Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

U.S. Sales to Cuba Are Twice China’s, but Beijing Remains Havana’s Leading Partner

The Island purchased barely $523 million worth of goods from its Asian ally from January to September, while sales from the northern “enemy” have exceeded $1 billion.

VEDCA assembly plant, a joint venture between China’s Tianjin Dongxing and Cuba’s Minerva, in Boyeros. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Madrid, November 13, 2026 – Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has flown to Vietnam after concluding a visit to China, from which he obtained no more concrete results than Beijing’s customary expressions of solidarity against U.S. sanctions on the regime. It was the Island’s foreign minister’s second trip to the Asian giant, but both visits have yielded little more than statements about the “potential of bilateral economic cooperation and the willingness of Chinese companies to expand their ties with Cuba.”

This Thursday, Rodríguez participated in a trade and investment forum in Beijing alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga. At the forum, Ren Hongbin, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, “highlighted progress in Chinese exports of electromechanical products to Cuba, as well as the presence of Cuban goods in the Chinese market, including rum, honey, and fishery products.” But the trade balance is so heavily tilted in China’s favor that it is impossible to imagine anything remotely resembling an equal partnership.

Chinese export figures to Cuba show that the Asian country shipped $523 million worth of products between January and September of this year. Figures from China’s General Administration of Customs reflect a 35.5% decline compared with the same period in 2025. That year ended with a total of $1.08 billion, most of it consisting of electrical equipment—primarily panels, batteries, and telephones—worth $445.88 million. This was followed by vehicles and parts—cars, electric motorcycles, and transportation equipment—at $187.11 million; machinery and mechanical appliances at $123.8 million; iron and steel products at $59.41 million; and a varied group of other products—including aluminum, plastics, and optical and medical equipment—at $263.8 million. continue reading

Chinese export figures to Cuba show that the Asian country shipped $523 million worth of products between January and September of this year

Cuba, meanwhile, sent barely $229 million worth of goods to the Asian country, leaving the bilateral trade deficit at approximately $854 million. What was unusual about last year was that the vast majority of those sales ($136.1 million) consisted of metals—zinc, nickel, cobalt, and other metals—along with another $24.6 million in copper scrap. Currently, however, the Island cannot export these products because of the collapse of its mining industry and the departure of several foreign companies as a consequence of U.S. sanctions.

Tobacco ($42 million) and lobster ($12 million) remain at the top of the list. Chemical and pharmaceutical products, to which Cuba attaches so much importance, barely reached $2 million, only slightly more than rum, at $1.94 million. The Island lost one of its major exports to China with the collapse of its sugar harvest, which in 2023 brought Havana $13.5 million before subsequently disappearing from the records, just as it disappeared from the sugar mills and store shelves themselves.

To understand the seriousness of the situation, it is enough to review the historical figures for sugar exports to China. In 2019, Cuba exported $134 million worth of sugar and even in 2020, $130 million. In both years, sugar was the country’s leading export to Beijing, although shortages were already beginning to affect the Island.

Cuba continues to consider China its leading trading partner, ahead of the United States, despite the fact that its neighboring country has managed to move far ahead of its major international rival this year. Between January and September 2026, the United States sold $1.0965 billion worth of goods to the Island, an increase of 91% compared with the same period the previous year ($572.8 million), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Compared with China’s January-to-September figure—the $523 million cited above—the difference is nearly twofold ($573.5 million).

The jump is spectacular when compared with previous years. In 2024, China sold Cuba $644 million worth of goods, compared with $585.2 million from the United States. In 2025, Beijing surpassed Washington by an even wider margin: $1.08 billion versus $809.6 million. The major change is driven primarily by U.S. fuel sales. Through August alone, trade in fuel between American suppliers and Cuban private businesses amounted to $231,744,309, a category that previously did not exist.

In 2024, China sold Cuba $644 million worth of goods, compared with $585.2 million from the United States. In 2025, Beijing surpassed Washington by an even wider margin: $1.08 billion versus $809.6 million

In addition, $314.3 million came from sales of agricultural products, an exception to the embargo that has been in effect since 2000 and has turned the United States into one of Cuba’s main food suppliers. This role has become more firmly established since the approval of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in 2021. These businesses import enormous quantities of food from Miami while the Cuban state lacks the resources to do anything comparable.

Nevertheless, the United States cannot be considered a trading partner of Cuba in terms of international trade, since that designation implies a two-way flow of goods that is impossible for both legal and practical reasons. According to official U.S. Census Bureau records, total exports of goods from Cuba to the United States barely reach between $1 million and $5 million annually, permitted under very specific authorizations. The products cited include works of art, research samples, and goods produced by the private sector, such as coffee, charcoal, and honey.

Through its shipments, the United States is a supplier of food and authorized goods, but not an economic cooperation partner in the same way as China, which also carries out strategic projects on the Island and provides financial assistance, including debt forgiveness and restructuring.

A geopolitical paradox: Beijing remains the Havana regime’s leading partner, while the Cuban population increasingly depends on food and fuel shipments from the Empire.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban National Handball Team Goalkeeper Breaks His Silence After Staying Behind

Luis Alazales helped his team qualify for the Under-21 World Championship; now he recounts how he escaped and discusses his plans to settle in Quebec.

Alazales’ immediate priority will be to obtain legal status in Canada. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Andy Lans, Matanzas, November 12, 2026 – Many handball fans will remember last November 1 as the day Cuba secured its qualification for its second Under-21 World Championship in 2027, defeating Mexico 38-30 in the final of the IHF Junior Trophy for North America and the Caribbean. But for Luis Alazales, that day meant something more: it changed his life forever.

The 20-year-old Cuban goalkeeper had grown tired of stopping shots from the Mexican players, but after the match and the celebration of the title and qualification for the World Championship, he continued with his plan to remain in Quebec, Canada. “When we returned to the accommodations, I already had my suitcases packed because we had to leave for the airport, and there was an exit door right in front of my room. I took advantage of the fact that my roommate had gone out and left immediately. From there, I went to a nearby church,” he told 14ymedio.

The Cuban national team dominated the tournament. They began the group stage with victories of 32-28 over the United States and 33-21 over Puerto Rico, as well as a 38-38 draw against Canada. Then, in the semifinals, they defeated Guadeloupe 28-24 before going on to beat the Mexican team. For Luis Alazales, this was his fourth international competition and perhaps his best individual performance. continue reading

“When we returned to the accommodations, I already had my suitcases packed because we had to leave for the airport, and there was an exit door right in front of my room”

At just 16 years old, the 6’1.5″ tall player from Artemisa had competed in the 2023 Under-21 World Championship, held in Germany and Greece. Despite his young age, he was undaunted and stopped eight of the 26 shots he faced, achieving a 31% save rate. In 2024, he participated in the IHF Junior Trophy for North America and the Caribbean, held in Mexico, where Cuba qualified for the 2025 Under-21 World Championship in Poland. However, the Island’s team did not attend the event due to a lack of funding. Last year, Alazales once again represented the Island at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, where he recorded a 26% save rate, stopping 44 of 171 shots.

“Before leaving Cuba, I had considered the possibility of defecting because of certain personal circumstances. Nevertheless, I decided to put my responsibility to participate in the entire tournament first. My goal was to do my job and win the gold medal for the Cuban people, my family, and my teammates, who work hard every day. I had to fulfill my responsibility to the team during the competition before making any decision, because those guys are like my brothers,” Luis explains.

Alazales’ immediate priority will be to obtain legal status in Canada. Later, to join that country’s handball system, his new club will most likely have to negotiate his transfer with the Cuban Handball Federation. This is what international regulations for the sport establish in cases like these.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights Urges an Investigation into the Medical Mission in Italy

The NGO is calling for a labor inspection that would, at a minimum, ask healthcare workers to present their passports to verify whether they have them in their possession or someone is withholding them.

Roberto Occhiuto, president of the Calabria region in Italy, and the first contingent of 50 healthcare workers who arrived there in January 2022. / Facebook/Roberto Occhiuto

14ymedio, Madrid, November 12, 2026 – The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) is pressing to ensure that the medical mission in Calabria, Italy, is at least investigated. The Madrid-based organization is urging Rome and Brussels to “activate and evaluate” a series of mechanisms to determine the conditions under which healthcare workers perform their jobs and whether those conditions could be considered “forced labor.”

Cuban doctors working in this region of southern Italy have been hired directly by the Calabrian healthcare system since the initial agreement with Havana, signed in 2022, was modified. The decision was made in response to accusations of slavery that have pursued these brigades for years, primarily because of the appropriation of up to 90% of each professional’s salary and the withholding of their passports. Although the current contractual conditions are not known, the healthcare workers themselves have disclosed that they receive their full salaries but donate up to half to the State, supposedly voluntarily.

The report, which is more cautious than the Observatory’s press release, does not assume that the Calabrian authorities are committing any type of crime. On the contrary, it suspects that the contracts comply with the law. Nevertheless, it repeatedly points out that the obligation of Italian and European authorities is to ensure compliance with their international commitments to prevent, detect early, and prosecute human trafficking and forced labor. To that end, it emphasizes that “the signing of a contract or initial consent does not validate the subsequent loss of freedom to leave the service.” continue reading

The report recalls that the Cuban regime subjects doctors to exhaustive control, threatening them with prison if they abandon missions abroad

The report recalls that the Cuban regime subjects doctors to exhaustive control, threatening them with prison if they abandon missions abroad. Although the doctors in Calabria are not technically carrying out that assignment, intimidation and coercion remain latent. The OCDH is urging labor inspectors to, at a minimum, ask the individuals concerned to present their passports to verify whether they have them in their possession or someone is withholding them.

The Observatory cites several legal and institutional instruments applicable within the European sphere, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the directive on human trafficking, which provide a legal framework for these cases. It also names existing courts, the Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA group), and Italian Justice and Interior institutions that could be approached to report any possible violation of rights, although in practice all of them require proof of specific coercion.

“Abusive working conditions do not automatically constitute human trafficking or forced labor, although they may provide relevant indications warranting an investigation into whether either exists,” the report insists. It also provides a telephone number through which potential victims can file an initial complaint that could trigger an investigation.

“To substantiate complaints, it is essential to provide individual testimonies, contracts, cooperation agreements, salary receipts, disciplinary instructions, communications, resignation requests, and evidence of threats or reprisals. The documentation must make it possible to establish the actual working conditions, the professionals’ effective freedom to leave the missions, and the possible coercive mechanisms used to prevent them from doing so,” it explains.

The Observatory’s report is presumably intended to pressure Italy into taking action just ahead of the arrival in Rome of the Council of Europe’s GRETA group, which will visit the country in early 2027 for its technical follow-up evaluation on combating human trafficking. To that end, it is urging authorities to launch, on their own initiative, “formal and independent investigations into the terms of the agreements signed, verify the voluntary nature of the doctors’ participation, and guarantee effective avenues of protection to shield doctors from possible reprisals.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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“If You Want To Be Like Me, Work”: The Bitter Irony of a ‘Diver’ Searching Through Havana’s Garbage

A man rummages through mountains of waste while displaying on his cart a phrase that captures the contradictions of present-day Cuba

Entre tanta miseria, aparece una frase capaz de detener al transeúnte más apurado. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, November 12, 2026 / The man bends over a mountain of garbage and rummages among food scraps, plastic containers, damp cardboard and torn bags. The scene could be mistaken for so many others that are repeated every day in Havana, where the buzos [literally “divers,” Cuban slang for people who scavenge through garbage] have become part of the landscape. But this time, amid so much misery, there appears a phrase capable of stopping even the most hurried passerby.

“If you want to be like me, work,” reads the black lettering on the red board of a four-wheeled cart. The message has something of fatherly advice, of street defiance and of a slap in the face to a society where work long ago stopped guaranteeing a decent life.

The message has something of fatherly advice, of street defiance and of a slap in the face to a society where work long ago stopped guaranteeing a decent life

Its author does not wear a tie, does not occupy an air-conditioned office, nor does he appear on television explaining the virtues of collective effort. He works among waste, separating out whatever can still be put to use. His office is a garbage dump and his means of transport, a cart cobbled together from pieces of wood, scraps of iron and wheels of various origins. continue reading

The phrase lends itself to several readings. It may be a declaration of pride from someone who earns a living without asking anyone’s permission. Or else a jibe aimed at those who expect to receive something without making any effort at all. Or perhaps a warning: to end up like him, all it takes is to work hard in a country where wages evaporate before the first week of the month is over.

The sign does not seem to have been written from a place of defeat. It has the insolence of someone who still keeps his dignity and refuses to be looked at only with pity

Nevertheless, the sign does not seem to have been written from a place of defeat. It has the insolence of someone who still keeps his dignity and refuses to be looked at only with pity. While others give speeches about the culture of work, this Havana man bends down, sorts, loads and pushes.

In the Cuba of unfulfilled plans and recycled slogans, few phrases are as uncomfortable as his. Because this man with the cart works – boy, does he work. The saddest thing is that he has to search in the garbage for what the economy will not let him find outside of it.

Translated by GH.

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At Havana’s Chinese Ten Cent, the Only Thing They Don’t Charge for in Dollars Is Looking

The store at 23rd and 10th reopens under the name Sumai, with electric motorbikes, cars and a scant variety of products, but it accepts neither Cuban pesos nor Clásica cards

Outside, onlookers take turns pressing their faces against the glass to try and figure out what’s inside. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, November 12, 2026 /Sumai’s green sign stands out on the facade of the old Ten Cent at 23rd and 10th, in El Vedado. The building, which for decades was a landmark of Havana commerce, has regained some of its outward luster. But this Wednesday, barely 24 hours after the new Chinese-managed market opened, customers were met with a surprise: the store was closed “for inventory.”

Behind the glass doors, the cash registers, the decorative lamps and a few shelves can be made out. Outside, curious onlookers take turns pressing their faces against the glass to find out what’s inside. A man shields himself from the glare of the sun with one hand as he tries to peer into the interior. The scene seems more fitting for an exhibition than for a retail business.

“Is the same thing going to happen to it as to the other Chinese store that was shut down a few days after it opened?” asks a woman who came from Centro Habana. Her concern is not unfounded. The experience of other businesses launched amid high expectations and later brought to a standstill feeds consumer distrust.

In August 2024, China Import, popularly known as the “Chinese Costco,” closed its doors at Manglar and Oquendo, in the Cerro neighborhood, just as it was starting to become famous for its competitive prices. The business, housed in former industrial warehouses linked to the Sabatés soap factory, was subjected to an audit. Shoppers who turned up at the time found a sign announcing it was closed “until further notice” and explanations that were far from reassuring. There was no further notice. continue reading

The new Ten Cent, run by the Cuban-Chinese joint venture Sumai S.A., opened this Tuesday with a long line. At ten in the morning, those interested began going in, ten at a time. But the excitement was short-lived. One customer who came out among the first warned that there was no food or toiletries, precisely two of the goods that Cuban families need most.

On Wednesday, by contrast, there was no line. Visitors arrived, asked questions, looked through the windows and ended up leaving. On one of the doors, a sheet of paper stuck on with tape announced opening hours from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., accompanied by the phrase “trial process.” The makeshift nature of the notice contrasted with the renovation of the building, painted an intense green that is impossible to ignore.

Through the glass, one could make out shelves with merchandise, gleaming counters and several spherical lamps that give the interior the air of a modern store. Also visible were fairly empty spaces, with wide expanses of shiny floor and a layout that still seemed far from making use of the building’s full capacity.

Through the glass, shelves of merchandise, gleaming counters, and several spherical lamps could be seen, giving the interior a modern shop feel. / 14ymedio

Among the products on sale are electric motorcycles and cars of little-known brands. One of the cars, black and gleaming, was on display with its trunk open, as if waiting for someone to make up their mind to load their purchases. The image had something extravagant about it in a city where getting hold of a packet of detergent can be a good deal more urgent than driving off in a brand-new vehicle.

But the biggest surprise lay in the payment terms. The establishment does not accept the Clásica card, used in other dollarized stores on the island. Purchases must be paid for exclusively in U.S. dollars in cash. It is a requirement that considerably shrinks the pool of potential buyers, especially among those who receive wages and pensions in Cuban pesos.

The commercial promise was ambitious. Sumai had announced back in July a range of goods that would cover food, household appliances, hardware, construction materials and renewable-energy equipment, in addition to retail and wholesale operations. That is why the reopening of such a well-known building raised expectations that went far beyond curiosity about seeing a new store.

On the sidewalk, meanwhile, life went on as usual this Wednesday. A homeless man was resting, sitting against the green wall next to the store’s exit door, which was covered by curtains with blue and red stripes. Further along, other passersby stopped for a few minutes in front of the windows. The old shopping corner had regained its ability to draw people’s gaze, but it had not yet managed to turn that into purchases.

Among the products being sold are electric motorcycles and cars from little-known brands. / 14ymedio

For several generations of Havana residents, the Ten Cent at 23rd and 10th represents a memory of display windows, merchandise and family outings through El Vedado. The popular stores belonged to the U.S. chain F. W. Woolworth Company, which arrived on the island in 1924 and opened outlets in Havana and other cities. Famous for their variety of merchandise and their affordable prices, they were nationalized by Fidel Castro in October 1960, although their name has survived for decades in popular memory.

So the reopening of this centrally located store, after such a long wait, had all the ingredients to become good news. However, between the absence of essential products, the requirement for cash dollars and the closure “for inventory” just one day after the opening, the initial enthusiasm is beginning to cool.

For now, the Chinese market has achieved something that seemed difficult: getting Havana residents to stop once again in front of the doors of the old Ten Cent. What it has not yet managed to do is give them enough reasons to cross the threshold.

Translated by GH.

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For the First Time, the Cadecas Offer a Dollar Better Exchange Rate Than on the Street

There is a line this Wednesday outside the Centro Habana Currency Exchange House, where they are buying foreign currency at 917 pesos, while the informal market offers 915.

At the Cadeca on Belascoaín and Neptuno streets, in Centro Habana, people were crowded into a line. / 14ymedio. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, November 11, 2026 — Something unusual is happening in the currency market this week: for the first time, official establishments are competing with the informal foreign exchange market. This Wednesday, at the Currency Exchange House (Cadeca) on Belascoaín and Neptuno streets, in Centro Habana, people were crowded into a line: the dollar was being purchased at 917 pesos, a better rate than on the black market. Everyone there was “selling,” taking advantage of the fact that it was the only Cadeca in the area buying U.S. currency.

“I get a better rate here than on the street, where right now it’s going for 900,” a woman tells 14ymedio. In dollar-buying and selling groups, the dollar was being offered at 895 CUP this Wednesday. Another retiree argued: “Even if it’s the same as on the street, exchanging money at a Cadeca gives you the security of knowing you won’t be cheated, robbed, or given counterfeit bills, as has happened to me.”

The Cadeca on 23rd and J streets, in El Vedado, was closed, supposedly because of construction work. The one on Neptuno Street was not buying dollars, and at the Habana Libre Hotel the line was not moving, so people were leaving.

The official “floating” exchange rate rose sharply from Monday to Tuesday, surpassing the informal rate at the currency exchange houses. While the banks remained well below the street price (886 for the euro and 791 for the dollar), at the Cadeca branches the U.S. currency was being purchased at 919 pesos on Tuesday, just one peso less than on the black market. This Wednesday, the dollar fell in general, except at the Cadeca branches, where for the first time the street rate was surpassed: 917 compared with 915. continue reading

The euro, meanwhile, also experienced a comparable increase: at the same establishments, it was being sold for as much as 1,025 pesos, 108 pesos more than the previous day, and purchased at 1,003.

Although the increase in the banks’ exchange rates was smaller, they also went up: 823 pesos at the Banco Popular de Ahorro (BPA) and the Banco de Crédito y Comercio (Bandec), 7 more than on Monday, and 783 pesos at Banco Metropolitano (779 pesos for transfers, 10 pesos more than the previous day).

This Wednesday, the dollar fell in general, except at the Cadeca branches, where for the first time the street rate was surpassed: 917 compared with 915. / 14ymedio

At these banking institutions, the exchange rate was the same this Wednesday, while it moderated very slightly at the Cadeca branches, where the dollar was being purchased at 917 pesos and the euro at 999 (the selling rates were 922 pesos and 926, respectively). These rates remain exceptionally high.

After unsuccessfully fighting the unofficial exchange of dollars, a campaign that included an effort to demonize El Toque, the media outlet that for years has reported the informal exchange rate based on information gathered from buying and selling advertisements published on social media and classified-ad websites, the Government created a new formal “floating” exchange rate in late December 2025.

That rate, initially set at 410 pesos, just 30 pesos below the informal market rate, became the third exchange rate operating in the country: the rate of 24 pesos per dollar governing state-owned companies, and the rate of 120 per dollar for individuals, tourism, and other “foreign currency-generating entities.” The measure was intended to “organize” the economy and move toward monetary unification, but a year later, that has yet to happen.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Some of Cuba’s 16,000 State Transport Workers Fear Losing Their Jobs in the Restructuring

The Automotive Business Group has recorded a 47.9% decline in passenger transportation and a 31.5% drop in freight transportation.

The number of bus tickets has fallen by more than 80%. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, November 12, 2026 – The survival of Cuba’s state transportation sector will depend, to a large extent, on the two-thirds of its workforce that must be sacrificed to make 17 companies belonging to the Automotive Transportation Services Business Group (GEA), with 16,487 employees, financially viable. According to its director general, Oscar Alberto Carbajal Serrano, the organizational structure had 90 employees, a number that was reduced to 70 and will eventually fall to 29.

These cuts at the Higher Business Management Organization (Osde), the state entity that groups together all companies linked to transportation, affect office personnel, from executives to specialists, technicians, and administrative staff. But the changes “also extend to the 17 basic business units, many of which will begin operating as state-owned micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) or will be established as subsidiary companies of the entities to which they belong,” Carbajal predicted. The warning has raised fears about the fate of many workers who do not know whether they will be absorbed by the newly announced entities.

Carbajal said Wednesday on the television program Mesa Redonda that, given the current crisis, “the business group should have gone bankrupt and closed down,” but he attributed its survival to decisions made under the 176 economic reforms approved by the Government in June. The group recorded a 47.9% decline in passenger transportation and a 31.5% drop in freight. The figures are even worse when looking at the sector as a whole, as Transport Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila revealed last month in an interview with Reuters: a 75% decrease in trips compared to last year.

Carbajal said Wednesday on the television program Mesa Redonda that, given the current crisis, “the business group should have gone bankrupt and closed down”

The National Bus Company, Carbajal explained, is in the worst condition. It was already experiencing a very negative trend, but in 2026, the limited availability of fuel has caused a sharp decline in travel, with daily trips on interprovincial routes falling from 5,000 to just 844. According to the official, freight distribution is another major concern, affecting all types of products, whether medicines, food imports, or even parts and components for solar power facilities. continue reading

“Multimodal transportation requires more than 9,000 liters of fuel per day to guarantee its operations throughout the country,” he warned. This has affected hemodialysis patients, sometimes forcing hospitals to admit them to avoid costly, or even impossible, transportation, while also creating difficulties for their relatives. Other groups affected, according to the broadcast, include school transportation, which has required adjustments to routes and schedules, as well as taxis and other vehicles. He also included the 900 three-wheeled vehicles used for short trips, whose availability has likewise been limited.

To address the situation, executives analyzed solutions across the 17 companies, which cover all kinds of related activities, including advertising, technology, logistics, and software. These are the areas where workforce reductions have been concentrated.

Leasing vehicles, warehouses, and premises at transportation terminals to private operators has become a source of income that the group plans to capitalize on. It will begin with more than 600 transportation units, out of the total of 12,650 owned by the group’s 17 companies that are now in the hands of “new non-state economic actors.”

“That is precisely what this is about: making assets productive,” Carbajal said, arguing that all of this will ultimately lead to better quality and more affordable prices. To date, however, citizens are far from seeing such improvements: state transportation is scarce; corruption and unofficial fares are widespread; and the private alternative, when available, is priced beyond the reach of much of the population.

The official mentioned the state-owned companies currently responsible for transporting personnel: Transmetro and the new MSME Transmed, which plan to expand their services for healthcare workers and patients.

The official mentioned the state-owned companies currently responsible for transporting personnel: Transmetro and the new MSME Transmed, which plan to expand their services for healthcare workers and patients

Carbajal elaborated on the idea of charging stations, which Rodríguez Dávila had also announced in his interview with Reuters. The group has 120 charging stations acquired with state funding and manufactured with the participation of the domestic industry, he said. That is twice the 60 stations previously announced by the minister, corresponding to those that, according to the executive’s statement yesterday, are at the distribution company and ready to be sent to other provinces. “It is one way of taking advantage of local energy for local transportation,” he said.

This would help begin supporting the circulation of the increasingly numerous electric vehicle fleet. Cuba currently has 150,000 vehicles of this type, including cars, motorcycles, and three-wheeled vehicles, representing 15% of the total. Taxi Cuba has just received 200 cars, Carbajal explained, 160 of which are already in service, and is awaiting another 200.

At a time when transportation for ordinary users is in complete collapse, it was striking to hear the executive say that, at least, the administrative situation remains afloat, even if it does not solve the population’s problems. “None of the 17 companies is currently operating at a loss,” he stated, explaining that although revenues are not yet satisfactory, none will end the year in the red.

“The group’s primary social responsibility is precisely to guarantee the transportation services that citizens need, especially those connected with essential services,” he concluded. In reality, however, this is not being fulfilled.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Resignation of the Governor of Camagüey Points to a Corruption Scheme

An independent journalist exposes serious irregularities, and readers of ‘Cubadebate’ demand explanations about Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia’s “mistakes.”

Sutil Sarabia had held the position since May 28, 2023. / Radio Agramonte

14ymedio, Madrid, November 11, 2026 – Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia, governor of Camagüey, submitted his resignation, which was accepted by Miguel Díaz-Canel on Tuesday, according to a statement published in official media. According to the official version, the resignation came “after acknowledging mistakes made in the performance of his duties, incompatible with his responsibilities,” an addition that has not proven sufficient for public opinion.

The public knows so well that the euphemism conceals the word “corruption” that even some comments on the government-aligned Cubadebate are demanding transparency. Everyone still vividly remembers the dismissal of former Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil in February 2024, which was initially presented as a “reassignment of officials,” but a few days later was announced as the result of “serious mistakes made in the performance of his duties.” The former senior official was sentenced in December 2025 to life imprisonment for espionage and to 20 years in prison in a second trial for economic and administrative crimes.

The former senior official was sentenced in December 2025 to life imprisonment for espionage and to 20 years in prison in a second trial for economic and administrative crimes.

With that memory probably in their minds, citizens have not hesitated to demand clarity in order to prevent speculation. “The reason for the resignation, without euphemisms or shadows. We are not in the 1970s. Now everything is known and will become known in the coming days, but I would prefer to hear the Government’s version,” one reader wrote. “Why isn’t the full story being reported, including the reasons he resigned, so that speculation, lies, etc., from other media outlets can be avoided?” another asked. Another commenter was more direct: “Some time ago, the Social Communication Law was approved, and among its principles it guaranteed citizens the right to informational transparency. However, there is increasingly more secrecy. For some time now, corruption by this official has been denounced on social media. Once again, we are losing the communications war. Credibility remains in crisis,” the commenter lamented. continue reading

On social media, independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, from Camagüey, has claimed the governor’s dismissal as a success resulting from his investigations, which he attributes to the reports he has published about the official. The reporter, now exiled in Mexico, says that a colonel from the province went to Havana to participate in the investigation of Sutil, based on his allegations. “Why was it necessary to bring an investigator from outside the province to join an investigation of this magnitude? Was there distrust about the possibility of independently investigating these events from within Camagüey? Now they will try to prevent all this from turning into a public scandal,” he says.

Tan Estrada maintains that “among the matters under investigation is the fuel allocated to several MSMEs in quantities exceeding established limits,” which was allegedly diverted from public services, including ambulances and taxis for hemodialysis patients. “Amid this scandal, and because of other acts of corruption under investigation that we exposed, the director of Taxis Cuba in Camagüey is also being removed. Another act of corruption uncovered by the commission involves resources belonging to state-owned companies dedicated to producing food and beverages. Certain contracts favored some MSMEs, which ended up purchasing practically the entire production,” he adds.

Tan Estrada identifies the Beverage and Soft Drink Company, the La Vaquita Dairy Industry, and the Meat Industry as entities under investigation. They produced food and beverages but diverted them to private businesses

Tan Estrada identifies the Beverage and Soft Drink Company, the La Vaquita Dairy Industry, and the Meat Industry as entities under investigation. They produced food and beverages but diverted them to private businesses. He also adds that construction materials were diverted, as well as a specific item that “involves the Provincial Department of Community Services. Huge budgets allocated to repairing the vehicle fleet, purchasing spare parts and fuel, as well as resources used to support the private MSME Almaley, linked to that entity, are under investigation.”

The journalist directly names several executives from a variety of sectors, including the cultural sector, through a project of the Provincial Book Center that served to divert “millions of pesos.” “Thanks to my sources for their courage. Several years of investigation and risk, and in the end we achieved it,” he concludes.

According to the official statement, Sutil Sarabia will be replaced by the current vice governor until a new one is elected, a decision that the public seems unable to understand, judging by the comments. “I don’t understand anything. The vice governors, who are the governor’s right-hand people, are somehow supposedly unconnected to the mistakes.”

Sutil Sarabia had held the position since May 28, 2023.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The UN Says It Provides ‘Daily Support’ in Cuba to More Than One Million People

Last week, UNICEF donated seven water pumping units to the province of Granma, which will benefit more than 100,000 residents.

Some 341,648 people have benefited in all municipalities of the eastern provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, the areas most affected by Melissa. / Facebook

14ymedio, EFE, Havana, November 11, 2026 / The United Nations (UN) highlighted on Wednesday the organization’s support in Cuba to more than one million people on issues such as “food security, drinking water and health,” in the current context of deep crisis on the Island.

“The United Nations in Cuba is supporting, in this difficult time for the country, need in areas such as food security, drinking water, and health. More than one million people are benefiting from this daily support,” said Pablo Ruiz, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba, in a video shared today on the social media platform X.

According to recent data from the organization, as of September it had managed to mobilize resources and support actions benefiting 1.7 million inhabitants of the Island, out of a target population of two million people contemplated in its Action Plan.

The different United Nations agencies have reached some 46 Cuban municipalities, amid blackouts and after extreme weather events such as Hurricane Melissa, which hit the island in October 2025. continue reading

The different United Nations agencies have reached some 46 Cuban municipalities, amid blackouts and following extreme weather events such as Hurricane Melissa.

According to figures from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), some 341,648 people have benefited in all the municipalities of the eastern provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo – those most affected by Melissa – with the delivery of 6,415 roof modules and 20,548 mattresses; and other supplies such as rechargeable lamps and equipment for medical laboratories.

For its part, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) donated seven water pumping units last week to the province of Granma, which will benefit more than 100,000 inhabitants, amid the serious crisis in providing this vital service in the country and which continues to affect more than 2.4 million Cubans.

The UN Action Plan to provide vital assistance was launched last March, and has already received some $47.6 million of the $94 million planned.

The UN has repeatedly expressed “its concern” about the impact of the severe energy crisis suffered in Cuba and its consequences in all areas of life.

For the past six years, Cuba has been suffering one of the worst economic and social crises in its history, with shortages of food, fuel and medicine, an inflationary spiral and partial dollarization.

Washington’s current oil blockade, described by the UN as contrary to international law, and a new battery of economic and financial sanctions have intensified the pressure on the island, ravaged by years of poor management by the Havana regime.

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The Annual Habanos Humidor Auction Will Take Place This Friday in Macao

It was not possible to organize the event in Havana, where it generated more than $18 million in 2025.

More than 300 people have registered to be able to bid online for the humidors. / Cohiba Atmosphere Macao. / Cohiba Atmosphere Macao

14ymedio, Madrid, November 11, 2026 – Habanos has had to travel a long way, all the way to Macao, to preserve the aura of luxury surrounding one of the main events of the traditional Habanos Festival: the humidor auction. It has been the central event of the annual program since 1999, where it is customary to watch wealthy collectors offer outrageous sums for humidors that have sold for as much as 4.6 million euros, a historical record set at the 2025 edition, which supposedly goes to the Public Health System.

The Habanos Festival was supposed to have taken place in late February in the Cuban capital, but it was postponed, initially without a date, in order to maintain the event’s “highest standards of quality and experience.” Amid prolonged blackouts, severely reduced international flights, and the worst socioeconomic conditions in recent years, the company confirmed in July that the event would not be held in 2026.

Nevertheless, the auction gala will finally take place this Friday, November 13, in Macao, bringing to auction three luxurious humidors that had been left waiting in Havana and one created specifically for the event in the former Portuguese colony, which has been the gambling capital of the world since its incorporation into China in 1999. “With the Festival canceled this year, Habanos looked for the best arrangement that would allow it to hold its traditional charity auction and ultimately chose Asia,” Samuel Lin, CEO of Madison Auction, which is organizing the gala, told the specialized website L’Amateur de Cigar. continue reading

Nevertheless, the auction gala will finally take place this Friday, November 13, in Macao, bringing to auction three luxurious humidors that had been left waiting in Havana

“Macao was chosen because it is an important market for Pacific Cigar Company, the official distributor of Habanos S.A. in Asia and therefore for Habanos,” said Dag Holmboe, CEO of that company. Lin added that, because of the tight deadlines, the decision was made to organize the event in that region rather than in Hong Kong, where the distributor’s headquarters and the auction house are located, but where the agenda is more crowded.

The businessman warned that it is possible to participate both in person and online. “I believe that more than 300 people have registered to be able to bid online. It is a charity sale, with no reserve price and no buyer’s fee,” he added, saying that he hopes the prices will be “as high as possible.”

The report provides exhaustive descriptions of the humidors. The first is a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Diplomáticos brand, created in 1966, and contains 160 cigars with different bands of the brand. The second celebrates the 90th anniversary of Rafael González, the brand founded in 1936, and is a piece in black and gold containing 190 cigars. The third, in white, gold, and green, is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Cuaba, launched in 1996, and containing 300 Habanos cigars.

As for the piece designed specifically for the Macao dinner, it is centered on San Luis Rey, which will present San Luis Rey Palatinos that evening, with a cigar band created for La Casa del Habano and Especialistas en Habanos franchises. It will be unveiled at the gala dinner, which will be attended by approximately 550 guests. This humidor contains 250 cigars, including 50 of the new Palatinos.

The decision to turn to Asia also confirms the extent to which that market has become the epicenter of the luxury associated with the brand, and comes in a particularly difficult year for Habanos S.A. The joint venture has been seriously harmed by its connection to Chen Zhi, the Chinese-Cambodian tycoon who acquired the cigar business from Imperial Tobacco, the British partner of the Cuban state-owned company, which holds 50% of the capital in Habanos S.A.

The millionaire used Cuban cigars as a means of gaining access to high society in Britain, where he was eager to fit in. To achieve this, he not only purchased part of the company but also exerted influence to position the product in Asia’s ultra-luxury segment, doubling the usual prices of Habanos cigars. This strategy, combined with the widespread crisis on the Island, has led to a decline in European markets, which have sought alternatives in other countries in the region.

A significant part of the damage is also due to Chen’s legal troubles. He was arrested in China and accused of serious crimes by the United States and the United Kingdom, resulting in sanctions in the West. As a consequence, most European countries have had to sever ties with the tycoon’s companies, including Simply Advanced Limited, through which he controlled nearly one-third of the shares in Habanos S.A., or maintain constant scrutiny of their operations to prevent money from tobacco sales from ending up in the Chinese-Cambodian businessman’s pockets. The legal and sanctions-related entanglement further worsens the situation of the Cuban joint venture.

At the most recent edition of the Habanos Festival, held in February 2025, the seven humidors put up for auction reached a combined total of 16.41 million euros (more than $18 million), including the Cohiba Behike humidor, which currently holds the all-time record.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Henry Constantín Threatened in Prison to Force Him into Exile

The independent journalist has lost eight pounds in prison, his partner, Alejandra García, reports

Henry Constantín ha perdido en prisión unas ocho libras, denuncia su pareja, Alejandra García. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, November 10, 2026 / Cuban State Security is trying to push journalist Henry Constantín, director of La Hora de Cuba, into exile. He has been jailed for almost two months in the Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey. So says his partner, Alejandra García, who was able to visit him in prison last Friday, after he spent 15 days in solitary confinement because a homemade knife had been found in his possession.

The strategy, said García, herself also a journalist, in statements to Martí Noticias, involves “wearing him down” with various maneuvers, such as “all the lies that have been constructed, like planting the knife.” García is referring to the worsening of Constantín’s legal situation after that object was found in his cell, something he maintains was a ploy by the prison authorities.

On that matter, García added that “fingerprints were never taken from the knife, and the unit chief, Major Dani, even touched the knife, which means the evidence is contaminated.”

“The prisoner Nelson Vento Santiesteban, from Cojímar and sentenced to 17 years, allegedly took part in planting the knife”

Alejandra García also refers to this in a text published on La Hora de Cuba‘s social media this Monday. “Behind this story there are names and accusations that cannot be ignored,” the journalist says. “The prisoner Nelson Vento Santiesteban, from Cojímar and sentenced to 17 years, allegedly took part in planting the knife. According to the testimonies, he did so in exchange for a sentence reduction offered by the agent known as Frank, Lieter Pimentel, head of ‘enfrentamiento‘ [the unit tasked with confronting dissent] for State Security in Camagüey. Other prisoners say they saw them talking together.”

The woman also explained that “Henry is visibly thinner,” and she estimates that he has lost eight pounds. García said the family is very worried “because in places like that sanitary conditions are poor.” Although they have been able to bring him belongings and food, the journalist reports that the guards did not allow water purification products through.

In addition, she says that the director of La Hora de Cuba “has received threats of assault.” However, she relates, “despite all these situations he remains calm and serene,” and she asserted: “for him, his only weapon is the word and the truth.”

In her post, García recalls that November 16 will mark two months since Constantín’s arrest. “Two months away from his home, from his family and from his freedom, for telling the truth,” she writes.

Constantín is accused of disorder and possession of instruments for assault in penitentiary facilities, charges that will be added to that of disobedience

During this time, she protests, “they have stolen his belongings,” in addition to not handing over to him “all the medicines or the food that his family brings him, prepared with so much effort and concern to help him keep going.” In the prison, she reiterates, “the food they are given is spoiled and the water is not sufficiently potable.” Added to this is “the constant presence of mosquitoes and the risk of contracting diseases such as dengue in those conditions,” not to mention “the mattresses full of bedbugs.”

Constantín is accused, she specifies, “of disorder and possession of instruments for assault in penitentiary facilities, a case handled by criminal investigator Dainer,” which will be joined to the charge of “disobedience,” handled by investigator Juan Pablo. “The process drags on while Henry remains in Detachment 11, living alongside common prisoners serving long sentences, as he waits for a trial date, as arbitrary and unjust as this entire criminal process,” she adds.

And she states: “Even the prison’s own report describes him as a peaceful, calm person, almost always quiet and devoted to reading. So what are we talking about? How can such an accusation be sustained against someone described that way? Everything points to a fabricated lie.”

Far from releasing Henry Constantín, as has happened with recent arrests of journalists and activists, State Security took him on September 24, days after arresting him, to the Kilo 7 prison, where he remains in pretrial detention.

Translated by GH

Gender-Based Violence Leaves Two More Women Murdered in Cuba in Just Two Days

The victims were 54 and 32 years old; both alleged perpetrators were arrested, according to the ‘Alas Tensas’ Gender Observatory

The murders of Juana María Guzmán Torres and Yasmina Ruano González were confirmed Tuesday by the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory. / Social media />

14ymedio, Madrid, November 10, 2026 – Two women were murdered by their partners on November 8 and 9 in Manzanillo, Granma, and Nueva Gerona, Isle of Youth, respectively. The victims were Juana María Guzmán Torres, 54, and Yasmina Ruano González, 32. Both crimes were confirmed Tuesday by the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (Ogat), bringing the number of femicides recorded by 14ymedio in Cuba so far in 2026 to 59.

The first occurred last Sunday in the La Cañada neighborhood of the city of Manzanillo. Guzmán Torres, known as Mayi, was an early childhood educator and, according to the feminist platform, was killed by her partner. Ogat verified that the perpetrator was arrested by the police.

The victim leaves behind two adult children. In its statement, the observatory extended its condolences to her family and to those who knew her as “teacher” during their childhood, as well as to the people who “are mourning her today on social media.”

Alas Tensas indicated that Yasmina Ruano’s murder took place in front of the victim’s young son, who was between six and eight years old

One day later, on Monday, Yasmina Ruano González was murdered in her home in the 26 de Julio housing development, known as Francoy, in Nueva Gerona, Isle of Youth. Alas Tensas reported that the “alleged perpetrator” was also her partner and that the crime took place in front of the victim’s young son, who was between six and eight years old.

The platform described the situation of the child as particularly serious. He witnessed his mother’s murder and “is left in an even more vulnerable situation because his father does not live in Cuba.” For this reason, it is calling for “specialized, timely, and sustained psycho-emotional care,” as well as a safe environment for care and support.

According to community sources consulted by the organization, the killer was arrested by the police that same day. Ruano González also leaves behind a daughter, whose age the observatory has been unable to determine.

With these two deaths, Alas Tensas has recorded 63 femicides in Cuba since January, four more than 14ymedio, which does not classify murders of women during robberies or other random circumstances as gender-based killings.

The two new crimes add to other cases of gender-based violence recorded in recent weeks. On October 30, Yarielys Gigato Medina was murdered in Pinar del Río by a former partner who subsequently turned himself in to the authorities. The woman, a mother of three, was beaten with a blunt object and attacked with a bladed weapon, according to information collected by the observatory. Ileana Álvarez, director of Ogat, denounced the “shocking cruelty” of the crime at the time.

Nine days earlier, on October 21, Marili Reina Fajardo, 45, had been murdered in Brisas del Mar, in the municipality of Habana del Este. Her body was found with “signs of extreme violence and sexual assault,” according to Alas Tensas, which included the case among the femicides under observation while investigations proceeded.

That same month, the observatory confirmed the death of Ana Vivian Suárez Cruz, a 21-year-old woman who was seven months pregnant, as a femicide. She had been found dead on August 13 in La Palma, Pinar del Río. Her former partner was being held as the main suspect, while investigators examined the possibility that the crime had been presented as a suicide.

As femicides continue to accumulate in Cuba, the state justice system does not even publicly identify the victims in its official statements

As femicides continue to accumulate in Cuba, the state justice system does not even publicly identify the victims in its official statements. On November 4, the People’s Provincial Court of Ciego de Ávila announced a life sentence without revealing the name of the killer or the identities of the two people he murdered in August 2025 in Florencia. They were Adrián Cruz Díaz, who murdered his former partner, Marialina García Borroto, and her romantic partner, Abel Morales Castro. The convicted man had already served a prison sentence for another murder.

In addition to the femicides confirmed this year, the observatory has recorded 38 attempted femicides and two murders of men in contexts of gender-based violence. It is also investigating another 11 possible femicides and 18 attempted femicides that occurred in 2026, along with 12 possible gender-based murders and five attempts dating from 2025.

Among the cases still awaiting clarification, Ogat is demanding access to the investigative reports concerning the deaths of Anais Tamayo Puente, Danaibis Tamayo Ramírez, and Odalis Brizuela Zayas. The platform is also continuing to monitor the case of Bárbara Sánchez González as a possible femicide disguised as a suicide.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Conviasa Announces Its Return to Cuba Despite Fuel Shortages at the Island’s Airports

The Venezuelan airline will resume flights on November 13, with two weekly flights between Caracas and Havana.

Conviasa has not publicly explained how it will refuel its flights to Havana. / Prensa Latina. / Prensa Latina

14ymedio, Madrid, November 10, 2026 – Venezuela’s state-owned airline Conviasa announced that it will resume flights between Caracas and Havana next Friday, November 13, despite the shortage of kerosene at airports for refueling aircraft, which is expected to continue at least until December 1, according to aviation notices issued by the Cuban Air Navigation Company. The airline plans to operate two weekly flights, on Wednesdays and Fridays, according to a report published Monday by the specialized outlet Aviacionline.

Meanwhile, as Conviasa prepares to return to Havana after a two-week interruption, the Spanish tourism group Iberostar, owner of World2Meet (W2M) and tour operator Newblue, has canceled its scheduled trips to Varadero from Portugal because of the deterioration of operating conditions on the Island, which had already forced it to abandon management of all its hotels on the Island at the end of the first half of this year. It has now decided to replace Cuba with Margarita Island in Venezuela.

The Spanish tourism group Iberostar, owner of tour operator Newblue, has canceled its scheduled trips to Varadero from Portugal because of the deterioration of operating conditions on the Island.

World2Fly, also owned by W2M and which suspended its flights between Madrid and Havana in May, will instead operate a weekly charter flight between Lisbon and Margarita Island beginning June 1, 2027, using an Airbus A330 with 355 seats. Newblue will market vacation packages starting at 1,490 euros per person.

Conviasa’s route was interrupted when the airline decided to concentrate on domestic flights. Venezuelan media attributed the suspension to the high operating costs of its Airbus A340 aircraft and low passenger demand. The connection with the Cuban capital was then partially covered by another Venezuelan airline, Rutaca, which operates from Valencia, in Carabobo state. The state-owned airline will also resume its services to Mexico City on November 17, with one weekly flight. continue reading

Among travelers interested in connections with Venezuela are Cubans who purchase merchandise on Margarita Island to resell back home. In August, numerous travelers were seeking information about accommodations, transportation, and products to purchase in Valencia, particularly hardware supplies and solar panels. Shopping packages starting at $720 were also being advertised. There are no figures available to establish how many Conviasa passengers use the route for this purpose.

The return comes amid a full-blown fuel crisis for commercial aviation in Cuba

The return comes amid a full-blown fuel crisis for commercial aviation in Cuba. Aviation notices identified as Notam A3875/26 through A3884/26 and issued on October 30 maintain the unavailability of Jet A-1 kerosene until 04:00 UTC on December 1. The restriction affects ten airports, including those in Havana, Varadero, Santa Clara, Camagüey, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba. The notice corresponding to Havana’s José Martí International Airport confirms that date.

The measure does not mean that the terminals are closing. Airlines can carry enough fuel for both the outbound and return flights or make technical stops in other countries. Conviasa has not publicly explained how it will refuel its flights to Havana. Copa Airlines takes on additional fuel in Panama to complete both legs without refueling in Cuba, as do U.S. airlines that continue to serve the Island. The additional weight forces airlines to slightly reduce passenger capacity and leave behind some commercial cargo.

Conviasa had already modified its operations because of this problem. In February, it rescheduled its flights between Caracas, Havana, and Managua from the 10th through the 19th of that month. The company itself attributed the changes to a Cuban aviation notice concerning fuel supplies and Nicaragua’s new immigration requirements.

Among the airlines most affected is Air China, which maintains the Beijing-Madrid-Havana route but accumulated cancellations in October that left dozens of Cubans stranded in Spain. The airline uses Nassau, in the Bahamas, to refuel on the return leg from Cuba. Runway construction at that airport complicated operations and forced the airline to organize an extra flight to pick up affected passengers. The Chinese Embassy attributed the suspensions to technical reasons.

In Spain, Iberia will keep its direct connection with Havana canceled until the end of June 2027 because of declining demand and operational difficulties, while Air Europa continues flying from Madrid, with a technical stop in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to refuel on the return trip to Spain.

U.S. airlines have also not escaped the crisis, although American Airlines and Southwest continue to maintain connections with the Island. The former retains flights from Miami to several Cuban cities, while the latter continues to connect Tampa with Havana. Both can operate without depending on fuel supplies at Cuban airports.

Delta, by contrast, eliminated its Atlanta-Havana route in June and cut its frequencies from Miami by half. It subsequently requested permission to leave part of its flight authorizations unused during the winter season, from October 25, 2026, through March 27, 2027, arguing that market conditions had not improved sufficiently.

Canada’s major airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat, have also suspended their operations to Cuba, while other international carriers have had to resort to alternative routes or reduce their flight frequencies.

The fuel shortage coincides with the collapse of international tourism. In September, just 27,354 tourists arrived in Cuba, the worst result for that month since comparable records began, with the exception of the pandemic years.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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The Chinese Ambassador Prescribes Economic Opening for Cuba While Bruno Rodríguez Visits Beijing

Hua Xin attributes his country’s development to reforms, foreign investment and the global market, though he insists on maintaining Communist leadership

Hua Xin, China’s ambassador in Havana. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Madrid, November 10, 2026 / Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez is making an official trip to China from this Tuesday until next Friday as a “special envoy of the Party and the Government.” In a brief official statement, the authorities acknowledge that Beijing “is a strategic partner of great relevance for Cuba and one of the main collaborators in key sectors for the country’s economic and social development.”

They likewise say that “bilateral ties have undergone sustained consolidation in recent years, backed by intense political exchange and mutually beneficial cooperation,” and that the visit “is part of the excellent state” of those relations.

The publication of the news coincides, in the state media, with an interview with the Chinese ambassador in Havana, Hua Xin, in which the Asian giant is described as “a hopeful alternative to global capitalism.” In the conversation, originally broadcast on Randy Alonso’s podcast Es la idea, the diplomat expressed, in condemnation of the US sanctions on the Island, “deep concern over the escalation of the unilateral blockade against Cuba” and “the need to end the coercive economic, trade and financial measures against Cuba, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.” continue reading

The ambassador afirmed that Beijing and Havana constitute “a community with a shared future”

Praising the role of the BRICS — an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the group of emerging economies formed in 2006, of which Cuba is a partner without being a member) on the international stage — Hua states that it has become “the most influential platform in the world for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries and today is a pioneering force in promoting the reform of global governance.”

He also stated that Beijing and Havana constitute “a community of shared future” and stand “in the front row” of implementing four initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the BRICS: “for global development, for global security, for global civilization and for global governance.”

The conversation is a long tribute to Beijing and its exponential development, and it mentioned, precisely, the “reforms driven in recent years by China, which have truly brought about an impressive economic and social takeoff for the rest of the world.” Although the interviewers at no point refer to the most recent measures by the Havana regime aimed at loosening the economy somewhat, the praise for the Chinese “transformations” was eloquent.

The ambassador did assert that “China’s development is largely due to reform and opening up,” but the pro-government press highlighted, even in the headline, the nuance he introduced next: “persist in the leadership of the Communist Party.” Hua also noted that another key to success is having opened “the door to all the countries of the world; we let in the resources, technologies, science and thinking of the whole world and we made good use of the global market.”

Hua highlighted the “many changes and progress” in China’s industrial development as well, and referred specifically to “three viral products”: solar panels, lithium batteries and electric vehicles, “which are very well received in Cuba,” and to three “emerging products”: “robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative medicines,” which “are growing rapidly.”

Hua referred specifically to “three viral products”: solar panels, lithium batteries and electric vehicles, “which are very well received in Cuba.”

Just on Saturday, the official Cuban press was invited to a World Media Summit in Beijing, in which, at the very moment that a new wave of repression against independent journalism and dissident voices was under way on the Island, they defended “digital sovereignty” and “equal access” to AI, arguing that technological gaps can deepen inequalities between countries.

Beijing’s cooperation with Havana in the technological sphere is, precisely, one of the elements that has most worried the United States for several months. Last Thursday, two Chinese companies, China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC) and Beijing H&C Technologies, were sanctioned for supplying military components and equipment to the Island through the Cuban company Duna S.A., previously sanctioned in August for its links to military imports from China and Russia.

In response, the spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, protested at a press conference, stating that cooperation between his country and Cuba is “completely legitimate and transparent” and rejecting US attempts to “disrupt and sabotage” that cooperation.

Separately, this same Tuesday, official data were published showing that the value in yuan of Chinese exports to the rest of the world rose 28.7% year on year in October, to about 2.79 trillion yuan (US$418.248 billion).

This represents a slight slowdown from the 29.6% growth recorded the previous month, though it is in any case well above the 18.6% and 17.8% of the two prior readings, thus strengthening foreign sales as a key engine for the world’s second-largest economy in the face of its domestic demand problems.

In October, total trade between China and other countries came to about 4.87 trillion yuan (US$729.664 billion), a rise of 31.2% compared with the same month of the previous year.

The figures, released by the General Administration of Customs, also point to a 34.7% increase in imports compared with the same month of 2025, reaching about 2.08 trillion yuan (US$311.416 billion). In the tenth month of the year, China’s trade surplus stood at about 712.78 billion yuan (US$106.831 billion), an increase of 11.29% year on year, according to calculations made by the Spanish agency EFE.

In October, total trade between China and other countries came to about 4.87 trillion yuan (US$729.664 billion), a rise of 31.2% compared with the same month of the previous year. The data released this Tuesday also show that this indicator grew 20% in the cumulative period from January to October, with imports rising more (+23.6%) than exports (+17.6%).

Customs also presented today the foreign trade data denominated in dollars, used as a reference by international analysts and which usually diverge from those released in the Chinese currency due to exchange-rate fluctuations.

In US dollars, sales abroad rose 35.2% year on year to about US$412.330 billion, while imports did so at an even faster pace (+41.6%) to reach US$307.050 billion.

Both rates exceed analysts’ expectations, which anticipated a 33.5% rise in sales abroad and 32% in purchases of foreign goods.

Translated by GH.

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The Leader of Cuba’s Ladies in White Is Released After Two Days in Detention

Berta Soler suffered violence during her arrest, was confined in a dark cell, and interrogated by State Security.

Berta Soler was injured on her right foot as a result of the violence during her arrest. / Facebook/Ángel Moya

14ymedio, Havana, November 9, 2026 – The leader of the Ladies in White, Berta Soler, was released this Monday after being held by State Security for 46 hours, during which her whereabouts were unknown. Her husband, Ángel Moya, reported the news on social media: “Released bearing the marks of violent repression.”

Moya recounts that Berta Soler was released at around 10 in the morning “in a public area, near the headquarters of the Ladies in White,” in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton, in the municipality of Diez de Octubre. In his message, Moya provides details about an injury the activist sustained to her right foot as a result of the violence during her arrest.

Soler was taken to the Aguilera police station in Diez de Octubre and subsequently to the police unit in Cotorro, where, according to the activist, she received medical attention before being confined in a dark cell.

According to Moya, before her release, Soler was interrogated by an officer from the State Security Investigative Section at Villa Marista. The agent questioned her about what had happened during the peaceful protest in which she was detained, reminded her that she was under a precautionary measure of house arrest that could be revoked, and warned her that she would be summoned soon. continue reading

The post includes photographs of the injury Berta Soler sustained to her foot when she was arrested

The post includes photographs of the injury Berta Soler sustained to her foot when she was arrested. Hours earlier, Moya had reported her detention and said he had heard police officers say they had seen his wife “walking with a painful limp.”

According to activist Blanca Reyes, Moya went that same day to the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) unit in Aguilera, in Lawton, in the Havana municipality of Diez de Octubre, to find out where the opposition activist was being held, “since she was beaten and no one knows whether she is in a police station or a hospital.” Reyes said: “The situation of our sister is worrying.”

According to Moya’s account, on Saturday, two days after she had been arrested for several hours along with fellow Lady in White María Cristina Labrada–Yoani Sánchez, director of 14ymedio, was also arbitrarily detained that same Thursday–Berta Soler joined a “public and peaceful protest” alongside about twenty Lawton residents affected by the lack of water. The water shortage, the opposition activist maintains, was “intentional,” caused by the state-owned company Aguas de La Habana to harm the headquarters of the Ladies in White and the area “within a 50-meter radius.”

“Several repressive State Security chiefs” arrived at the scene, spoke with the women making the demands, and gradually reinforced the security operation over the following hours.

Shortly after 10 that morning, “several repressive State Security chiefs” arrived at the scene, spoke with the women making the demands, and gradually reinforced the security operation over the following hours. “At noon, representatives of the state-owned company Aguas de La Habana arrived and gave an explanation that did not convince the protesting women either,” Moya recounts. His impression was that the authorities “had no intention of resolving the cause of the problem, which was the intentional manipulation of the water supply valve.”

In the absence of a response, half an hour later the demonstrators blocked traffic on Porvenir Avenue, “using their own bodies as a barrier.” Moya says he did not witness how the protest ended because he had already been arrested by the political police and been taken to the Aguilera station, where he heard that his wife was walking in pain and that she had subsequently “been transported in a patrol car to another unidentified location.”

After an eight-hour interrogation, Moya was released, but his wife was not. The activist also clarified that “with the exception of Berta Soler, none of the women making demands and protesting belong to organizations opposed to the Cuban communist regime; they are workers.”

In recent weeks, the regime has intensified its persecution of activists and journalists on the Island. Also on Saturday, dozens of residents took to the streets in El Cobre (Santiago de Cuba) to demand the release of Yoel Alejandro Pérez Serrano, a young activist known for his community work who had been arrested hours earlier by State Security in an operation involving armed agents.

Rolando Pérez Lora, an evangelical pastor known as Pregonero de Cristo, was forcibly transferred from Havana to Las Tunas, where he was released this Monday

As for independent journalists, prior to Yoani Sánchez, Adelth Bonne Gamboa and Camila Acosta, contributors to CubaNet, had been detained earlier in the same week.

Meanwhile, Rolando Pérez Lora, an evangelical pastor known as Pregonero de Cristo [Herald of Christ], was forcibly transferred from Havana to Las Tunas, where he was released this Monday, with a police summons still pending. According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights and the Alliance of Christians of Cuba, Pérez Lora had been detained while providing pastoral support to a young Christian member of the religious organization, who was also arrested.

In mid-September, State Security also detained Henry Constantín, director of La Hora de Cuba. In his case, unlike the colleagues mentioned above, he was not released but taken to Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey, where he remains in pretrial detention, accused of the offense of disobedience.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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