Warning: Cuba is under the control of a totalitarian state with the only objective of keeping the power at any cost. This report will show you the actual situation in Cuba, that one that the state propaganda tries to deny.
Politic
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation has had to sign a contract with the Palco Business Group, a firm of the Cuban government, to be able to process before the deadline all the applications that have been received at the Spanish consulate in Havana to process the nationality files endorsed by the Law of Democratic Memory.
The consulate could not select the staff it needed to be able to process the nationality applications that have arrived. It has been the Palco Group that has provided that staff. A total of 87 office assistants and service assistants who have worked 137-hour days per week. The salaries set range between 3706 and 6630 Cuban pesos per month (at the exchange rate between 6.9 and 12.30 euros), although the state company has received between 205 and 210 euros per month for each employee.
Economy
The value of 1 dollar is 490 Cuban pesos (CUP). Now the Cuba minimum pension is around 6.18 USD, the minimum wage is 4.26 USD, and the average salary is 12.85 dollars; all amounts are on a monthly basis.
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The Cuba Petroleum Union (Cupet) is developing new exploration projects aimed at guaranteeing the sustainability and growth of the national production of crude oil and accompanying gas. This is a key point for the Cuban government. With the cessation of oil shipments from Venezuela, it is necessary to at least guarantee that the deficient national production does not decrease.
The Cuban oil industry has an inventory of wells whose exploitation in many cases exceeds 10 or 20 years with a natural decline in the productive balance. Crude oil and national gas are fundamental inputs for the country's thermoelectric plants. Domestic production cover more than 50% of the fuel used to generate electricity.
Cupet plans to increase the rate of drilling from the current two or three wells per year to six or eight.
Social
Lack of medicines, high cost of food, and political repression are the constant in Cuba. When this fact changes I will report it.
Blackouts continue as usual, with electricity deficits beyond the 50% the most part of the country have only 8 to 12 hours of service per day.
With a needed investment of, at least, 1 billions dollars per year and 10 years to revert the actual conditions the electrical shortage will be a reality for decades in the future.
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The Cuban government published on January 23th in the Official Gazette the new Public Health Law. This one recognizes the right to a dignified death and defines the assumptions for applying euthanasia. However its application is postponed until a specific rule to regulate it will be approved.
Honestly, with the lack of resources in cuban health system it's unlikely the extended application of this law. It is difficult that in a country that the government can not secure a dignified life be able to guarantee the right to a dignified death.
Final notes
This is all for today Cuba: Inside View, thanks for reading, and don’t forget to check the other reports here: