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777 game legit NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday, keeping the market on track for its fifth gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.4% and is solidly on track for a weekly gain that will erase most of last week's loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 351 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2% as of 1:03 p.m. Eastern. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 10.6% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 3.1% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 3.4% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.7%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 were gaining ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 4.1%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.4% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. European markets were mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, Bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.

Santa Clara County’s top educator says a series of investigations into his ousted predecessor have revealed even more issues — beyond major allegations of misspending public funds and malfeasance — and now the findings are being turned over to authorities. Former superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan faces “deeply concerning” accusations of wrongdoing, according to a Dec. 10 letter from Charles Hinman, the interim Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. Although he doesn’t go into details about these new allegations, he has turned the information over to the authorities. Dewan office’s allegedly approved inappropriate expenditures of public funds, approved suspicious and unnecessary contracts, conducted unauthorized surveillance and used public dollars for personal legal fees. She’s also accused of conducting “clandestine” investigations into some employees and Board of Education members, which were alleged to be retaliatory. The board voted in closed session in October to fire Dewan. Dewan didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Hinman said he shared his latest findings with Board of Education members this week, just before the swearing in of the district’s newly-elected trustees. According to his letter, the investigations’ findings are being turned over to authorities, including the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office and Sheriff’s Office, state attorney general, among others. Hinman said the board will cooperate to hold Dewan accountable for any “malfeasance and misfeasance.” “Under the leadership of a new superintendent who will no doubt choose to work cooperatively with the board, the County Office of Education is now providing the steady hand needed to move forward, with the accountability and transparency the community demands,” Hinman wrote. The Santa Clara County Office of Education is responsible for overseeing the special education services, migrant education and Head Start and state preschool programs, as well as services for delinquent students at risk of expulsion. The office provides academic and fiscal oversight for the county’s 31 school districts and monitoring for the county’s 21 authorized charter schools.​ Dewan’s firing without cause sent shockwaves through the county’s political circles and met fierce pushback from state lawmakers – even prompting calls for a civil grand jury investigation. The school board majority that supported Dewan’s ouster has made few public remarks about their decision. But hints about their motivations came after it made an “extraordinary” request for third-party audits into misuse of school district funds during Dewan’s tenure. Related Stories It all comes after an apparent power struggle between Dewan and a majority of the office of education’s elected trustees. Dewan has argued the board majority had no authority to fire her and she was not technically employed by them. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge denied her lawsuit . Before her firing, Dewan requested an investigation — outside of her office’s complaint policies and procedures — into board members for allegedly violating policies and public meeting laws, retaliating against employees and harassing her. Hinman, who has a 35-year career in public education and is from Southern California, was hired by the board in October to temporarily replace Dewan. Hinman has said he does not plan to relocate from Orange County in his interim role. He’s had multiple stints as a superintendent in school districts across California. The board is still searching for Dewan’s permanent replacement. The firing has prompted a looming discussion among Santa Clara County supervisors as to whether to change the Office of Education’s governance structure — changing the trustee positions from elected ones to supervisor-appointed ones, and making the superintendent role an elected position. Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter.SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country’s political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Han’s impeachment means he will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him. The court is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon’s earlier impeachment. The impeachments of the country’s top two officials worsened its political turmoil, deepened economic uncertainties and hurt its international image. The single-chamber National Assembly passed Han’s impeachment motion with a 192-0 vote. Lawmakers with the governing People Power Party boycotted the vote and surrounded the podium where assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik was seated, shouting that the vote was invalid and demanding Woo’s resignation. No violence or injuries were reported. The PPP lawmakers protested after Woo called for a vote on Han’s impeachment motion after announcing its passage required a simple majority in the 300-member assembly, not a two-thirds majority as claimed by the PPP. In a statement, Han said his impeachment was regrettable but added that he respects the assembly’s decision and will suspend his duties to “not add to additional confusion and uncertainty.” He said he will wait for “a swift, wise decision” by the Constitutional Court. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, took over. Later Friday, Choi’s office said he instructed the military to boost its readiness to help prevent North Korea from miscalculating the situation and launching provocations. He also told the foreign ministry to inform the United States, Japan and other major partners that South Korea’s foreign policies remain unchanged. Han, who was appointed prime minister by Yoon, became acting president after the National Assembly impeached Yoon, a conservative, about two weeks ago over his short-lived Dec. 3 imposition of martial law. Get local news delivered to your inbox!FOX 11's Elex Michaelson explains the controversial Prop. 36 that would increase the punishment for certain theft and drug crimes. Three alleged shoplifters were taken into custody in Seal Beach recently - with one of them surprised about a new California law. Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday. Proponents said the initiative is necessary to close legal loopholes that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers. SEAL BEACH, Calif. - An alleged shoplifter got quite the surprise when she found out some shoplifting offenses are now considered a felony in California. "It's a felony?" video shows one of the women saying. "B*tch new laws!" the suspect next to her replies as they sit handcuffed in the back of a patrol car. "Stealing is a felony and this Orange County b*tch. They don’t play." Surveillance video shared Sunday by the Seal Beach Police Department shows three women walking into an Ulta Beauty store, perusing the shelves, then nonchalantly leaving with around $648 worth of stolen merchandise. SUGGESTED: Business owners support Prop 36 amid lootings Another video allegedly shows the same three women going inside a Kohl's store where they allegedly left with around $1,000 worth of merchandise. Surveillance video shared Sunday by the Seal Beach Police Department shows three women walking into an Ulta Beauty store, perusing the shelves, then nonchalantly leaving with around $648 worth of stolen merchandise. Bodycam video shows police officers chasing the women and ultimately arresting them. "A friendly reminder that Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning in California," the Seal Beach PD wrote on Instagram. "Don't steal in Seal!" SUGGESTED: The debate over Prop 36 in California Prop. 36 was a rightward swing of the California political pendulum – a decade ago, voters eased criminal penalties for certain crimes under 2014’s Proposition 47, which was pitched as both a cost-saving measure and a more effective way to combat crime by focusing dollars on treatment instead of incarceration. Then, during the pandemic, the rate of shoplifting and commercial burglaries skyrocketed, especially in Los Angeles, Alameda, San Mateo and Sacramento counties. Statewide, reported shoplifting of merchandise worth up to $950 soared 28% over the past five years , according to the Public Policy Institute of California. That’s the highest observed level since 2000. SUGGESTED: Explaining California's Prop. 36 Combining shoplifting with commercial burglaries, the institute’s researchers found that total reported thefts were 18% higher than in 2019. Now, certain drug offenses and thefts under $950 can be classified as felonies rather than misdemeanors if the suspected perpetrator has two or more past convictions for theft crimes. SUGGESTED: California Prop 36 explained: Increasing penalties for theft and drug trafficking Proponents said the initiative is necessary to close legal loopholes that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers. Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said it will disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance-use issues rather than target ringleaders who hire large groups of people to steal goods for resale online. The initiative will also take away drug and mental health funding that comes from savings from incarcerating fewer people. Californians for Safety and Justice, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce prison and jail spending, estimated that Prop. 36 will add 130,000 more people to California jails each year, about 100,000 of them held in jail before trial and about 30,000 serving one-year sentences after their convictions. The Source: This story was reported with information from the Seal Beach Police Department and the Associated Press.World Chess Championship 2024: Why D Gukesh will aim to avoid tiebreakers and clinch the title in Game 14

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert is dealing with an ankle injury for the second time this season. The Chargers quarterback did not practice Wednesday as Los Angeles began preparations for its game Sunday against Tampa Bay. Herbert injured his left ankle during the first quarter of last Sunday's 19-17 loss at Kansas City. Herbert said Wednesday that the injury occurred during a 7-yard scramble on third down during the opening drive. Television cameras showed him grimacing and walking slowly to the sideline after the play. “It was difficult to play with," he said. "It was one of those things where we limited some of the runs out of the pocket. I didn't feel great, but it was one of those things to play through.” Herbert's left leg was later bruised after taking a hard hit from linebacker Nick Bolton during the second quarter. Herbert missed only one play and completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. “The contusion, I think that is something that is easily recoverable. I'm doing everything I can with the ankle,” Herbert said. “If I felt like I could have practiced at 100% and make sure everyone was able to get full-speed reps, I would have. I didn't think I was able to do that today, so the trainers and I were on the same page.” Herbert suffered a high sprain to his right ankle during the third quarter of a 26-3 win at Carolina on Sept. 15. That limited his mobility and some of the play calls in losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City the next two games. However, Herbert is not in a walking boot this time, which was the case with the injury earlier in the season. The fifth-year quarterback also said the pain tolerance with his ankle injury is better to deal with compared to the earlier one. “I’d like to see him get treatment and not be on his feet. He will do everything in his power to play on Sunday,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. The Chargers have lost two of their last three, but are the sixth seed in the AFC with an 8-5 record. After facing NFC South-leading Tampa Bay on Sunday, Los Angeles hosts Denver in a Thursday night matchup on Dec. 19 as both teams are vying for a playoff spot. It's the second time in three seasons Herbert is dealing with an injury after a game at Kansas City. In 2022, he fractured rib cartilage after taking a hard hit from Chiefs defensive lineman Michael Danna during the fourth quarter. Herbert missed two weeks during training camp because of an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. He also had a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder near the end of the 2022 season and two broken fingers last year, including one on his throwing hand that caused him to miss the final four games. Herbert has joined Tom Brady as the only players who have not thrown an interception in 11 straight games with a minimum of 15 attempts in each game. Brady accomplished the feat with New England in 2010. The last time Herbert was picked off was midway through the first quarter on Sept. 15 by Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Herbert has also gone 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest streak in league history. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV. Then cord cutting expanded to include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and individual streaming sources. Now we also include streaming bundles, like YouTube TV or Hulu Live or DirecTV Stream. These bundled services mimic cable and satellite service, in that they have hundreds of channels. The ease or complexity of the cord cutting experience depends on how you have things set up. Let’s take a look at some gift options for your favorite cord cutter. DirecTV Gemini Air As far as I know DirecTV is the only streaming bundle service that offers its own hardware. The Gemini Air is a small dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It is paired with a remote control to allow for easy navigation. If you were an AT&T U-Verse TV customer, the Gemini Air/DirecTV Stream experience will be very familiar. The Gemini Air is a rarity in that it has number buttons. DirecTV Stream has the option of turning on channel numbers in the guide. I’ve used DirecTV Stream with my Roku TV and with the Gemini Air and the Air makes navigating the huge list of channels much easier. The Gemini Air runs the Google operating system, so you can see and use all your other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max and more. You can also load apps and games from the Google Play store. The Gemini Air connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it can stream 4K content to your TV. The remote control has a microphone so you can use your voice to search or interact with Hey Google’s voice assistant. DirecTV Stream customers can get a free Gemini Air from AT&T with their service. Additional units are available for $120. Google TV Streamer (4K) There are lots of smart TV brands. Some run on the Roku operating system, some run Google TV and some use their own brand of smart TV apps. If you’d like to add Google TV to any set, you can get Google’s new TV Streamer (4K) for just $99 from store.google.com. The small device connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It also can connect to your home’s internet via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connection. The Google TV interface is not tied to any specific streaming service. You can use any streaming service or app that’s available on the Google Play store. It features a simple remote with voice control and the Google TV Streamer is also a hub and controller for Matter and Thread home devices that work with Google’s home ecosystem. TabloTV If you use an over-the-air antenna for watching your free local channels, I’m betting you’d like the option to record those channels. TiVo used to be the best/easiest way to record OTA TV, but they’ve discontinued their OTA recorders. A great alternative is from TabloTV, which is a small box that you connect to your TV antenna. The TabloTV does not directly connect to your TV. Instead it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, and the antenna signal is wirelessly sent to any TV or compatible device in your home. Your TV picks up the signal through a free app, which is compatible with smart TV brands like Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Android TV. This method is extremely handy if you don’t want to be bothered running an antenna wire from your attic or roof all the way to your TV. It’s also great if you want to use an indoor antenna, but your TV is not situated in a room that faces the broadcast towers. You can place the antenna and TabloTV where you get the best reception. The TabloTV comes in two models – with either two or four tuners. This means you can record or watch two or four shows at a time. TabloTV has onboard storage to record up to 50 hours of shows, but you can plug in any USB hard drive and expand to record thousands of hours of programming. You can also bundle a TabloTV with an OTA antenna if you like, or you can use your own antenna. Two things to know, there are no ongoing subscription costs for guide data, and there is no streaming service integration. You will need another way to add in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. TabloTV models start at $99.95 for the two tuner model at tablotv.com. The four-tuner model is $139.95, but they may be on sale during the holidays. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.It is not difficult to hear about Renova. You only have to look at the Plaza de los Trabajadores, in the heart of the city of Camagüey, on any given blackout night, to find out about the existence of this leading enterprise in photovoltaic energy. “When the city is unlit, there is an island of light,” says with childish haughtiness Rusbel Álvarez Figueredo, a specialist in institutional communication and logistics at Renova. Installed with the collaboration of the local Office of the Historian, the photovoltaic system provides lighting to a colonial area where history and tourism meet in Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe. The itinerant township was founded in 1514 by the sea, in Nuevitas, hence its name, which later remained as a testimony to its marine origin given the Mediterranean nature of its final settlement, in the navel of the current province. Dominated in its center by a large century-old ceiba tree and around it the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, the square has no competitors as it is illuminated and allows, besieged by masses of shadows, the contemplation, sometimes spectral, of old buildings, restaurants, cafes and shops in the midst of power outages that can last more than half the day. Origin Related Posts Aladia, the 100% Cuban designer lingerie that is committed to quality and comfort under clothing November 20, 2024 “I tell you what I know.” Entrepreneurs create networks through OnCuba November 12, 2024 Gabo Pérez, from Bacoretto: resilience and survival August 19, 2024 Menú Cuba, a collaborative directory of gastronomic offers August 11, 2024 var jnews_module_313597_0_6741180d3a3df = {"header_icon":"","first_title":"Related Posts","second_title":"","url":"","header_type":"heading_1","header_background":"","header_secondary_background":"","header_text_color":"","header_line_color":"","header_accent_color":"","header_filter_category":"","header_filter_author":"","header_filter_tag":"","header_filter_text":"All","post_type":"post","content_type":"all","number_post":"4","post_offset":0,"unique_content":"disable","include_post":"","exclude_post":313597,"include_category":"13906","exclude_category":"","include_author":"","include_tag":"","exclude_tag":"","sort_by":"latest","date_format":"default","date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","force_normal_image_load":"","pagination_mode":"nextprev","pagination_nextprev_showtext":"","pagination_number_post":"4","pagination_scroll_limit":0,"boxed":"","boxed_shadow":"","el_id":"","el_class":"","scheme":"","column_width":"auto","title_color":"","accent_color":"","alt_color":"","excerpt_color":"","css":"","paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_21"}; Founded on November 4, 2021, Renova is the brainchild of Cuban-American businessman Roberto Jesús Medina Torres. Originally from Camagüey, he was murdered in his homeland in February 2023, being one of the pioneers of the diaspora to invest in the island after the government’s invitation. “With Renova, he intended to promote the use of renewable energy in Cuba in the wake of the economic crisis and the great difficulties with fossil fuels,” recalls Alvarez in an interview with OnCuba on the second and last day of the ill-fated 40th International Havana Trade Fair. Medina Torres had detected “a niche of opportunity in renewable energy for the solution of energy problems, not only for the business sector but for the private and residential sector,” he adds. The expansion of photovoltaic solutions is Renova’s dominant line of business, which coincides, in turn, with the main corporate purpose of the enterprise, which has a staff of 34 employees. Its fundamental purpose is “to support technological progress through a wide range of services, including the installation of computer networks and lighting systems, maintenance, diagnosis, projects, consulting, technical assistance, after-sales, warranty, and repair” of the equipment used for these purposes. The primary capital to found Renova came from the pocket of its founder Medina Torres. The initiative also had bank loans from Cuba. The Cuban-American businessman’s dream was for Renova to become the leading enterprise in the production of renewable energy in Cuba “based on the human capital that he had already planned to create and with the help of different suppliers and partners,” says the communicator of the Camagüey MSME, which also produces green hydrogen. It is a clean, sustainable fuel with a zero-pollution index that can be key not only as an energy vector but also as raw material. “He had already planned this and, unfortunately, he passed away and was unable to see his project materialize for the most part. We are still a young enterprise that already shows significant results with more than 700 contracts signed with state and private entities and the residential sector,” Álvarez says. Renova provides the service with the entire cycle included. From the installation plans, the equipment, the know-how and the startup of the system in question. “There are clients who provide the equipment because they buy it abroad and we only provide the installation service. But when the client needs it, we make and provide the components for the entire process,” he specifies. Despite the cost of current solar technology, despite its cheapening in recent years, Renova faces the rigors of the domestic economic crisis and inflation that so far only slows its growth and decreases drop by drop, according to official figures. “The price of the dollar has risen quite a bit and the equipment is bought abroad since Cuba still does not produce anything in this regard. We are trying to reach more sectors, but we are not advancing at the pace we want,” Álvarez admits. You have to clash with the informal currency market, is that so? We do not escape the problems that the rest of the private enterprises on the island have. We have to look for all possible ways to acquire financing in order to buy the equipment. Given its great interest in promoting the green economy, does the government have tax incentives for you? Yes, there are tax incentives for the import of this type of equipment. That is contemplated within the government’s guidelines and policies and in fact, it is one of the advantages we are having. And do you have access to the official exchange market? One of the needs we have is precisely that. So far, it has been impossible. As long as we have access to the currency valued by the State, we can perhaps reduce by half the costs of the products we are now offering. Does the demand for your services come more from the public sector than from the private sector or the other way around? It is quite equal. And yes, there is a growth in demand in both sectors due to the energy crisis. In the short term, how would you assess the prosperity of your business? In the short term, in addition to the obstacles we must overcome, I see it in a positive light. I see a notable growth of our enterprise, although not at the pace we would like. One of the weaknesses that Renova faces is not being able to count on an internal market for technologies and inputs. Cuba does not produce anything, so far, of what the MSME needs for its sustainability and development, except for human capital, which is first class. For now, Renova is seeking to articulate itself with similar enterprises in the Caribbean and Latin America. At present, they have found markets in Guyana and African nations interested in their services. From which markets do you import? Do you look for the cheapest ones? Do you have access to cutting-edge technology or do you use outdated technologies? We are trying to acquire the best possible technology, even when the costs are not the lowest and most accessible because this has to do with the quality of our service. We want our clients to be satisfied with our work and therefore we want to ensure that the technology we have supports or resolves their demands and problems. We are not looking for the cheapest, rather for what contains the highest quality. And how does the profit regimen behave? Up to now, it is allowed us to replenish ourselves, to obtain dividends, but following the established parameters. We are not trying to inflate prices to make more profits, but rather, based on what is available in our country, we seek financing to be able to move forward. Are there differentiated prices for one sector or another? We try not to have prices that high for any of the sectors, whether state, private or residential. We do not differentiate prices, we only aim for them to allow us to have dividend growth and for the enterprise to move forward without having red numbers. One of Renova’s pending subjects is to activate a fund for self-sufficiency of parts and technologies produced by its own workshops. For now, it is a latent dream, and “another of the lines that our founder thought of,” Álvarez says. Renova’s growth policies act on three levels: municipal, provincial and national, and its executives do not fear that the intended deployment of renewable energies by the island’s authorities will corner or suffocate them through unfair competition. “If the state sector also grows in the renewable energy sector, it would also be beneficial for us,” the communicator estimates. Another of Renova’s aspirations is to obtain external financing through foundations or international funds that defend environmental initiatives, while they propose to increase their relationships with startups in the region in the profile of photovoltaic energies. For now, China, a world power in renewable alternatives, is the market that supplies all of Renova’s technological needs. To verify this, it was enough to quickly review the panels at the Camagüey MSME’s stand at FIHAV 2024. Elfo, Must, Growatt, Goodwe, FelicitityEss, Suntree; they are all Chinese firms. One of Renova’s Chinese suppliers calls himself Kevin. He is a friendly businessman who promotes energy storage systems, lithium batteries, hybrid inverters (which allow the use of the conventional electrical grid and the use of batteries), and solar lamps with an experience that is close to two decades old. “Cuba has a brilliant future if it uses photovoltaic energy and today the future is with Renova,” said Kevin in broken Spanish which sounded like a last-minute slogan. Tags: Cuban Economy Cuban entrepreneurs entrepreneurship in Cuba featured private sector in cuba

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