway because his spirit still occupies the landscape and the buildings and the grounds. This was his place of artistic inspiration, of artistic creation, and you gain a better understanding by visiting it. And that’s what I’m trying to help my colleagues in Cuba to preserve. That’s what it’s all about.”
http://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/Cuban-home-holds-Hemingway-s-spirit-7294757.php
More about Hemingway: https://havana-live.com/hemingway-cubas-adopted-son/

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Carnival may delay Cuba cruise over discrimination concerns

havana-live-Carnival SplendorHAVANA, April 19th (AP) Carnival says it will delay the first cruise from the United States to Cubaif the Cuban government does not allow Cuban-Americans to travel aboard.

Cuban regulations bar people born in Cuba from returning to the country by ship. As a result, Carnival had prohibited barred Cuban-Americans from buying tickets on the May 1 cruise from Miami to Havana and a series of other Cuban ports.

Carnival said in a written statement Monday that it was optimistic that Cuba would allow Cuban-Americans to join the cruise by May 1 and would begin selling tickets to Cuban-Americans. The company said that if Cuban-Americans were not allowed to join the cruise, it would be delayed.

Carnival has been sued by Cuban-Americans claiming discrimination and protesters have targeted its headquarters in Doral.

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Raul Castro criticize ways of bureaucracy and private sector

president-obama-attends-tampa-bay-devil-rays-v-cuban-national-team-baseball-game-in-havanaHAVANA, April 19th On Monday, Cuban’s top leaders and officials have criticized the squeaking inefficiency of the state-controlled economy. They also took note of the vibrant private sector as potential source of US subversion.

According to News Journal Online, the Cuban government comments illustrated the commotion it is facing as it tries to modernize and maintain control of things now thatit’s in a new era with Washington. The Cuban Communist Party has ended the third day of its twice-a-decade congress with vote for a 114- member Central Committee. The vote turned to select the 15- member Political Bureau. The vote, just like Congress, was open only to 1,000 delegates, 280 selected guests and state journalists.

ABC News reported that Cuban President and First Party Secretary, Raul Castro, opened the meeting with evaluation of the state reforms he introduced after taking over in 2008. Castro blamed the ‘obsolete mentality’ and ‘attitude of inertia’ for the state’s failure to impose reforms meant to increase productivity.

To follow, Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel also repeated the criticism of the bureaucracy in his speech. He added that ‘lack of confidence in the future’ is the consequence of what Castro said. Diaz-Canel added that “Along with other deficiencies, there’s a lack of readiness, high standards and control, and little foresight or initiative from sectors and bureaucrats in charge of making these goals a reality.”

However, Yahoo published that state media focuses more on the need to protect Cuba’s socialist system from global capitalism and US influence in particular. It is notable that US President Barack Obama visited Havana, the first in over 90 years, and the move was interpreted as an attempt to seduce ordinary Cubans into abandoning the country’s socialist views.

Even Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez went to say that the visit of Obama is ‘an attack on the foundation of the history, culture and symbols of Cuba.’ Meanwhile, Rene Gonzales, former intelligence agent held in US and resolved by détente with Washington, said there should be consideration on the political reform in Cuba.
Read more at http://www.lawyerherald.com/articles/43087/20160419/cuban-leaders-criticize-ways-bureaucracy-private-sector.htm#UfyGtQSy5QRL3YX7.99

 

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Watch: 150 years of US-Cuba history, told in 6 minutes

HAVANA, april 13th The story of America and Cuba — their decades of hostility, why it lasted so long, why it’s now finally ending — is often misunderstood in the US as a story about the Cold War. But in truth, it’s a story a full century older about slavery, clashing empires, and a long-running struggle within America to decide what kind of country we were going to be. When you see that, what’s happening today between Cuba and the US starts to make a lot more sense:


Americans don’t talk about this chapter in our history much today, but around the turn of the 19th century the country’s politics were divided over a question of national identity: Would the United States become an explicitly imperial power, joining the great powers of Europe in dividing up the world? Or would it champion its founding ideals of democracy by supporting independence movements around the globe?

This debate played out in the US just as the once-great Spanish Empire was crumbling. Cuba was a Spanish colony then; independence activists there rose up in 1895, and in 1898 the US declared war on Spain to help them.

But as the war progressed, American politicians argued: Should the US seize Cuba as its own colony, or should it stick to its word and support Cuban independence?

The Spanish-American War wasn’t just about Cuba. It was also over the Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean; the island of Guam in the Pacific; and, largest of all, the Philippines, a series of large islands in Southeast Asia.

But debate in the US focused especially on Cuba. Partly this was because Cuba, so near to the US, inspired especially strong feelings in many Americans. And partly it was because there had been an earlier debate, in the 1850s, over whether to seize Cuba as a new US slave state.

By the time the war ended, both sides of the American debate had passed legislation in Congress meant to codify their preferred outcome. As a result, the US ended up with an odd quasi-imperial policy toward Cuba: The US would not seize it outright as a colony (something it did with Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines) but would take over Guantanamo Bay, control Cuba’s external affairs, and reserve the right to intervene on the island.

America’s imperial era in Cuba lasted only about 30 years. Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office in 1933 wanting to end America’s experiment with imperialism, and began unwinding US control over Cuba and the Philippines.

But within 20 years, the US would get involved in Cuba again, this time backing a military dictator who had seized power and was fighting a war with communist rebels.

Americans — who have never had much of a historical memory — saw this as just one of many proxy conflicts against communism’s global spread. But many Cubans saw it as a repeat of American imperialism. So when the US tried over and over to topple or even kill Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro, this felt, to many Cubans, like America trying to reassert its old colonial control over the island.

That’s far from the only reason the US-Cuba conflict lasted so long. As you’ll see in the video above, it’s also, as just one example, about the political conflict between Castro and Cuban dissidents that just happened to play out through American politics. But when you see that imperial legacy, and the way it’s been experienced by Cubans, the history starts to make a lot more sense. And this new era of normal relations looks even more historic.

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/12/11411358/cuba-opening-history-video

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Cuba loosens control of some restaurant cooperative

HAVANA, april 13th (Reuters) Cuba announced on Tuesday that some cooperatives offering food and other services will be able to buy supplies directly from government producers and wholesale outlets for the first time, part of a wider but so far cautiously implemented market reform program.

The new rules mean some former state-run companies turned into cooperatives on the Communist-led island will no longer have to buy from more expensive retail outlets.

Odalys Escandell, first vice minister of domestic trade, said on the government’s evening news broadcast the move was “transcendental”, but Tuesday’s measures do not fulfill an earlier promise to let private restaurants do the same, leaving in place a key constraint on their business viability.

The steps, which go into effect on May 2, come just four days before a Communist Party Congress which is expected review market-oriented reforms begun five years ago.

The news report said wholesale outlets will be gradually established for the cooperatives. Over time, a series of products will be made available to them at lower prices, along with a tax cut, in exchange for setting price controls on the retail offer.

“Why are we establishing maximum prices? Because it is a system to protect the consumer,” Escandell said.

Cuba recently reversed an experiment to end state control of distribution of farm produce, after food prices rocketed above their previously subsidized levels.

Cuba has turned over to employees thousands of small state-run establishments, from coffee, snack and barber shops to locksmiths and shoeshine kiosks. The workers rent the premises and compete with private businesses on the open market.

The government has also ordered some 500 larger state-run establishments, from beauty salons to restaurants, to become cooperatives as a pilot project before thousands more follow suit.

Economy minister Marino Murillo made clear upon announcing plans to turn state-run businesses into cooperatives two years ago, that they would be favored over private businesses.

“They are a more social form of production,” he said at the time.

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Cuba’s Future Economic Model in Spotlight at Party Congress

1024x1024HAVANA, april 8th  Victor Rodriguez imagines a future Cuban economy that will let him import large quantities of thread, export the women’s clothing he designs and keep him from worrying about obtuse regulations such as where he can place items on his small retail stand.

“Maybe then I could think about opening a full store,” he said.

One month after President Barack Obama’s visit, islanders are now looking to Cuba’s upcoming Communist Party congress for the clearest picture yet of how far their leaders will open the economy to deeper free-market reforms — if at all.

The congress being held April 16-19 comes at a critical juncture in Cuba’s history, with diplomatic relations with the U.S. generating enthusiasm but bringing limited improvements to the island’s ailing economy. It’s also likely to be the last Communist Party congress with any Castro in power as President Raul Castro has said he intends to retire in 2018 when he will be 85, turning 86 that June. His older brother Fidel stepped aside at age 79 in 2006 in what he said was a temporary move after suffering a serious illness and retired for good two years later.

“This is basically setting the future of Cuba,” said Carmelo Mesa-Lago, an economics professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

The congress has already generated much attention with party members complaining about a lack of the advance debate on economic and social reforms seen in the past. The party’s official newspaper, Granma, published a lengthy article explaining that instead of inviting new public discussion of reforms, this year’s congress will focus on the continued implementation of market-oriented changes enacted in 2011 in Cuba’s most significant economic overhaul to date.

“Everybody’s wondered since 2011, what’s the end game?” said William LeoGrande, an American University expert on U.S.-Cuba relations. “What are they anticipating Cuba will look like when the restructuring is done? Will it look like Vietnam? China? Something else?”

Based on the Marxist-Leninist model, the Communist Party of Cuba is the only legal political party on the island. It holds its congress roughly every five years to map the island’s political, social and economic future — except for a 14-year stretch from 1997-2011.

The latest congress will bring together 1,000 party members from throughout the island to discuss Cuba’s plan going forward. Among the things members will consider this year is a description of the island’s economic development model through 2030.

So far, Cuban leaders have indicated the government intends to maintain strong control of the island’s centrally planned economy. Less clear are the roles the state and private market will play, and how much the non-state sector will be permitted to expand.

Since assuming power in 2006, Castro has instituted scattered free-market reforms to alleviate the island’s deep fiscal woes while preserving the communist system ushered in by the 1959 revolution. In 2010, he announced plans to permit more small businesses and reduce state employment. The 2011 Communist Party congress passed 313 resolutions that included legalizing car sales, encouraging the development of mid-size cooperatives with dozens of employees and eliminating an exit permit all Cubans once needed to travel outside the country.

Cubans were also permitted to buy and sell homes for the first time since the early years of the revolution.

Emilio Morales, an economic analyst who heads the Miami-based Havana Consulting Group, said the reforms to date have encouraged the growth of a small business sector that includes retail enterprises like Rodriguez’s clothing stand, stylish new restaurants and polished 1960 Cadillacs and other old cars serving as taxis. About 500,000 Cubans now run their own businesses, yet total private-sector employment represents just a fraction of the economy — an estimated 23 percent of all employment in 2014, compared to 18 percent in 2011.

There are signs the number of self-employed workers could be leveling off: According to Cuban state figures, there were 496,400 in January, down from 504,600 in May 2015.

To increase that number, Morales said the government must lift restraints on access to wholesale markets and expand private enterprise to fields such as law and engineering, which currently aren’t among the 201 categories of small businesses allowed.

Many Cubans are anxious to see their economy grow; the vast majority struggle to meet daily needs, with state workers earning an average of $20 per month. Many say they want Cuba to preserve universal benefits such as free education and health care.

“We should never lose what we’ve gained,” said Graciela Hidalgo, 67, a retired Interior Ministry worker.

Six Communist Party members interviewed by The Associated Press said they believe the congress will move to expand private businesses but not embark on dramatic reforms. President Castro has cautioned he wants to move “slowly but surely” and that Cuba won’t administer “shock therapy.”

“I think we’ll keep moving in the same direction, enabling small private property, expanding some aspects of commercialization,” said Esteban Morales, one of the party members interviewed and a noted intellectual.

Analysts have viewed China and Vietnam as examples of how Cuba might preserve its socialist system while moving toward a market-driven economy. Yet Cuba scholars say the reforms to date have been relatively minor compared to the early stages of mixed socialist-free market economies in those countries.

“Cuba’s economic situation isn’t one for moving slowly and surely,” said Emilio Morales, the analyst in Miami.

Party watchers will also be waiting to see what the congress says about Cuba’s political future after Castro retires. Many in 2011 expected him to “rejuvenate” the party of 700,000 members by appointing young leaders to key positions. He ultimately named revolutionary figures Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, then 80, and Ramiro Valdes, then 78, as his principal deputies.

Three relatively young politicians were promoted to the 15-member party leadership council in lesser capacities.

Many believe Castro now has no choice but to appoint younger leaders.

“First we have to resolve the economic problem, that’s a priority,” said Carlos Alzugaray, a longtime Cuban diplomat and analyst. “But there is a particular juncture in Cuba right now, which I call a generational transition. And we need to create the institutions that will help that new generation to govern the country effectively.”

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FedEx to link Miami with Havana ?

international-resource-center_700x300_HeaderHAVANA,April 06  FedEx wants to operate a B757 freighter to provide expedited and general airfreight services from Monday to Friday between Miami and Havana, Cuba with a return flight via Mérida, Mexico commencing September 01, 2016.

In a filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the company says it is making a “very modest request” in seeking to operate five out of the 140 weekly flights that are available to U.S. airlines.

If approved, FedEx says it will set up a trucking network linking three additional Cuban cities: Mariel (with its port and developing trade zone), Santiago de Cuba, and Varadero, a major tourist destination. As a result the company would link nearly 1,000 U.S./Cuba city pairs with a single flight.

According to David Cunningham, FedEx Corporation executive vice president and COO, the B757 operation from its Miami hub is primarily designed for U.S. and Cuban shippers while its backhaul routing via Mexico allows the company to replace existing Convair 500 capacity and make the overall operation economically viable.

Noting that combination airlines would be offering belly freight services limited by “significant passenger baggage volumes that typify many Cuba visitors’ luggage haul”, FedEx said a single B757 freighter would be the right thing to do for U.S. trade with the emerging economy.

“Cargo services, especially those which facilitate trade in high value goods, are not luxuries or frills in a scheduled air transportation market, but a necessity, offering greater economic value over carrying belly cargo on combination aircraft. FedEx’s services are also important to small businesses seeking to participate in the global market,” it argued.

With the expansion of the U.S. Export Administration Regulations to allow the export of high-value goods including computers, Cuba is a potential market for U.S. businesses that use airfreight according to the company.

In addition, FedEx says the U.S. Postal Service will need air cargo support for a renewed link with Cuba, as will the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense with its existing naval facilities at Guantanamo Bay.

“Offering the best services, connecting to the largest network, providing tools for regulatory compliance and possessing the financial security to maintain the service, a grant to FedEx in this proceeding is the best step that the Department can take to advance U.S.-Cuba trade,” the company concluded.

http://www.freightweek.org/~freightw/index.php/latest-news/96-integrators/1996-fedex-to-link-miami-with-cuba

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Photo Walk-Through: Lázaro Saavedra: Base / Superestructura

The artist’s National Prize exhibition at the Wifredo Lam Center

havana-live-wilfried lam

The courtyard of the Wifredo Lam Center during the run of Lázaro Saavedra: Base / Superestructura. Visible at lower left, the installation El progreso de una nacíon; the clothesline is also an installation. Courtesy Lázaro Saavedra

HAVANA, april 5th (cubanartnews) Lázaro Saavedra: Base / Superstructure was presented at the Wifredo Lam Center of Contemporary Art in Havana, February 16-March 16, 2016. The exhibition was presented in recognition of Saavedra as the winner of the 2014 National Prize of Plastic Arts, awarded annually by the Cuban government.
Although National Art Award exhibitions are usually presented at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the two floors of the Wifredo Lam Center provided a literal structure for Saavedra’s exhibition, an inquiry into the nature of art, inspired by Marxist philosophy.

Here is a photo walk-through of the show, with Saavedra’s statement about the exhibition and comments about specific works, excerpted from the exhibition catalogue.

Unlike most exhibition texts by artists and curators, Saavedra’s comments may be understood as extensions of the artworks, counterpoints to them, and/or textual artworks in their own right.

Lázaro Saavedra: Base / Superestructura was curated by Corina Matamoros and Lázaro Saavedra

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Lázaro Saavedra, El progreso de una nación, 2016. Courtesy Lázaro Saavedra

Exhibition Statement
This exhibition aims to pay homage to visual thought as it manifests metaphorically, more or less, in the arts or sciences. In his Preface to the Introduction to the Critique of Political Economy, Karl Marx applies two architectural (Basis / Überbau = Base / Superstructure) to the social sciences, employing them in the critical analysis of society. The exhibition Base / Superestructura is inspired, among other things, by these concepts of Marxist philosophy.

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Lázaro Saavedra, ¿Por qué pienso cosas figurativas mientras dibujo abstracto?, 2015 Courtesy Lázaro Saavedra

A free interpretation of these ideas is further proposed—a symbolic representation, “materializing” them in an artistic form. This interpretation returns them to their original architectural assertion (without removing the philosophical references), by comparing two shows at different levels (lower/upper) in the Lam Center building. That willingness to find a meaning in the connection between the symbolic representations of base and superstructure is inspired—not without questioning—by one of the premises of Hermetic thought: “As above, so below; as below, so above.”
_MG_8507Arte contestatario, 2015
This work represents what it is: a canvas put through a wall. Have you ever wondered who will respond (contesta) to oppositional art (el arte contestatario)? Have you ever wondered who and what oppositional art asks to be responded to? Oppositional art arises precisely where the social action of anti-questioning art leaves off. Again, the author tells us of—catapults us, gives us a kick in the direction of—confrontation, and the direct and scathing criticism of the circles, squares, triangles (and polyhedrons, why not?) of power.
_MG_8491Arte insoportable, 2015
In several interviews with the artist, he was brilliantly unable to enlighten us about the title of this work and his relationship to it. But what is clear is the link between this installation and the phenomenon of aesthetic discordance in the process of artistic creation. The unbearable lightness of art that falls under its own weight, which is incapable of sustaining its own levitatation (see levitation art), redeems from the floor its own shadow as an extension of itself, a black ghost that ascends the institutional wall of culo blanco (white rear end)—no, cubo blanco (white cube)—in abstract geometric form, to the kingdom of heaven.
_MG_8488Arte insoportable, 2015
In several interviews with the artist, he was brilliantly unable to enlighten us about the title of this work and his relationship to it. But what is clear is the link between this installation and the phenomenon of aesthetic discordance in the process of artistic creation. The unbearable lightness of art that falls under its own weight, which is incapable of sustaining its own levitatation (see levitation art), redeems from the floor its own shadow as an extension of itself, a black ghost that ascends the institutional wall of culo blanco (white rear end)—no, cubo blanco (white cube)—in abstract geometric form, to the kingdom of heaven.
_MG_8511Arte oficial, 2015, with Arte Underground, 2015, in background at right
On Arte official: An exquisite work of stunning superficiality—as all good art is characterized and defined when it is worthy of representing surface art (superficial art), which is a counterpoint and eternal opponent of arte profundo (underground art). In this work the artist proposes, in a crazy way, to overlap the termspatriotic art and official art: The canvas, ergo art, as the flag of what? Does the official culture have a flag, the same as the nation?

Arte underground is a work that is inserted into the underground art movement, which evolved from the stagnant overground art. We must be redundant and emphasize that the difference between these two arts is that one moves, the other does not. This work overflows the literal, provoking a flood of self-referentiality that could drown the concept if it doesn’t know how to swim—or doesn’t know anything, not to speak or to write. This concept survived during the Special Period [after the collapse of the Soviet Union] as a lifeguard in an underground pool frequented by foreign concepts.
_MG_8499Arte politicarte, 2015
The Master said: “Driven by political maneuvering and content with punishments, the people become astute and lose shame. Led by virtue and moderated by rites, they develop a sense of shame and participation.” Entrepreneurship (el cuentapropismo) will evolve a way to sell, on the black market, boxes with “virtue” and “moderating rites” so that once they are sampled, it will be necessary to develop the sense of shame and participation. If the words I’m going to write are not more beautiful than a sheet of paper, then I will not write. A white sheet (blanco) is ugly (fea).
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Articidio, 2015
This work, full of the optimistic conceit of bipolar disorders, moves through the swampy terrain between suicide and homicide, and brings us back to post-Satorian or Nirvanic experiences, as applicable. The author, during ritual practices related to the fine art of seppuku (harikiri, not to be confused with hareKrisna, the god of the Yoruba pantheon) has deconstructed the aesthetic category of suicide, to masterfully innovate the neologism “Articidio” (of the masculine gender, said of the union in concubinage between “art” and “suicide”). The delicate detail of the cut, in the manner of the stylist Lucio Fontana, cannot pass unnoticed, as in the best tradition of slashing wrists, heiress to a “friki” subculture,” and to the rhythm of chords by the solo diva of Evanescence or Emonescene.
_MG_8509Installation view of the exhibition, with, at left: When you’re down almost all step on you; rear wall,You’re a prisoner and you do not know; and what do I know?; and at right, Arte y sanía, 2015.

Lázaro Saavedra: Base / Superestructura was presented at the Wifredo Lam Center of Contemporary Art February 16-March 16, 2016. 

http://www.cubanartnews.org/news/photo-walk-through-lazaro-saavedra-base-superestructura/5221

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CUBA – CUBA – CUBA

havana-live-AniplantHAVANA, march 31th Cuba has been all over the news these past couple of months with a return visit from Pope Francis in February and visits from President Obama and the Rolling Stones in March. We hope these recent visits by celebrities mean that there are improvements in living conditions for the people, and for the animals.

The most immediate impact of these high-profile visits is that areas around the venues are scrubbed clean. While we can all appreciate fresh paint and clean streets, our hearts break for the animals on the streets who are collected like trash.

Some are strays who never had a home, and some are pets who happened to be out for a walk alone at the wrong time. Regardless, they end up in the same place, with no hope. The vast majority are killed. It hurts. It angers us. And it motivates us.

Aniplant and The Aniplant Project are united in the mission of helping the animals of Cuba by:

Preventing unwanted animals with spay/neuter programs
Educating about the need for spay/neuters
Promoting general health care and welfare for animals
Assisting refuges
Intervening in cases of animal suffering

It is a long road. There are many, many needs.

The Aniplant Project and Aniplant  teams see and hear a lot of hard things. Things that, as animal lovers, hurt our souls and shatter our hearts. Your many kind words of encouragement and support mean the world to us. Muchas gracias.

And thanks to supporters like you, we’ve started off 2016 with great momentum! Thanks to you:

Hundreds of animals have been sterilized. Hundreds of pounds of donated supplies have arrived at Aniplant.
Hundreds of people have become aware of Aniplant and the plight of the animals of Cuba, due to more travelers and supporters sharing stories.

Like Spring gives us fresh hope, we hope all these visitors to Cuba bring reconciliation for the people, and kindness for the animals. We continue to work hard for improvements in the lives of the animals in Cuba.

Thank you for your support.

The Aniplant Project Team
HAVANA LIVE

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Miami company the first U.S. business to open office in Havana

havana-live-IPCHAVANA, march 28 th Miami-based International Port Corp. said it’s the first U.S. company to open a staffed office in Cuba.
Several companies have received licenses from the U.S. government to start operations in Cuba since President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba yet they haven’t opened facilities yet.

IPC Owner and President Larry Nussbaum said his shipping firm has leased warehouse space in Havana from the Cuban government and staffed it with six employees. The Cuban workers were hired by a Cuban government employment agency, which IPC pays.

“The opportunities are great. Cuba is open for business,” Nussbaum said. “Now we need the American legislation to make it legal for companies like mine to expand what we can legally do in Cuba.”

IPC first received a license to conduct shipments between Miami and Havana in July 2012 on humanitarian groups. It’s since expanded that to include commercial shipments and cargo for diplomatic purposes, both by air and sea.
Having daily representatives in Cuba will help his company ensure shipments reach customers and go through customs properly, Nussbaum said.

“It’s a matter of properly respecting U.S. and Cuban law and building a relationship with them,” Nussbaum said.
Despite the restoration of diplomatic relations and the lifting of some travel restrictions, there hasn’t been a dramatic increase in shipments to Cuba because Cuba isn’t buying much from the U.S. The problem is the U.S. embargo restricts offering credit to Cuban purchasers of U.S. goods, so it’s not a competitive market.

“The growth of my business is dependent on the U.S. making more activities legal,” Nussbaum said.
IPC was also the first company to obtain permission from U.S. authorities to offer passenger ferry service from Florida to Cuba. Other U.S. companies have since followed. However, Cuba has not approved passenger ferry service.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2016/03/28/miami-company-the-first-u-s-business-to-open.html

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Airbnb opens Cuba to the world: VIDEO

havana-live-airbnb_logo_detailHAVANA, march 26th Cruise ships, hotel chains and commercial jets are all heading from the U.S. to Cuba for the first time in half a century. So it was only a matter of time before Airbnb got in on the action.

For about a year now, U.S. travelers have been able to book housing through Airbnb in Cuba. But now, the U.S. government has granted special permission to Airbnb to offer its services to the rest of the world, according to ABC News.

Starting on April 2, Airbnbs spread across 40 cities and towns in Cuba will open to the world, creating the company’s fastest-growing market. Some 4,000 houses in Cuba were added to Airbnb’s website in the past year, the company has reported.

It’s a great deal for locals, who earn an average of just $20 a day, as Airbnbs that host many Cubans are making $250 in U.S. currency per booking.

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The Rolling Stones land in Havana for first Cuban concert


HAVANA, march 25th  The band known in Cuba as “Los Rollings” have arrived in Havana.

Following in President Obama’s footsteps, the Rolling Stones touched down ahead of a huge free concert on Friday.For decades rock music was denigrated on the communist island as “ideological deviation”. On Thursday the British band were officially welcomed by officials from Cuba’s Cultural Ministry and the UK ambassador to Cuba.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts stopped on the tarmac to speak to reporters.

“Obviously something has happened in the last few years,” Jagger said, as Richards interjected: “That’s what happens when you ban things”.

Jagger went on: “So, time changes everything and so we are very pleased to be here and I’m sure it’s going to be a great show… Tomorrow, I think it is, God is it really tomorrow? We’d better get ready!”
In contrast to the relatively recent political rapprochement, the musical thaw between Cuba and the West has been developing for some time.

Fidel Castro reportedly regretted the censorship and attended the unveiling of a statue of John Lennon in Havana in 2000.

Even so the concert, which comes at the end of the Stones’ Latin American tour, will be a first for Cubans.

“(It’s great) that the youth interact with music they don’t know, so that youth can interchange, recognize and compare cultures, to incorporate them and also to share their energy, because Cubans, especially young Cubans, have a lot of energy to give,” said one woman in Havana.

Back in the 1960s when Rolling Stones cover band Los Kent tried to play in Cuba, soldiers stopped the gig at gunpoint.

Some 50 years later, today’s military will be helping to provide security for the hundreds of thousands of fans who are expected in Havana.
http://www.euronews.com/2016/03/25/the-rolling-stones-land-in-havana-for-first-cuban-concert/

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Rolling Stones invite Cubans to free concert

HAVANA, march 24th (Reuters)The Rolling Stones are welcoming Cubans to their free concert on Friday with Mick Jagger speaking Spanish in a video on YouTube, though few are likely to see it, given Cuba’s scant Internet penetration.

“We have played in many incredible places but this concert in Havana is going to be a historic event for us,” Jagger said in a voice over while the Stones’ song, “Jumping’ Jack Flash” plays to snippets of concert video. “We hope it will be for you, too.” (here)

Less than one-third of Cubans have access to the Internet, with only 3.4 percent of homes connected to either the Internet or a local Cuban Intranet, according to U.N. data.

The Stones added Cuba to the end of a Latin American tour, becoming the first major international rock stars to play in the island nation.

The outdoor concert at a sports complex was postponed five days because of the 48-hour visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, who departed Cuba on Tuesday.

The band have brought in 61 shipping containers with an estimated 500 tonnes of equipment, such as a stage, speakers, lights and video screens, the production manager, Dale Skjerseth, told reporters on Sunday.

A crew of 140 Stones employees and at least 80 Cubans have set up on grounds including a football field and adjoining baseball fields with room for hundreds of thousands of spectators who are invited to arrive for free on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Google to launch high-speed internet center in Havana

havana-live-Kcho-googleHAVANA, march 24th Google has hatched a game-changing plan to speed up internet service across Cuba. The Silicon Valley giant has set up an online technology center in Cuban artist Kcho’s studio in Havana, where it will offer free internet service at speeds nearly 70 times faster than the service now available to the Cuban public.

It seems Google is hopeful that such a center will convince Cubans that they actually can access high-speed Internet, but the government is restricting their access. According to Associated Press, Google has built a studio equipped with dozens of laptops, cellphones, and virtual-reality goggles. The connection at the Kcho studio is provided by Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company over a new fiber-optic connection.

As many as 40 people can use the internet service at a time at the studio, which will be open five days a week, from 7 am to midnight.

“Yes, Google will offer much faster internet access, but in terms of expanding access, the impact of the current arrangement will be limited to several dozen people at one time — possibly a few hundred in a day,” he said.

In fact, it is this studio where Cuba’s first Wi-Fi hotspot was unveiled. The Cuban government has since set up several  Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, particularly in capital Havana. Yet, Cuba still has one of the world’s lowest rates of internet penetration.

“The hub at the artist studio is a marker that Google has put down that signals the company’s ability to help modernize Cuba’s internet. “But it also shows the company’s willingness to do so within the parameters established by the Cuban government.”

The artist launched the Wi-Fi hotspot after getting permission from ETECSA. Over the past one year, the telecom firm has rolled out nearly 50 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country.

Google to Launch High-Speed Internet Service Center in Cuba

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Cuba Has An Ambitious Plan To Protect Its Environment From Tourists

havana-live-coarl riffHAVANA, march 20th (Huffingtonpost) President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Cuba on Sunday promises to revive a question raised when the U.S. began normalizing relations with the island nation: As American tourists pour in, what will happen to Cuba’s natural environment?

An influx of tourists and businesses will likely bring investment to Cuba, but some experts fear the expansion of tourism, mechanized agriculture and oil exploration could threaten its well-preserved natural ecosystems.

In fact, the Cubans “have a lot to lose in terms of biodiversity, marine and coastal habitat and fish populations if they don’t do things right moving ahead,” Daniel Whittle, senior director of the Cuba program at the Environmental Defense Fund, told The Huffington Post.

The uptick in American tourism is already “putting a real strain” on Cuba, he said.

Despite fears of environmental ruin, both Cuba and the U.S. have been working to ensure the restoration of diplomatic ties doesn’t come at the expense of Cuba’s land and marine ecosystems.

“At the official level, environmental protection is still a high priority,” Whittle said about Cuba. “It’s something [President Raúl] Castro and his deputies talk a lot about.”56ec3a6c1e0000c600710a35

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has made protecting the environment a central issue in the State Department’s negotiations with Cuba.

Of the four agreements signed by U.S. and Cuban officials since the re-opening of relations in 2014, two have laid out plans for environmental protection in Cuba, according to Whittle.

One agreement, signed in November 2015, outlines a planned effort by both countries to share scientific knowledge, collaborate on conservation efforts and jointly “address the causes and effects of climate change” in Cuba, according to a copy of the agreement.

“The agreement provides an unprecedented vehicle for the governments to actually talk to each other and influence each other,” Whittle said. Through it, “the U.S. government can influence how science is conducted in Cuban national parks, how well they’re managed and even policy relating to these protected areas.”

A lot to lose

For Cuba, which has been called the “jewel of the Caribbean,” the stakes of environmental protection are high.

“It’s not a secret that Cuba has some of the best preserved land and waters in the Caribbean,” Luis Solórzano, executive director of the Cuba program at the non-profit Nature Conservancy told HuffPost on Friday.

The country has 4,000 uninhabited islands and keys, miles of undeveloped coastline, a huge variety of native species and an extensive coral reef system, according to Whittle. It’s no accident they remain well-preserved.

The trade embargo that kept American cars off Cuban roads for half a century has also prevented farmers from adopting high-tech agriculture practices used in the U.S., according to Whittle. And it has kept American tourists off beaches and limited the development of Cuba’s oil resources in the Caribbean.

“Because of US-Cuba relations, Cuba hasn’t had access to U.S. technology, hasn’t had access to grants and loans from institutions like the World Bank,” Whittle said. “So they have a lot to lose in terms of biodiversity.”56ec3b411e00008700704a67

Cuba has vigilantly sought to protect its natural environment over the years.

“The Cubans have been pioneers and really aggressive in declaring protected areas,” Solórzano said. 

Cuba’s commitment to conservation began in 1992, when then-President Fidel Castro announced that his government would confront the “ecological destruction threatening our planet” at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Since then, shrewd environmental management policies have required the Cuban government to protect 25 percent of its marine habitat from development, according to Whittle. (By contrast, the U.S. has only protected between 3 and 5 percent of its marine habitats, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.)

The Cuban government also requires proposals for new developments to undergo a rigorous environmental review process.

Cuba’s environmental record isn’t perfect, however. While its policies look good on paper, “implementation has been a mixed bag,” Whittle said. The country’s aging infrastructure has hurt wastewater treatment, agricultural land suffers from soil erosion, and dams have altered water flows in fragile coastal estuaries, according to Whittle.

Cuba also isn’t walled off from the world. Cuba does business with many developed countries, including Canada, and its beaches and forests have attracted foreign tourists for decades .

Opening up to Americans will heap new pressures onto Cuba’s existing environmental challenges, experts say.

“The question we’re asking is ‘What if you unleash all these pressures that have not been there?’” Solórzano said.

Striking a delicate balance

If Cuba wants to expand industry on the island without despoiling the environment, the government will have to strike a delicate balance between growth and conservation, according to Solórzano.

“It is about the balance,” he said. “How do they balance their economic needs and preserving the natural capital on which they depend?”

Right now, Cuba imports 70 percent of its food at a cost of about $2 billion every year, according to Pedro Sanchez, director of the Agriculture and Food Security Center at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Producing enough food domestically to feed the country’s more than 11 million people will require turning some of Cuba’s unused land into highly productive crop fields, Sanchez told HuffPost on Friday. 

The trick, Sanchez said, will be ramping up food production without causing undue damage to the environment. 56ec3af21500002a000b282f

“With proper investment and research … Cuba can increase its food production to the point that it can be nearly self-sufficient without causing significant damage to the coastal ecosystems that we all want to preserve,” Sanchez said.

Researchers at the University of Florida and the non-profit Nature Conservancy are working with Cuba’s Ministry of Environment to ensure Cuba expands food protection without despoiling the country’s land and waters, according to Sanchez.

As a kid, I fished in the coastal waters off Cuba, and I don’t want them messed up.”Dr. Pedro Sanchez, director of the Agriculture and Food Security Center at Columbia University’s Earth Institute

It’s a project that would not have happened had the U.S. not resumed diplomatic relations with Cuba, said Sanchez, who works on the project.

“I doubt very much whether any such thing would have happened before the Obama opening,” Sanchez said. 

If changing relations with the U.S. have created an opportunity for Cuba to develop economically without sacrificing its rich natural habitats, Solórzano thinks the Cubans can make the most of the opportunity.

“They are really smart, have a vision, care about their environment, and are proud of what they’ve done,” he said. “In this country, it can be done.”

Sanchez agrees. For him, the future of Cuba’s environment is as personal as it is political.

“As a kid, I fished in the coastal waters off Cuba,” he said, “and I don’t want them messed up.”
Photo:NOEL LOPEZ FERNANDEZ

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Online Payments Upstart Stripe Launching Business in Cuba

use-1-payments-premium-facebook-covers-2015-02-08Backed by Visa and Amex and venture capital, Stripe will aim to serve Cuban tech startups

HAVANA,march 19th (WSJ) Online payments firm Stripe Inc. is joining a number of large U.S. corporations planning ventures and partnerships in Cuba in conjunction with President Barack Obama’s visit on Sunday, the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928.

The San Francisco startup, among the most highly valued in financial technology and a growing competitor to such established firms as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and PayPal Holdings Inc., has started offering its services to Cubans, the company said Friday. Stripe is aiming at Cuban tech startups who want to sell their services or products to U.S. customers.BN-ND788_0318ST_P_20160318131028

The chief executive of Stripe, Patrick Collison, will join a delegation of company executives accompanying Mr. Obama on his trip to Cuba.

Of course, the road to any significant Cuban business for financial companies is likely to be long, with no guarantees of significant traction or revenue. And some Cubans and U.S. politicians are still demanding many more political changes in Cuba before seeking economic liberalization.

For now, the launch is mainly symbolic, as there are still many hurdles to doing business in Cuba, including restrictions for some individuals, incomplete local financial infrastructure, and limited and restricted Internet access. As of now, most U.S. credit cards can’t be used in Cuba.

The company was chosen to accompany the delegation after White House officials met with a group of Cuban startup entrepreneurs in Havana in recent weeks, Mr. Collison said. The group said it could use Stripe’s service to help their ventures accept payments from customers outside of Cuba, which led the White House to invite Stripe, Mr. Collison said.

Stripe was valued at $5 billion in a fundraising round last year, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. It is backed by payments giants Visa Inc. and American Express Co., as well as such venture-capital firms as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital.

Its software plugs into websites to enable businesses to accept credit cards, debit cards, bitcoin and other forms of payment.

Since many Cubans don’t have credit cards or significant savings, Mr. Collison said, Stripe’s $500 fee to start an account could be paid over time as the businesses collected money in their U.S. accounts. The accounts only accept online payments, and are likely to be used primarily to accept payments from overseas customers.havana-live-stripe-secure

It’s also not settled how Cubans would then be able to access the funds in the U.S. bank accounts at Silicon Valley Bank, Mr. Collison said. The U.S. Treasury specifically loosened rules on remittances to Cuba, which should make it easier, but it isn’t clear what the best mechanism to do so is, he said.

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Flight Prices To Cuba Could Drop Almost 50%

960x0HAVANA, march 18th (FORBES) The warming of relations between the United States and Cuba has spurred an increased interest in traveling to the island, with search traffic for flights up 500% from last year as more online travel agencies begin to list flights. Several airlines have applied to fly additional routes and it seems to be only a matter of time before regular air travel commences.

Recent rule changes have made it much easier for Americans to legally visit Cuba. Travel is still only permitted as long as it fits within 12 fairly broad, legally permissible purposes, but a key update to the rule now permits individuals to embark upon personal trips self-determined to meet the criteria. No advance license required.

So while the travel embargo still technically remains in place, the real obstacle for Americans who visit Cuba are the high flight prices. Currently flights from the United States to Cuba cost an average of $717 round trip, which is significantly more expensive than flights to other Caribbean destinations near Cuba.Screen-Shot-2016-03-17-at-9.27.59-AM

So what’s a would-be traveler to do? For most Americans, the cheapest way to visit Cuba as a tourist is via a lengthy and indirect flight through a third country, with Canada and Mexico being the obvious choices.

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Cuba lifted the tax on US dollars exchange rate

havana-live-exchange rate US dollarHavana,march 18th  Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that the government will eliminate the 10 percent tax levied on US dollars entering the country.

At a press conference on Thursday in Havana in the lead up to US President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba next week, Rodriguez indicated that repealing the tax was in response to White House measures easing financial restrictions on Cuba, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cuba will scrap the tax “only after it has verified” the effectiveness of the US measures, Rodriguez added.

The tax on US cash used in Cuba was first introduced in 2004, as Washington intensified economic and financial sanctions against Cuba.

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First case of Zika transmitted in Havana

havana-live-zika-virus-webHAVANA ,march 16th (AP) Cuban officials announced Tuesday night that they have detected the first case of the Zika virus transmitted inside the country, ending Cuba’s status as one of the last nations in the hemisphere without domestic cases of the disease that has been linked to birth defects.

State media said a 21-year-old Havana woman who had not traveled outside Cuba was diagnosed with the virus after suffering headaches, fatigue and other symptoms. On Monday, her blood tested positive for Zika. She remains hospitalized.

Cuba had previously reported a handful of cases of the disease in people who had traveled to countries with outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus, particularly Venezuela, and appeared to have contracted it there.

Cuba has close ties to Venezuela, a fellow socialist country that sends hundreds of millions of dollars a year in subsidized oil in exchange for Cuban medical assistance that sees many thousands of people travel between the two countries annually.

Zika is being investigated as a possible agent in cases of microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with unusually small heads and brain damage, and also in cases of Guillain-Barre, a rare condition that sometimes results in temporary paralysis.

Cuba has thrown more than 9,000 soldiers, police and university students into an effort to fumigate for mosquitoes, wipe out the standing water where they breed and prevent a Zika epidemic.

President Raul Castro has called on the nation to battle lax fumigation and trash collection, turning the Zika fight into a test of the communist government’s once-legendary ability to marshal the entire country behind efforts ranging from civil defense to bigger sugar harvests to disease prevention.

In recent days the streets of Havana have been crisscrossed by teams of green-clad soldiers fumigating houses with mosquito-killing fog. Residents of the capital say fumigators no longer accept excuses of allergies or requests to spray some other day, as frequently happened in the past.

Still, neighborhoods like Central Havana, where the patient in Tuesday’s case lives, are filled with decaying buildings, piles of uncollected trash and pools of standing water.

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Cuban upward tourism trend not slowing down

havana-live-bar-touristsHAVANA, 14 marzo (ACN) — Despite forecasts of the possibility of Cuban tourism failing to keep the upward trend shown in the last years, the Caribbean island’s leisure industry posted 14.6 percent growth in the first 71 days of 2016.

According to a report issued by the Cuban Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR by its Spanish acronym), the number of visitors to the island nation reached the one-million mark 11 days ahead of the previous year.

After posting record figures in 2015, when over 3.5 million tourists landed in Cuba, for a 17.8 percent growth compared to the year before, some media and experts believed it would be impossible to maintain the trend.

But source markets like Germany, the UK, the US, France and Italy continued to increase their operations, along with the largest and most traditional, Canada, which represents almost a full third of all visitors.

The press release by MINTUR stated that all its entities, along with the Cuban government and people, are working to improve the quality and the amount of lodging facilities to meet the high demand Cuba is facing nowadays.

The new strategies of the industry include diversifying tourism offers to go beyond being a sun and sand tourist destination, to become a cultural, historical, nature and event heaven for visitors.

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Cubans convicted of crimes in US could face deportation

havana-live-Removal-and-DeportationHAVANA, March 14th (AP)  As Washington normalizes relations with Havana, nearly 30,000 Cuban nationals convicted of crimes in the U.S. may face deportation.

The Miami Herald reports  that 28,400 Cuban nationals have served their prison terms and face automatic deportations. Some 18,000 live in Florida. For decades they’ve been released under supervision by immigration authorities because the U.S. had no diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Authorities say there’s no imminent change planned for immigration policy toward Cuba. Republican Miami Congressman Carlos Curbelo says dangerous criminals should be deported at the earliest date possible, while those convicted of minor offenses should be given the opportunity to stay.

Miami defense attorney Jose “Pepe” Herrera says many Cuban inmates didn’t anticipate any U.S. change toward Cuba when they signed waivers agreeing to deportations to avoid immigration detention proceedings.
read also: https://havana-live.com/tens-of-thousands-cubans-fear-deportation-after-july-20/

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1 Million Visit Cuba in 2016

imageHAVANA,March 13 (Telesur) Cuba has welcomed 1 million foreign tourists to date in 2016, a 14.6 percent surge over the same period last year, statistics from Cuba’s Tourism Ministry revealed on Saturday.

Tthe tourism ministry said in a broadcast on state television that 2016 has been characterized by “continuous growth” in the number of tourists to Cuba from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy and Argentina.

A spokesperson also said local hotels and tour operators plan to raise the quality of their services and increase hotel capacity in order to deal with the increased number of tourists hitting the Caribbean islands shores year round.
Cuban tourism authorities estimate that in 2016 some 3.7 million foreign tourists will visit, 175,200 more than in 2015, when the country broke the previous set record by receiving 3.5 million travelers.

Although Cuba has always been a popular destination with tourists from Europe and beyond numbers have spiked since its diplomatic relations between the U.S. started to thaw in late 2014.
ocal economists note that some 145,000 Americans visited Cuba in 2015, 79 percent more than in the previous year.

The tourism industry is now considered one of the most important facets of the Cuban economy and the second-strongest for earning foreign currency, with revenues of US$1.94 billion in 2015, up 10.7 percent over the previous year, the island’s National Statistics and Information Office, or ONEI, reported.

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IMF’s Lagarde says yet to receive a request from Cuba for IMF membership

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks during a session with Melinda Gates (unseen), co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, at the "Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future" conference in New Delhi, India, March 12, 2016. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks during a session with Melinda Gates (unseen), co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, at the “Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future” conference in New Delhi, India, March 12, 2016.

HAVANA, March 13 (REUTERS) Cuba has not yet made a request for membership of the International Monetary Fund, the fund’s chief said on Sunday, adding such a request would be considered in accordance with its rules.

Christine Lagarde’s comments came just days after the European Union and Cuba signed an agreement in Havana to establish normal relations, bringing the Communist-run island further into the international fold and paving the way for full economic cooperation with the 28-member bloc.

Cuba was one of the founding members of the IMF until it quit in 1964.

“We have not received a request by the authorities of Cuba to be included as a member,” Lagarde told reporters at the end of a conference in New Delhi.

U.S. President Barack Obama is due to visit Cuba this month as ties rapidly warm thaw since a 2014 detente with Washington.

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HISTORIC HAWAIIAN CANOE IS SAILING TO HAVANA

havana-live-eight_col_Hokule'a_canoe_cropHAVANA, march 12th (viconsortium.com) Legendary traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea is back on the ocean to set sail for Havana. The vessel departed Saba Rock on Friday at 9:00 a.m. after having spent seven days here.

The crew most recently engaged with Ocean Elder and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, and discussed ocean conservation efforts. The British Virgin Islands is 6 hours ahead of Hawaii time.

Pwo navigator Kalepa Baybayan is gearing up the crew to prepare for strong winds and brisk weather, the greatest challenges of this leg of the voyage. The trip is approximately 1,080 nautical miles from BVI to Havana, which could take the canoe about a week to reach Cuba.

“We are happy to be part of the pioneers as we begin to form this new partnership and relationship with Cuba,” said Baybayan. “We are very excited to have that opportunity to participate; part of that journey is learning about the indigenous people and culture of Cuba, both modern and old.”

From Cuba, Hokulea plans on routing her trip back to the US mainland, with an estimated arrival in Florida at the end of March. She is scheduled to arrive in New York City by June 8, 2016 to be part of the United Nations’ World Oceans Day.

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Starwood, Marriott poised to complete Cuba deals

havana-live-marriot-staRWOODHAVANA,march 12th At least three major U.S. corporations are pushing to complete deals to do business in Cuba as President Barack Obama gets ready for a historic presidential trip to the island this month.

With just over a week until Mr. Obama’s March 20 visit, three companies— AT&T Inc.,Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Marriott International—are expected to announce agreements with Cuban government-run entities, according to company and U.S. officials. The three are among a roster of U.S. companies trying to negotiate deals to do business in Cuba.

They will be among the first high-profile deals notched since Mr. Obama said in December 2014 that the U.S. would move to restore ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of Cold War enmity. Since then, the Obama administration has loosened travel and trade restrictions for a variety of industries, betting that closer business ties between the U.S. and Cuba will cement the administration’s policy of normalization.

White House officials expressed hope some of these deals would come together before Mr. Obama arrives in Havana March 20 to showcase the value of closer ties, but the timing is still uncertain and some could be announced after the presidential visit.

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, vice chair of the President’s Export Council, will travel to Cuba with Mr. Obama.

While final approvals from Cuba for business ventures often take time, some companies also must obtain clearance from U.S. agencies, since many commercial transactions are restricted or prohibited under the long-standing U.S. embargo.

“We are optimistic that we are going to get a green light soon from the U.S. government to have hotels under the Marriott flag in Cuba,” said Thomas Marder, a Marriott spokesman.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will also accompany Mr. Obama, as well as the export council’s chair, Ursula Burns, chairman and CEO of Xerox Corp. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Small Business Administration head Maria Contreras-Sweet and Secretary of State John Kerry also are among cabinet members going on the trip.

Starwood, which is soon to be acquired by Marriott, is also expected to make an announcement, according to U.S. officials and other people familiar with the matter.

“We see many opportunities for the expansion of our brands into Cuba at this inflection point, and look forward to building long-term relationships and welcoming travelers into our hotels in this dynamic market,” said Carrie Bloom, a Starwood spokeswoman, adding the firm is awaiting Treasury Department approval.

Under Cuban laws, foreign hotel companies have to partner with Cuban entities to do business in the country.

Cuba’s existing hotel stock is poor and insufficient to meet current demand, particularly in Havana. In the past year, travel from the U.S. to Cuba has surged 50%, with many tourists staying in privately run bed-and-breakfasts.

The return of U.S. investors to Cuba is politically fraught. U.S.-based hotel companies, among others, have millions of dollars in claims against Cuba over the expropriation of properties during the revolution. The U.S. and Cuba last year began negotiations to resolve billions of dollars of such claims, including a $51 million claim from Starwood.

AT&T is expected soon to complete a roaming agreement with Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company Etesca, U.S. officials said. A person familiar with the negotiations said Etesca and AT&T haven’t yet reached an agreement. AT&T declined to comment.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-t-starwood-marriott-to-announce-cuba-deals-1457729013

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U.S. to announce further easing of Cuba restrictions on March 17 – sources

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro meet at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro meet at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

HAVANA, March 10th (REUTERS) President Barack Obama’s administration will announce further measures to ease travel and trade restrictions on Cuba on March 17, ahead of his historic visit to the Communist-ruled island this month, U.S. congressional sources said on Tuesday.

The new rules will mark the latest effort by Obama to use his executive powers to sidestep the U.S. Congress and chip away at the more than half-century-old U.S. economic embargo against Cuba.

The anticipated announcement appears timed as a gesture toward Cuba just days before Obama flies to Havana for a March 21-22 visit in another step aimed at ending decades of animosity between the former Cold War foes. It will be the first visit to Cuba by a sitting U.S. president since 1928.

The measures are expected to include changes to make it easier for individual Americans to visit Cuba if they qualify under 12 authorized categories of travel such as educational or cultural visits, as well as further loosening of trade and banking rules, said the sources, who were briefed on the matter by administration officials.

Though details were still being finalized, the package could also include revised regulations on how the U.S. dollar can be used in trade with Cuba, a person familiar with the discussions said. U.S. regulations restrict or prohibit the Cuban government from using the dollar for international transactions.

“The White House wants to make a splash on the economic front before Obama gets to Havana, and this is one way to do it,” according to the source, who was consulted by Obama aides ahead of the visit. “It will come a couple of days before he leaves.”

Obama plans to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana but also intends to meet dissidents to show that Washington remains committed to promoting human rights on the island, a source of tension with the Cuban government.

RESISTANCE FROM SOME LAWMAKERS
The White House has invited members of Congress to accompany the president, and congressional aides told Reuters about 20, mostly Obama’s fellow Democrats, were expected to go.

Obama’s moves to normalize relations with Cuba have encountered stiff resistance from some lawmakers, mostly Republicans but also some Democrats, since the policy shift was first announced on Dec. 17, 2014.

They feel the White House is not getting enough back from Castro’s government in exchange for the eased regulations. The administration believes that moves to loosen the embargo would help meet its goal of benefiting the Cuban people.

But even some Democratic aides said they were taken aback by news there would be further moves by the White House without concessions from Havana. “Shouldn’t we get something from the Cubans in return?” one asked.

The mainstay of the new regulatory package is expected to be further easing of limits on travel by Americans to Cuba at a time when U.S. airlines are rushing to apply for routes to the island following the recent signing of a bilateral agreement for regular scheduled flights.

The rules changes are likely to allow more people to go on self-directed “people to people” and cultural trips without having to rely on group tours or be sponsored by an organization, two people familiar with the discussions said.

But a ban on general tourism to Cuba will remain in force. It is part of the broader U.S. embargo and can only be lifted by Congress. Obama has called for an end to the embargo but Republicans say that will not happen during his presidency, which ends in January 2017.

“We continue to look at additional regulatory changes that could be made as part of the administration’s efforts to further normalize relations with Cuba,” an Obama administration official said. But the official declined to provide specifics.

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Enjoy Your Visit This Month, But Mind Your Business

HAVANA, March 10th Two weeks ahead of President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba, Havana has a message for him: We’ll treat you well while you’re here, but don’t push it.

“The president will be welcomed by the Government of Cuba and its people with the hospitality that distinguishes them and will be treated with all consideration and respect, as head of state,” said the editorial in the Communist Party’s official newspaper Granma.

But the nearly 3,000 word editorial also cautioned that, “No one can harbor the slightest doubt about Cuba’s unconditional adherence to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals,” and included a quote from Cuban President Raul Castro making a similar point.

“We will not allow ourselves to be pressured on our internal affairs. We have won this sovereign right with great sacrifices,” he said.

The piece urged Mr. Obama to do more to change U.S policy toward Cuba and demanded Washington stop interfering in Cuba’s internal affairs. The editorial also reiterated Cuba’s calls for the U.S. to return to Cuba the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, end the decades-long economic embargo on Cuba, and change immigration policies that favor Cubans.

The White House on Wednesday played down the talk from the Cubans ahead of the visit, which officials said would allow the U.S. to use its influence to advocate for more freedoms for the Cuban people. Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit March 20-22.

“I’m not particularly concerned about it,” Mr. Earnest said. “Our priority here, is that by more deeply engaging the Cuban government, the Cuban economy and the Cuban people, we can more effectively advance the interests of the Cuban people.”

Secretary of State John Kerry scrapped plans for a visit to Cuba last week for human rights talks after the U.S. and Cuba couldn’t finalize an agenda, including for Mr. Kerry to meet with political dissidents. But Mr. Earnest stressed on Wednesday that Mr. Obama would meet with whomever he wanted, including political opponents of the regime.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Susan Rice met on Wednesday afternoon for about an hour with about 10 people with expertise in Cuba’s civil society, including people with ties to Church groups, Cuba’s entrepreneurial class, and Cuba’s independent media, according to a participant in the meeting.

Ms. Rice told the group she was seeking their input about how to best engage with civil society members during the president’s trip, the participant said.

“Ambassador Rice heard from each leader and emphasized that a critical focus of charting a new course with Cuba includes our continued strong support for universal values and human rights — including respect for the right to speak freely, peacefully assembly, and associate,” her spokesman Ned Price said.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/03/09/cuba-to-obama-enjoy-your-visit-this-month-but-mind-your-business/

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