The Real Cuba News and Commentary

Cuba starts freeing prisoners a day after the US said it would lift terror designation

16. January 2025 The Editor Cuban Prisoners, The Cuban Economy (0)

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba started releasing some prisoners Wednesday as part of talks with the Vatican, a day after President Joe Biden’s administration announced his intent to lift the U.S. designation of the island nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.




More than a dozen people who were convicted of different crimes — and some of them were arrested after taking part in the historic 2021 protests — were released during the day, according to Cuban civil groups following the cases of detainees on the island.

Among those freed was tattooist Reyna Yacnara Barreto Batista, 24, who was detained in the 2021 protests and convicted to four years in prison for attacks and public disorder. She was released from a prison in the province of Camagüey, and told The Associated Press that eight men were also freed along with her.

On Tuesday, the U.S. government said it notified Congress about the intent to lift the designation of Cuba as part of a deal facilitated by the Vatican. Cuban authorities would release some of them before Biden’s administration ends on Jan. 20, officials said.

(Source: AP News)

Edelweiss Air to cease Zurich–Havana flights in March 2025 reflecting decline in demand

8. January 2025 The Editor Cuba Tourism, The Cuban Economy (0)

Edelweiss Air (Edelweiss is a sister carrier of SWISS and a member of the Lufthansa Group) will discontinue its Zurich-Havana route from March 2025 due to declining demand and operational challenges at Havana’s José Martí International Airport.



  •     Final Flight: The last Zurich-Havana service will operate on 27 February 2025.
  •     Customer Options: Affected passengers will be contacted for rebooking on alternative routes or offered a full refund.
  •     Operational Challenges: An on-site evaluation revealed difficulties in ensuring reliable long-haul operations at Havana airport. Declining demand.

Edelweiss will continue weekly flights on this route until the suspension and regrets any inconvenience caused to its passengers.

(Source: Aviation 24)

Cubans report new measure in state stores: “They do not accept MLC, only dollars on cards or in cash.”

1. January 2025 The Editor Rationing, Hunger and Suffering, The Cuban Economy (0)

The comedian Otto Ortiz criticized the first "surprise" of the year: state-run stores that only accept payments with Visa or MasterCard cards or in cash dollars, excluding MLC.

Note: In 2019, given the evident shortage of products, foreign currency, and the exportation of capital by the private sector (in order to buy, in foreign markets, products lacking in Cuba to resell them domestically in the informal market), the country created a series of specialized stores that accept Freely Convertible Currency (or “MLC”). The stores began by selling electrical appliances at cheaper prices than on the black market. The physical dollar could be converted into a different bearer instrument that became the MLC.


Store in MLC (Reference image)


The renowned Cuban comedian Otto Ortiz criticized on his social media what he called an unjust measure by the government to start the year: the refusal of some stores to accept payments in MLC.

On Facebook, the comedian expressed his dissatisfaction: "The first one of 2025: there are stores where you can't pay with MLC, only with Clásica, Visa, Mastercard, or cash in dollars."



Facebook - Otto Ortiz

The "surprising measure" led the comedian to reflect on his social media: "My question is: aren't the MLC just dollars that we give to the State? So, what do we do with them? Can private businesses also choose to charge only in those currencies?"

Although Ortiz did not specify which currency collection stores are operating this way, in the comments section, Humberto McClarin Barrios recounted: "My parents experienced the same thing yesterday at the new store Súper Mercado de 70 that was inaugurated at the Gran Muthu hotel. What a lack of respect! Now we can't even shop in MLC at those stores, so tell me, where are we supposed to go?"

Omar Milanés also shared a similar story: “My wife carried the products to the checkout. You wouldn’t want to see the look on her face. It turns out that since fuel is sold in USD, everything else got ‘contaminated’.”

A person named Asowuano Kmvv shared their experience: "Well, Otto won't be the first in 2025. Today, it happened to me here on the key. I went to pay at the store, and they hit me with that: dollars, Visa or MasterCard. And I asked myself: 'What about the MLC? What are they, and why did I deposit dollars?' The new year is starting off hot."

However, in reality, the measure is not as "surprising." The Cuban government approved a document that regulates the "partial dollarization of the economy," as announced by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz during the fourth ordinary session of the National Assembly.

This measure, which reflects the growing influence of the US dollar in the country, aims to reorganize key sectors of the economy while attempting to manage the impact of the informal currency market.

The partial dollarization scheme will cover the following sectors: wholesale and retail trade in approved foreign currencies; and payment of tariffs and services related to foreign trade for non-state management forms.

Additionally, cash in dollars will be accepted in strategic sectors such as tourism, Casas del Habano, pharmacies, opticians, international clinics, and airports. Furthermore, there will be payments in foreign currency to agricultural producers who replace imports and to those who manufacture exportable goods.

According to the regime, this regulation will also provide greater flexibility in the use of foreign currency for specific economic activities, such as tourism and foreign trade, which are key sectors for generating income amid the economic crisis.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dollarization and the Use of MLC in Cuba

Why have some stores in Cuba stopped accepting MLC?

Following a recent measure by the Cuban government, some stores have stopped accepting MLC as a form of payment and now only accept cash dollars or international cards like Visa and Mastercard. This decision is part of a partial dollarization process aimed at reorganizing key sectors and controlling the informal foreign exchange market.

What is the partial dollarization of the Cuban economy?

The partial dollarization of the Cuban economy is a system implemented by the government that allows the use of dollars and other currencies in specific sectors such as wholesale and retail trade, as well as in the payment of tariffs and services related to foreign trade. This measure reflects the increasing influence of the dollar in the country and aims to attract more foreign currency.

How does this measure affect Cubans who only have MLC?

The measure significantly impacts Cubans who only have MLC, as many state-run stores have stopped accepting this currency, limiting their purchasing options. This situation could exacerbate economic inequality by excluding those without access to dollars or international cards.

What impact has this strategy had on the informal currency market in Cuba?

The strategy of partial dollarization has maintained a relative stability in foreign exchange prices in the informal Cuban market. Despite this recent stability, the economic crisis and shortages of basic goods continue to impact the purchasing power of Cubans.

On Monte Street, the smell of improvised chicken coops spreads through the nearby houses and gives the neighborhood a certain rural touch

30. December 2024 The Editor The Cuban Economy (0)

HAVANA – Cubans have stopped wondering if this crisis is worse than that of the 1990s. The blackouts, food shortages and lack of fuel for public transport during the Special Period — in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the loss of its subsidies to Cuba — have now been surpassed in duration, severity and limitations. The breeding of animals at home like chickens and pigs for eggs and meat has also returned.



Chickens on a balcony on Monte Street, in Havana, this past Friday

HAVANA – Cubans have stopped wondering if this crisis is worse than that of the 1990s. The blackouts, food shortages and lack of fuel for public transport during the Special Period — in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the loss of its subsidies to Cuba — have now been surpassed in duration, severity and limitations. The breeding of animals at home like chickens and pigs for eggs and meat has also returned.

On Monte Street, one of the most populated and poor arteries in Havana, no one is surprised anymore if they see a couple of chickens on a balcony, guarded by a cat ready to meow an alert against any attempted robbery. Separated from the abyss by the rusty irons of a fence, the birds look down at the traffic, peck some grains of rice and are unconscious of the casserole that awaits them. The smell of the improvised chicken coop spreads through the nearby houses and gives the neighborhood a certain rural touch.

“We’re back in that time when they sold chicks so you could raise them for food,” remembered a seller of matchboxes, instant glue and other paraphernalia. From her strategic position in a doorway on the central street, the woman knows everyone’s business in the area. “In that house they were raising a pig in the bathroom,” she explains and points to a tiny room, with just a small window to the street, on the first floor. “You could hear it and smell it.”

“Even if I’m starving, I won’t do that for anything in the world,” said a potential customer who looked at some shoelaces for sale, asked the price of some plumbing pieces and checked the flavors of the instant soda packages. “My family and I raised a pig 30 years ago and in the end got attached to the animal and couldn’t kill it,” he explains. “It escaped from the bathroom where we had it locked up and went to sleep in our bed. Finally, we had to sell the pig to a cousin because we didn’t have the heart to sacrifice it.”

With their white plumage, blackened by the soot that rises from the street, the two chickens on the balcony continue to peck stubbornly at the floor and in the cracks of the unpainted facade. “In addition, fattening an animal requires food, and if it’s hard now to get food for humans what is left for them? At least in the 90s you could find something to feed them,” said the man, who in the end leaves without buying anything. Comparisons with current times have ended up turning the 1990s Special Period into a longed-for time for Cubans. Better to avoid parallels.

Tourism amid power cuts and food shortages: Why does Cuba continue to invest in hotels?

20. December 2024 The Editor Cuba Tourism, The Cuban Economy (0)

Despite the fact that fewer and fewer visitors are traveling to the island and hotel occupancy has fallen, the government allocated almost 40% of its investments in 2024 to activities related to the industry


Tourists drive through Havana in a classic American car, in an archive photograph..

The bartender recalls the day when, while working in his cantina facing the Caribbean Sea, a German tourist ordered a fish fillet.

— “I don’t have any, sir. What I have is pork, beef, and chicken,” said the bartender, who won’t give his name because he’s not willing to lose his 25-year job at a hotel in Cayo Largo del Sur.

— “But you have all that sea and no fish?” the tourist replied.

On other occasions, the bartender has had to come up with a way to satisfy a customer. There was the case of a tourist who asked for a Cuba Libre, one of the most famous Cuban cocktails, made with white rum, Coca Cola, and lemon. If any of the above ingredients are missing, the bartender does not hold back: “I told him: ‘Look, I can’t make you a Cuba Libre, but I can make you something else.’ If I have lemon soda, I say that I am going to make an aphrodisiac drink that in my city is called Santo Libre. That is a lie, it is lemon soda with aged rum. But the customer accepts and I tell them: ‘Tomorrow, you tell me.’ Sometimes you solve the situation, but sometimes you can’t. Canadians are great beer drinkers and, if there is no beer, there is nothing to invent,” he says.

His hotel, a facility operated by the Gran Caribe group and the Blue Diamond company, is located in the Canarreos archipelago, a paradise in the southwest of Cuba. For him, there have been no better years than those between 2012 and 2015, when tourists arrived en masse at the hotel, on planes that left from Italy, Canada, or Germany and landed directly on the Cayo. Or American tourists, who reached a record number of 173,550 in 2014, the same year that former U.S. president Barack Obama announced the normalization of diplomatic relations with Havana.


People use their cell phones in the doorway of a Havana hotel during a power outage, in October 2024.

“Right now, those direct flights don’t exist. Tourists come from Havana, Varadero, or other places in Cuba,” says the worker, who regrets not having ever seen the no vacancies sign at the hotel again, as it was in its golden days, when the 600 rooms that the facility has were occupied.
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