Havana
Cubans jammed banks this week to sell off U.S. dollars after Fidel Castro announced he was yanking the American currency out of circulation. Exiles wire Cuban relatives $800 million a year, more than the communist government raises from its main export, sugar. The dollar had been accepted for a decade in special stores offering scarce imports and in many other businesses, but Castro said that would end Nov. 8. Castro said he imposed the ban to protest the tightening of the “mafialike” U.S. embargo against Cuba. The Bush administration said the sanctions were meant to pressure Cuba to dump communism and respect human rights. Castro said Bush wanted to “asphyxiate the country.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Kim Ju Ae: North Korea’s next leader?The Explainer Kim Jong Un’s young daughter is being seen as his ‘recognised heir’ following a high-profile public appearance at China summit
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to ‘lock in’ American AI with US allies
-
Russia’s war games and the threat to NatoIn depth Incursion into Poland and Zapad 2025 exercises seen as a test for Europe
