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.
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. She said they are recovering materials 'to resell and not pay tax.'
Without mentioning her name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feitó participated, President Miguel 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.'
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.
On Monday, island authorities reported that Cuba's gross domestic product fell by 1.1% in 2024, accumulating a decline of 11% over the past five years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Houthis threaten to attack any ship from countries that do business with Israel
The Houthi rebel group has threatened to attack merchant ships belonging to any company or nation that does business with Israel as part of a new phase of attacks aimed at the Jewish state. The Iran-backed terror group said Sunday that it has 'decided to escalate their military support operations and begin implementing the fourth phase of the naval blockade' against Israel. It warned that all merchant ships, 'regardless of nationality' or final destination, will be targeted along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, two major trade routes that have been plagued by the Houthis since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Advertisement 3 The Houthis sunk the Greek-owned Magic Seas earlier this month as part of its campaign against Israel. via REUTERS 3 The rebel group has been plaguing merchant ships along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023. AP The rebel group called on nations that do business along the trade routes to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza and lift its aid blockade 'if they want to avoid this escalation.' The Yemen-based Houthis launched their campaign along the Red Sea, where $1 trillion worth of goods pass through each year, in November 2023 as a show of solidarity for Hamas. Advertisement Despite major airstrikes from Israel, the US and the UK aimed at its rocket launching facilities, the rebel group has managed to cause mayhem along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Earlier this month, the Houthis successfully attacked and sank two Greek-owned bulk carriers in the Red Sea, including the deadly strike on the Eternity C. 3 The Liberia-flagged Eternity C sinks to the bottom of the Red Sea following a Houthi attack earlier in July. ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTRE/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The Liberian-flagged cargo ship was besieged on July 9, with the attack killing four people after the fire and explosions caused the crew of 20 to jump overboard and spend more than 24 hours in the water before help arrived. The attack on the Eternity C came just days after the Houthis sank the Magic Seas, another Liberian-flagged ship operating in the Red Sea. The Houthis' warning of escalated attacks came just two months after the rebel group reached a cease-fire deal with the US to end its shipping attacks. Advertisement The terror group, however, maintains that the agreement does not prohibit its attack on targets believed to be aligned with Israel. With Post wires
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mark Cuban Predicts the First Trillionaire Will Come From a Basement, Not Wall Street
Mark Cuban is famous for his oft-cited commentary, whether financial or sociopolitical in nature. Recently, the billionaire investor and 'Shark Tank' star took on the surging topic of artificial intelligence (AI), going so far as to suggest that the world's first trillionaire could be created via the usage of AI technology. Explore Next: See More: 'We haven't seen the best or the craziest of what [AI is] going to be able to do,' Cuban said during an appearance on the 'High Performance' podcast. 'And not only do I think it'll create a trillionaire, but it could be just one dude in the basement. That's how crazy it could be,' he added. Below we learn more about how AI could produce the first trillionaire. Innovative Entrepreneur Alone May Be No Match for AI Business Tools While also discussing his regular consultations with AI over the monitoring of his health status — Cuban suffers from atrial fibrillation or A-fib — workouts and medications, the investor and business icon also mentioned that he uses artificial intelligence models to check his own workflow and thought processing. Cuban pointed to AI as a major disruptor in the business world and while he signaled that the fear around AI models stealing human jobs was somewhat overblown. 'I'm not here to tell you that it's going to replace everybody's job. It won't,' he said. It represents an economic and cultural sea-change which demands adoption. Check Out: 'There's always something bigger and better that's created by an innovative entrepreneur,' Cuban said. 'But AI just dwarfs all that.' 'As it becomes more advanced we'll find ways to make our lives better, more interesting, to work better, more effectively,' he added, digressing in the middle of his commentary to also downplay the possibility of a Terminator (or man versus machine) scenario hinging on antagonism or opposition. Cuban Added a Caveat To His Endorsement of Generative AI Even more recently, Cuban said he was a daily user of generative AI, adding a caveat that those who do engage with these tools should do so with a critical and considered mindset. 'I use generative AI on a daily basis,' Cuban said, adding he does so 'always carefully.' However, he was quick to add a caveat that this technology lacks precision and often misses important details, according to Due. Frequent so-called hallucinations, either factual errors or outright fabrications, can still occur within the responses to generative AI prompts. Fact-checking remains key as a human element of the interaction, as is attention to detail — numbers may be fudged or may not entirely add up and the same can be said of sources. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard 6 Big Shakeups Coming to Social Security in 2025 9 Downsizing Tips for the Middle Class To Save on Monthly Expenses This article originally appeared on Mark Cuban Predicts the First Trillionaire Will Come From a Basement, Not Wall Street Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear. The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035. Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales. 'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who like Golden represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry. The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations including the Maine Lobstermen's Association said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.' The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by collisions with large ships. The population of the whales fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020.
