Isbel Diaz

Havana Punks Released, but…

Early Monday morning, the group of eight teenagers and a minor, who had been arbitrarily arrested by Cuban police on Friday April 6th, were released. Threatened with heavy fines or jail, in the end they were given a Warning Letter that can be used against them in the future.

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Cuba Looks to Expand its Open Pit Nickel Mines

Cuba’s nickel industry is looking to expand its strip mines in search of this precious metal. According to Juan Ruiz Quintana, the managing director of Mining at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, “geological studies to discover new areas rich in this and other metals” are underway.

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Venezuelan petrocasas: a Polluting Solution for Cuba

Losing your home or roof after a hurricane hits can be one of the most awful experiences you can ever have. Maybe protected by this sad reality, the Cuban government is taking the luxury of building the famous Venezuelan petrocasas (“oil houses” a kind of family house that is produced en masse), using the carcinogen PVC.

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Trees Are NOT the Problem

The effect of Hurricane Irma on the trees of our cities has been devastating, but perhaps the worst is the treatment given by people and institutions in charge of hygiene and the city order, ripping off the last green branch, discarding strong and healthy trees.

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GMOs in Cuba: More Questions than Answers

Once again, Cuban TV has brought up the subject of GM crops on its “Pasaje a lo Desconocido” show, where two experts on the subject, with opposite views, discussed the impact of this technology, which has been present in Cuba for some time now.

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Havana Mall Hikes its Prices

The Galerias Paseo shopping center, located in the Cuban capital, surprisingly hiked up the prices of the majority of its products, which I myself was able to confirm. It was done in secret and not even the salespeople were aware of it.

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May 1st in Cuba: No Compromise!

In preparation for International Workers Day in Cuba, the offensive from the official media has been the usual, overwhelming, full of empty, decontextualized, grandiose phrases that lack any substance. It bores and distresses.

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