International

Cuba will denounce the impact of the US embargo before the UN General Assembly

The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, will attend the high-level debates of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations where he will “denounce” the impact of the economic embargo imposed by the United States, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.

Rodríguez said in X that he will denounce “the impact of the US blockade (economic embargo) against Cuba and we will promote multilateralism, peace and sustainable development for all.”

The agenda of the Cuban foreign minister at the UN also includes his participation in the Summit of the Future and a meeting with Cubans – related to the Government – living in the United States, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The Cuban head of Foreign Affairs is accompanied by Vice Chancellors Anayansi Rodríguez and Carlos Fernández de Cossío and the general director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ana Teresita González, among other officials.

More than a hundred heads of state and government will attend the annual meeting of the organization that will take place on September 22 and 23 and will analyze issues related to the 2030 Agenda and other issues in New York – headquarters of the international organization.

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The General Assembly, established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, is the main organ of deliberation, policy adoption and representation of the United Nations, according to the UN website.

The annual report on the blockade (embargo), presented last week, is the documentary basis of the resolution that Havana has presented each year for more than three decades against these sanctions before the United Nations General Assembly, and which has a majority support of its members.

According to the official estimate, the impact between March 2023 and February of this year was higher by 189.8 million dollars than in the previous twelve months.

The total after more than 60 years of sanctions amounts to more than 164,141 million dollars at current prices, says Havana.

The island government argues that, without US sanctions, the island would have achieved a growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) “at current prices” of 8% in 2023, in contrast to the 1.9% drop with which it closed last year, according to official figures.

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Cuba has been immersed in a serious economic crisis for more than four years and its government mainly accuses US sanctions of this situation.

The aggravation of the structural imbalances of the Cuban economy are also significantly influenced by the consequences of the pandemic and certain economic and monetary policy decisions of the Cuban Government, they have acknowledged.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.