Topic
37 articles
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on August 28 new sanctions against five companies and eight individuals linked to Cuba's military procurement from Russia and China. The moves are part of a broader 'maximum pressure' campaign by the Trump administration against the Caribbean nation.
Cuba's national power grid collapsed on Sunday, causing a nationwide blackout just days after prolonged outages. The failure comes amid fuel shortages blamed on US sanctions, with authorities yet to announce the cause or restoration timeline.
The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 30, allowing ExxonMobil to sue Cuban state-owned companies over assets seized after Fidel Castro came to power. The decision is the second in two months favoring American claimants of property nationalized by Cuba's communist government more than 65 years ago. The rulings could give President Donald Trump's administration added leverage to pressure Cuba amid the US oil embargo.
Amid a deepening energy crisis, solar panels offer hope for millions of Cubans enduring daily blackouts, but most cannot afford them. In Havana, a taxi driver considers a $3,678 system while his neighborhood remains powerless for 26 hours.
Cuba's Communist Party has approved an unprecedented package of market-oriented economic reforms to revive its crisis-hit economy amid escalating U.S. sanctions. President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged domestic factors contributing to the crisis, while the EU passed a resolution calling for sanctions against him and urging political change. The U.S. has signaled potential for improved relations if Cuba makes smart decisions.
Cuba has endured nearly five months of a US oil blockade, while the 2026 World Cup matches in Miami, just over 320 kilometers from Cuba's northern coast, have heightened fears on the island that a military conflict could overshadow the tournament. Former Cuban ambassador to the EU, Carlos Alzugaray, said: “The start of the World Cup will make it harder for the US to carry out military action in Cuba.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Cuba against boosting its military capabilities, saying it could invite a confrontation with Washington. His remarks, made during a visit to Guantanamo Bay, followed reports of Cuban drone purchases and heightened US pressure on the island nation.
Brazilian federal police rescued 108 Cuban nationals smuggled into the country in a single day in Roraima state, the largest humanitarian rescue of its kind there. Most Cubans entered via Guyana, and the number of Cuban asylum applications in Brazil has now surpassed Venezuelan claims for the first time in a decade.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Cuba's northwestern coast on June 8, with tremors felt across Florida and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. No casualties or major damage were reported. The USGS confirmed it was the strongest quake in the region in nearly 150 years.
