- 22h ago
Petro, in final Cuba visit, urges US to avoid invasion and open dialogue with Trump and Rubio
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro used his last official trip to Havana to call for international solidarity with Cuba and propose direct talks between Washington and Havana, as his successor prepares to sever diplomatic ties.
- Jul 22
U.S. sends first 18-tonne aid flight to Cuba under $100m Rubio pledge, targeting 700 families via church channels
The flight departed Miami on 21 July 2026 carrying rice, beans, oil, hygiene kits and flashlights, the opening delivery of a $100 million commitment by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that will eventually reach 196,000 families.
- Jul 22
Meliá, Iberostar and Barceló pull out of Cuba as Trump sanctions cripple tourism industry
Meliá, Iberostar and Barceló will cease all operations on the island by Friday, citing US sanctions that make business 'impossible'. The departure ends a 36-year presence that once accounted for 16% of Cuba's accommodation.
- Jul 18
Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara arrives in Miami exile after five-year prison term
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, co-founder of the San Isidro Movement, landed in Miami on Saturday after accepting exile as the condition for his release from a five-year sentence for protesting Cuba's government.
- Jul 15
Cuba suffers third nationwide blackout in 10 days as US fuel blockade deepens energy crisis
The island's entire power grid went offline at 11:05 local time on Tuesday, the fifth nationwide collapse in 2026, leaving 9.6 million residents without electricity amid acute fuel shortages.
- Jul 11
Rubio warns Cuba 'before it is too late' on fifth anniversary of 2021 mass protests, as Trump threatens 'takeover'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Cuba's socialist government to implement fundamental reforms on 11 July 2026, the fifth anniversary of the 2021 mass demonstrations, while President Trump has repeatedly threatened a 'takeover' of the island.
- Jul 11
Cuba suffers second total power collapse in five days amid US fuel blockade
A total grid collapse on Friday afternoon left Cuba without electricity for the second time in a week, deepening an energy crisis fueled by aging power plants and a US oil blockade.
- Jul 11
Second nationwide blackout in a week plunges 10 million Cubans into darkness
A transmission line fault between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus knocked out power across the island on Friday afternoon, marking the fourth total grid failure since the start of 2026.
- Jul 11
Five years after Cuba's 11-J protests, hundreds still imprisoned as regime clings to power amid blackouts and mass exodus
On the fifth anniversary of the July 2021 uprising, at least 300 demonstrators remain behind bars according to Amnesty International, while the island endures prolonged blackouts and a population decline from 11 million to under 10 million.
- Jul 11
Spanish biologist names newly discovered sea slug after Cape Verde World Cup hero Vozinha
The 4 mm red mollusc, discovered in the Caribbean, is a tribute to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet against Spain and took Cape Verde to the Round of 32.
- Jul 10
Second nationwide blackout in five days hits Cuba as dissident rapper transferred on eve of protest anniversary
Cuba's electrical grid collapsed for the second time this week on Friday, the fourth general outage in less than six months, while authorities moved jailed rapper Maykel Osorbo to a different prison a day before the fifth anniversary of the 2021 anti-government protests.
- Jul 10
Cuba's grid collapses again, marking fourth nationwide blackout of 2026 amid US oil embargo
The island's power system went dark on Friday, just days after a previous outage left millions without electricity and sparked street protests in Havana.
- Jul 6
Cuba's power grid collapses nationwide, leaving 10 million in the dark; Castro grandson signals openness to Trump talks
A nationwide power outage left 10 million Cubans without electricity on Monday, as the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro said he would negotiate directly with President Trump.
- Jul 5
Cuba hit by record blackout as 72% of island loses power amid deepening energy crisis
Cuba's state power company forecasts that 72% of the island will be without electricity during peak hours on Sunday, surpassing the previous record of 71% set just two days earlier.
- Jun 29
Luis de Javier joins 'Maestros de la Costura Celebrity' as the talent show returns with 12 celebrity contestants
RTVE premieres the second celebrity edition of its sewing competition on 29 June, introducing designer Luis de Javier to the jury and a dozen well-known faces to the workroom.
- Jun 24
US Supreme Court clears ExxonMobil lawsuit against Cuba over Castro-era property seizures
The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that ExxonMobil may pursue its lawsuit against Cuban state-owned companies for assets confiscated after Fidel Castro's revolution, removing a sovereign immunity defense that had blocked the case.
- Jun 21
Ramiro Valdés, last commander of the Cuban Revolution and Castro ally, dies at 94
Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, former vice president, and founder of Cuba's intelligence services, died Sunday at 94. President Miguel Díaz-Canel said his death felt 'like the loss of a father.'
- Jun 21
Ramiro Valdés, revolutionary commander who built Cuba's intelligence apparatus, dies at 94
Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, one of the last surviving commanders of the 1959 Cuban revolution and the founder of the island's feared G2 intelligence service, died in Havana on Sunday at the age of 94.
- Jun 18
Cuba proposes sweeping market reforms to rescue economy under US sanctions
Cuban PM Manuel Marrero presented 176 reform measures to the National Assembly on Thursday, backed by the Communist Party and former leader Raúl Castro, aiming to privatize state firms and attract foreign investment to survive crushing US economic pressure.
- Jun 13
Cuba announces market-oriented reforms modelled on China and Vietnam, citing unsustainable status quo and US pressure
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said further economic sectors would be opened to private enterprise, approvals streamlined, and the state apparatus restructured, while holding up China and Vietnam as templates for a socialist market economy.
