Cuba News Roundup: February 25th, 2022
Tip toeing, with some carefully selected words, the Cuban government blamed the U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine. 
Photo: David Rotbard
There’s some bad shit happening this week – we really, really wish Putin would pack up his bags (and troops) and go home. Naturally, the Cuba headlines immediately tie the country to the Ukrainian crisis. Some are intentional like Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago’s tweet suggesting Biden should “…help himself to Cuba” (see below). Others reference the geopolitical reality of the United States having a communist neighbor. All point to the severity of the situation and the ramifications it could have well beyond eastern Europe.
In other news this week, Luis Manuel Otero’s loved ones worry about his health, 458,000 doses of Cuba’s COVID vaccine have been donated to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Costa Rica has tightened up visa requirements for Cubans – kicking off some protests. Russia has postponed Cuba’s debt payment requirements as the two get cozier together; helpful since in addition to Cuba’s existing economic crisis, this year’s sugar harvest is the worst ever. This and more, below, in our Weekly News Roundup for the week of February 25th, 2022.
By the way, none of the opinions in any of the stories shared on this page represent ours; we’re just sharing them with you. If you are a journalist or you have seen a story that you’d like us to consider for future weekly news roundups, please send us a note and a link to the story here.
Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara has been held at a high security prison for seven months. Photo: AFP
Seven months after his arrest, loved ones of Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara worry for his health, locked away mostly incommunicado in a high-security prison. Read more at msn.com.
Cuba donated a batch of 458,000 doses of homegrown Soberana 02 vaccines against Covid-19 to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which will be administered to the pediatric population in that country. Photo: Prensa Latina
Sahrawi Ambassador in Havana Mohamed Salec Abdesamad praised the gesture on behalf of his people and government at an event held at the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), the creator of the vaccines. Read more at plenglish.com.
Havana’s modern “international” architecture has Cuba’s urban planners worried.
People crowd near Costa Rica embassy after the country imposed visa requirements for Cubans as migration surges, in Havana, Cuba, February 21, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
At least 200 Cubans protested near Costa Rica’s embassy in Havana on Monday against tighter visa requirements for Cubans passing through the Central American nation on the way to Nicaragua. Read more at reuters.com.
AHonor guards hold a Russian and a Cuban flag during a wreath-laying ceremony with Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (not pictured) at the Jose Marti monument… Photo: REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Russia has agreed to postpone some debt payments owed to it by communist-run Cuba until 2027, its lower house of parliament said on Tuesday, just days after the two countries announced they would deepen ties amid the spiraling Ukraine crisis. Read more at reuters.com.
A tractor sits near a sugar cane field in Florida, Cuba, December 1, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo
The Cuban sugar industry is barreling again toward its worst season ever, according to official media reports and sources, threatening to dent both national pride and economic growth. Read more at reuters.com.
December 1, 2023
Top bartenders and mixologists from around the world pitched up in Cuba’s top beach resort last year to compete in the IBA World Cocktail Championship shining a spotlight on global drinks and craft cocktails.
I was on the balcony of my apartment in Havana when I heard the honk of the taxi picking me up to go to the airport. Before grabbing my luggage, I quickly turned on the TV. I wanted to know what the main Cuban TV station was transmitting at the exact moment I would leave the island for the first time, for an indefinite period. Read more at washingtonpost.com.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel greet each other during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. Photo Alexander Zemlianichenko AP
In a carefully worded statement, the Cuban government is blaming the United States for the crisis in Ukraine and backed Russia’s right to “self-defense,” but said the conflict should be resolved diplomatically. Read more at miamiherald.com.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article258694343.html#storylink=cpy