Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

On Havana’s Monte Street, the Garbage Has the Right of Way

A dump that stretches for more than a block forces pedestrians to walk among tricycles and trucks.

En la esquina de Antón Recio, una montaña de desperdicios ha crecido tanto que ya se extiende por más de una cuadra y se ha adueñado de la vía pública. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 28 October 2026 / On Monte Street, one of Havana’s most popular avenues, a new road hierarchy has been established. Garbage has priority, followed by vehicles, and, if any space is left, pedestrians can use it. At the corner of Antón Recio, a mountain of waste has grown so large that it now stretches for more than a block and has taken over the public roadway, blocking passage along the sidewalk.

This Wednesday, the gigantic garbage dump reigned over the avenue. With its cardboard boxes, burst bags, plastic containers, papers, and pieces of old household appliances, the dump formed an irregular mountain range alongside the porticoes where the avenue’s commercial life once thrived. The accumulation of waste also covered part of the pavement, where electric tricycles, almendrones that serve as shared taxis, and people competed for space.

Perhaps soon some outraged passerby will decide to carry their own sign to warn drivers: “Caution, people walking”

A woman and a child walked alongside the garbage dump, just inches away from motorcycles and trucks. When a pickup truck passed by them, they climbed onto the filth to avoid being run over. Faced with a choice between the danger of microbes and being struck by a vehicle, they chose to risk exposure to the foul fumes. “We’re going to have to wash those sneakers,” the child’s mother lamented as soon as she saw him sink his soles into banana peels and other food scraps that were difficult to identify.

Historically associated with commerce and the constant movement of goods, Monte has become a showcase for the filth spreading throughout the city and the entire country. Even the authorities have finally acknowledged that the so-called micro-dumps have turned into mega-dumps. On this thoroughfare, the garbage does not occupy just one corner; it has also taken over the porticoes, sidewalks, and roadway.

Although no one has yet put up a sign warning of the danger, perhaps soon some outraged passerby will decide to carry their own sign to warn drivers: “Caution, people walking.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Multitudes in Caracas, the Silence in Havana

The return of María Corina Machado has revived the enthusiasm of those who still hope that the changes in Venezuela will also open the doors of Cuba.

A woman holds a sign while waiting for the arrival of opposition leader María Corina Machado, this Sunday in Maracay, Venezuela. / EFE/Miguel Gutiérrez

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, October 26, 2026 / Images of María Corina Machado touring Venezuela, surrounded by thousands of people chanting her name and demanding elections, have reached the phones of many Cubans. They aren’t broadcast on the National Television News nor do they make headlines in the official newspapers. They circulate on WhatsApp, jump from one Facebook profile to another, and are discussed in quiet voices or with enthusiasm. The news that the propaganda apparatus prefers to ignore finds its own way to bridge the distance between the two nations.

The return of the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has a special resonance on this island. Not only because Cuba and Venezuela have been united for decades by a political, economic, and military alliance, but also because events in Caracas have become a kind of mirror in which many Cubans seek to anticipate their own future. Every move on the Venezuelan chessboard is examined here with a mixture of anxiety, expectation, and mistrust.

The capture of Nicolás Maduro by US troops last January unleashed a wave of hope that extended far beyond Venezuela’s borders. In Cuba, where the economic crisis and political stagnation go hand in hand, some imagined that the collapse of Chavismo would also drag down its allies in Havana. Some even began to talk about timelines, calculating weeks and setting dates for a change that seemed imminent. continue reading

But the calendar was left uneventful. Maduro ended up out of power, while much of the structure that had sustained him remained in place. Delcy Rodríguez assumed the Venezuelan presidency, and Washington opted to negotiate with Chavismo. Democracy, which many had envisioned entering through the front door, became trapped amidst diplomatic talks, oil interests, and unfulfilled electoral promises.

In Cuba, meanwhile, the long-awaited opening did not materialize. Political prisoners continued to wait, censorship retained its instruments, and institutions remained under the control of the Communist Party. The hope of January began to fade in the face of a stubborn reality. Maduro’s fall was not enough to open the doors of Cuban prisons or for citizens to regain their rights.

Now Machado is introducing a promising variable into that equation. Her presence in the streets of Venezuela serves as a reminder that a transition cannot be reduced to simply replacing a ruler while preserving the mechanisms that impede real alterantions. The crowds that accompanied her were not merely celebrating her return. They were demanding elections, a word that is also absent from the political vocabulary permitted in Cuba.

The silence of the official press is, therefore, so revealing. An event of such magnitude in a country that for years was presented as Havana’s principle ally should merit prominent coverage. However, recognizing the popular support for an opposition leader would require portraying an image that contradicts too many narratives repeated for decades.

Nor is the connection between Caracas and Havana is not a thing of the past. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela, led by Delcy Rodríguez , called the recent arrest warrant issued in Florida against Raúl Castro for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996 an “intimidation maneuver.” Its support for the Cuban regime suggests that old loyalties still hold sway, even as Chavismo negotiates with the United States.

From this island, Machado’s return is viewed with a hope more cautious than that in January. We Cubans have learned to distrust quick fixes and the freedoms others promise to bring us. But we also know how to recognize the significance of a multitude that loses its fear and once again occupies the streets. Perhaps that is the image that most unsettles those in power: not a woman returning to her country, but thousands of citizens convinced that they can still decide their own destiny.

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The Cuban Regime Is Squandering Energy and Resources To Stem the Loss of Votes at the UN

Nervousness in Havana ahead of the vote on its annual resolution condemning the US embargo

This year’s debate will be shaped by the energy crisis exacerbated by the oil embargo and growing tensions between the US and Cuba. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, October 27, 2026 / For the thirty-fourth time, between Tuesday the 27th and tomorrow the 28th, the United Nations will vote on the resolution presented by Cuba against the United States embargo. As every year, the island’s official media will also carry out a full propaganda campaign on their front pages to support the resolution, which again bears the title: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” Something has changed this time, however: much greater pressure from the Donald Trump administration to secure a vote against the Cuban initiative or an abstention.

Havana, as usual, says that the embargo – signed in 1962 by then-President John F. Kennedy after the massive expropriations of the nascent Castro regime – which it systematically calls a “blockade,” “constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cubans” and “seeks the isolation, suffocation, and immobility of Cuba.”

According to the regime’s figures, included in the report it is presenting to the UN, the damages caused by the embargo amounted to $8.0833 billion between March 2025 and February 2026, “7% more than in the previous period,” and that “at current prices, the accumulated losses over more than six decades reach $178.7005 billion.” Havana maintains that, had it not been for this unilateral US measure, “Cuban gross domestic product would have been 10.8% higher in 2025.” continue reading

The regime, however, does not say what the value is of the many companies it confiscated from 1959 onwards without compensating their legitimate owners.

The regime, however, does not say what the value is of the numerous companies it confiscated starting in 1959 without compensating their rightful owners. In response, not only the U.S. administration, but also numerous experts, attribute the island’s economic failure to the socialist system. A document presented in Miami two weeks ago by Cuban exile organizations, for example, asserts: “For decades, the Cuban communist regime has used this annual vote to present itself internationally as the victim of foreign aggression and to deflect attention from its own responsibility for the profound political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis afflicting our country.”

The text, titled “Call from the Cuban Pro-Democracy Opposition to the Governments of the Free and Democratic World,” is an initiative to urge a vote against the Castro regime’s proposal at the UN. It attempts to disprove the existence of a US embargo and accuses the Cuban regime of having mismanaged flows of money and raw materials received for decades from the Soviet Union and Venezuela. Furthermore, it uses data on bilateral trade between Havana and Washington—authorized through exemptions or to the private sector, as the case may be—to deny the existence of limitations, specifically citing fuel shipments, which have been permitted—only from the United States—since January and reached a value of $231.74 million in eight months.

Another of the arguments used by the exile community is the humanitarian aid that the State Department has coordinated this year with the Catholic Church for distribution on the island. This donation began with a $9 million pledge following Hurricane Melissa in October 2015 and has been followed by another $100 million in response to the current crisis. Both have been accepted by the regime, though they accuse Washington of “hypocrisy,” blaming it for “applying draconian coercive measures” while announcing “soup and canned food for a select few.”

Ahead of the vote at the UN General Assembly, the opposition explicitly mentioned the governments of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin American democracies, and asked: “Do not give the Cuban regime political support that it can later use for its propaganda and to hide the lack of freedoms within Cuba.”

“Do not give the Cuban regime political support that it can later use for its propaganda and to hide the lack of freedoms.”

The quote was similar to the message conveyed by Marco Rubio to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in a phone call in which, among other things, he asked for his country’s vote against the Cuban resolution, something he is also believed to have asked of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The reports prompted a reaction from the Cuban regime, which issued a statement through the Twitter account of its Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez: “The US Secretary of State, nervous and anxious about yet another defeat at the United Nations, is pressuring and blackmailing heads of state and government of several countries to change their vote against the blockade at the UN General Assembly.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío went even further, lamenting that, “in the year of the greatest intensification of the economic war,” the US is seeking “to blame the aggrieved party, discredit the victim, and thus attempt to change a position that the international community has historically and unequivocally maintained in rejection of the economic blockade.” He added that Rubio “is flitting from country to country, calling heads of state in a desperate effort to intimidate, blackmail, and offer carrots to governments across the globe.”

In late September, a document obtained by the Associated Press and confirmed to the agency by several officials revealed that the U.S. State Department had plans to impose “stricter controls” on Cuban officials traveling to the United Nations for the vote on the resolution, although this has no practical implications, since Havana’s permanent delegation in New York is one of the largest, with 47 officials, according to the NGO Archivo Cuba.

The Cuban regime has historically secured the support of the General Assembly for this resolution, with its best year being 2016, precisely during the period of the thaw initiated by then-President Barack Obama, when it received no votes against and passed with only two abstentions, those of the United States and Israel—which had always voted against it. Since then, although support remains overwhelming, the decline in votes is noticeable. In 2025, the proposal passed with 165 votes in favor, seven against, and twelve abstentions, the worst result to date.

This Monday, during a press teleconference, Rubio stated that “Cuba is a very different case from Venezuela” and that “it needs a drastic change”

This year’s debate will be shaped by the energy crisis exacerbated by the oil blockade imposed by Washington since its intervention in Venezuela in January, which has worsened blackouts and the lack of public services such as drinking water. The tensions between Havana and Washington are also significant; despite contacts acknowledged by both governments, no tangible agreements have been reached.

This Monday, during a press conference held via teleconference, Rubio stated that “Cuba is a very different case from Venezuela” and that “it needs a drastic change.” He emphasized, without elaborating: “The situation is very different, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Last Friday, Rubio invited “those seeking to generate positive change in Cuba” to begin “a discreet collaboration with the CIA,” and the following day, the intelligence agency itself published a seven-step guide for Cubans who want to contact the agency safely and anonymously.

The text accompanying the Instagram post was explicit: “The CIA wants to know the truth about Cuba, and we are looking for trusted individuals who know and can share this truth with us. Your information may be more valuable than you think.”

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Cuban Political Prisoner Félix Navarro Has Spent 66 Days in Isolation in a ‘Serious Health Situation’

His stay in that cell “is not part of any medical treatment and is being used as a covert punitive measure,” Cubalex denounces.

Félix Navarro was the victim of a “brutal beating” last April at Agüica prison / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, October 27, 2026 – Cuban political prisoner Félix Navarro is experiencing a “serious health situation” after spending more than two months in isolation in a cell in the infirmary of Agüica prison, in Matanzas. The legal advisory organization Cubalex denounced this Monday that “his stay in that cell is not part of any medical treatment and is being used as a covert punitive measure.”

For 66 days, the organization added, Navarro has not received “the required medical attention,” and it warned that “in the case of a 73-year-old person with diabetes and other ailments, the authorities must specifically assess the risks that prolonged separation may pose to his health. If isolation does not serve a genuine medical need, if there is no adequate health supervision, or if it is used as punishment, the situation raises additional concerns about the legality, necessity, and proportionality of the measure.”

Cubalex also emphasized that medical care in prison “cannot depend on the will of officials or be used as a mechanism of pressure.” In an extensive report, it added that “people deprived of their liberty retain their right to health, and the State has an obligation to guarantee them care that is essentially equivalent to that available in the community, without discrimination based on their political opinions or the nature of the charges brought against them.”

For this reason, the NGO stressed that the treatment of Navarro “demonstrates the continued use of prison isolation and medical negligence as systematic mechanisms of repression. When a sick person remains isolated for weeks without receiving the care they need, this is not merely a disciplinary or administrative matter: their health, dignity, and right to humane treatment are at stake.” continue reading

The treatment of Navarro “demonstrates the continued use of prison isolation and medical negligence as systematic mechanisms of repression”

The organization reported that in October alone, it has documented 18 incidents involving punishment or isolation cells in the country, placing the month among those with the highest incidence this year. “A total of 95 people have been victims of these practices in Cuban prisons, with alarming repeated cases involving political prisoners such as Danisbel Labrada, Fausto René Ramos, Ediolvis Marín Mora, and Virgilio Mantilla,” Cubalex detailed. The organization insisted that these practices flagrantly violate the UN’s Mandela Rules, which guide states in the treatment of people deprived of their liberty, and the Convention against Torture.

Félix Navarro, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence on charges of “assault, contempt, and public disorder,” was the victim of a “brutal beating” last April at Agüica prison.

Saylí Navarro, the activist’s daughter, who is also imprisoned and was sentenced to eight years for the same crimes as her father, as well as for “disobedience,” disclosed in a telephone call that her father had been dragged more than 100 meters “handcuffed, with his hands behind his back, to a punishment cell in the area known as the Vivac.” There, he was beaten and kicked in his right foot. “Navarro was confined to an isolation cell for nearly two hours” afterward.

The opposition activist was left with his face “torn on the right cheek, the mark of the officer’s hand from when he tried to silence him by force, and marks on his wrists caused by the excessive pressure of the handcuffs,” his daughter described at the time in a statement published by Martí Noticias.

The opposition activist was left with his face “torn on the right cheek, the mark of the officer’s hand from when he tried to silence him by force, and marks on his wrists”

In response to the assault, Amnesty International demanded days later the “immediate and unconditional release of Félix Navarro, urgent guarantees for his life and physical integrity, immediate contact with his family, and justice for this serious human rights violation.”

The organization stated on X that repression in Cuba now has “another dimension: punishment directed at families who seek information, provide care, offer support, and denounce abuses.”

It also stated that “prisoners of conscience in Cuba face arbitrary imprisonment, incommunicado detention, threats, punishments, and other forms of mistreatment for peacefully exercising their rights. Their relatives, especially women, also often bear the burden of harassment, anguish, emotional exhaustion, and institutional abandonment.”

Both Félix Navarro, who was among the prisoners of the 2003 Black Spring, and his daughter were arrested on the morning of July 12, 2021, when they went to the police station in the Matanzas municipality of Perico to inquire about the fate of those detained the previous day, following the historic 11 July 2021 demonstrations.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Meteorologists Forecast an Unusual Winter Season on the Island

Specialists predict the arrival of more cold fronts, with notably low minimum temperatures and significant rainfall.

Customers bundled up at a market in Sancti Spíritus. / 14ymedio

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, October 27, 2026 – Cuba could be on the verge of an unusual winter season, during which meteorologists expect the arrival of more cold fronts, with notably low minimum temperatures and significant rainfall, especially between February and April 2027, state media reported on Monday.

During a forum on climate outlooks held yesterday, specialists from the Climate Center of the Institute of Meteorology, as well as from provincial Forecasting and Meteorological Centers, indicated that the presence of a “very strong” El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event in the equatorial Pacific Ocean will affect Cuba’s weather conditions, making them “anomalous and unstable” during the six-month period from November 2026 to April 2027.

The ENSO event is expected to reach its “maximum intensity” between November and January, which will have direct implications for the behavior of the coming winter on the Island, explained Idalmis González, head of the Climate Center, as quoted by the newspaper Granma. continue reading

The ENSO event is expected to reach its “maximum intensity” between November and January, which will have direct implications for the behavior of the coming winter

Regarding temperatures, meteorologists are drawing attention to the likelihood of “maximum and minimum temperatures below” the historical average during the February–March two-month period in the western, central, and eastern parts of the country, which is accustomed to generally warm winters.

Their forecasts indicate that cold air masses bringing very cold minimum temperatures could arrive as early as next December, while during February and March they consider it possible that extratropical low-pressure systems will form in the Gulf of Mexico, causing rain, strong winds, and possible coastal flooding.

Specifically, for the November–January quarter, their projections warn that precipitation will be above the historical average in the western region, close to the average in the central region, and below average in the eastern part of the country.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Closes the Country’s Largest Zinc and Lead Mine Due to “External Causes”

The Castellanos project, in Pinar del Río, was operated by a joint venture involving Geominera, which was sanctioned by the U.S.

The Castellanos project, in Pinar del Río, produced around 100,000 tons of zinc and 50,000 tons of lead annually, destined mainly for China. / Granma/Ronald Suárez Rivas

14ymedio, Madrid, October 27, 2026 – The Ministry of Energy and Mines has ordered the temporary closure of the Castellanos-Santa Lucía Polymetallic Project, in Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río. The project was operated by the joint venture Minera del Caribe S.A. (Emincar), a partnership between the state-owned Geominera and the Dutch company Trafigura.

The shutdown, scheduled to remain in effect until January 30, 2027, comes four months after Trafigura stopped shipping zinc concentrate from the Pinar del Río mine to its customers, amid fears of Washington’s sanctions against foreign companies linked to the Cuban regime.

Although the closure of the mining project was announced this Monday, the Ministry’s decree was published in the Official Gazette on October 2. Resolution 49 attributes the decision to close the Castellanos mine to “external causes related to logistics, exports, and the energy deficit” that make it impossible to continue exploiting the deposit and processing the mineral.

The news has not gone down well with residents of the community. In comments on the official announcement, they complained about the loss of jobs for “thousands” of workers and the additional employment incentives provided by the joint venture. According to testimonials on social media, the project had provided jobs for many unemployed people in the area. Others criticized the environmental damage caused by the industry and the exploitation of natural resources without the population ever seeing the results of the profits, which went exclusively to the State. continue reading

The decision to close the Castellanos mine was due to “external causes related to logistics, exports, and the energy deficit”

Castellanos had an annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 tons of zinc concentrate and 50,000 tons of lead concentrate, almost all of which was destined for the Chinese market. In June, Trafigura informed Chinese smelters that it would replace those shipments with supplies from other sources because of “growing pressure from the United States.” The company said it continued to supply its customers “in compliance with the sanctions applicable to it.”

Although Trafigura was not itself directly targeted by sanctions, the Cuban state-owned company Geominera, which owns 51% of Emincar’s shares, was directly sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last June under Donald Trump’s May 1 executive order, which extends the threat of penalties to any foreign company doing business with sanctioned entities.

Along with the closure of the Castellanos project, the Ministry of Energy and Mines also terminated Empresa Geominera Pinar del Río’s geological exploration concession in the Arcilla Malcasado area. Resolution 52 of 2026 declares that the area may be subject to “new applications for mining activities.”

Along with the closure of the Castellanos project, the Ministry of Energy and Mines also terminated Empresa Geominera Pinar del Río’s geological exploration concession in the Arcilla Malcasado area

Washington’s offensive against the Island’s mining sector is part of the pressure the Trump administration has exerted on the Cuban regime this year, demanding profound political and economic changes in the country.

In this context, OFAC has also sanctioned Minera La Victoria, a company equally owned by Australia’s Antilles Gold and Cuba’s Geominera. The Australian company suspended its involvement in management and financing, and the Chinese contractor halted the construction contract for the Nueva Sabana copper and gold mine in Ciego de Ávila.

Antilles has proposed to the State Department that U.S. investors purchase at least 51% of its subsidiary so that it can obtain an OFAC license and continue operating on the Island. In August, it announced a binding agreement with GEM Global Yield, a Luxembourg-based fund controlled by individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction, which would acquire 25% of the subsidiary while awaiting Washington’s approval.

Similarly, Canada’s Sherritt International, Cuba’s partner in the Moa Nickel nickel and cobalt plant in Holguín, halted its operations on the Island in May, when Washington sanctioned the joint venture. Sherritt suspended its withdrawal plan after Gillon Capital, the firm owned by Ray Washburne, a Texas businessman close to Donald Trump, expressed interest in taking control of the Canadian company.

On October 20, Sherritt reported that OFAC had granted it a license to transport fuel, fuel oil, and sulfur to Moa. It is the first of several emergency licenses intended to restart operations. Sherritt also signed a preliminary agreement with Moa Bay Mining, which holds a certified claim under the Helms-Burton Act concerning the properties in Moa, a lawsuit that had complicated negotiations to continue operating these Cuban mines.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Isla de la Juventud ‘Ferry’ Breaks Down Again and Foreign Experts Are Awaited to Inspect It

The ‘Perseverancia’, with a capacity of 430 passengers, will be replaced by the ‘V2V Empress’, a Mexican catamaran that can carry only 240 people

The ferry cannot even be towed, and authorities are awaiting the arrival of foreign specialists to assess the damage / Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, October 26, 2027 / The Perseverancia, which connects the Isla de la Juventud with Batabanó, in Mayabeque province, is once again out of service after suffering a serious breakdown in one of its engines, the local station Radio Caribe reported this Monday. The ferry cannot even be towed, and the authorities are awaiting the arrival of foreign specialists to assess the damage and determine when it can be repaired.

The new breakdown comes less than a year after a repair that forced it to be withdrawn from service and that lasted from October to December 2025 in the Havana shipyards, with supplies contracted for more than 550,000 euros. “All very nice, but they don’t say when it’s going to sail, whichever boat it is,” one user complained in the comments on the station’s post.

The new breakdown comes less than a year after a repair that lasted from October to December 2025

As Carlos Lázaro Arroyo Salas, director of the Viamar Basic Business Unit, explained to the official Isla de la Juventud station, the ferry suffered a serious failure in its main port engine, which ended up contaminating the crankcase with fresh water.

Water getting into the oil reservoir that lubricates the engine parts can cause major damage. To assess its extent, foreign specialists are due to arrive in Nueva Gerona this Tuesday; their visit had initially been planned for the first quarter of 2027. The ferry was built in South Korea and is equipped with two American Cummins engines. continue reading

Radio Caribe explains that the specialists are “the only ones authorized to open up the engine” and determine the magnitude of the breakdown, so only after their inspection can a repair schedule be established. In the meantime, the vessel remains immobilized.

‘Radio Caribe’ explains that the foreign specialists are “the only ones authorized to open up the engine” and determine the magnitude of the breakdown

For now, trips depend on the V2V Empress, the Mexican catamaran that began operating in October 2025. It has capacity for about 240 passengers, compared with the Perseverancia’s 430, and maintains a limit of 20 kilograms of luggage per traveler. The authorities give priority to those who need to continue on to other provinces, catch international flights or attend oncology appointments.

Faced with the difficulties in repairing the Perseverancia, the authorities once again fell back on the US embargo as an explanation. According to Radio Caribe, there are “containers held up in Central America” with spare parts for the ferry that have not been able to reach Cuba, although the station does not specify where they are or how long they have been waiting to be shipped.

According to ‘Radio Caribe’, there are “containers held up in Central America” with spare parts for the ferry that have not been able to reach Cuba because of the “blockade”

User Rubi Sánchez Cuza commented sarcastically on that justification. “Everything was going perfectly until I saw the word ‘blockade’ and that the parts are held up in a container,” she wrote. Miguel Martel questioned how the visit of the foreign specialists can be arranged but not the shipment of the spare parts, and snapped: “Enough with the excuses already.”

Lino Nelson Bouza, a 74-year-old retiree, pointed out that the authorities cannot keep waiting for the United States to lift the embargo to solve the transportation problems and called for alternatives for the residents of the Isla de la Juventud.

A user identified as Isla Lg questioned the transport of baseball teams while there are residents who cannot get a ticket. Another comment criticizes the space given over to goods for private businesses when there are families who need to travel.

Several comments also point out that the Perseverancia is an essential route for bringing food to the special municipality. Now the shortages could worsen further and prices could rise.

The ‘Perseverancia’ is an essential route for bringing food to the special municipality, and now the shortages could worsen further and prices could rise

In September 2023, barely two months after entering service, the Perseverancia suspended its trips until further notice, amid the fuel shortage. The Viajero Company then asked residents to limit their travel to matters that could not be postponed and suspended the waiting lists.

Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila acknowledged in August 2024 that the ferry was overworked, after having made hundreds of crossings carrying passengers and goods. The catamarans Río Júcaro and Río Las Casas were still under repair, and the plane linking Havana with Nueva Gerona was not operating either due to technical problems. The official then called for “taking extreme care” of the Perseverancia, the only means available.

The situation worsened in November of that year, when the port of Batabanó had to be dredged after Hurricane Rafael left accumulated sediment that prevented the vessel’s safe passage.

When it was withdrawn for a new repair in October 2025, the Perseverancia had racked up, in just over two years, 716 crossings, carrying almost 298,000 passengers and more than 82,000 tons of cargo. In the Havana shipyards it underwent more than fifty technical interventions, including the replacement of propellers, steering system components and shaft lines. The work ran ten days longer than planned due to unforeseen technical issues and was completed in December.

Translated by GH.

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The Las Tunas Surgical Glove Factory, a Paradigm of Cuba’s Industrial Failure

The official press blames the embargo for the collapse in the production of latex goods, which was going very well until 2017

The production of the gloves requires products purchased abroad “and currently unavailable at the factory,” such as potassium oleate, ZDBC accelerator, and liquid pigments. / Granma

14ymedio, Havana, October 26, 2026 / It has been nine years since the Las Tunas Latex Goods Factory, the only one of its kind in Cuba, produced surgical gloves. That, at least, is what a report published this Sunday in the official press states, blaming the situation on the “economic, commercial, financial and energy blockade that the United States Government intensifies day after day to suffocate the people.”

With this example, the report seeks to shore up the Cuban regime’s traditional excuse – the US embargo – to explain the fragility of the country’s productive apparatus, but at the same time it does not hide one of its main weaknesses: dependence on imports of raw materials, in addition to not paying its bills. In this case, they acknowledge that the Las Tunas plant “had a supplier of natural latex in Guatemala that could not maintain its commercial relations, and as an alternative, Cuba found a more secure market in an Asian nation.”

The “Asian nation” that the official media refuses to identify is India, which sold the island 29,876 kilograms of natural latex in 2024 for a value of $55,600. In previous years, China and Thailand were also suppliers, as well as Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. continue reading

The “Asian nation” that the official media refuses to identify is India, which sold the island 29,876 kilograms of natural latex in 2024 for a value of $55,600

One of the factory’s officials, Milaydys García Aguilar, laments that the “solution” has “an enormous cost due to the distance,” although they do not specify which country they are referring to or explain why they do not buy it from a closer nation, such as Brazil or Mexico, which are also friends of the Havana regime. According to World Bank data, Cuba bought 353 tons of natural latex from Guatemala in 2015 for a value of $640,000 and barely 59 tons in 2022. The following year the island imported nothing and, in 2024, almost all of it came from India. In 2025, only 2,400 kilograms were imported, from the European Union.

The statement does not explain why Guatemala stopped selling to the island, but exporters in various sectors are known to have suspended their shipments because of Havana’s failure to pay.

The official statement does not explain why Guatemala stopped selling to Cuba, but exporters in various sectors are known to have suspended their shipments because of Havana’s failure to pay

García Aguilar, on the contrary, expands on her explanation, saying that “it’s not only a matter of paying a higher price for the product,” but that “the corresponding transportation fees and tariffs also increase,” even though these depend on the Cuban Government, which can lower or eliminate them to reduce costs for its factories.

Furthermore, with the arrival of raw materials delayed, the factory’s production manager argues, “some may arrive expired or defective.” To make the gloves, those in charge explain, other products purchased abroad are needed, “which are nonexistent in the factory right now,” such as potassium oleate, the ZDBC accelerator and liquid pigments.

“The last time, we received those dyes in powder form, and to use them they had to be reduced to particles smaller than those that make up the latex. At the center we don’t have suitable mills to handle that process, and it’s another of the reasons why we haven’t been able to produce this year,” García Aguilar specified.

According to the official statement, the latex factory went into decline in a single year. Or so, at least, it appears from the statements of the plant’s head, Antonio Elio Núñez Nojas, who stated that in 2016 they set “a production record amounting to six million pairs of sterilized surgical gloves,” an output that “helped supply health services throughout the country.”

The plant’s head stated that in 2016 they set “a production record amounting to six million pairs of sterilized surgical gloves”

One of the key factors in the lack of surgical glove production is that the plant’s sterilizer, “with a total capacity of ten cubic meters, which ranks among the largest of its kind in the country,” is shut down. “The equipment remains unused because it runs on ethylene oxide, a product that must be imported in 34-kilogram cylinders,” says the official press.

The paralysis of the factory does not affect only medical items, they explain. The “auxiliary” lines, where household gloves were made – with much less strict safety requirements – as well as membranes for collecting bee venom and cones used in the collection of bovine semen for artificial insemination, have also been put out of service.

This is not the first time the plant, which belongs to the Thaba Basic Business Unit (UEB) of the National Saddlery Company, has made news in the state media. In 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cubadebate reported the reactivation of the plant, after six months at a standstill, with the goal of producing almost 300,000 pairs of household gloves in one month.

In 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cubadebate reported the reactivation of the plant, after six months at a standstill, to produce household gloves

That report did not mention surgical gloves, but it referred to a recent purchase of some 26,000 kilograms of “centrifuged natural latex,” the main raw material for those items, “along with some twenty components that are also imported,” all at a cost of two million pesos, at the official exchange rate of 24 CUP to one dollar, equivalent to $83,333. In the same piece they announced more materials for September, something that would allow manufacturing to continue until the end of that year.

Nor did they refer to the US embargo, an idea that does form the backbone of this Sunday’s report in Granma.

In this one, however, there is no trace of the disastrous figures for the manufacturing industry on the island in general, which in 2025 showed a decline in almost all its categories. In the list detailed by the National Office of Statistics and Information in a report on the subject last May, there were only five products whose indicators improved: tobacco, detergent, beer, bed sheets and frozen lobster.

During 2025, manufacturing industry on the island showed a decline in almost all its categories, except tobacco, detergent, beer, bed sheets and frozen lobster

Three products closely linked to construction and the home fell by somewhat more than 94% over the last five years: corrugated steel bars, air conditioners and hydraulic floor tiles, and wooden doors and windows are not far behind, with reductions of 92%. If these are combined with the large drops in cement (65%), lime (66%), concrete blocks (84%) and sanitary fixtures (62%), the serious housing problem becomes understandable, both for building and for renovating, causing a housing shortage that leaves entire families sharing minimal spaces in poor condition.

Among the data provided by the official body, which also include a slight decline in the number of people working in this sector and in their average wages, the energy consumption of these industries is also shown, which has fallen notably in recent years due to the difficulties in generating electricity. In 2020, manufacturing industry – the sugar industry is, as always, excluded from these data and reported separately – consumed an average of about 1,089 GWh, compared with 613 in 2024, a 44% drop whose direct consequence is the collapse of all the indicators.

Translated by GH.

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Darkness and Robberies Scare Away Visitors to Lennon Park in Havana

National Film Award winner Luciano Castillo had his cell phone stolen in broad daylight, and the Beatle statue no longer has a guard or even glasses.

John Lennon Park, in Havana’s Vedado district, is no longer the bustling place where young people used to gather and chat until late into the night. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, October 26, 2026 / John Lennon Park, in Havana’s El Vedado district, is no longer the bustling place where young people used to gather and chat until late into the night. On Sunday, shortly before 7:00 p.m., 14ymedio found only a handful of visitors, mainly older people trying to connect to the internet. Under the trees, the paths were beginning to grow dark.

Located on 17th Street, between 6th and 8th, in El Vedado, the park was for years a meeting place for young people and rock fans, as was also the case on nearby G Street (Avenida de los Presidentes). Now, the interminable power outages, which plunge the area into near-total darkness for hours and facilitate criminal activity, have turned it into a place many prefer to avoid.

The interminable power outages, which plunge Lennon Park into near-total darkness, have made it a place many prefer to avoid. / 14ymedio

Last week, film critic and researcher Luciano Castillo, winner of the 2026 National Film Award and director of the Cuban Film Archive, had his phone stolen in the park, according to 14ymedio. The act occurred during the day. Castillo filed a police report. According to sources close to the case, he was told at the police station that 15 other robberies had been reported in the area that same day. continue reading

Last week, Luciano Castillo, winner of the 2026 National Film Award and director of the Cuban Film Archive, had his phone stolen in Lennon Park.

An elderly woman told 14ymedio that about a month earlier, her cloth purse had been slashed while she was shopping at the farmers market next to the park in the morning, although none of her belongings were stolen. The theft was so subtle that she only discovered it when she got home.

During 14ymedio‘s tour of the park, the John Lennon statue was unguarded. However, at the entrance to the Yellow Submarine, staff were watching over the parked motorcycles, a common target for thieves.

Insecurity is spreading to other public spaces on the island, amid the economic crisis, power outages, and deteriorating street lighting. On October 20, 14ymedio documented how thefts of phones, watches, and purses have driven visitors away from Plaza de la Vigía in Matanzas. There, a student recounted having his cell phone snatched in broad daylight, near the Sauto Theater.

Insecurity is spreading to other public spaces on the island, amid the economic crisis, blackouts, and deteriorating street lighting.

In August, a couple from Guanabacoa told this newspaper that two hooded men stole their motorcycle at knifepoint as they were returning home during a power outage. Days later, soldiers were deployed to several locations in the municipality identified by residents as sites of robberies.

Thefts at Lennon Park have a long history, dating back to the statue’s unveiling in December 2000. His glasses were stolen at least twice, prompting authorities to hire security guards who took turns protecting them. One of them, Juan González, carried the glasses in his pocket and placed them on the musician for tourist photos.

Thefts in Lennon Park have a long history dating back to the statue’s unveiling in December 2000.

In March 2018, 14ymedio documented the theft of the glasses again. Now, with no guard in sight during the tour, even the sculpture itself is once again vulnerable to thieves.

On Sunday, the statue was still on its bench, but the crowds that once gathered around it were gone. The park still bears the name of the British musician and the memory of those youthful gatherings, although fewer and fewer people are willing to stay as evening falls.

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An NGO Reports That the US Will Deport Sick Migrants, Including Cubans, to Africa

Noslén Sendra, who suffers from diabetes and acute pancreatitis, was told that Mexico rejected him.

Image of a migrant detention center in the US. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, October 22, 2026 / Noslén Sendra, a Cuban man with diabetes and acute pancreatitis, is one of the sick migrants who will be deported by the US to Africa. According to Arianne Betancourt, a migrant rights organizer with the Workers Circle, who spoke to the British newspaper The Guardian, deportation agents informed Sendra of his transfer, noting that Mexico had refused to accept him.

Figures published last July by Al Jazeera indicate that 6,000 Cubans were deported by the US and sent to southern Mexico. According to the report, these mass deportations to Mexico are part of “a permanent, unwritten agreement to accept Cuban citizens for deportation.”

Noslén Sendra, a 41-year-old Cuban man at the Krome Service Processing Center, was told that “Mexico wouldn’t accept him because he needs too much medication.” Nor is Cuba an option. However, he has to be deported, and he’s been told it will be to Africa. The migrant’s wife, Anisley Cortés, has been living in uncertainty since she found out, “not knowing how he is or if we’ll ever see him again.”

The woman told the same media outlet that Sendra, who has been imprisoned since last November and was held at the Alligator Alcatraz prison until last April, lost 22 kilos (48 pounds). “They weren’t giving him his medication or enough food. It was a nightmare for all of us,” she said. “He’s very sick and needs proper medical attention.” continue reading

Sendra, who has been imprisoned since last November and was held at the Alligator Alcatraz prison until last April, has lost 48 pounds

“We know that once deported and sent to these third countries, they do not receive medical attention in the detention centers. They have difficulty obtaining medication,” Betancourt warned.

Yasmany Moreno, who is in one of the six detention centers in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, has denounced the “inhuman” conditions in which the deportees are being held.

The poor conditions and food have taken their toll on Moreno and four other Cubans, who are experiencing “diarrhea, headaches, and fatigue,” symptoms of malaria. UN personnel provided them with a box of doxycycline for treatment.

Without specifying the number of people, Betancourt — the immigrant rights organizer for Workers Circle — indicated that those expelled are currently in two immigrant detention centers in Florida.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security denied to The Guardian that sick migrants are being sent to third countries. “No sick detainees are deported. All detainees receive medical clearance before travel and leave with the necessary medication,” the spokesperson stated.

The official said the story was false and that they were trying to discredit ICE agents, who, he claimed, “are facing an increase of more than 1600% in attacks against them.”

Between January 20, 2025, and August 31, 2026, at least 25,447 citizens have been deported from the United States to countries with which they have no ties. The Forbidden Stories consortium has presented an interactive map of these transfers, largely kept quiet by the U.S. government, revealing that some 35 countries have signed agreements for which the Trump administration has allocated a total budget of $410 million.

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Antonio José Ponte and Néstor Díaz de Villegas Explore Power and Repression in Cuba

Venue: Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Building 8, fifth floor, room 8503. 300 NE Second Avenue, Miami, Florida 33132, United States.Start date: November 22, 2026, 4:30 pm. End date: November 22, 2026, 5:30 pm.

Antonio José Ponte y Néstor Díaz de Villegas presentan dos libros que exploran diferentes momentos de la historia política cubana.

14ymedio, Miami, October 26, 2026 / Cuban writers Antonio José Ponte and Néstor Díaz de Villegas are taking part in the event Cuba: territorios del poder [Cuba: Territories of Power], a conversation about history, literary creation and the mechanisms of political repression on the island, as part of the Miami Book Fair program.

Ponte presents Desfila La Habana [Havana on Parade], a novel that combines fiction and reality to reconstruct the political and social atmosphere of Cuba between 1958 and 1959, in the months that preceded and accompanied the triumph of the Revolution. The work delves into a period of profound transformation, marked by the fall of Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship and Fidel Castro’s rise to power.

A poet, fiction writer and essayist, Antonio José Ponte is one of the most recognized voices in contemporary Cuban literature. His books include La fiesta vigilada, Un seguidor de Montaigne mira La Habana and Contrabando de sombras. His writing has repeatedly explored the relationship between history and memory, as well as the material and symbolic ruins of Cuban society. continue reading

For his part, Néstor Díaz de Villegas presents Cómo entrar a una cárcel [How to Enter a Prison], a testimony that addresses the relationship between artistic creation, dissent and repression in revolutionary Cuba. The work draws on the experience of a writer who learned from a very young age the consequences of standing up to political power.

Díaz de Villegas was imprisoned in Cuba in the 1970s for political reasons and later settled in the United States, where he has built an extensive career as a poet, essayist and fiction writer. His work is characterized by a critical, often irreverent, view of Cuban history and culture.

Although they belong to different generations and use different narrative techniques, both authors share a concern with examining the weight of political power on individual and collective life. Their books offer two approaches to Cuba’s recent history: one through the literary reconstruction of the founding moment of the revolutionary regime, the other through the personal experience of repression.

The conversation will be led by Alejandro Ríos, a journalist and film and art critic, who will discuss with the writers their works and the potential of literature to revisit the past and question official narratives.

The event will be held in Spanish and is part of the Ibero-American program of the Miami Book Fair.

Translated by GH.

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Inter American Press Association Demands the Release of Henry Constantín and the Legalization of Independent Media in Cuba

On Nicaragua, the organization denounces that there continues to be “structural censorship and systematic persecution of independent journalism”

La SIP pide “el pleno respeto” de las garantías judiciales de Henry Constantín. / Facebook/Henry Constantín Ferreiro

14ymedio, Havana, October 26, 2026 / The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has once again included Cuba in the alerts it issued following its annual assembly, held this time in Bogotá (Colombia) this Sunday. In its report, the organization refers expressly to the case of Henry Constantín, director of La Hora de Cuba and regional vice president for the island of the IAPA’s own Commission on Freedom of the Press and Information, whose pretrial detention it considers to be “especially serious.”

As the organization recalls, Constantín “remains held in the Kilo 7 prison, accused of disobedience, after a court rejected a habeas corpus petition filed on his behalf.” It therefore demands his release “and full respect for his judicial guarantees and his right to a defense.”

In its recitals, the IAPA states that in Cuba “the use of police and judicial mechanisms against independent journalists, content creators and activists who report on matters of public interest has intensified, through arrests, summonses, surveillance, restrictions on movement and criminal proceedings,” and that “independent journalists continue to face restrictions on leaving the country, while the independent press lacks legal recognition and the State maintains control over the main media outlets, telecommunications and other activities essential to the production and dissemination of information.” continue reading

“The application of broad-reaching criminal offenses persists in cases linked to freedom of expression, as well as the lack of information on investigations”

According to the organization, Decree 160/2026 – which since last July has opened several activities to the private sector – actually reinforces control, “by limiting the possibility of formalizing independent media and keeping activities related to journalism, media publishing, news agencies and broadcasting under state control, in a context aggravated by blackouts and connectivity deficiencies.”

It also states that “the application of broad-reaching criminal offenses persists in cases linked to freedom of expression, as well as the lack of information on investigations or sanctions against those responsible for acts of harassment and repression.” In its statement, the IAPA cites the Declaration of Chapultepec, which establishes that “there are no free people or societies without freedom of expression and of the press” and that its exercise “is not a concession by the authorities; it is an inalienable right of the people.”

Thus, in addition to Constantín’s release, the organization urges the regime “to guarantee the recognition and functioning of independent media and to eliminate the rules and practices that restrict the exercise of press freedom.”

Likewise, it resolved “to condemn the harassment, surveillance, arrests and criminal proceedings against journalists, content creators and citizens for exercising their right to inform and to express themselves,” as well as “to demand an end to the arbitrary restrictions on movement and the bans on leaving the country imposed on journalists.”

“The decrease in physical attacks on the street does not reflect an improvement in guarantees, but rather the virtual disappearance of field journalism within the country”

At its 82nd General Assembly, the IAPA also referred to Nicaragua, attesting that the Government of spouses and co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo maintains “structural censorship and systematic persecution of independent journalism” in that country.

“The decrease in physical attacks on the street does not reflect an improvement in guarantees, but rather the virtual disappearance of field journalism within the country, where those who continue to report must do so clandestinely or under constant surveillance,” the IAPA warned in the report approved after the meeting in Bogotá.

The organization cites a study by the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (Fled), which has documented that since 2018 more than 300 journalists and media workers have gone into exile, while in 2025 at least 58 communicators left the profession due to economic precariousness, unemployment, the closure of news outlets and the risk of repression.

As a consequence, Fled identifies 11 departments (provinces) – 65% of the national territory – as “zones of informational silence,” although the efforts of media outlets and journalists in exile continue to keep the population informed.

In Nicaragua, moreover, there are currently no printed newspapers in circulation, it warned.

The IAPA indicated that, with street journalism having all but disappeared, state pressure has shifted to the digital sphere and to administrative and legal mechanisms

The IAPA indicated that, with street journalism having all but disappeared, state pressure has shifted to the digital sphere and to administrative and legal mechanisms.

In this regard, it said that in April 2025 the Government, through the state-run National University of Engineering (UNI), eliminated the .com.ni domains of outlets such as La Prensa, Onda Local and 100% Noticias.

A month later, the state-run Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (Telcor) ordered the closure of Radio Stereo Romance and confiscated its equipment, alleging technical non-compliance.

Between April and June of last year, Fled recorded 28 digital attacks, including smear campaigns, the disclosure of personal data and threats against journalists and their families, driven by networks of trolls and profiles sympathetic to the ruling party.

The IAPA also warned that the legal framework continues to be used as an instrument of intimidation and mentioned the reforms to the Special Law on Cybercrimes and to the Penal Code, which incorporated ambiguous concepts linked to “national security,” “sovereignty” and “stability of the State” that allow the dissemination of information deemed unauthorized to be restricted.

In addition, it noted that in 2026 a constitutional reform was also pushed through to raise to constitutional rank restrictions applicable to persons officially labeled as “coup plotters” or “traitors to the homeland,” labels that have been used against journalists.

Similarly, the inter-American organization stated that the right of access to public information remains practically inoperative for independent journalists.

Furthermore, Fled also documented attempts to recruit journalists as state informants. The National Police and other state agents are identified as those chiefly responsible for these practices, which include being followed, restrictions on mobility, confiscation of devices and interrogations, according to the report.

Translated by GH.
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Norbert Galland’s Last Set of Clothes Is for Sale

Inflation and the rising cost of living are forcing more and more elderly Cubans to work or part with their belongings.

He’s not updating his wardrobe or making room in the shop window; he’s selling what little he has just to be able to eat. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Juan Diego Rodríguez, October 23, 2026 / Norbert Galland doesn’t have a shop, a counter, or even a rack to display his merchandise. The corner of Vía Blanca and Diez de Octubre in Havana is all he needs to try and earn a few pesos. His small business can be counted in two hands: a white shirt, a dark one, and a few other items he takes from his own wardrobe. He’s not renovating his wardrobe or making room in the whop window; he’s selling what little he has to be able to eat.

Wearing a worn cap, his face gouged with wrinkles, and a thinness that seems to have diminished even his shadow, Galland stands by the sidewalk and holds up the shirts for passersby to examine. In his hands he holds a white garment, neatly buttoned and still on its hanger; also two shirts, one dark and one light, as if offering an assortment capable of satisfying any customer’s taste.

Motorcycles, tricycles, and trucks pass by. The traffic in this Havana neighborhood continues its course, indifferent to the elderly man who has turned the sidewalk into an improvised commercial establishment. A few meters away, potholes, puddles, and trash complete a scene that perfectly encapsulates the Cuba in which this impromptu vendor lives. continue reading

His small business could fit in two hands: a white shirt, a dark one, and a few other items he takes from his own wardrobe. / 14ymedio

Galland receives neither a pension nor state assistance, as he told 14ymedio. His situation is especially hard in a country that for decades boasted of having guaranteed social protection to all its citizens, from cradle to grave. Now, for many elderly people, that promise seems to have fallen short, precisely when they most need someone to uphold the other part of the bargain.

The streets of the island have become increasingly crowded in recent years with elderly people selling anything they can to supplement their income. Some offer candy, nylon bags, or single cigarettes; others collect cans, scavenge for food in the trash, or try to earn a few bills using skills learned decades ago. Old age, which should bring some rest, has become for many a workday with no set hours and no vacation time.

Their situation is especially difficult in a country that for decades boasted of having guaranteed social protection to all its citizens, from cradle to grave.

Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of pensions, while the dollar continues its climb on the black market, driving up food prices. Family support isn’t always an option either: children and grandchildren have emigrated, and not all of them can send remittances. Relatives who remain on the island are often just as financially strapped as their parents and grandparents.

In this geography of survival, Galland parts with his belongings to solve the problem of daily food.

The white shirt looks clean, intact, almost elegant. It could be worn for a celebration, an important visit, or a special occasion. But in the old man’s hands, it’s just a small financial reserve that dwindles with each passing hour, and no one buys it.

In Cuba, even the last Sunday best can end up as Monday’s lunch.

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Ten Cuban Rafters Rescued 12 Miles Off Isla Mujeres

One of the migrants showed signs of severe dehydration, and some said they were from Isla de la Juventud and Pinar del Río.

The Cuban rafters asked not to be returned to the island. “We want asylum,” said one of the men. / Marina

14ymedio, Mexico City, Angel Salinas, October 25, 2026 / The National Migration Institute (INM) is holding 10 Cuban rafters who were rescued this Saturday 12 nautical miles south of Isla Mujeres. According to a source who requested anonymity, “some are from Isla de la Juventud and Pinar del Río.” This group joins the other 11 migrants who arrived in Cancún in the last month on two boats.

The migrants asked not to be returned to the island. “We want asylum,” said one of the men as he was transferred from the Fifth Naval Region and later to the Advanced Naval Station in Puerto Juárez.

The same source confirmed that the Cubans will receive assistance for the process this Monday, although it warned, “it will be handled and will depend on the internal processes of Migration.”

The group made up of men claimed to have been “adrift for four days” and it is thanks to a cruise ship that spotted them that they survived. The Fifth Naval Region received an alert about a wooden raft with several people in danger. continue reading

The group of men claimed to have been adrift for four days and that they were only able to survive thanks to a cruise ship that spotted them. / Marina

The Ministry of the Navy coordinated the rescue operation and sent a speedboat from the Search and Rescue Station to the location. At the site they found “one person suffering from severe dehydration and nine others who received medical assistance.”

Fisherman Javier Robles tells 14ymedio that these arrivals make “a wave of clandestine arrivals possible. A few days ago it was revealed that there were 28 abandoned boats, some used by Cubans in the Nichupté Lagoon, but there have been many more.”

Robles recalled that in 2024 a fishing boat with registration PR5348F5a was abandoned on Playa de Mascotas; it remained there, and traces of that vessel can still be found. That same year, in the area known as El Riíto, “some Cubans, upon seeing the beach nearby, jumped ashore and disappeared into the streets.”

To this are added other Cubans who arrive through coyotes. Graviel García, a Cuban originally from Havana, confirmed to this newspaper in 2022 the clandestine departures from Pinar del Río. “I never contacted the smuggler, but I do know they charged $7,000, a lot for that danger,” he said at the time.

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When a Marxist Regime Needs God to Save It

After persecuting believers for decades, the Cuban Government turns to the Vatican in search of a political miracle

Miguel Díaz-Canel and other leaders of the Communist Party during a mass in memory of Pope Francis, in Havana. / Facebook/Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba / Facebook/Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, Yunior García Aguilera, October 25, 2026 / After 67 years of die-hard Marxism, the Cuban Revolution seems determined to ask the Pope for a miracle. It is not about turning water into wine, although getting running water in Havana would already be a marvel. Nor about multiplying the loaves, which would come in quite handy. The miracle Cuba’s leaders need is far more complicated: getting their political system to survive. And since Marx isn’t answering, Lenin has been embalmed for too long and Che was never a specialist in resurrections, they have decided to try their luck with the Vatican.

The Cuban ambassador to the Holy See, Leyde Rodríguez Hernández, has just repeated the official invitation to Leo XIV to visit the island. They have been inviting him, without much luck, ever since the white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. But, for now, the Pope does not seem in any hurry to pack his bags for Havana.

The insistence comes in the midst of the worst economic crisis and growing tensions with Washington. The Communist Party, which for decades preached dialectical and historical materialism, seems to have discovered the practical advantages of divine intercession. Of course, it is not asking forgiveness for its sins. It is desperately asking for a favor. continue reading

In 1992 the State stopped declaring itself atheist. The move coincided, not at all by chance, with the collapse of the communist altars in Europe

It is worth recalling a few details of this sudden religious vocation. In the early years of the Revolution, the Government confiscated Catholic schools, expelled priests and turned faith into an obstacle to getting ahead professionally. Believers were discriminated against in universities, workplaces and political organizations. Some even ended up in the sadly notorious Military Units to Aid Production (UMAP), those forced labor camps where the aim was to correct, by dint of the machete, the ideological, sexual and spiritual deviations of Cubans.

Over time, official atheism softened. In 1991, the Party finally admitted believers, and in 1992 the State stopped declaring itself atheist. The move coincided, not at all by chance, with the collapse of the communist altars in Europe. There was no need to prove the existence of God by means of a scientific treatise. It was enough to realize that religion could be very useful in international relations.

In 1998 John Paul II arrived; then came Benedict XVI and Francis. Cuba’s leaders learned to take off their combat fatigues and receive pontiffs with smiles, ties, ceremonies and speeches about peace. They suddenly discovered the diplomatic advantages of appearing alongside the successor of Saint Peter.

The Government wants the Pope to talk about the embargo, but does not seem to show the same devotion when the bishops mention pluralism and freedoms

Vatican diplomacy has already intervened in prisoner releases and in negotiations with the United States. But the most recent episode deserves special attention. In March, Havana announced the release of 51 prisoners as a goodwill gesture toward the Holy See. According to later investigations by Prisoners Defenders, the beneficiaries included common criminals and only a tiny fraction were political prisoners. It was a veritable “Operation Barabbas.” Moreover, several of those released kept their sentences and restrictions.

It would be unfair, however, to confuse the intentions of the Vatican with those of the Palace of the Revolution. The Church has legitimate reasons to be concerned about the suffering of Cubans, to call for an end to the measures that worsen their hardships and to promote peaceful solutions. Leo XIV himself joined, in February, the appeal of the island’s bishops, who warned of the urgent need for profound changes. Curiously, that last part of the message tends to arouse considerably less enthusiasm in official offices. The Government wants the Pope to talk about the embargo, but does not seem to show the same devotion when the bishops mention pluralism and freedoms.

The Hermanos Saíz Association awards its Master of Youth prize to Frei Betto, a Brazilian friar whose loyalty to the Revolution has survived even its economic failures and its orders of combat

The question is what exactly Havana expects from a new papal visit. Mediation with Trump or with Marco Rubio, as Catholic as he is anti-Castro? An easing of sanctions? A photograph that would let the Government present itself to the world as a respectable interlocutor? Any of those possibilities is understandable in terms of political calculation. The trouble with inviting the Pope is that he might come with the inconvenient habit of also listening to his bishops.

And while the Foreign Ministry invites Leo XIV, the Hermanos Saíz Association awards its Master of Youth prize to Frei Betto, a Brazilian friar whose loyalty to the Revolution has survived even its economic failures and its orders of combat. We don’t know whether Cuban communism has finally found God, but it seems to have discovered that some foreign clerics turn out to be more deserving of tributes than troublesome local artists. For purely utilitarian reasons, mind you.

In the Catholic tradition, absolution requires repentance and a firm purpose of amendment. The Revolution seems very interested in absolution (and not only the historical kind, as the bearded one dreamed [a reference to Fidel Castro’s “History will absolve me”], but also the divine kind). It wants its debts forgiven, its sanctions lifted and another chance granted, but without renouncing any of the commandments of its own peculiar political catechism: a single party, blind obedience and prison for heretics.

Translated by GH

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