The avilmateña dared                                                              (Los Trabajadores)

Maritza Rodríguez Labañino begins early to deal with the rigors of work. “I started here at 19 years of age...” he says and comments about his first tasks: “Clog the pores to the balusters to terminate the product and I worked in the manufacture of granite slabs.”                                                                                                                               

Autor: José Luis Martínez Alejo

The worker perseveres and triumphs: “I decided to link to courses of improvement and here I am still in the work center to which I have dedicated all my life”, says who becomes the head of the collective of one of the plants of the basic business unit (UEB) Concrete and Terrazzo, located north of the municipality of Morón, of the central Cuban province of Ciego de Ávila.

She's strong character. “I respect myself, but it is not necessary to be so rigorous because my colleagues are disciplined, very laborious and fulfilling the goals we set ourselves, we are like brothers,” he refers to the dockers, the operators of the packaging equipment and the dust remover.

Accustomed to dealing with obstacles, and the 10-year experience in that position, she does not lose a day in the manufacture of the so-called special mortars destined for masonry.

According to the data sheet, the tail mortar is ideal for joining bricks, blocks and stones; the placement and gluing of ceramic materials and other uses. For its part, the fine stucco is designed for smooth, uniform and ready-to-paint surface finishes. Suitable for finishes on drywall or cement, medium or rustic mortars and concrete or concrete.

While calcium carbonate contributes to improve various properties of materials, such as strength, durability and insulation, in addition to reducing costs. In the industry it serves as raw material for the production of cements, special mortars, paints, ceramics and concrete blocks. In the masonry helps the resan of walls and fine endings.

Of course, today the elaboration of those lines is not a matter of sewing and singing. “We are strongly beaten by the humidity in rainy periods that delays the drying of dust and blackouts”, although, in the latter case, it works at the same time, like men, when electric service is restored, but without losing sight of the attention to their family composed of two children and two grandchildren.

The example of this daring avilmateña will be present at the event of women creators Dianelys Morgado Cabrera in memoriam, scheduled for next day 19, in the Construction Materials Company of Ciego de Ávila (Avilmat), a meeting aimed at recognizing the constant effort and contribution of the companions in the production, management positions and the tasks of the community.

 This, from Ministry of Tourism of Cuba / Ministerio de Turismo de Cuba / Ministère du Tourisme de Cuba / Ministero del Turismo di Cuba, would (again) be primarily of interest to Canadians who are traveling to Cuba (although the broad strokes apply to citizens of any nation who are planning to enter Cuba).

#CubaTravel #Cuba #Travel #TravelToCuba by Tony Tracy

Need assistance? Our team is here to help!

Email: info@gocuba.ca

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#CubaUnica #CubaTravel #visitcuba #explorecuba

 

Cuba e-visa now on new official site.    Tony Tracy

NEW WEBSITE to obtain your mandatory Cuban e-Visa.

Following maintenance by the Cuban government in recent days, the old https://evisacuba.cu website has been “phased out”, and to obtain your eVisa to travel to Cuba, you now need to go to:

https://Consular.cu

Consular.cu is now the official Cuban website to obtain your Cuban entry eVisa for your travels to the island.

 Embajada de Cuba en Canadá - Embassy of Cuba in Canada

The United States blockade against #Cuba is not a bilateral issue: it has a significant extraterritorial component that affects third parties, as can be seen in these statements by WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech to Aviacionline.com.

 

Cuba will defend its sovereignty as a way to defend the sovereignty of all states on the planet

The Foreign Minister explained the new conditions surrounding the upcoming UN discussion on the resolution calling for an end to the blockade

Author: Laura Mercedes Giráldez | informacion@granmai.cu

October 22, 2026 

Rodríguez Parrilla denounced the machinery of actions aimed at altering the traditional vote in favor of Cuba. Photo: Vladimir Molina

The draft resolution, "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," will be brought before the UN next week for the thirty-fourth time—this time, with two notable new features.

This was announced on Wednesday by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, a member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference for national and foreign media.

"What is new, unique, and extraordinary," he explained, "is that the General Assembly will, for the first time, be responding to a situation in which the blockade against Cuba has been tightened to an extreme degree."

The second new aspect, he noted, is a ruthless campaign by the United States government—specifically the State Department and the Secretary of State—to exert extreme pressure on numerous UN member states, aiming to force them to abandon the positions they have sovereignly maintained for decades.

Regarding these pressures, he stated that the Secretary of State is even involved personally—sometimes covertly, and at other times, publicly. "They have been at this for months," he affirmed.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE, COERCION, AND BLACKMAIL

In this regard, he presented an instruction from the State Department that asks governments not to vote in favor of "Cuban propaganda—as if the blockade and the resulting humanitarian harm were not part of a reality that no one can refute."

Rodríguez Parrilla denounced the document, stating that it "seeks to blame the Cuban government for the humanitarian harm caused by the blockade. This is by no means what the U.S. government typically calls 'collateral damage'; rather, it is planned, foreseen, and deliberately designed to destabilize the country by inflicting suffering upon families."

Furthermore, the released text insists that the blockade is legal and allows the island to trade with third countries.

A second document made public contains direct threats of sanctions. It urges the recipient—a high-ranking official—to carefully consider the matter, threatening the imposition of sanctions against their government or even against the individual personally.

A third "slanderous" document, which he also mentioned, attempts to use Cuba’s alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine as a pretext—a claim that the largest of the Antilles has repeatedly denied.

The pressure tactics employed by Washington in its bid to alter votes in favor of ending the blockade include the threat of imposing tariffs, the suspension of cooperation programs, the denial of visas to government officials and their family members, support for opposition forces against the respective governments, and the threat of inciting the overthrow of these governments through interference in their electoral processes.

The Foreign Minister also cited the threat to politically destabilize these countries; to act against the legitimate economic, financial, and investment interests of these governments; to impose secondary sanctions; and to force the removal of foreign companies from Cuba through direct and brutal pressure.

He warned that these constitute "a set of methods amounting to genuine political violence, coercion, and blackmail."

In this regard, he condemned the United States government for using a Latin American country as a front and intermediary to attempt to organize a group of nations, compelling them to shift their positions on the Resolution.

Furthermore, he revealed a draft speech—circulated among certain countries—that urges them to acknowledge (as it is undeniable, he noted) the existence of unilateral coercive measures, while failing to mention the energy blockade or the obstruction of shipping containers, which are being held up due to threats made against shipping companies.

He pointed out that the State Department has gone so far as to absurdly request that certain countries—which have a long-standing, firm record of voting in favor of this Resolution—either abstain, leave the chamber, or refrain from participating in the vote altogether. He added that such actions are likely to continue right up until the vote takes place.

PRETEXTS AND ACTIONS

The head of Cuban diplomacy also referred to the "ridiculous and shameful event held on October 19th, in a small, remote room within the United Nations in New York—which is, nonetheless, international territory," he denounced.

He described it as a "small, threatening, and failed event," to which the U.S. representative brought several individuals who have no authorization to be in that space, which is reserved for accredited diplomats. Among them, he mentioned Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, who appears on the national list of individuals and entities linked to terrorism.

Boronat, he added, is responsible for the attack on the Prensa Latina office in Mexico City. He has maintained professional, complicit, and personal ties with terrorists such as Ramón Saúl Sánchez Rizo, Santiago Álvarez Fernández-Magriñá, and Luis Posada Carriles.

The Foreign Minister also noted that José Daniel Ferrer and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara—both of whom have been convicted and sentenced in Cuba—were among the guests at the meeting. This gathering is part of an offensive aimed at disrupting the upcoming UN debate, pressuring states to alter their positions during the session, and compelling them to vote differently than they had previously decided, in the exercise of their own sovereign and free will.

Such actions by the White House are intended to divert attention from the core issue: that a military, nuclear, economic, and technological superpower is committing an atrocious and ongoing act of abuse against a small, peaceful, peace-loving nation. It seeks to destroy the nation, commits an act of genocide—as defined under the Geneva Convention—brutally violates international law and international humanitarian law, and constitutes a massive, flagrant, and systematic violation of human rights, both for the Cuban people and for all nations.

The U.S. government—he stated—is maintaining a campaign that seeks to justify its actions. "No pretext of any kind could serve to justify acts of genocide or collective punishment. No political difference between governments, and no pretext related to the United States' objective of achieving regime change in Cuba, can justify acts of genocide or collective punishment."

He declared that this is not merely a bilateral matter, and that what is happening to Cuba today could happen to any other state tomorrow. He urged the international community—specifically the United Nations General Assembly—to take collective action to restore the rule of international law, and to prevent the use of force, the threat of the use of force, and the so-called imposition of peace through force.

He further noted that the issue to be discussed at the UN is, in no way, a mere dispute; rather, it concerns the sovereign rights of every state on the planet.

The General Assembly will debate whether a single power has the right—through various types of coercive measures—to obstruct trade with third countries, restrict freedom of navigation, or violate universally accepted norms of international commerce.

Rodríguez Parrilla expressed his gratitude to the governments, parliaments, grassroots and social movements, women’s, youth, and labor organizations, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, intellectuals, artists, academics, and scientists who have shown solidarity with Cuba and consistently condemned the blockade.

He acknowledged the states that have voted in favor of the resolution for more than 30 years. He also reiterated his thanks to the governments that recently, at the UN, opposed the energy-related and all-encompassing siege imposed upon the island.

Regarding the recent accusations against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, he described them as an "infamous and futile act"—one devoid of any legal, ethical, or practical merit—and noted that it is part of a concerted effort to continue stifling the Caribbean nation.

"I am convinced that the United States government's policy toward Cuba will have to change," he emphasized. This is due, first and foremost, to the Cuban people's resolve to defend their homeland against any threat. It is also, he added, a matter of the will of the American people. Furthermore, he asserted that the current situation is dangerous, constitutes a threat, and is unsustainable.

In response to a question from Granma newspaper, Rodríguez Parrilla stated that Cuba inspires great admiration. Moreover, the country enjoys the support of numerous friends worldwide, maintains fraternal relations with nearly every government on the planet, and holds diplomatic ties with all of them—with almost no exceptions.

Cuba also retains the recognition of its traditional trading partners. "It is well known that investors who were forced to leave our country did so against their own will, against their own interests, and against the interests of their own nations."

Many countries acknowledge that the energy blockade and the practice of collective punishment are directly linked to Cuba’s very existence as a sovereign state—actions that harm commercial relations not only for the island itself but also for third parties. For this reason, he affirmed, the strong spirit of solidarity with the largest of the Antilles will continue to endure.

He further emphasized that Cuba will not be defeated, will not be overcome, and will not surrender; it will defend its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity—as a way of upholding the independence and sovereignty of all states across the globe—regardless of the ultimate consequences.

 Donations from Japan and Russia in Cuba: the focus is strengthening food security among the most vulnerable sectors of our population.

Carmen Maturell Senon | internet@granma.cu October 2026

The donations, destined to support the most vulnerable sectors of the Cuban populations, sent by the government of Japan and by the Russian Federation, were very well received. In the case of the Russian Federation it was the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and for the Elimination of Natural Disaster Consequences the one responsible for the support; it included 750 tons of vegetable oil, 211 tons already out of the ship and in Cuban soil, 500 tons are in the process of being discharged.

During the act of reception, presided by vice prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, the ambassador of the Russian Federation, Victor Koronelli, and members of the World Food Programme in Cuba, highlighted the contribution as part of other contributions including fuel, medications and food that the Russian Federation has already provided to Cuba.

Betsy Díaz Velázquez, Minister of Internal Trade gave her thanks for the support provided and explained that indeed this is a contribution towards fulfilling the needs of families with children under the age of 5 in situations of vulnerability, towards expecting mothers, and infants affected by chronic disease and low weight.

Díaz Velázquez also pointed out that «in the middle of the challenging context Cuba is facing, the donation provides another opportunity to reaffirm the historic links between the Russian Federation and Cuba».

Victor Koronelli added that the donation of vegetable oil, besides being a symbolic gesture, will have increased important value at this time when the United States is intensifying its blockade against Cuba.

Regarding the Japanese donation of 425 tons of rice it is important to explain that this donation is part of a humanitarian response in support of the Cuban population affected by Hurricane Melissa, which particularly affected the Eastern part of Cuba. This donation is part of the World Food Program, of which 170 tons of grains and 226 tons of oil had already been received. The ambassador of Japan, Nakamura Kazuhito, had already said that Japan is willing to cooperate and share resources that contribute to alleviate the situation of the Cuban population during challenging times.

The vice prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Pérez-Oliva Fraga, highlighted that this actions of support underline that Cuba IS NOT ALONE something «particularly important at the time when the US administration pretends to isolate our country under pressure and direct threats, all based on lies formulated to encourage the world to react against the Cuban Government».

The Japanese donation was affected by the blockade against Cuba, it was stranded in the port, he said, its distribution delayed for a few months since its arrival in Cuba.

«Our government assures donations reach the most vulnerable people and centers of social assistance in our country, our goal is to support and ensure appropriate levels of food and nutrition in our population».

Translation by NSCUBA (Nova Scotia)

 

New incentives for more imports for the benefit of domestic industry

In the distribution chain, intermediaries are eliminated and this seeks to reduce the prices of raw materials and imported inputs.

Fidel Benito Rendón Matienzo in Exclusive 16/10/2026 CUBAHORA

Among the objectives of the Cuban Government’s Economic and Social Program for 2026 are to increase the import of raw materials and intermediate goods, and to protect the national industry through new incentives.

In this effort to increase input supplies for chaining with local production, a group of new regulations allow to eliminate intermediaries from the distribution chain and contribute to reducing the prices of raw materials and imported finished products, for the benefit of the national market and the population.

Decree-Law 137, Decree 183 (amending the number 32) and resolutions 151 and 152 of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (Mincex), and 62, of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, establish the new changes.

 

A wide information in recent hours offered to executives and officials of the government of Havana, as well as businessmen, Carlos Luis Jorge Méndez, first deputy minister of Mincex, according to this body on his profile on Facebook.

 

He explained that among the main transformations is the direct hiring of personnel in businesses with foreign investment, branches and representative offices, without the obligation to go to intermediary employer entities.

For its part, the 129 transformation authorizes state-owned companies, cooperatives and forms of private management to carry out foreign trade operations directly, after approval from the Mincex, it was said at the meeting.

 

Likewise, it establishes the easing of foreign investment, which includes the simplification of procedures, the opening of bank accounts abroad and the participation of Cubans residing abroad, among other measures that energize foreign trade.

 

So that in the future the branches of foreign trade representations, established in Cuba, will be able to carry out foreign trade operations and distribute wholesale goods in the country, as established by the rules published on October 2 in the ordinary Official Gazette number 82.

 

As the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Déborah Rivas Saavedra, recently explained to local media, foreign companies carried out commercial activity, but it was the Cuban importer who nationalized the merchandise, transported it and distributed it.

With the new provisions, these suppliers access the market more directly, up to the wholesale level.

 

The aim of the transformation, Deborah stressed, is to further open the domestic market to the receipt of supplies, with fewer restrictions and intermediaries in the delivery of the products.

 

In his opinion one of the main impacts that this measure can have is the decrease in prices.

 

On the axis 15 of the economic and social transformations, dedicated to foreign trade, he pointed out that the procedure that allows Cuban legal entities to directly request authorization to import and export is already in force, without having to go to other entities such as intermediaries.

 

 

 

No patches or detour

The 176 economic and social transformations begin to be implemented, but their fate will be decided in another field: daily life.
The capital challenge of Cuba is to make the change sit on the table, on salary, on transport, on investments... Between the norm and reality there is a distance that the country knows well, and shortening it is today the definitive test

Published: October 2026 

Author: Ayuban Gutiérrez Quintanilla

digital@juventudrebelde.cu

For the past three months, Cuba has had an ambitious group of economic and social transformations with great national and international impact. Conceived as a profound update of its socialist model, this program not only responds to the urgency of the present, but also opens a window of unprecedented opportunities for foreign investment, business modernization and sustainable development. The government has drawn up a roadmap that seeks to turn the island into a pole of attraction for capital in the Caribbean, despite the strong and growing restrictions imposed by the current Trump administration.

The 176 transformations, grouped into 23 strategic axes, represent a substantial rethinking in our economic policy, although it maintains a continuity with aspects present since the 2011 Guidelines, through the Update of the model and the Constitution of 2019. The decisions range from the opening of the banking and financial system — with the creation of exchange houses and the entry of private, foreign and domestic capital, into the sector — to the comprehensive reform of the state enterprise, which can now, depending on its development strategy, become companies by shares, ally with domestic and foreign private capital, and even liquidate if it is not viable.

The Greater Antilles is at a time of momentous definitions, and determined to be a small, very open and underdeveloped economy, which implies, among other things, a high dependence on the external sector and the need to have a high level of imports of goods and services, both consumption and capital, as well as international financing.

The model based on centralization, both of property and of the state business organization, could not guarantee to overcome the main structural problems of the economy, which inevitably happened to insert us effectively into the world economy. Added to the above is the intensification of the economic war of the United States Government against the Cuban people and the international economic and political situation, which has driven a change of perspective that had been claimed by many sectors.

The reforms seek to offer legal certainty, relax the hiring mechanisms and open unprecedented spaces for the participation of foreign capital in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, agribusiness, tourism, biotechnology and professional services. The authorities have been emphatic about drawing “red lines” that protect social achievements — public and free health and education — but within that framework, the scope for innovation and entrepreneurship is broader than ever.

It is true that the external context presents challenges. The tightening of the blockade, with measures such as energy and financial siege, has virtually stopped the electricity and fuel supply and closed the country’s currency revenue channels, which generates a scenario of restrictions that no economy would want or could endure, and more in a context of transformation.

However, the very leadership of the Cuban Revolution has turned this adversity into a catalyst for structural changes that, under normal conditions, would have taken much longer, showing capacity for change and adaptation to the environment. Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz himself, in 1993, when he said that “life, reality, the dramatic situation that the world is experiencing, this unipolar world, forces us to do what we would otherwise never have done if we had had capital and if we had had technology to do it.”

More possibilities for everyone

Forward-thinking international companies are already evaluating the comparative advantages of the island: a highly skilled workforce, political stability, rising legal certainty and a privileged geographic location to access the Latin American and Caribbean markets. This is of great importance, since the world economy is fundamentally moving through business relations.

The municipal decentralization and autonomy granted to state companies will allow a more agile decision-making and close to the needs of the territory. Although bureaucracy remains an obstacle to overcome, the commitment of the authorities to administrative modernization is firm and reflected in the creation of one-stop shops for investors and in the simplification of formalities.

The streets of Havana and the provinces reflect a mixture of positive expectations, uncertainty, caution and concerns, before which the Government tries to convey a message of trust and unity in the face of the immense challenges, among which are that these transformations are not a patch or a temporary “diversion” of the socialist construction model, but a long-term nation project, more adapted to our objective possibilities and the state of international relations in a general sense.

Openness to the market, the promotion of the private sector and the transformation of planning in a context of almost absolute scarcity in many fundamental goods, serves as food to increase inequality, which requires public policies of a management aimed at protecting a base of equity, especially from translating into greater supply of goods, quality employment and recovery of purchasing power.

The authorities have promised impact assessments before each measure to minimize unwanted effects and ensure that growth benefits everyone, because as President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez himself has said, here, despite the situation we have “give more opportunities to the social, we defend more inclusion, we defend more equity and defend more the possibilities for all”.

Cuba has taken an important step and is on the move. The 176 transformations approved in 2026 are not an act of despair, but a declaration of principles: Cuban socialism adapts to external changes in order to improve international insertion, to be more efficient, diverse and sustainable. This process offers investors, entrepreneurs and international allies a unique opportunity to participate in the construction of a new economic stage, in a country with intangible assets of enormous value.

The path will not be without obstacles, but the signs are clear: there is political will, the existing regulatory framework is improved and, above all, there is a qualified, laborious, entrepreneurial and supportive people eager to overcome the current critical situation. Investing in Cuba today is not only about betting on an emerging market with high growth potential, in an environment where legal security increases and where strategic sectors await reliable partners, but it is also an act of justice and defense of global stability. The challenges are real, but opportunities are also present. Cuba opens its doors with the certainty that the future is built with the right policies, strong alliances, innovation, much work and tangible results.

*The author is a Doctor of Economic Sciences. First Vice President of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba.