On a historic day for US-Cuban relations, US Secretary of State John Kerry took time out for a walking tour of cobblestoned Old Havana — just like many of the growing numbers of US citizens traveling to the island since a detente was announced eight months ago.
Dressed in slacks and a white dress shirt, Kerry toured a restored colonial-era church, checked out cigar humidors on a sun-drenched square and ducked inside for a cold lemonade at Cafe del Oriente, an upscale restaurant where Raul Castro once dined with former US president Jimmy Carter in 2011.
Accompanied by city historian Eusebio Leal, who has overseen the rehabilitation of much of the neighborhood, Kerry also visited the former municipal palace and Leal’s offices.
He paused to look at a statue of Cuban independence hero Jose Marti in the leafy Plaza de Armas, which is home to a daily book and trinket bazaar and also a building that housed the US embassy from 1923 until the mission moved to its current location in 1953.
In a quarter already teeming with travelers, Kerry became yet another tourist attraction as surprised people swarmed around the group to take photographs. Neck-tied security agents kept everyone at a safe distance.
Locals waved down from wrought-iron balconies and the secretary waved back.
“We are walking through the plaza here, and suddenly I see a bunch of people moving and there is Kerry,” said Junia Perez, a doctor. “Look, it gave me goosebumps. I am excited because I never thought I would see him so close.”
Kerry also stopped in Plaza San Francisco to talk with Julio Alvarez, who offered the US official a free ride in his shiny black 1959 Chevrolet Impala taxi.
Kerry laughed and said maybe another time, but sat behind the wheel for a short time and mused about possibly driving the classic car the next time he is in town.
Rafael Lezcano was among those who took photographs with their cellphones.
“It is an honor for us Cubans that he comes like this to walk through our streets,” Lezcano said.
While US tourism to the nation is still illegal under the US embargo, those who come on authorized cultural, educational, journalistic and other types of trips are now allowed to bring back limited amounts of tobacco and alcohol under rules eased by US President Barack Obama.
After Kerry visited a shop in a boutique hotel, an aide was seen carrying out bags of what appeared to be three bottles of rum, cigar boxes and a humidor.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese