Languages
Friday, September 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
TOURISM-CARIBBEAN: Mergers in Europe Cause Jitters
The globalisation of the tourism industry poses risks and challenges for Caribbean island nations, many of which depend nearly exclusively on that sector of the economy, warn Cuban officials.CUBA-MEXICO: US Embargo Blocks Bank Operations
The suspension of bank operations between Cuba and Mexico due to the acquisition of Mexico's Banco Nacional (Banamex) by the U.S. financial conglomerate Citigroup has thrown a wrench into the aim of the two Latin American countries to intensify business ties.FOOD-CUBA: Pangs of New Social Gaps Felt at Dinner Table
The difficulties faced by lower-income sectors in Cuba when it comes to putting food on the table is a disturbing reflection of the social inequalities that have arisen in more than a decade of economic crisis.RELIGION-CUBA: Churches Re-establish Roots among Faithful
Relations between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government appear to have moved beyond the tensions of the past four decades, passing now into a period of rapprochement, paving the way for growing religious devotion among some sectors of the Cuban population.TRADE-CUBA: EU Maintains Carrot and Stick Approach
Cuba's political situation and human rights record have kept its relationship with the European Union (EU) - its principal economic and trade partner - on a tightrope.EDUCATION-CUBA: A Computer in Every Classroom
Children in Cuba will begin to familiarise themselves with communications and information technologies in primary school under a government initiative, despite the fact that strict limitations on private use of the Internet remain in place.ENERGY-CUBA: Promises of a Summer without Blackouts
Electricity usage will intensify in Cuba during the summer months of July and August, when temperatures remain above 30 degrees Celsius, but the authorities promise a vacation season without the blackouts that, until recently, plagued the lives of millions of people on this Caribbean island.ECONOMY-CUBA: Mediocre Sugar Harvest Dampens Hopes of Recovery
A sugarcane harvest that failed to meet government forecasts has once again postponed Cuba's hopes for the recovery of a sector that has historically been the engine of the Caribbean island's economy.DEVELOPMENT-CUBA: Renewable Energy to Light Up the Countryside
The lives of thousands of Cuban farmers and their families are undergoing a radical change thanks to solar and other renewable sources of energy, since some isolated rural areas still fall outside the conventional electricity grid, which covers 95 to 96 percent of the population.ECONOMY-CUBA: US Executives, Local Officials Talk Shop in Havana
Some 50 executives from the United States are attending the fifth U.S.-Cuban Business Summit that opened Thursday in Havana, and which for the first time is taking place entirely on Cuban soil, despite the 40-year-old economic embargo.ECONOMY-CUBA: 1001 Uses for Sugar Cane
Cuba hopes to expand the development of sugar cane by-products to ease its dependence on sugar exports, as the constant price swings, heavy European Union subsidies for sugar beet farmers and persistently low sugar yields paint a difficult panorama for that strategic sector of the Cuban economy.DRUGS-CUBA: Massive Training Programme in Prevention
The Cuban government is working to head off the spread of drug use through a massive training programme for professionals and public employees in prevention and the fight against drug use.ENVIRONMENT-CUBA: The First Seagulls Are Back over Havana Bay
The appearance of a few pelicans and seagulls over the Havana Bay is a harbinger of better times for Cuba's main seaport, whose filth has driven away the area's once- abundant wildlife and even changed the taste of the fish.
Strengthening the Shared Eco-Agenda
It is crucial to fortify the common agenda of Latin America and the Caribbean with sights on the Rio+10 Summit in South Africa next year, stresses Cuba's Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Rosa Elena Simeón.POLITICS-CUBA: Dissidents Wary of Aid Proposed in US Senate Bill
A bill in the US Congress on financial support for political opposition groups in Cuba, an initiative sponsored by senator Jesse Helms, would jeopardise - not help - those who are seeking peaceful change on the socialist-run island, say the dissidents themselves.ENVIRONMENT-CUBA: Slow Progress in Cleaning Up River Basins
Despite recent clean-up efforts, Cuba's rivers continue to be threatened by human activity like the dumping of thousands of tonnes of untreated waste.TOURISM: Dark Clouds over the Caribbean
The Caribbean region's tourism industry has begun to feel the impact of the cooling off of the U.S. and European economies, said authorities and experts attending the 21st Caribbean Tourism Convention in the Cuban capital this week.RIGHTS: Cubans Still Waiting for Consumer Protection Law
Consumers in Cuba will have to wait at least until 2005 for a law designed to protect their rights, while the government implements a multi-phase consumer protection programme.ENERGY-CUBA: Projects Seek to Provide Cooking Gas for All
Natural gas will be made available this year to 40,000 families in the Cuban capital, states a government initiative, replacing the kerosene, electricity or coal the residents have been using, and marking another step towards universal access to cooking gas.HEALTH-CUBA: Gov’t Plan to Overcome Shortages on Pharmacy Shelves
The Cuban government has adopted a plan to step up the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products with an eye to resolving the shortage of medicines in the near future and to increase exports in the sector, which has made important scientific advances in recent years.LABOUR-CUBA: No Loud Demands to Be Heard in May Day Celebration
Although workers in Cuba would like better wages and full employment, like workers all over the world, those demands do not tend to be voiced in this socialist country's May 1st celebrations.« Previous Page — Next Page »
The Week with IPS
NEXT STOP - SDGs
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
