11.00pm
TONIGHT
Presentation from Prof. Jorge Fraga, PhD. He is Master in Parasitology specializing in Molecular Parasitology, with a doctorate in Medical Sciences. Working since 1998 at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kouri in Havana, Cuba, he is now director of Science and Innovation and head of the unit of Molecular Parasitology. Full Professor and Senior Researcher. The professional experience is summarized in the use of Molecular Biology techniques for the parasite diagnosis, genetic characterization, phylogenetic studies, and association of parasite genetic characteristics with pathogenicity and virulence especially in trichomoniasis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis and Chagas diseases. He conducted more than 21 research projects in collaboration with national and international institutions, with a total of 85 papers published.
Blockade
Update
Marriott
says ordered by Trump administration to cease Cuba hotel business
The U.S. Treasury Department will not renew Marriott’s license to operate the Four Points by Sheraton’s Havana hotel, Reuters reports. The hotel is owned by Marriott International and opened in 2016. The company received a renewal of its license in 2018, but, according to a company spokesperson, and as reported by the Miami Herald, the Treasury Department now mandates that Marriott cease its operations in Cuba by August 31st. Marriott was planning on managing a second hotel in Havana, the Hotel Inglaterra, but will now be unable to do so. The Four Points Sheraton hotel became a symbol of the U.S. and Cuba’s renewed engagement, when, in 2016, it became the first hotel to be managed by a U.S. company since 1959. The Four Points by Sheraton’s Havana hotel is owned by Gaviota, a Cuban company linked to the military, which is a frequent target of Trump administration sanctions.
Additions
to the Cuba Restricted List
On June 3rd, the U.S. State Department announced the addition of seven new subentities to the Cuba Restricted List that includes “entities and subentities under the control of, or acting for or on behalf of, the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel,” that, according to the press statement, “disproportionately benefit the Castro dictatorship” and with whom financial transactions are prohibited. The subentities, scheduled to be added to the list effective June 12, include FINCIMEX, a financial institution, three hotels, two scuba diving centers, and a marine park for tourists.The addition of FINCIMEX, the entity charged with processing remittances in Cuba, to the Cuba Restricted List could have devastating effects on remittance flows. We do not yet know the full impact to these flows, or to other financial transactions, as it is possible the operations of Western Union and other remittance forwarding services could be grandfathered in. The Department’s statement announcing the additions also urged visitors to the island to avoid government controlled establishments and instead support privately-owned businesses.
Source: US-Cuba Relations
