International
Cuba blames the United States for the instability in the delivery of subsidized food
The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, blamed on Thursday the “regrowth” of the economic embargo of the United States for the “difficult situation” in the delivery of the subsidized products through the ration card.
The president dedicated the second broadcast of the program ‘Desde la Presidencia’ – broadcast on YouTube – to the “difficulties” in acquiring from abroad the products that are distributed in the so-called supply book, in force for more than 60 years on the island.
According to Díaz-Canel, the island government spends about 230 million dollars a month to guarantee the products – rice, coffee, sugar, beans, among others – and distribute them in the more than 12,000 wineries (local state shops located in the neighborhoods).
“It is a titanic task that the country does,” said Díaz-Canel, accompanied by the head of Internal Trade, Betsy Díaz, and the first deputy minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that people’s opinion about the primer is “very critical and very negative,” especially due to the delays in deliveries and the decrease in quantities.
In the last 20 years, the rations that have decreased the most have been coffee and sugar, both domestically produced, according to a study recently carried out by EFE.
In this regard, Díaz stated that “the last two years have been very complex for distribution” due to “the lack of financing to pay the freight with the loads and the lack of fuel to distribute the products once they are in Cuban port.”
In this regard, the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade commented that “the inclusion of Cuba in the list of states that sponsors terrorism – prepared by the U.S. Department of State – has been a strong blow to the country’s finances.”
Cuba has been plunged into a severe crisis for four years, which translates into a shortage of basic products, frequent blackouts and strong inflation, in conjunction with the pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions and errors in national economic policy.
The Caribbean country spends $2 billion annually on the import of food.
Recently, Cuba formally requested milk powder from the UN World Food Program for the first time to continue subsidizing this product to children under seven years of age, according to EFE.
The Cuban authorities have assumed in recent weeks problems to produce the subsidized bread from the basic basket due to lack of imported flour.
The shortage of food was one of the triggers of the massive anti-government protests of July 11, 2021, the largest in decades, and the most recent of March 17 of this year in several cities of the country
International
Seven bodies found with signs of torture in Sinaloa
Mexican authorities discovered seven lifeless bodies on Wednesday, showing clear signs of torture, in the rural area of Culiacán, Sinaloa, just one day after the same number of bodies was found in several municipalities in the western state of Mexico.
Six of these seven victims were found along the side of the highway that connects Culiacán to Mazatlán, near Laguna de Canachi, according to local media reports, which also noted that messages addressed to a criminal group were found near the bodies.
This brings the total number of violent deaths in the region to seven within just 24 hours. On Tuesday, authorities reported more victims found in the municipalities of Culiacán, Elota, and Mazatlán.
Among the victims identified was a local cattle rancher named Ramón Velázquez Ontiveros, as well as a police officer from Mazatlán, who was killed by a motorcyclist outside his home in San Marcos.
International
Málaga paralyzed by new storm as torrential rains hit Spain
Thousands of people were evacuated and trains were suspended as torrential rains once again struck Spain on Wednesday, following the devastating floods that killed at least 223 people two weeks ago, most of them in the Valencia region.
The national meteorological agency (Aemet) issued a maximum, red-level alert for the Andalusian province of Málaga in the south, and for Tarragona in the northeast, due to the new DANA (isolated depression at high levels), also known as a cold drop.
The city of Málaga appeared to be the hardest hit by the rains, with more than 3,000 people evacuated from 1,000 homes near rivers, flooded streets, and the suspension of urban transport and train services to Madrid.
“Today Málaga is paralyzed,” said Andalusia’s regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno, to reporters. “I know it is a problem for citizens not being able to take their children to school or go to work, but after what we saw in Valencia, we need to ‘prevent’ and minimize the impact in terms of loss of life,” he added.
The storm also led to the postponement of a match between Spain and Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup women’s tennis competition, which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Málaga.
International
Hezbollah launches explosive drone strike on Israel’s defense headquarters
The Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah claimed on Wednesday that it launched an attack with explosive drones against the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The Iran-backed organization reported in a statement that it had carried out “an aerial attack with a squadron of explosive drones” targeting the site that houses Israel’s main defense institutions.
Hezbollah later stated that it also fired a barrage of rockets at the Glilot military intelligence base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military indicated that “sirens sounded in several areas of northern and central Israel following the launch of projectiles from Lebanon.”
It later clarified that “five projectiles were identified over the territory, and some were intercepted.”
Seven bodies found with signs of torture in Sinaloa
Málaga paralyzed by new storm as torrential rains hit Spain
Hezbollah launches explosive drone strike on Israel’s defense headquarters
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