American diplomats and their spouses began reporting symptoms that included hearing loss, dizziness, balance and visual problems, headaches and cognitive issues last December. The expelled embassy personnel were given seven days to leave the United States. The administration expelled two low-level Cuban diplomats in May in response to the illnesses, but with more diplomats and their spouses becoming ill, calls grew on Capitol Hill for a more forceful response. Career American diplomats leaving Havana expressed regret on Tuesday that their missions were coming to an end. “I am an optimist and hope we will return one day, before too long,” Scott Hamilton, the top American official in Cuba, wrote on Facebook.

Source: New York Times October 03, 2017 15:05 UTC