Today we will show our two documentaries, Uphill on the Hill and Hardliner on the Hudson, in Havana. Stay tuned for the online premiere coming in May.

Argentine jet fuel providers refused to service Cuban airplanes in Buenos Aires this week, citing provisions of the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
U.S. sanctions on Cuba are extraterritorial. International banks and companies have been fined by the U.S. for doing business with Cuba.…

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Is 60 Minutes propagating fake news?

Its recent report once again pushed the narrative that U.S. spies and diplomats were “attacked” by Russia.

Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández dismantles the decontextualized and sensationalist media coverage of “Havana Syndrome.”

More than 200 Cubans stranded in Haiti since February returned home over the weekend in six flights coordinated by Cuban authorities.
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuban-Nat…

Three Minnesota-based advocacy groups gathered in front of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office this week asking her to sign a letter calling on President Biden to take Cuba off the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Minnesota Cuba Committee Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective Women Against Military Madness 🇵🇸

Our coming documentary “Gaza From Afar,” directed by Frank Rojazz, had its first screening this week at Old Havana’s Arab House. Gaza From Afar tells the story of Murid Abukhater, one of the hundreds of Palestinian who are studying medicine in Cuba.

For the last two years, U.S. and Cuban officials have been meeting to discuss how to stem the unprecedented migration of Cubans to the U.S. border. But according to Johana Tablada de la Torre, the U.S. refuses to address the root cause of the migration: U.S. sanctions.

Cuba and the U.S. held migration talks today in D.C. Carlos F. de Cossio said there was “common ground” and also disagreement about the U.S. embargo: “The policy of the U.S. aimed at repressing the standard of living of Cuban citizens…motivates Cubans to want to leave Cuba to the…

The 24th edition of the Havana Film Festival New York started last Friday and will be held until April 18th. This year it features over 35 films from all over Latin America and honors Cuban filmmakers Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Nicolás Guillén Landrián.
hffny.com/_files/ugd/8bb…

Former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as a foreign agent of Cuba for decades.
Rocha worked for the State Dept. for more than 20 years in several countries, including Cuba. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia…

Drug abuse has increased in Cuba in recent years, especially among young people, as Cuba’s economic crisis (fueled by U.S. sanctions) has hindered the govt.’s ability to treat addiction, according to Centro Habana’s Mental Health Center Director.
aol.com/cuba-says-drug…

“Trying to make sense of U.S. policy toward Cuba is like trying to make sense of a play in the theater of the absurd.” William M. LeoGrande in Responsible Statecraft responsiblestatecraft.org/congress-cuba/
“A small group of conservative Cuban American legislators, obsessed with reducing Cuba to penury, have been…

Five banks refused to process financial transactions from Cuba last year due to its inclusion on the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism List, according to Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade. The transactions were for food purchases destined to the regulated family food basket,…

A bipartisan delegation of agriculture commissioners from seven U.S. states, three Democratic and four Republican, traveled to Cuba to meet Cuban farmers and explore business opportunities.
But they say their hands are tied due to U.S. sanctions, which make trade and investment…

An op-ed by Micho Spring for The Boston Globe calls on the Biden admin to support Cuban entrepreneurs and remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List to alleviate Cuba’s economic crisis.
bostonglobe.com/2024/04/01/opi…

The Pentagon has confirmed a senior official reported “Havana Syndrome” symptoms, which could mean...almost anything. Reported symptoms include headaches, nausea and dizziness.
apnews.com/article/havana…
Two recent NIH studies found no brain or physical injuries in U.S. personnel…

A group of Maryland organizations and individuals sent a letter to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md) Tuesday calling on him to use his power as Chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee to end the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
thehill.com/latino/4569992…
Cardin replaced embattled…