Translating Cuba – Page 45 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

Trump Declares Venezuela’s Airspace ‘Closed’

Cuban Chancellor Bruno Rodriguez denounces “electromagnetic interference” in the Caribbean attributed to US military deployment

The publication comes at a time of maximum tension between Washington and Caracas. / EF

14ymedio, Havana, November 29, 2025 — US President Donald Trump declared this Saturday on his Truth Social network that the airspace “over and around” Venezuela is “closed in its entirety.” The message, addressed to “airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and people smugglers,” was presented as a security warning, but its tone and breadth immediately caused a political earthquake in the region.

The publication comes at a time of high tension between Washington and Caracas. In recent weeks, the US government has reinforced its warnings about the situation in Venezuela and warned airlines of increasing risks associated with political instability, troop movements and the presence of irregular armed groups.

Several international airlines, already operating severely restricted routes, have pre-emptively suspended their flights while awaiting clarification. Venezuela, whose international air traffic has been declining since 2017 due to sanctions, airline bankruptcies and security concerns, has become even more isolated in recent days.

Cuban chancellor Bruno Rodriguez reacted immediately on Saturday by denouncing an “electromagnetic interference” in the Caribbean attributed to the US military deployment, which, he said, “particularly” affects the airspace of Venezuela. In a message on social media, he said that this activity “is part of the escalation of military aggression and psychological war against Venezuelan territory, aimed at overthrowing by force the continue reading

legitimate government of that sister nation of Our America.” Havana, central ally of Caracas, insists that Washington’s pretexts for an eventual intervention “cannot be legally or morally accepted.”

This climate of alert adds to the bombing carried out by US forces against several boats in the Caribbean Sea

Trump’s announcement comes shortly after The New York Times revealed that Trump and Nicolas Maduro had held a telephone conversation to explore the possibility of a meeting, a call that neither the White House nor Miraflores has confirmed or denied. According to that report, the communication also involved Secretary of State Marco Rubio — an ironclad critic of Chavismo — although the conversation did not lead to any concrete agreement.

The leak coincided with Trump’s warning the day before that his Armed Forces will act “very soon” on Venezuelan territory against alleged “drug traffickers from Venezuela,” while US naval deployment continues in the Caribbean. On November 21, the Federal Aviation Administration asked airlines to “take extreme precautions” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to a “potentially dangerous situation” in the region.

This climate of alert adds to the bombing carried out by US forces against several boats in the Caribbean Sea that have resulted in deaths. Washington justifies these attacks as anti-drug operations, although it has not presented conclusive evidence and is directly targeting Venezuelan authorities, including Maduro himself.

Venezuelan communities have mobilized following the call of Chavismo to prepare for a possible armed confrontation with the United States. Since September, the Government has been promoting the creation of Community Militia Units in more than 5,300 areas of the country and says that over eight million people have registered with the militia. In neighborhoods of Caracas, neighbors describe meetings, training and plans to protect against a possible attack, while Chavista leaders, such as Diosdado Cabello, warn that “anyone who dares to set foot in Venezuela” will face “the fury of a people that has never surrendered.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Regime Is Increasingly Concerned About US Preparations To ‘Overthrow’ Maduro

Avianca, TAP and Gol follow Iberia’s lead and cancel their flights to Caracas

File photo of Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, during an interview with EFE in Havana. / EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, November 23, 2025 / Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío warned this Saturday about the “danger” of a possible US military aggression to “violently overthrow” the government headed by Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

“The danger of military and terrorist aggression against Venezuela is growing, with the aim of violently overthrowing the government of that sister nation. A United States coup against Our America and its long road to independence,” the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said on social media.

For the past two months, the United States has maintained a large-scale military deployment in Caribbean waters near Venezuela under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking.

The US campaign began in September and, to date, has consisted of bombing civilian boats allegedly linked to illicit drug trafficking. These attacks have spread to Pacific waters and have so far left more than eighty people dead. continue reading

Cuba, a historic ally of Chavismo, has warned since the beginning of the tensions that what it considers Washington’s “pretexts” for a possible attack on Venezuela “cannot be accepted legally or morally”.

Several airlines in Europe and America cancelled their flights to Venezuela on Saturday after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued an international advisory the day before urging “extreme caution” when flying over the South American country and the southern Caribbean Sea.

The Spanish airline Iberia was the first to make the decision to cancel its flights to Venezuela — the first of which was scheduled for next Monday – and to announce that it will assess the situation to decide when to resume operations. Sources at the company told EFE that Iberia made this decision in line with what other airlines are doing in response to the situation in Venezuela.

Iberia operates five commercial flights to Venezuela each week. Friday and Sunday are the only days on which there were no scheduled flights to that country, according to the sources consulted.

For its part, the Portuguese airline TAP cancelled a flight scheduled for today and another for next Tuesday bound for Venezuela. A TAP source told EFE that they had taken this measure to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, “in accordance with international recommendations”.

TAP confirms that flights TP170, scheduled for 22 and 25 November to Venezuela, have been cancelled. This decision is based on information issued by the United States aviation authorities, which indicates that safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace are not guaranteed, especially in the Maiquetía flight information region,” he explained.

The source from the airline, which is state-controlled and in the process of reprivatisation, assured that all passengers were informed of the cancellation of these flights and will be able to request a refund, while expressing regret for “the inconvenience caused”.

“We have not cancelled flights for the next two days; we are assessing the situation depending on security conditions.”

Similarly, Colombian airline Avianca cancelled its flights on Sunday, while Wingo said it was continuing to operate normally in the neighbouring country. “We have cancelled today’s flights due to operational adjustments and are assessing the situation like all airlines,” a source at Avianca, which has two daily flights from Bogotá to Caracas, told EFE.

Wingo, another Colombian airline that also flies to Venezuela, has not cancelled its flights at this time and is monitoring the situation closely. “We have not cancelled flights for the next two days; we are evaluating the situation depending on security conditions, etc.,” a company spokesperson told EFE.

In addition, Brazil’s Gol announced that it has cancelled its flights to Caracas scheduled for this weekend.

Gol had scheduled a flight this Saturday from Guarulhos International Airport, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, to the Venezuelan capital, and another on Sunday, but both were cancelled, according to sources at the company who spoke to EFE.

The airline informed passengers with tickets for those flights that they can “reschedule their trips, request a credit or ask for a refund directly”.

Cuba, a historic ally of Chavismo, has warned since the beginning of the tensions that what it considers Washington’s “pretexts” for a possible attack on Venezuela “cannot be accepted legally or morally”.

This Saturday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil shared a letter sent by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to Maduro on the eve of his birthday, in which he stated that Caracas “will emerge victorious” against what he described as “new imperial threats”.

Translated by GH
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The Only Assembly Plant for Buses in Cuba Is Shut Down Because of a Lack of Electricity

The Ómnibus Caisa Production Company does not believe it can deliver more than 20 vehicles before 2026

14ymedio, Havana, November 22, 2025 –The work of the Ómnibus Caisa Production Company, located in Guanajay, is strongly affected by the constant power cuts in Cuba. This situation means, according to a note published by El Artemiseño this Friday, that the only bus assembler in Cuba cannot advance in the repair work of the buses in Havana, despite having recently received a large donation of parts from the Chinese government.

This Saturday, for example, the Electric Union of Cuba reported the shutdown of unit 1 of the CTE Felton because of “high temperature in the bearings,” which will consequently contribute to prolonged blackouts throughout the day. Yesterday, according to the UNE, there was a maximum allocation of 1,707 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than that planned for today (1,685 MW at peak hours), with an availability of 1,665 MW and a maximum demand of 3,280 MW.

Meanwhile in Caisa, 100 buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot, waiting to be repaired for several months.

A hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot

The company’s workers assure El Artemiseño that they do not believe that more than 20 can be ready before 2026. The employees also point out that, although 27 people are active in a workforce of 47, if they could complete their eight-hour working day, they would be able to be much continue reading

more productive and meet the capital’s transport demand more effectively.

This would also partially alleviate the serious crisis of public transport in Havana, already marked by the shortage of fuel and aggravated by the poor state of maintenance of the buses.

The situation is further complicated by the lack of operational vehicles. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Transport and the Provincial Company indicate that of the 435 buses which should be circulating in the capital, only 130 are able to operate. This represents only 35% of the fleet, with serious consequences for urban mobility. Of the 17 main and 112 secondary routes, less than half are in regular operation, affecting especially the working community, students and people who have to travel for health reasons.

The lack of buses is compounded by damage caused by misuse and vandalism: broken windows, chipped glass, damaged door systems and stolen parts, even in the new Foton minibuses from China, of which only 34 out of 50 were recently serviced. In the face of this shortcoming, many citizens are forced to resort to taxi drivers, but the prices of these private taxis have become significantly more expensive in recent years.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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At the San José De Las Lajas Bus Stop, No One Shouts ‘Havana, Havana!’ Anymore

The ‘almendrones’ that used to travel the 30 kilometres to the capital have almost disappeared since prices rose from 20 to 500 pesos.

The boss doesn’t care how many trips have been made… he just wants to see the money / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, San José de las Lajas, Cuba, 27 November 2025 — Virginia is surprised by the silence. It is not complete silence—in Cuba it never is—but it is a strange silence, unfamiliar, uncharacteristic of the San José de las Lajas station. In front of the old train terminal, the building that seems to resist falling down while it is losing bits and pieces, there are hardly five or six people waiting. No one shouts “Havana, Havana!” or fights over seats as they did in the past. Even the parking attendants seem to have been struck dumb.

The woman asks who is last in line for the capital, with that tone that is half resignation, half urgency that you put on when you have a sick mother on the other side of the road. The wind carries the smell of stale fried food from the fast food kiosks, which are half empty today. On the street, oil stains form dark circles around the almendrones*, as if marking the territory of an endangered species. A silver one — perhaps a 1950s Dodge with customised wheels — gleams sadly under the cloudy sky.

“Before COVID, when the fare was 20 pesos, there was one car after another,” recalls Virginia. It is a simple, direct nostalgia that does not idealise the past but compares and concludes: this is worse, much worse. “First they put it up to 100, then to 200… and so on until it reached 500 pesos today.” She does not know all the reasons behind the increase, but she knows what hurts. “It is the people who pay for it,” she repeats.

Before COVID, when the fare was 20 pesos, there was one taxi after another.” / 14ymedio

Some 30 kilometres separate San José from Havana, but today they seem like a world apart. Inflation not only empties pockets: it also empties spaces. The taxi rank shows it. Passengers are scattered, in no hurry, knowing that rushing is pointless when there are hardly any continue reading

private taxis. On a corner, a tall man in a cap and blue jumper leans against the door of a car.

“Many of the drivers are not owners,” says a man of medium height, arms crossed and weather-beaten face, who claims to be first in line. “My cousin has to pay the owner 15,000 a day. The boss doesn’t care how many trips have been made… he just wants his money.” The phrase hangs in the air like a dry echo, a reminder that even a struggle has to be rented.

A few metres away, a blue truck adapted for public transport roars into life. Inside, people travel crammed together, their bodies trained to balance without falling. For many, this is the only option. Manuel, a self-employed worker, sums it up bluntly: “Here you spend an hour or two waiting for a vehicle, if it shows up. And when it does, there aren’t enough people to fill it and finally get it going.” He knows that for those who travel several times a week, paying 500 pesos is almost an insult.

Inside, people travel crammed together, their bodies trained to balance without falling. For many, this is the only option. / 14ymedio

A young man wearing a star-patterned cap checks his watch, while another man puts his backpack in the back seat of an old private taxi, waiting for more passengers willing to pay the high price for a trip to the Cuban capital. According to Manuel, after midday things get worse: taxis to Güines, if they show up at all, go up to 600 or even 700 pesos. And if you want to hire a whole car, the figure can reach 10,000. “Who can understand that?” he asks aloud, but no one answers because everyone understands, and that’s the problem.

Desperation begins to set in when a Chevrolet pulls into the forecourt. It is light blue, old but elegant. “Come on! Go and find 500 pesos!” shouts a parking attendant coming out of a kiosk, as if the mere presence of the car justifies rushing to pick up their bags. “Come on, taxi to Havana,” he adds, knowing that before the car is full, he will have already collected his commission.

Virginia sighs. The initial silence is gone: now it is filled with murmurs, impatience, the sound of the lorry driving away, the car park attendant repeating his line, the rattling of the old car as it revs its engine, the faint hope that the journey will start before midday.

In San José de las Lajas, the bus stop has always been a crossroads: of routes and of lives, but today it is also a hub where rising prices and the urgency to travel collide.

*Translator’s note: Many classic American cars continue to provide taxi service in Cuba, and are known as “almendrones”, a reference to their ‘almond shape.”

Translated by GH

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“A Convulsion Is Coming in Cuba,” Warns the Prestigious British Media ‘The Economist’

ECLAC and Cuba Siglo XXI also describe a shocking panorama and the regime’s rejection of any change

“It is difficult to understand how ordinary Cubans survive today,” says The Economist / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, November 23, 2025 — As if they refused to take the antidote that would prevent death when bitten by a poisonous insect, the Cuban government continues its forward flight blindly with a reissued “program to correct distortions and boost the economy.” The plan, presented on Thursday in the official press and on the Round Table TV program, came out the same week that the accounts of all foreign companies were frozen and three devastating documents were published about the situation of the island: an article in the prestigious weekly The Economist, a new report of Cuba Siglo XXI and the latest data from the Economic Commission for America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

These three go in the same direction, summarized by The Economist from its headline: Cuba is heading for disaster, unless its regime changes drastically. For the British environment, which usually does not devote much space to the island, given the poor economic, energy, health and demographic conditions of the country, it is fully summarized in its long text: “A convulsion is coming.”

“It is difficult to understand how ordinary Cubans survive today,” the weekly begins, because “basic necessities cost much more than the official average monthly salary of 6,506 pesos (equivalent to 14.46 dollars at the informal exchange rate, which is what is used).”

The Economist’s portrayal of everyday sufferings is recognizable to any citizen of the island: “Under a suffocating heat, electricity is cut off in most places for at least four hours a day, and in some areas almost all the time. Fans and air conditioners are usually turned off. Water is also missing in many places, so drinking, cooking and washing, not to mention showering or even using the toilet, are often impossible.”

“Under a suffocating heat, electricity is cut off in most places for at least four hours a day, and in some areas almost all the time”

The data provided by the specialized media are known, such as that 89% of families live in extreme poverty, that public transport has “practically” disappeared, that “millions of Cubans” depend on remittances or that a quarter of the population has left the island. But put in black and white, they are impressive for an international audience. continue reading

Particularly eloquent are two graphs on migration included in the article by the independent demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos: next to the figures of Cubans who left their country are those of Cubans who entered the United States, which are, year by year, inversely proportional, like an inverted mirror.

The main focus of the text is economic data, including the collapse in tourism, high inflation, devaluation of the peso and the fact that output is at its lowest in more than a century, resulting in an 11% contraction since 2019, a number recognized by the Government itself.

The latest ECLAC report, made public last Wednesday by the Cuban economist resident in Spain, Pedro Monreal, points out that the island appears as “one of the three countries with no growth in the value of projected exports of goods (worse than Haiti but better than Venezuela). For this expert, “the reduction in the estimated value of exports of goods from Cuba in 2025 would be explained by the poor sugar yield and the fall in the price of nickel.”

“Because of Cuba’s high import dependence, the contraction in imports must have a negative impact on economic growth”

Monreal also highlights the results of the first half of 2025, which indicate a simultaneous reduction in exports and imports, the negative balance of trade in goods (exports-imports) and the fact that the government does not report its data on trade in services. And he states: “Due to the high import dependence of Cuba, the contraction in imports must have had a negative impact on economic growth.”

“The only ray of hope is the rise of private enterprise,” states The Economist, which then warns of the constraints faced by small entrepreneurs. “The Government seems unable to decide whether to simply tolerate private activity or encourage it,” notes the article. The owners of private firms, it continues, “are constantly frustrated by the government’s lack of clarity in interpreting the law and its persistent mistrust of free enterprise.”

They quote an interviewed businesswoman, Marta Deus, who runs a tax consultant and distribution company, Mandao, (with 200,000 users): “Everything is done in circles. There is no clarity. Nobody knows the rules. We expect a change. But it seems that the government lives in another world.”

The fundamental reason for the regime’s reluctance is the fear that the system will collapse if the private sector expands. “They see private enterprise as a nest of worms that will infiltrate, destabilize the country and end up driving out the Party,” says another interviewee. And a third: “When you see the first McDonald’s in the Plaza Vieja, you will know that the Revolution is finished.”

The text of The Economist, which regrets that “no Mikhail Gorbachev” is still visible within the regime, as there was in the Soviet Union, and that the opposition is “weak and fragmented,” concludes with the words of a taxi driver: “This system is so bad that it is irreparable. The only thing you can do is get rid of it and start from scratch.”

The military conglomerate is “the real power in Cuba and has led the country to the worst financial crisis of its history”

It is the same conclusion reached, in other words and by other means, by Emilio Morales in his most recent report for the organization Cuba Siglo 21, published last Wednesday. “The only way to abort this financial crisis that has practically paralyzed the country and plunged the population into extreme poverty is to eliminate the system of governance that created it,” he writes.

For Morales, the fault lies with the Grupo de Administración Empresarial (Gaesa). The military conglomerate is “the real power in Cuba and has led the country to the worst financial crisis of its history.”

The expert recalls various data such as the shortage of dollars, the general fall in national production and the increase in external debt, explaining them around an idea: “The government headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel does not in practice have control over the country’s finances. The Central Bank of Cuba, which is the institution that should govern the management of the nation’s finances, is completely subordinate and subject to the interests of Gaesa.”

A proof of this -which Morales does not mention- is the trial carried out against the former Minister of Economy and right hand of Díaz-Canel, Alejandro Gil Fernández, accused of spying for the CIA and other serious crimes of corruption.

In any case, and given the new measures it is publicizing these days, the regime will continue on the wrong track. Although the official claims that “the Government Program is made up of 10 general objectives, 106 specific objectives, 342 actions and 264 indicators and targets, all closely interrelated,” it does not really offer anything new.

First, they attribute the economic disaster to “the effects of permanent aggressions resulting from the economic blockade and internal inadequacies.” The tone of words expressed by officials continues with controls on private businesses: The “distortion in relations between economic actors today impedes the fundamental role of the State enterprise,” declared Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo, head of the Economic and Productive Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (PCC). Another example is the campaign against El Toque, accused of being in the service of the US to devalue the national currency.

As for the energy crisis, far from proposing an innovative approach, they return to the “classics” of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), with the words of Broche Lorenzo: “Let us remember that Lenin was clear on this: communism in those conditions is translated as the power of the soviets plus the electrification of the country. If our electrical system is not reactivated to the level required by economic management, it will take work to move forward in the process of socialist construction.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Increase in Chikungunya Cases Is Creating a “Dangerous” Situation, Cuban Authorities Admit

Infections have risen by 23.2% in a week and the number of patients in intensive care, including many minors, has grown from 96 to 156.

Cases have increased by more than 23% this week, although there is optimism for December. / Archive/ 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, 25 November 2025 — Data on the arbovirus epidemic that Cuba has been experiencing in recent months is alarming health authorities, who on Monday warned of a 23.2% increase in chikungunya infections compared to the previous week. Carilda Peña García, Deputy Minister of Public Health, said that at the end of last week, 7,700 new cases of this disease had been recorded and, although she did not provide specific figures for dengue, she also confirmed an increase in the incidence rate.

In total, the country has recorded 39,760 people with “non-specific fever syndrome”, 15.8% less than the previous week. The official was optimistic about the future, stating that “historically, November is the most complex month for arboviruses, with dengue fever being hyperendemic.” This data led her to believe that there would be an improvement in the first or second week of December, also in the case of chikungunya, which is transmitted by the same mosquito.

At the moment, with 156 patients in intensive care – 96 more than the previous week – there is little cause for celebration. The Deputy Minister acknowledged that the situation “is considered dangerous” because there are many serious and critical cases. Of the latter, 34 (out of a total of 35) are under the age of 18. As for the seriously ill, the figure rises to 121, 96 of whom are minors.

There are 35 critical cases, 34 of whom are under 18. As for serious cases, the number rises to 121, 96 of whom are minors.

Peña García explained that he is aware that there is underreporting because many people do not go to medical centres. However, he added that all suspected cases are counted, even if they have not been diagnosed in laboratories, which is common in epidemic situations. On Monday, of the 7,700 cases, 137 were confirmed by PCR, a test reserved for identifying and characterising serious cases or the onset of outbreaks.

As for dengue fever, transmission is widespread, with cases still present in 14 provinces – Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, Havana, Guantánamo, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba leading the way – and the incidence rate has risen to 22.6%. The figures have not yet been updated in the World Health Organisation (WHO) documentation, so people do not know how many infections there are. At the end of last week, three deaths and 9,602 infections had been reported, which is a high rate of 87.79 per 100,000.

Although Peña García insisted on the importance of seeing a doctor, especially for vulnerable population groups, many cases are not counted officially. “All of us who don’t go to the doctor and heal ourselves at home are not included in this figure. Conduct a block-by-block survey to see how many of us there are,” said a Cubadebate reader in response to the news. Another user asked the authorities to be more specific about the cases of deaths circulating on social media.

“Could you clarify whether there have been any deaths from this cause and, if so, how many? There are all sorts of rumours circulating about hospitals and funeral homes being full, the virus spreading for several weeks, and not a single death? Something doesn’t make sense, and I do not believe that any deaths are a crime or the fault of the Ministry of Health, as is the case anywhere else on the planet in similar situations. Thank you. We await your response,” he asked. The only deaths known to date directly associated with dengue fever are three, announced in October. Since then, rumours have been spreading like wildfire.

The authorities claim that the procedure has not been widespread because there are “limitations on fuel and insecticides, but priority was given to areas with the most active transmission.”

The deputy minister explained that the Aedes aegypti infestation is considered high, with 8,545 outbreaks. The municipalities with the worst indicators are Camagüey, Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus and Havana. In the latter, as in Santiago de Cuba and Granma, fumigation targets are being met, another fact that is highly questioned on social media, where hundreds of voices claim that no action is being taken. The authorities admit that the procedure has not been followed everywhere because there are “limitations on fuel and insecticides, but priority was given to areas with the most active transmission in order to reduce the vector population and break the chain of transmission”.

The situation has prompted the Dominican Republic to take action. On Monday, it announced the intensification of epidemiological surveillance and vector control measures throughout the country, “as part of the ongoing prevention and response strategy to the chikungunya outbreak reported in Cuba and other Caribbean countries”.

The country’s Ministry of Health said there will be intensive fumigation campaigns, scrap metal removal and community education, as well as active screening for fever and surveillance at airports, ports and border crossings. The minister asked citizens for their cooperation, especially in keeping yards clean and removing water tanks that encourage mosquito breeding.

Translated by GH

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Protests Over Blackouts of up to 25 Days in Mayarí, Where There Are No Resources To Pay Bribes to the Electric Union

Reports multiply about “corruption in the Electric Company” to connect the powerful and leave others in the dark

Some 20 residents of Guairajal, in Holguín, protested this Sunday in broad daylight. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, November 24, 2025 — Hurricane Melissa left Mayarí hours after striking the east of Cuba, but the effects are still felt in the municipality of Holguín, where there have been three consecutive protests in small rural towns tired of living in the dark for almost a month. The last occurred this Sunday in Guairajal, where more than 20 people took to the streets with signs written on cardboard, demanding electricity after more than 25 days without service.

“Every day we talk to the delegate and the president of the People’s Council and nobody listens to us,” said one of the residents. Another explained that the community suffers a serious abandonment, and it has been decimated. “There were 200 or so houses here and there are 40 left,” she explained.

Women with babies in their arms and children holding balloons shouted “We want electricity,” a protest that could have been avoided, another neighbor said on social media. “We are tired of calling and complaining and not being heard. It shows a lack of respect for this small, poor and obedient town.

“In addition to not having electricity we have infinite problems; for example, not having water and being almost isolated, with the river running on the road and the bridge broken that connects us with Arroyo Enmedio. And nobody cares about that either. We feel totally abandoned by the authorities of the municipality,” she lamented only one day before the protest. continue reading

“There were 200 or so houses here and there are 40 left,” she explained

Although the government has praised the effort of the Electric Union linemen who came from different provinces in eastern Cuba to collaborate in repairs, the work has not been as exemplary as it appears, some complain.

“It’s been more than 20 days without electricity, and yesterday the linemen were up in Guayabo, where our transformer is located. They put on the power in one part and cut the cables that go to our neighborhood, on 21st street at the bottom, leaving out 11 houses. They did not want to continue because it was raining, there was mud, and they had to cross a bridge. So I ask you: Where are those hard-working linemen who are mentioned so much, leaving children, the elderly, the sick and working mothers without electricity? The residents themselves had to fix the fallen lines and keep the poles from falling down. The linemen only had to bring a ladder and connect the lines that go to the houses, but they didn’t do their work. It could have been done in less than half an hour, but it was easier to cut the lines and leave us without power. They reported that all the lines were on the ground and left,” said a resident of Mayarí, who continued with a warning: “We call the command post and they hang up the phone. So, what do we women and children have to do? We’ll throw ourselves into the street if they don’t connect us, like they did in Seboruco.”

The reference was to the protest that took place last Thursday in this community, where the neighbors went to the streets after 23 days without electricity or running water, an alarming situation amid the epidemic of arbovirosis affecting the island. “We called all sides; the mothers went to the Party (Communist Party of Cuba, the PCC), and there was no response from anywhere. We carried water from the rivers and were told every day that they would come, but it was a lie. Mothers with children went to the government, and we didn’t get a clear answer, so we could no longer stand it and threw ourselves into the street,” a resident, who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals, told Martí Noticias.

There, before the dozens of people who demanded solutions, a PCC representative arrived and asked for understanding because the problem affected the entire locality. “Well this is all of Mayarí, not just Seboruco. If you want I will explain it to you; otherwise, I’ll shut up and keep walking,” he said. Empathy ended when he realized that he was being recorded: “You can’t record me because it’s against the law,” he said. Several hours later, according to various reports, electric service was restored to the community.

“We call the command post and they hang up the phone. So what do we women and children have to do? We will throw ourselves into the street if they do not give us electricity, like they did in Seboruco”

Pontezuela, another rural area of Mayarí, came out banging pots and pans on Friday night, in a type of protest more usual than the other two, which occurred in broad daylight with faces uncovered. There, the mayor and a political police officer stated that they did not yet know the extent of the damage or when services would be restored, and they asked for more patience from the population.

The last clear count of those without electricity in Holguín was on November 14, when there were still more than 52,000 residents without power. “We know that there are still areas waiting for attention. We have not forgotten anyone. We continue to try to reach every affected site, repair every malfunction and return every home to normal. Already this Tuesday 336,521 people in Holguín have been serviced, and we’re not stopping. Thank you for your patience, solidarity and trust,” added the provincial electricity company on day 19 in a Facebook post, where it showed the unsuccessful repair of the poles of Guairajal.

In the midst of this situation, the La Tijera Facebook page has reported rumors supported by countless commentators. In a post this Sunday, it described a dispute between local Electric Union administrators and residents of Manzanillo, in the province of Granma, who charged the workers with influence peddling and bribes.

“Neighbors complained that the power cuts were not due to the population but to an uncontrolled increase in private businesses, including illegal bakeries, welding workshops and refrigeration centers for sausages and meat, that were operating thanks to bribes paid to Electric Union officials, managers and linesmen,” said the post. It added that the inspection does not work and pointed to some specific businesses that paid to connect to circuits prioritized for leisure, among other irregularities.

A former worker of the electric company of Matanzas has confirmed to Martí Noticias that it is not only true, but the same thing happens throughout the island. “I saw the corruption in the Electric Company. It goes so high that you can offer any lineman money and get the service you need without having to go through the State channel,” said specialist Yanan Camaraza Medina.

“There are two transformers that feed the nearby neighborhood of the Cooperative, which has service 24 hours a day, because there are interests of millionaires based in the United States”

Living in Unión de Reyes, he said that the village of Juan Gualberto Gómez has been without service for weeks, but there are “two transformers that feed the nearby neighborhood of the Cooperative, which has service 24 hours a day, because there are interests of millionaires based in the United States who have their businesses, their investments here in Cuba, and, of course, they pay bribes.”

Camaraza Medina states that it has also been reported that the Provincial Freight Office accepts bribes in exchange for improving the conditions of the circuit and that there are more provinces where cases of this type have occurred, including Cienfuegos. In the municipality of Aguada there are four circuits that are exempt from the long blackouts, among them those that host facilities of the Party and the Government.

“If you pay they connect you to the protected area. That has happened in several houses here that have been reconnected in the neighborhood of the cooperative because they paid and are close by, and the linemen come and do the work stealthily and connect them,” the specialist told Martí Noticias. He describes several more cases of a situation that is not new, but that has become more desperate in these times of deep energy crisis.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba’s Only Bus Assembly Plant Shut Down Due to Lack of Electricity

The Ómnibus Caisa Production Company does not believe it can deliver more than 20 vehicles before 2026

This Saturday, for example, the Electric Union of Cuba reported the shutdown of unit 1 of the CTE Felton power plant because of “high temperature in the bearings,” which will consequently contribute to prolonged blackouts throughout the day. Yesterday, according to the UNE, there was a maximum allocation of 1,707 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than that planned for today (1,685 MW at peak hours), with an availability of 1,665 MW and a maximum demand of 3,280 MW.

Meanwhile in Caisa, 100 buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot, waiting to be repaired for several months.

A hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot

The workers of the company assure El Artemiseño that they do not believe that more than 20 can be ready before 2026. The employees also point out that, although 27 people are active in a workforce of 47, if they could complete their eight-hour working day, they would be able to be much more productive and meet the capital’s transport demand more effectively. continue reading

This would also partially alleviate the serious crisis of public transport in Havana, already marked by the shortage of fuel and aggravated by the poor state of maintenance of the buses.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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If Trump Convinces Maduro To Leave, His Cuban Bosses Will Prevent It

Digital influencer Axios cites sources from the White House and points out that the Venezuelan president’s allies could eliminate him if he yields to US pressure

Maduro surrounded by his close military circle, which includes several Cubans. / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio) ,Caracas, November 25, 2025 — US President Donald Trump is planning to hold a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to the digital media Axios, which cites anonymous sources in the US administration.

According to these sources, Trump has told his advisers that he plans to speak with Maduro but has not yet set a date, because the call is “in the planning phase.”

“Nobody plans to come in and shoot or kidnap him (Maduro) right now. I would not say that it will never be so, but that is not the plan at this time,” a US official close to the alleged talks with Caracas told Axios.

“Nobody plans to come in and shoot or kidnap him (Maduro), right now. I would not say that it will never be so, but that is not the plan at this time”

Among the issues raised by the media is that Venezuela’s oil wealth “has helped to shore up the dictatorship in Cuba, which provides the security that helped install Maduro in 2013 and keeps him in power.”

“Part of the challenge to persuade Maduro to leave, say US officials, is that the Cubans who control him could execute him if he yields to American pressure and resigns.”

The information comes amid the huge military deployment that the US has maintained in the Caribbean since this summer. Yesterday, the US Department of State designated the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organization. Not much is known about this cartel, but the US links it to the head of the Army and the Venezuelan government and claims it is led by Maduro, who says the accusation is unfounded.

This Monday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said that the Cartel de los Soles is a “fetish invented” by US intelligence services in order to justify violent actions to overthrow the Government of Venezuela. continue reading

“The Cartel de los Soles is an invention of the US Government and its Secretary of State (Marco Rubio) in order to justify violent actions to overthrow by force the Government of Venezuela and seize the oil of that sister country,” wrote Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, on social networks. In turn, he considered the designation to be “fraudulent, arbitrary and unilateral.”

The head of Cuban diplomacy also said that Washington intends to “return to the policy of gunboats as US conduct towards the region.” Venezuela quickly thanked him for the words of support from Havana.

This Monday, in addition, several US military aircraft flew over the waters of the Caribbean between the coast of Venezuela and the island of Curaçao

This Monday, in addition, several US military aircraft flew over the Caribbean waters between the coast of Venezuela and the island of Curaçao, which are 65 kilometers away, according to the flight tracking page FlightRadar24. It detected the movement of at least one B-52 bomber, two F/A-18 fighters and an E-2, an early warning and operations control aircraft.

This overflight coincides with the cascade of cancellations of flights by international airlines after the US Federal Aviation Administration last Saturday urged “extreme caution” when flying over Venezuelan territory.

Since that day, at least 22 flights from Caracas have been cancelled.

This Monday, US Chief of Staff Dan Caine visited Puerto Rico and will meet on Tuesday with Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, two of its military allies in the Caribbean.

Translated by Regina Anavy

Cuba: Mosquitoes, Garbage, and Chikungunya Are Rampant in the Military Neighborhood of San José De Las Lajas

The municipality of Mayabeque is experiencing one of its worst hygiene crises in decades

In the streets—if you can even call these shreds of torn-up asphalt streets—the garbage forms mountains that seem to have taken root. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), Julio César Contreras, November 22, 2025 — At five in the afternoon, when a reddish light falls on the crumbling buildings of the Military Housing Complex in San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), the same ritual occurs: doors close, windows are boarded up with cardboard, and neighbours hurry inside before the swarm of mosquitoes takes over the neighbourhood. There’s no need to look at the clock. The buzzing announces it.

In the streets—if you can even call these shreds of torn-up asphalt streets—trash forms mountains that seem to have taken root. Plastic bags, used diapers, food scraps, pieces of wood, and even broken furniture accumulate for days and weeks. A dog rummages through the garbage as if searching for an improbable treasure, while a neighbour rides by on a bicycle, dodging green puddles where the stagnant water reeks of feces and neglect.

San José de las Lajas is experiencing one of its worst sanitation crises in decades, but in the Military Housing Complex—an aging complex with inadequate infrastructure—the situation has reached unbearable levels. According to the official press in Mayabeque province, the province is seeing an increase in cases of fever associated with chikungunya and dengue, which has prompted “intensive fumigation efforts” in several municipalities. But these “efforts” have not reached their area, according to residents.

“The press says they’re using bazookas all over the city, but they haven’t come to my building.”

Orlando, a mechanical engineer and father of two, speaks to 14ymedio with a weariness evident in his eyes. “The press says they’re using bazookas [mosquito sprayers] all over the city, but they haven’t come to my building. Everyone in my house got it: first the boys, then my wife, and finally me. This virus finished us off.” continue reading

The neighbourhood, built decades ago by small groups of low-ranking officers, has changed drastically. “There’s hardly anyone left from those days,” says Orlando. “The military left, and now the civilians who remain get a garbage truck from the municipal services every three or four months. They come, empty a container—if it hasn’t been stolen—and leave. The rest of the garbage is left lying on the ground. Nobody picks up anything.”

The images tell the whole story: an improvised garbage dump stretching for meters, an overflowing container, and buildings whose facades have long since lost their color. On the ground, water forms puddles that resemble breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The breeding grounds, say the residents, aren’t just outside. “Rotten pipes, cisterns without lids, rooftop tanks full of filth… that’s where they breed,” explains Orlando.

The disease is advancing like a shadow. “At least five buildings are sick. In mine, almost all of them,” the engineer estimates. “It’s a fence you can’t escape.”

The elderly woman claims that the delegate of People’s Power “is just a figurehead.”

Lucía, a retired woman who lives alone, displays a mixture of annoyance and resignation. She has called the local Communist Party headquarters, the government, and the municipal and provincial Public Health departments. “The answer is always the same: they’ll fumigate when the fuel arrives. I’ve been hearing that since August.” Finally, sick and exhausted, she opted for a paid solution: hiring a fumigator herself.

“I found him on Revolico, 600 pesos per visit. He came two days in a row with the bazooka. He told me himself that first he had to fumigate two blocks that were his responsibility near the East Polyclinic, and then he could come here. You can see how we are. I spent 1,200 pesos out of the 3,200 in my checkbook.”

The elderly woman asserts that the representative of the People’s Power “is just a figurehead.” She says it without anger, with the voice of someone exhausted from waiting for official solutions that never come.

Meanwhile, life in the Military Housing Complex is a succession of fevers, joint pain, vomiting, and sleepless nights. Every day, news breaks of someone else who has fallen ill. Outside, the children no longer play. The adults walk as best they can, their steps almost robotic due to the joint pain caused by chikungunya, their eyes fixed on the ground.

“The country that boasts of its medical prowess can’t even handle a mosquito.”

Authorities, for their part, report on television a decrease in cases and “greater vector control.” In practice, the epidemic remains out of control. Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health reported this Friday that 6,597 new cases of fever were registered the previous day, in addition to confirming 847 cases of dengue and 753 of chikungunya in a single day. Meanwhile, Durán explained, in his daily television address, that chikungunya, the main illness affecting the country, has now reached a total of 31,513 cases, including both confirmed and suspected cases.

“You feel embarrassed for them,” says Lucía. “A country that boasts of its medical prowess can’t even handle a mosquito.”

In the distance, a woman hangs a sheet out onto the balcony to dry. The wind carries a sour smell from the garbage. A truck drives by without stopping. The dog starts rummaging through the trash again. The neighbourhood settles into its routine of survival.

In the Military District, the only thing that moves with constant frequency is disease.

Translated by GH

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Cristina Fernández De Kirchner Sees Her Argentine Empire Crumble After the Seizure of 20 Properties

The decision also affects her children, who had inherited assets, deposits, and shares

Of the seized properties, 19 were registered in the names of her children, Máximo and Florencia, in addition to one property registered in Cristina’s own name. / Wikimedia

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, November 21, 2025 — Argentine Justice ordered the almost total confiscation of the emblematic assets of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her children, Máximo and Florencia, to cover approximately 685 billion Argentine pesos derived from the final conviction for fraudulent administration and steering of public works contracts in the province of Santa Cruz.

The Federal Oral Court No. 2 has ordered the seizure of approximately 20 properties, primarily located in Río Gallegos and El Calafate (Patagonia, southern Argentina), which will now be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court for administration and subsequent public auction. The former president, sentenced in 2025 to six years in prison and permanently barred from holding public office in the Vialidad case, now faces the financial dismantling of her family’s inheritance.

The hardest blow falls on Máximo and Florencia, her children. Many of the properties now subject to seizure were already in their names, thanks to a meticulous schedule of donations and transfers made between 2006 and 2016. In that last year, Cristina transferred 50% of 26 properties to them, in addition to bank deposits and shares. That move, presented at the time as a “family” asset restructuring, is now being interpreted by the courts as part of the same criminal scheme.

All those convicted must use their assets to cover the full amount of the damages, even if those assets are held by family members or third parties, according to a mechanism known as “joint and several confiscation.” This legal mechanism allows for the seizure of the 19 properties registered in the names of Máximo and Florencia, as well as a property in Cristina’s own name, lots in El Calafate, and assets linked to the hotel business. continue reading

Visits to the Peronist leader are restricted to only twice a week, a maximum of two hours, and no more than three people per shift.

While the Supreme Court prepares to act as administrator and auctioneer of the assets that for years represented the economic power of Kirchnerism, Cristina Fernández’s daily life has been spent under house arrest since June of this year. The same Federal Oral Court 2 that signed the seizure order has just restricted visits to the Peronist leader to only twice a week, for a maximum of two hours, and with no more than three people per visit. The decision comes after a meeting with nine economists that exceeded the limits of her legal status.

The new rules do not affect her immediate family, assistants, lawyers, or healthcare personnel, but they do limit Cristina’s ability to continue operating politically from her home, which she herself renamed San José 1111 on social media. On X, the former president attributed the decision to the “media circus” and defended the meeting with economists as part of a project for “productive and federal growth for the 21st century.”

Behind the fall of the Kirchner economic empire lies a geography that extends beyond Argentina, as a significant part of the family’s recent history unfolded in Havana. Florencia Kirchner traveled to Cuba in February 2019 to participate in a screenwriting course, already a key figure in the corruption cases involving her family. Just as she was due to return to Buenos Aires, Cuban doctors forbade her from flying, diagnosing her with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild lymphedema in her legs, in addition to other health problems. Cristina herself blamed the “fierce persecution” by the justice system for her daughter’s “physical deterioration.”

Between March 2019 and March 2020, Fernández traveled to the island at least ten times to visit her daughter.

From March 14, 2019, Havana became the former president’s second political and emotional home. Between March 2019 and March 2020, she traveled to the island at least ten times to visit Florencia. Some trips were to spend the end-of-year holidays, others to welcome 2020 with her daughter, and still others combined family and political engagements, such as the presentation of her book, Sinceramente, at the Havana Book Fair in February 2020.

Meanwhile, the Argentine Justice system imposed conditions: Florencia had to appear every 15 days at the Argentine Embassy in Cuba to report on her state of health and any changes of address, a form of minimal control over a key figure in the corruption cases involving the family.

From Cuba, Cristina fostered a narrative in which the Island was presented as a medical and political refuge from an Argentine Justice system supposedly aligned with “the hegemonic media.”

The thread that connects Río Gallegos, El Calafate, and Havana is that of a power that believed it could shield itself with properties, legal privileges, and international connections, and that is now discovering that the courts can also seize deeds, accounts, and hotels. Kirchnerism insists on speaking of “persecution.” The judicial reality, however, shows the end of an impunity that, for years, traveled first class between Buenos Aires and Havana. So far, Cuban state media have avoided mentioning the seizures.

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Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero “Is Behind” the Trial of Gil Fernández for Alleged Collaboration With the CIA

The sister of the former Minister of Economy describes a plot devised by the prime minister and the military sector of the Cuban regime to protect their economic interests

The prime minister of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and Alejandro Gil Fernández, then Minister of Economy, in a 2023 photo. / Granma

14ymedio, Madrid, November 22, 2025 — María Victoria Gil, the sister of Alejandro Gil who was tried last week behind closed doors for espionage, has said that the country for which the former minister is accused of spying is the United States, specifically the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and suggests that the case against her brother was instigated by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero. In an interview with Miami-based Cuban journalist Mario J. Pentón, she said that her source, whom she cannot name, “is very reliable” and that the information “is corroborated.”

“What I am going to say is what my brother has really not been able to say,” said the former state television host and attorney. About her revelations Pentón says: “Supposedly the CIA gave him the Ordering Task to destroy Cuba; you know where this thread leads.” And Vicky Gil adds: “They always blame the United States for all the failures of a failed system that is corrupt to the core and that has been able to totally and absolutely destroy an entire country.”

Gil’s sister reiterated that the former Minister of Economy “categorically denies all facts related to the espionage” and that, as confirmed by a source close to the case, the defense made by lawyer Abel Solá López was “brilliant.” This same informant told 14ymedio that they expect the next trial of Gil, for more than a dozen crimes such as embezzlement, tax evasion, influence peddling and money laundering, and in which other senior officials of the regime are involved, will take place next Wednesday.

This same informant told 14ymedio this Saturday that they expect the next trial of Gil, for more than a dozen crimes, will take place next Wednesday

“In a country where the entire leadership is corrupt, how are you going to try an official for corruption, money laundering, influence peddling? You would have to try all of them,” observed Vicky Gil in the interview with continue reading

Pentón. So, she continued, they have to put on a “strong case,” which, brought by State Security, as happens in cases of espionage, “may be a total lie, but how do you prove it?”

The former presenter of De la Gran Escena on Cuban Television believes that “the least guilty of all that is happening with my brother is President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez,” because he was unaware, she claims, of the case being set up against Gil, who was his right-hand man. And she mentions, in this regard, the information about the prime minister that her source shared: on February 1, 2024, Marrero called Gil and told him that “his work as Minister of Economy and Planning has not yielded the expected results, that his work was poor, and, therefore, the next day he would be dismissed and must begin to hand over all the documentation relating to the ministry.”

The following day, continues Vicky, it was reported that her brother had been dismissed. “What is Miguel Díaz-Canel doing? Congratulate my brother for the good work,” she says about the tweet that the president posted on X on February 6, Gil’s birthday. On the other hand, according to her, the now-dismissed minister agreed to go to Marrero’s office for the delivery of the portfolio. “When my brother arrived there with all the documentation, he found that along with Manuel Marrero Cruz there were two officers from Cuban State Security,” who informed him that “he was under investigation.”

From that moment on, they took him and his wife, Gina María González García, “to one of those famous houses that the Ministry of the Interior has that are wonderful, that I know, that are in Nuevo Vedado, in Miramar…” “How do you know of them, Vicky?” asks Pentón. “I know two in Nuevo Vedado, because I was an agent for a short time, and I didn’t do well because I chickened out,” she confesses, specifying that she was picked to monitor the trafficking of artwork on the Island.

Gil instead went straight to the high security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa, where his family has been able to visit him for “15 minutes every 15 days”

In any event, Gil and his wife stayed in that house for four months, during which time nothing was known of them publicly. It was then, imagines Vicky, that a criminal investigation was ordered. Her brother was prosecuted, and her sister-in-law was acquitted and returned to their home in Miramar, one of the most affluent neighborhoods of the capital. Gil instead went straight to the high security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa, where his family has been able to visit him for “15 minutes every 15 days,” says the former presenter.

To Pentón’s question about whether the prime minister is the one behind her brother’s arrest, María Victoria Gil reaffirms: “Yes, Marrero is the person in front and behind this whole trial against Alejandro Gil,” which she considers “a racket.” As for the crimes of corruption that are attributed to the former head of Economy, she adds, “Marrero has committed five times more.”

The confrontation between Gil — who comes from the civilian world — and Marrero — a colonel — evidences a possible operation mounted by the military-controlled Group of Business Administration (Gaesa), which would thus hold the former minister responsible for having affected its business and contributing to the widespread collapse of the economy with the Ordering Task*, the process of monetary and exchange unification that began on January 1, 2021.

For Vicky, it may come from somewhere else: “Perhaps my brother wanted to put a stop to Marrero’s shameful waste and disloyalty.” Without giving more details, she adds, “We know how corrupt that world is. What more proof of the corruption do you need, and how little does the Cuban government care about the people of Cuba that when you put them all together, they can’t even close one button on their guayaberas?”

*Translator’s note: The “Ordering Task” [Tarea Ordenamiento] was a collection of measures that include eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and a broad range of other measures targeted to different elements of the Cuban economy.

Translated by Regina Anavy

CITIZEN DECLARATION OF HEALTH EMERGENCY IN THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA

Refuting Cuba’s National Television News: Facebook Post by Alberto Arufe Rodriguez. Friday, November 21, 2025.

Proclaimed by the people of Cuba in response to the regime’s inaction and negligence. The Cuban Nation, in exercise of its popular sovereignty and in defense of the fundamental right to LIFE and HEALTH, formally declares a National Health Emergency in light of the serious epidemiological crisis facing the country and the current regime’s manifest inability to respond effectively, transparently, and humanely to the ongoing catastrophe.

I. Considerations

1. That the Cuban people are facing an unprecedented health crisis, with the simultaneous spread of arboviruses such as dengue, zika, chikungunya, and oropuche, among others, affecting millions of citizens throughout the country, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women.

2. That hospitals and health centers are overwhelmed, unable to receive new patients, and that medical personnel are working in inhumane conditions, without basic supplies, diagnostic reagents, essential medicines, drinking water, or a stable electricity supply.

3. That the epidemiological surveillance system has completely collapsed, as laboratory tests and clinical confirmations cannot be carried out, and that the health authorities are deliberately concealing the magnitude continue reading

of the outbreak to avoid international recognition of the crisis.

4. That the regime’s refusal to declare an official health emergency prevents the arrival of international aid, humanitarian donations, hospital supplies, specialized personnel, and logistical support from multilateral organizations and NGOs, blocking all avenues of assistance to the people.

5. That the government prioritizes tourism and the economic interests of military conglomerates such as GAESA—which controls more than $18 billion in assets—over public health, concealing the health disaster so as not to affect the income of the hotel sector or the privileges of the ruling elite.

6. That the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, although distorted in its democratic spirit, recognizes the right to life, dignity, and health of all citizens, rights that are currently being violated in a massive and systematic manner.

7. That the international community, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Health Regulations (2005), has a moral duty to intervene humanitarily when a State demonstrates its inability or unwillingness to protect its population in the face of a health emergency.

II. Declaration: Therefore, the people of Cuba, in their sovereign and inalienable right, proclaim a NATIONAL HEALTH EMERGENCY, in order to:

1. Highlight the magnitude of the epidemiological crisis and break through the information blockade imposed by the regime.

2. Call for immediate assistance from the international community, health organizations, and supportive governments.3. Protect the lives and health of Cuban citizens in the face of the criminal inaction of the state apparatus.

4. Demand the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors to allow the free entry of medicines, medical equipment, drinking water, specialized personnel, and technical assistance.

5. Request that the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the International Red Cross, and independent medical organizations officially recognize the Cuban health situation as a public health emergency of international concern.

6.Urge democratic governments and international financial institutions to enable emergency assistance and loan programs administered directly by humanitarian agencies, without the mediation of the regime.

7. Call on the Cuban medical corps, both inside and outside the island, to organize solidarity networks for care, information, and supplies for the benefit of the people.

III. Moral and humanitarian justification

Health is a human right, not a concession of power. When a government turns illness into censorship, misery into silence, and death into statistics, it ceases to represent the people. Therefore, this declaration is not a partisan political act, but an act of love, life, and national dignity.
The Cuban people cannot continue to die of fever, pain, and neglect while those in power protect their hotels, their banks, and their propaganda.
This proclamation is based on a universal principle: “Where the state abandons the citizen, the citizen has a duty to raise his voice for their life and the lives of others.”

IV. Immediate demands

1. International recognition of the Cuban health emergency by the WHO, PAHO, and UN.

2. Urgent creation of an international humanitarian medical mission to assist the civilian population.

3. Guarantee of free access to health care without political conditions.

4. Transparency in epidemiological information, with the participation of independent doctors.

5. Temporary suspension of trade or financial restrictions that impede the flow of health resources to the island.

6. Protection for journalists, doctors, and citizens who report on the real health situation.

V. Final appeal

The people of Cuba proclaim this emergency on behalf of the sick who have no hospital,
– the doctors who work without syringes,
– the children who sleep with fever without diagnosis or antipyretics,
– the mothers who pray for their families,
– and the elderly who cannot even access painkillers.

We urgently call on the free nations of the world, on people of solidarity, on humanitarian organizations, and on Cubans in the diaspora to join forces and save lives.

We are not asking for political intervention, we are asking for humanitarian intervention, based on the principles of international law and the universal defense of life.

Cuba does not need speeches, it needs help. Cuba is not asking for charity, it is demanding assistance. The people cannot wait any longer.

Proclaimed in the name of the people of Cuba, for life, truth, and national dignity.

Share this message through all possible channels so that it reaches as many people, institutions, organizations, and governments around the world as possible. Do it for Cuba.

Do it for Cubans. If you can’t do anything, just spread the word.
#CubaEstadoFallido #SOSCuba

Translated by Gustavo Loredo

Havana Is No Longer Spared From Eight-Hour Power Cuts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translated by GH

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Cuba: There Are 19 Minors in “Critical Condition” and 44 Adults in Serious Condition Due to Chikungunya

Dr. Durán returns to his daily television program to report on the arbovirus epidemic.

Durán García acknowledged that this arbovirus – present in 14 provinces – is currently the main health problem. / Escambray

14ymedio, Havana, November 19, 2021 — A total of 63 patients are in intensive care units in Cuba due to chikungunya, including 19 minors in critical condition. This information comes from Dr. Francisco Durán, Director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, who reported on Wednesday on what the government continues to call a “complex epidemiological situation” during the state television program Buenos Días.

The official’s report reveals the severity of the health crisis the country is experiencing, especially regarding chikungunya. He noted that 3,103 suspected cases of the disease were reported this Tuesday, “a high number for a single day.” He added that there are currently 2,216 diagnosed patients, of whom 126 are hospitalized.

Durán García acknowledged that this arbovirus – present in 14 provinces – is currently the main health problem, due to the number of infections and the severity of the symptoms, “which are extremely painful.” continue reading

This Tuesday, he noted, 3,103 suspected cases of this illness were reported, “a high number for a single day.”

This Tuesday, a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) indicated that Cuba registered an average of 700 new daily cases of this outbreak in October, the vast majority in Havana and Matanzas.

Regarding dengue fever, the specialist said that only 344 new cases were reported, although he did not provide total figures. In his appearance on Canal Caribe, where he will have a segment starting this Wednesday to report on the “fight against these arboviruses,” as he did previously for the COVID-19 pandemic, he also spoke about oropouche, and assured viewers that no new patients have been detected since September.

Furthermore, on Tuesday alone, 1,706 patients with “nonspecific febrile syndrome” were reported in the country, and it was noted that 3,226 people received medical attention, 16% of whom are hospitalized. Regarding the total number of cases, it was confirmed that 47,125 patients are currently hospitalized with one of these viruses.

The national director of Epidemiology acknowledged that the infection figures for both illnesses reported by the authorities “do not always correspond to reality,” because many sick people do not go to medical services and, therefore, are not officially registered.

He also reported that the Aedes aegypti mosquito infestation remains at 0.70%, a figure he described as “high,” as it implies “significant transmission possibilities.” Despite fumigation and larvicide application campaigns, the official himself admitted that the actions “remain insufficient.” He explained that, in many cases, the brigades lack sufficient personnel or that the equipment used to carry out these tasks is either unusable or “broken.”

In response, he accused the authorities of not carrying out these campaigns in places like Sancti Spíritus, Matanzas, Pinar del Río and Artemisa, especially since “these provinces have a high transmission rate.”

On the other hand, he denied the presence of the West Nile virus in the country, assuring that the Institute of Tropical Medicine “has not diagnosed any cases” after carrying out hundreds of tests, although he conceded that other arboviruses are circulating on the Island.

“Arboviruses. Which ones? We can’t know because there’s no reagent.”

The official, however, did not report on the number of deaths in the country from any of these illnesses. The last officially reported figure was three, a month ago. However, both the high activity at funeral services, reported by this newspaper , and numerous social media posts contradict this.

A Facebook post from Tuesday, for example, tells the story of a 24-year-old teacher who died without a clear diagnosis but who, “like many, her only ailment for three months and a little more was ‘some arbovirus’.”

Regarding the lack of diagnosis, the user asks in the message: “Arboviruses. Which ones? We can’t know because there’s no reagent. How to treat them? With whatever you can manage and plenty of fluids, which doctors say are good for everything. Of course, if you’re getting water, the fact that it’s colored doesn’t mean it’s not potable, according to the authorities.”

The complaint was also directed at the institutions, given their lack of answers. “We don’t know; no institution in our country is designed to answer the people’s questions. Their function seems to be to justify every action,” he said, also pointing the finger at doctors for not reporting the lack of supplies and for “their lack of precise knowledge about what has been ailing the people for some months now. We don’t know; perhaps no one wants to take responsibility.”

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