All articles tagged with #cuba
U.S. 'maximum pressure' tactics have intensified Cuba’s economic and energy crisis, causing severe fuel shortages and power outages. Despite these hardships, daily life continues as residents adapt to infrastructure failures. A recent photo essay highlights the resilience of Cubans, particularly youth, who face economic stagnation and political uncertainty while considering emigration.
The U.S. Army Reserve is assessing the availability of logistics, medical, and police units for U.S. Southern Command within 90 to 120 days, a move officials link to ongoing planning for potential actions in Cuba. This development coincides with intensified economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure from the Trump administration, which has demanded political reforms and warned that the Cuban government will fall. While no deployment orders have been issued, the planning follows earlier reconnaissance missions and heightened readiness measures in the Caribbean, reflecting a broader strategy to limit foreign influence in the Western Hemisphere.
During a Tuesday security meeting, President Donald Trump failed to notice Secretary of State Marco Rubio sitting immediately next to him, asking aloud where the official was before Rubio signaled his presence. The 80-year-old president later joked about dropping Rubio off in Cuba via aircraft carrier, a comment that followed earlier remarks at the United Nations that prompted the Cuban delegation to walk out.
In a roughly 37-minute UN General Assembly address, Trump attacked Iran and Cuba, defended U.S. actions and warned of potential military options, touted a new defense deal with Greenland and Denmark, and pivoted to an ambitious AI agenda while criticizing the UN, suggesting a major post‑election decision on Iran.
Cuba’s power grid collapsed again, leaving millions without electricity for the sixth time this year due to a transmission-line failure and unstable weather; restoration protocols were activated, with only about 5% of Havana’s customers back online by dusk and some hospitals restored. The outages worsen a long-running energy crisis tied to the U.S. embargo and fuel shortages, impacting water, food, transport and communications across the island.
Millions in Cuba were plunged into a nationwide blackout described as a total disconnection of the grid, with restoration prioritized for hospitals and water pumping stations. The outage, at least the sixth this year, highlights aging infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages worsened by U.S. sanctions and an oil blockade. The disruption has strained hospitals, schools, and daily life and sparked rare protests while authorities work to gradually restore power.
Cuba’s power grid collapsed, leaving millions without electricity in a nationwide blackout tied to an energy embargo; the outages have disrupted transportation, reduced work hours, cancelled flights, and worsened public health concerns, as residents like Abilén Marrero in Havana wait for restoration with little certainty.
Facing rolling electricity blackouts and fuel shortages worsened by sanctions and import losses, Cubans are getting creative: influencer Dayán Marrero shares DIY antenna tutorials to tap scarce mobile internet, farmers pasteurize milk over charcoal and power dairies with solar panels and batteries, and private solar-powered electric tricycles are increasingly ferrying Havana residents; at Viñales, a dairy farm runs on solar power with an inverter to keep a freezer, despite few tourists, illustrating Cuban resilience and ingenuity amid energy scarcity.
Thirty-six Cuban immigrants from Florida were deported on a 21‑hour flight to the Central African Republic as part of a DHS/ICE operation described by officials as the largest deportation effort in history. Detainees say they were kept in limbo with unclear asylum options and no clear information about their future, while advocates call it a humanitarian and due‑process concern. U.S. authorities say the removals are lawful and that ICE's custody responsibilities end once detainees are in third-country territory.
Cuba is set to turn 176 June economic reforms into law this week, allowing private companies to trade directly with foreign firms, letting foreign investors hire workers and widening rights to develop real estate, a move that signals a substantial opening even as U.S. sanctions bite; experts caution that permanence may require constitutional changes and that reforms are expected to be law by year’s end.
Cuba says the U.S. sanctions policy is blocking its plan to open the economy to private investment even as Havana pushes June reforms to expand private business, imports/exports without state intermediaries, and foreign investment. Analysts say sanctions constrain capital access and overall reform momentum, noting a paradox where U.S. pressure may spur liberalization while also limiting the resources needed to implement changes; ongoing U.S.–Cuba talks and sharp partisan critiques underscore the policy’s persistent impact on Cuba’s economic trajectory.
The Trump administration has increased U.S. intelligence assets in Cuba, signaling a tougher strategy toward Havana and potentially paving the way for actions ranging from intensified covert activity to a possible military incursion, as the CIA presence grows and allies like Marco Rubio press for change.
Cuba is dealing with its sixth nationwide power outage of 2026, with three outages in July, as residents endure extreme heat and limited air conditioning; the U.S. Embassy in Havana warned Americans to expect disruptions while officials review the aging grid and fuel shortages. U.S. travel to Cuba remains restricted to specific categories under OFAC, with advisories urging travelers to prepare for outages.
Cuba’s state electric grid collapsed late Sunday, plunging roughly 10 million people into a nationwide blackout amid fuel shortages and a U.S. oil blockade that has strained imports; the outage follows three blackouts in July, with officials offering few details as the aging system and tight fuel supply press on.
Cuba’s state electricity grid collapsed late Sunday, plunging about 10 million people into darkness as fuel shortages and a US oil blockade strain aging infrastructure; the outage follows three nationwide blackouts in July. Havana has struggled to secure imports, with Venezuela and Mexico reducing supplies, while the government moves to loosen controls by authorizing foreign-backed fuel imports and allowing wholesale fuel distribution to hundreds of Cuban businesses.