Darío Hernández – Page 3 – Translating Cuba

‘Right Now Nobody Is Exchanging Dollars; Cubans Are Waiting To See What’s Going To Happen’

In the provinces, the official floating rate has been ignored and only the informal market is operating, with a rate of 440.

The official discourse itself acknowledges—though in a much more sugar-coated tone—the limitations of the measure. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana/Holguín, Darío Hernández and Miguel García, December 20, 2025 — “Do you want to change two bucks?” asks a customer in a MSME in Alamar. “Nah,” replies the person behind the counter. “It’s pointless; the dollar is going down.” The scene, unremarkable, has been repeated in recent days at several points around the Island. It’s the immediate reaction to the uncertainty created by the official floating rate, which this Saturday fell to 408 pesos per dollar on the third day of its implementation (its launch rate was 410 on Thursday, December 18).

This Saturday it fell to 408 pesos per dollar on the third day of its implementation. / Cubadebate

In its crusade against the informal market—and particularly against the daily publication of rates by the independent outlet El Toque—the Government seems determined to curb inflation the way Cuban mothers bring down a fever: with cold showers and “horse cures.” The paradox is that the rate announced by the Central Bank looks far too similar to the one that, until now, set the street thermometer—well above the official rate of 120 CUP supposedly in force at banks, where it had become impossible to obtain dollars or any other foreign currency.

The official gamble has generated a tense silence in the market. “Right now nobody is exchanging dollars—at least not those who usually do it. I myself am having trouble exchanging. Some say they don’t have cash; others say they’re going to wait,” a self-employed worker in Havana tells 14ymedio. Another source confirms the same atmosphere: “I have a colleague who wants to exchange dollars and says that in Havana nobody wants them. He’s been all over.” The response is almost unanimous: “Now is the time to lie low and wait.”

However, the effect threatens to be short-lived. The official discourse itself acknowledges—albeit in a much more sugar-coated tone—the limitations of the measure. In a lengthy analysis published by Cubadebate, it is admitted that implementing a floating-rate foreign-exchange market does not occur “at an ideal moment” for the Cuban economy. Low levels of production, falling exports, severe restrictions on external financing and a still-high fiscal deficit conspire against any attempt at rapid stabilization. According to the text, the Central Bank of Cuba enters the market as “just another competitor,” but with the administrative capacity to publish the rate daily, which will float according to supply and demand. The same official note acknowledges that, at the outset, the rate will have to remain “close to what currently prevails in the informal market” in order to avoid a greater inflationary shock.

Nobody wants to get stuck holding greenbacks in a market that is uncertain. / 14ymedio

On the street, that admission translates into pragmatism and, in many cases, resignation. At an MSME [Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise] near the Santa Fe bridge in Guanabacoa, a woman tried to exchange 40 dollars. “But at 408,” the clerk told her. “That’s fine by me,” the customer replied, “I don’t have money even to continue reading

take a pedicab.” The scene illustrates well the dilemma between selling now—even at a rate that could change tomorrow—or holding on to dollars that few people want to buy today.

“In general, I think few people are selling their dollars at 408, but there are some, because right now it’s the only option,” explains another interviewee. In Old Havana, an MSME where foreign currency had previously been accepted decided to slam that door shut: “Yesterday I went to buy a couple of things and they weren’t accepting dollars—only national currency.” Nobody wants to get stuck with greenbacks in a market that is uncertain due to the official measure and the proximity of the Christmas festivities.

In Holguín, the scene is different. Far from Havana—where, predictably, most of the dollars available for the Central Bank’s operations are concentrated—the official floating rate has stirred more apathy than expectation. A self-employed worker who moves around the city daily tells 14ymedio that in the province “the measure has been ignored; here the dollar is still at 440.” Geographic distance once again translates into economic distance.

The Cuban peso will continue to be a weak currency, no matter how much a new official price is published every morning. / 14ymedio

The official narrative insists that this new system will allow greater fiscal control, a gradual reduction of inflation and more resources for sectors such as health, education and culture. It also promises to stimulate exports, offer a “safe” channel for exchanging remittances and combat the distortions created by informality. All of that sounds good on paper. The problem is that Cuba has already experienced too many reforms that, in their initial phase, promised order and ended up multiplying the chaos.

The key lies in what is not said with sufficient clarity: the market will sell only what it buys. In other words, there is no foreign-currency backing that guarantees sufficient liquidity. The availability to buy dollars—and thus the credibility of the system—will depend on a “gradual process” of strengthening that, in an exhausted economy, may take too long or never arrive. In the meantime, informality retreats, watches and waits.

The floating rate may have caused a tactical pause in foreign-currency trading, but it has not resolved the structural causes of the problem, according to most economists—both from the opposition and from a critical sector close to the regime—who have spoken out about the new measures. Without a real increase in production, without sustained exports and without access to external financing, the Cuban peso will continue to be a weak currency, no matter how much a new official price is published every morning. The market, inside or outside the institutions, will ultimately adjust the figure in its own way.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Despite Epidemics and the Economic Crisis, Cuban Devotees of Saint Lazarus Flock to El Rincón.

From the sanctuary and dressed in purple, the head of the US Embassy, Mike Hammer, calls for the freedom of Cubans.

Residents of the La Jata neighborhood in Guanabacoa celebrated Saint Lazarus early on the eve of his feast day. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, December 17 2025 — As they have done every year since 2001, residents of the La Jata neighborhood in Guanabacoa celebrated Saint Lazarus early on the eve of his feast day. On Tuesday afternoon, neighbors gathered in the streets and walked, tapping their hands, until they reached the home of the legendary Enriquito, a renowned babalao (priest) who founded the Cuban Association of the Sons of Saint Lazarus in 1957 and led this tradition until his health failed him in 2016, shortly before his death.

Some of the faithful walked barefoot, and many others on their knees. / 14ymedio

A few hours later, at dawn on Wednesday, people of all ages began arriving at the El Rincón sanctuary. Some residents told 14ymedio that in previous years the pilgrimage was much larger. Despite the lack of public transportation, people were able to travel in shared taxis from Fraternity Park to the Cupet gas station in Santiago de las Vegas, from where a five-kilometer procession with hundreds of pilgrims began. Some of the faithful walked barefoot, and many others on their knees.

As always, and despite the deep crisis gripping the country, the road was lined with vendors selling religious images, flowers, and candles. Candle prices varied depending on size, ranging from 100 to 200 pesos, while flowers started at 500 pesos. As in previous years, the police presence was noticeable, with at least one officer on every corner. People were also seen drinking alcohol.

Thousands of Cubans flocked to the National Shrine of Saint Lazarus in El Rincón this Wednesday / 14ymedio

Once at the sanctuary, the Mass officiated by the Archbishop of Havana, Juan de la Caridad García, was considerably delayed. Every five minutes, people crawled in, mainly women, most of them barefoot mothers accompanied by dogs. Lighting candles was not permitted until the Mass had concluded.

“Every devotee of Saint Lazarus knows that promises must be kept,” Osmara told this newspaper, while, dressed in purple, she begged for coins from everyone who passed by.

After the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, El Rincón is the second most important pilgrimage site in Cuba. Its church is dedicated to Saint Lazarus, a Catholic figure syncretized with Babalú Ayé, an orisha of the Yoruba pantheon to whom the healing of illnesses, particularly skin diseases, is attributed. This devotion has developed over time within Cuban popular religiosity.

The temple was founded over a spring of water considered to have healing properties. Even today, many worshippers bathe in this water or take away small blessed bottles as part of their vows. A few meters away is the former Royal Hospital of San Lázaro, which began as a leper colony and still functions today as a hospital specializing in dermatology.

After the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, El Rincón is the second most important pilgrimage center in Cuba. / 14ymedio

The celebration of Saint Lazarus is undoubtedly part of Cuba’s deepest cultural and spiritual fabric, where Catholicism, Afro-Cuban religious practices, and expressions of popular faith coexist. For this reason, the head of mission of the United States Embassy, Mike Hammer, was present, never missing an opportunity to connect with Cubans on the street and share videos expressing his support for freedom: “On this significant day, I wanted to reiterate my call for freedom and respect for the fundamental rights of all Cubans.”

Beyond the island, among the diaspora, the tradition has also taken root. On the other side of the Gulf, in Hialeah, the large Cuban community has built its own shrine inspired by El Rincón. Every December, hundreds of emigrants flock there to give thanks for favors received and fulfill promises to the saint, replicating a tradition that, even far from Cuba, continues to define Cuban faith and identity.

In Miami, 66-year-old Lourdes sent candles and purple clothing in advance so her family, who live in San Miguel del Padrón, could make the pilgrimage to El Rincón. The migrant, who has been in the United States for three years, having arrived across the border, asked her relatives to pray for her before the image of Saint Lazarus. Her plea to the saint was brief and direct: “that they don’t deport me and that they finally grant me residency.”

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For Their Daily Fight Against Garbage, Havana’s Street Sweepers Earn About Ten Dollars a Month

“Regla is one of the cleanest municipalities,” boasts a municipal employee, broom and dustpan in hand.

The wages are uncompetitive with any informal alternative, the physical strain is enormous, and the lack of resources is humiliating. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, December 12, 2025 – On the streets of Havana, the filth no longer surprises anyone. What is truly shocking is looking closely at those who, despite everything, continue sweeping. This newspaper approached two street sweepers who, with broom and dustpan in hand, are keeping afloat—as best they can—a public service in ruins. Both are vulnerable men, physically worn down, for whom garbage has become a destiny, not a choice.

One of them, a worker from Regla, explains that he’s been in the job for “a little over a year,” working six days a week. His job consists of “keeping his area clean,” as he describes it. In practice, it’s a daily and unequal struggle against the accumulation of waste, the shortage of trucks, and institutional apathy. Despite everything, he maintains a certain pride in his town: “Regla is one of the cleanest municipalities,” he states. But his statement immediately crumbles: “People don’t want to work in the garbage.”

According to authorities, the worst-performing municipalities in Havana are Marianao, Centro Habana, and Plaza de la Revolución. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz recently complained that garbage trucks weren’t making enough trips to the rubbish dumps and threatened to inspect them “truck by truck.” The head of government also “expressed interest,” according to the official newspaper Granma, in the salaries of “frontline workers,” some 900 street sweepers, but no raise was agreed upon at the meeting, although there were calls for greater demands.

The basic wage is 2,500 pesos, but it can go up “if you do extra jobs.” /14ymedio

The street sweeper in Regla bluntly details his salary to 14ymedio. The base pay is 2,500 pesos, but it can go up “if you do extra jobs.” However, he had hip surgery and can barely walk, even with the support of his broom. “I earn 4,000 a month (about nine dollars at the informal exchange rate),” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “You know how Cubans are; they make do with continue reading

very little. It’s not that it’s enough, it’s not enough for anything.”

According to reports, some workers received between 7,000 and 10,000 pesos in the last payment, amounts that—given the country’s rampant inflation—don’t cover basic needs. Truck drivers earn slightly more, but collection vehicles are even scarcer than the personnel.

A second street sweeper, this time from Guanabacoa, is deaf and mute and uses signs and gestures to communicate. He has been sweeping for twelve years because “he has no other choice.” When asked about his salary, he makes a face of disgust and lowers his thumb, an unmistakable sign that the pay is meager. His face, weathered by the sun and exhaustion, speaks volumes.

Both cases involve people with physical or social difficulties, trapped in jobs no one else wants. “And who are the ones who work in the garbage? People like me, who are getting on in years,” acknowledges the street sweeper from Regla. His testimony paints a picture of the country’s decline, with aging, sick workers, lacking job alternatives, and employed by an essential service that is falling apart.

In Regla, the worker explains, residents have to bring their waste “in a box or a sack” due to the lack of containers and trucks. In other areas of eastern Havana, small illegal dumpsites are growing at an accelerated rate.

The bureaucracy, gathered in pristine offices, says that Havana “is not giving up on comprehensive solutions to improve its services and cleanliness.” / 14ymedio

In stark contrast to this reality, the bureaucracy, gathered in pristine offices, claims that Havana “is not giving up on comprehensive solutions to improve its services and cleanliness.” This phrase, repeated periodically, comes with promises of repairs, reorganization, “gradual” implementations, and “intersectoral” strategies.

The data shows extremely poor results. Of an identified need for 126 rolling garbage containers the industry planned for 32 with “available resources,” and only 31 have been completed. As for the street sweeper carts , there is a plan to manufacture 1,000 units, but to date only 40 have been produced.

The gap between rhetoric and reality widens even further given the epidemiological risk posed by garbage accumulation. These reports acknowledge, between the lines, that the problem is not temporary but chronic. The deterioration of sanitation services in Havana is not solely due to a lack of equipment or funding. There is a decisive human factor at play, as no one wants to do the work. The wages are uncompetitive with any informal alternative, the physical strain is immense, and the lack of resources is humiliating. “There’s a shortage of personnel,” the street sweeper in Regla repeats, as he walks slowly and with difficulty, leaning on his work tool.

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Another Enigmatic 25-Storey Hotel Rises on Havana’s Malecón

It is being built by the French company Bouygues and will have 520 luxury rooms.

“This is incredible, man,” says a passer-by, faced with the paradox of seeing another hotel spring up while the rest of Havana crumbles. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, November 29, 2025 — After more than three years of construction, the tower rising at 1st and B in Havana’s Vedado neighbourhood continues to grow like a foreign body in the middle of a neighbourhood that is falling apart. The 25-storey building is visible from several blocks away and already dominates the coastal strip near the Malecón. The structure appears to be practically finished on the outside, but its interior is still under construction.

A technician at the site assured 14ymedio that “the foreign part is French,” and that Indians are also working on the project, although, according to him, “more as labourers.” “They are leaving in December because their work is done,” added the expert. The project’s architectural dossier confirms that the French construction company Bouygues – the same company that has built most of the luxury hotels in Cuba – is listed as the main developer of the building. This explains the presence of French and Indian workers on the site, as well as the high standard of the finishes.

The structure seems to be practically finished on the outside, but is still in progress on the inside. / 14ymedio

The French company Bouygues Bâtiment International, a discreet player in Cuba’s hotel boom, has a history of controversy. The most recent episode was documented by this newspaper after Hurricane Melissa struck. While more than 76,000 homes remain damaged and thousands of families are still without assistance, the Antilla Modular Plant, operated by Bouygues, continues to operate at full capacity to manufacture complete room modules for luxury hotels. This was compounded by official censorship, when even state media were warned to “forget” about the plant after attempting to investigate its activities. continue reading

Unlike other hotels openly promoted by the Gaesa military conglomerate, this tower has no advertisements, billboards or any public indication identifying its investor, builder or future operator. The architectural project, disclosed a few years ago by the studio that designed it, describes a four-star hotel with some 520 rooms, common areas distributed over a three-level base, and high-standard services, including a swimming pool and panoramic terrace.

The technician interviewed by 14ymedio estimates that the work still has “a year or so” to go. Workers are now in the process of tiling bathrooms and floors, although “all the technology, electricity and lifts are still to be installed”. If there was one thing he repeated several times, it was that the building will have “state-of-the-art technology, like the Torre K“, one of the flagship projects of state investment. In terms of “modernity”, he assures us, “there is the Torre K and then this one”.

The French company Bouygues, a discreet player in Cuba’s hotel boom, has a history of controversy. / 14ymedio

When asked what the hotel would be called, the answer was as predictable as it was disturbing: “The name is not yet known; it will be revealed when it is finished.” It is striking that, despite its size and visual impact on the area, no official media outlet has published any updates, deadlines or details about the property.

Aware of the contrast, a neighbour passing by the building commented with a laugh: “This is incredible, man.” The man, who gave no further details, was referring to the paradox of seeing a luxury hotel spring up while the rest of Havana is falling apart. The tower at 1st and B is being built with cranes, foreign labour and no shortage of materials, but the houses surrounding it have crumbling facades and shored-up balconies. A few metres from the building, the structures have noticeable leaks and cracks. In a nearby garden, two men slept on the dry grass. The stark, everyday scene reflects the gulf between the official reference to the “blockade*,” supposedly responsible for the destruction of the national economy, and the unstoppable rush to build luxury tourist projects, precisely when the hotel occupancy rate is barely 20%.

The skyscraper at 1st and B rises up in front of a neighbourhood that is unable to maintain its basic infrastructure. A construction project that brings in Indian and French workers, while many Cubans are looking around for ways to survive. Modernity is coming, but not for everyone.

Translated by GH

Note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the ongoing US embargo. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the US ordered a Naval blockade (which it called a ‘quarantine’) on Cuba in 1962, between 22 October and 20 November of that year. The blockade was lifted when Russia agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from the Island. The embargo had been imposed earlier in February of the same year, and although modified from time to time, it is still in force.

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Havana Is No Longer Spared From Eight-Hour Power Cuts

“From 6:00 pm onwards, the most central area of Regla seems like a pitch black hole.”

“Perhaps a few lights here and there, from a café with plants, but the rest of us have to go out onto the pavement.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, 22 November 2025 — “Chico, here in the neighbourhood we’re used to darkness at this time of day,” says Rodolfo, a 64-year-old man sitting at the door of his house on Martí Street, the main avenue in Regla. “By 6:00 pm, the most central area looks like a pitch black hole. Maybe there’s a light here and there, from a café with a generator, but the rest of us have to go out onto the pavement with chairs or sit on the walls and wait for the power to come back on.”

Yaima has already become accustomed to power cuts disrupting the schedule. “You more or less go by what the company says,” she says, although lately they have been lasting up to 20 or 30 minutes longer than announced. “I’m used to it now, but this week, as has happened on other occasions, the schedules have been completely off.”

Havana residents are the least affected by the Electric Union, while the rest of Cubans protest, but the energy crisis is already hitting so hard that no one is spared. “With the utmost calm, they send the message that certain blocks have had to be affected due to a generation deficit, and they ruin your plans,” he protests. On Wednesday, my children went to bed with a piece of bread because at 10 p.m., when the power came back on, they weren’t going to eat.”

Power cuts during the early hours of the morning last more than three to four hours. / 14ymedio

On that day, several units at the Felton, Santa Cruz del Norte, Renté and Cienfuegos thermoelectric power stations were out of service or undergoing maintenance, and 91 distributed generation plants were out of service due continue reading

to a lack of fuel. The drop in supply from the main partners, Mexico and Venezuela, is – so far this year – 35% compared to 2024, a year in which there had also been a sharp cut in oil imports. The scale of this crisis has reached an unsustainable point and has simultaneously affected the six “blackout blocks” several times. Power cuts during the early hours of the morning are more than 3 or 4 hours.

The endless explanations from the authorities about the state of the national energy system and how it will be fixed – announcements that have been made for at least five years, during which time it has only gotten worse – fill minutes on TV’s Round Tables and prime-time news programmes that will not reach those who might be interested. “Here, for more than a week, it has not been possible to watch television from approximately four to eight or nine o’clock. This is bloody awful. Oh, and that’s not to mention the water, which arrives here every other day at that time. When the power comes on, all that’s left is a trickle of water,” Rodolfo continues in a very alarming complaint given the current health context on the island.

“Imagine, with these blackouts I can only work three or four hours a day” / 14ymedio

To make matters worse, the telephone and internet signals are lost when the power is cut. “On other occasions, the power went out here and there was no connection, but you could go out onto the roof and more or less access WhatsApp or Facebook during the four hours of the power cut,” says Yaima, whose work as a sales manager for a micro-SME [small business] is also affected. “Now it goes out, and the next second you lose the signal completely. You can’t call your mother, you can’t entertain yourself or, worse, as in my case, you can’t work. I get paid on commission, per customer I serve. Imagine, with these power cuts I can only work three or four hours a day,” she complains.

To top it off, the telephone signal and internet are lost with the blackouts. “There were times when the power went out and there was no connection, but you could go to the roof and more or less get on WhatsApp or Facebook during the four hours of blackout,” says Yaima, whose work as sales manager for a small group of people is also affected. “Now the power goes out, and the next second you lose the signal completely. You can’t call your mother, you can’t entertain yourself, or worse, as is my case, you can’t work. I charge a commission for each customer, and imagine, with these blackouts I can only work three or four hours a day,” she laments.

The winter chill is also absent from the island this year, and after a few days of milder temperatures at the beginning of the month, the heat is keeping demand for fans and air conditioning high. This Friday, authorities estimate that 3,200 megawatts will be needed during peak hours, but the system can only generate 1,494, much less than half. Meanwhile, the authorities will continue to be embroiled in their war against El Toque and in the new “programme to correct distortions and boost the economy”, which will be discussed today at a round table that neither Rodolfo nor hundreds of thousands of Cubans will be able to see.

Translated by GH

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The Havana Marathon, Another Victim of the Viruses That Plague Cuba

Laura, Reynier and other fans who are convalescing, even those with symptoms, have chosen to run the middle distance of 10 kilometers since the 5000 meter [5k] race is only for foreigners

This year only 200 foreign runners have registered, fewer than the 300 of the 2024 edition. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, November 15, 2025 — Many runners will not participate in the 39th edition of the Havana Marathon (Marabana) due to the consequences of dengue and chikungunya, viruses that according to official figures have affected 30% of the Cuban population. Cancelations, changes of distance and disorganization marked the first day of number pick-up at the hotel Habana Libre for registered athletes.

“I’m here because I want to see if I can change the distance. I had planned to run the marathon, the 42 kilometers, but this year I won’t be able to.” Laura has been running for 10 years, and it’s been nine since she missed an edition of the most popular race in Cuba. The first time, she remembers, she ran the 5 kilometer competition and then it increased, first to 10 kilometers and then to the half marathon (21 kilometers), until five years ago when she managed to run the full marathon.

“This time it will be impossible for me. I got the virus a month ago. I spent two weeks without going out, and only now have I been able to stretch my legs a little. The pains are still there, in the wrists, ankles, the soles of my feet. I recently ran 5 kilometers as a test and spent the next three days unable to walk. And just the next day, on the Round Table program, Dr. Durán said that the pains can last from three months to a year.” Laura prefers not to take risks and to rest a bit, so she wants to cut the distance in half. “If they don’t change my participation to 21 kilometers, I won’t run this year.”

Reyner, on the other hand, says that the virus hit him very hard, and he constantly relapses. “I’m still convalescing, but this would be my first race, and I don’t want to miss it. I was going to run the 10 kilometers, and I want to lower it to 5, but it’s difficult because this distance is only for foreigners. It’s the most popular, and surely more people would come and spice it up. Cubans can only run 10 kilometers. No one runs a 10; that takes preparation. That’s why the Marabana is becoming less popular.” continue reading

About 2,800 runners will participate this year. / 14ymedio

According to data provided to the official press by Carlos Gatorno, director of the Marabana Maracuba National Running and Walking Commission, this year about 2,800 runners will participate, more than the 2,400 from last year, but only 200 will be foreigners, fewer than the 300 of the 2024 edition. They can opt for any distance and the possibility of running only 5 kilometers. To do this, they must pay $150 for registration.

Daniel is Mexican and has a two-year employment contract in Cuba. He says that the cost seems excessive and that he will wait until the day of the race, because he has been told that there are almost always extra spots at the last minute. “This year it should be much easier to buy a number. I have a friend who got in that way. An acquaintance gave him his permit to get a number, because he is in bed with the virus.”

However, on the morning of Thursday, the first day to pick up the number and the runner’s bag, which includes a T-shirt, a package of detergent and wet towels, many complained that the organizers did not let anyone else pick up the numbers of those who were sick. They had to go in person. “These people are inflexible. With the number of people convalescing how can you be so strict? They have to limp in line to enroll,” says Luis, who had to come personally on crutches to pick up his number — despite not being able to participate because he is sick — in order to give it to his brother.

“My brother came the day before to ask and they told him no, that if he was sick he could not run, and that they could not be giving out T-shirts like this, because those were used for prizes in other competitions. My brother was in shock, because nothing they told him made sense. They are very intolerant about giving the T-shirt and number to someone else.”

Foreigners must pay $150 for registration. / 14ymedio

The hours passed and the line did not advance. Above, in the registration area, members of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior and other official institutions had priority when receiving their numbers and carried the T-shirts for their members in suitcases, even though it was reported that the time for these institutions was Wednesday, the day before.

This Sunday, November 16, when the Marabana begins on Independence Avenue, hundreds of registered Cubans will not participate in the race, due to the aftermath of the viruses that have been plaguing the island for months, and for which there is still no response.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Faced With the Increase in Deaths, Cuba’s State Telecommunications Company Etecsa Is Converting Its Vehicles Into Hearses

All the conversations in both Havana cemeteries revolved around “that virus” that “everyone is sick” with.

In Colón, an Etecssa van waited outside the chapel until the service ended. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, November 12, 2025 — “There’s more funeral activity these days.” The statement, made by a worker at the Colón Cemetery in Havana, once again contradicts the government’s reassuring messages about the arboviral epidemic plaguing the country . A simple stroll through several of the island’s cemeteries confirms the situation.

At ten o’clock on Monday morning, the chapel located inside the island’s main cemetery in El Vedado was packed with people, and the parking lot was full of cars. Numerous burials were also taking place within the cemetery itself. The same scene was observed in Regla. All this activity is consistent with what can be seen at funeral homes in the capital, which have also seen increased activity in recent days.

The most striking thing, however, is the unusual transport being used to carry the coffins: vans from the Telecommunications Company (Etecsa). In Colón, one of them waited outside the chapel until the service was over. In Regla, a car from the telephone monopoly slowly led a funeral procession. The sight of the mourners weeping behind the state-owned vehicle was jarring.

Numerous burials could be seen throughout the Colón cemetery. / 14ymedio

One of them, however, was relieved: “Thank goodness at least these Etecsa vans are here, because I don’t know what happened to the hearses.” The man recounts that five years ago, when his mother died, even with the availability of proper vehicles, “it was already complicated.” “I don’t know if they’re sending these vans because so many people are dying and the hearses can’t keep up, or because the municipal services department simply doesn’t have them anymore,” this Havana resident ventures, wondering if the “diversion” of Etecsa vans might be affecting telecommunications service.

Although they did not mention the cause of death of the deceased about to be buried, all the conversations in both Havana cemeteries revolved around “that virus” that “everyone is sick” with.

This is the second consecutive week that the number of infections of what the Government now calls “non-specific febrile syndrome” has decreased, according to the Ministry of Public Health at a government meeting this Tuesday, but the cumulative total is starting to be alarming. continue reading

There are eight provinces where the number of cases is beginning to decrease—Havana, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo—suggesting that in the rest of the country, the number is at least stable, if not increasing. The province with the highest rate remains Sancti Spíritus, according to an article published Wednesday in the Escambray newspaper. However, the data on dengue fever, the most dangerous of the arboviruses circulating on the island this year, were very vague.

The sight of the mourners weeping behind the state vehicle in Regla was shocking. / 14ymedio

Authorities have been reluctant to give an absolute figure, but data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) shows that a total of 9,602 people have now been infected, compared to 6,519 on October 23. This means the incidence rate has risen to 87.79 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 59.6 per 100,000 three weeks ago. These numbers represent only a small part of the true situation, as the population is hesitant to go to health centers.

Chikungunya cases are also on the rise. As of Tuesday, the cumulative total was 21,681, compared to just over 20,000 last week. Regarding oropouche, experts stated that there have been no confirmed or suspected cases since September 26.

https://www.facebook.com/14ymedio/videos/1383194196792466/

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A Heavy Police Presence and Closed Businesses Surround the Courthouse Where Alejandro Gil Is Being Tried

The regime is deploying surveillance not only in Marianao, where the hearing is taking place, but also at the main headquarters of the Supreme People’s Court in Old Havana.

International press gathered outside the trial of Alejandro Gil this Tuesday in Marianao. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández/Yaiza Santos, Havana/Madrid, November 11, 2025 — The area surrounding the People’s Civil and Family Court of Marianao, in Havana, was heavily guarded this Tuesday morning, but with a visible presence of the international press. The trial of Alejandro Gil Fernández, the highest-ranking official prosecuted by the Cuban justice system in recent decades, is taking place there, starting at 9:30 a.m. Gil Fernández is a former Minister of Economy, former Deputy Prime Minister, and for years the right-hand man of President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The only relative of the former official allowed entry, according to a source close to the case who requested anonymity, is his son, Alejandro Gil González. The hearing will continue tomorrow.

“I saw a lot of photographers and a pile of cars when I took my son to school early this morning,” Susana, a resident of the area, located at 100th Street and 33rd Avenue, told 14ymedio. At that time, traffic was not yet blocked, unlike during the court hearing. Shops and businesses of all kinds were also closed, and dozens of State Security agents in civilian clothes could be seen scattered around the street corners, as 14ymedio confirmed.

The People’s Civil and Family Court of Marianao, in Havana, where the trial of former minister Alejandro Gil is taking place this Tuesday. / 14ymedio

The same thing was happening in the streets adjacent to the Supreme People’s Court in Old Havana, the body that issued the statement on Monday announcing today’s trial time. On every corner near Aguiar Street, between Obrapía and Obispo, State Security agents, “disguised” in civilian clothes and working in pairs, were stationed, intently watching everyone who walked by, even for just a few seconds. “I don’t know why they’re wasting so many resources, if the trial is happening somewhere else,” a witness to the operation said ironically. continue reading

This Monday, without prior notification to Gil’s family, the midday news broadcast the TPS statement announcing that the oral hearing against the former minister would take place less than 24 hours later. The hearing, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. this Tuesday, would be conducted by the State Security Crimes Chamber, although neither the court that would try him, nor the address, nor the charges to be addressed were provided.

The accused’s sister, María Victoria Gil Fernández, told 14ymedio that the process would take place in two separate trials, and that today would be the one that includes the espionage charge, for which the Prosecutor’s Office is asking for 30 years in prison.

Police operation outside the courthouse where Alejandro Gil is being tried. / 14ymedio

According to the Supreme Court’s statement, the trial would be held behind closed doors for “national security reasons,” citing Articles 153 of the Constitution and 477.1 of the Criminal Procedure Law. Only “the parties and persons authorized by the court” would have access, the statement continued, the news anchor read almost without looking up from the page. This decision confirmed the opacity with which the government has handled the case since the minister’s dismissal in February 2024, and effectively canceled the request made on social media by Gil’s daughter, Laura María, for a fair, public, and transparent trial with media presence.

The court’s decision overturns the young woman’s demand, made on social media , for a transparent and public trial, so that the public could directly learn the arguments, evidence, and details about her father’s alleged crimes. “If they are so sure of their case, why hide it?” Laura María Gil questioned, demanding a process that goes beyond official statements and controlled leaks.

Surveillance operation on Aguiar Street in Old Havana this Tuesday. / 14ymedio

According to a source familiar with the case, who requested anonymity for security reasons, the case against the former Minister of Economy and Finance involves some twenty other defendants, including “a member of the National Assembly of People’s Power and a secretary of the Communist Party.” “The request for him is 30 years, while all the others face minimum sentences of 15 years,” the same source told 14ymedio, while specifying Gil’s whereabouts, which had not been made public since his arrest in March 2024: the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, Artemisa, “under a regime against state security.”

The defendants, he continued, number 15, “plus another five or six who were released on bail.” He asserted that “the names of some of them are not being released; they are under strict secrecy, which implies that they could be military personnel or high-ranking officials.”

Alejandro Gil Fernández is being defended by the lawyer Abel Solá López , who has extensive experience in trials related to state security. One such case was the 2017 trial that sentenced Alina López Miyares and her husband, Félix Martín Milanés Fajardo, to 13 and 17 years in prison, respectively, for espionage. That trial, held on October 2nd in the Marianao Military Court’s Justice Room, was also closed to the public and “without access for the defendants’ families.”

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“The Dollar Has Been Falling for a Week and Nobody Wants To Buy Any From Me” a Cuban Business Owner Complains

Private businesses lost money by buying things from private wholesale companies when the currency rose from 450 pesos to 490 pesos, before falling to 410 pesos.

“The speed of the fall was alarming and unusual. It’s not good for business right now.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, 6 November 2025 — The sudden fall of the dollar on the Cuban black market has put several private businesses and resellers in a tight spot, forcing them to readjust prices and purchasing strategies. Until a few days ago, the US currency was hovering around 500 pesos, but 6 November saw it at 410, a collapse that few had expected.

Alain, 37, owner of a small market in Guanabacoa, Havana, says that in recent days “people have been coming to sell dollars non-stop”. “I do sell in that currency, because that’s how I pay wholesalers who only accept foreign currency. This week I bought a sack of powdered milk and several bales of rice that way, no problem. They sell and buy in dollars, they don’t care,” he explains.

Everyone knows it’s illegal to sell in dollars, and things are not priced in that currency, but in pesos. In small businesses in Guanabacoa, most transactions are made in CUP (Cuban pesos), but many customers also use the small businesses as Cadeca (exchange bureaux) for small amounts, usually 10-dollar bills.

The currency’s rapid fall has left small businesses in a very difficult position: “The speed of the fall is alarming and unusual. There is no business right now,” explains Alain.

In small businesses in Guanabacoa, most transactions are made in CUP, but many customers also use them as Cadeca. / 14ymedio

Yudith, who works for a foreign company, usually uses part of her salary in dollars to buy food in her neighbourhood. But this week, she says, it has been almost impossible to spend those dollar bills. “When the dollar drops a little, the buyers wait a few days for it to stabilise. But it’s been falling for a week and no one wants to buy them. If they accept them, it’s 15 or 20 pesos below what El Toque* publishes,” she complains. continue reading

Alain says that WhatsApp groups for suppliers and traders are full of messages against the independent media outlet that publishes daily currency exchange rates. “An image appeared with red letters saying ‘No to El Toque’, with the message: ‘share this, or we’ll all go bankrupt’. That was shared every day while the dollar rose to 490 pesos,” he says.

The shopkeeper recalls the anguish of that time: “I couldn’t buy oil, hot dogs, pasta or detergent because wholesalers were selling to me above the price cap. How was I supposed to resell that?”

It’s the same or worse with transfers: many suppliers simply don’t accept them. / 14ymedio

In a country where education has demonised market dynamics and the law of supply and demand for more than six decades, many people fall for the regime’s propaganda accusing El Toque of manipulating the exchange rate with its daily publications on the informal currency market. Several of those interviewed are calling for this type of information to stop being published, so that “the market can regulate itself and people can buy and sell without a reference point, so perhaps the dollar wouldn’t rise so much”.

Pedro, an independent trader with a shop near the traffic lights in Guanabacoa, is afraid he will lose thousands of pesos this week. “I buy on Mondays, just once. Everything I have, I bought when the dollar was at 450. I bought crates of beer at 200 pesos, and today the same suppliers have it at 180. Until I sell what I have, I can’t lower my prices. But customers don’t understand. It’s very difficult to run a business here. Every day something new happens and you have to run,” he complains.

To cut back his losses, Pedro decided to stop accepting payments in dollars, at least for now. “I don’t even want to see them this week,” he says with a sigh.

Meanwhile, MSMEs** operating as wholesalers continue to stick with the dollar. “The people who sell you products in boxes and containers only work with foreign currency,” says Alain. “It’s the self-employed workers and retail shops who are no longer accepting dollars, because it no longer makes any business sense for them to pay in dollars for things that wholesalers sell in local currency. The same, or worse, happens with transfers: many suppliers simply do not accept them, and you are left stuck with your money, and you don’t know what to do.”

Translator’s notes:

*El Toque is anindependent Cuban online news outlet, that publishes real market exchange rates

**Literally, “Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise.” The expectation is that it is also privately managed, but in Cuba this may include owners/managers who are connected to the government.

Translated by GH

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The ‘Virus That Is Going Around’ and Wreaking Havoc in Cuba Has No Name

The government speaks of a “controlled outbreak” while a doctor from Villa Clara explains that she is “very worried about this chikungunya situation”

14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, November 3, 2025 — In recent weeks, hospitals and clinics across Cuba have been filled with patients suffering from high fever, rashes, joint pain, and extreme fatigue. The lack of reagents in laboratories and the high number of patients who don’t even go to the hospital make it difficult to determine whether they have dengue, oropouche, chikungunya, Zika, or another arbovirus, all transmitted by mosquitoes.

Juan Carlos, a 38-year-old Havana resident, is still recovering from what he calls “the virus,” without knowing whether it is the dreaded chikungunya. “This week I went to a friend’s café several times. People were arriving looking like zombies, with red, swollen eyes. Several businesses in the area are closed because the workers got infected too. In Regla, it’s normal for an entire block to be infested,” he tells 14ymedio.

His account, filled with details about the aftereffects and daily challenges, reveals the rigors of convalescence. “First, I had mild muscle aches. That night I had a very high fever and chills. At dawn, my whole body was covered in a rash. By eleven in the morning, I couldn’t move from the bed. I developed sores in my mouth and my face peeled,” he says. “Moving caused me pain. Luckily, I had my girlfriend, who made me soup and gave me paracetamol. I thought about the people who have no one, because moving from one room to another was a feat.” continue reading

The official bulletins on the health situation are vague and very general.

“The saddest thing,” he adds, “is that nobody knows for sure what they have. Since there are no reagents for the tests in the hospitals, you assume you have one of the variants and simply call it ‘the virus.’ That’s how we live: diagnosing by guesswork.”

Official bulletins on the health situation are vague and very general. Press conferences at the Ministry of Public Health mention a resurgence of these illnesses, but updated figures and statistics are lacking. So far, only one number has been published: three deaths from dengue fever this year. But social media tells a different story: names, photos, and farewells from neighbors, doctors, and family members who have succumbed to what people call, with resignation and fear, “the virus that’s going around.”

Dr. Perla María Trujillo Pedroza, a specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine at the Manuel Piti Fajardo Polyclinic in Santo Domingo (Villa Clara) with years of experience in provincial hospitals, decided to break her silence on her Facebook page . “I am very worried about this chikungunya situation,” she wrote, “I don’t know if it’s because I’m experiencing it firsthand or because this researcher’s insatiable spirit makes me see beyond what we can currently perceive.” Her post, shared hundreds of times, is a professional cry of alarm amidst a health crisis that the government prefers to call a “controlled outbreak.”

“If the first cases date back to July 2025, how is it possible that there still isn’t a clinical guideline for managing this disease?” the specialist asks. “Wake up. Cuban doctors are improvising as we go in treating chikungunya, especially in its subacute phase.” In her own hospital shift, she recounts, she treated 47 patients with symptoms consistent with the virus. “Of those, 34 had been sick for more than 15 days, and 28 were in the subacute stage. That’s 82%, well above what the literature reports.”

Her calculations—and the frankness with which she shares them—stand in stark contrast to the opacity and institutional triumphalism. Meanwhile, in the neighborhoods, testimonies are multiplying of people bedridden, unable to walk due to joint pain, or with peeling skin after several days of fever. “Why isn’t anyone talking about the implications of this developing into a chronic condition?” Trujillo insists. “This causes a severe, debilitating form of polyarthritis. What will become of this country’s already fragile economy when medical certificates or sick leave requests from workers who must care for their nearly incapacitated elderly relatives flood in?”

In the emergency room of the Calixto García Hospital in Havana, the scene is the same as Dr. Trujillo describes. Nieves, an oncology patient, went there last Friday seeking relief from unbearable joint pain. “They had nothing to soothe the pain, and the place was full of people with similar symptoms to mine, especially many elderly people,” she recounts. “After an hour in line and hearing everyone being told to ‘rest and drink plenty of fluids,’ I decided to go home.”

“Nobody gives you a clear answer, they don’t even know if this could complicate the treatment. They just tell you to rest.”

Nieves fears she won’t be able to attend her chemotherapy session this week. “I’m very weak. No one gives you a clear answer, they don’t even know if this could complicate the treatment. They just tell you to rest.” In several Havana hospitals—according to medical sources consulted by this newspaper—the same scene is repeated: overcrowded wards, doctors without specific medications, and reports of cases with prolonged aftereffects.

“I’ve had the symptoms for a month now, and I’m using my body as a guinea pig,” confessed Dr. Trujillo. “I can’t just let myself die from the pain; many people depend on me. If I get positive results, I’ll let you know.” In another era, such a voice would have been attacked by the official medical establishment. Today, her colleagues respond with encouraging emojis and expressions of gratitude in the comments.

Partial data obtained by specialists within the health system itself indicate that the incidence of arboviruses in Havana and Santiago de Cuba has doubled since July. In the capital alone, the Calixto García, Freyre de Andrade (Emergency) hospitals and the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) account for the majority of admissions, but confirmatory tests are rarely performed.

Chikungunya, a name that in the Makonde language of Africa means “to become contorted with pain” (referring to the severe joint pain caused by the disease), arrived in Cuba in 2014. It is transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue and Zika, which thrives in untreated yards, uncovered water tanks, and flooded neighborhoods. The rains from Hurricane Melissa and the lack of sanitation could further increase the insect’s presence, especially in the eastern part of the island.

On the news, the advice to boil water and use mosquito nets is repeated, but there’s no mention of the overcrowded hospitals, the sick leave, or the patients who haven’t been able to walk for weeks. Meanwhile, in the halls of the Calixto Hospital, on the streets of Regla, or on Facebook walls, the entire country continues coughing, trembling, and asking itself, without an answer: what is the real name of the disease that has us like this?

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The Butterfly Returns: Promises, Ruins and Nostalgia in Havana’s Lenin Park

After years of neglect, the recreation center is trying to attract visitors with ranch-style huts, horses, and soft drinks.

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, 27 July 2025 (delayed translation) — After several years of abandonment, Mariposa Park, one of the most emblematic areas of Lenin Park in Havana, seems to want to take flight again. Although the official reopening has not been announced, there is already a mixture of work, improvisation and distant memories on the ground.

“What they are doing for now is fixing the open-air eateries and other things like that to inaugurate the park again,” says a worker at the site, while pointing to a couple of freshly painted wooden structures. “Inside they are fixing the equipment for the holidays. They have already made enough progress,” he adds.

The image offered today by Mariposa Park is far from the hive of children’s laughter and endless queues of yesteryear. Apparatus covered by bushes, children’s figures corroded by the weather and roller coasters frozen in time draw a scene that is more reminiscent of a ghost town than a recreational center. Every now and then you remember a device that was set up in your childhood and you get a little nostalgic.

The image offered today by Mariposa Park is a far cry from the hive of children’s laughter and endless queues of yesteryear. / 14ymedio

At the side entrance – through which it is possible to sneak without great effort due to the absence of fences – you are greeted by a lackluster version of Captain Plin and Elpidio Valdés. Behind, the immense metallic star that once rotated luminous now remains motionless, rusty, without seats, a symbol of deterioration. continue reading

One of the few elements in the park that shows some life is the modest kiosk that offers jams, beers and soft drinks. “They treat you quite well,” admits a regular visitor. Even so, some employees consulted are skeptical about the alleged arrangement of the rides. “There is nothing new here. Go to Expocuba if you want to see something, there at least they are setting up playthings for the children,” said a clerk between resignation and incredulity.

In the surroundings of the park, other spaces reveal the same pattern of abandonment. Behind the area known as “the head-and-headless riders,” an ancient Chinese restaurant called El Dragon [The Dragon] survives without offering Asian food, but beer and the occasional quick meal. Later, La Parrillada and other eateries that once functioned as restaurants and cafes, are now ruins covered in rubble.

In the park’s surroundings, other areas reveal the same pattern of neglect. / 14ymedio

The bamboo forest, which used to be a magical place to hide or simply stroll, has been partially cleared out, leaving behind a picture of toppled logs and bare clearings. Silence prevails, barely interrupted by the birds or the constant buzzing of cicadas.

In the midst of this desolate landscape, the attempt to revive the space manifests itself in small details. A few children’s playthings have been installed on the outskirts of the Mariposa and eateries are being rehabilitated where families can sit down to eat. “Every weekend that passes a few more people come,” says an optimistic worker.

The horseback riding business, which has also suffered the consequences of the tourist decline, is trying to stay afloat. “We are doing well, but it has to comply with regulations. We have a contract with the head of the park, because the police require papers,” explains one of the drivers.

The Butterfly Returns: Promises, Ruins and Nostalgia in Havana’s Lenin Park

Only a few horses are available and those who rent them out must compete with their memories of a tourism that was once much more dynamic. “Now there are hardly any tourists and it is difficult to find someone out there,” laments one of the people who give rides.

Among those who offer the rides are minors, some as young as 10 or 12 years old. “There are few of us because we are the only legal ones,” clarifies the caretaker of one of the animals, while trying to convince a family to dare to ride.

The attempt to reactivate Mariposa Park parallels the state of the faded memory of the rest of Lenin Park. Its green areas continue to attract families who improvise picnics, fly kites or play soccer among the palms. In the Palace of the Pioneers, the open bars and the absence of guards turn the place into another symbol of institutional abandonment.

The horseback riding business, which has also suffered the consequences of the tourist decline, is trying to stay afloat. / 14ymedio

The new director of the Mariposa park has guaranteed certain improvements, say workers at the site. “This has been allowed to decay here because of several previous administrations. But this director has done a lot. This was abandoned, with stagnant water that rusted the devices,” recalls an employee.

“When this was working, it was good,” says one custodian wistfully. Meanwhile, two of his colleagues interrupt the conversation to ask a group of visitors to leave the area of the devices, with such moderate firmness that it suggests that they are exercising a learned routine rather than authority.

Translated by: Hombre de Paz

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“For Spanish Nationality, If You Don’t Do It Today, It All Ends” Announces the Embassy in Havana

On the last day to apply for the Democratic Memory Law, an official counseled the unsuspecting in front of the Embassy in Havana

Lines at the Spanish Embassy in Havana, this Wednesday October 22. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, October 22, 2025 — In front of a frantic crowd divided into several lines, the custodian at the Spanish Embassy in Havana kept repeating this Wednesday that it was the last day to apply for Spanish citizenship through the Democratic Memory Law (LMD). “For Spanish nationality, if you don’t do it today, it all ends,” he warned, waving his hands decisively.

The man patiently explained to the clueless that they should consult, on the Embassy’s website, the section corresponding to the rule for making the request. “Forget about your brother, this or that other person,” he urged them. Just follow the instructions, “or you won’t be able to do it.” The questions showed how, almost three years after the law came into force and hours before the deadline for accepting applications, there are still doubts among Cubans.

One of the concerns raised by those inquiring was related to the waiting time before being called upon to review documents and continue with the process once the request has been made and the file number has been received by e-mail. As this newspaper was reminded by sources from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, processing all of them “could take years.”

As this newspaper was reminded by sources from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, processing all of them “could take years”

Published in October 2022, the LMD offered, in principle, the possibility of obtaining Spanish nationality for descendants of Spaniards exiled by the civil war and Francoism, to those born of Spaniards who had lost their nationality by marrying foreigners continue reading

before the entry into force of the 1978 Constitution, and for the adult children of those who had acquired it under the previous grandchild law – the Historical Memory Act of 2007 – but who had remained excluded because they were over 18 years old.

However, the instructions for applying, published a few days later in order to remove “any questions that may be raised by the Officers of the Spanish Civil Registry Offices as to the scope and interpretation of this eighth additional provision,” were interpreted to mean that not only the descendants of exiles from the civil war could be eligible but also all those “born outside Spain to originally Spanish parents or grandparents.” This led to a huge volume of applications, especially from Cuba, the second largest number of requests after Argentina.

Spanish Foreign Ministry sources told 14ymedio that up to the beginning of October, there were about 400,000 requests for the LMD in Havana, and every day they estimated they were receiving between 5,000 and 6,000 more, so they expected to reach 500,000 requests or even exceed this number.

One of the lines in front of the Embassy was exclusively for questions. / 14ymedio

For all countries, by the end of July, 876,321 people had made the request; 414,652 have now been approved, and 237,145 have obtained passports.

“We are not interested in your problems; what interests us is that you enter the system before the deadline expires,” said the custodian to those who were waiting in a line that was exclusively for questions.

In another line, people were coming and going, running, trying to resolve a needed copy or some forgotten document.

Many Cubans have criticized the “chaos” they found at the Spanish diplomatic headquarters for the LMD procedures. Asked about it during an official visit to Chile and Argentina, the Spanish minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, revealed that in Havana there had been difficulties in speeding up the process. “We have tried to set up mobile offices but it’s complicated,” said Torres, referring specifically to Cuba and Venezuela.

In line this Wednesday, a man from Havana who hoped to enter to legalize and deliver documents for several relatives, was denied: “This is the only well-organized line in all of Cuba”

The Spanish Embassy in Havana, on the last day to apply for citizenship with the LMD / 14ymedio

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Mural Against Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Was Painted on a Wall in Guanabacoa

“It’s very tense here with the blackouts. I’m sure they painted it in the dark because we haven’t slept for two nights due to the power outage,” explains a neighbor.

The slogan was written on colorful drawings curated by the Corral Falso Gallery, located at 259 Corral Falso Street. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, 4 October 2025 — A graffiti with marine motifs became the improvised canvas on which a poster against the Cuban leader appeared this Saturday. In Guanabacoa, Havana, someone painted “Díaz-Canel singao” [motherfucker], one of the phrases most frequently used to express Cuban discontent. The slogan was written on colorful drawings curated by the Corral Falso Gallery, located at 259 Corral Falso Street. Among fish, octopuses, and reefs, the insult to the Cuban president stood out in the eyes of passersby..

“That childish painting hadn’t even been on that wall, which was once ugly and faded,” a neighbor told 14ymedio. “As soon as we noticed, a man and a woman arrived and started making calls to someone to come and cover up the sign.” The two people inspected the area and stayed on the sidewalk waiting for the brigade, which traditionally paints over anti-government signs. Police experts will probably also arrive to try to take fingerprints at the scene.

“It’s very tense here with the blackouts. I’m sure they painted it in the dark because we haven’t slept for two nights due to the power outage,” explains a nearby resident. In Guanabacoa, a municipality with a low-income population, protests against the lack of electricity and water have multiplied in recent years. With pot-banging and street closures, residents have expressed their weariness with a crisis that worsens every day. “They’re going to have to put a guard on every wall,” summarizes a vendor who approached the Corral Falso graffiti, where, between a whale and a shark, three words challenged the regime this Saturday.

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The Havana Night Is Filled With ‘Cacerolazos’ Because of the Blackouts

The energy crisis that afflicts the Island comes to the surrounding areas of the Casino Deportivo, where villas with gardens are plentiful

The areas surroundings the Casino Deportivo, in the municipality of Cerro, Havana, this Monday / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, September 30, 2025 — The areas surrounding the Casino Deportivo, in the municipality of Cerro, were pitch black on Monday night. Dark, but not at all silent. In streets like Primelles and Santa Catalina the cacerolazos (street demonstrations with people banging on pots) were forceful. “The schedule isn’t working; people can’t sleep,” a neighbor reports to this newspaper, saying that in recent days they have had 12 hours of blackout daily.

Yesterday, the Havana Electric Company reported that a break in two circuits lefts some substations in operable: Melones and Tallapiedra, in addition to the only Turkish patana (floating power plant) that remains in Havana, in Regla. Old Havana, Centro Habana and part of San Miguel del Padrón and Diez de Octubre were left without light. On Tuesday morning, the State-owned company announced that six blocks in the capital were “affected” and “the schedule could not be met.”

According to today’s report from the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE), an allocation of 1,798 megawatts (MW) was reached on Monday at peak demand time. On Tuesday it is expected to be even worse. For peak time, the estimated demand is 3,550 MW and and the estimated availability is 1,780 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,770 MW. The actual impact, however, is estimated at 1,840 MW.

“Now everyone is banging on a pot, something that was unthinkable a year ago”

Although what Havana experiences is far from the power cuts of the provinces, where blackouts have lasted 26 hours in recent weeks, its residents are becoming fed up. “Now everyone is banging on a pot, something that was unthinkable a year ago,” says a resident of the Casino Deportivo neighborhood. continue reading

The neighborhood, with an image of a well-to-do area in Havana where families with better economic status live, used to appear in the classified ads for homes as an area where “the lights stay on.” However, the energy crisis that afflicts the Island has also knocked on the door of the villas with gardens and spacious salons that abound in its perimeter.

Arbitrary prison sentences for some of those who have gone out to protest the energy crisis by beating on pots are an effective deterrent, but the mood is getting angrier. This Monday, despair, mainly due to the lack of water but also of light, led a group of mothers to close Monte street with their children in their arms, hoisting empty buckets.

Police officers tried to break up the protest by shoving and cursing, although moments later a water truck appeared on the scene, guarded by a patrol car, to appease the crowd.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Cuban Police Close La Cuevita, Vendors and Customers Reopen It

At this mecca of popular commerce in Havana, you can find everything, including the buying and selling of dollars.

The vendors relocated to nearby streets and in the doorways of neighboring houses. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, 26 September 2025 — “Water!” was heard with unusual frequency this Wednesday at La Cuevita, among a crowd of self-employed workers, clandestine vendors, and desperate customers. It wasn’t a shout announcing drinks or a storm warning, but rather the code word used all over Cuba to let people know that the police are on the move. Authorities, who usually turn a blind eye to irregularities in these spaces, decided this time to close the place for a month. The official reason: “to carry out repairs,” some residents told this newspaper.

La Cuevita is the mecca of popular commerce in San Miguel del Padrón, Havana. There, you can find everything from food, hygiene products, clothing, and household appliances to toys, medicines, and currency exchange. Merchandise arrives via a variety of channels, including mules, middlemen, or diversions from state channels, generating income for both self-employed workers and those operating without a license.

So, despite the closure order, few people were willing to leave. Vendors relocated to nearby streets and in the doorways of neighboring houses.

So, despite the closure order, few people were willing to leave. The vendors relocated to nearby streets and the doorways of neighboring houses. “We need to eat,” exclaimed an undocumented vendor as she hurriedly gathered her wares as the uniformed officers passed by. Minutes later, she set up her stall again in the same place.

The history of La Cuevita dates back to the Special Period and has been strengthened by the economic reforms of recent years. It emerged as a response to chronic shortages and the need to obtain goods in foreign currency, and so became a crucial supply point for Havana residents and buyers from other provinces.

This Wednesday, however, the place looked more chaotic than ever. Stalls crowded in front of homes, food vendors stood right next to stinking garbage dumps, open sacks of rice mingled with the mud, and a chorus of shouts from anxiousv endors
continue reading

This Wednesday, La Cuevita looked more chaotic than ever. / 14ymedio

The closure coincides with the 4th National Crime Prevention and Response Exercise, which includes patrols, “prophylactic” meetings with so-called “potential offenders,” and social control measures. In addition to the police, students, workers, and Party activists are participating. Previous exercises have not restored order to the streets, but they have swelled the state coffers with money from fines and confiscations.

“There aren’t enough police to get so many people out,” said a vender selling stockings and underwear, who ran for cover upon hearing the alarm. Minutes later, seeing the officer riding away on his motorcycle, he returned to his stall and added: “This is what the town lives on; they can’t close it down.”

Some call these informal markets that exist throughout the island “candonga,” a term that came from Angola with the Cubans who went to war in the 1970s and 1980s. But today’s battle is different: putting food on the table, shoes on children’s feet, and earning enough money to survive for a month, something no state salary guarantees.

The police close La Cuevita, but vendors and customers reopen it.

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