Ebola: FG flays 22 countries for stigmatizing Nigerians
OCTOBER 31, 2014 BY ADELANI ADEPEGBA ABUJA
The Federal Government has criticised 22 countries for stigmatizing
Nigerians over the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, which it said had been
cared for, prompting the World Health Organisation to give the country a
clean bill of health.
It said the continued stigmatizing of Nigerians was unacceptable and
named the countries that had been discriminating against Nigerian
nationals to include Bahrain; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea,
Cameroon, Cuba, Gabon, China, Egypt and Hong Kong.
Others are Kuwait; Qatar; Sri Lanka; Turkey; Zambia; Mauritania; São
Tomé & Principe; South Africa; United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Namibia,
Seychelles and South Sudan.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, who protested the
incident, at a meeting with members of the Diplomatic Corps on Friday in
Abuja, also cautioned Heads of Mission for making what he called
inflammatory and reckless statements against the FG on matters of
domestic policy.
According to him, such an act is "unacceptable interference in Nigeria's
domestic affairs, such envoys are advised to respect the sensitivity of
Nigerians and the mood of the times."
Wali said, "It is disappointing and troubling that in spite of the
decisive measures taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the
subsequent positive declaration by WHO, some countries have regrettably,
chosen to flout the WHO rules on the (Ebola) virus by adopting
deliberate policies of stigmatization and discrimination against
Nigerians simply because we were unfortunately exposed to the virus.
"I will like to make it categorically clear that the continued
discrimination and profiling of Nigeria is not acceptable to the
government and people of Nigeria."
The minister said it was intriguing that it took some time for the
international community to acknowledge the valiant and effective
measures taken by the government at all levels, to contain the spread of
the Ebola virus.
Wali observed that the outbreak of epidemics like the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome and the Avian Influenza, did not attract
stigmatization against the affected countries.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps at the meeting, raised various issues of
concern, ranging from the 2015 elections, to the Boko Haram insurgency,
all of which the minister addressed, assuring them that the FG was
working hard to contain the security challenge in the country.
He explained that the government was doing everything possible to ensure
that the forthcoming election is transparent and credible, and called
for the support of the international communities to make the electoral
process, a success.
Source: Ebola: FG flays 22 countries for stigmatizing Nigerians -
http://www.punchng.com/news/ebola-fg-flays-22-countries-for-stigmatizing-nigerians/
Saturday, November 1, 2014
6 Cuban migrants arrive ashore Lantana Beach
6 Cuban migrants arrive ashore Lantana Beach
U.S. Coast Guard expects more migrants to make journey to South Florida
over the holidays
Author: Amanda Batchelor, Senior Digital Editor, abatchelor@wplg.com
Todd Tongen, Reporter, Anchor, ttongen@Local10.com
Published On: Oct 31 2014 05:52:28 PM EDT
LANTANA BEACH, Fla. -
Six Cuban migrants are the latest of dozens more that made the journey
across the Florida Straits this week.
The group's small makeshift boat washed ashore just south of Lantana
Beach in Palm Beach County Friday morning.
On Monday, nine Cubans were rescued from the waters of Biscayne Bay. Two
others made it to land and another two remain lost at sea.
The next day, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued another 33 Cuban migrants off
the coast of Boca Raton.
A wooden boat was seen abandoned in the water. Another boat was upside
down in the water.
The Coast Guard spotted the group while searching for the two missing
migrants from Monday. That search has since been suspended after the
Coast Guard searched about 3,100 miles for the men.
Lt. Cmdr. Gabe Somma called the boat "grossly overloaded."
Many of the migrants jumped out of the boat while waiting to be rescued.
Somma said he believes all the migrants have been accounted for in that
case.
"The aircraft that fly have pretty good sensors on board so they can
detect very small things," said Capt. Mark Fedor, chief of response for
the Coast Guard's 7th District. "They can detect coconuts floating on
the water."
Conditions in Cuba are still difficult, and with no recent major storms
in the Florida Straights, more and more Cubans are risking their lives
to get here.
"We see a lot of repeat customers. Up to seven to nine times we will see
them come back," said Fedor.
Once on board the cutters, migrants are given a dry jumpsuit, a medical
evaluation and then fed twice a day. Often they sleep on mats on the
stern for up to three to five days before being repatriated.
For Cuban-American Coast Guard personnel, it can be difficult.
"I think it is a mission that is very personal to them," said Fedor.
"Especially if they are second generation. They might have relatives in
Cuba."
"Once they are part of the Coast Guard they see the value that we
provide in saving lives at sea," he added.
The migrants' vessels are destroyed because they are a hazard to
navigation, and with the number of migrants increasing each year
officials often have to coordinate their efforts.
"If we get too many people, too many migrants on a cutter, we will bring
another one in," said Fedor.
Coast guard officials said they don't see any reason as to why these
numbers should decline. In fact, they expect to see a spike over the
holidays. The prevailing theory is that Cubans think that there will be
fewer patrols over the holidays, but the Coast Guard said that is not true.
Source: 6 Cuban migrants arrive ashore Lantana Beach | News - Home -
http://www.local10.com/news/6-cuban-migrants-arrive-ashore-lantana-beach/29464390
U.S. Coast Guard expects more migrants to make journey to South Florida
over the holidays
Author: Amanda Batchelor, Senior Digital Editor, abatchelor@wplg.com
Todd Tongen, Reporter, Anchor, ttongen@Local10.com
Published On: Oct 31 2014 05:52:28 PM EDT
LANTANA BEACH, Fla. -
Six Cuban migrants are the latest of dozens more that made the journey
across the Florida Straits this week.
The group's small makeshift boat washed ashore just south of Lantana
Beach in Palm Beach County Friday morning.
On Monday, nine Cubans were rescued from the waters of Biscayne Bay. Two
others made it to land and another two remain lost at sea.
The next day, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued another 33 Cuban migrants off
the coast of Boca Raton.
A wooden boat was seen abandoned in the water. Another boat was upside
down in the water.
The Coast Guard spotted the group while searching for the two missing
migrants from Monday. That search has since been suspended after the
Coast Guard searched about 3,100 miles for the men.
Lt. Cmdr. Gabe Somma called the boat "grossly overloaded."
Many of the migrants jumped out of the boat while waiting to be rescued.
Somma said he believes all the migrants have been accounted for in that
case.
"The aircraft that fly have pretty good sensors on board so they can
detect very small things," said Capt. Mark Fedor, chief of response for
the Coast Guard's 7th District. "They can detect coconuts floating on
the water."
Conditions in Cuba are still difficult, and with no recent major storms
in the Florida Straights, more and more Cubans are risking their lives
to get here.
"We see a lot of repeat customers. Up to seven to nine times we will see
them come back," said Fedor.
Once on board the cutters, migrants are given a dry jumpsuit, a medical
evaluation and then fed twice a day. Often they sleep on mats on the
stern for up to three to five days before being repatriated.
For Cuban-American Coast Guard personnel, it can be difficult.
"I think it is a mission that is very personal to them," said Fedor.
"Especially if they are second generation. They might have relatives in
Cuba."
"Once they are part of the Coast Guard they see the value that we
provide in saving lives at sea," he added.
The migrants' vessels are destroyed because they are a hazard to
navigation, and with the number of migrants increasing each year
officials often have to coordinate their efforts.
"If we get too many people, too many migrants on a cutter, we will bring
another one in," said Fedor.
Coast guard officials said they don't see any reason as to why these
numbers should decline. In fact, they expect to see a spike over the
holidays. The prevailing theory is that Cubans think that there will be
fewer patrols over the holidays, but the Coast Guard said that is not true.
Source: 6 Cuban migrants arrive ashore Lantana Beach | News - Home -
http://www.local10.com/news/6-cuban-migrants-arrive-ashore-lantana-beach/29464390
Cuban ‘exodus’ blamed on failed reforms
Cuban 'exodus' blamed on failed reforms
But Coast Guard doesn't predict 'mass migration'
BY DAVID GOODHUE
dgoodhue@keysrepOctober 31, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago
Despite a marked increase in Cubans arriving by sea off South Florida,
the U.S. Coast Guard says it does not anticipate a Mariel boatlift-type
of crisis any time soon.
Between the 2,059 Cubans stopped at sea trying to land on shore and the
more than 800 who actually made it here, there has been a 75 percent
increase in attempted and successful migration from last fiscal year,
which ended Sept. 30.
But according to Cmdr. Tim Cronin, assistant branch chief of the Coast
Guard's Seventh District, there has been no indication that a flood of
migration from Cuba is imminent.
"The number of Cuban migrants attempting to enter the U.S. has steadily
increased over the last five years," Cronin said in a statement e-mailed
to The Reporter Thursday. "But the numbers are not indicative of any
immediate threat of mass migration."
But some Cuba experts aren't as optimistic. Jorge Duany, director of
Florida International University's Cuban Research Institute, said there
is already a sort of "exodus" happening from the island "in the sense of
a massive departure of people from their homeland."
"The accumulation of unsatisfied pressure to migrate, together with the
impulse toward family reunification, is likely to sustain a high
migration rate from Cuba," Duany said. "The situation may lead to a new
migration crisis in the near future."
Whatever is behind the increased migration, one thing is clear: The
annual 20,000 visas allotted by the United States government to Cubans
are not enough to keep up with demand, Duany said.
Also, the risky methods and makeshift types of vessels many Cubans are
using to get to the United States show recent reforms instituted by
President Raul Castro have not gone far enough to improve his people's
economic situation.
Since January 2013, Castro eliminated the need for Cubans to seek
permission to leave the island. This meant that Cubans could come and go
using systems most of the Western world has been used to for
generations, including passports and visas. But according to Julia E.
Sweig, director of Latin American Studies for the Council on Foreign
Relations, not many people there can afford this luxury.
"Cuba has increasingly become a class society," Sweig said. "That's why
you're seeing so many people still getting in these unsafe contraptions."
Joe Azel, senior scholar at the University of Miami's Institute for
Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, was more direct in his criticism of
Castro's government.
"Whatever hope had been raised has now been proven false, and thus the
increase," said Azel.
The economic crisis in Cuba began with the collapse of its patriarch,
the Soviet Union, in 1989. Duany says this means many young Cubans don't
remember anything else but low wages, rising unemployment, price
inflation and deteriorating public services.
"The lack of economic opportunities has led an entire generation of
young Cuban people, raised after the onset of the economic crisis in
1989, to look elsewhere to fulfill their professional and personal
aspirations," Duany said.
He added that the U.S.'s wet-foot, dry-foot policy further entices
Cubans to make the dangerous maritime journey. Under the policy, any
Cuban migrant who sets foot on shore here can stay and is granted legal
status.
"Many of them take to the sea in rafts, small boats, and anything that
floats in hope that they will reach the promised land, the United
States," Duany said.
Cubans are also increasingly coming to the U.S. by way of Mexico.
According to El Nuevo Herald, The Reporter's sister paper, more than 16,
200 Cubans crossed into the United States over the Mexican border last
fiscal year.
Three incidents this week highlight just how desperate many Cubans are
to leave their country and come to the States. Coast Guard crews,
Miami-Dade Police and civilian boats rescued 11 Cubans about four miles
offshore near Turkey Point nuclear power plant Monday after the
migrants' homemade raft began falling apart. Two of the raft's
passengers are considered lost at sea, according to Cronin.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard stopped a makeshift vessel carrying 33
Cubans off Boca Raton. And off Key West this week, the Coast Guard
stopped "an unseaworthy vessel" carrying 30 Cubans.
At press time Thursday afternoon, Cronin said "there are units currently
responding to two more sightings of Cuban chugs from Coast Guard and
Customs and Border Protection aircraft."
Source: Cuban 'exodus' blamed on failed reforms | News | KeysNet -
http://www.keysnet.com/2014/10/31/499484/cuban-exodus-blamed-on-failed.html
But Coast Guard doesn't predict 'mass migration'
BY DAVID GOODHUE
dgoodhue@keysrepOctober 31, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago
Despite a marked increase in Cubans arriving by sea off South Florida,
the U.S. Coast Guard says it does not anticipate a Mariel boatlift-type
of crisis any time soon.
Between the 2,059 Cubans stopped at sea trying to land on shore and the
more than 800 who actually made it here, there has been a 75 percent
increase in attempted and successful migration from last fiscal year,
which ended Sept. 30.
But according to Cmdr. Tim Cronin, assistant branch chief of the Coast
Guard's Seventh District, there has been no indication that a flood of
migration from Cuba is imminent.
"The number of Cuban migrants attempting to enter the U.S. has steadily
increased over the last five years," Cronin said in a statement e-mailed
to The Reporter Thursday. "But the numbers are not indicative of any
immediate threat of mass migration."
But some Cuba experts aren't as optimistic. Jorge Duany, director of
Florida International University's Cuban Research Institute, said there
is already a sort of "exodus" happening from the island "in the sense of
a massive departure of people from their homeland."
"The accumulation of unsatisfied pressure to migrate, together with the
impulse toward family reunification, is likely to sustain a high
migration rate from Cuba," Duany said. "The situation may lead to a new
migration crisis in the near future."
Whatever is behind the increased migration, one thing is clear: The
annual 20,000 visas allotted by the United States government to Cubans
are not enough to keep up with demand, Duany said.
Also, the risky methods and makeshift types of vessels many Cubans are
using to get to the United States show recent reforms instituted by
President Raul Castro have not gone far enough to improve his people's
economic situation.
Since January 2013, Castro eliminated the need for Cubans to seek
permission to leave the island. This meant that Cubans could come and go
using systems most of the Western world has been used to for
generations, including passports and visas. But according to Julia E.
Sweig, director of Latin American Studies for the Council on Foreign
Relations, not many people there can afford this luxury.
"Cuba has increasingly become a class society," Sweig said. "That's why
you're seeing so many people still getting in these unsafe contraptions."
Joe Azel, senior scholar at the University of Miami's Institute for
Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, was more direct in his criticism of
Castro's government.
"Whatever hope had been raised has now been proven false, and thus the
increase," said Azel.
The economic crisis in Cuba began with the collapse of its patriarch,
the Soviet Union, in 1989. Duany says this means many young Cubans don't
remember anything else but low wages, rising unemployment, price
inflation and deteriorating public services.
"The lack of economic opportunities has led an entire generation of
young Cuban people, raised after the onset of the economic crisis in
1989, to look elsewhere to fulfill their professional and personal
aspirations," Duany said.
He added that the U.S.'s wet-foot, dry-foot policy further entices
Cubans to make the dangerous maritime journey. Under the policy, any
Cuban migrant who sets foot on shore here can stay and is granted legal
status.
"Many of them take to the sea in rafts, small boats, and anything that
floats in hope that they will reach the promised land, the United
States," Duany said.
Cubans are also increasingly coming to the U.S. by way of Mexico.
According to El Nuevo Herald, The Reporter's sister paper, more than 16,
200 Cubans crossed into the United States over the Mexican border last
fiscal year.
Three incidents this week highlight just how desperate many Cubans are
to leave their country and come to the States. Coast Guard crews,
Miami-Dade Police and civilian boats rescued 11 Cubans about four miles
offshore near Turkey Point nuclear power plant Monday after the
migrants' homemade raft began falling apart. Two of the raft's
passengers are considered lost at sea, according to Cronin.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard stopped a makeshift vessel carrying 33
Cubans off Boca Raton. And off Key West this week, the Coast Guard
stopped "an unseaworthy vessel" carrying 30 Cubans.
At press time Thursday afternoon, Cronin said "there are units currently
responding to two more sightings of Cuban chugs from Coast Guard and
Customs and Border Protection aircraft."
Source: Cuban 'exodus' blamed on failed reforms | News | KeysNet -
http://www.keysnet.com/2014/10/31/499484/cuban-exodus-blamed-on-failed.html
Migrants endure loss of raft, collision with freighter in harrowing journey to Florida
Migrants endure loss of raft, collision with freighter in harrowing
journey to Florida
'I thought it was the end of me,' migrant says of perilous voyage from Cuba
Cuban rafter Michel Goris Suarez was certain of this: Death would meet
him at sea somewhere between Cuba and Florida.
Yet he was rescued after eight — or was it nine? — days during a
perilous journey that included a collision with a freighter that
capsized his fragile raft.
"I felt like dying," he said. "I don't think I'll ever experience
anything like this in my life."
Recovering at his uncle's Miami-Dade County home Friday, the 25-year-old
survivor detailed a harrowing, pre-dawn escape from Havana that nearly
claimed his life.
Also Friday, another six Cuban men made the journey to America, landing
in Manalapan, where they were taken into custody. Those with relatives
here will be reunited with loved ones; others will be relocated to start
new lives in a foreign yet longed-for country.
The group in Manalapan is the latest round of migrants to come ashore in
South Florida this week, arriving just two days after the dramatic
rescue of 33 Cubans in an overturned vessel about seven miles off Boca
Raton. About 50 total were rescued or washed ashore.
Suarez was among 11 Cubans rescued in Miami's Biscayne Bay on Monday.
Despite the nightmarish trek, Suarez said he'd do it again. For freedom.
After paying more than $400 to board a makeshift raft that would break
apart days later, the single man left his grandmother and aunt behind —
he never said goodbye — and set off on a trip he expected to last two days.
"That was our grave error," Suarez said. The homemade raft, made of
tires, Styrofoam and other flimsy material, became human powered after
its small engine broke down. The rafters used pieces of wood for oars;
Suarez's hands are still raw from paddling.
Within the first two days, in the early morning darkness, the raft
flipped over. They lost what little food and water they had. Suarez
chewed on shreds of plastic from water bottles. He sipped seawater to
quench his thirst. He got sick.
Days into the trip, in open sea, the raft was brushed by a freighter and
again tipped over. The migrants clawed back on and kept rowing. Lost,
the rafters were met with stormy seas. They shivered. They argued about
returning to Cuba. When they believed they had turned back, they saw
land instead.
The men decided to each fend for themselves, and abandoned the
dilapidated raft as it began breaking apart, Suarez said. The castaways
drifted apart from one another.
Suarez and a companion were left clinging to a piece of Styrofoam,
flotsam from the homemade vessel. They treaded water through the night.
Once, when Suarez felt faint and lost his hold, his pal kept him afloat.
"I couldn't handle it anymore," he said. "I thought it was the end of
me. No one wants to die, but then you come to your senses and keep
looking ahead."
Along with the flotsam, Suarez clung to his faith. He thought of his
mother and sister, who immigrated to France before he left Cuba. His
salt tears fell in the sea.
A vessel once came close, but never spotted the men screaming for help.
The group was eventually plucked from the water by pleasure craft and
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Two managed to swim to shore. Suarez mourns the
few fellow rafters still missing.
Faring better were the Cubans who paddled ashore in Manalapan on Friday.
They appeared to be in good condition, officials said.
They were taken to a Border Patrol station in Riviera Beach before being
released to Church World Service in Doral, Border Patrol Agent Frank
Miller said. They join at least 50 other Cubans who have appeared off
the South Florida coastline, from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach County,
during the past week.
Cuba's crumbling economy is one big reason for the uptick, said Jorge
Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International
University.
A limited number of visas also are prompting desperate Cubans to make
for Florida by sea. The approximately 20,000 visas issued in an
immigration lottery don't come close to the more than 500,000 people who
applied to leave the country, Duany said.
"A lot of people are looking to improve their conditions and they want
to migrate any way they can," Duany said.
Despite the danger, many take to the sea. But after years of navigating
the treacherous course across the Straits of Florida, an "increasingly
common" tactic, Duany said, is to plot a shorter path from the Bahamas
to Florida.
Cubans who don't make landfall in the United States are sent back home,
but the Cuban Adjustment Act allows those who arrive on American soil to
stay and apply for permanent residency after a year.
According to the most recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics, Cubans make up
the majority of migrants intercepted near the United States. From Oct. 1
through Oct. 20, there were 106 Cubans intercepted. During the same time
period, 30 Dominicans and 17 Haitians were intercepted.
A weakened Suarez still nurses swollen legs and sunburn-blistered skin.
Yet he wants to learn English, and is eager to work two or even three
jobs, once the memory of his ordeal subsides.
"It was horrible, it was a nightmare," he said. "I prayed so much to God
that I must find a church to praise him for keeping me alive. I know He
helped me."
Staff writer Mike Clary contributed to this report.
Source: Authorities searching for migrants after landing near Manalapan
- Sun Sentinel -
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-manalapan-cuban-migrants-20141031-story.html
journey to Florida
'I thought it was the end of me,' migrant says of perilous voyage from Cuba
Cuban rafter Michel Goris Suarez was certain of this: Death would meet
him at sea somewhere between Cuba and Florida.
Yet he was rescued after eight — or was it nine? — days during a
perilous journey that included a collision with a freighter that
capsized his fragile raft.
"I felt like dying," he said. "I don't think I'll ever experience
anything like this in my life."
Recovering at his uncle's Miami-Dade County home Friday, the 25-year-old
survivor detailed a harrowing, pre-dawn escape from Havana that nearly
claimed his life.
Also Friday, another six Cuban men made the journey to America, landing
in Manalapan, where they were taken into custody. Those with relatives
here will be reunited with loved ones; others will be relocated to start
new lives in a foreign yet longed-for country.
The group in Manalapan is the latest round of migrants to come ashore in
South Florida this week, arriving just two days after the dramatic
rescue of 33 Cubans in an overturned vessel about seven miles off Boca
Raton. About 50 total were rescued or washed ashore.
Suarez was among 11 Cubans rescued in Miami's Biscayne Bay on Monday.
Despite the nightmarish trek, Suarez said he'd do it again. For freedom.
After paying more than $400 to board a makeshift raft that would break
apart days later, the single man left his grandmother and aunt behind —
he never said goodbye — and set off on a trip he expected to last two days.
"That was our grave error," Suarez said. The homemade raft, made of
tires, Styrofoam and other flimsy material, became human powered after
its small engine broke down. The rafters used pieces of wood for oars;
Suarez's hands are still raw from paddling.
Within the first two days, in the early morning darkness, the raft
flipped over. They lost what little food and water they had. Suarez
chewed on shreds of plastic from water bottles. He sipped seawater to
quench his thirst. He got sick.
Days into the trip, in open sea, the raft was brushed by a freighter and
again tipped over. The migrants clawed back on and kept rowing. Lost,
the rafters were met with stormy seas. They shivered. They argued about
returning to Cuba. When they believed they had turned back, they saw
land instead.
The men decided to each fend for themselves, and abandoned the
dilapidated raft as it began breaking apart, Suarez said. The castaways
drifted apart from one another.
Suarez and a companion were left clinging to a piece of Styrofoam,
flotsam from the homemade vessel. They treaded water through the night.
Once, when Suarez felt faint and lost his hold, his pal kept him afloat.
"I couldn't handle it anymore," he said. "I thought it was the end of
me. No one wants to die, but then you come to your senses and keep
looking ahead."
Along with the flotsam, Suarez clung to his faith. He thought of his
mother and sister, who immigrated to France before he left Cuba. His
salt tears fell in the sea.
A vessel once came close, but never spotted the men screaming for help.
The group was eventually plucked from the water by pleasure craft and
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Two managed to swim to shore. Suarez mourns the
few fellow rafters still missing.
Faring better were the Cubans who paddled ashore in Manalapan on Friday.
They appeared to be in good condition, officials said.
They were taken to a Border Patrol station in Riviera Beach before being
released to Church World Service in Doral, Border Patrol Agent Frank
Miller said. They join at least 50 other Cubans who have appeared off
the South Florida coastline, from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach County,
during the past week.
Cuba's crumbling economy is one big reason for the uptick, said Jorge
Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International
University.
A limited number of visas also are prompting desperate Cubans to make
for Florida by sea. The approximately 20,000 visas issued in an
immigration lottery don't come close to the more than 500,000 people who
applied to leave the country, Duany said.
"A lot of people are looking to improve their conditions and they want
to migrate any way they can," Duany said.
Despite the danger, many take to the sea. But after years of navigating
the treacherous course across the Straits of Florida, an "increasingly
common" tactic, Duany said, is to plot a shorter path from the Bahamas
to Florida.
Cubans who don't make landfall in the United States are sent back home,
but the Cuban Adjustment Act allows those who arrive on American soil to
stay and apply for permanent residency after a year.
According to the most recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics, Cubans make up
the majority of migrants intercepted near the United States. From Oct. 1
through Oct. 20, there were 106 Cubans intercepted. During the same time
period, 30 Dominicans and 17 Haitians were intercepted.
A weakened Suarez still nurses swollen legs and sunburn-blistered skin.
Yet he wants to learn English, and is eager to work two or even three
jobs, once the memory of his ordeal subsides.
"It was horrible, it was a nightmare," he said. "I prayed so much to God
that I must find a church to praise him for keeping me alive. I know He
helped me."
Staff writer Mike Clary contributed to this report.
Source: Authorities searching for migrants after landing near Manalapan
- Sun Sentinel -
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-manalapan-cuban-migrants-20141031-story.html
U.S. praises Cuba's contribution to fight against Ebola
U.S. praises Cuba's contribution to fight against Ebola
Published October 31, 2014 EFE
The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, on
Friday praised Cuba's contribution to the fight against Ebola in West
Africa, and said that her country is very grateful.
"Although I did not encounter them personally, I have to commend Cuba"
for sending 265 medical professionals to the affected countries so
quickly, said Power, recently returned from a trip to Africa, during a
Reuters Newsmaker panel discussion in New York.
"We are working side by side, as it were," the diplomat said, though
adding that the U.S. and Cuban efforts are separate.
Power noted the speed with which Havana reacted to the Ebola outbreak,
and recalled that the Cuban government will send another 200 health
workers to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries most
affected by an outbreak that has killed nearly 5,000 people.
Se recalled that besides treating patients directly, the health workers
in West Africa are also training local personnel in how to deal with the
epidemic.
Cuba's contribution to battling the epidemic has been praised by
international entities such as the United Nations and the World Health
Organization, as well as U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times
For more than 50 years, the United States and Cuba have had no
diplomatic relations, and Washington has imposed an economic, trade and
financial embargo on the island. EFE
Source: U.S. praises Cuba's contribution to fight against Ebola | Fox
News Latino -
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2014/10/31/us-praises-cuba-contribution-to-fight-against-ebola/
Published October 31, 2014 EFE
The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, on
Friday praised Cuba's contribution to the fight against Ebola in West
Africa, and said that her country is very grateful.
"Although I did not encounter them personally, I have to commend Cuba"
for sending 265 medical professionals to the affected countries so
quickly, said Power, recently returned from a trip to Africa, during a
Reuters Newsmaker panel discussion in New York.
"We are working side by side, as it were," the diplomat said, though
adding that the U.S. and Cuban efforts are separate.
Power noted the speed with which Havana reacted to the Ebola outbreak,
and recalled that the Cuban government will send another 200 health
workers to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries most
affected by an outbreak that has killed nearly 5,000 people.
Se recalled that besides treating patients directly, the health workers
in West Africa are also training local personnel in how to deal with the
epidemic.
Cuba's contribution to battling the epidemic has been praised by
international entities such as the United Nations and the World Health
Organization, as well as U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times
For more than 50 years, the United States and Cuba have had no
diplomatic relations, and Washington has imposed an economic, trade and
financial embargo on the island. EFE
Source: U.S. praises Cuba's contribution to fight against Ebola | Fox
News Latino -
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2014/10/31/us-praises-cuba-contribution-to-fight-against-ebola/
Hugo Swire first UK minister to visit Cuba in almost decade
Hugo Swire first UK minister to visit Cuba in almost decade
Foreign Office minister to meet senior government figures on communist
island to discuss trade, investment and concerns about human rights
By Danny Boyle9:42AM GMT 31 Oct 2014
Hugo Swire has become the first British Government minister to visit
Cuba in almost 10 years.
He will meet senior government figures to discuss trade and investment
as well as raise UK concerns about the human rights situation on the
communist island.
Mr Swire, a Foreign Office minister, said: "It has been too long since a
UK minister was in Cuba, but I'm very happy to rectify that.
"Although we naturally have our differences, we work together where we
can, including on the response to the Ebola epidemic, where Cuba is
playing a vital international role.
"Cuba is sending hundreds of medical professionals to UK-run facilities
in Sierra Leone on top of staff already in that country and in Guinea.
"I am proud that we can work together on such an important cause, and
one which the UK has committed £205m to tackling. It has the potential
to become a global problem and as such needs a global solution."
The Foreign Office said Mr Swire arrived in Cuba on Wednesday and leaves
the Caribbean island on Saturday.
A spokesman said he will call on ministers responsible for foreign
affairs as well as trade, health and tourism to discuss ways Britain can
build on its work in the country.
Mr Swire was also due to meet Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban
president Raúl Castro and the niece of former president Fidel Castro.
Source: Hugo Swire first UK minister to visit Cuba in almost decade -
Telegraph -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/cuba/11200459/Hugo-Swire-first-UK-minister-to-visit-Cuba-in-almost-decade.html
Foreign Office minister to meet senior government figures on communist
island to discuss trade, investment and concerns about human rights
By Danny Boyle9:42AM GMT 31 Oct 2014
Hugo Swire has become the first British Government minister to visit
Cuba in almost 10 years.
He will meet senior government figures to discuss trade and investment
as well as raise UK concerns about the human rights situation on the
communist island.
Mr Swire, a Foreign Office minister, said: "It has been too long since a
UK minister was in Cuba, but I'm very happy to rectify that.
"Although we naturally have our differences, we work together where we
can, including on the response to the Ebola epidemic, where Cuba is
playing a vital international role.
"Cuba is sending hundreds of medical professionals to UK-run facilities
in Sierra Leone on top of staff already in that country and in Guinea.
"I am proud that we can work together on such an important cause, and
one which the UK has committed £205m to tackling. It has the potential
to become a global problem and as such needs a global solution."
The Foreign Office said Mr Swire arrived in Cuba on Wednesday and leaves
the Caribbean island on Saturday.
A spokesman said he will call on ministers responsible for foreign
affairs as well as trade, health and tourism to discuss ways Britain can
build on its work in the country.
Mr Swire was also due to meet Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban
president Raúl Castro and the niece of former president Fidel Castro.
Source: Hugo Swire first UK minister to visit Cuba in almost decade -
Telegraph -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/cuba/11200459/Hugo-Swire-first-UK-minister-to-visit-Cuba-in-almost-decade.html
Friday, October 31, 2014
Solidarity with Miguel Ginarte
Solidarity with Miguel Ginarte / Angel Santiesteban
Posted on October 31, 2014
Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, the president of the Diez de Octubre Court
declared conclusive the trial against Miguel Ginarte and five other
defendants. Just a year ago, Ángel Santiesteban-Prats wrote this post in
solidarity with Miguel.
The Editor
My mother always warned me that the Cuban government proceeds through
their actions: "When they no longer need you, the squash you like a
cockroach".
In the cultural media, it is well-known that there are very few shows on
Cuban TV that do not use Miguel Ginarte to produce their programmes; in
fact, very few are those who in the end who are not grateful for his
disinterested help, his constant effort, because he takes the care with
each show as if it were the final project that he would ever collaborate
on. A man who people rarely hear say no, and when he has had to say no
it is because it really was beyond his reach to help.
But that ranch not only provides work for the The Cuban Institute of
Radio and Television (ICRT), but also for the Ministry of Culture, who
closed events at that location, like a peasant with a pig being roasted
under the stars. I was able to participate in some of these closures
before opening my blog, of course, and there we could also see the make
up of the diet of then Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, now adviser to
President Raul Castro: Fish and wine.
At that time, Ginarte wasn't selling or diverting resources, as he is
now being accused of. The television directors, when they wanted their
guests to be treated decently, approached Papa Ginarte: who never turned
his back, and after giving the respective indications, persevered to
make sure that the requests were met.
As the actor Alberto Pujol said in his letter, there was no luxury to be
found there; on the contrary, everything was very modest, to the point
that it looked like somewhere one would film a mambises* cabin in the
foothills of a mountain. Ostentation never interested Ginarte, only the
quality of his work, because as every good Cuban peasant knows "A bull
is tied by his horns, and a man by his words".
As always on the island, behind this web of lies against Ginarte, there
must be an official in love with the place, to at a whim do away with
the work accomplished by the sweat of another; perhaps someone who
resents Ginarte because at some time he should have said no, as only he
knows how to do with bureaucrats. But it should come as no surprise to
anyone: everyone's time will come, regardless if they are excellent
professionals, altruists, creators, honest, revolutionary people; they
need only to be inadequate for the plans of those in power to be
literally swept under the carpet.
I remember him with his jovial smile of a macho peasant who enjoyed very
few days before entering prison. I would like to be able to say to him
"the master should be ashamed, Papa Ginarte", and remember him on his
horse, back in the seventies, going to see Luyanó with his daughter
Dinae and, patiently, lifting us up one by one to give us each our turn
on his beautiful auburn steed.
At any rate, despite the pain that the injustice committed against
Ginarte has caused us, there is something that makes it worth it, and
that is his friends and admirers who have joined him by tooth and nail.
I am sure that, as always, those who are ashamed will sign the petition,
as they have done for decades. Others will want to do it but their lack
of courage, or their commitments or perks, won't let them; they think
that it is not their problem, for now. But when someone does it from
their heart, then that is already more than sufficient.
Ángel Santestiban-Prats
Lawton prison settlement. October 2013
*Translator's notes: Mambises is a term used to refer to independent
guerillas who, during the 19th Century in Cuba and the Philippines,
fought in the wars of independence.
Translated by Shane J. Cassidy
25 October 2014
Source: Solidarity with Miguel Ginarte / Angel Santiesteban |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/solidarity-with-miguel-ginarte-angel-santiesteban/
Posted on October 31, 2014
Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, the president of the Diez de Octubre Court
declared conclusive the trial against Miguel Ginarte and five other
defendants. Just a year ago, Ángel Santiesteban-Prats wrote this post in
solidarity with Miguel.
The Editor
My mother always warned me that the Cuban government proceeds through
their actions: "When they no longer need you, the squash you like a
cockroach".
In the cultural media, it is well-known that there are very few shows on
Cuban TV that do not use Miguel Ginarte to produce their programmes; in
fact, very few are those who in the end who are not grateful for his
disinterested help, his constant effort, because he takes the care with
each show as if it were the final project that he would ever collaborate
on. A man who people rarely hear say no, and when he has had to say no
it is because it really was beyond his reach to help.
But that ranch not only provides work for the The Cuban Institute of
Radio and Television (ICRT), but also for the Ministry of Culture, who
closed events at that location, like a peasant with a pig being roasted
under the stars. I was able to participate in some of these closures
before opening my blog, of course, and there we could also see the make
up of the diet of then Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, now adviser to
President Raul Castro: Fish and wine.
At that time, Ginarte wasn't selling or diverting resources, as he is
now being accused of. The television directors, when they wanted their
guests to be treated decently, approached Papa Ginarte: who never turned
his back, and after giving the respective indications, persevered to
make sure that the requests were met.
As the actor Alberto Pujol said in his letter, there was no luxury to be
found there; on the contrary, everything was very modest, to the point
that it looked like somewhere one would film a mambises* cabin in the
foothills of a mountain. Ostentation never interested Ginarte, only the
quality of his work, because as every good Cuban peasant knows "A bull
is tied by his horns, and a man by his words".
As always on the island, behind this web of lies against Ginarte, there
must be an official in love with the place, to at a whim do away with
the work accomplished by the sweat of another; perhaps someone who
resents Ginarte because at some time he should have said no, as only he
knows how to do with bureaucrats. But it should come as no surprise to
anyone: everyone's time will come, regardless if they are excellent
professionals, altruists, creators, honest, revolutionary people; they
need only to be inadequate for the plans of those in power to be
literally swept under the carpet.
I remember him with his jovial smile of a macho peasant who enjoyed very
few days before entering prison. I would like to be able to say to him
"the master should be ashamed, Papa Ginarte", and remember him on his
horse, back in the seventies, going to see Luyanó with his daughter
Dinae and, patiently, lifting us up one by one to give us each our turn
on his beautiful auburn steed.
At any rate, despite the pain that the injustice committed against
Ginarte has caused us, there is something that makes it worth it, and
that is his friends and admirers who have joined him by tooth and nail.
I am sure that, as always, those who are ashamed will sign the petition,
as they have done for decades. Others will want to do it but their lack
of courage, or their commitments or perks, won't let them; they think
that it is not their problem, for now. But when someone does it from
their heart, then that is already more than sufficient.
Ángel Santestiban-Prats
Lawton prison settlement. October 2013
*Translator's notes: Mambises is a term used to refer to independent
guerillas who, during the 19th Century in Cuba and the Philippines,
fought in the wars of independence.
Translated by Shane J. Cassidy
25 October 2014
Source: Solidarity with Miguel Ginarte / Angel Santiesteban |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/solidarity-with-miguel-ginarte-angel-santiesteban/
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