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Firefighters and other people in one of the places affected by the fire in Artemisa, in western Cuba, between January 21, 2020 and the next morning. Photo: @Artemisadiario / Facebook.

Fire affects several areas of Artemisa, in western Cuba

This Tuesday a fire broke out in the city of Artemisa, located 52 kilometers east of Havana, affecting several areas of this territory until it was put out in the early morning hours, the local newspaper El Artemiseño reported on its Facebook profile. The flames spread for several hours from the 13 de Marzo district to the cemetery in the city, capital of the Cuban province of the same name. https://www.facebook.com/Artemisadiario/posts/3287133091314121 *Caption: The #fire that took place yesterday in the capital city was put out at about 3:00 am on Wednesday, January 22. According… Posted by Periódico Artemisa on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 Juan Permuy, head of the Municipal Administration Council, affirmed the fire was under control at around 3:00 in the morning on Wednesday and commented that the city residents could already sleep peacefully. The fire was put out thanks to the work of the combined forces of the local Ministry of Interior, specifically the local fire department, forest rangers and police, along with workers from other state entities. The fire reached several areas of the city: the 13 de Marzo district, the Mongolos Zone, the Pablo Torres Cooperative, the Cemetery and the Chalet. So far no deaths or wounded...

Havana’s Malecón seawall. Photo: Kaloian.

More than 57,000 Cubans have requested repatriation since 2013

The number of Cuban emigrants who have requested their repatriation to the island has increased “annually and steadily” in the last seven years, according to Ernesto Soberón, general director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad (DACCRE) of the Cuban Foreign Ministry. A total of 57,746 applications have been presented from January 2013 to date, of which 36,471 are from the United States, explained Soberón in an interview with the daily Juventud Rebelde. The general director of DACCRE also said that the Foreign Ministry has identified 1,485,618 Cubans―not counting their descendants―residing in at least 124 countries. Regarding The Nation and the Emigration Conference, convened by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel last December, Soberón explained that, of that total of Cuban emigrants, 1,195,607 are registered in the island’s consulates. “The majority of Cubans living abroad maintain a fluid and stable relationship with their embassies and consulates,” said the official, who said there are 166 associations of emigrants from the island in 79 countries. In addition, he specified that since the updating of the Cuban immigration policy in 2013 and until June 2019, 4,402,577 Cubans have traveled abroad. “Similarly, there is a sustained increase in the entry of Cubans residing abroad, mainly from...