EFE – Translating Cuba

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translated by GH.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Spanish NGO ‘Open Arms’ Arrives in Havana With a Donation for a Pediatric Hospital

The activists are delivering solar panels, backup batteries, and medical supplies financed with more than €160,000 raised through self-managed donations from over 4,000 donors.

The ‘Astral’ arrived in Havana this Sunday, and the activists who were traveling on it will be at the Juan Manuel Márquez hospital this Monday. / EFE

14ymedio / EFE, Havana, July 20, 2026 – The sailing vessel Astral, operated by the Spanish NGO Open Arms, which together with more than 150 social and political organizations launched the “Rumbo a Cuba” initiative, arrived Sunday at the Port of Havana carrying seven tons of humanitarian aid destined for a children’s hospital in the Cuban capital.

The Open Arms vessel departed Barcelona in May and traveled 6,200 miles to transport a shipment of solar panels, backup batteries, and medical supplies to Cuba, financed with more than €160,000 raised through self-managed donations from over 4,000 donors.

The donation is intended to provide energy independence for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), intermediate care unit, and clinical laboratory of Havana’s Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital.

At the ceremony welcoming the humanitarian mission, Óscar Camps, founder and director of the NGO Proactiva Open Arms, told the press that the initiative “is a humble contribution made by the organization with the support of the Spanish people” to highlight the humanitarian impact of the United States embargo on the continue reading

Caribbean nation.

Camps congratulated the Cuban people, saying, “You are enduring and resisting an inhumane blockade. You are the true heroes, and the message I bring from my country to the Cuban people is that you are not alone, that this is only the beginning, and we hope others will follow this example.”

“We are living through a very difficult moment because of a blatant violation of international law, human rights, and international agreements,” Camps said, referring to what he described as the energy blockade imposed by the United States on the Island.

The Catalan activist also called for “bringing greater visibility to the problems Cuba is facing” and expressed confidence that doing so “will generate sympathetic support from other organizations that will want to collaborate and do the same” as Open Arms.

In that regard, he noted that his autonomous community, Catalonia, has allocated half a million euros to organizations working in Cuba “after we launched our mission.”

“It has already been worthwhile. We have contributed a tiny drop, a grain of sand, in an effort to repay the solidarity we have always received from the Cuban people,” he added.

The delegation participating in the Rumbo a Cuba humanitarian mission includes several Members of the European Parliament: Miguel Urbán Crespo, co-founder of the Podemos Party; Ana Miranda of the Galician Nationalist Bloc; Su Moreno of the Popular Unity Candidacy; and Aída Llauradó of Comuns. They took part last Saturday in an event at the Casa de las Américas cultural institution.

On Monday, the organizers of Rumbo a Cuba are scheduled to visit the hospital benefiting from the initiative, as well as participate in an activity with children at a cultural center in the Cuban capital.

Last March, the Island received the Nuestra América Convoy, a flotilla that sailed from Mexico carrying 14 tons of food, medicine, and solar panels.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A ‘Habeas Corpus’ is Presented in Favor of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara

The relevant judicial authorities now have a legal deadline of 72 hours to issue a response, Cubalex reports.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara remains at large after being transferred from prison two days before his five-year sentence was due to expire on July 9th / Facebook

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, July 14, 2026 / The legal advice center Cubalex reported that it was able to formally deliver in Havana the habeas corpus petition in favor of the artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who as of Tuesday remains at large, after being transferred from prison two days before his five-year sentence expired on July 9.

“The relevant judicial authorities now have a legal deadline of 72 hours to issue a response,” the organization stated on social media, having denounced the previous day the impediments to delivering the appeal “because the Havana Provincial People’s Court, the competent body to hear the request, as well as the Supreme People’s Court, remained closed this Monday despite it being a working day.”

Cubalex explained that “this legal action is presented in a critical scenario of lack of protection,” since “on July 9, the five-year sentence that the artist was serving in the Guanajay prison, since 2021, officially expired.”

On July 9th, the five-year sentence that the artist was serving in Guanajay prison, since 2021, officially expired.

It also denounced that “despite this, on July 7 he was taken from prison by military and State Security forces to an unknown location, and since then there has been no official information about his whereabouts.” continue reading

“From Cubalex we demand that due process and the physical integrity of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara be respected,” the report said.

The first contact with Otero Alcántara, after it became known that he was taken from the Guanajay prison, was reported on July 9 by the curator Anamely Ramos, who said on social networks that the artist was “well,” after having communicated with her from “a mobile phone of the State Security of Cuba”.

Ramos indicated in her publication that the State Security agents “wanted to know how the process of the requested conditional release is going” so that Otero Alcántara can travel to the United States and explained that “Luis Manuel’s conditional release is still in process.”

State Security agents “wanted to know how the process of the requested parole is going” so that Otero Alcántara can travel to the United States

In this respect, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized last week that this appears to be “a release conditioned on exile.”

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, 38, considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was imprisoned for five years in the Guanajay prison from where he had denounced multiple abuses on several occasions.

The leader of the San Isidro movement was arrested on July 11, 2021, when he tried to join the massive anti-government protests of that day, the largest in decades in Cuba.

Amnesty International has been demanding since last week the “immediate and unconditional release” of the artist.

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The United States Will Maintain All Measures Against the Cuban Regime, Says Marco Rubio

The US Secretary of State demands the release of political prisoners and assures that Washington is offering aid in exchange for economic and political reforms.

“Cuba’s leaders simply must choose to commit to real reforms, peace, and prosperity before it is too late.” / EFE/Ronald Wittek

EFE (via 14ymedio), Los Angeles, July 12, 2026 / US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the Trump administration will continue to use “all the tools” at its disposal against the Cuban regime, which he accused of posing a threat to US security and refusing to undertake the reforms the island needs.

“Cuba’s leaders simply must choose to commit to real reforms, peace and prosperity, before it is too late,” Rubio said in a statement released to mark the fifth anniversary of the 11 July 2021 protests.

The US Secretary of State recalled that thousands of Cubans then took to the streets to protest against shortages, blackouts and the lack of freedoms, in the largest demonstrations to have occurred in the country since 1959.

Five years after that uprising, Rubio denounced, hundreds of participants remain “unjustly” imprisoned. The Secretary of State demanded “the immediate release of these and all political prisoners in Cuba.”

Rubio also again attacked the island’s ruling elite, accusing them of appropriating the country’s scarce resources and hiding them abroad, although he did not provide concrete evidence to support that claim. continue reading

The Trump Administration has offered aid to the Cuban government, assistance for reconstruction, and “the promise of a new relationship between our two countries.”

The declarations come amid the policy of maximum pressure of the past six months applied by Washington. Restrictions on oil supplies have exacerbated blackouts, while new sanctions have increased the risk for foreign companies still operating in Cuba.

Against this scenario, the threat of more severe measures against Havana remains, including the possibility of military action, a hypothesis that gained strength after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Despite the increased pressure, Rubio asserted that the Trump Administration has offered aid to the Cuban government, assistance for reconstruction, and “the promise of a new relationship between our two countries.”

He offered, specifically, that this conditioned upon the island’s authorities accepting economic and political reforms that will allow the country to open up and offer Cubans an opportunity for prosperity.

Washington maintains that lifting the pressure will depend on verifiable changes, while Havana rejects any reforms imposed from abroad and attributes the economic crisis to US sanctions.

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The Cuban Government Amends Foreign Investment Regulations to Speed Up Approval Times

The new rules mainly affect the required documentation and require many issues to be resolved more quickly.

MCV Comercial is a joint venture between the Cuban State and Mercedes-Benz that has operated in Cuba for decades. / 14ymedio

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, July 10, 2026 – The Government published a set of regulations on Thursday amending the implementing rules of the 2014 Foreign Investment Law. Most of the changes are technical in nature and affect deadlines and document formalization, with the aim of “streamlining the processes for evaluating, approving, and operating the various forms of foreign investment.”

Decree 153/2026 modifies the procedure for submitting foreign investment opportunities and updates the rules governing the promotion of foreign investment. It also establishes new requirements for submitting foreign investment business proposals, regulates partnership agreements for the creation of joint ventures, and sets deadlines for the evaluation and approval of foreign investment applications.

The regulation, signed by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, eliminates some intermediate procedures by repealing articles that required additional consultation and documentation steps, which should, in principle, reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process. continue reading

The regulation eliminates some intermediate procedures by repealing articles that required additional consultation and documentation steps, which should, in principle, reduce bureaucracy

The new rules state that applications accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment are forwarded to the Foreign Investment Business Evaluation Commission, which must evaluate them within seven business days.

If the Commission requests revisions, applicants will have seven calendar days to make the required changes and submit the revised proposal.

Applications requiring approval by the Council of State are submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment through the Council of Ministers, and decisions approving or rejecting the applications must be issued within 60 calendar days.

Other decisions, such as increases or decreases in capital without changes in share ownership, must be made within 15 business days, while decisions approving or denying the incentive fund must be issued within seven business days.

Proposals submitted by parties seeking to establish businesses must include an application for approval accompanied by the business plan endorsement, corporate bylaws, the business plan itself, proposed Cuban executives for management bodies, a list of import and export products, and any other documents required by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

Foreign investors’ business plans must include, among other documents, a certificate from the commercial registry of their country of origin issued no more than one year earlier, valid bank references, financial statements for the most recent fiscal year certified by an independent entity, a letter of sponsorship from the parent company if the investor is a branch or subsidiary, and legalized powers of attorney.

Domestic investors are required to submit a certificate from the investor’s governing or management body, documentation certifying the company’s registration and corporate purpose, as well as financial statements for the most recent fiscal year.

Decree 153 marks the third amendment to the regulations since their approval in 2014, following changes made in 2018 and 2019, and is linked to the recent package of economic and social reforms

Decree 153 marks the third amendment to the regulations since their approval in 2014, following changes made in 2018 and 2019, and is linked to the recent package of 176 economic and social reform measures aimed at liberalizing and decentralizing the Cuban economy.

On Wednesday, in an analysis by the consulting firm Auge, which has advised foreign investors interested in Cuba for years, the firm stated that, based on its experience, the announced reforms represent a good opportunity for companies that have already been operating on the Island for years.

However, it advises those who do not yet have businesses in Cuba to wait and closely monitor developments over the coming months, given the current uncertainty. “The combination of tighter sanctions and the energy crisis means that the risk-return equation remains unfavorable. Waiting for conditions to improve is not a bad strategy; it is a prudent one,” Auge warned.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Family of a Cuban Man Who Died in ICE Custody Is Demanding More Than One Million Dollars

They blame four agents and the companies that ran Camp East Montana

Geraldo Lunas Campos with his wife and children before his arrest. / TVNoticias

14ymedio/EFE, Madrid, July 7, 2026 / The family of Cuban national Geraldo Lunas Campos is demanding more than one million dollars and blames four agents and the companies that managed the Texas detention center for his death while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to The Washington Post, the lawsuit accuses the guards of “killing him” and claims that the staff at Camp East Montana, where he was being held, were not “trained” to care for him.

The camp was hastily constructed last summer after the U.S. government awarded a contract, “now worth up to $1.3 billion, to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia contractor that had never operated an ICE facility,” the Los Angeles Times reported. According to the same media, the subcontractors included security firm Akima Global Services and medical provider Loyal Source, both of which are the subject of a lawsuit.

The plaintiffs allege that Lunas Campos’s mental illness was not properly treated at the largest detention center in the US, endangering his life. His family claims that he “requested medical attention on several occasions” because he “suffered from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and even expressed suicidal thoughts weeks before his death.”

According to the publication, “health professionals recommended a broader psychiatric evaluation, but the transfer never happened.”

The lawsuit includes the autopsy report, which indicated that the body showed injuries to the neck, chest, and knees, consistent with physical force, and that death was caused by asphyxiation due to compression of the torso and neck. The coroner concluded that it was a homicide. continue reading

“He was mistreated, beaten and strangled to death,” said Jeanette Pagan López, mother of two of Lunas Campos’ children.

In the first 500 days of Donald Trump’s second term, 52 people have died, four of them Cubans.

The case of Lunas Campos is one of dozens of abuses committed in ICE detention centers. Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights revealed last June that in the first 500 days of Donald Trump’s second term 52 people have died, four of them Cubans.

Denny Adán González died last April. According to an official statement, he was found unconscious in his cell, and the cause of death remains under investigation. Aled Damien Carbonell Betancourt, 27, was found on April 12 in his cell at the Miami Federal Detention Center. ICE classified the death as a suicide, the 49th recorded in custody since Trump’s return to power.

The other two cases are those of Isidro Pérez (75 years old), who died on June 26, 2025 at the HCA Kendall Hospital in Miami while he was in the Krome Detention Center awaiting deportation, and that of Lunas Campos.

Last November, Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of Texas denounced “the dangerous and inhumane conditions faced by migrants at Camp East Montana,” located at the Fort Bliss Army base outside of El Paso.

A report by the Associated Press last March exposed the suicide attempts, fights, and suffering inside the center. Owen Ramsingh, a former property manager in Columbia, Missouri, who spent several weeks there, said that Camp East Montana was “1,000% worse than a prison,” where “every day felt like a week. Every week felt like a month. Every month felt like a year.”

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A Fire Ravages 700 Hectares in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, In Guantánamo Cuba

The protected area in Guantánamo, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has three hotspots under control while firefighting efforts continue.

The Forest Ranger Corps continues efforts to extinguish the fire in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.

EFE, Havana, July 4, 2026 — A major wildfire reported in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, in the eastern Cuban province of Guantánamo, consumed about 600 hectares (1,483 acres) of scrubland and nearly 100 hectares (247 acres) of forest, state media reported on Friday.

The fire, which broke out on June 27, has been brought under control, although the Forest Ranger Corps and other emergency personnel continue working to extinguish it completely this weekend, according to Jesús Martín, the Guantánamo representative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (Citma).

The official told Radio Guantánamo that the fire remains divided into three hotspots. Firefighting efforts are advancing from north to northeast by removing combustible material, while the nearby Jaguaní River is helping prevent the blaze from spreading. continue reading

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire in an area where high temperatures, thunderstorms, and illegal mining are common.

In 2021, specialists attributed the largest forest fire ever recorded in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park to illegal artisanal mining. That blaze destroyed nearly 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres). The park is home to some of the highest levels of biodiversity and endemism in the insular Caribbean.

The park, which extends across the provinces of Guantánamo and Holguín, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

The protected area covers 70,680 hectares (174,641 acres), including 68,430 hectares (169,106 acres) of land and 2,250 hectares (5,560 acres) of marine territory. It contains Cuba’s largest river network and the Caribbean’s largest freshwater reserve.

Cuba’s Forest Ranger Corps reported last May that between January and April, 111 forest fires were recorded, damaging more than 3,174 hectares (7,842 acres) of natural and planted forests. Of those, 46 occurred in the western province of Pinar del Río.

The agency warned that 96% of the island’s forest fires occur between January and May and that, although the prolonged dry season and weather conditions contribute to the risk, 90% of the fires are caused by human activity.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Registers a Perceptible Magnitude 3.9 Tremor in Guantánamo

The seismic movement – the eighth perceptible one so far in 2026 – was reported at 9:22 a.m. and located 41 kilometers southeast of Imías

3.9-magnitude earthquake that occurred this past Tuesday, 41 kilometers southeast of Imías, Guantánamo.

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, June 30, 2026 / A magnitude 3.9 earthquake was felt this past Tuesday in the municipality of Imías and other localities in the province of Guantánamo, in southeastern Cuba, reported the island’s National Center for Seismological Research

The seismic movement – the eighth perceptible one so far in 2026 – was reported at 9:22 a.m. and located 41 kilometers southeast of Imías, a coastal and mountainous municipality frequently noted for its seismic activity, according to the report based on data from the National Seismological Service. The Cenais bulletin indicates that, from June 28 through the early hours of June 29, four earthquakes were recorded in the Imías region with magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 2.5.

This past June 8, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake with an epicenter in the Caribbean Sea shook Cuba’s western region, with no reports of personal injury or material damage so far. That tremor was felt throughout the entire western third of the island, from the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas, including the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. continue reading

Seismic activity during 2025 recorded 4,535 seismic events in Cuba, of which 15 were perceptible.

According to Cenais specialist Enrique Arango, the area with the highest number of earthquakes last year was Pilón-Chivirico, with 1,849, the vast majority of them aftershocks of the magnitude 6.7 Pilón earthquake recorded on November 11, 2024.

The territory with the highest seismic activity in the country is the eastern region, specifically along the southern coast of the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Guantánamo. This high level of hazard is due to its proximity to the Oriente Fault, which marks the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates.

Cuba is located in a region -stretching from the Dominican Republic to Mexico- where different tectonic fault systems converge, generating significant seismic activity.

Translated by GH.

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The Cuban Regime Cannot Tolerate Criticism of Its Incompetence

Bruno Rodríguez demands that the German Foreign Minister and the OAS attribute the crisis on the island to the US blockade.

Image of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. / EFE/EPA/Flip Singer

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, June 25, 2026 / The Cuban government responded Thursday to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul after the Christian Democratic politician attributed the island’s crisis to mismanagement by its authorities. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Wadephul of being unaware of US sanctions and invited him to learn more about Washington’s policy toward Havana.

“How can we not recognize the imposition of an energy blockade in serious violation of International Law, which constitutes collective punishment, causes humanitarian damage and impedes free trade and freedom of navigation,” Rodríguez wrote on his social media.

The regime’s reaction came after Wadephul stated last Sunday, during a German government open house, that he did not see the blockade described by one of the citizens participating in the meeting. “I don’t see the kind of blockade you describe,” responded the minister, who went further by stating that a “regime of injustice” prevails in Cuba.

For Wadephul, the “decisive prerequisite” for improving the living conditions of the population is that the country be “better governed,” a direct criticism of the responsibility of the Cuban authorities in the deep economic and social crisis that the Island is going through. continue reading

“I don’t see that kind of blockade you’re describing.”

Rodríguez avoided responding to that part of the statements and focused his rebuttal on his favorite narrative: US sanctions. The foreign minister recommended that the German minister familiarize himself with the measures applied to companies and citizens of his country under the Helms-Burton Act. Passed in the United States in 1996, this legislation allows lawsuits to be filed against foreign companies that benefit from properties confiscated by the Cuban government after 1959.

The response to Wadephul comes on top of another protest issued a day earlier by Rodríguez against the Organization of American States. The foreign minister was reacting to a statement from the organization’s General Secretariat, which had expressed concern about the democracy situation in Cuba.

“The OAS General Secretariat claims to be concerned about the situation facing Cuba. However, it is scandalous that it makes not the slightest mention of the escalating US aggression against our country,” Rodríguez stated.

According to the minister, the organization should focus on the impact of US sanctions, which he described as a “ruthless and unjustified” policy and which he blamed for the deterioration of living conditions for Cubans.

Under pressure from the US, Cuban authorities approved a package of reforms aimed at easing some of the obstacles that Cubans often describe as the “internal blockade.”

Havana attributes almost all of the country’s economic problems to the US embargo and, more recently, to restrictions on oil supplies. However, the government avoids mentioning the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises, the lack of structural reforms, the collapse of national production, and the economic decisions made by the regime itself.

Cuba has been experiencing a severe energy crisis for years, with blackouts that in many provinces can last for more than 20 hours. The situation has worsened due to fuel shortages and the deterioration of thermoelectric power plants, affected by decades of explotation, constant breakdowns, and lack of maintenance.

Since the beginning of this year, the Trump administration has intensified economic pressure on Havana, particularly targeting oil supplies and businesses linked to Cuban state entities. Under this pressure, authorities approved a package of reforms aimed at easing some of the restrictions that Cubans often describe as the “internal blockade.”

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Germany’s Foreign Minister Says an ‘Unjust Regime’ Prevails in Cuba

Johann Wadephul stated this Sunday that he does not believe a U.S. blockade exists against the Island.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul responded to a citizen who referred to the U.S. “blockade” of Cuba. / X

14ymedio/EFE, Berlin, June 22, 2026 – German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated this Sunday that he does not see a U.S. blockade against Cuba and that the requirement for Cubans to enjoy greater well-being is for them to be governed better.

An “unjust regime” prevails in Cuba, Wadephul said during a dialogue with citizens as part of the government’s open house events, which he cited as an example of how a democratic society functions, where “everyone can express their opinion without fearing harassment afterward.”

“That would be the first thing I would say, as the German Government, about Cuba,” he said in response to a citizen’s question.

The conservative minister explained that Cuba in the past “benefited greatly” from economic ties and oil imports from Venezuela, a situation that no longer exists “by decision of the Venezuelan government.”

For the Island’s population to live better, the “decisive prerequisite” would be for the country to be “governed better,” he indicated. “I do not see a blockade of the kind you describe,” he told his interlocutor.

Wadephul expressed the hope that the Cuban people can enjoy a better future and stated that Germany contributes toward that goal “through active assistance measures.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla denounced on Saturday that the United States is imposing a “total blockade” on the country through a “plan of economic strangulation” that includes preventing foreign companies from selling parts and technology for Cuban thermoelectric plants and preventing any company in the world from selling oil to the Island.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on May 1 threatening sanctions against foreign entities operating in Cuba’s energy, defense, mining, and financial services sectors, in addition to the oil restrictions imposed in January, which have prolonged the blackouts that citizens had already been experiencing for several years throughout the country.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Regime Denies the Obvious by Rejecting Claims That It Yielded to “Yankee Pressure”

Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba “is living through the most difficult hours of this century, and we have the historic responsibility to save it.”

Díaz-Canel stressed that under the current circumstances, “it is time to change everything that needs to be changed in order to move forward.” / EFE

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, June 19, 2026 – Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denied on Thursday that the package of economic reforms recently approved on the Island is a response to pressure from the United States, asserting instead that it is a “sovereign” decision by his country.

“We are not doing this because of pressure from the Yankees, but because we have reached a moment of maturity and reflection,” Díaz-Canel emphasized in the speech that closed the extraordinary session of the National Assembly of People’s Power, where the measures were approved after receiving the green light from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba the day before.

Díaz-Canel maintained that “Cuba decides without any permission other than that of its people” and “sovereignly designs and proposes the changes it needs.” continue reading

Díaz-Canel maintained that “Cuba decides without any permission other than that of its people” and “sovereignly designs and proposes the changes it needs”

He also reiterated that his government is willing to discuss all possible issues with Washington “without hatred, but without fear,” adding that this willingness has been “historically proven.”

The president added that “Cuba is ready for a civilized and respectful relationship that benefits both peoples,” and said, “if they truly want to help the Cuban people, let them live.”

He also described the energy blockade and the latest U.S. sanctions against the island as a “barbaric, undeserved, and unbearable punishment,” worsened by what he called the United States’ “real, daily” financial persecution of his country.

On the same day, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that if the Cuban authorities make “smart decisions,” Washington could have “a much better relationship” with the Island.

Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba “is living through the most difficult hours of this century, and we have the historic responsibility to save it.” He also stressed that under the current circumstances, “it is time to change everything that needs to be changed in order to move forward.”

Regarding the package of measures, he said that “it had to be done anyway,” although he acknowledged that “it is not easy” because the changes will be implemented “under very complex conditions.”

Regarding the package of measures, he said that “it had to be done anyway,” although he acknowledged that “it is not easy” because the changes will be implemented “under very complex conditions”

The economic reforms first announced last Friday by Díaz-Canel include allowing “new actors” into the tourism sector, promoting foreign direct investment, and introducing changes intended to stimulate agriculture and foreign trade, while decentralizing decision-making in order to grant greater “autonomy” to state-owned enterprises and municipalities.

Since last January, the Trump administration of has imposed an oil blockade on the Island and has threatened to “take control” of Cuba to force economic and political changes. Cuba has responded that it will defend its sovereignty and has accused Washington of preparing a military action against it.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Dissident Academic Alina López Detained Again While Parliament Was Voting on Economic Reforms

The academic spent ten hours under arrest and will provide more details this Friday.

This Thursday marked two years since the protest that has left the academic awaiting trial. / Facebook

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, June 19, 2026 – Academic and dissident Alina Bárbara López Hernández was once again detained this Thursday in Matanzas during her customary peaceful protest held on the 18th of every month, according to a family source.

“Alina has just been detained in Parque de la Libertad while attempting to exercise her right to peaceful protest,” confirmed Cecilia Borroto López, the intellectual’s daughter, on social media.

Borroto also indicated that her mother was allegedly taken to a police station located in the Playa district of Matanzas.

Borroto also indicated that her mother was allegedly taken to a police station located in the Playa district of Matanzas

Later that night, Borroto reported on social media that the academic “was released after ten hours” and advised that on Friday she herself would provide more details about the detention.

Hours earlier, the historian, essayist, and editor had published a message on social media commenting on the package of economic reforms approved the previous day by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.

“They are trying to buy time. That is an old stratagem of the ruling group,” López commented, arguing that the proposals are “more or less the same” as those put forward but never implemented nineteen years ago, referring to the “Updating of the Cuban Economic and Social Model” promoted in 2007 by then-President Raúl Castro. At that time, the proposals were not known in such detail; the measures ultimately do involve economic changes, but not political ones.

“So much reform, and today they took away Alina Bárbara López Hernández under arrest. So much reform without releasing the political prisoners. So much reform, and repression continues. This is the real fraudulent change,” commented activist Adriana Ryukiyoi. continue reading

The academic has been detained several times in recent years for carrying out symbolic protests, and as a result of those actions she was sentenced at the end of 2023 to pay a fine for the offense of disobedience, which she refused to do.

The academic has been detained several times in recent years for carrying out symbolic protests, and as a result of those actions she was sentenced at the end of 2023 to pay a fine for the offense of disobedience, which she refused to do

She is also awaiting trial since late 2025 after prosecutors charged her with the alleged offenses of disobedience, contempt, and assault in connection with a detention that occurred exactly two years ago yesterday, on June 18, 2024. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of four years of corrective labor.

The events occurred when López and fellow academic and dissident Jenny Pantola, for whom prosecutors are seeking one year less of corrective labor, were traveling by taxi from Matanzas to Havana with the intention of participating in a protest event.

According to López, she asked about the legality of the detention and the reasons for it, to which a police officer responded with multiple acts of violence. Prosecutors, for their part, stated that it was López who struggled with and insulted the officers, and that the physical injuries alleged by both women “were not real.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The European Parliament Will Vote on Whether To Demand the Suspension of the Agreement With Cuba Due to the Lack of Democratic Progress

The proposal calls for the release of political prisoners, sanctions against Díaz-Canel, and guarantees for the return of exiles.

The absence of references to U.S. economic sanctions has prevented Social Democrats and Greens from joining the text. / EFE

EFE/14ymedio, Strasbourg, June 17, 2026 – The European Parliament will vote this Thursday on a resolution urging the European Union to suspend the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba if the regime does not adopt concrete and significant measures toward full multiparty democracy in the short term.

The proposal, promoted by center-right groups, currently has the support of the European People’s Party, the European Conservatives and Reformists, and the liberals of Renew Europe. Together, the three groups have 343 Members of the European Parliament, 18 fewer than needed to achieve an absolute majority.

The text calls for a specific plan for a political transition, the immediate and unconditional release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners, and guarantees that exiled Cubans may return to the Island without suffering reprisals.

It also condemns the systematic repression of the Cuban regime, calls for sanctions against Miguel Díaz-Canel, and argues that the only way out of the country’s suffering, poverty, and isolation is through profound political and economic change leading, without further delay, to a democratic transition.

“The European Parliament has the opportunity to deliver another slap, but a real and powerful one, to put an end to the Cuban tyranny”

The approval of the resolution will depend to a large extent on Patriots for Europe, which has submitted several amendments to strengthen the language against Havana. The group has tied its final support to the acceptance of those modifications.

“The European Parliament has the opportunity to deliver another slap, but a real and powerful one, to put an end to the Cuban tyranny,” Jorge Buxadé, head of Vox’s delegation in the European Parliament, told EFE.

Buxadé warned that his party would not accept the European People’s Party continue reading

once again “throwing itself into the arms of the progressives,” referring to possible negotiations with Social Democrats and Greens.

The absence of references to United States economic sanctions and restrictions on fuel supplies has prevented those two groups from joining the center-right text. Social Democrats and Greens have presented an alternative proposal that, in addition to denouncing repression and demanding the release of political prisoners, calls on Washington to end what they describe as “illegitimate practices” against Cuba.

The division over the role of the United States threatens to prevent a common position in the European Parliament

Social Democratic negotiator Leire Pajín stated that her group shares the condemnation of the political rights situation on the Island, the demand for economic and political reforms, and the call for respect for fundamental freedoms.

However, she argued that a resolution on Cuba’s severe humanitarian deterioration should include “all the reasons” that have contributed to the crisis.

Pajín mentioned the long-standing economic embargo and the recent measures by the Trump Administration against oil supplies to the Island, which, she said, have worsened blackouts and shortages of medicines and food.

The Socialist MEP also stressed that Washington’s measures have begun to directly affect European economic interests, after hotel chains such as Meliá Hotels International and Iberostar announced that they would cease operating some of their establishments in Cuba. “When that happens, we have to denounce the situation in all its elements from the beginning,” she maintained.

The division over the role of the United States thus threatens to prevent a common position in the European Parliament, despite the fact that the main groups agree in denouncing repression, calling for the release of political prisoners, and demanding profound reforms from the Cuban regime.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Communist Party Calls Plenum to Ratify Economic Reforms

The National Assembly will evaluate the new measures this Thursday.
Although the press, especially the international media, has largely accepted that narrative, most of the announcements made on Friday were laws and decrees that had already been published in the Official Gazette.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel at the closing session of the most recent Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. / Estudios Revolución

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, June 16, 2026 — The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) on Monday called an extraordinary plenary session of its Central Committee, to be held this Wednesday, to “evaluate” the package of economic reforms announced last Friday by President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The announcement, published on social media and in official media outlets, states that the initiative came from the Political Bureau, the PCC’s highest governing body and, in practice, the country’s top decision-making authority.

In practice, the plenary session is expected merely to confirm measures that were, for the most part, already anticipated, if not already approved.

In practice, the plenary session is expected merely to confirm measures that were, for the most part, already anticipated, if not already approved

On June 12, Díaz-Canel unexpectedly appeared on State media to unveil a group of reforms that include changes aimed at decentralizing authority and granting greater “autonomy” to State-owned enterprises and continue reading

municipalities.

Although the media, especially the international outlets, have portrayed the announcement as a significant shift, most of Friday’s measures were laws and decrees already published in the Official Gazette. These include the opening of exports without State intermediaries, approved in April; various forms of business partnerships, announced in March; and draft laws on agricultural land and housing, presented earlier this month.

Díaz-Canel also introduced some new proposals for which details remain unavailable, including changes to the real estate business and the tourism sector. According to the president, the reforms will allow different forms of management and seek out “new modalities” and “new actors.”

He also spoke of the possibility of reducing the list of activities prohibited to the private sector. However, he stopped short of saying that prohibited activities would disappear entirely, stating instead that the scope of permitted business activities would be “as broad as possible” and that opportunities for equity participation would be expanded.

Díaz-Canel further appealed to Cuban emigrants to invest in the country, despite the fact that the government has spent years promoting such investments, including through conferences aimed at entrepreneurs interested in cooperating with the regime.

Díaz-Canel further appealed to Cuban emigrants to invest in the country, despite the fact that the government has spent years promoting such investments, including through conferences aimed at entrepreneurs interested in cooperating with the regime.

At the time, Díaz-Canel said the reform package would be ratified in the coming weeks by the PCC’s Political Bureau.

As is customary in Cuba, once the measures receive approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a key political body in the country, they will then be submitted to the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), where proposals are typically approved unanimously.

Abroad, the reforms have been interpreted as an unprecedented opening prompted by pressure from the United States. However, most Cuban analysts and media observers note that nearly all of the measures are decisions that were already underway, already in force, or anticipated in previous meetings of the country’s leadership.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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