International
Cuba: “The history of tobacco”
October 17 |
Everyone on the Island knows that this is the longest story in the world, that when your grandfather drops the first word, the knot of worsted is untied, the sentences are chained to each other, the stories are connected to each other and little by little before the eyes is built an eternal road of words that goes around Cuba, goes out to sea and sails around the world until the word tobacco throws twist, ends up in the mouth of a Russian in Siberia.
As far can the stories go as the ships, as close to the sea grow the leaves that Christopher Columbus discovered in the name of the Old World. For more than two centuries, the starting point of this narration has been the hands of the people of Pinar del Río, people from the west, and not precisely the proud conquering the desert, but simple and noble hands that have chosen tradition as a way of life.
Among the modern descendants is Miyelis Canales Machuat, a teacher by profession and vocation, but faced with the vicissitudes of life she had no choice but to take up work on the land as a way of life. Seven years ago her husband passed away, and since tobacco production was the main income for her family, she put all her efforts into running the farm.
But her battles have not been few, last year Cuba registered one of its strongest hurricanes of all times, Ian with category 3 made landfall in Cuba precisely in the town of La Coloma, not far from Miyelis’ farm, who tells us: “when it passed through here, out of 59 tobacco houses that these lands had, only 6 were left standing”.
“I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think that my tobacco house would have been on the ground, completely destroyed, because it wasn’t new, but it wasn’t in such bad conditions, but that cyclone, the hardest part was after the eye passed, everything was destroyed, all these fields were devastated, completely devastated”.
Cuba
Among the modern descendants is Miyelis Canales Machuat, a teacher by profession and vocation, but faced with the vicissitudes of life she had no choice but to take up work on the land as a way of life. I Photo: teleSUR
Miyelis, who at the time, full of tears, did not know what to do, tells that her children were discouraged, they thought it would be impossible to harvest tobacco, they did not know how to raise again a priest’s house because they lacked the resources. The hurricane had left the production of Pinar del Río totally in ruins.
But giving no place to grief, Canales says that she and her children rebuilt a dream based on rubble, rescued the wood and zinc they could and with that they faced hopelessness. They put their feet on the ground and were able to be even one of the few producers who were able to plant in the previous season. With the house half-built, they obtained more than 50 percent of the plan they had to stockpile.
Photo: teleSUR
“Tobacco takes a lot of dedication but the greatest satisfaction is to see the final result, when you have money that satisfies all the basic needs of your house and others that perhaps are not so basic but that make your life more human.”
Miyelis’ life is a sort of odyssey, an incarnation of Homer if you want to compare. This Cuban woman does not give up, she does not stop thinking that the future is one of construction, of “echar pa’ lante”.
The history of tobacco is long, but they always have mouths to tell it, adept at unraveling the mysteries in the leaves. Among the smoke of a smoker, made into faint shapes is the voice of the Taino Indians, the voice that whispers “Cohiba”.
International
Iran Rejects Negotiations With U.S. as Strait of Hormuz Remains Blocked Amid New Attack
Tensions remained high in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after a vessel was hit by a projectile, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that negotiations with Iran were moving forward and that the strategic maritime route could reopen as early as Tuesday.
Tehran denied that direct talks were taking place, but Trump insisted that discussions were underway and described the situation as a final opportunity for Iran to reach an agreement.
“This is the last chance they have to sign a good document,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could happen “literally tomorrow” Tuesday.
The comments came after another escalation in rhetoric from Washington. Last week, Trump threatened Iran with military strikes before unexpectedly changing course on Sunday and announcing that negotiations with Tehran would resume.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai rejected the U.S. president’s version of events, stating that Tehran was not holding negotiations with Washington.
“At this moment, we are not negotiating with the United States. We are negotiating with Oman to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Baqai said.
Earlier, the Iranian official said that Tehran was close to reaching an agreement with Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz, to reopen the crucial waterway that plays a key role in global energy trade.
The maritime route has remained blocked by Iran since the outbreak of hostilities following U.S. and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced Tuesday that they had launched an attack against an airport in Saudi Arabia. The Iran-backed group had previously disrupted the passage of Saudi vessels through the Red Sea, an alternative route used for crude exports by the world’s largest oil producer.
The continued instability in the region has raised concerns over global energy supplies, as the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important chokepoints for international oil shipments.
International
Lula Launches Re-Election Campaign Amid Rising Tensions With Trump
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to be officially nominated for re-election by his Workers’ Party (PT), marking the start of his campaign for a fourth presidential term.
The nomination takes place during the party’s national convention in São Paulo, Brazil’s economic hub, where around 3,000 supporters gathered to back the veteran leftist leader.
“Today I’m here because Lula’s policies changed my life and my family’s. Thanks to him, we finally own a home after eight generations without one,” said Cristiane Rosa Julho, a 51-year-old social worker attending the event dressed in the PT’s signature red.
Seeking the presidency for the seventh time in his political career, Lula is expected to face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in next year’s election.
The 45-year-old senator is the son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been jailed over his alleged role in an attempted coup following his defeat to Lula in the 2022 election.
The party convention opened with videos highlighting Lula’s social initiatives and speeches by four women praising his leadership, while supporters waved PT flags and held signs reading “We Want Lula as President” and “Brazil Is Not for Sale.”
The campaign begins amid growing tensions with the United States and President Donald Trump, a close ally of the Bolsonaro family who has openly backed several conservative candidates across Latin America.
Last week, Lula warned against foreign interference, declaring, “In Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong.”
In July, the United States imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian products, accusing the country of unfair trade practices. The measures followed earlier restrictions introduced in 2025, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo Bolsonaro, in response to legal proceedings against the former president.
Lula has vowed to wage what he called a “war of truth against lies” in response to Washington’s pressure and accused Flávio Bolsonaro of undermining Brazil’s interests by allegedly helping the United States damage the country’s economy. The senator has denied the accusations.
The Brazilian president also claims Washington is attempting to influence the country’s political landscape in an effort to prevent his re-election.
International
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
A truck loaded with explosives exploded on Saturday near a police station in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, close to the Venezuelan border, leaving 14 people injured in an attack that occurred six days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration.
The blast took place in the early hours of the morning and was allegedly carried out by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who detonated a vehicle packed with explosives. According to the latest report from the Colombian Army, the attack injured 11 police officers and three civilians.
The explosion involved around 15 explosive devices, and two of the wounded officers are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, the region where the attack occurred.
The incident comes amid Colombia’s worst wave of violence in the past decade, with armed groups expanding their presence in several areas of the country.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack carried out in Cúcuta against our National Police. Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break the determination of Colombians to live in peace and security,” De la Espriella said in a post on X.
The conservative lawyer, who has been described as a far-right figure, will take office on August 7, replacing Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president. The inauguration ceremony will be held in Cali, the country’s third-largest city and a frequent target of attacks by armed groups.
The United Nations condemned what it described as an “indiscriminate attack” that caused not only injuries but also “fear and distress among the population.”
De la Espriella has repeatedly warned about an alleged plot against his life. Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro, who is currently visiting Cuba, has not commented on the attack. During his visit, Petro met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss what Havana describes as the United States’ “policy of suffocation” toward the island.
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