Cuba's vaunted public health system, which boasts more doctors per capita than any other country, has been pushed to the brink in recent months by the arrival of the coronavirus Delta variant.
President Joe Biden said Thursday the United States was considering ways to force open internet access in Cuba, which he called a failed state as the communist leadership faces down the biggest protests in memory.
The Cuban Embassy in Costa Rica temporarily closed its doors this Wednesday, in the face of continuous protests by Cuban residents against the island's government
The anti-government rallies erupted spontaneously in several cities as the country endures its worst economic crisis in 30 years, with chronic shortages of electricity and food.
On Tuesday, the Treasury Department was to invite U.S. airlines to submit applications to be allocated the new flights. American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and JetBlue have previously expressed an interest in running regular flights to Cuba.
Some economists say Cuba should seek to rejoin international financial institutions in order to reduce poverty and further economic reforms. Cuba is one of only eight countries that do not belong to the International Monetary Fund.
According to Costa Rica's former trade minister, Alberto Trejos, Cuba, whose halting reforms have failed to energize the island’s stagnant, centralized economy, may have a thing or two to learn from Costa Rica – which over the last 30 years has made strides in slashing poverty, promoting trade and luring foreign direct investment.
