Startup Cuba Weekly News Roundup: September 16th, 2022
The former Obama White House official who negotiated the reopening of relations with Cuba is sharply criticizing President Biden’s policies toward that country. 
El Bocadito: Ben Rhodes, the former Obama official who negotiated the reopening of relations with Cuba is getting a bit testy at the fact that the Biden administration is treading water on Cuba. He negotiated the deal on the idea that “we’re the United States and we keep our word.” Trump most definitely did not keep our word and now Rhodes feels that mighty Joe isn’t either.
In other news, Cuba’s largest mass emigration in history continues. 180,000 Cubans have crossed the border at Mexico over the past 11 months and 8,000 – yes, that’s EIGHT THOUSAND – have tried to make it across the Florida straits on a boat, raft or in many cases, anything that will stay buoyant. To add a few to that count, two men were just arrested for setting to sea to Cuba to help migrants get here. Russia is starting to fly planes to Cuba once again. A Liberian flagged tanker, filled to the rim with Russian crude oil is heading to Cuba. And, does Cuba want a dialogue with the U.S.? That’s what Prensa Latina is reporting. Scroll down for the good stuff.
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.
A Cuban stands with his makeshift raft on a beach near Havana. Photo: ADALBERTO ROQUE (AFP)
Cuba’s latest migration crisis is breaking records. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that in the last 11 months, nearly 180,000 Cubans crossed the US-Mexico border, and another 8,000 tried to make it to the United States by sea. Read more at elpais.com.
February 10, 2023
Samuel Riera’s Art Brut Cuba opens channels for Outsider Artists to sell their art when they otherwise couldn’t earn a living from their work.
The former Obama White House official who negotiated the reopening of relations with Cuba is sharply criticizing President Biden’s policies toward that country, saying his administration is “gaslighting” Havana by maintaining and even expanding harsh sanctions imposed by former President Trump. Read more at news.yahoo.com.
Havana’s modern “international” architecture has Cuba’s urban planners worried.
From left: Victor Manuel Rios Castillo, 29, and Jorge Luis Fernandez Rodriguez, 53. Photo: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Two men were arrested Monday at a Marathon boat ramp after they tried to travel to Cuba and return to South Florida with migrants, authorities said. Read more at local10.com.
Photo: Simple Flying
Several Russian airlines, such as Nordwind Airlines, are planning to resume their international connectivity to Cuba in October, despite the ongoing sanctions imposed by the European Union, which will impact the route Russian airlines must follow. Read more at simpleflying.com.
The Cuban ambassador to the UN-Geneva, Juan Antonio Quintanilla, demanded today at the Human Rights Council the end of unilateral coercive measures, such as the US economic, commercial and financial blockade against the island. Photo: Twitter @CMKXDigital
Cuba’s ambassador to the UN-Geneva, Juan Antonio Quintanilla, called today at the Human Rights Council for the end of unilateral coercive measures, such as the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade against the island. Read more at telesureenglish.com.
The Liberian flagged Kazan tanker ship. Photo: marinetraffic.com
A cargo of Russia’s flagship crude oil was heading to Cuba on Thursday, ship tracking data showed, the latest import of Russian oil under sanctions by the Caribbean nation, which has an energy crisis. Read more at reuters.com.
The Cuban government seeks to reduce blackouts by the end of the year through repairs and new investments. Sept. 04, 2022. | Photo: Cubadebate /ACN
A group of 14 Cuban migrants arrived on Wednesday at the Florida Keys in a wooden boat, according to the U.S. Border Patrol agents. Read more at local10.com.
Yan Martinez says he could not “shut my mouth anymore” about conditions in his native Cuba, and had to escape to the U.S. Photo: Spectrum News/Mitch Perry
Yan Martinez says that the most challenging part of his journey from Cuba to Tampa earlier this year were the four days he was detained in a Mexican jail. Read more at baynews9.com.
Washington, Sep 15, Cuba is more than willing to sit down and open a dialogue with the United States to foster mutually beneficial ties, Ambassador Pedro Luis Pedroso said during a conference today. Photo: Prensa Latina
In a meeting with students from the Quinnipiac University Business School, in the state of Connecticut, the permanent representative of Havana to the United Nations delivered the speech “The Winds of Change”, in which he defended a peaceful economic and prosperous association between both countries. Read more at plenglish.com.