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Musicians Ana María Torres and María Carla Puga started making bracelets and necklaces at home in Cuba during the pandemic, and they now have a flourishing business. On an island that for decades prohibited private enterprise, they have had an unlikely adviser: the U.S. Embassy. Torres and Puga are part of a small group of entrepreneurs benefiting from a business training program the embassy is offering in Cuba, where many young entrepreneurs are less wary of the American government than those in previous generations. “We see it as a great opportunity,” says Torres, 25, who co-founded a store and workshop named Ama, which has a cafeteria and employs 12 people. Ama is one of almost 8,000 small- and medium-sized companies that were legally authorized to operate in Cuba over the past year and a half. The embassy training featured weekly online meetings covering everything from marketing tools and brand management to basic finances and the creation of web pages. The owners of Ama were among 30 entrepreneurs the embassy selected from 500 applicants. Torres and Puga recall the look of fear — and surprise — in an older driver’s face when, on their way to exhibit some of their products, they asked him to drop them at the U.S. Embassy. The driver suggested he drop them off one block away instead. “Our generation doesn't really have so much limitation with respect to daring to take part in these kinds of things with the U.S. embassy, because the context is different,” says Puga, 29. “We know there are some conflicts, but we also know there is a lot that is being tried, especially with Cuban entrepreneurs, and we’re really not afraid.” In 1968, the Cuban government shut down the few remaining private businesses that were left on the island after the 1959 revolution. In 2010, however, then-President Raúl Castro initiated a reform to boost the local economy and allowed independent workers to work in activities like rental houses, restaurants and transportation. These were further developed amid a 2014 rapprochement with the U.S. during the administration of President Barack Obama. Sanctions also were eased during that period. Policy towards the island hardened during the administration of President Donald Trump, and the economy has yet to recover from its 11% contraction in 2020. In tourism alone -- a mainstay for national income -- the island welcomed just 1.7 million visitors last year, less than half the amount of 2018. Cubans have been feeling the effects of yet another crisis, reflected by long lines to get fuel, shortages of basic goods, blackouts, inflation and record emigration. In September 2021, Cuba legalized the creation of small- and medium-sized businesses to help an economy in crisis, a decision that Cubans and observers of the nation's politics viewed as historic. Since then, 7,842 small- and medium-size companies were created, along with 65 non-agricultural cooperatives, generating some 212,000 jobs combined. However, decades living in a state-dominated economy led to the loss of business know-how, including financial administration, marketing strategies, publicity and customer relations. “I am very happy with the renewed willingness of the United States embassy to pave the way for us in terms of knowledge... that is something we were lacking,” says Adriana Heredia, a 30-year-old partner of Beyond Roots, a private enterprise that includes a clothing store, a beauty salon specializing in afro hair and various other cultural projects. Cuban entrepreneurs say they appreciate efforts like the U.S. embassy’s business training program, but they also express concern about the negative impact the U.S.-imposed sanctions have had on their economy. “There is a negative impact (of the sanctions) that is evident,” economist Ricardo Torres, a researcher at the Center for Latin American Studies at the American University in Washington, told the AP. “The United States is the dominant market, the dominant economy. So all the financial and commercial restrictions that... weigh on entities that are based in Cuba will negatively affect entrepreneurs.” Last month, representatives of 300 small- and medium-sized businesses sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting, among other things, facilitation of financial transactions, the establishment of some sort of permit for U.S. businessmen to invest in Cuba and trade with private companies, They also requested removal of the island from U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism. Cuban entrepreneurs feel they are caught between two forces: U.S. sanctions and limitations within Cuba itself such as high taxes, a lack of financing and state control over imports and exports. The island also lacks permits for professionals to establish themselves as independent workers. “Unfortunately, Cuba’s private enterprises end up being subjected to a sort of crossfire,” Torres said. The Biden administration has promised several times to reverse some measures affecting the island and its fledgling entrepreneurs, but the Cuban government says Washington has yet to deliver. Benjamin Ziff, charge d’affairs at the U.S. embassy in Cuba, dismisses claims that the administration has implemented few changes. He pointed to the resumption of some flights and the sending of remittances, as well as a slew of educational and religious exchanges between both nations. The embassy's business training classes, while a small measure to boost the private sector, is one of them. “Cuba’s future lies in its private sector and those who say it is a necessary evil are completely wrong,” Ziff said in an interview. “It is an increasingly necessary good for the well-being of the people.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Sierra Leone's president wins second term without need for runoff, election commission announces Music Review: Kim Petras makes flirty Eurodance-pop in major-label debut Eni chief executive says plan for pipeline to move gas to Cyprus 'part of our discussion'

It’s amazing how much the little spaces we carve out for ourselves can reveal about our personalities, isn’t it? How we style our bedrooms, the pictures we pin up, the objects we display in pride of place on our dressing tables and desks. What’s perhaps even more telling is the way we build our routines into our spaces, and the personal rituals we play out within them. The way we while away an evening, for instance, or the side of the bed we sleep on, or the things we do before heading out into the world.

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By Karen Brettell NEW YORK Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields rose to 16-year highs on Thursday, a day

If some influencers on TikTok are to be believed, eating a handful of carrots a day will give you a tan. An account called isabelle.lux posted last week to claim that eating three carrots each day would make you orange. And the fad is spreading like wildfire. @isabelle.lux #stitch with @Isabelle ⚡️ Lux ?CARROT TAN 101 take Astaxanthin (i get mine on amazon) #carrottan #selftan #selftanroutine Tanning hack routine Carrot tan before and after results But like most things promoted by beauty grifters on the internet, all is not what it seems. Two dieticians wrote in The Conversation on 27 September that, no, you probably won't get that golden tan just from eating a couple of root vegetables. They are Lauren Ball, professor of community health and wellbeing at The University of Queensland, and Emily Burch, a dietitian, researcher and lecturer, Southern Cross University. Here’s what they had to say. What is Carotene? The reason carrots are orange is because they contain beta-carotene, a natural pigment. When you eat it, your gut breaks it down into vitamin A, which helps vision, reproduction, immunity and growth. If you eat too much beta-carotene, it stops breaking it down into vitamin A. Then your poo goes orange. (No, really.) The excess beta-carotene gets stored in the liver and fat tissue, write Ball and Burch, and is excreted through your poo, or removed via sweat glands in the outer layer of the skin. This is when your skin goes orange, or “tanned”. There’s even a medical name for the condition – carotenoderma – which sees the orange pigmentation concentrated in the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet and the smile lines near your nose. So how many carrots do you need? “A few days of high carrot intake will unlikely result in a change in skin colour,” Bell and Burch write. Moreover, “no high quality trials have been conducted to test the relationship between number of carrots eaten per day and skin colour changes or other outcomes”. One published case report found that for a person who ate around 3kg of carrots per week (about seven large carrots a day) found the colour of their skin started to change. Other experts have suggest you would need to eat at least ten carrots per day, for at least a few weeks, for colour changes to occur. The experts added: “Most people would find this carrot intake challenging.” Is that even good for you? And while they continue that myths around beta-carotene being toxic for humans don’t quite stack up, there is a potential danger. “There is, however, some evidence that taking high-dose beta-carotene supplements (20 mg per day or more) increases lung cancer risk in people who smoke cigarettes or used to smoke,” they wrote. “This may be due to changes to chemical signalling pathways.” The Cancer Council therefore recommends avoiding high doses of beta-carotene supplements (more than 20 mg per day). But the good news is that if you really want to go a strange orange hue, beta-carotene is also found in parsley, basil, chives, chilli powder and sun-dried tomatoes. So as far as real fruit and veg is concerned, you might as well crack on. Read the full article in The Conversation here. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Buffalo Zoo in New York welcomed four new lion cubs into their African lion pride in early June.