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Cuba’s current fuel crisis has prompted the country to seek assistance from its historical ally, Russia. Cuban taxi driver Jorge Lloro, who drives a Soviet-era Lada, is reminded of the strong ties between the two nations. During the Cold War, around 100,000 Lada cars were imported to Cuba as a way to circumvent the long-standing US economic embargo. Now, facing a severe fuel shortage and a grim economic outlook, Cuba’s leadership has once again turned to Russia for support.

For drivers like Jorge, maintaining their vehicles has become a constant struggle due to the scarcity and high cost of spare parts. Even obtaining petrol has become a lengthy ordeal, with long queues at petrol pumps. To manage the situation, the state has organized drivers into WhatsApp groups, assigning them numbers and notifying them when it’s their turn to fill up. However, the system has been inefficient and lacking in proper organization and infrastructure, leading to frustration among drivers.

The fuel crisis is just one of the many challenges Cuba has faced recently, including food insecurity, inflation, and electricity blackouts. These longstanding issues stem from government mismanagement and the US economic embargo, aggravated further by the collapse of the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seizing this opportunity, some Russian companies have signed agreements with Cuba to revitalize tourism infrastructure, improve agriculture, and invest in industries such as rum and steel production.

Of particular interest to Jorge and other drivers is an agreement for Russia to supply approximately 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day. This would help compensate for the reduction in oil exports from Venezuela, Cuba’s oil-rich socialist ally, which decreased from 80,000 barrels per day in 2020 to around 55,000. The Cuban state media portrays this cooperation as evidence of the enduring ties between the two nations. However, independent economist Omar Everleny believes that closer relations with Moscow offer only a short-term solution for Cuba.

While Russia’s assistance may stabilize the current crisis, Mr. Everleny points out that Russian firms will expect timely and full payment for their investments, which could potentially burden Cuban families. He warns against relying on a single benefactor, citing historical examples of dependence on Spain, the US, the Soviet Union, and Venezuela. Instead, Everleny suggests that Cuba should develop its own production strategy, with a key role for small and medium-sized Cuban businesses.

As the day outside the petrol station comes to an end, Jorge Lloro manages to fill up his Lada. However, like the Cuban Revolution itself, the country’s situation remains precarious, relying on Russian assistance while desperately needing significant reforms in the years to come.

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News

The military of United States has denounces a Venezuelan fighter aircraft, claiming that the aircraft has made an ‘unsafe approach’ to US aircraft. US said that the Venezuelan aircraft has endangered the crew of US navy plane in international airspace.

The US Southern Command said that the Venezuelan plane made an “unsafe approach” and “aggressively shadowed” the US reconnaissance aircraft over the Caribbean Sea.

The US Southern Command said that, on Friday, a “Russian-made” SU-30 Flanker Venezuelan fighter aircraft and a US Navy EP-3 Aries II aircraft has been conducting a “detection and monitoring” mission. In his twitter, he said that the incident happened in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea.

Venezuela said that the US aircraft had entered the Venezuelan airspace without their permission. The relations between these two countries have been worse for years.

The reports of US military said that Venezuelan strategic high command “proceeded to intercept the aircraft through two airplanes of the Bolivarian Air Force with the intention of applying the international protocols established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As the US aircraft did not comply with such protocols, it was forced to vacate (the Venezuelan airspace)”.

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News Politics

As as electricity crisis continues in Venezuela, the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announces power rationing amid outages for a period of 30 days. The people of Venezuela had protested against the lack of water and electric service during a new power outage in Venezuela, in Caracas on Sunday.

Maduro had said that years of government neglect, mismanagement and corruption have left the electrical grid in shambles. Maduro said that the power rationing will be “with an emphasis on guaranteeing water service”.

Jorge Rodriguez, Communications Minister said, “To achieve consistency in the provision of electricity, the Bolivarian government decided to maintain the suspension of school activities and establish a workday until 2:00 pm in public and private institutions”.

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News

Two Russian air force planes carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops landed at Venezuela’s main airport on Saturday, reports said. It was showed in a flight-tracking website that two planes left from a Russian military airport bound for Caracas on Friday. A separate flight-tracking website showed that one plane left Caracas on Sunday.

Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported that the planes were sent to “fulfil technical military contracts”. On Twitter, a Venezuelan journalist wrote that he saw about 100 troops and 35 tonnes of equipment offloaded from the planes.

A passenger jet, Ilyushin IL-62 and a military cargo plane Antonov AN-124 left for Caracas on Friday from Russian military airport Chkalovsky. The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 found out that the air crafts stopped along the way in Syria.

As per reports, Sputnik quoted “Russia has various contracts that are in the process of being fulfilled, contracts of a technical military character”.

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News Politics

The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a meeting said that he will defeat a “crazed minority”, pointing the self proclaimed Venezuelan leader Juan Guido and his supporters. Juan Guaido had defied him by returning home on Monday and this was reported as Maduro’s first public comment after that.

Maduro said that he will be organising an “anti-imperialist” demonstrations on Mar 9. An opposition march had been announced by Guaido on this same date.

Elliott Abrams, The US envoy for Venezuela said it was hard to see a role for Mr Maduro in future democratic elections. “If he wanted to build a democratic Venezuela, he had the opportunity to do so, but he did not” said Elliott Abrams.

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Crime News

Severely bad clashes had been broken out at the border towns across Venezuela as opposition activists try to bring aid into the country across government blockades.

It is reported that two people have been killed in these clashes between the soldiers and opposition supporters after Maduro closed the border with Brazil and Colombia. The trucks loaded with humanitarian aid tried to cross over from Brazil and Colombia.

The Venezuelan soldiers fired tear gas at opposition supporters who were trying to unload the goods in the trucks. This caused harm to hundreds of people.

Demonstrators set up barricades and burned tires in the Venezuelan border town of Urena, as attention turned to whether National Guard troops stationed at the border crossing would fulfill Maduro’s orders to block humanitarian aid from reaching a sick and hungry population.

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News

The US military aircraft is set to deliver 200 tons of aid to Venezuela border in Colombia as it increases pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to give up power, according to a State Department email sent to Congress.

The aid will be delivered to Cucuta, Colombia, where other food and medical supplies are being held. The aid comes with the request of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, to solve the shortage of food and other essentials in economically troubled Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said the aid is part of Washington’s political maneuvering to get him out of office, and he has blocked off a bridge needed to bring the supplies into Venezuela.

Lester Toledo, coordinator for international help for Venezuela said, “We came to ask for the solidarity of the governments of the world. We appreciate the diplomatic gestures. We appreciate the letters and the recognition of President Guaidó. But we ask for help, to make the humanitarian aid a reality. That all donations can let us purchase medical supplies that we really need.”

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International Trade News

Venezuela’s oil economy has almost died due to the US sanction. Now, it relies almost solely on its gold trade for its sustenance. The United Arab Empire, Russia and Turkey are the biggest importers of the Venezuelan gold. Of these three, Turkey’s trade with the socialist Latin American is the one which worries the European Union and the United States the most. It is alleged that the gold reaches Turkey from Venezuela ostensibly for the purpose of refinement is shipped to Iran. The US is of the belief that the network of the Venezuela-Turkey-Iran gold trade is what enables the embattled Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, who is on an ultimatum, to keep the loyalty of his country’s soldiers intact. The west now knows that the best way to topple the aggressive Venezuelan socialist is to cut off his revenue channels. The EU and US’ latest combined attempt to force Turkey to stop its engagements with Venezuela, particularly its gold trade, is regarded as the part of that strategy. The US has reportedly served an ultimatum to Turkey to cease its gold trade with Venezuela.

If Russia and the others does not increase their gold and oil import with Venezuela, Mr Maduro will be toppled as soon as the EU and the US find success in forcing Turkey to withdraw its backup –by all possibility that would not take more than few weeks.

It is not clear from where Iran has come to the picture. There is evidence that Turkey has brought in several tonnes of gold from Venezuela in the name of refinement and none of the imported has been returned. But, there is nothing to assume that what has been imported by Turkey has been exported to Iran. The possibility that Iran has been purposefully brought into the narrative to increase the strength of those against the Venezuelan trade cannot be ruled out blindly.

Vignesh. S. G
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News Politics

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that Venezuela will close its embassy and all consulates in the United States. On Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido had proclaimed himself acting president. Soon after this, U.S. did the recognition of Guaido as interim president.

Venezuela decided to shut all diplomatic missions in US. Maduro avenge back the US as they supports the opposition against him. Mike Pompeo urged the Venezuelan army to protect Guaido. Maduro added that he agreed with a call by Mexico and Uruguay for dialogue between Venezuela’s government and the opposition for a resolution to the country’s political crisis.

Sunaya Paison
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