Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

More Sectors to Open to Private Enterprise, Including Pharmacies and Energy, but the State Remains the Driving Force

“We are not moving toward privatization of the economy; the socialist state enterprise retains its fundamental role,” Cuban authorities insist

Service stations are opening up to private entry, with participation from the state sector and foreign investment.

14ymedio, Madrid, July 29, 2026 / The long-awaited list of new activities permitted to the private sector is now known, and while it holds a few surprises, it leaves many prohibitions intact, starting with education, medical practice, and the media. By contrast, the transportation, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors are opening up, especially in the area of renewables, while crude oil and natural gas extraction remain reserved for private parties associated with state enterprises or foreign investors.

The Government has made clear that this loosening does not affect the essence of the economic system. “It is not that we are moving toward privatization of the economy,” emphasized the president of the National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors, Lázara Mercedes López Acea, “the socialist state enterprise retains that fundamental role it has as an enterprise, as this core pillar, but it is clearly being expanded, and non-state economic actors are being given greater participation.”

The new regulations, published this Tuesday in the Gaceta Oficial, establish four levels of regulation, changing the system in force until now, which applied prohibitions uniformly. There will now be a set of activities “reserved for the State,” which private parties may not carry out for reasons the Government describes as matters of sovereignty, critical infrastructure, or essential public services.

There will now be a set of activities “reserved for the State,” which private parties may not carry out for reasons the Government describes as matters of sovereignty, critical infrastructure, or essential public services

However, a narrow opening remains for authorized private collaboration, as the regulation specifies when it states that this is “without prejudice to the administrative concession for economic association and national joint ventures” – two types of merger between private and state entities, regulated since March – and to “foreign investment” ventures.

The most notable activity in this regard is the operation of gas stations, something private individuals are already doing to some extent by importing fuel from the US and storing it at service stations belonging to the state-owned Cupet. Also included are oil and natural gas extraction, large-scale mining, pharmaceutical manufacturing, pipeline transport, maritime transport, services linked to air transport, and the management of sports facilities. Also included are non-formal education and health and dental care, as well as the operation of cruise and tourist transport. continue reading

As expected, the media remain under strict State control, as stipulated in Article 55 of the 2029 Constitution: “The principal means of social communication, in any of their forms or media, are socialist property of the entire people or of political, social, and mass organizations, and may not be subject to any other type of ownership.” However, the provisions announced this Tuesday indicate that, with prior authorization, specialized press outlets may be enabled, as may technical services linked to production for channels and broadcasters.

The group of activities under absolute prohibition is limited to familiar areas, such as the fishing of protected species, Defense and public order, the manufacture and maintenance of weapons, gunpowder or explosives, the printing of currency, stamps, and other items that carry official certification, and games of chance.

Self-employed workers face the most limitations. The regulations formalize a specific category of activities “not authorized for the self-employed” that other private parties may in fact carry out, a category that already included some sectors, such as wholesale trade. Added to it are the manufacture and assembly of vehicles and motorcycles, mining, and the installation of alarm and closed-circuit television systems. In addition, many of the activities now considered authorizable or subject to conditions remain off-limits to them.

Private companies – once they have obtained the required documentation, whether licenses, certifications, or specific authorizations – will be able to engage in sectors that until a few months ago were reserved exclusively for the State. Among the most notable are pharmaceutical services – thereby authorizing an informal activity that had been making up for the enormous shortcomings of the state sector – engineering and power generation from renewable sources, the operation of terminals, railway stations, roads, tolls, bridges and tunnels, services linked to air and water transport – including boatbuilding – and small-scale mining.

These include engineering and power generation from renewable sources, the operation of terminals, railway stations, roads, tolls, bridges and tunnels, services linked to air and water transport – including boatbuilding – and small-scale mining

They will also be able to participate partially, though in a limited way, in the health and education sectors. In health, in addition to operating pharmacies, they will have the option of providing optical and rehabilitation services, alongside the already familiar elder care and childcare services. In education, language, music, shorthand, and typing courses, as well as tutoring services, are permitted; all of these are likewise authorized for self-employed workers, who may teach individually.

Private parties will also be able to enter the field of leisure and culture, through audiovisual production – including music recording – the marketing of plastic and applied arts, sports facilities – including golf courses and swimming pools – and ecological and agrotourism services.

In addition, the field of computer services is opening up – software development, programming, and web design – as are accounting services – consulting, payroll – design, translation, photography, and decoration, as well as veterinary care. In the real estate sector, the creation of home renovation companies is also permitted, as are housing rental services. Although some of the options opened up by the update to the regulations were already known, the current list is more specific about the rules.

As López Acea reminded the state press, the decree in force until now listed 125 prohibited activities. Now, 45 of them are being eliminated entirely, while another 35 are being modified.

The official added that there are currently more than 15,600 approved mipymes (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises), a figure expected to reach 16,000 by the end of August thanks to the streamlining process recently approved as part of the 176 measures to transform the economy, the effect of which remains to be seen.

Translated by GH.

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Evicted In Havana Two Weeks Ago, Cubans Are Sleeping On the Street

The building where they lived, at the corner of Campanario and Neptuno streets, has suffered several partial collapses.

The group, which includes elderly people and children, remains in front of the building with their belongings: chairs, tables, a bed, a stove, and even windows. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 27 July 2026 / A dozen residents of 264 Campanario Street, at the corner of Neptuno, in Central Havana, have been sleeping on the street since they were evicted from their building by authorities more than two weeks ago, due to the risk of collapse. The group, which includes elderly people and children, remains in front of the building with their belongings: chairs, tables, a bed, a stove, and even windows.

The evicted families have demanded explanations from the local government, according to a complaint posted on social media by Zol Arias, but so far their pleas have been ignored. They were evicted but offered no alternative.

“They demand an answer and all they do is pass the buck while they remain in the street,” the user says in a comment, in which she states that although she now lives outside of Cuba, it was her old home and her mother and brother are still there.

“They are asked for an answer and all they do is pass the buck while they remain in the street.”

From the outside, the building appears to be in very poor condition, having lost a large part of its balconies. The interior also shows signs of collapse. For this reason, the police have cordoned off the street.

Central Havana is, after Old Havana, the most deteriorated neighborhood in the capital, and Neptuno Street itself has been the scene of several collapses. One of them, a balcony collapse in 2022, fortunately caused no injuries .

There was an injury, last September, when a woman was walking along San Lázaro Street, between Hospital and Espada, when a balcony collapsed. According to witnesses who spoke to 14ymedio at the time, “a rock fell on her and made her roll to the edge of the sidewalk,” requiring her to be hospitalized. continue reading

From the outside, the building appears to be in very poor condition, and has lost a large part of its balconies. / 14ymedio

A month before that incident, an elderly woman was injured when a building partially collapsed on Reina Street , between Manrique and San Nicolás, also in Central Havana. The woman was hospitalized, and nearly 15 families were left homeless, their furniture and appliances piled up in the street. That night, most had to spend it outdoors, and, according to one of the affected families who spoke to this newspaper, on that first day “no one” from the government came to check on their situation.

In a partial collapse of a building on the corner of San Rafael and Galiano streets, in the same municipality and also in August 2025, an employee of Café Boulevard, located on the ground floor, died. The collapse of part of the roof trapped several people. According to neighbors who spoke to this newspaper at the time, the building has a tenement on the upper floor with infrastructure problems and overcrowding. Part of the roof collapsed on the café’s employees, and one of them died under the rubble. The entire block where the building is located shows alarming signs of deterioration and lack of maintenance.

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The Detention in Cuba of a 13-Year-Old Boy Following the Protests in Santiago de las Vegas is Denounced

His mother says four police officers beat him during the arrest, and independent organizations are demanding an investigation into the case.

Photographs released by his mother show injuries to Álex Javier Hernández’s face, neck, and back following his detention. / Social media

14ymedio, Madrid, July 28, 2026 – Alex Javier Hernández González, a 13-year-old boy, was detained for his alleged participation in last Wednesday’s protests in Santiago de las Vegas, Havana, according to his mother and confirmed by independent organizations including Cubalex, Justicia 11J, and the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press (ICLEP).

According to the woman’s testimony in a video shared on social media, her son was violently arrested by police during the operation deployed to suppress the pot-banging protest, in which residents were demonstrating over the lack of electricity. He is currently being held at the juvenile detention center known as “El Combinadito” in Havana.

The mother said she was able to visit him and confirmed the injuries he suffered during the arrest. Photographs she released show wounds to the boy’s face, neck, and back. According to her testimony, the police claim the injuries were caused by other protesters, but her son insisted that four uniformed officers beat him during the arrest.

While Álex Javier was being assaulted, her account continues, he pleaded with the officers to stop beating him because he was a minor. According to his mother, the boy was unable to escape because he was wearing flip-flops and could not run as fast as the other protesters. continue reading

Far from being isolated incidents, these cases reflect the continuation of a policy of criminalizing minors in the context of protests and violating their rights

Cubalex reported that this is not the first time excessive use of force by police during public protests has affected minors. “Far from being isolated incidents, these cases reflect the continuation of a policy of criminalizing minors in the context of protests and violating their rights, as previously warned by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child,” the organization stated.

Justicia 11J also denounced the arrest and recalled that “the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that the deprivation of liberty of minors must be a measure of last resort, applied for the shortest appropriate period of time, and that every child must be protected from violence and treated with dignity and humanity.”

The Cuban Observatory for Freedom of Expression, a project of ICLEP, recorded the case under the category of “physical assaults,” considering it an alleged act of violence against a minor during the repression of public demonstrations.

The organizations demanded that the authorities clarify the facts and investigate the allegations of police violence. They also called for the protection of Álex Javier’s physical and psychological well-being, that his family be kept informed, and that the enhanced guarantees recognized under international law for every minor deprived of liberty be respected.

“The Black Berets Were Saying: ‘Whoever They Catch on the Street Gets Beaten… Beat Everyone'”

During last Wednesday’s protests in Santiago de las Vegas, in Havana’s Boyeros municipality, demonstrators marched through the streets banging pots and chanting, “We want electricity!” until they reached the National Police station, where authorities had deployed a police cordon.

According to Cubalex, when the demonstrators attempted to continue toward the local headquarters of the Communist Party with the same demands, they were intercepted by members of the Interior Ministry’s special forces, known as the “Black Berets,” who suppressed the protest and made several arrests. The organization has not yet been able to confirm how many people were detained or their identities.

According to witnesses who spoke to Martí Noticias, the operation resulted in numerous detainees at the Santiago de las Vegas police station and direct threats from the special forces against anyone who remained in the streets. “The Black Berets were saying, ‘Whoever they catch on the street gets beaten… Beat everyone,’” one witness recounted.

Protests over blackouts and the deteriorating living conditions are becoming increasingly frequent both in Havana and in other provinces as the energy crisis worsens. Despite increased surveillance and the police response, pot-banging protests, road blockades, and the burning of garbage piles continue to occur almost every night in different municipalities across the capital.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Business Lobby Suggests Washington Support U.S. Investors in Cuba With $500 Million

A US-Cuba Trade report uses a strategic program already announced for Africa as a model.

Mariel Terminal, in Artemisa. / Canal Caribe/Screenshot. / Canal Caribe/Captura

14ymedio, Havana, July 28, 2026 – An analysis published Tuesday by the U.S.-Cuba Economic and Trade Council (US-Cuba Trade) argues that Donald Trump’s administration could adapt an investment program for Cuba to invest in its infrastructure with a $500 million budget. The organization bases this proposal on a program the United States already has in operation for Africa, with the same budget.

“Within the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a growing number of mid-level and senior officials, both career staff and political appointees,” the report states, “are reaching the conclusion that the Republic of Cuba will require capital and guarantees, particularly for infrastructure, that the U.S. private sector will neither be able nor willing to provide.”

Accordingly, the organization proposes that public funds could be used to support private investment through guarantees, seed capital, underwriting, or even equity participation in companies. “The goal of the U.S. taxpayer’s financial commitment would be to mobilize at least $1 billion,” the document states.

“The goal of the U.S. taxpayer’s financial commitment would be to mobilize at least $1 billion”

As a possible vehicle for that mechanism, the analysis mentions the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a U.S. government agency that finances and supports investment projects in other countries through loans, guarantees, and other financial instruments. The agency describes itself as “the U.S. Government’s international development finance institution” and says its objective is to mobilize private capital to advance Washington’s economic and foreign continue reading

policy interests.

The document does not confirm the creation of a program for Cuba or cite a White House decision to that effect. Instead, it examines a possible formula: a new model already proposed for investments in Africa. The U.S.-Africa Strategic Investment Program, announced on July 24, could be replicated and renamed the “U.S.-Cuba Strategic Investment Program.”

The Africa initiative also has a $500 million budget and is specifically intended to finance projects that encourage U.S. private investment in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in areas considered strategic, such as critical minerals and trade cooperation.

According to the U.S. State Department’s official announcement, the program seeks “market-based solutions” that improve conditions for foreign investment through projects with measurable benefits for African countries while facilitating the participation of U.S. companies. The fund is expected to award grants ranging from $5 million to $50 million to companies, nonprofit organizations, and international organizations.

Based on that model, US-Cuba Trade argues that Washington could follow the same approach to attract U.S. investment in Cuba.

The document also anticipates competition among companies and interest groups seeking access to those potential funds. “Every application will have advocates, lobbyists, and members of the U.S. Congress who believe their application is the most important for the Republic of Cuba,” the Council states, predicting that private companies, organizations, and members of Congress would seek to influence which projects are considered priorities. “The epicenter of the pressure will be in South Florida.”

To illustrate its proposal, the report cites a Semafor article on the Africa program, describing the initiative as part of a shift in U.S. policy toward emphasizing “trade over aid.” According to that outlet, Washington aims to use development resources to promote private investment, especially in strategic sectors.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cohiba Hotel in Havana Still Bears the Meliá Sign – For Now

A visit to the property disproves a viral video about the sign’s removal.

Main marquee of the Cohiba Hotel in Havana, this July 28, 2026, still bearing the word Meliá.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 28, 2026 / The definitive departure from Cuba of the Spanish chain Meliá is certainly historic, but its letters still adorn the marquee of the Cohiba Hotel, in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución. 14ymedio was able to confirm this in person this very Tuesday, thereby debunking a viral video showing two workers removing the sign, just behind the flags, at the main entrance on Paseo street in Vedado.

It cannot be determined whether those images, circulated on social media – originally from an account that no longer exists – and picked up by independent media, were created with artificial intelligence or are a composite based on some old photographic record of maintenance work, or even of the moment when the current lettering was installed to replace the original from the 1990s. The private company whose workers wear the same uniform seen in the video, Diamante Azul, already worked at the same property in 2025, which in 2022, following the covid-19 pandemic, underwent a renovation.

What is certain is that as of July 28, four days after the hotel chain ceased operations on the island, its name still stands there, repeated twice, next to Cohiba and at the main entrance.

It is likely, however, that it won’t last much longer. The word Meliá has already been removed from the very top of the building, as can be observed from a certain distance. continue reading

Exactly one week ago, the company, which had been in Cuba since 1990 and came to manage 34 hotels – all owned by the Cuban State – announced its definitive withdrawal, after attempting to keep managing the 19 properties that did not belong to Gaesa, which had recently been sanctioned by the United States. Iberostar announced the same on that same day.

The word Meliá has already been removed from the very top of the building, as can be observed from a certain distance.

The decision was to take effect as of Friday, and since then Habaneros have been living in anticipation of when the traces of the chain would be removed from its most iconic locations, such as the Cohiba, where they remain visible not only on the marquee but on napkins, coasters, and carpets.

Asked about the fake images, the receptionist told this newspaper that she “had seen the video on social media” and that “they must have already taken down the sign.” Neither when entering nor leaving her workstation did she make the effort to look up to check.

Translated by GH.

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Cuba’s Team of Rescuers and Doctors Sent to Venezuela After the Double Earthquake Returns Home

According to the latest official figures, at least 5,546 people have died as a result of the earthquakes, while the number of injured stands at 16,740

The Cuban brigade returned from its mission in Venezuela on the night of July 26. / Ministry of the Interior

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, June 208, 2026 / The Cuban teams of military personnel, doctors, and engineers who traveled to La Guaira (Venezuela) to help with rescue efforts and care for the population after the double earthquake in June have returned to the island, Cuban authorities reported this Monday.

On one hand, the army’s Rescue and Salvage brigade, made up of 18 members, was received in Havana by the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera, the official outlet Cubadebate reported.

For its part, the Ministry of Public Health reported the return of a team of surgeons, forensic experts, and structural engineers, who were received in the Cuban capital by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal.

The Ministry of Public Health reported the return of a team of surgeons, forensic experts, and structural engineers, who were received in the Cuban capital by Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal

The Cuban mission, partly made up of members of the Henry Reeve International Contingent, was officially seen off in Venezuela by the country’s president, Delcy Rodríguez, who thanked them for their technical, medical, and humanitarian support.

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that shook northern Venezuela on June 24 have caused extensive damage to continue reading

homes, economic assets, businesses, and other types of structures, as well as human losses, figures for which are still being updated.

According to the latest official figures, at least 5,546 people have died as a result of the earthquakes, while the number of injured stands at 16,740.

According to information released by the UN, at least 17 countries mobilized a total of 25 teams made up of about a thousand personnel for search and rescue tasks.

The spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, said that the first to deploy were teams from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United States.

A few days later, more professionals arrived from the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Jordan, the Netherlands, and Qatar.

As of today, most of the international teams have withdrawn, but some technical specialists remain in the field

As of today, most of the international teams have withdrawn, but some technical specialists remain in the field assessing infrastructure stability, water sanitation, management of temporary shelters, and mitigation of health crises.

Most of them come from the U.S., Spain, Mexico, El Salvador, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey. In addition, the largest group is made up of workers from United Nations agencies, both from evaluation and coordination programs and from the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and the refugee agency UNHCR.

Lastly, the Red Cross also continues to keep international technical personnel deployed in water, sanitation, and psychosocial support for the ongoing care of those affected.

Translator’s note: Israel sent official military search-and-rescue teams, engineers, and multiple NGO medical and aid workers to help Venezuela. Curiously enough the spokesman for the UN Office omitted to mention that.

Translated by GH.

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Kevin Frómeta Released After Fully Serving His Five-Year Prison Sentence for July 11 Protests

During his time in prison, his mother denounced the deterioration of his health and the lack of medical care.

Kevin Frómeta with his mother, Caridad Castro, after being released this Sunday. / Facebook/Caridad Castro Ruiz

14ymedio, Madrid, July 27, 2026 – Kevin Damián Frómeta Castro, who was convicted for his involvement in the massive protests that took place on 11 July 2021, was released this weekend after serving his entire five-year sentence. “He leaves with his release papers after completing his sentence to the very last day. The wait is over,” his mother, Caridad Castro, wrote on social media, illustrating the post with photographs showing the young man alongside her.

In her message, the woman thanked her relatives and loved ones who remained attentive during the five years her son was imprisoned; those who “were present and followed” his case on social media and in the press; and even “those who distanced themselves,” because “pain reveals people’s hearts beyond their faces.” She also asked that they allow the young man a few days of “privacy” to enjoy “his family, his freedom, and peace.”

Frómeta Castro is one of more than 30 people convicted for their participation in the July 11 protests at the Toyo intersection in Havana, where an overturned police patrol car became a symbol of that day’s demonstrations. He was arrested at the age of 19 and sentenced by the People’s Supreme Court (TSP) to five years of “deprivation of liberty replaced by an equal term of correctional labor with confinement,” after his previous 16-year prison sentence imposed by the Municipal Court was reduced.

Kevin Frómeta is one of more than 30 people convicted for their participation in the July 11 protests at the Toyo intersection in Havana, where an overturned police patrol car became a symbol of the demonstrations

His mother, Caridad Castro, denounced throughout her son’s five years in prison the poor conditions in which he was being held and the progressive deterioration of his health. In recent months, she had warned about the lack of medical care for an infection Frómeta suffered after complications from surgery. continue reading

Castro then suggested that the refusal to provide him with medical treatment could be retaliation for the hunger strike her son carried out in March, when he went nine days without eating to demand medical care.

According to various independent organizations, such as Cubalex, more than 1,300 people were detained or prosecuted over the July 11 protests. Of those, Human Rights Watch says that more than 300 remain imprisoned. According to Cuba Archive, seven of the individuals identified as political prisoners have died in custody, while one person was killed by police gunfire during the demonstrations.

More than 30 imprisoned protesters are completing their sentences this July, having received five-year terms for offenses related to their participation in the protests. On July 12, Aníbal Yasiel Palau Jacinto was also released after completing five years in prison. Just one week ago, artist and opposition activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was released after fully serving his sentence and was forced into exile in Miami under a parole approved by the United States. Otero Alcántara’s case adds to other reports of pressure on political prisoners to leave the Island in exchange for their release.

More than 30 imprisoned protesters are completing their sentences this July, having received five-year terms for offenses related to their participation in the protests

Another July 11 protester who is also reportedly being pressured by the Cuban authorities to accept exile is Yosvany Rosell García Caso, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for demonstrating in Holguín, according to a video posted by his wife in which she said Rosell firmly refuses to leave the country.

Last Tuesday, it also became known that the U.S. approved a parole for rapper and political prisoner Maykel Castillo Osorbo, co-author of the song Patria y Vida, considered an anthem of the opposition. Castillo was arrested two months before July 11 and sentenced to nine years in prison. It is expected that the regime will follow the same course with Osorbo as it did with Alcántara and grant him release in exchange for exile.

Meanwhile, other July 11 prisoners continue to report abuses in prison. One of the most recent cases is that of José Ramón Solano Randiche, imprisoned for the crime of sedition following his participation in the July 11, 2021 demonstrations, who has remained on a hunger strike since July 14 after authorities canceled a temporary leave permit that would have allowed him to attend his son’s birthday. As confirmed this Sunday by his wife, Liuba María Gallo, to Martí Noticias, Solano remains on a voluntary hunger strike in the medical ward of Holguín Provincial Prison.

As of today, the NGO Prisoners Defenders reports 1,312 political prisoners on the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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“Cuba’s Solution Will Be Real Estate, Because It Can Attract a Great Deal of Investment”

Spanish lawyer Hermenegildo Altozano, an expert on foreign investment in the Island, analyzes the future of tourism and the real estate sector, with the exile community playing a leading role.

The Paradisus Rio de Oro hotel is located on land that once belonged to the Sánchez Hill family. / Meliá

14ymedio, Madrid, July 27, 2026 – In Cuba, “a hurricane has been unleashed, and what you have to do is take shelter.” That is how Spaniard Hermenegildo Altozano, one of the best-known advisers on foreign investment in the Island, describes the current situation of the tourism sector. The lawyer spoke just over a month ago with hotel consultant Ivar Yuste for a podcast that aired this Monday, and not only has it remained relevant, but following Meliá’s complete withdrawal, it has become even more timely.

During the program, the two experts analyze the past, present, and future of the economic sector with the greatest potential on the Island, which they believe is real estate even more than tourism itself. The role of the exile community and the Helms-Burton Act are also extensively discussed in a conversation that begins with what the interviewee considers the missed opportunity presented by Barack Obama’s administration. “It was a golden opportunity, but instead of opening the door to investment in real estate, which would have created highly widespread or highly granular investment throughout the Cuban economy and produced a broad multiplier effect with everything that later came with the private small and medium-sized enterprises, they practically thought they were the kings of the mambo and that the situation had become a privilege,” Altozano argues.

“They practically thought they were the kings of the mambo and that the situation had become a privilege”

Among the serious mistakes made by the regime, the specialist points to the “excessive concentration of hotel ownership in the hands of a single chain, Gaviota,” which belongs to the military conglomerate Gaesa. Added to that are the extraordinary measures adopted by Donald Trump’s current administration, which have left the Island operating, he says, “on a flatline.” Faced with what he describes as an abnormal rather than structural situation, the lawyer believes it is only logical that Spanish companies have sought to take cover.

Altozano largely dismisses the possibility that the Cuban Government will end up suing hotel chains over their departure, an option that was discussed weeks ago. In his view, each case would have to be analyzed individually, but it seems highly unlikely that the regime would pursue claims after having withheld money owed to many companies. “There are hotel chains that have not been receiving payments that belong to them for a long time. In other words, there have been appropriations of funds by Cuban operators that simply stopped paying,” he explains.

Those “financial corrals” violate existing agreements, making it difficult, he argues, to envision a wave of lawsuits. “On the one hand, you say, ‘No, you can’t leave,’ but at the same time you don’t pay me. So I bring you customers, work with tour operators, fill your hotels, generate foreign currency, and you don’t pay me. Then how can you be surprised that your industry is in free fall?” In addition, the expert criticizes the Cuban Communist Party for repeatedly continue reading

announcing decisions that ultimately lead nowhere. “It has been very frustrating because you see guidelines being approved, countless economic reforms being announced, and in the end it was just like The Leopard: everything changes so that everything stays the same.”

Spanish hotel chains, he says, have also been harmed by a United States that likewise fails to provide the legal certainty it should. “I cannot rely on a consistent U.S. policy, because an investment takes a long time and requires capital. We could analyze every ailment from the standpoint of international law and all the violations of international law contained in U.S. policy toward Cuba. But the problem is that it’s irrelevant because they couldn’t care less. They literally smoke a cigar over all those considerations.”

Altozano does not hesitate to accuse Washington of also causing harm to the Cuban people through its policies while violating international law. “You cannot use economic coercion to bring about political change. The United Nations Charter tells you that,” he argues. He then cites a dialogue from the play A Man for All Seasons, in which one character says he would cut down every tree to find the devil, and Thomas More replies: “And what tree will you hide behind when the devil turns around and comes after you?” “So what argument will the United States use when it finds itself in a situation where it has to invoke international law?” he asks rhetorically.

“You cannot use economic coercion to bring about political change. The United Nations Charter tells you that”

The European Union (EU) also comes under criticism. The specialist accuses Brussels of looking the other way and failing to use its own legal tools to prevent the forced withdrawal of hotel chains. “Another thing I would like to point out is the absolute cowardice of the European Commission. They have said absolutely nothing,” he contends. The EU has neither invoked the Blocking Statute, which can render U.S. court decisions unenforceable within Europe, nor made use of the Anti-Coercion Instrument approved in 2023. “It seems that everything here is about not upsetting anyone, not doing anything that might cause offense.”

Looking to the future, Altozano offers an extensive analysis of one of his specialties: the Helms-Burton Act and the claims of Cuban exiles. In his view, tourism in Cuba will eventually be dominated by U.S. hotel chains and the capital of those who left the Island. “Over time there will first be a wave, an avalanche, or at least a strong appetite from Cuban Americans, which is perfectly understandable and logical because it is a way of recovering what was lost. As you know, one of the strongest incentives in economics is loss aversion,” he says.

According to Altozano, there are two types of claims. One consists of claims that are fully documented through property titles, making it relatively easy to reach agreements, “both in terms of monetizing those assets through mortgage-backed loans and through their transfer.” The other involves newly built assets on land that was previously publicly owned, where the situation is much more complicated because ownership has changed over time. The specialist believes that a comprehensive compensation agreement similar to those reached with Spain, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom could be possible, but above all, he believes many claims could ultimately be left unresolved in exchange for allowing former owners to benefit from the assets.

The specialist believes that a comprehensive compensation agreement similar to those reached with Spain, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom could be possible, but above all, he believes many claims could ultimately be left unresolved in exchange for allowing former owners to benefit from the assets

“I actually believe that Cuba’s solution will be real estate. It is what can immediately attract a great deal of investment. That is precisely why I would say this: if you are in Cuba, if you are in Miami, if you are of Cuban descent and have claims to assets, it would be best if those 6,000 claims were left untouched, that nothing happened to them.”

Convinced that those who emigrated more recently will return to the Island, Altozano highlights what he sees as Cubans’ natural entrepreneurial spirit, arguing that many will eventually become real estate developers in Cuba. “From my point of view, it seems quite obvious; it’s only 20 minutes away.” The specialist notes that the Island still has undeniable advantages that make it attractive, beginning with its beaches, which he considers unmatched compared with other Caribbean destinations, and continuing with its culture, history, and well-educated population. Although he acknowledges that recent years have brought severe deterioration in many areas, including public safety, he believes Cuba’s advantages remain beyond question.

As for how that future will come about, the expert admits he has no idea, although he doubts there will be any military intervention given the Island’s proximity to the U.S. coastline. “It seems that Cuba’s future will either be the bear hug or something friendlier.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Ranks Second in the Medal Table in Santo Domingo Thanks to Judo and Rowing

The Island has won seven gold medals, well behind first-place Mexico and just ahead of Colombia.

The pair of Rayma Ortiz and Natalie Morales earned the Island its seventh gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games this Monday. / Prensa Latina

14ymedio, Havana, July 27, 2026 – The vague objective set by Cuban sports authorities for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo is being met so far: finishing among the top three in the medal standings. With the gold medal won early this Monday by the pair of Rayma Ortiz and Natalie Morales in the women’s coxless pair rowing event, the Island sits in second place overall with seven gold medals, behind Mexico, which leads with 16.

The Cuban rowers dominated the race from start to finish and crossed the finish line in 7:33.70. The silver medal went to the Mexican crew of Maite Arrillaga and María García, who finished in 7:40.68, while the bronze went to Guatemala’s Nicolle González and Dulce Samayoa, who posted a time of 7:43.45.

This is the second gold medal won in rowing by the Island’s delegation at these Games. The first was claimed by the duo of Reidy Cardona and Leduar Suárez on Sunday morning, when they won the men’s double sculls event with a time of 6:32.80.

Judo has been the other discipline that has served as the backbone of Cuba’s medal haul in these opening days. The Island’s team dominated Saturday’s judo finals by capturing four gold medals in continue reading

the men’s and women’s divisions. Marlon Herrera claimed the title in the 73-kilogram division, along with Jonathan Charón (60 kg), Orlando Polanco (66 kg), and the young Dali Sentmanat (52 kg). The other gold medal came in cycling, where Marlies Mejías won the women’s 30-kilometer individual time trial.

The Island’s team dominated Saturday’s judo finals by capturing four gold medals in the men’s and women’s divisions

On Monday, the Island will compete in badminton, archery, track cycling, gymnastics, taekwondo, judo, racquetball, field hockey, beach and indoor volleyball, chess, and softball, so its medal count could increase by the end of the day.

With 504 athletes competing in a total of 42 sports at the Central American and Caribbean Games in the capital of the Dominican Republic, Cuba is seeking to return to the top of a competition it has historically dominated. Of the 24 editions of the Games, the Island has won 12. It also leads the all-time medal table with 1,926 gold medals, including those already won at this edition, well ahead of second-place Mexico with 1,539.

However, the last time Cuba finished first in the regional competition was in 2014 in Veracruz. The last two editions, Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023, were won by Mexico, leaving the Island in third place, matching its worst-ever performance in the competition, comparable to Panama 1938 and Kingston 1962.

The last two editions, Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023, were won by Mexico, leaving the Island in third place

The defection of athletes from the Island, which has totaled more than 1,000 over the past decade, along with the lack of international competition for Cuban athletes, has plunged the country’s sports system into crisis. At the last major event in which Cuba competed, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the country won nine medals with a delegation of 61 athletes, while the Cuban diaspora earned the same number with just 21 Cubans representing other countries.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had provided resources for athlete development, Cuban sports have gone into steep decline. The Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, where the Island won 30 medals, marked Cuba’s peak. That success was followed by strong performances in Atlanta 1996 (25 medals), Sydney 2000 (29), Athens 2004 (27), and Beijing 2008 (30), but from that point on, the situation only worsened. Twelve athletes reached the podium in London 2012, 11 in Rio 2016, and 15 in Tokyo 2020.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Spanish City of Santander Earmarks 200,000 Euros for Projects in Cuba and Other Countries

An organization will receive 5,775 euros to provide health care in communities in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba

Photovoltaic equipment donated by Sodepaz to health centers in Guamá. / Facebook / Sodepaz Solidaridad Desarrollo

14ymedio / EFE, Madrid, July 26, 2026 / The Santander City Council will allocate 201,000 euros to fund eleven development cooperation projects in Cuba and nine other countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The Local Government Board approved the resolution for the call for grants to programs in developing countries, as reported this Sunday by the council member responsible for the area, Mateo Echevarría.

One of the projects will be carried out in communities in the district of Chivirico, in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba. Solidaridad para el Desarrollo y la Paz, known as Sodepaz, will receive 5,775 euros to guarantee health care in the area. The Spanish organization has worked in Guamá for more than a decade and has promoted initiatives in photovoltaic electrification, water supply, and sustainable agriculture together with Cubasolar, the Poder Popular, and other official institutions.

Sodepaz also maintains an openly pro-Cuban government political stance and attributes much of the island’s economic and health crisis to United States sanctions, in line with the official discourse from Havana. That profile is relevant to understanding the close relationship the organization maintains with Cuban state institutions and the political framework within which it develops its cooperation programs.

The City Council will fund up to 80% of the cost of each project. The remainder may be provided by the beneficiary organizations themselves or by other public or private entities.

Echevarría highlighted “the important work” of non-governmental organizations, which, in his view, play “a key role in the community development of many vulnerable populations around the world.” continue reading

The Santander City Council will give priority to initiatives related to meeting basic needs, building infrastructure, education, assistance for community development, promoting volunteer work, and promoting local economies.

The City Council will fund up to 80% of the cost of each project. The remainder may be provided by the beneficiary organizations themselves or by other public or private entities.

Most of the grants amount to around 20,000 euros. The Asociación de Cooperación y Desarrollo Solidario (Amycos) will receive 20,100 euros to guarantee access to drinking water, promote gender equality, and strengthen food sovereignty in the communities of Mollecancha and Rodeo Pampa, in the Bolivian municipality of Torotoro, department of Potosí.

The project includes climate change adaptation measures. Also in Bolivia, Ingeniería Sin Fronteras will receive 20,000 euros to improve access to basic sanitation and hygiene in communities in the municipality of Pocona.

Most of the grants amount to around 20,000 euros.

Manos Unidas will receive another 20,000 euros to strengthen indigenous and peasant communities in the Bolivian Chiquitanía through a program of ecological transition, environmental governance, gender equity, and resilience.

The Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad will receive the same amount to promote the economic and social autonomy of women in seven towns in Al Hoceima and its surrounding area, in Morocco.

The Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz will have 20,099 euros to facilitate access to land restitution for victims of the Colombian armed conflict in the department of Antioquia, with an ethnic and differentiated approach.

Ayuda, Intercambio y Desarrollo will receive 20,000 euros to launch a poultry unit run by people with disabilities in the town of Ouonck, in Senegal.

Medicus Mundi will receive 20,098 euros to provide health care to 30 pregnant women in the Koulikoro area of Mali, while Brigadas Internacionales de Paz will receive 20,070 euros for a human rights, life, and territory defense project in Mexico.

The organization Ayuda Despegar Cantabria will have 14,755 euros to develop a community and educational garden at the Casa de la Oportunidad-Melong II, in Cameroon.

Lastly, Acción sin Fronteras will receive 20,100 euros to strengthen the agricultural capacities of indigenous Maya women in San Cristóbal Verapaz, Guatemala.

Translated by GH.

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Israel: Cuban Diplomacy’s Great Unfinished Business

Havana’s foreign policy toward the Middle East does not save the life of a single Palestinian, but it impoverishes and isolates millions of Cubans.

Fidel Castro and Israeli President Ezer Weizman, during Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, in 1994. / GPO

14ymedio, Rolando Gallardo, Alicante (Spain), July 26, 2026 / Havana’s foreign policy toward the Middle East does not save the life of a single Palestinian, but it impoverishes and isolates millions of Cubans.

A nation’s foreign policy is, in its purest expression, a State’s principal tool for guaranteeing its survival, fostering its development, and protecting its citizens on the global stage. However, when it is hijacked by ideological proselytizing and false moralism, diplomacy ceases to be an instrument of State and becomes a mere exercise in political theater. In the inventory of Havana’s international failures over the last six decades, no anomaly better illustrates this dysfunction than the prolonged and absurd break in diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.

To understand the magnitude of this folly, it is essential to return to the origin of the error. During the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Algiers, held from September 5 to 9, 1973, Fidel Castro unilaterally announced the total break in relations with Jerusalem. Weeks later, Cuban interference moved from rhetoric to direct armed aggression: Havana dispatched troops and tank brigades to the Golan Heights to fight on the Syrian side during the Yom Kippur War.

Half a century later, the shortsightedness of that maneuver is unsustainable. The very Arab actors who were protagonists of that conflict – Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 – understood that the perpetuation of war was a dead end, signed peace, and today maintain embassies, trade, and close cooperation with Israel. They have recently been joined by nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. While Israel’s former enemies today share agricultural, military, and desalination technology with Jerusalem to benefit their populations, Cuba remains anchored in the trenches of a war that the belligerents themselves have already declared over. continue reading

A rigorous analysis of Cuban geopolitics reveals that this stance is not driven by ethics, but by a calculated media maneuver

The official justification for maintaining this diplomatic paralysis has been an alleged “unwavering and unbreakable support” for the Palestinian cause. However, a rigorous analysis of Cuban geopolitics reveals that this stance is not driven by ethics, but by a calculated media maneuver. Defending the Palestinian cause serves the regime by whitewashing its international image and reaping automatic sympathy in global left-wing circles, projecting a humanist face that conceals a deep and systemic double standard.

If Cuban foreign policy were truly governed by a rejection of crimes against humanity and State violence, its embassies would be closed in half a dozen allied capitals. The hypocrisy is mathematically demonstrable. Cuba did not hesitate to diplomatically shield the ayatollahs’ regime in Iran while it massacred its own people; Havana’s silence was absolute in the face of the more than 1,500 civilians killed in the “Bloody November” of 2019, and complicit in the face of the January 2026 crackdown, whose figures remain disputed but which organizations such as Hrana and outlets such as The Sunday Times and CBS News place in a range from around 6,000 confirmed dead to more than 20,000 according to activist and local medical sources – far above the “several thousand” the regime itself has acknowledged.

Similarly, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs never considered breaking ties with Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that the Saudi intervention in the Yemen war triggered the worst humanitarian crisis of the century: according to an estimate by the United Nations Development Programme published in November 2021, the conflict had caused some 377,000 deaths from direct and indirect causes – bombings, famine, and preventable disease – by the end of that year, a figure that humanitarian organizations agree has only continued to grow since then. And, of course, Havana maintains a strategic embrace with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, justifying a war of aggression in Ukraine that has razed entire cities such as Mariupol, massacred tens of thousands of civilians, and caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since 1945.

By refusing to establish relations with Israel, the Cuban government sacrifices its citizens’ plate of food on the altar of an empty revolutionary aesthetic

War crimes, violations of international law, and abuses against the civilian population are absolutely condemnable and must be denounced in the appropriate forums. But diplomatic relations between States transcend local conflicts. As the classic doctrine set out in Satow’s Diplomatic Practice, an academic reference point for modern diplomacy, holds, the establishment and maintenance of relations rests on mutual consent between States and constitutes the indispensable channel for managing any bilateral relationship, beyond substantive differences. Cutting that line of communication in the name of supposed ideological purity does not punish the adversary; it punishes the nation itself, isolating it from opportunities and real influence.

On this point, international relations doctrine is unforgiving of Cuba’s conduct. The father of political realism, Hans Morgenthau, held that national interest – not abstract moralism or legalism – should guide the foreign policy decisions of any State seeking to defend its citizens. By refusing to establish relations with Israel – a world giant in agricultural technology that could reverse the island’s chronic food crisis – the Cuban government sacrifices its citizens’ plate of food on the altar of an empty revolutionary aesthetic.

Nations with unquestionable geopolitical and diplomatic weight, such as France, the United Kingdom, and even powers adversarial to the West such as Russia or China, understand this premise perfectly. All of these countries have repeatedly raised their voices in the UN Security Council to condemn the military disproportion in Gaza, criticize Hamas’s actions, or declare the settlements in the West Bank illegal. However, none of them has considered that the logical response to these conflicts should be a break in diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. They keep their embassies open because they understand that influencing a crisis requires having a seat at the table, and because their citizens’ commercial, technological, and security interests take precedence over third-party frictions.

Former Canadian diplomat Daryl Copeland, in his work Guerrilla Diplomacy, argues that much of contemporary diplomacy has lost effectiveness by being reduced to messages aimed at public opinion rather than seeking genuine engagement between States. Havana’s foreign policy toward the Middle East fits that diagnosis: sterile public relations that do not save the life of a single Palestinian, but that impoverish and isolate millions of Cubans.

It was Cuba that promoted resolutions for decades to equate Zionism with racism at the United Nations. Consequently, it is the island’s responsibility to initiate the thaw

The unavoidable question on the threshold of a democratic transition is: who should take the first step to normalize bilateral relations? Diplomacy and common sense dictate that the party who threw the first stone is the one who should extend the olive branch. It was Cuba that unilaterally broke the tie in 1973. It was Cuba that sent tanks to the Golan to shed blood in a conflict not its own. It was Cuba that promoted resolutions for decades to equate Zionism with racism at the United Nations. Consequently, it is the island’s responsibility to initiate the thaw.

The restoration of relations with Israel is Cuban foreign policy’s great unfinished business, not only because of the incalculable value of the bilateral cooperation it would unlock, but because of what that act would symbolize. It would mean the end of the era of diplomatic hypocrisy. It would mark the moment when Cuba stops using human rights as a convenient pretext and recovers a mature, pragmatic foreign policy focused, at last, on the well-being, prosperity, and future of its own people.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Wins Five Gold Medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games

The rowing victory of Eduar Suárez and Reidy Cardona this Sunday adds to the three titles achieved by judokas Jonathan Charón, Orlando Polanco and Dali Sentmanat

Of the five weight divisions that opened the judo program at the Central American and Caribbean Games, Cuba won three. / Jit

EFE / 14ymedio, Santo Domingo, July 26, 2026 – Cuba’s national team dominated the judo finals at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo on Saturday, winning three gold medals in the men’s and women’s categories, while the Dominican Republic earned its first gold medal of the competition.

Mexican rowers Alexis López and Andre Sumsch finished in second place with a time of 6:37.38 and won the silver medal.

With this result, Cuba now has five gold medals at the regional event, following the victories of judokas Jonathan Charón, Orlando Polanco and Dali Sentmanat and cyclist Marlies Mejías during the first days of competition.

The Cuban judo team dominated the finals on Saturday, winning three gold medals in both the men’s and women’s categories, while the Dominican Republic secured its first gold at the event. In a packed judo arena at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo, Cuban judokas Jonathan Charon (-60 kg), Orlando Polanco (-66 kg), and Sentmanat Dali (-52 kg) captured the three gold medals.

Meanwhile, the host country won its first gold medal thanks to judoka Ana Rosa, who defeated Colombia’s María Villalba by ippon. “I am very happy to give my country its first gold medal. It is the result of so much sacrifice, and all the hard work has been worth it,” the Dominican athlete told reporters after the match, during which she felt the support of the home crowd, which erupted in cheers when the contest ended. continue reading

Cuba has won five gold medals at the regional event, following victories by judokas Jonathan Charón, Orlando Polanco and Dali Sentmanat, and cyclist Marlies Mejías.

By category, in the women’s under-48-kilogram division, the gold medal went to Nemesis Candelo (Panama), the silver to Estefanía Soriano (Dominican Republic), and the bronze medals to Gabriela Miranda (Venezuela) and Erika Lasso (Colombia).

In the women’s under-52-kilogram division, the gold went to Dali (Cuba), the silver to Francine Echevarría (Puerto Rico), and the bronze medals to Josefa Samantha (Dominican Republic) and Paulina Martínez (Mexico).

In the women’s under-57-kilogram division, the gold medal went to the Dominican Republic’s Ana Rosa, who faced Colombia’s María Villalba (silver), while the bronze medals went to Kristine Jiménez (Panama) and Audreys Pacheco (Venezuela).

In the men’s under-60-kilogram division, the gold medal went to Cuba’s Charon, who faced El Salvador’s Jairo Moreno (silver)

In the men’s under-60-kilogram division, the gold medal went to Cuba’s Charon, who faced El Salvador’s Jairo Moreno (silver), while the bronze medals went to José Ramos of Guatemala and Diego García Ramírez of the Dominican Republic.

In the men’s under-66-kilogram division, the gold medal went to Cuba’s Polanco, the silver to Robin Jara of Mexico, and the bronze medals to Venezuela’s Willis García and El Salvador’s Diego Calix.

This same Saturday, Cuban cyclist Marlies Mejías had won the gold medal in the time trial, after completing the race with a time of 40:15.79.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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British Firm Ceiba Investments Becomes Entangled in Its Financial Operations in Cuba

The fund has been sanctioned by the U.S. for partnering with the Cuban State in the real estate sector and holding ownership stakes in five hotels that Meliá managed until yesterday.

This Saturday, 14ymedio visited the Meliá Habana and confirmed that the large sign bearing the Spanish chain’s name was still mounted at the top of the building. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, July 26, 2026 – The buildings, swimming pools, and hotel rooms are still there, but 34 Cuban hotels lost something this Friday that is much harder to replace: the Meliá name, its sales channels, and its commercial marketing network. The Spanish hotel chain’s definitive withdrawal coincides with a new obstacle for five of those properties, which are owned by the Cuban State in partnership with the British investment fund Ceiba Investments.

The U.S. State Department added the Guernsey-registered company to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list on Thursday. Washington maintains that the company operates or has operated in the financial services sector of the Cuban economy, one of the activities subject to sanctions under Executive Order 14404.

The blow comes as Ceiba must dismantle Meliá’s management contracts, decide how it will keep five hotels operating, and find a hotel chain willing to replace the Mallorca-based company. The firm acknowledged that it is still analyzing how to reorganize the management and marketing of those properties and has not identified an alternative operator.

Ceiba Investments is listed on the London Stock Exchange and concentrates almost all of its business in hotels and other real estate assets in Cuba. It is headquartered in the tax haven of Guernsey—in the English Channel between England and France—which assumed “full ownership” of the financial company Orbit after Gaesa was sanctioned on May 7. Through several subsidiaries, it participates in joint ventures with state-owned entities such as Cubanacán, which own hotels that until now were managed and marketed by Meliá.

The company requested a temporary suspension of trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange while it evaluates the consequences of the U.S. measure

Five shareholders control nearly 60% of its capital. The largest is continue reading

Northview Investments, with 27.43%, followed by POP Investments, owned by British financier Andrew Pegge, and Ursus Capital, linked to investor Colin Kingsnorth, both with about 10%. Also listed are a company belonging to the British investment manager Aberdeen and Citco Global Custody.

The latter acts as a financial custodian, meaning it may formally appear as the holder of shares that it keeps on behalf of third parties whose identities do not necessarily appear in the public shareholder registry. Executives Sebastiaan Berger and Cameron Young, who have lived in Cuba since the late 1990s, jointly control about 6.2% of the fund and have managed its investments on the Island since 2002.

The company requested a temporary suspension of trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange while it evaluates the consequences of the U.S. measure. Ceiba also announced that it will seek to persuade Washington to remove it from the list of sanctioned entities.

According to Ceiba’s explanation to the London Stock Exchange, Washington believes the company attempted to shield Gaesa’s assets and revenue sources from sanctions by purchasing 51% of Inmobiliaria Monte Barreto from Inmobiliaria Lares, an indirect subsidiary of the military conglomerate. Monte Barreto owns the Miramar Trade Center, a large office complex in Havana.

Three foreign members of the board of directors—Simeon Goddard, Briton Robin Haake Smith, and Canary Islands businessman Enrique Martinón García—submitted their resignations with immediate effect

Ceiba rejects that interpretation. It says negotiations began in 2017, that the binding agreement was signed on April 22—before Gaesa was placed on the sanctions list—and that the transaction was completed on June 4 within the deadline granted to unwind ties with the military group. The company also maintains that it did not pay Gaesa in foreign currency, but instead used reserves, pending dividends, and other funds belonging to Monte Barreto that were already deposited in Cuba.

The designation also triggered an immediate shake-up in the fund’s leadership. Three foreign members of the board of directors—Simeon Goddard, Briton Robin Haake Smith, and Canary Islands businessman Enrique Martinón García—resigned with immediate effect. Ceiba did not explain the reasons for the resignations, but their timing, coinciding with the company’s inclusion on the sanctions list, reflects the severity of the blow and the risks for executives, banks, and suppliers of maintaining ties with an entity sanctioned by the United States.

The Meliá Habana will be renamed Hotel Habana./ 14ymedio

Regarding the five hotels, Ceiba said they will temporarily remove the commercial references to the Spanish hotel chain. The Meliá Habana will become Hotel Habana; the Meliá Las Américas will become Hotel Las Américas; the Meliá Varadero will become Hotel Varadero; Sol Palmeras will drop the “Sol” and become Hotel Palmeras; while the Meliá Trinidad Península will retain only the name Hotel Trinidad Península.

The new naming scheme looks more like an emergency solution than a commercial strategy. This Saturday, 14ymedio visited the Meliá Habana and confirmed that the large sign bearing the Spanish chain’s name was still mounted at the top of the building. The hotel remained open, although the upper floors were partially covered with protective netting and appeared to be undergoing repairs.

Hotel staff said that day-pass offers for the swimming pool would be available again on Monday, with prices ranging from $25 to more than $200. When asked why the Meliá sign remained on the façade, an employee declined to offer an explanation.

The hotel remained open, although the upper floors were partially covered with protective netting and appeared to be undergoing repairs. / 14ymedio

With the Spanish company gone, the properties are not left ownerless, because Meliá did not own any of them. Its role was to manage them, lend them its brands, connect them with tour operators, and sell their rooms in international markets.

Those responsibilities now fall to the Cuban entities, which must take charge of complexes designed to operate with the standards, reservation platforms, and loyalty programs of an international hotel company. As of this Saturday, no foreign company had announced that it would take over the portfolio abandoned by Meliá.

The loss of the Meliá name will be only the visible part. The hotels are also leaving the chain’s commercial ecosystem, which includes its booking website, the MeliáRewards program, agreements with travel agencies, advertising campaigns, and a sales network built over decades.

The Ceiba case sums up the dilemma facing any foreign investor operating in Cuba under the new sanctions framework. Even a transaction explicitly designed to comply with the deadline for severing ties with Gaesa ended up turning the company itself into the target of the very sanctions it had sought to avoid. The simultaneous departure of Meliá, together with Iberostar, Barceló, and other international hotel chains, leaves Cuba’s hotel sector not only without its principal operators, but also without the commercial infrastructure that sustained its access to international tourism, just as the Island is experiencing its worst visitor crisis in more than a decade.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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What Is Dystopia For?

Díaz-Canel gets tangled up in a quote about utopia in his eagerness to cover up the greatest setback in contemporary Cuba.

Díaz-Canel is the expendable face of a power structure that uses surnames with no history to protect the important surnames. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, July 25, 2026 — Ever since his years leading the bureaucracy in Holguín, it was clear that Miguel Díaz-Canel was a failed leader. Farmers showed remarkable foresight when they nicknamed him “Díaz-Condom,” because he kept milk from entering the city. The theater company El Portazo also proved prophetic when, after his appointment as president, it dedicated the children’s song Little Mouse Miguel to him in Matanzas. One of its verses seems written to summarize these years of continuity: “Things are… so horrifying they truly inspire fear.”

Now memes have flooded social media over the mangled version the ruler made of a quote that, evidently, he did not even understand. In an interview with the Russian outlet RT, the sub-dictator tried to quote Eduardo Galeano, who in turn was repeating a reflection by Argentine filmmaker Fernando Birri. But Díaz-Canel’s version completely destroyed the meaning of utopia, as if the horizon itself had run away in terror from the monstrosity that was trying to reach it.

The blunder sparked ridicule because it came at the worst possible moment. It was uttered by the man who has spent eight years at the helm of a country where virtually everything has deteriorated dramatically. His continue reading

government does not need to take two steps forward for utopia to move ten steps away. It only has to announce an “economic measure.”

With 134,354 deaths, 2025 was the second deadliest year since records have been kept, surpassed only by 2021, the year of covid

Díaz-Canel inherited a dictatorship that was already dystopian. He was handed a ruined system, that is true, but he has demonstrated an extraordinary talent for making every inherited ruin even worse. Under his rule, the Tarea Ordenamiento [Ordering Task] was implemented, presented as the great solution to the “distortions” accumulated over decades. The result was the pulverization of wages and pensions, runaway inflation, the devaluation of the peso, and the consolidation of a caste economy in which some shop in foreign currency while others are left staring through store windows.

The hardest year of the pandemic, despite all the propaganda surrounding Cuba’s vaccine candidates, produced the highest death toll in the official Cuban statistical series published since 1970. But death did not retreat with the coronavirus. In 2025 it struck Cubans once again, although almost no one in the official narrative wants to talk about it. With 134,354 deaths, it was the second deadliest year in that series, surpassed only by 2021, the year of Covid. Continuity has failed to multiply the loaves and the fishes, but it has succeeded in multiplying the corpses.

The greatest feat of so-called “creative resistance” has been to switch off the country. The national power grid has collapsed so many times that it now seems to come back online only long enough to gather momentum before crashing again. Tourism began to sink even before the new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. And foreign companies are leaving not only because they fear Washington, but also because they are tired of dealing with a State that does not pay its debts, freezes funds, and changes the rules as easily as its bureaucrats change their guayaberas.

The regime no longer promises to achieve anything. It only asks people to walk backward like crabs, to resist and wait for nothing like zombies

But Díaz-Canel will not be remembered solely for his economic failures. When thousands of Cubans took to the streets on 11 July 2021, demanding freedom, food, and electricity, he did not react like a president but like the leader of a gang. That was when he uttered his most authentic phrase: “The combat order is given.” What followed were beatings, arrests, show trials, excessive prison sentences, and exile.

That day made it clear what he was there for. Raúl Castro did not put him in office because he was bold, but because he was obedient. He needed someone willing to destroy an entire country rather than endanger the ruling caste. Díaz-Canel is the civilian fuse of a military machine, the expendable face of a power structure that uses surnames with no history to protect the important surnames.

That is why the utopia quote was not just another intellectual lemon. It was a confession. The regime no longer promises to achieve anything. It only asks people to walk backward like crabs, to resist and wait for nothing like zombies. It offers no deadlines, no results, and no direction. Its only goal is to prolong obedience and resignation.

Fernando Birri spoke of utopia as a horizon that compels us to keep walking. Galeano turned that idea into one of his most widely quoted reflections. Díaz-Canel transformed it into the bureaucratic excuse for decline. For him, utopia serves to keep the people wandering without asking who walked away with their shoes.

And what is dystopia for? To govern without results. To justify every failure with the previous failure. To call resignation hope, misery resistance, and collapse continuity. To drive horizons away. And, above all, to allow a man incapable of correctly repeating a simple quote to continue presenting himself as the president of a country that never elected him.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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How to Protect Ourselves from Mosquitoes: What Works and What Doesn’t Against This Summer Pest

Studies rule out the effectiveness of electronic repellents, bracelets, and citronella candles against insects.

Mosquito control campaigns, once a public health priority in Cuba, have lost effectiveness because of the economic crisis. / 14ymedio

14ymedio/SINC/Javier Yanes, Madrid, July 25, 2026 – Mosquitoes transmit about 78 diseases that, according to some estimates, cause up to one million deaths each year, 600,000 of them from malaria. In Cuba, where mosquito control campaigns were a public health priority for decades, the economic crisis and the deterioration of public services have weakened that response capacity.

The dengue and chikungunya epidemic that swept across the Island beginning in 2025 found favorable conditions due to the lack of fumigation, the accumulation of garbage, and difficulties in diagnosing and treating patients. In February of this year, the Pan American Health Organization reported two new chikungunya deaths in January, bringing the total number of deaths recorded by the organization to 67, along with 1,457 cases of the disease during that month.

How can we protect ourselves from mosquitoes? While science searches for new weapons against this pest, the best option remains to rely on methods whose effectiveness has been proven. Despite their popularity, this does not include certain remedies that have been shown to be useless. continue reading

DEET “remains the most widely used, the most effective, and the least expensive in the world”

During World War II, troops deployed in tropical regions suffered from mosquito-borne diseases. Sixty percent of U.S. soldiers in the Pacific contracted malaria, while another 5% came down with dengue. In total, 1.2 million suffered from one or both infections. Although mortality was low, the impact on military operations was so severe that it forced the U.S. government to seek solutions.

At the time, insect repellents such as citronella oil (lemongrass) were already in use, but they were not effective enough. Beginning in 1942, scientists such as chemist Samuel Gertler of the Department of Agriculture tested more than 7,000 compounds in search of new formulas to protect against insects. That was how Gertler discovered DEET (diethyltoluamide). Patented in 1946, after the war, it was kept as a closely guarded military secret until civilian use was authorized in 1957.

DEET has stood the test of time: eighty years later, it remains the benchmark repellent. “It is still the most widely used in the world, the most effective, and the least expensive,” Claudio Lazzari, a biologist specializing in disease-carrying insects at the University of Tours (France) and the University of Buenos Aires, told SINC.

Higher concentrations are recommended for regions at risk of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases

DEET is the reference standard against which any new candidate is measured. It is sold under numerous brand names and in different concentrations; higher concentrations provide longer-lasting protection, up to eight or nine hours, although protection does not appear to increase significantly beyond 50%. Higher concentrations are recommended for regions at risk of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.

DEET’s long history also supports its safety, and it can even be used on babies as young as two months old. According to Lazzari, at very high concentrations, around 75%, “it has been associated with allergic reactions and some toxicity,” but “no commercial repellent contains that much in its formulation.”

In addition, although it is moderately harmful to aquatic organisms, it biodegrades slowly and therefore does not tend to accumulate.

In short, DEET is the closest thing we currently have to the perfect repellent. But it has one major drawback: it is unpleasant to use. Its oily texture leaves the skin greasy, and, even worse, it dissolves plastic, meaning it can damage many objects or materials that come into contact with the skin, including bracelets, sandals, watchbands, sunglasses, nail polish, or synthetic fabrics such as elastane or Lycra.

“Alternatives, especially natural ones, tend to be more expensive, provide less protection, and are not usually completely harmless”

This shortcoming of DEET leaves room for other options, although, Lazzari warns, “alternatives, especially natural ones, tend to be more expensive, provide less protection, and are not usually completely harmless.” These other repellents include traditional citronella oil, Merck’s IR3535, or distilled oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), enriched with an active ingredient called para-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD). However, this is not the essential oil extracted directly from the plant, which is sometimes falsely marketed as a repellent.

However, study after study reaches the same conclusion: the protection provided by citronella oil and other plant oils fades quickly because of their high volatility, dropping by half after two hours, whereas DEET’s protection remains. Although PMD is an option, DEET’s strongest competitor is picaridin, also known as icaridin, developed by Bayer in the 1980s. It is the only repellent that has matched DEET’s performance in tests, without damaging plastics or leaving a greasy feel. Concentrations of 20% provide the same level of protection as DEET.

It is possible that new repellents will be discovered in the future, but this search faces a major obstacle: despite DEET’s long history, scientists have still not resolved exactly how it works. “There is no general model explaining why repellents repel,” Lazzari points out. There are at least three hypotheses, each supported by experimental evidence: “That they block mosquitoes’ ability to detect us, that they are toxic and affect the nervous system, and that mosquitoes smell them and avoid them.”

“The more we understand how mosquitoes process odors, the better we will be able to design more precise repellents”

This last idea is supported by a recent study led by Lazzari that revealed a surprising result: mosquitoes exposed to a puff of DEET while feeding can learn to associate its smell with food, causing the repellent to become an attractant for them.

It is the classic conditioning demonstrated by Pavlov’s dogs, which salivated in response to a stimulus associated with food. This indicates that, for mosquitoes, DEET’s action is not purely mechanical but also has a cognitive component.

Humanity’s battle against pests has repeatedly encountered this kind of obstacle: over time, one way or another, our enemies eventually find ways to resist, avoid, or tolerate the weapons we use against them.

Although DEET remains widely effective for now, “the fact that we do not know exactly why mosquito behavior changes in this way is a major obstacle to the search for new molecules,” says Lazzari.

In recent years, research has delved deeper into the mosquito’s systems that guide it toward humans, beginning with the odor of substances we emit, such as carbon dioxide from our breath, lactic acid, and other metabolic products and skin bacteria. “The more we understand how mosquitoes process odors, the better we will be able to design more precise repellents,” Floris van Breugel, a researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno, whose studies have shed light on this field, told SINC.

“The fact that we do not know exactly why mosquito behavior changes in this way is a major obstacle to the search for new molecules”

Researchers are therefore looking for compounds that interfere with mosquitoes’ sense of smell or confuse them, enhancing the effect of repellents. Although more extensive testing is still needed, substances have already been identified that provide longer-lasting protection than DEET.

According to Lazzari, this knowledge makes it possible to design “rational strategies,” such as the one he is developing through a collaborative project between Argentina and France. “The idea is to test molecules that are likely to trigger an avoidance response, such as bitter substances.”

Repellents are a primary resource in areas at risk of mosquito-borne diseases, but they are not the only means of personal protection. The most traditional basic measure is a physical barrier such as a mosquito net, especially one treated with widely available insecticides such as permethrin. The World Health Organization has recently added a new recommendation for malaria control: the use of so-called emanators, or spatial repellents, systems that gradually release insecticides into the air.

On the other hand, environmental concerns argue against ultraviolet mosquito lamps. Studies have shown that they attract very few mosquitoes but many beneficial insects, such as moths. In one sample, only 31 out of 13,789 insects killed in the trap were mosquitoes.

“Many of the products marketed as repellents that have been tested do not reduce mosquitoes’ attraction to humans.”

As for other types of measures, at best they may provide slight help; at worst, they are completely useless. One example is one of the most popular supposed mosquito defenses available in stores every summer: citronella candles. Although citronella oil works as a repellent when applied to the skin, there is absolutely no guarantee that burning wax mixed with this substance will repel insects.

In fact, it does not. A study by New Mexico State University comparing various mosquito control methods concluded that “the citronella candle has no effect whatsoever.” The authors added that “many of the products marketed as repellents that were tested do not reduce mosquitoes’ attraction to humans.”

Among these major failures are two other popular products: repellent bracelets and electronic ultrasonic mosquito repellents.

“Our hypothesis is that the concentrations released by the tested bracelets are too low to have any effect”

As for the bracelets, one study found a 30% reduction in bites when using a DEET-treated bracelet, but only on the arm wearing it. Regarding bracelets containing citronella or other plant extracts, the New Mexico study found no benefit.

“Our hypothesis is that the concentrations released by the tested bracelets are too low to have any effect,” the authors wrote, emphasizing that a compound that works in one form does not necessarily work when used differently—for example, a topical repellent incorporated into bracelets.

Even worse are electronic devices that claim to repel mosquitoes with ultrasound. Time and again, tests have shown that they do not deter mosquitoes at all.

“Field entomological studies confirm that electronic mosquito repellents have no effect whatsoever in preventing bites,” wrote the authors of a review of the available studies.

“Field entomological studies confirm that electronic mosquito repellents have no effect whatsoever in preventing bites”

The same applies to smartphone apps. According to the New Mexico study, any system claiming to repel mosquitoes with sound is “the modern equivalent of snake oil,” a reference to fraudulent remedies.

The list of false anti-mosquito claims is endless. For example, some people claim that certain foods or supplements, such as vitamin B1 (thiamine), yeast, or garlic, protect us from mosquito bites.

According to National Taiwan University entomologist Matan Shelomi, who reviewed the available studies, “the scientific consensus is unequivocal that oral repellents do not exist. Despite extensive searches, no food, supplement, medication, or condition has ever been proven to make people repellent to mosquitoes.” The New Mexico study also tested vitamin B1 patches applied to the skin. The verdict: they do not work either.

The same drawer of failed remedies also includes so-called repellent plants, as emphasized by medical entomologist Cameron Webb of the University of Sydney.

This expert also warns about mosquito-repellent clothing. Although garments treated with permethrin or other insecticides provide better protection than untreated clothing, “they are unlikely to prevent mosquito bites on exposed areas of the skin.” Furthermore, “after washing, any protection these garments provide is likely to decrease.” At the very least, covering the entire body remains a measure that never fails.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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