Cuban minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba
Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitós' impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years.
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France flirts with cutting two public holidays to save money
France is flirting with the idea of cutting two public holidays as the government targets more spending cuts to plug a budget black hole. French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced plans for spending cuts on Tuesday as the government targets 43.8 billion euros' ($50.9 billion) worth of savings in a bid to reach a budget deficit level of 4.6% in 2026, down from the 5.4% budget hole seen this year. Among the proposals were suggestions that two public holidays be scrapped, 3,000 civil service jobs eliminated and the limitation of tax breaks for the wealthy. The French government suggested that the public holidays that could face the axe are Easter Monday, which it said "no longer has any religious significances," and May 8, also known as 'Victory in Europe Day,' marking Nazi Germany's surrender that brought an end to World War II. Those holidays occurred "in a month full of long weekends," the government said, and abolishing them would "increase economic activity in businesses, shops, and the civil service, thus improving our productivity." The government also said a "special effort" would be required of those "who have the capacity to contribute more," proposing a "solidarity contribution" from the wealthiest. "Today we are experiencing a moment of truth, one of those moments in the history of a nation where everyone must ask themselves: what part am I willing to play in our collective future?" Bayrou told a press conference late Tuesday. "The threat of being crushed by debt has become real: it now represents 114% of gross domestic product (GDP), and its repayment continues to weigh more and more heavily on our budget. Every second, the debt increases by 5,000 euros. This is the last stop before the cliff," the prime minister said. As part of his "Stop the Debt" plan, Bayrou said the government would look look to curb government spending except for in the realm of defense, with President Emmanuel Macron announcing plans on Monday to ramp up spending in that department. The president called to raise defense spending by 3.5 billion euros ($4.09 billion) next year and by another 3 billion in 2027. That would take the total amount spent on security that year to 64 billion euros — double the defense budget the French armed forces had in 2017, when Macron first became president. French lawmakers must approve the increases before they can be enacted. France's parliament, the National Assembly, has already endured months of wrangling over the wider 2025 national budget and cost savings, with arguments leading to a previous government collapse late last year. Bayrou's premiership is precarious, with the prime minister surviving no less than eight no-confidence motions against him since taking office last December, with the last vote being on July 1. He's facing the threat of another vote of no-confidence, with both the far-Left Communist Party and far-right National Rally both indicating they will not back the new budget cuts. Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the Communist Party, described the government's spending cut plans as an "organized robbery," stating on X that the government was "eliminating two public holidays to make us work for free." While National Rally's President Jordan Bardella said any abolition of Easter Monday and May 8 would be "a direct attack on our history, our roots, and the France of work." CNBC has contacted the government's press office for a response to the comments and is awaiting a reply.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
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Cuban minister resigns after saying country has no beggars
Cuban Minister for Labour and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó-Cabrera, has been forced to resign from her post after she made comments in a parliamentary session which denied the existence of beggars on the Communist-run island. The minister had said there was no such thing as "beggars" in Cuba and people going through rubbish were, in essence, doing so out of choice to make "easy money", as she put it. Her comments were widely criticised by Cubans at home and abroad, and prompted a response from the island's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel. She resigned soon after. Poverty levels and food shortages have worsened in Cuba as it continues to grapple with a severe economic crisis. Feitó-Cabrera made the comments earlier this week at a session of the National Assembly, in which she spoke about people begging and rummaging through dustbins in Cuba. She appeared to deny their existence saying: "There are no beggars in Cuba. There are people pretending to be beggars to make easy money." Furthermore, she accused people searching through the rubbish of being "illegal participants in the recycling service". The minister clearly misjudged the outrage and anger her comments would cause and the extent to which they portrayed the country's leadership as unfeeling, authoritarian and deeply disconnected from the dire economic struggles of ordinary Cubans. A number of Cuban activists and intellectuals published a letter calling for her removal saying the comments were "an insult to the Cuban people". The Cuban president then criticised Feitó-Cabrera at the parliamentary session - albeit without mentioning her by name - saying the leadership could not "act with condescension" or be "disconnected from the realities" of the people. Cuban economist Pedro Monreal posted on X saying that there were "people disguised as ministers" in Cuba. Feitó-Cabrera's resignation was accepted by the Cuban Communist Party and the government. While the Cuban government does not publish official figures on the number of people begging, the rise in their number has been self-evident to most Cubans amid the island's deep economic crisis. Cuba asks UN for help as food shortages worsen Cubans endure days without power as energy crisis hits hard
9 hours ago
Cuban labor minister resigns after sparking backlash
HAVANA -- A Cuban minister who sparked criticism after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, resigned Tuesday. Cuba's Presidency said in a post on X that Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera 'acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation.' Feitó made the comments Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. The comments went viral, prompting calls for Feitó's impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years. Even Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was critical. Without mentioning her by name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feitó participated, Díaz-Canel said on his X account: 'the lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.' The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as people — especially the elderly — begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windshields at corners. 'We have seen people, apparently beggars, (but) when you look at their hands, look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars," Feitó said before the National Assembly committee. "In Cuba there are no beggars.' She added that people cleaning windshields use the money to 'drink alcohol.' Feitó also lashed out against those who search through the garbage dumps, saying they are recovering materials 'to resell and not pay tax.' Until a few years ago, despite the poverty, there were no signs of begging or homelessness on the island thanks to benefits that have now been greatly reduced. The pension of a retiree is about 2,000 Cuban pesos per month, roughly $5 on the informal market, and just under the cost of a carton of eggs. For those who don't receive remittances from family abroad, it means going hungry. Self-employed Enrique Guillén believes the minister is wrong and that some people do not see the situation clearly, and hopes the government will take action. 'They are elderly people who count on a pension that does not exist. They cannot even buy a carton of eggs. It is the reality we are living in Cuba,' Guillén said.
