Business & Economy

A New Year for Cuba with the Old Style

So we see that the old work style has been taken up again in the new year, the heir of the Stalinist era in Soviet Russia, characterized by “leadership” visits to workplaces, housing estates and social works under construction, etc., to make sure that plans drawn up by those at the top are being met and to make clear that “the Revolution’s work is there to benefit the people.”

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Cuba’s Free Home Internet Test in Old Havana

With a free trial service the Internet is reaching 2,000 homes in Old Havana. It is the first time that ordinary citizens can access the Internet from their homes. It is said that signing contracts and charging in hard currency to those wishing to continue with the service will begin at the end of February.

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Nicaragua’s Social Security: the Economic Crisis Grows

Reforming the pension system is an ever more urgent task, given that the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS) has suffered losses for the fourth consecutive year (a deficit of US $44,295,000 in 2016), bringing ever closer the moment of an economic collapse if urgent changes aren’t made.

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New Year Blues

Everything closed, “or almost everything, which isn’t the same thing but is” – a singer-composer once said, this is what happened over the first three days of January in the Cuban capital.

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Is Privately-Run Business the Magical Answer for Cuba?

A group of friends walked past the corner on 23rd and G Streets in Havana. Alain stopped and looked at the poor state of what was once the busy Cafe G, the place of so many good memories during their university years, just a few years ago. “Do you realize… Now, if this were privately-run… it would pick itself right up off the ground.” I’ve heard this phrase several times, which summarizes the undisputed proof of before and after private individuals take over state-run businesses.

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