Cuban families devise ingenious solutions to endure frequent power shortages
Since December, when the government stopped supplying their cooking gas, the family had relied on an electric burner — until persistent blackouts made that solution impractical.
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Cuban president addresses anger over 'there are no beggars' claim
Cuba's president was forced to step in Tuesday after a minister's assertion that "there are no beggars" caused an uproar on the economic crisis-stricken island. Labor Minister Marta Elena Feito on Monday told a parliamentary committee meeting about measures to address poverty that people rummaging for food in garbage bins are in fact "disguised as beggars." "When you look at their hands, when you look at the clothes those people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars. In Cuba, there are no beggars," she said in statements broadcast live on state television. Social media users in the communist nation reacted with outrage, posting photos of people eating out of trash cans, while economist Pedro Monreal commented on X that there are "people disguised as 'ministers'" in Cuba. President Miguel Diaz-Canel entered the fray on X Tuesday to lambast Feito's "lack of sensitivity." He later told a parliamentary session that "none of us can act with arrogance, act with pretense, disconnected from the realities we live in." Beggars, added Diaz-Canel, are "concrete expressions of social inequalities and the problems" Cuba faces. Poverty levels have increased sharply as the Caribbean country reckons with its worst economic crisis in three decades, marked by shortages of food, medicine and fuel and daily power blackouts. Observers blame a combination of US sanctions, domestic mismanagement of the economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic tanking the nation's vital tourist industry. Last year, the government said there were 189,000 families and 350,000 individuals out of a population of 9.7 million living in "vulnerable" conditions and benefiting from social assistance programs. AFP has observed a marked increase in the last two years of homeless people and beggars on the streets of a country where the average monthly salary is less than $20 at the unofficial exchange rate. Cuba's economy shrunk for the second consecutive year in 2024, contracting 1.1 percent compared to 1.9 percent in 2023. lp/val/mlr/jgc
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
Cuban minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban minister sparked criticism Tuesday, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, and suggesting that those who clean windshields at crossroads have an 'easy' life. Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitós' impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years. The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as people — especially the elderly — begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windshields at corners. 'We have seen people, apparently beggars, (but) when you look at their hands, look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars,' Feitó said before the National Assembly committee. 'In Cuba there are no beggars.' She added that people cleaning windshields use the money to 'drink alcohol.' Feitó also lashed out against those who search through the garbage dumps. She said they are recovering materials 'to resell and not pay tax.' Without mentioning her name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feitó participated, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on his X account: 'the lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.' Until a few years ago, despite the poverty, there were no signs of begging or homelessness on the island thanks to benefits that have now been greatly reduced. The pension of a retiree is about 2,000 Cuban pesos per month, roughly $5 on the informal market, and just under the cost of a carton of eggs. For those who don't receive remittances from family abroad, it means going hungry. Self-employed Enrique Guillén believes the minister is wrong and that some people do not see the situation clearly, and hopes the government will take action. 'They are elderly people who count on a pension that does not exist. They cannot even buy a carton of eggs. It is the reality we are living in Cuba,' Guillén said. On Monday, island authorities reported that Cuba's gross domestic product fell by 1.1% in 2024, accumulating a decline of 11% over the past five years.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Officials bust smugglers driving truck jam-packed with illegal cargo — here's what they found inside
A state truck in Santiago de Cuba was stopped and seized by officials, who found it jam-packed with precious and protected tree species. According to CiberCuba, the truck had 4,777 cubic meters of wood on board, which included 89 blocks of cedar and 24 blocks of mahogany. Agents of the Revolutionary National Police (PNR), working with other entities of the Ministry of the Interior, stopped the truck as part of an ongoing effort to end illegal trafficking. In Cuba, cedar and mahogany are protected species. They have been overlogged historically, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists mahogany as endangered and cedar as vulnerable. For mahogany, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reported, "Populations of big-leaf mahogany have declined by over 70% in Central America since 1950. The species is already reported to be commercially extinct in El Salvador, Costa Rica and parts of South America." The commercialization and illegal trafficking of precious or protected species is illegal in Cuba, and actions like this one show a lack of awareness, or a lack of care, for the trees and the planet. Luckily, the officials caught this instance, though locals are concerned that repercussions for those responsible will not be effective in stopping the destruction and sale of these protected species. It was also unclear whether there were other ongoing investigations into further corruption related to this incident, CiberCuba wrote. Protected species like these trees have the protections they do to prevent extinction. By protecting native species and keeping them from extinction, we can keep our environment more biodiverse and healthy. Huge trees like these are especially important, as they help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, offsetting the effects of pollution and slowing global warming. By supporting environmental organizations focused on helping protected or endangered species, you can do your part in keeping these vital parts of our world safe. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
