33º

CUBA

Cuban family finds welcome, refugee status in distant Serbia

Belquis Gonzales and her family enjoy something close to celebrity status in a small town in Serbia, where they live after fleeing Cuba five years ago. While most emigrants from the Caribbean island go to the United States or Spanish-speaking countries, Gonzales and her husband chose Serbia — a rare country in Europe for which Cubans do not need visas - and arrived there via Russia. “We didn’t know anything about Serbia,” Gonzales told The Associated Press at the family's home in Lajkovac, a town about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

news.yahoo.com

Tropical Storm Fred weakens to tropical depression; more of South Florida excluded from forecast path

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a tropical depression as it neared Haiti on Wednesday evening, as much of South Florida moved just outside the cone of possible paths of the storm’s center. Fred’s top wind speed fell from 40 mph to 35 mph, no longer at tropical storm strength, according to the 8 p.m. EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected ...

news.yahoo.com

Virus slams Cuba as it races to roll out its new vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic is slamming Cuba like never before, even as the country races to roll out its homegrown vaccines — the only locally developed shots being widely used in Latin America. The island had seen far fewer infections that most other Latin American nations over the first year or so of the disease, imposing strict quarantines, isolating the infected and shutting down its tourism industry despite devastating economic consequences. The first three weeks of July have accounted for about 100,000 of the nearly 300,000 infections recorded altogether in Cuba since the first case arrived some 16 months ago.

news.yahoo.com

Cuba and Haiti upheaval could mean twin migration crises

The countries, the largest by population in the Caribbean, have seen distinct crises in vastly different political contexts. As Cuba faces its largest protests in decades, amid tough economic conditions, Haiti is grappling with the chaotic aftermath of the assassination of its president. But the Biden administration has delivered the people of both countries a uniform message: “Do not risk your life attempting to enter the United States illegally,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said during a news conference Tuesday. “You will not come to the United States.”

washingtonpost.com

Myanmar coup crisis grows after years of US neglect

Anti-coup protesters display pictures of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, March 2, 2021. The Obama administration reveled in the restoration of civilian rule in the longtime U.S. pariah as a top foreign policy achievement and a potential model for engaging with other adversaries, such as Iran and Cuba. But today, Myanmar is once again an international outcast, facing a new wave of U.S. sanctions. Still, the Obama administration continued to have faith in her. Despite Kerry’s two trips to Myanmar, the administration became rapidly consumed with the Iran nuclear deal and normalization of ties with Cuba.

Sun, sand, shots: Caribbean seeks vaccines to revive economy

The Caribbean is hunting for visitors and vaccines to jump-start the stalled economy in one of the worlds most tourism-dependent regions (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)SAN JUAN – The Caribbean is hunting for visitors and vaccines to jump-start the stalled economy in one of the world’s most tourism-dependent regions. Clear waters and warm sand attracted a record 31.5 million tourists to the Caribbean in 2019, but visits plummeted by an estimated 60% to 80% as the pandemic hit last year. “Many countries prefer hurricanes compared to what has happened with the pandemic,” said Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, a former Bahamian tourism minister who also led the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Cuba — the largest Caribbean nation and the only one working on its own vaccines — choked off arrivals after seeing infections surge. Neil Walters, acting secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Cubans stranded for 33 days now in US immigration detention

They waved flags to catch the attention of a Coast Guard helicopter crew that flew over the island while on a routine mission Monday. A Coast Guard helicopter earlier this week spotted the two men and one woman and hoisted them in baskets from a rocky cliff in Anguilla Cay, a Bahamian islet close to Cuba. The Associated Press requested interviews with the survivors, but Coast Guard and immigration officials have not released their identities and did not grant access for interviews. The U.S. Coast Guard did not respond to requests clarifying what considerations were made before the group was flown into the United States. However, the rocky, uninhabited island is routinely monitored by the Coast Guard for strandings of migrants hoping to reach U.S. soil.

US pauses plan to give virus vaccine to Guantanamo prisoners

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – The U.S. is backing off for now on a plan to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to the 40 prisoners held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The plan drew some criticism after The New York Times reported that the vaccination of prisoners would start in the coming days. At the time, U.S. Southern Command said it expected to have enough vaccine for all of the approximately 1,500 personnel assigned to the detention center. AdThere have been no reported cases of coronavirus among the detention center prisoners. The U.S. opened the detention center in January 2002 to hold detainees suspected of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

US military moves to try Bali bomb suspects at Guantanamo

In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the Office of Military Commissions building used for Periodic Review Board hearings is seen, Thursday, April 18, 2019, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Gen. Lloyd Austin, Biden's nominee to be secretary of defense, this week reaffirmed the intention to close Guantanamo to the Senate committee considering his nomination. The case was rejected by the Pentagon legal official known as a convening authority for reasons that aren't publicly known. Obama reduced the prisoner population but his effort to close Guantanamo was blocked by Congress, which prohibited transferring anyone from the base to the U.S. for any reason. “I believe it is time for the detention facility at Guantanamo to close its doors," he said.

Eta Producing Heavy Rains And Life-Threatening Flooding Over Portions Of Central America

Jamaica: An additional 3 to 5 inches (75 to 125 mm), isolated maximum storm totals of 15 inches (380 mm). The Cayman Islands into portions of Cuba: 10 to 20 inches (255 to 510 mm), isolated maximum totals of 30 inches (760 mm). This rainfall will lead to catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding, along with landslides in areas of higher terrain of Central America. Significant, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding is possible in the Cayman Islands and Cuba. SURF: Swells generated by Eta are expected to affect portions of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the next couple of days.

Trump hits Cuba with new terrorism sanctions in waning days

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Monday re-designated Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” hitting the country with new sanctions that could hamstring President-elect Joe Biden's promise to renew relations with the communist-governed island. Since Trump took office, after a campaign that attacked Obama's moves to normalize relations with Cuba, ties have been increasingly strained. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez condemned the U.S. action. The latest sanctions put Cuba alongside North Korea, Syria and Iran as the only foreign nations deemed state sponsors of terrorism. Obama’s removal of Cuba from the “state sponsors of terrorism” list had been a major target of Trump, Pompeo and other Cuba hawks in the current administration.

Mick Jagger gets some shelter, buying Florida mansion

FILE - In this March 25, 2016 file photo, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger performs in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are releasing a new version of their 1973 album Goats Head Soup with three unheard tracks. (AP Photo/Enric Marti, File)LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Mick Jagger, Florida Man? The Rolling Stones front man recently purchased a mansion south of Tampa as a Christmas present for his girlfriend, ballet dancer Melanie Hamrick. “It was very cool hearing Mick Jagger’s voice over the phone; that was neat,” Ciaccio told the Herald-Tribune.

Federal judge blocks new criminal disqualifiers to asylum

A judge on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 has blocked a Trump administration rule that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The federal judge in San Francisco says current federal law already includes plenty of disqualifying crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)LOS ANGELES – A federal judge on Thursday blocked a Trump administration rule about to take effect that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The rule would have also denied asylum to people convicted of crimes that an adjudicator “knows or has reason to believe” was committed to supporting a criminal street gang. Asylum is for people fleeing persecution for their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a social group.

Final weeks of historic hurricane season bring new storms

Tropical Storm Eta is parked off the western coast of Cuba, dumping rain. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Theta — which formed overnight and broke a record as the 29th named Atlantic storm of the season — is chugging east toward Europe on the cusp of hurricane status. The system now has a 70% chance of becoming the 30th named storm. Never before have three named storms been twirling at the same time this late in the year, Klotzbach said. The overall message is that everyone in the area should pay attention to Eta, Brennan said.

Tropical Storm Eta floods already drenched Florida cities

A strengthening Tropical Storm Eta cut across Cuba on Sunday, and forecasters say it's likely to be a hurricane before hitting the Florida Keys Sunday night or Monday. Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys and posed a serious threat across South Florida, which was already drenched from more than 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain last month. “Never seen this, never, not this deep,” said Anthony Lyas, who has lived in his now-waterlogged Fort Lauderdale neighborhood since 1996. Eta was not done yet with Cuba, just 90 miles (140 kilometers) south of Florida, where the storm continued to swell rivers and flood coastal zones. ___Associated Press writers Cody Jackson in Fort Lauderdale, Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, and Haleluya Hadero in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Eta strikes Florida Keys; expected to become hurricane

A strengthening Tropical Storm Eta cut across Cuba on Sunday, and forecasters say it's likely to be a hurricane before hitting the Florida Keys Sunday night or Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami declared hurricane and storm surge warnings for the Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay. Several shelters also opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. On Sunday night, authorities in Lauderhill, Florida, responded to a report of a car that had driven into a canal. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas.

Guatemala searches, Eta regains storm status, heads to Cuba

Members of search and recovery teams search for survivors in the debris of a massive, rain-fueled landslide in the village of Queja, in Guatemala, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta. The storm was expected to hit Cuba by early Sunday, and approach the Florida Keys and south Florida late Sunday or Monday. Tropical storm warnings were issued for central Cuba, southern Florida and the Florida Keys. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. The storms’ threat comes as many streets across South Florida have been inundated by heavy rains and unusual King Tides.

Zeta Zooming Offshore The Mid-Atlantic Coast Toward The Western Atlantic

Zeta is moving toward the east-northeast near 55 mph (89 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will emerge over the western Atlantic this evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. A sustained wind of 39 mph (63 km/h) and a gust to 46 mph (74 km/h) were recently reported at Ocean City, Maryland. RAINFALL: The last of the heavy rainfall along the track of Zeta will impact the Mid-Atlantic through this evening.

China and Russia win seats on UN rights council, Saudis lose

TANZANIA – China, Russia and Cuba won seats on the U.N.’s premiere human rights body Tuesday despite opposition from activist groups over their abysmal human rights records, but another target, Saudi Arabia, lost. Russia and Cuba were running unopposed, but China and Saudi Arabia were in a five-way race in the only contested race for seats on the Human Rights Council. The Geneva-based rights organization published a 30-page joint report with the Human Rights Foundation and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights evaluating candidates for council seats. The Geneva-based Human Rights Council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues. He said the U.S. has taken its own actions to punish “human rights abusers in Xinjiang, Myanmar, Iran, and elsewhere.”Israel’s U.N.

Hurricane Delta now Category 2, roars at Mexico’s Yucatan

Fishermen pull in a boat before the arrival of Hurricane Delta in Puerto Juarez, Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm Tuesday while on a course to hammer Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. From Tulum to Cancun, tourism-dependent communities still soaked by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma could bear the brunt of Delta. Delta increased in strength 80 mph, more than doubling from a 60 mph storm at 2 pm EDT Monday to 140 mph at 2 pm EDT Tuesday.

Post-Tropical Remnants Of Delta Continue Weaken, As The Heavy Rainfall Threat Diminishes Late Sunday Night

Location 90 miles S of Knoxville Tennessee Wind 15 mph Heading E at 15 mph Pressure 29.77 Coordinates 84.1W, 34.5NDiscussionAt 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Delta was located near latitude 34.5 North, longitude 84.1 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue tonight and Monday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 15 mph (30 km/h) with higher gusts. Some further weakening is possible tonight as a new surface low develops in the Carolinas, and Delta's surface low is expected to be absorbed by this new low pressure area on Monday. Moderate to major river flooring will continue across the Calcasieu and Mermentau river basins in Louisiana through much of next week

VP contender's Cuba baggage a burden in Florida

But the recent college graduate had long heard stories from his grandfather recounting the days of oppression in Cuba under Fidel Castro. Even for some young Cubans, the congresswoman's remarks are troubling and a reminder that Castro still stirs strong passions. The Pew Research Center estimates that nearly a third of Floridas Hispanic voters have roots in Cuba. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban American, has called the congresswoman a Castro sympathizer." But his real worry is that Republicans would use Bass' remarks as distraction from what he called the more important goal of electing Biden.

Air crews 'stranded' after Thomas Cook collapse

Hollie Adams/Getty Images(CNN) - Efforts to rescue people stranded by the collapse of UK travel company Thomas Cook are set to continue into next month, as holidaymakers reported being locked in hotels and flight crews struggled to get home. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, former Thomas Cook air steward Katie McQuillan tweeted that she had been "kicked out" of a hotel in Las Vegas, along with seven other stranded crew members. Some ex-Thomas Cook cabin crew have taken to Twitter to thank Virgin Atlantic staff for welcoming them on board under the distressing circumstances. It's been an emotional roller coaster for many ex-Thomas Cook cabin crew, some of them are even assisting with the repatriation efforts, the CAA confirms to CNN. Videos surfaced on Twitter of cabin crew fighting back the emotions to aid passengers getting home and passenger showing their appreciation via applause.

Stowing away is a huge risk. But plenty of people have done it

Worcester1012 via Wikimedia Commons(CNN) - A man was sunbathing in his London garden when a body hit the ground feet away from him. It was a stowaway who fell off a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi last week as the plane approached London's Heathrow Airport. After sneaking into the wheel well of a plane -- the most common method of stowing away -- they can get crushed when the landing gear starts going in. Many stowaways come from African countriesStowaways have gone undetected and hopped aboard planes in 44 different countries, the FAA said. In 1972, authorities found a frozen body in the wheel well of a flight from San Diego to New York.