World

A year after protests, Cuba struggles to emerge from crisis

Published

2 years ago

July 10, 2022

A year after protests, Cuba struggles to emerge from crisis

HAVANA (AP) — A yr after the biggest protests in many years shook Cuba’s single-party authorities, a whole bunch of people that participated are in jail and the financial and political components that brought about the demonstrations largely stay.

Streets and public squares full of protesters on July 11 and 12, 2021, some answering social media appeals, others becoming a member of spontaneously to specific frustration with shortages, lengthy strains and an absence of political choices.

Since then, just a few issues have modified: The Communist Get together authorities has made its most expansive — if nonetheless restricted — opening in six many years to non-public enterprise, authorizing small and medium sized corporations. And the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed a gradual revival of the important tourism business.

However the general economic system stays dire, with lengthy strains and quickly rising costs for restricted items. That has fed an enormous improve in migration, principally to america.

And the economic system stays squeezed by U.S. sanctions. Whereas U.S. President Joe Biden has eased some, comparable to permitting U.S. residents to ship more cash to Cuban family and processing some visas in Cuba, he has been sluggish to implement his marketing campaign guarantees to show again lots of the different restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump. That dedication might have been additional delayed by the Cuban authorities’s crackdown on the protests, which soured the ambiance for any seeming concessions from Washington.

The protests modified every part, nonetheless, for the Román household of Havana’s La Guinera neighborhood.

Three of the household’s members had been arrested on June 12, 2021 and two stay imprisoned.

“They haven’t dedicated against the law so critical that it warrants that punishment,” stated Emilio Román, 51, whose 26-year-old son Yosney, a building employee, and 24-year-old daughter Mackyanis, a housewife, had been sentenced to 10 years in jail on sedition costs in March. His youngest daughter, 18-year-old Emiyoslan, was given conditional launch as a result of she was a minor when arrested.

Three cousins had been arrested as properly — two of them now imprisoned for 10 years as properly.

Officers haven’t stated how many individuals had been arrested throughout the protests that occurred in dozens of locations throughout the nation, however an impartial group shaped to trace the circumstances, Justice 11J, has counted greater than 1,400.

The nationwide prosecutor’s workplace stated in June that courts had imposed 488 sentences on protesters, ranging as much as 25 years in jail.

“The federal government has demonstrated its authoritarian nature,” stated Giselle Morfi, a Cuban legal professional now primarily based in Mexico who works with Cubalex, a authorized support group targeted on human rights in Cuba. “The state criminalizes the train of basic rights that needs to be protected inside any democratic society, comparable to freedom of expression, and it stigmatizes protest.”

She stated the crackdown is supposed to dissuade Cubans from any new wave of protests.

One who did name for extra demonstrations — unsuccessfully — final November, playwright Yunior García, wound up leaving the nation.

Authorities insist these arrested should not political prisoners however individuals who have violated legal guidelines towards public dysfunction, vandalism or sedition, typically on the instigation of U.S. primarily based opposition teams utilizing social media to assault the socialist state.

Following a large inoculation marketing campaign utilizing vaccines developed in Cuba itself, authorities say they’ve seen no COVID-19 deaths in additional than a month. Motels and air routes closed for greater than a yr have been reopening — one thing essential for a rustic that relies upon closely on international tourism for the laborious forex wanted to import meals and different essential items.

Cuba recorded solely 573,000 international guests final yr, down from 4.2 million in 2019.

However lengthy strains stay for gasoline and meals and energy outages are frequent following the pandemic-induced financial fall of 11% in 2020 and a weak 2% rebound in 2021.

“These Cuban officers refuse to just accept the three most straightforward financial keys to the disaster: breakfast, lunch and dinner,” stated Domingo Amuchástegui, a former Cuban diplomat. He argues that the opening to small personal enterprise remains to be too restricted.

“The nice lesson of China and Vietnam is being ignored,” he stated, referring to Communist-led nations which have made way more sweeping openings to non-public enterprise.

Nonetheless, Cuba’s Economic system Ministry introduced in mid-June that 3,980 small and medium sized personal enterprises had been permitted since September, creating 66,300 jobs.

The once-mighty sugar business managed to provide solely 480,000 metric tons in the newest harvest, simply over half of the deliberate output and never sufficient to fulfill international contracts.

However maybe the toughest blow for many Cubans is the inflation that adopted elimination of the nation’s previous dual-currency system — a long-discussed reform that lastly arrived within the midst of different crises.

Whereas the newly unified peso formally trades at 24 to the greenback, costs on the road run at 100 to 1.

One of the seen penalties of the financial disaster — and to a smaller extent the crackdown — is the sharp rise in emigration.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol recorded encountering some 140,000 Cubans at U.S. land borders from the beginning of the fiscal yr in October by way of Might — a determine exceeding even the dramatic Mariel exodus of 1980, when 125,000 Cubans reached the U.S.

And the U.S. Coast Guard has reported intercepting 2,464 Cuban migrants at sea — additionally a leap from current years.

“There are ever fewer younger folks able to make a life within the nation,” stated Cuban-born lawyer and political analyst Luis Carlos Battista, who stated the loss is economically damaging for a small nation with an getting old inhabitants attempting to deal with U.S. financial sanctions.

“It simply may very well be that that 1.5% of the Cuban inhabitants has left in simply 10 months,” he stated.

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World

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

Published

3 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

NUEVA YORK (AP) — Todos conocemos los factores de estrés: obligaciones sociales, rencillas familiares, divisiones políticas, estrés financiero y el deseo de mantenerse alegre y generoso todo el tiempo.

Así que aquí va un recordatorio sobre cómo desterrar a tu perfeccionista interior y disfrutar verdaderamente de la temporada festiva:

“Realmente ayuda dejar de lado algunos de los ‘deberías’”, dice Lynn F. Bufka, jefa de práctica de la Asociación Estadounidense de Psicología. “Decide cuál es la cosa que más importa, y las cosas que te brindan más alegría, y suelta las demás”.

Las tradiciones pueden cambiar y evolucionar, y cuanto más flexibles sean las cosas, más fácil será para todos, dice Bufka.

“Concentra tu energía en crear un espacio cálido para que las personas que amas se reúnan y relajen, se pongan al día y celebren unos a otros. Eso es literalmente todo lo que importa”, concuerda Lauren Iannotti, editora en jefe de Real Simple.

Algunos consejos:

Concéntrate en lo que te hace feliz

Podrías decidir que la conversación es tu objetivo principal y no preocuparte en absoluto por la decoración, dice Bufka. O si la decoración de la mesa es lo que amas, invierte tu energía allí y no te preocupes tanto por otros aspectos.

“Idealmente, debería tratarse de enfocarse en el amor, y eso no significa lo mismo para todos”, dice Bufka.

Permite que otros hagan las cosas por ti.

“La gente quiere ayudar, ¡déjalos!”, dice Iannotti. “Si no te ENCANTA cocinar todas esas guarniciones, o tienes poco tiempo, no hay ninguna vergüenza en aceptar que tu hermana haga el relleno. O busca ayuda de los profesionales: apoya a un restaurante local haciendo un pedido de catering”.

Otra opción es que “cada uno traiga un plato distintivo”, dice Ianotti. “Ahorrarás tiempo y dinero en la preparación y la cocina y tus invitados podrán mostrar sus habilidades”.

Darte permiso para tomar atajos

“Está bien si la casa está un poco desordenada o si la cena se sirve unos minutos tarde”, dice Iannotti. “Si las personas que has invitado están más interesadas en evaluar tu desempeño que en pasar un buen rato, pueden discutirlo con su terapeuta”. (Por cierto, no lo están, añade ella).

Y no dudes en dejar que la gente se sirva por sí misma, cuando sea posible. “Si no tienes tiempo para jugar a ser el barman, crea una bebida insignia con anticipación que puedas servir a todos tus invitados. También puedes simplemente dejar algunos mezcladores para que los invitados se sirvan y hagan sus propias creaciones”, sugiere Caroline Utz, directora editorial y de estrategia en The Spruce.

Está bien tener tiempo a solas

Las cosas funcionarán lo suficientemente bien si no lo supervisas todo, así que cuídate. Tómate pausas o caminatas si eso te ayuda a mantenerte centrado.

“Aunque el mindfulness se está convirtiendo en un término demasiado utilizado en la sociedad actual, hay algo valioso que podemos tomar de esto y aplicar a la temporada de fin de año”, dice Brook Choulet, psiquiatra deportiva y de rendimiento de concierge y fundadora de Choulet Performance Psychiatry.

Ella recomienda “programar microdescansos intencionales” para hacer algo que disfrutes.

“Por ejemplo, podrías programar una llamada telefónica con un amigo de otro estado, tomar un paseo de 15 minutos al aire libre, o incluso ajustar el temporizador y tomar un baño de 15 minutos sin interrupciones”, dijo.

Espera algo de discordia y no te alarmes por ello

“Si te preocupa la polarización y entrar en conversaciones incómodas, intenta pensar en maneras en que puedas terminar una conversación o cambiarla de dirección”, dice Bufka.

Ella recomienda preparar algunas frases de antemano para ayudar a terminar la conversación o cambiarla de dirección.

En resumen, tener la intención de una temporada festiva menos perfecta puede ser justo lo que necesitas.

___

Katherine Roth cubre temas de vida y estilo y otros temas para The Associated Press desde Nueva York.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

World

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Dozens of passengers are feared dead after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reports say.

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 32 survivors had been rescued.

Flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Officials did not immediately explain why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

Russia’s aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

MORE THAN 30 DEAD IN BRAZIL BUS AND TRUCK COLLISION

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

Those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens, according to Kazakhstani officials.

Russian news agency Interfax reported that both pilots died in the crash, citing a preliminary assessment by emergency workers at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical workers who stated that four bodies had been recovered from the crash so far.

A total of 29 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized, the ministry told Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti, the Associated Press reported. Many passengers have yet to be accounted for.

MALAYSIA AGREES TO RESUME ‘NO FIND, NO FEE’ HUNT FOR FLIGHT MH370, 10 YEARS AFTER PLANE DISAPPEARED

More than 30 are feared dead following the crash near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan upon hearing news of the crash, the president’s press service said. Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg.

Emergency crews at the site of the Azerbaijani airliner crash on Dec. 25, 2024. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media.

“It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” he wrote.

He also signed a decree declaring Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.

The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus, the Associated Press reports. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

“We ask God for mercy on the passengers and crew members who lost their lives,” a translated statement on X said. “Their pain is our pain. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Published

5 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s top investor in space in a year when defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets for the first time since the 1990s.

Global public investment in space hit a record high of €106 billion in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022.

In Europe, the total funding was €11.9 billion, showing a modest 1% rise in its share of global space investment.

According to the European Space Agency, defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets last year for the first time since the 1990s. Defence expenditures in space are projected to grow faster than civil spending, making up 53% of the budget in 2024.

The US continues to dominate global space investment, accounting for 64% of the total budget, while China holds a strong second place, growing its share from an estimated 2% in 2000 to 12% in 2023 through long-term programmes in both civil and defence.

Europe ranks third, contributing 11% of the global space budget in 2023.

What share of their GDP do EU countries spend on public space budgets?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s leading investor in space, dedicating 0.135% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the sector.

Globally, the country ranks third behind the US (0.262%) and Russia (0.169%).

In Europe, Luxembourg is followed by France, which invests 0.167% of its GDP, Italy at 0.103%, and Belgium at 0.095%.

On the other hand, private investment in space has continued to decline in 2023, dropping by 32% compared to 2022.

Europe also saw a 14% decrease in 2023 compared to the year before, with private space ventures receiving just below €980 million.

Although the US accounts for most of the global decline in 2023, its space sector continues to attract the largest share of investments at 60%, followed by Europe with 16% and China with 9%.

What was the state of space activity in 2023?

There were 221 orbital launches in 2023, an 18% increase compared to 2022.

Yet, a total of 212 launches were successful.

The US carried out more than half of the launches, with 96 of them conducted by SpaceX.

China accounted for 30% with 67 launches, a 5% increase from 2022, and Russia completed 19 launches.

The European launch service provider conducted three launches in 2023, including Europe’s first mission to Jupiter, which aimed to explore whether the planet’s three moons — Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede — could support life in their oceans.

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz