In Cuba Renewed US Services for Would-Be Migrants.
There are now more Cubans in custody at the border with the Southern U.S. border is now equal to that of Mexicans.
This is our Morning Brief, where we’re reviewing the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Cuba and the possibility of a Russian blame-game, as well as an abandoned cessez-fire agreement in Colombia.
U.S. Embassy in Cuba Reopens for Visa Services
The United States reopened its embassy in Havana with the intention of resuming all visa procedures. Consular services are now open too.
This marks the first time visa services have been restarted in Havana since 2017, when they were effectively shut down following health incidents among embassy staff from what became known as “Havana syndrome”–unexplained medical symptoms that have since been reported by diplomatic personnel and federal employees in various parts of the world, including in Washington.
The decision to open visa applications comes amid pressure from the influx of people. U.S. authorities have reported the denial of tens of thousands of Cuban migrants seeking to enter to the United States each month–the result of the economic crisis (which Cuban officials blame at least partially on U.S. sanctions) and according to The Associated Press put it, “discontent among Cubans and the relative ease with which Cuban migrants can obtain legal status in the U.S., another hangover from the Cold War.”
European assets are rising as investors watch US economic data
In the last week, the arrival of hundreds of migrants from the Florida Keys by boat led to the temporary closure in Dry Tortugas National Park.
As per U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Cubans are now just behind Mexicans in terms of the number of detained people in border crossings at the U.S. southern border. The return of visa services is an effort to provide a legal route to travel, and the United States could give out up to 22,000 visas this year.
President Barack Obama was a former U.S. President Barack Obama took steps to enhance relations with Cuba, the long-standing U.S. antagonist, lifting the embargo on trade. The succeeding president, Donald Trump, reversed Obama’s Cuba policies.
The number of Cubans detained at the southern U.S. border is now second only to the number of Mexicans.https://t.co/HjWsHWhZpv
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) January 5, 2023
Biden has so far followed an intermediate path relaxing, for instance, the restrictions on the remittances that are sent by Cuba to the United States to Cuba. It’s still unclear when the reinstatement of visa processing will result in a more general warming on U.S.-Cuban relations.
Russia is blaming its Ukrainian strike on the soldiers’ use of phones. The Russian Ministry of Defense blamed its soldiers for a successful Ukrainian attack in the city of Makiivka New Year’s Day, which claimed to have caused the deaths of at least 89 Russian soldiers.
According to the ministry, the “main cause,” the ministry stated, was that, “contrary to the ban,” Russian soldiers were using mobile phones, which allowed Ukraine the ability to “track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers’ locations.”
A blogger from the military, Semyon Pegov, writing under the pseudonym WarGonzo said that this is “a blatant attempt to smear blame.” Serhii Cherevatyi spokesperson on behalf of the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said, “They are putting the blame on each other.”
The Ukrainian version of events widely believed to be the same strike puts an estimated death count of around 400 Russian soldiers, however the Russian account of events is one of the most deadly wars in the history of Russian forces.
Colombia’s ELN rebel group denies there is a cease-fire. Despite an announcement from Colombian president Gustavo Petro that the country’s largest armed groups had reached an agreement on a truce, the National Liberation Army (ELN) claimed that it was not an active participant in any discussions.
“The ELN Dialogue Delegation has not discussed any bilateral ceasefire with the Gustavo Petro government, therefore no such agreement exists,” the ELN stated in a statement, defying Petro’s claim to bring about “total peace” in Colombia. The Colombian government later canceled the cease-fire agreement it announced.
French film awards prohibit suspected sexual assault criminals. It was announced that the Cesar Awards, sometimes referred to as the “French Oscars,” announced any person being investigated over alleged sexual assault will be excluded from the upcoming awards ceremony.
The decision was made amid concerns that the ceremony could be a cause for protest after it was known that actress Sofiane Bennacer was the subject of an investigation over allegations of sexual assault and rape. Bennacer has denied all wrongdoing.
The French Academy said in a statement that “It has been decided not to highlight people who may have been put in question by the judiciary for acts of violence.”
he decision is also a result of the 2020 ceremony at where Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty to statutory rape in the case of 13-year-old girl before fleeing to from the United States in the 1970s was awarded best director at which was met with protests and a change in the structure in ceremonies like the Cesar Awards.
Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the start of a new era in professionals in soccer across the Gulf, the soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo hosted his debut press conference in the nation in which he currently plays, Saudi Arabia.
However, he did refer to the country in the context of South Africa. “It’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa,” he declared. He is believed to be the highest-paid soccer player. The new club he is playing for, Al Nassr, tweeted, “everyone is happy today.”
Denmark has not recorded one bank robbery until 2022. Comparatively, Finance Denmark, the bank sector association of the country has reported that 221 bank robberies took place in 2000.
The cash transactions that occur are extremely rare in Denmark are so infrequent that criminals, who for a brief time attempted to get a hold with it by blocking ATMs, are now focusing on stealing money from customers on the internet.
