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A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 december 2018

Cubans welcome softer laws on business and art

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ to be much above 1 per-
Associated Press cent this year, the third in a
HAVANA (AP) — Cuban row of zero to low growth.
entrepreneurs and artists “Rationality and common
are welcoming a series of sense imposed themselves.
government decisions to If they had followed the
soften laws that they said path they were on, they
would have sharply limited were going to create ten-
private enterprise and artis- sions and have a negative
tic expression. economic impact,” said
The partial rollbacks an- Carlos Alzugary, an ex-dip-
nounced last week may lomat and political analyst.
provide important clues to The new controls provoked
the governing style of Presi- private and public com-
dent Miguel Diaz-Canel, plaints from entrepreneurs
the first person from outside and artists, an influential
the Castro family to hold group in a country that
the country’s top position prides itself on a system of
since its 1959 revolution. state arts school that have
The new laws were an- produced hundreds of
nounced in July, three world-class musicians and
months after Diaz-Canel painters.
took office, and generated “Today’s Cuba is telling us
bitter complaints from en- This Oct 11, 2013 file photo shows shoes for sale displayed on a shelf inside the home of a small that continuity isn’t synony-
trepreneurs and artists. The business owner in Havana, Cuba. mous with senselessness,
measures included limits Associated Press that firmness and flexibility
on the number of business tors’ power would be lim- the rules were badly done,” serving tourists in particular can be twins,” said Silvio
licenses per household ited to making recommen- said Niuris Higueras, owner boomed after the decla- Rodriguez, the trova singer
and barred more than 50 dations to higher-ranking of one of Havana’s best- ration of detente with the who runs a blog that pub-
seats at private restaurants. cultural officials. In addi- known private restaurants, U.S. in 2014. That boom en- lishes commentary on Cu-
They also granted a corps tion, they will not be able to Atelier, which would have riched a small but atten- ban current affairs.
of cultural “inspectors” inspect any studio or home had to limit its number of tion-getting upper-middle Diaz-Canel himself cast the
the power to immediately that is not open to the pub- tables under the original class in a supposedly egali- reversals as examples of
close any art exhibition or lic. law. “These new regula- tarian socialist society, and flexibility, not government
performance found to vio- The next day, the govern- tions were a step back- led to a government crack- fragility, saying on Twitter
late the country’s socialist ment eliminated the lim- ward, a big mistake.” down that included the last week that, “There’s no
revolutionary values. its on tables and business Communist Party leader freezing of licenses and the reason to believe that cor-
Last Tuesday, the country’s licenses, along with new Raul Castro expanded the tougher new rules. rections are setbacks or
vice minister of culture said taxes and financial require- country’s private sector af- But Cuba is facing another confuse them with weak-
the art regulation would be ments for entrepreneurs. ter assuming the presiden- year of cash shortages and ness when one listens to the
delayed, and the inspec- “It’s nice they realized that cy in 2008, and businesses stagnant growth — unlikely people.”q

Venezuela’s Maduro: US leads assassination plot against him

Associated Press what it calls a return to de- against him includes Co-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) mocracy. lombia’s newly elected
— Venezuela’s socialist “We are facing a fact that President Ivan Duque and
President Nicolas Maduro affects all of our nations,” Brazil’s conservative Presi-
said Wednesday that he’s said Alejandro Ordonez, dent-elect Jair Bolsonaro,
uncovered an assassina- Colombia’s ambassador to who takes office in Janu-
tion plot that leads directly the Organization of Ameri- ary.
to the White House. can States said Wednes- Maduro’s second term be-
Maduro repeated his fre- day. gins Jan. 10, following elec-
quent warning that a U.S. Maduro’s comments follow tions this year many foreign
invasion is imminent — this the arrival in Venezuela on nations reject as illegiti-
time giving some details Monday of two of Russian mate.
but no evidence. Tu-160 nuclear-capable While taking a forceful
He accused President Don- bombers, drawing criticism tone, Maduro left open the
ald Trump’s National Se- from U.S. Secretary of State option for dialogue with
curity Adviser John Bolton Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks after voting in Mike Pompeo. rival nations for a peace-
of overseeing a plot to re- local elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018. “The Russian and Venezu- ful solution, calling on any-
place him with a dictator. Associated Press elan people should see this body in Trump’s administra-
He alleged that Washing- U.S. administration includ- Venezuela is in a historic for what it is: two corrupt tion to sit down for talks.
ton is using “dirty dollars, ing John Bolton has plans economic crisis after two governments squandering “Venezuela does not kneel
bled from the U.S. empire” for Venezuela,” Maduro decades of socialist rule. public funds, and squelch- down, does not surrender.
to train 734 mercenaries said on state TV. “I also The United States has im- ing liberty and freedom Venezuela will continue
with in neighboring Colom- have absolute and unend- posed financial sanctions while their people suffer,” in peace and democra-
bia to carry out the plot. ing faith in the Venezuela’s on Maduro and dozens Pompeo tweeted. cy,” Maduro said. “Let the
“I have no doubts that the armed forces.” of top officials to press for Maduro said the plot American empire know!”q