Category: Translator: GH

As Cuba Crumbles, Díaz-Canel Showers Fidel Castro with Praise

Raúl Castro attended the tribute, seated in the audience next to his brother’s widow, Dalia Soto del Valle

Dalia Soto del Valle, widow of Fidel Castro, next to Raúl Castro, at Thursday’s event in Havana marking the centenary of the birth of the leader of the Cuban Revolution. / Screenshot/Presidency of the Republic

14ymedio bigger 14ymedio/EFE, Madrid, August 14, 2026 / Cuba marked the centenary of Fidel Castro’s birth (1926-2016) this Thursday with a political-cultural spectacle at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, attended by his brother and former president Raúl Castro (2008-2018), his widow Dalia Soto del Valle, and other relatives of the leader of the Cuban Revolution.

Raúl Castro, retired from his official posts and currently the “leader at the helm of the Cuban revolution,” according to official terminology, was accompanied by President Miguel Díaz-Canel and senior representatives of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, the only legal party), the government, and relatives of both brothers.

At the cultural event, headlined by the Cuban children’s theater company La Colmenita, which presented a journey in images and songs through the life of the man who was president of the Caribbean country for nearly half a century, Díaz-Canel spoke to highlight the figure of Fidel Castro, saying he dedicated his life “to fighting for every just cause.”

The president noted that Castro “lives forever” as a “warrior, rebel, and righteous man of Humanity”

The president noted that Castro “lives forever” as a “warrior, rebel, and righteous man of Humanity,” and that Cuba can count on his legacy of “independence, revolution, and the values and achievements that socialism represents.”

On these premises, he said, “we are undertaking a process of economic and social transformations,” referring to the package of 176 reforms approved this past June, aimed at liberalizing and decentralizing the economy of the island, which has been mired in a deep crisis for more than six years.

Díaz-Canel once again attacked the United States government, accusing it of being a “fascist regime” that is “intensifying” its continue reading

actions against the Caribbean nation with a “brutal and immoral imperial blockade that seeks the extermination of our people.”

The event also marked the closing of the First International Colloquium Fidel: Legacy and Future, which had been underway since this past Monday at the Convention Palace in the capital and was attended by more than 1,000 national and international delegates.

“With tremendous wisdom” and with “that experience, that persistence, and the discipline and his fight for freedom,” Castro said, reaffirming how he remembered his father.

During the opening yesterday of a collective photography exhibition in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución, which brought together about 30 portraits of the different moments when Fidel Castro was present at that site, one of his sons, Alex Castro, said this Thursday that his father “always had the wisdom to face difficulties” and “an answer in mind,” when asked how he would have reacted to the crisis the island is suffering and to the strong pressure from the US to push for political and economic change in the Caribbean country.

“With tremendous wisdom” and with “that experience, that persistence, and the discipline and his fight for freedom,” Castro said, reaffirming how he remembered his father. Miguel Díaz-Canel attended the exhibition, which was part of the centenary commemoration, along with other representatives of the government and the Communist Party of Cuba. Díaz-Canel stated that Castro “embodies the values and ideas that today sustain” the Cuban people and described this day as one of those on which “very particularly in Cuba we feel that Fidel is a country.”

The exhibition also featured photographs by Liborio Noval, Roberto Chile, Raúl Corrales, Jorge Oller, Raúl Abreu, Juvenal Balán, and Gilberto Rabassa, who shared their experiences working with Fidel Castro. “Fidel was very photogenic, and really his look, his history, his figure, his physique (…) helped him come out well in every photograph,” Chile told EFE. For some 25 years, he accompanied, through film and photography, the man who was one of the best-known and most controversial political figures of the twentieth century.

Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party considered that the legacy of the leader of the Cuban Revolution “remains alive”

For her part, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, installed by the United States following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in early January, highlighted Fidel Castro’s “commitment to dignity, social justice, sovereignty, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

“President Fidel Castro is among the leaders who transcend time and remain in the collective memory,” Rodríguez said in a message posted on Telegram. She also said Castro was a “man of integrity” who set a standard for the “free peoples of the world.” Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV) considered that the legacy of the leader of the Cuban Revolution “remains alive.”

This week on the island has been marked by various activities centered on the figure of Fidel Castro, and the presidents of countries such as Russia, China, and Brazil sent letters to the Cuban government to mark the occasion.

Sandinistas in Nicaragua also marked the occasion, fittingly, in front of the new monument installed in Managua in memory of Fidel Castro.

Public employees, members of the military and police, and members of the Sandinista youth gathered on “From Bolívar to Chávez” Avenue, where the enormous metal sculpture was installed, bringing Cuban flags and bouquets of flowers to pay tribute to Fidel Castro on the centenary of his birth.

“Here lives Fidel, in his people and in our peoples and in this America of ours, of burning suns, of intense souls, of brave human beings”

“Here lives Fidel, in his people and in our peoples and in this America of ours, of burning suns, of intense souls, of brave human beings, who thrill to the splendor of our loftiest ideals, feelings, and fight for justice, for real truth, for the peace that demands, that calls for dignity,” Nicaragua’s co-president, Rosario Murillo, said through official media.

For her part, the mayor of Managua, Sandinista Reyna Rueda, said that “Comandante Fidel remains that beacon of inspiration for all of us as militants, as revolutionaries, inspiring us to keep strengthening our peace and our deep sense of being Nicaraguan.”

Murillo, wife of co-president Daniel Ortega, lashed out on Tuesday at those who criticize the sculpture her government installed in honor of Castro to mark the centenary of the birth of the leader of the Cuban Revolution (1926-2016), calling them “traitors and cowards” who “always show signs of deep darkness, of wickedness and malice.”

This week on the island has been marked by various activities centered on the figure of Fidel Castro

This week on the island has been marked by various activities centered on the figure of Fidel Castro, and during the day on Thursday, the centenary of his birth prompted tributes to him from countries such as Russia.

Hundreds of Russians gathered today in front of the statue of the leader of the Cuban revolution in Moscow, where the leader of the Communist Party of Russia (CPRF), Yevgeny Ziuganov, said that “Fidel Castro is a model and an example to follow (…) in these difficult times, in order to achieve victory over the most evil forces in history.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent letters earlier this week to Raúl Castro and Díaz-Canel, in which he described Fidel Castro as “a symbol of freedom, justice, and patriotism, both for Cubans themselves and for millions of people in different countries around the world.”

For his part, Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, also sent a congratulatory message to the island for the centenary of Castro’s birth, in which he highlighted his role “in laying the foundation for and driving forward” bilateral relations, which, he said, “have become a benchmark for cooperation between socialist countries.”

Likewise, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva thanked Fidel Castro the day before for “the encouragement” he gave to his political career and expressed hope that “fraternity and justice will persist amid adversity” for the people of Cuba, in a message sent to Havana through the intellectual and theologian Frei Betto.

Translated by GH

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Anna Bensi: “The Goal of the Trial Is To Intimidate Everyone Who Raises Their Voice in Cuba”

“Those police officers who showed up at my door didn’t look like police, they looked like criminals”

Anna Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente. / Facebook/Elmis Rivero Silvente

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Madrid, August 14, 2026 / Influencer and activist Anna Sofía Benítez, known as Anna Bensi, began by posting on social media like just another content creator, with videos of humor, music, and everyday situations from her life. But as she began using those same platforms to describe what was happening around her and to denounce the problems and abuses she experienced in Cuba, pressure from State Security also began. To each episode of surveillance, interrogation, restrictions, or internet cuts, Bensi responded by doing the same thing she had started doing on social media: reporting it publicly and denouncing it. That escalating repression, she recalls in an interview with 14ymedio, eventually reached her mother as well.

Now both will have to face a criminal proceeding for distributing a video recorded at the entrance to their home this past March. The case had been shelved in April, but was reopened months later following a complaint filed by a police officer who claims to have felt offended. In conversation with this newspaper, haltingly, through audio messages, Bensi speaks from Havana about the trial, the repression she has suffered since she began raising her voice, and her decision to keep speaking out: “They’re not going to silence me.”

Question. The case against you and your mother had been shelved in April, and now the court has confirmed you will be brought to trial. How did you receive the news?

Answer. On Monday, July 6, two people from the court came to my house to inform my mom and me that they were going to open a criminal proceeding on the same charge that had continue reading

already been shelved in April. Our lawyer filed a petition to have the police officer’s complaint declared inadmissible – the officer who felt offended by the post I made in March.

Supposedly, they shelved the case in April because the police officer who considers himself offended didn’t have a lawyer to represent him, and now he does.

But since we know how things work here in Cuba, that step was practically just to buy time, because the court always follows whatever State Security orders. Obviously, they weren’t going to reject the complaint. In the end, the court decided to deny our lawyer’s petition and move forward with the process to bring us to trial.

Question. What explanation have they given you for reopening a case that had been shelved?

Answer. Supposedly, they shelved the case in April because the police officer who considers himself offended didn’t have a lawyer to represent him, and now he does. That’s the explanation they give.

But the real explanation is that this was something they had on hand and could pull out at any time. My mom and I obviously
knew that. So far, the only thing we know is that they are indeed going to bring us to trial, but there’s still no official date.

Question. The accusation is related to Article 393 of the Cuban Criminal Code, which covers “acts against personal and family privacy, a person’s own image and voice, and another person’s identity and data.” On March 10, you decided to record the officer’s arrival and publish the footage as a protective measure. If you could go back to that moment today, would you take out your phone to record it again?

Answer. Of course, I would do everything exactly the same again. I don’t regret anything at all, because I haven’t committed any crime. My statement remains the same. I posted the video on social media for my own safety and my mom’s. Honestly, when those police officers showed up at my door, they didn’t look like police officers, they looked like criminals.

I never referred to him specifically in the video, nor did I incite anyone to do anything. What other people may say about it is not my responsibility.

When we hold views that go against what the dictatorship likes, Cubans lack the favor and goodwill of the authorities. That’s why I had to expose all the repression a person suffers. Besides, the initial reason behind what those police officers brought was never even stated.

The reality is that I simply posted the video on social media to leave a record of what had happened at that moment. And if the officer felt offended by the comments and posts other people may have made, that’s no longer my problem.

I never referred to him specifically in the video, nor did I incite anyone to do anything. What other people may say about it is not my responsibility.

Question. How is your mother experiencing this whole process? Has it changed the relationship between you two, or the way you deal with pressure from the authorities?

Answer. My mom is a brave woman. She has supported me every step of the way from the very beginning. I imagine that, as a mother, she must have her worries about this whole process, but she’s also confident that we’ll come out of all this as well as possible, with God’s help. She’s standing firm, just like I am.

Question. Since March, you have both been subject to measures restricting your movement. What is your daily life like now?

Answer. The truth is, we’ve never been ones to go out much, but it’s not the same to stay home by our own choice as it is to be forced to limit ourselves by an order, especially when that order is unjust.

I haven’t been able to work anymore since State Security caused me to lose my old job.

We try not to let this whole situation affect us too much, but we’re always aware of the surveillance State Security keeps on us with every move we make.

I haven’t been able to work anymore since State Security caused me to lose my old job [at a privately run beauty salon]. Thank God, my sister who lives in the United States helps us with household expenses.

But it means living constantly with internet cuts, knowing our phones are tapped, that they listen to our calls and read our messages. Many times we’re left completely cut off.

We’re under surveillance at the house, especially around dates they don’t like, dates the dictatorship doesn’t want marked. They call the landline at the house. Sometimes they stay silent and all you can hear is breathing. Other times they identify themselves as State Security and can call at any hour.

All of this is meant to destabilize my mom and me and send a message of pressure, to let us know they’re in control.

Question. What worries you most about the trial? A possible conviction, the consequences for your freedom, or what might happen during and after the process?

Answer. Obviously we’re worried about what might come of the trial, because nothing is clear. We know that everything being done has ulterior motives. It’s an unjust process in which they’re going to look for every possible way to make it even more unjust.
What we’re really being judged for is the way we think, not the alleged crime they claim. But we don’t know what will happen that day.

What we’re really being judged for is the way we think, not the alleged crime they claim. But we don’t know what will happen that day.

Question. What do you think the Cuban regime is trying to achieve by taking this case to the courts? Do you think they want to silence you?

Answer. I started raising my voice here in Cuba since last September, and now I’m even more resolute; I’ve never once thought about staying quiet, because I haven’t done anything wrong. All I’ve done is express myself.

What’s happening is that my convictions don’t suit the Cuban dictatorship, but that’s not going to stop me. Here in Cuba we all know there’s no separation of powers. The court answers to whatever suits the dictatorship. The courts are just another arm of the dictatorship’s repressive apparatus, and I’m obviously one hundred percent certain that all of this is one more strategy to intimidate everyone who raises their voice – in this case, my mom and me.

They have a clear target, because my voice already bothers them, it makes noise for them, and they’ve made that very clear in the interrogations they’ve put me through. Since that hasn’t worked for them, they keep raising the level of repression, to see how long it takes before one gives in and they get what they want. In this case, to silence me.

Question. How important is it to you that other governments and organizations are following what’s happening to you?

Answer. I’m honestly so grateful to every media outlet that wants to give visibility to my case and my mom’s. That’s how people find out how the dictatorship operates.

It’s very important that they feel the pressure of the international press when they know what they’re committing is an injustice.

It’s very important that they feel the pressure of the international press when they know what they’re committing is an injustice. And I don’t say that just for myself, but also for all the cases of people who suffer repression in Cuba for raising their voice, and even more so for political prisoners.

Question. What would you say to a young Cuban who is thinking about starting to publicly denounce what’s happening in the country, and who sees your case now and is afraid?

Answer. Since I started this whole process, to everyone who comes up to me and says they want to raise their voice and speak their mind freely, I give them my support, but they also need to be advised.

I tell them to put their cards on the table and look at everything they could lose by staying true to their convictions. If that person is willing, then go ahead and do it.

And I also tell them to do it well, with wisdom, with strategy, and to always speak with respect. I say with strategy because we know we have to be careful. When you raise your voice in Cuba, it’s like being on a tightrope with a hundred crocodiles drooling below, waiting for the slightest slip of balance to devour you and leave nothing behind.

And another thing I always say is that, if you’re going to do it, do it without expecting anything in return.

Translated by GH.
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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuban Volleyball Players Noslen Díaz and Jorge Alayo Signed by Sporting Lisbon

Both athletes had requested to leave official sports over nonpayment of more than $100,000 earned on international circuits

Cuba’s state sports apparatus lacked the mechanisms to get them the money earned through their sporting achievements. / Instagram

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Andy Lans, Matanzas, 13 August 2026 / In the summer of 2024, they thrilled all of Cuba by reaching the round of 16 in beach volleyball at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the summer of 2026, the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon presents them as brand-new signings for its indoor volleyball team. On a one-year contract and, as a source confirms to us, completely independent of the Cuban Volleyball Federation. That is, in short, the story of Noslen Díaz and Jorge Alayo, who seem bound by the same sporting destiny, whether on sand or on a hardwood court.

But what happened between 2024 and 2026? Unlike what happened with other promising Cuban beach volleyball pairs, Díaz and Alayo received greater opportunities to compete abroad. They played on major circuits, made more than one podium finish, reached ninth place at the 2025 Adelaide (Australia) World Championship, and made it into the world ranking’s Top 10. However, Cuba’s state sports apparatus lacked the mechanisms to get them the money earned through their sporting achievements.

According to the Facebook page CubanSp1ke, which specializes in Cuban volleyball, the debt had reached $107,000, and this was reportedly the main reason both athletes had already requested to leave Cuban sports back in February of this year.

“We’re in a new country, and if I had come alone, the emotional side might have weighed more heavily. With Noslen here, it’s easier”

In statements to Sporting Lisbon’s official website, the Villa Clara native and the Artemisa native affirmed a bond forged through spikes, blocks, and digs. Jorge Alayo said: “We’re in a new country, and if I had come alone, the emotional side might continue reading

have weighed more heavily. With Noslen here, it’s easier.” For his part, Noslen Díaz stated: “We’re still together in this new stage of our lives, and that’s fundamental. Each of us has support to count on.”

Thanks to his finishing ability and skill at blocking, Jorge Alayo, 25 years old and standing over 1.90 meters, will be moved to the opposite hitter position. Meanwhile, Noslen Díaz, 23 years old and 2.07 meters tall, will take on the outside hitter position, aiming to give the team offensive and defensive balance.

“Our program is very attractive both nationally and internationally, and this was an opportunity with two extraordinary, very young beach volleyball players who wanted to make the jump to indoor volleyball”

Joao Fidalgo, coordinator of Sporting’s volleyball program, explained the recent signings: “These signings are somewhat different from the usual ones, and we acknowledge that, but we’re also alert to every possibility the market offers us. Our program is very attractive both nationally and internationally, and this was an opportunity with two extraordinary, very young beach volleyball players who wanted to make the jump to indoor volleyball. When we learned of this, Sporting moved quickly to understand the conditions that would make it possible. We analyzed in detail the type of transition for each of them, and we’re very excited about both of their arrivals. We firmly believe this path will be best for both parties.”

Throughout its history, Sporting Lisbon has established itself as one of Portugal’s most important sports institutions. Its volleyball team is the current national champion, and its soccer and handball teams, to name just a couple of examples, are also of the highest caliber.

Translated by GH

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuban Baseball: Camagüey’s Toros Offering Some Ballplayers Salaries of $800 a Month

That’s the case of Rubén Valdés, who played in Mexico; athletes recruited from the provinces will be paid $100, almost 20 times what a National Series player earns

Rubén Valdés played last season with the Indios de Múzquiz of Mexico’s Liga Norte de Coahuila.

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, August 13, 2026 / The Camagüey team is offering some of its ballplayers salaries in dollars. According to the Facebook page Los Toros de Camagüey, Rubén Valdés “will be paid $800 a month plus bonus packages,” a fortune compared with the less than $6 a month a National Series athlete earns on average.

Valdés, who played last season with the Indios de Múzquiz of Mexico’s Liga Norte de Coahuila, confirmed his move to the team to the sports outlet Los Tigres Avileños Béisbol. However, he said the salary matter is personal. “There are things that sometimes don’t get talked about, and this is one of them. Right now all we have to do is play,” he said.

The Ciego de Ávila native said the money side is a matter for the club’s management, “they’re the ones who know, and they have the proposals to get the team to the playoffs.” In the same conversation, he said he had had talks with the Tigres, but the club’s management ruled him out “because of his age.” The reality, according to the player, is that “they were upset that he wasn’t part of the team for the now-concluded Liga Élite.”

Besides Valdés’s salary, the club is guaranteeing payments of $100 a month to players from other provinces joining for the National Series. An uncle of Kelbis Rodríguez confirmed his arrival at the Toros to the Facebook page Desde Las Gradas Con Andino.

Speaking to the specialized outlet Swing Completo, some athletes, whose names it withheld, confirmed the $100 salaries

Speaking to the specialized outlet Swing Completo, some athletes, whose names it withheld, confirmed the $100 salaries, though it noted that “the source of the investment is uncertain, but continue reading

the money for this project appears to be secured.”

Other names set to receive the attractive salary include Yasmani Velázquez (Guantánamo), Yonathan Martínez, Luis Miguel Vázquez, and Albert Valladares (of Mayabeque), Fernando Betanzo Jr. (Sancti Spíritus), and Leodan King Reyes (Pinar del Río). The arrival of Henry Quintero is also mentioned.

The reality is that Cuba remains one of the countries with the lowest minimum wage in the world, despite the increase published in the Official Gazette in recent months.

Elite athletes will receive 5,590 pesos (less than $10 a month) if they reach the rank of Olympic medalist. Anyone who wins a world medal will earn 4,845 pesos ($8), Pan American Games winners will be given 4,475 pesos ($7.50), and a Central American Games medal brings 4,095 pesos ($6.90). Meanwhile, players on the National Pre-Selection and National Series will be paid 3,725 pesos ($6.20), while reserves will receive 3,210 pesos ($5.40).

Translated by GH

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Petro Returns from Cuba with an Openly Coup-Mongering Speech

The outgoing president refuses to recognize Abelardo de la Espriella’s victory, encourages “resistance,” and erodes the legitimacy of the presidential handover

Colombia’s outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, in a file photograph. / EFE/Carlos Ortega

14ymedio bigger 14ymedio, Clara Riveros, Bogota, August 7, 2026 / Gustavo Petro closed out his international agenda as president and head of state of Colombia with a visit to Cuba. That trip brought his total to 85 international trips. He was in Cuba for barely 48 hours – a trip with no apparent relevance for Colombia, but one that will hold some significance for the Colombian politician given the regard he holds for the Castro regime.

This Friday, August 7, President Abelardo de la Espriella takes office, with a foreign-policy program markedly different from the one carried out by the Historic Pact, Petro’s political movement, which prioritized the Colombian president’s ideological affinities, even at the expense of the country’s traditional diplomatic interests and guidelines. Among the new government’s foreign-policy announcements, it stands out that it will break relations with the dictatorships of Cuba and Nicaragua and will repair the damage Petro inflicted on the bilateral relationship with Israel.

In the twilight of his term, the outgoing president remains convinced that he plays a leadership role in what progressivism calls the Global South. Hence his call to fraternize with the Havana regime when he urges that “humanity show solidarity with Cuba.” Petro’s has not been a call for solidarity with the Cuban people, who suffer poverty and repression and who are demanding change, openness, rights, and freedoms – the kind of call Yotuel made on Saturday night in Bogota during the 7th Concert of Hope. Hollman Morris must have taken little pleasure in that dose of reality from the Orishas vocalist. Morris is the widely questioned manager of the Public Media System, which has been turned into a propaganda apparatus for the Historic Pact and, further still, into a conveyor belt for the populisms and autocracies aligned with it.

The soon-to-be former president of Colombia is addressing his base with the aim of keeping the spark alive and generating chaos, “civil disobedience,” and insurrection once he leaves power

Petro also said from Havana that he had asked the Trump Administration to “respect the diversity of peoples” and that “by coming here I’m getting myself into trouble,” a reference to his inclusion, since 2025, on the list of those sanctioned by the United States. Since returning from Cuba, the Colombian president has kept up a tone even more inflammatory and continue reading

authoritarian than the one he had struck in recent weeks and throughout the election process.

Petro never acknowledged Abelardo de la Espriella’s victory and continues to declare his own candidate, Ivan Cepeda, the winner – a man who has been unable to break from his boss and who has named him leader of the opposition. Petro is stirring up delirious accusations of fraud, all of them theories and speculation with no foundation whatsoever.

The soon-to-be former president of Colombia is addressing his base with the aim of keeping the spark alive and generating chaos, “civil disobedience,” and insurrection once he leaves power. On Tuesday night, Petro openly refused to recognize the president-elect while addressing his supporters in a public square. It can be inferred from his words that he is urging them to form a kind of Chavista-style militia – that is, paramilitary groups – to defend his legacy and to refuse to recognize the new government.

The president’s words have been rejected by public opinion, though not by his fellow party members and militant intellectuals. “How long will the effects of that fraud last? They’re already saying, in Marco Rubio’s offices, ‘Abelardo the brief’ – they already sense that he won’t even last the full four-year term, that the Colombian people will force him to resign,” Petro declared. His crowd then chanted in response: “Cepeda for president. Resistance.”

“Petro is a coup-monger. He’s no longer just talking about fraud and refusing to recognize the president-elect – now he’s openly calling for him to be removed from power before his term even ends”

Santiago Velez, a columnist for El Espectador, noted on X this week that despite governing badly, lying, and improvising, Petro “completely dominates the public conversation” – proof of this being that nine of the ten most-liked tweets in Colombia over the past 30 days are his. Following the president’s inflammatory remarks, Velez stated in a couple of tweets that “Petro is a coup-monger. He’s no longer just talking about fraud and refusing to recognize the president-elect – now he’s openly calling for him to be removed from power before his term even ends. He is practically calling for a coup d’etat. That cannot be normalized.”

In another tweet he expanded on his observation: “Petro calling for the formation of paramilitary groups and calling for the president-elect to be brought down doesn’t surprise me. After all, he has always been an insurgent who took up arms against the State and never stopped holding legality and institutions in contempt. What is truly terrifying, to paraphrase Martin Luther King, is not the shouting of bad people, but the silence of good ones: the silence of so many important, educated, influential, and supposedly institutional people who today prefer to say nothing. In two days Petro has called for the formation of paramilitary groups and for a coup d’etat. And I am not exaggerating,” the lawyer stated.

This state of tension and uncertainty toward which the outgoing president is pushing the country – unprecedented until now in the recent history of Colombian politics – no longer merely reflects a bad loser and an antidemocratic politician, but confirms the enormous damage Gustavo Petro has caused to the dignity of the office he holds, in addition to using that position to damage and erode trust in institutions, as well as the forms, customs, and practices governing the transfer of political power in Colombia – practices that, until his arrival at the Casa de Narino, had been respected regardless of the sitting president’s political and ideological leanings.

The widespread suspicion is that Petro does not act this way because he genuinely believes all the outlandish claims he makes, without evidence or any real basis, but because he needs to distract from and downplay the multiple corruption scandals that have erupted around him in recent months, adding to those that have been piling up since he took office.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

New US Sanctions Against Those Who ‘Facilitate Arms Shipments to the Cuban Regime’

The State Department penalizes five entities and eight senior Cuban officials, including the Minister of the Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera

The Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, Álvaro López Miera, in a file photograph. Luong Thai Linh / EFE/EPA/Luong Thai Linh

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 7, 2026 / Two weeks later, following the last wave, the United States has once again announced sanctions against five state entities and eight senior Cuban officials, including the Minister of the Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera. Those affected are accused of facilitating military cooperation with adversaries of Washington and the acquisition of weaponry destined for the island’s Army.

“Today, the Trump Administration is taking new measures to protect our national security by imposing sanctions on entities and individuals that facilitate Havana’s military relations and arms shipments to the Cuban regime,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement this Thursday.

These new sanctions are another turn of the screw in the US government’s pressure to force economic and political change on the island, and are directed against the company Tecnoimport, the commercial company Duna S.A., the Military Industry Union (UIM), and the military-industrial company Yuri Gagarin. Also included on this list is the Cuban Export-Import Company for Specialized Services, Articles and Technical Products (Tecnotex), a subsidiary of the military-business conglomerate Gaesa, previously sanctioned and a primary US target.

Among the officials are, in addition to the Minister of the Cuban Armed Forces, the Chief of the General Staff, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, the head of Foreign Relations for that ministry, José Antonio Remón Rodríguez, and its economic director, Oscar Enrique Biosca Gallego. Also included are the Cuban military attachés in Russia, Mónica Milián Gómez, and in China, Waldo Pérez Cortés, as well as the directors general of the UIM, Roberto Jesús Viciana Mousset, and of Tecnoimport, Heriberto Sánchez Alleyne.

Also included are the Cuban military attachés in Russia, Mónica Milián Gómez, and in China, Waldo Pérez Cortés, as well as the directors general of the UIM, Roberto Jesús Viciana Mousset, and of Tecnoimport, Heriberto Sánchez Alleyne

Rubio insisted that “the Cuban communist regime is a state sponsor of terrorism that uses its military and intelligence apparatus to spy on the United States,” in addition to “serving as a platform” for adversaries of Washington “such as continue reading

Russia, China, and Iran to carry out operations against the country.”

The designation comes in the same week that several US media outlets have reported an increase in CIA operations on the island, presumably aimed at updating their information on the capabilities of the Cuban Army, as well as creating friction within the leadership to force a revolt of pragmatists against hardliners.

The Secretary of State added that “Cuba’s military and intelligence institutions are also the main instruments of internal repression and hubs of kleptocracy, primarily through Gaesa.”

The measure places the assets and property of the entities and individuals mentioned under US jurisdiction and prohibits transactions between US persons or institutions and them. Minister López Miera had  already been sanctioned since 2021 – for the repression of July 11 – under the Magnitsky Act, which allows Washington to freeze financial assets and ban travel for those who violate human rights in any country in the world. Now, the sanctions fall under Trump’s order establishing the secondary route, also affecting those who facilitate transactions with those sanctioned.

Washington’s siege against the island’s political and economic leadership has increased to unprecedented levels to directly strike even the family circle of the regime’s leaders. Among the most prominent names to be added to this Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) are Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife, Lis Cuesta Pedraza, and his stepson, Manuel Anido Cuesta.

Also included are most of the visible – and not so visible – figures of the Castro clan, beginning with former president Raúl himself, and continuing with all his children, Mariela, Alejandro, Déborah, and Nilsa Castro Espín, as well as his grandson Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, specifically designated, in contrast to the exceptional situation of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, El Cangrejo, who is spared despite being a visible figure – or, precisely, because of it, since he is an interlocutor with Washington -. The rest of the grandchildren simply inherit their parents’ visa restrictions.

In addition to individuals, the battery of sanctions focuses on the Gaesa military conglomerate and any other entity serving as a front for it. Also targeted are several ministries, especially the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and other support bodies, such as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

In Havana, which has already accumulated many “black Thursdays,” they did not even bother to react this time

In Havana, which has already accumulated many “black Thursdays,” they did not even bother to react this time. Although the activity of its senior officials was significant on social media yesterday, there were no statements on the matter, and they focused instead on highlighting the condemnation of the previous US sanctions issued by several UN rapporteurs.

The rapporteurs – independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council for specific issues – stated that  the measures adopted by the United States are “an attempt to alter the constitutional order of a sovereign state through threats and coercion” and urged the Security Council and the General Assembly to “urgently address these threats as a matter of international peace and security.”

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez thanked the experts for their statement, as did his deputy, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, but they remain silent on the extension of the sanctions. Which will probably not be the last.

Translated by GH

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

The Cuban Government Eases Vehicle Imports, Especially Electric Ones

High-end cars will pay a 35% tax, standard combustion cars 25%, while hybrids will be charged 15% and electric vehicles 5%

Although it is possible to own as many vehicles as one wishes, there will be temporary limits on acquisition through import.

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 5, 2026 / Private individuals will be able to manufacture or assemble vehicles under the new regulations for the sector, published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette and explained to the official press by the minister in charge, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila. The package includes two sets of rules – with several decrees and resolutions – that ease the import and sale of these products, establish tax exemptions for those that run on renewable energy, and regulate transfers of ownership with the aim of renewing Cuba’s aging vehicle fleet and promoting the energy transition.

Despite the many liberalizations, there is one restriction to keep in mind: non-resident foreigners will not be able to buy vehicles in Cuba. Those who hold temporary, real-estate-based, or humanitarian residency will be able to do so, as will private, state, and foreign companies.

Although it is possible to own as many vehicles as one wishes, there will be temporary limits on acquisition through import. In the case of electric cars, only one is allowed per lifetime, while for electric motorcycles or mopeds the limit is two as unaccompanied baggage and one if sent as a shipment. For combustion or hybrid motorcycles and tricycles, the cap is one every five years, and for light trailers, one unit per trip or shipment.

For combustion or hybrid motorcycles and tricycles, the cap is one every five years, and for light trailers, one unit per trip or shipment

Another change applies to those posted abroad. Doctors, diplomats, aid workers, and other state employees who must spend more than two years outside the island may buy a vehicle of any type, with up to eight seats, one time only.

Another new feature concerns the transfer or sale of vehicles between private individuals, including transactions from individuals to private companies or vice versa. These transactions are permitted but must be properly formalized, which includes registration before a notary and payment through the bank – in any authorized form – in either foreign or national currency. Cash is completely excluded as a method of payment, in a country that largely continues to operate outside the banking system. continue reading

Among the notable points in this section is the creation of a legal avenue for acquiring the vehicle of an emigrant who had not completed the transfer of ownership on the island. Until now, the cars of people who left the country were left at the mercy of the State, which could confiscate them if the owner had not formally transferred them beforehand. Now, a special provision opens a path for family members or other interested parties to regularize the situation through a proxy or, in the event of death, in accordance with inheritance law.

On the tax side, there are also new provisions to encourage vehicles that do not require diesel, in addition to a full tariff exemption for electric cars. Luxury or high-end automobiles (both combustion and hybrid) will carry the highest import rate, at 35% of the sale price, followed by standard combustion vehicles (cars, pickup trucks) at 25% and heavy combustion or two-wheeled vehicles at 20%. By contrast, the lowest taxes are reserved for the more sustainable options: 15% for hybrids, 5% for imported electric vehicles, and 3% for electric vehicles assembled locally on the island.

Another extensive section covers public transportation. To facilitate the import of vehicles intended for mass transit, a 12% rate applies to combustion buses and minibuses – compared with the 35% or 25% for cars – which drops, if assembled in Cuba, to 7% or 5% for hybrids and electric vehicles.

According to the official press, in the first half of 2026, 35,494 motor vehicles were sold on the island, 65% of which were combustion-powered

Additionally, the minister noted that the Public Transportation Development Fund remains in place, funded by special taxes on vehicle sales, through which several major acquisitions have been made to date. These include 15 electric hearses for Havana, a catamaran for Isla de la Juventud, 300 electric tricycles for passengers and health care workers, 110 minibuses for bus routes, 20 buses for the National Bus Company (Empresa de Ómnibus Nacionales), and ten for Vía Azul, as well as electric vehicles for transporting hemodialysis patients, bicycles, trucks, and others.

According to the official press, in the first half of 2026, 35,494 motor vehicles were sold on the island, 65% of which were combustion-powered, 5% hybrid, and 30% electric. Moreover, 70% of them were mopeds, motorcycles, and tricycles, making clear the predominance of this type of vehicle.

As for imports, data from the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council show that the value of sales from the U.S. rose to more than 148 million dollars through May. Now, according to figures from Minister Rodríguez Dávila, it is known that 41,963 motor vehicles have been brought to the island – without specifying from where, although it can be assumed that most came from the neighboring country and from China – as unaccompanied baggage or shipments, of which 19,443 are electric mopeds and motorcycles and 22,520 are the same but combustion-powered.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuba to Have Wholesale Markets for Products Sold by State and Private Companies

Neighborhood markets are also being created, which may be run by private operators, for the sale of 16 basic foodstuffs and five hygiene products

The new markets put an end to the state monopoly on wholesale trade. / 14ymedio

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 5, 2026 / The overwhelming shortages in Cuba’s markets have forced another novelty through which the Government is seeking to include private operators in a mixed trade model that puts an end to the state monopoly over bodegas and wholesale markets. The legislative package, published this past Tuesday in the Official Gazette, does not resolve the question of access to foreign currency and goods, and also creates an additional problem: the coexistence of two currencies in supply establishments.

Of the set of regulations, three are intended for the creation of the “neighborhood markets,” as these outlets will be known, for the sale of a series of basic necessity products listed in the law itself, namely powdered milk, ground meat, hamburger, chicken, sausage, eggs, vegetable oil, tomato puree, pasta, noodles, grains, rice, sugar, wheat flour, instant soup, coffee, detergent, soap, toilet paper, deodorant, and toothpaste.

The establishments will be state-owned commercial premises that until now have been empty or semi-empty and that will be put out to tender

The establishments will be state-owned commercial premises that until now have been empty or semi-empty and that will be put out to tender so that MSMEs, cooperatives, foreign investors, and self-employed workers can operate them. As an incentive, the private operator is exempt from paying rent during the first two years, and if they invest money in fitting out the property, that amount will be deducted from the percentage of profits they must contribute to the state owner.

The products sold at these markets will receive a 5% discount on the sales tax, in order to prevent prices from skyrocketing, something that has been happening in recent days precisely with oil, which last week was selling for around 3,000 pesos and is already being seen in some stores at double that price.

The monetary issue remains less clear. Neighborhood markets will operate in Cuban pesos, although electronic commerce is authorized, with payments from abroad in foreign currency. This would allow the Government to obtain foreign currency if relatives abroad continue reading

begin making use of online purchases with dollars, although it also deepens the gap that already exists between those who have access only to the national currency and the privileged few who do not depend solely on their salary or pension.

A side effect of this duality could be the tendency of the private merchant to set the product price – now that it is not capped – according to the informal dollar exchange rate, in order to be able to import as they have done until now.

In an attempt to prevent this, the Government has simultaneously created the wholesale market abasto.cu. Through these establishments, individuals and businesses will be able to buy wholesale in different formats. The Official Gazette defines these warehouses as an “area where sellers and buyers converge, maintaining commercial relationships with multiple transactions, under the principle of supply and demand,” one of the pillars of capitalism.

The Official Gazette defines these warehouses as an “area where sellers and buyers converge, maintaining commercial relationships with multiple transactions, under the principle of supply and demand”

The wholesale markets will be open primarily to companies, private operators, national and local producers, importers, marketers, and foreign investors. In addition, a membership system is being introduced that is very similar to the membership cards found in the large wholesale markets of any city in the world, with discounts for regular buyers and other benefits.

As with the neighborhood markets, these too will be able to operate in national and foreign currency, something that will also have repercussions for import possibilities. At a time when domestic production is at rock bottom, imports of these products from the US, which are exempt from the embargo, are almost the only option for filling the warehouses, especially since major shipping lines have ceased operations to Cuban ports because of sanctions from the State Department.

This limitation has resulted, according to two experts cited by Reuters, in the loss of 60% of maritime traffic for the island. However, for US exporters, who can take advantage of licenses for the sale of food, an opportunity is opening up.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Electrical System Linked From Pinar Del Río to Holguín, but the Blackout Has Already Reached More Than 50 Hours

Rain and electrical storms caused an oscillation that triggered the second collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) in less than 24 hours this Monday

An “oscillation” caused a new collapse of the system and wiped out the progress made during the day

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 4, 2026 / The National Electric System (SEN) has been linked since this morning from Pinar del Río to Holguín, with the three easternmost provinces still to be added. The reconnection, however, has not yet translated into power for the population, which is complaining on social media about blackouts lasting 50 to 72 hours in a row. This was the second total collapse of the SEN in less than 24 hours, and the seventh so far this year.

This morning, Cuba’s Electric Union said that unit 6 of the Diez de Octubre thermoelectric plant came online shortly after 8:20 a.m., contributing “to the recovery process.” The latest information from Havana indicates that 22 of the capital’s 26 substations were providing service. Only 38% of the population – 325,785 of the 862,732 customers – had power through the 108 recovered circuits, out of a total of 286. In addition, 40 of the city’s 45 hospitals have power, as do seven of the 18 pumping stations and main water supply sources.

The provincial Electric Company noted that “some users may continue to be affected even when their circuit has been restored, due to other causes. Of the restored circuits, 18 show effects from a generation deficit and seven from breakdowns.” This is the case at 14ymedio’s editorial office, where the blackout has already reached 40 hours. continue reading

The counterpoint is Santiago de Cuba, where four sectionalized circuits remain in service “to guarantee the electricity supply to vital centers by means of microsystems.”

The counterpoint is Santiago de Cuba, where four sectionalized circuits remain in service “to guarantee the electricity supply to vital centers by means of microsystems.”

Yadier Ruiz, director of the load dispatch office in Villa Clara, gave a provincial update at dawn this Tuesday. During the day, the priority would be to link the system through Cienfuegos. “If that is achieved,” he said before the reconnection, “the outlook should improve, increasing the availability of power in the province and the number of circuits in service,” he added, though he admitted that most of the population has remained in the dark since Sunday night, when the first collapse occurred.

“The Palmarito water pumping station in Santa Clara and all hospitals currently have electricity, except those located in Remedios and Caibarién, which are being sustained by their own generators. As of this report, Villa Clara had only 22 MW available and 16 lit circuits,” he said around 6:30 a.m.

The collapse of the SEN occurred Monday at 5:00 p.m., just a few hours after the slow recovery began from the collapse that occurred Sunday night. Official media reported that an “oscillation” caused a new disconnection of the system and wiped out the progress made during the day.

“In the process of restoring the SEN, the existing weather events caused damage to the grid, directly affecting the generating units that were online,” reported on social media the pro-government journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso.

Around 5:00 p.m., official media reported: “A new disconnection of the national electric system occurred a few minutes ago. Despite the progress made today, an oscillation caused the collapse.” Half an hour later, the Electric Union (UNE) reported that the reconnection protocol had begun. “We continue working intensively to reverse this situation and achieve the restoration of the system as soon as possible.”

Shortly after 5:00 p.m., rain and electrical storms caused an oscillation that knocked the Energás Boca de Jaruco units and one Santa Cruz del Norte unit out of the system

Félix Estrada, director of the load dispatch office of the Electric Union, appeared again on Canal Caribe at 8:00 p.m. to explain what had happened. The official said that shortly after 5:00 p.m., rain and electrical storms caused an oscillation that knocked the Energás Boca de Jaruco units and one Santa Cruz del Norte unit out of the system. At that point, the system had been linked from Pinar del Río to Cienfuegos, but it had to start over.

As the engineer spoke, unit 4 of Energás Boca de Jaruco and the transmission network substations of Diezmero, Naranjito, Melones, Cotorro, Regla and Guanabacoa were already generating power.

“We continue moving forward in restoring our Electric System, overcoming all kinds of difficulties, under a total energy blockade, with a great deal of effort and commitment,” wrote Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy on social media. “The speech is very positive, but the reality is very negative. Please, set aside your comfort and react. This country cannot go on like this,” a user replied to him.

The new collapse occurred while the SEN had still not recovered from the total blackout recorded this Sunday at 10:43 p.m. Throughout Monday, UNE worked to restore service through microsystems and the gradual incorporation of some power plants. Monday’s recovery was very limited. The priority remained ensuring service to hospitals, water pumping facilities and other centers considered essential.

Around 5:00 p.m., the electric company in Villa Clara reported that a failure occurred at the Hanabanilla hydroelectric plant and, as a result, “some of the circuits that had been restored, including those serving hospitals, were again left without electric service.”
Posts on social media announced that in Villa Clara, a breakdown had “left the Cardiocentro, the Celestino Hernández Oncology Hospital and the Santa Clara Military Hospital without service.”

In Matanzas there were also problems reaching the Faustino Pérez Hospital, which was resolved through a microsystem using the Guanábana batteries.

A failure occurred at the Hanabanilla hydroelectric plant and, as a result, “some of the circuits that had been restored, including those serving hospitals, were left without electric service”

At the time of the total disconnection, Havana had 23 substations online, benefiting 50% of the population and 38 hospitals.

For its part, the Cuban Telecommunications Company (Etecsa) reported interruptions in cell phone service following the breakdown of the generator that backs up one of the main mobile network centers. According to the company, the problems affect numbers beginning with the prefixes 52, 509, 598 and 599.

Expert Jorge Piñón, a researcher at the University of Texas, had told 14ymedio in advance that weather conditions could also affect the “islands” built with solar power. The weather service had reported cloud cover over much of Cuba, which, in the specialist’s view, highlighted “the structural challenge of solar energy without a storage system or transmission line system to distribute the electricity generated by renewables to consumers.”

With this new collapse of the SEN, the recovery process of the electric system will have to start over from scratch, prolonging the blackout affecting the entire country.

Translated by GH.
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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

In Mariel, Banking Is Rejected: “Here, Everything Is in Cash and in Large Bills or Dollars”

The official newspaper Escambray publishes a report on the systematic violation of the regulation in the free trade zone and across the rest of the country

Many private businesses display signs or QR codes for payment through the bank, but they try to avoid the regulation as much as possible. / 14ymedio

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 4, 2026 / Although Cuban legislation requires that payments in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) go through the banking system, so that accounts can be monitored according to international standards, reality is different. That is what a report published this Tuesday by the official Sancti Spíritus newspaper Escambray reveals, showing that none of the regulatory efforts aimed at eliminating cash are working on the island.

The article, the first in a series, draws on testimonies from private merchants and business owners who explain the failed push toward banking. Three years ago now, in August 2023, the authorities established – through Resolution 111/2023 – a set of rules limiting cash payments to 5,000 pesos and requiring all economic actors to take the necessary steps to be able to collect payment by transfer. Customers were free to choose how to pay, but sellers were obligated to accept whatever method they were told to.

The system has never worked the way the government intended. Cubans’ distrust of the banking system, and of putting their money – with its highly volatile value – in the hands of financial institutions, has been among the main causes. In addition, private businesses have needed cash to buy dollars on the black market, which are essential for importing goods and continuing to stock their businesses, and this has prevented money from recirculating: as a result, banks lack cash and customers cannot, in practice, withdraw what they have deposited. The country’s high inflation has made the situation worse.

“That business about payment by transfer being the law – only you believe that, reporter”

“I have three months’ salary trapped on my card, and I’m in debt,” a Cuban woman tells Escambray, showing the reporter 1,000 pesos and explaining that she hasn’t been able to withdraw any more. “I can’t even buy myself a snack with that,” says another woman who received the same amount despite having been waiting in line since 3 a.m. Although just a few days ago – in mid-July – the Central Bank of Cuba issued a new resolution eliminating the 5,000-peso limit, the consequences remain to be seen. “That business about payment by transfer being the law – only you believe that, reporter,” one of the interviewees snaps at the journalist. continue reading

The regulation, the reporter states bluntly, “is one of the most widely violated in Cuba.” Refusals to accept payment by transfer have been extensively documented by the press, both official and independent, including 14ymedio, but the scale of the problem is even greater than previously known. Some sellers, the article notes, have taken to charging a kind of toll for accepting bank payments, something the law expressly prohibits, but which the liberalization of prices – now that price caps have been eliminated – could help conceal.

“There’s no other option – right there in Mariel (Development Zone) everything is in cash and in large bills or dollars,” says one interviewee, who then adds, as his phone rings: “Look, I have to run, because this guy is going to give me cash in exchange for a transfer at 20 percent. Yesterday it was at 35.”

“There’s no other option – right there in Mariel (Development Zone) everything is in cash and in large bills or dollars”

The regulations governing the ZEDM are clear. Since its creation in 2013, the law has established that “concession holders and users open accounts at the banking institutions of their choice established in the Zone, through which they carry out the collections and payments arising from their operations.” There is additional legislation surrounding the obligations of those operating in the enclave, such as Resolutions 342/2021 and 117/2020. In principle, cash is intended only for very minor petty-cash transactions or consumer expenses by those working in the zone, never for wholesale buying and selling. Since the purpose of this zone was to encourage foreign investment – which has fallen far short of what was expected – traceability was meant to be the rule.

The reporter, who gathers a wide range of testimonies from merchants who claim they cannot accept transfers if they want to retain purchasing power afterward, visits, as part of her reporting, a fair in Sancti Spíritus where, she states, the law is enforced only under the threat of inspection. However, as soon as it’s possible, people try to evade it. “Take down the little sign (Transfers accepted), pal, you’re going to ruin business for us,” says the owner of a smoked-meat stand.

Eidy Rojas González, who runs a meat stand, says she has more than 800,000 pesos stuck in her card that she cannot withdraw, and that she even filed a complaint against the bank in Cabaiguán, though it agreed to give her 200,000 once it had the money. “I told them: ‘Can you give me a piece of paper so that when an inspector comes I can tell him: I, Eidy Rojas González, have all my money in the bank, I can’t accept a transfer’? But the bank couldn’t care less about that. In the countryside, nobody will sell you a pig that way,” she laments.

“Since January I’ve been registered with the bank and there’s no way they’ll give me a single peso. How exactly do they expect us to accept transfers?”

Another vendor says a woman complained because he wouldn’t accept transfers. “I told her: Can you read? Read this: ‘Two million and change.’ Since January I’ve been registered with the bank and there’s no way they’ll give me a single peso. How exactly do they expect us to accept transfers?”

The testimonies are numerous and reveal the harsh reality of the situation, though many questions remain unanswered: “How many businesses have been shut down, and how many owners have faced legal action? What do the banking compliance commissions do with the lists of violators? Why are bank deposits nearly bankrupt? Why do inspectors only act when there’s a complaint about a refusal to accept transfer payments? Will fines solve the cash payment problem?” the outlet asks. We’ll have to wait for the second installment of the series to find out the answer.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Popular Cuban Actress Paula Alí dies at 88

The winner of the 2026 National Television Award was one of the most beloved faces for several generations of Cubans

Television was the space that made Paula Alí especially close to the Cuban public. / Facebook/Paula Alí

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 3, 2026 / Cuban actress Paula Alí, one of the best-known and most beloved performers among audiences on the island and winner of the 2026 National Television Award, died this Monday at 88. The news was announced by the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac) through a statement.

The organization highlighted her extensive career in television, film, and theater, which began more than six decades ago. It added that the actress was capable of taking on “with equal skill dramatic characters of profound emotional intensity,” although it was in comedy where she left “an especially endearing mark,” thanks to “a professionalism, a naturalness, and a charisma” that set her apart.

Paula Andrea Alí Rivera was born on January 26, 1938, in Candelaria, in what is now Artemisa province. Her first artistic work came in 1959, when she began as a model and television extra. From then on she built a career that took her through the country’s leading stages and made her a familiar face for several generations of Cubans.

Her connection to theater included a stage at the Martí Theater, where she worked in the vernacular genre and bufo theater. In 1970 she joined Teatro Estudio, a company with which she maintained a relationship for decades. She also took part in productions by El Público, directed by Carlos Díaz, in which she starred in La Celestina. continue reading

She was also fondly remembered for the character of Dr. Rosa Matriz in the comedy program ‘Punto G,’ one of the roles that cemented her popularity

In film she appeared in more than 30 productions of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (Icaic). Among her best-known films are Cartas del Parque (1988), Lista de espera (2000), Nada (2001), and El cuerno de la abundancia (2008). For her performance in Nada, directed by Juan Carlos Cremata, she received the award for Best Actress at the Cartagena de Indias Festival in Colombia in 2003.

However, television was the space that made her especially close to the Cuban public, with roles in telenovelas such as Enamorada del mar (1989), Las huérfanas de la Obrapía (1999), and Vuelve a mirar (2021). She was also fondly remembered for the character of Dr. Rosa Matriz in the comedy program Punto G, one of the roles that cemented her popularity.

Last July she received the 2026 National Television Award, granted in recognition of more than 60 years of uninterrupted work

Throughout her career she received numerous honors. In 1990 she won the Uneac Award and the Segismundo Award for her performance in the monologue Una mujer sola. Four years later she won the Caracol Award for the telenovela El año que viene. She was also honored with the Pequeña Pantalla Award and the Special Maestra de Generaciones Award, both in 2021, in addition to the Distinction for National Culture.

Last July she received the 2026 National Television Award, granted in recognition of more than 60 years of uninterrupted work in Cuban television, theater, and film.

The affection she inspired in the public was evident in 2024 when, after being hospitalized, she received hundreds of messages of support. She publicly thanked the outpouring of affection with a video shared on social media: “I am very moved to see so much affection. It’s something indescribable.” Two years later, that same affection is reflected once again in the farewells of colleagues and viewers who grew up watching her on the small screen.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

The Cuban Regime Stays Silent on a British Ruling Ordering It to Pay $24 Million

The amount is related to the case of the debt with the CRF fund, this time for damages to the creditor

The National Bank of Cuba is now a commercial entity, but until 1997 it had the functions of a Central Bank. / Miguel Discart/

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, August 3, 2026 / Three days after receiving a new blow in the case of its debt with the CRF I Limited investment fund, the Cuban authorities have opted for silence, as they had done after two other unfavorable rulings in London. In November 2024, the National Bank of Cuba (BNC) was ordered to pay 72 million euros by the UK Supreme Court, and in April 2025 the regime lost an appeal that had been blocking it from continuing to challenge the ruling.

Now, the Commercial Court of the British capital has made public its latest ruling on the litigation, ordering the BNC to pay some 24 million dollars more, in damages, along with court costs. The creditor officially reacted to the ruling this Monday, which was signed on Friday and had already been reported by some independent Cuban media outlets and Miami television stations, which also released a letter the fund sent to Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss the outstanding debt.

CRF has said that it repeatedly attempted to engage in constructive dialogue with the Republic of Cuba and the National Bank of Cuba (BNC) to resolve Cuba’s long-standing commercial debt, under terms fair to creditors, commercially realistic for Cuba, and capable of facilitating the country’s eventual return to international financial markets.

In the letter addressed to the president, CRF’s president, David Charters, proposed holding confidential talks and outlined possible solutions

In the letter addressed to the president, CRF’s president, David Charters, proposed holding confidential talks and outlined possible solutions, such as growth-linked instruments, debt-for-equity swap agreements, and other structures designed to preserve Cuba’s short-term liquidity. There was no response.

“CRF had no realistic alternative but to continue protecting its rights through the English courts,” the fund now states, viewing the current ruling as “a significant development.” Although it insists that its primary preference is not litigation but dialogue, it stresses that this requires “a serious and constructive attitude on the part of Cuba and continue reading

the BNC.”

The fund has praised the Cuban government’s 176 new measures, seeing in them a possibility for understanding. “We have observed the more progressive and pragmatic tone of Cuba’s recent proposals on economic reform, foreign investment, private capital, and the modernization of the financial system. These developments are potentially significant. A credible commitment to recognized commercial creditors would be a practical demonstration that Cuba intends to translate reform announcements into a lasting change in economic approach,” it states.

For now, the regime continues to opt for silence and has said nothing in official media about the new British ruling. Over the years, this case has been handled with great care by the government, which has only spoken out when judicial decisions were relatively favorable to it. The government’s biggest victory was that the British court found it immune as a State and ruled that it was the BNC that had to bear responsibility, but in practice the result is the same, since the entity is state-owned.

The case dates back to the 1980s, when the Cuban regime signed loans with Credit Lyonnais and Istituto Banco Italiano, which it later transferred to ICBC Standard Bank (the British subsidiary of the Chinese bank ICBC). CRF, a fund created in 2009 in the Cayman Islands, acquired that debt, valued at more than 72 million euros, in 2019, and attempted to contact the Cuban side to collect it.

The case dates back to the 1980s, when the Cuban regime signed loans with Credit Lyonnais and Istituto Banco Italiano, which it later transferred to ICBC Standard Bank

The Cuban State argued that CRF acquired the debt invalidly, since the BNC’s then chief operating officer, Raúl Olivera Lozano, signed the transaction without following “proper internal procedures,” which is why he is now in prison. The BNC also claimed that it did not receive the contractually required notice for the reassignment of the debt and, consequently, denied that CRF was the legitimate owner of the debt.

The courts ruled on the matter in April 2023, when the judge determined that the BNC – currently a state commercial bank, but which until 1997 was Cuba’s Central Bank – was responsible for the debt. The ruling stated that CRF – which it considered the legitimate creditor – could claim payment from the entity, though not from the State. Despite the appeals filed, in November 2024 the matter was settled, leaving the ruling final.

The BNC then spoke out, after several days of silence, through a statement insisting that it would continue to defend itself and claimed to have a “firm commitment to dialogue and unwavering respect for debts that have been legitimately incurred.” In April 2025, the last possible appeal was rejected.

Despite CRF’s insistence, Cuba still has not resolved the matter, although under the current circumstances it could negotiate using its assets to end the litigation – a move that would also represent a first step if the regime intends to present itself to the world as a country that honors its obligations.

The difficulties in collecting on this type of claim are widespread. The same London court that ordered the BNC to pay had done the same months earlier with Argentina, in a similar case brought by four British financial institutions – against the funds Palladian Partners LP, HBK Master Fund LP, Virtual Emerald International Limited, and Hirsh Group LLC. In that case, the South American country was ordered by a final ruling to pay more than 1.3 billion dollars, but to this day the creditors have still not seen the debt settled, despite ongoing good-faith talks.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Blackouts Prevent Filling Building Water Tanks in Matanzas, Cuba

With the bay at their feet, many residents along Vía Blanca are forced to buy water from private tanker trucks

In the multifamily buildings that line Vía Blanca, peeling façades, balconies left open to catch a bit of breeze, and gardens ravaged by neglect conceal a routine marked by scarcity.

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Matanzas, Julio César Contreras, July 29, 2026 / From the third-floor balcony of her apartment, Marianela looks out at the bay of Matanzas as if contemplating an irony. The water stretches out calmly until it disappears into the horizon, but in her kitchen there is barely anything left at the bottom of the plastic tank where she stores the water she uses for cooking, bathing, and cleaning. Leaning her elbows on the railing, she dials her son’s number. “Bring me at least a gallon,” she asks him. She has gone twenty days without a stable water supply, and every call is a mix of appeal and resignation.

In the multifamily buildings that line Vía Blanca, peeling façades, balconies left open to catch a bit of breeze, and gardens ravaged by neglect conceal a routine marked by scarcity. From the street it looks like any other neighborhood: a neighbor chatting under a doorway, a child crossing the hallway of a block, a motorcycle parked by the entrance. But just crossing the threshold of the buildings is enough to find rows of buckets, empty containers, and cisterns that no one expects to see full anymore.

“The power comes on for a little while every 48 hours, and there isn’t enough time to pump the water up to the rooftop tanks. No matter how quickly the pump switches on, there’s no way to supply the 24 apartments in this building,” Marianela tells 14ymedio. At 61, she lives alone and says she never imagined hygiene would become a luxury. “I bathe with a bucket, wash dishes with a little pitcher, and clean the house when I can. If I’m struggling, imagine what it’s like where four or five people live. If this keeps up, we’ll have to haul water from the bay, because the Government promises a lot and doesn’t send so much as continue reading

a single tanker truck.”

“The power comes on for a little while every 48 hours, and there isn’t enough time to pump the water up to the rooftop tanks. No matter how quickly the pump switches on, there’s no way to supply the 24 apartments in this building”

The desperation is made even more bitter by the fact that a water treatment plant stands just a few blocks away. And yet its proximity does nothing to stop many neighbors from having to buy five liters of water for 650 pesos or walk to an evangelical church where they are allowed to fill a couple of containers. The everyday landscape has filled with people carrying containers of every size, which have become an extension of their arms.

“There have been days when we’ve only washed our faces and the sweatiest parts of our bodies,” says a state employee, pointing to the four-story building where he lives with his wife and young daughter. “The elevated tanks should be filled every day, but with the blackouts they go two, even three weeks empty.” Only a few hours earlier the family had traveled across half the city to El Naranjal to shower at his in-laws’ house. “We at least have that option. But what do people who have nowhere to go do?” he asks.

In his building the problem doesn’t end with the lack of electricity. Water also fails to reach the cistern with enough pressure, so the entire supply chain breaks down. Complaints to the Poder Popular, he says, have only ever received the same explanation. “It all ends up running into the wall of the internal blockade,” he says wryly. Tired of waiting, several neighbors organized a collection to hire a tanker truck unofficially, off the books.

“It costs us 15,000 pesos each time,” he explains. “It’s a huge amount of money, but at least we fill the tanks and families have less to deal with. The sad part is that there are already people who can’t chip in and get left out. Now there are even social differences over something as basic as having water.”

In another nearby block, Arturo has lost count of how many times the building’s pump has been repaired. In the last quarter alone, he says, the unit has been fixed five times after breaking down due to the constant power outages and restorations, which often come with voltage surges.

“Sometimes they leave it uncovered and it ends up full of mosquitoes, frogs, and all sorts of bugs. That’s the water we bathe with and even cook with”

“I’ve had to fill buckets directly from the cistern,” says the interprovincial bus driver. “Sometimes they leave it uncovered and it ends up full of mosquitoes, frogs, and all sorts of bugs. That’s the water we bathe with and even cook with. You boil it, but you know that doesn’t solve every problem.”

As he speaks, an elderly woman slowly climbs the stairs with a small bucket in her hand. In another nearby building, a group of neighbors chats beside two parked mopeds. The façades show decades of wear from lack of upkeep, but it is inside the apartments where the crisis leaves its deepest marks: dishes piled on the counter, sticky floors, laundry waiting for a wash that never comes, and empty tanks turned into the symbol of a city surrounded by water yet unable to get it through its pipes.

Arturo remembers when coming home from work meant turning on the shower and letting the water run without a second thought. “In this country we’ve ended up folding into our routine the lines, the food shortages, the blackouts, and now the thirst as well,” he laments. Then he looks out toward the bay, so close it seems within arm’s reach.

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

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

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

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

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, July 29, 2026 / The long-awaited list of new activities permitted to the private sector is now known, and while it holds a few surprises, it leaves many prohibitions intact, starting with education, medical practice, and the media. By contrast, the transportation, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors are opening up, especially in the area of renewables, while crude oil and natural gas extraction remain reserved for private parties associated with state enterprises or foreign investors.

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

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

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

However, a narrow opening remains for authorized private collaboration, as the regulation specifies when it states that this is “without prejudice continue reading

to the administrative concession for economic association and national joint ventures” – two types of merger between private and state entities, regulated since March – and to “foreign investment” ventures.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

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

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

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

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 28, 2026 / The definitive departure from Cuba of the Spanish chain Meliá is certainly historic, but its letters still adorn the marquee of the Cohiba Hotel, in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución. 14ymedio was able to confirm this in person this very Tuesday, thereby debunking a viral video showing two workers removing the sign, just behind the flags, at the main entrance on Paseo street in Vedado.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translated by GH.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.