Cuba Roundup: Gasoline and transportation prices, femicides, Cuban doctors in Mexico, storm
Increase in gasoline and electricity prices
Cuban authorities announced on Monday, January 8, that the price of gasoline will increase by 500% starting on February 1. A litre of regular gasoline will rise from $0.20 to $1.10, and the cost of a litre of special gasoline will increase to $1.30, as reported by El País. Tourists will be required to pay for fuel in dollars. Starting on March 1, the electricity price will also surge by 25% for certain households. These measures are part of Cuba's strategy to address the ongoing crisis.
Interprovincial transportation prices
On Tuesday, the Cuban government announced an increase in interprovincial transportation costs. According to CiberCuba, the rates for buses and planes will rise by 300%, and trains by up to 700%. These new fares will take effect from March 1.
A second femicide
In the first 10 days of 2024, Cuba registered two femicides, as reported by the Cuban platform YoSíTeCreo and the Gender Observatory of the magazine Alas Tensas (OGAT). In 2023, there were 88 cases, marking the highest number since groups like those mentioned began collecting data in 2019, according to CubaNet.
Cuban doctors in Mexico
In an interview with the Mexican radio station Radio Fórmula, Julieta del Río, commissioner of Mexico’s National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Personal Data Protection (INAI), stated that, according to an international report, Mexico granted $10,700 (181,900 Mexican pesos) to the Cuban government for each of the 585 doctors and nurses who arrived in the country during the COVID-19 crisis. The commissioner called for transparency in payment explanations and accused the Cuban government of “keeping” 94.4%.
Storm in Havana
During the early hours of this Wednesday, a severe storm occurred in the municipality of Playa. Approximately 20 homes have been affected, but no human injuries have been reported, according to Tribuna de La Habana. Authorities said that efforts are underway to restore electrical and telephone services.
