Business

Business was booming for a trendy little clothing shop called Clandestina in the heart of Old Havana, one of thousands of new private businesses that had arisen in what was once a near-wholly state-run socialist economy.

Agricultural workers who have long sought compensation for contamination from a pesticide banned in France but used in the country's Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have finally had a day in court after a nearly 15-year wait.

Cuba is undergoing a paradigm shift: after decades of tight, centralized control, the communist government is opening up the bulk of its economy to the private sector.

The Cuban government will allow small private businesses to operate in most fields, eliminating its limited list of activities.

U.S. President Joe Biden had yet to make any announcements about his policy on Cuba but experts said that although there will be changes on the old administration’s approach, the supporters of the U.S. embargo should not fret.

The World Bank said that it expects an economic expansion of 3.7% in Latin America and the Caribbean this year, improving on its previous forecast of 2.8% growth for the region, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.