Members of Cuba’s baseball team told Reuters on Wednesday the U.S. embassy in Havana had started processing their applications for visas to attend the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Florida despite its restrictions on consular services, in a triumph of baseball diplomacy.
The U.S. embassy in Havana suspended consular services three years ago when the Trump administration reduced it to skeletal staffing, sending applicants to embassies abroad instead.
That has proven a major obstacle to Cubans applying for visas to see family or visit the United States, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuban baseball fans have been worried their team might not receive the visas they need to compete in the qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics. The tournament takes place in Florida’s West Palm Beach and Port St Lucie from May 31 to June 5.
But a Reuters witness saw a group of players and officials from the baseball team outside the embassy on Wednesday. Two players and a coach said they were there for their visa appointments, with some scheduled for others later in the week.
“I made my visa application and they interviewed me, now we need to wait for them to confirm I got the visa,” said catcher Ivan Prieto, 24, sporting a baseball cap from the national team.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately reply to request for comment on whether this was an exception or whether this was a sign it would start processing U.S. visas for Cubans in Havana.
“It’s really important for Cuba to be in the Olympics. It is one of the best-performing countries and it would be a real badge of honor,” said Prieto.
Cuba’s baseball team won the gold medal at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Athens in 2004. Baseball has not been featured at the Olympics though since 2008.
The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump drew down staffing at the U.S. embassy in Havana after a spate of illnesses among diplomats that remain unexplained.
But as reports of similar incidents happening elsewhere trickle out, many analysts say the policy needs to be reviewed, not least because it hurts the Cuban people.
Cuban officials say the move was politically motivated, designed to contribute to worsening U.S.-Cuban relations. Trump had declared he wanted to end socialism in Latin America and force the Cuban Communist government to reform.
“It’s a good step that they are processing (the visas) here,” said first baseman Guillermo Aviles, 28.
Many Cubans hope that U.S. President Joe Biden, who took office in January, will restart consular services in Havana and re-establish official channels for U.S. remittances to Cuba.
Biden, a Democrat, vowed during his campaign to reverse policy shifts by the Republican Trump that “have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.”
He was vice president when former President Barack Obama agreed to a historic detente with then Cuban President Raul Castro and in 2016, during a trip to Havana, attended an exhibition game between the Cuban national team and MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays with Castro.
However the Biden administration has said a shift in Cuba policy is not among its top foreign policy priorities.
In the Florida tournament, Cuba will face off in Group B against fellow baseball powers Venezuela, Canada and Colombia. Group A will see a playoff between the United States, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.
“It will be difficult but not impossible (to classify)” said coach Carlos Marti, waiting in a park by the U.S. embassy for his interview with U.S. authorities. “Our pitchers have shown a good level.”
(Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
