Translating Cuba – Page 46 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

“Fight for My Freedom” Is the Cry of Yosvany Rosell, After 30 Days on a Hunger Strike

The Cuban political prisoner faces dehydration and possible kidney failure

14ymedio, Mexico, November 21, 2025 — The health of Cuban political prisoner Yosvany Rosell García Caso continues to deteriorate after almost a month of hunger strike. The activist, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his participation in the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021 [’11J’], was rushed to the Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico of Holguín. According to his wife, Mailin Sánchez, she was able to visit him yesterday and attend a medical consultation in which the doctors expressed their concern about possible irreversible dehydration and kidney failure.

Despite his physical deterioration, which is palpable in both his weight loss and the deterioration of his voice, Rosell remains firm in his position. “Do not ask me to stop my strike, I ask you to fight for my freedom,” was the message he sent, reaffirming that his refusal to receive treatment constitutes an act of radical protest against the unjust treatment he claims to have suffered in prison.

“Don’t ask me to stop my strike, I ask you to fight for my freedom.”

His family has been making an urgent appeal to international agencies for immediate action. They consider that the case is evidence of serious violations, both because of the prison conditions in which he has remained and because of the lack of humanitarian response to his protest.

Rosell began the strike on October 23, demanding a definitive change in his confinement regime. He alleges that prisoners considered to be opponents are subjected to constant pressure, prolonged isolation and practices which he describes as abusive. His family says that this is the seventh time continue reading

the activist has been on a hunger strike, despite being hypertensive and suffering from heart disease, which increases the risks.

The family insists that every day counts and that international intervention could prevent a fatal outcome. Meanwhile, human rights organizations watch the evolution of the activist with alarm. They fear that the continuation of his hunger strike could have irreversible consequences. In the midst of this situation, his wife expressed on social media that Yosvany received religious assistance this Friday.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Meliá Blames “Social Network Campaigns” for the Poor Results of Tourism in Cuba

Other hotels suffer more than the Spanish, and the country’s revenues fall another 12%, with an occupancy rate of only 18.9% of the available rooms

Year after year, occupancy data deteriorate with no end in sight. / 14ymedio/Archive

14ymedio, Madrid, November 21, 2025 — “In Cuba, there are signs of recovery despite the persistence of discouraging social network campaigns.” The phrase is not from the Minister of Tourism or any Cuban hierarchy: it appears in the quarterly results report that the Balearic hotel Meliá is obliged to make public as a company listed on the Spanish stock exchange. The company is proud of having recovered a derisory 0.7% occupancy between June and September, which is not little in the panorama of the Island, which so far this year has not managed to fill even one-fifth of the rooms available.

On Thursday, the National Bureau of Statistics and Information (ONEI) published its balance sheet for the first nine months of the year. There are few reasons to be satisfied, with an occupancy rate — in international tourism — of just 18.9%. Income also fell by 12%, from 94,320,614,700 pesos in the same period of 2024 to 82,885,5516,000 this year.

Although the exchange rate applied by the government to the sector is unknown, the Cuban economist Pedro Monreal has concluded that everything indicates that it is 120, so the amount represents about $690.7 million, compared to the $786 million that accumulated last year at this point. This is gross revenue, from which expenses must be deducted, not disclosed but very high, because Cuba has to import everything from food to towels for the hotels, all owned by the State. continue reading

The amount is about $690.7 million, compared to the $786 million that it accumulated last year at this point

No indicator is saved, since there was also a drop in travelers, now known from the monthly reports, by 20.5% up to September, including the number of nights they decide to spend on the Island: a drop of 20%. If up to a year ago foreigners had more than 10 million nights in Cuba, now there are two million fewer overnight stays. In summary, the four main indicators outlined by ONEI show a substantial decline of the sector.

From the Meliá data it is clear that its hotels get the best share, since the occupancy in its facilities was 40.2%, but all that shines is not gold. The hotel has had to continue to lower rates — 76.2 euros is now its average price, 8.7% less — and, therefore, its performance per room (Revpar) fell by 6.9%, reaching 30 euros. The hotel states in its report that the current Black Friday with its offers and the bet of the tour operators — facing the drop in direct reservations — will end up returning Cuba to its place.

The document takes stock and makes it clear that its bet on Cuba continues against all odds: “US restrictions and the complex energy situation remain the main challenges. However, the creation of a supply chain of our own has improved sourcing, allowing us to gain market share and strengthen our position in the market,” it says in relation to its company Mesol, from which this newspaper has tried to gather information without obtaining any response. In addition, air capacity has increased using the charter mode, especially from key source markets such as Canada.”

The return of the Canadians had been anticipated by Juan Carlos García Granda, minister of the branch, in some tourist areas, but this has not been supported by the current data. After a season of persistent falls, the Canadians return persistently to the Island, being one of the few nationalities that grows in the month of September, when 12.7% more travelers arrived from that country.

However, we will have to wait for the development of the last quarter to know whether it is a mirage, since in global terms, Canadians still represent 20% less than in the first nine months of last year.

Canadians return to the Island persistently, being one of the few nationalities that grows in the month of September, when 12.7% more travelers arrived from that country

Few nationalities have grown in this period, and some of those that do are with a low number of visitors. Among them are Argentina (7.3%), Colombia (11.2%), Turkey (9%) and Peru, (27%) but with only 10,382 tourists.

On the other hand, among those that fall — some of them plummet — are some of the main groups: Cubans abroad (20.7%), US (19.6%), Spain (27.1%) and Germany (43.5%). United Kingdom, where the drop is 56.8% -the largest of all countries listed — does not even count as a powerful nationality, bringing in only 10,175 tourists.

Also among Cuba’s partner countries there are notable collapses, especially — and although it has already strengthened — the Russians, who were the great hope of the year (it was expected to attract 200,000, but they didn’t come in 2024) and reached only 88,879, which is 37.2% less than in the same period of the previous year. The large resources and political efforts made to increase this group have proved fruitless, another failure in the bulky account of García Granda.

Mexico, with 10% less, and Venezuela, with a 20% reduction, have not helped in this sector either. The new hope seems to be China, with whom a strategy similar to that of Russia is being deployed and which is only just beginning to bear very poor fruit. Although the coveted tourists of this nation grew by 4%, their total represents nothing for Havana: only 17,810 Chinese. Many, probably, are the ones who come to trade and monitor their investments.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Almost 50,000 Cubans Are Bedridden With Arbovirus Infections, and the Number of Critical Cases Continues To Rise

Dr Francisco Durán admitted on Cuban Television that this is a “fairly high figure” that “reflects the complexity of the disease”

Health clinic closed in Cárdenas, Matanzas, the epicentre of the epidemic. / EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa

14ymedio, Havana, 21 November 2025 — In just one day, from Wednesday to Thursday, the number of patients in intensive care units due to chikungunya rose by 21 in Cuba. In total, there are now 81 cases, of which 61 are in serious condition and 20 are in critical condition. Of these, 48 are minors. In the same 24 hours, 4,708 patients with “non-specific fever syndrome” were also registered, which is how they enter the system, said Dr Francisco Durán García, director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, in a programme launched two days ago on Cuban television to report on the serious health situation facing the island.

The Cuban Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday that 6,597 new cases of patients with feverish symptoms were registered the previous day, in addition to confirming 847 cases of dengue and 753 cases of chikungunya in a single day. For his part, Durán explained in his television appearance today that chikungunya, the main disease affecting the country, now has a cumulative total of 31,513 cases, including confirmed and suspected cases.

On Thursday, the official released the total figures for the first time, which were very worrying. Currently, there are 47,125 patients bedridden with arbovirus, most of them in their own homes, he said. This is, he said, a “fairly high figure” that “reflects the continue reading

complexity of the disease”.

On Wednesday, Durán said, 620 new suspected cases were reported. “In just one day,” he emphasised. “You see how bad it is”. This, he went on, “without taking into account a significant number of patients who do not go to see the doctor.” There are 2,216 patients in hospital with this arbovirus.

This Wednesday, 107 cases of dengue fever were diagnosed in different provinces, bringing the total to 2,098.

As for dengue fever, the situation continues to get worse. On Wednesday, 107 cases of dengue fever were diagnosed in different provinces, bringing the total to 2,098. Regarding this disease, Durán said that “although it does not cause symptoms as severe as chikungunya – I say severe because of the discomfort it causes in people – it is very risky because it tends to become complicated at a certain point, and if the person does not have something as simple as hydration, they can die.”

Dr. Durán emphasised that people should see a doctor if they have a “persistent fever” or appear “dehydrated”. “In that case, you really need to do that quickly,” he warned.

He also spoke at length about the continuing “high infestation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito”, which is linked to “the rain that has fallen and is still falling” and “the piles of rubbish around here”. He warned: “While fumigation is important, sanitation is also important”.

Also on Thursday, what he did not talk about was people dying. On social media, however, they are increasingly reported. A few days ago, Cuban writer José Félix León, who lives in Barcelona, Spain, reported the death of a cousin in the Pinar del Río hospital due to COVID-19. “The ICU at that hospital is not big enough for the number of patients there, but those in power insist that there is no COVID in Pinar del Río,” he said. “Cuba is in a situation unlike anything it has ever experienced in its recent history. The diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are killing and incapacitating people, and the government of El Fatso is not declaring a state of emergency.”

“How long are they going to keep denying reality?” says a driver from Holguín who for weeks has been transporting relatives of those who died from a virus. At the Mayabe cemetery, he says, “they confiscated a young woman’s phone for taking pictures showing the number of burials and coffins that came in a single day.” State Security was guarding the cemetery.

The document, published just three days ago, confirms that the first outbreak of this arbovirus occurred last July in Perico (Matanzas)

As this newspaper has confirmed, simple visits to funeral homes and cemeteries demonstrate that activity there is higher these days. So much so, that, at least in Havana, they are using vehicles from the telecommunications company Etecsa as hearses.

The space Dr. Durán now occupies—similar to what he had during the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago—reveals the extent of the regime’s concern, which ignored the situation for months. The Ministry of Health ‘s brand-new “management and research protocol for patients with chikungunya” reveals the degree to which this concern is exposed.

The document, published just three days ago, confirms that the first outbreak of this arbovirus occurred last July in Perico (Matanzas), and from there it spread throughout the island. In September, when infections from an unidentified virus had multiplied, local health authorities simply reprimanded the alarmed population. “There is no mysterious disease in Cárdenas,” declared Andrés Lamas Acevedo, director of the Matanzas Provincial Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, at the time.

The epidemiological alert in that territory was of little use : the arbovirus had already escaped.

The protocol provides detailed information on the symptoms, stages of the disease, and risks for children, pregnant women, and those with other conditions, including co-infection with dengue or COVID-19. It also recommends medications to relieve fever and pain, such as paracetamol or metamizole, and, if these are ineffective, opioids, while avoiding aspirin and steroids.

“While chikungunya has a low mortality rate and is therefore generally considered non-fatal, deaths frequently occur in cases with comorbidities or with rarer but more severe symptoms of the disease,” the text warns. “Death is primarily due to pre-existing health problems or severe clinical manifestations in the elderly, infants, or immunocompromised patients.”

In the final pages of the protocol, the use of “natural and traditional medicine” is recommended. These, they indicate, “based on an integrative model of care, can be combined with the rest of the preventive measures and conventional treatment” and include herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture or “related techniques” and ozone therapy, all of which lack any scientific basis.

Added to this is the sudden start in the production of natural repellent made with extracts of neem and caña santa [lemongrass], as reported by Venceremos, by the Medilip Oral Liquids Pharmaceutical Laboratory Company in Guantánamo, even though this type of mosquito repellent is not effective against the persistent Aedes aegypti.

The lack of medicine, on the other hand, means that Cubans don’t need this “encouragement” from the government to seek alternative remedies . Also in Holguín, a vendor recounts that, faced with the spread of chikungunya and the resulting limitations in movement and fatigue, “people are resorting to energy drinks to stay afloat.” The result, this small business owner assures, is that sales of these “anti-zombie products” have skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently issued a travel alert for the island, following a similar one issued two months ago by the U.S. State Department, due to the “worsening health situation resulting from the spread of arboviruses.” The anticipated decline in tourism, coupled with recent economic measures against foreign companies , whose accounts have been frozen, threatens to create an apocalyptic situation in Cuba.

Translated by GH
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Ciego De Ávila, Cuba, Suffers Power Cuts Lasting up to 24 Hours at a Time

Priority circuits, such as the hospital and the dairy plant, are also affected.

Cargo Dispatch Office of the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company. / Invasor
14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 21 November 2025– The electricity situation is critical, and only solar parks provide a “daytime respite.” With these words, without sugar coating it, and right from the headline, Invasor paints the picture in Ciego de Ávila this Friday. According to Lester Arencibia Bacallao, director of the Provincial Load Office of the Electricity Company, the territory is suffering from “maximum blackouts”, i.e. power cuts that last up to 24 hours a day.

For this reason, they are prioritising the circuits that supply power to “essential services”, such as the Provincial Hospital and the Dairy Plant. However, even these are not immune to power cuts: three and a half hours of blackout for every three and a half hours with power.

Arencibia responded to a “frequent concern among the population” – “Why are these circuits so extensive and not segmented to free up energy for more areas?” – without providing much clarification. “These circuits have been physically like this for many years. This is how they have been configured,” he explained to the provincial newspaper (which comments in a final note that the text was generated by artificial intelligence based on information provided by the official).

Making changes “requires very costly investments, such as laying 33-kilovolt lines and installing substations, resources that are not available in the current economic situation.”

Making changes, Arencibia explained, “requires very costly investments, such as laying 33-kilovolt (kV) lines and installing substations, resources that are not available in the current economic situation.”

As for the “non-priority” circuits, the aim is to ensure that power cuts do not exceed 12 consecutive hours, but the official acknowledged that with the current deficit “this is impossible”. He explained: “Sometimes, the circuits even exceed 12 to 14 hours. They have even reached 19 and 20 consecutive hours without power.” continue reading

He also addressed the extent to which solar parks alleviate the situation. Although he said that photovoltaic generation is “the main palliative” – in Ciego de Ávila there are three 21.4 MW solar parks and four smaller ones, with a total capacity of more than 76 MW – he pointed out that this type of energy “is intermittent”.

The greatest contribution they can make, between 10:30 and 14:30, is also fragile, simply caused by a cloud. “This volatile nature, coupled with the lack of storage systems, prevents this energy from being available in a stable manner and for the critical night-time peak hours,” says Invasor. Arencibia adds: “During the day, solar parks save many tonnes of fuel… and if we do the maths and didn’t have any of those parks, the situation would be much worse.”

Although the interview focused on the province of Ciego de Ávila, the official went on to draw conclusions about the rest of the country: until the “structural problems of national thermal power generation” are resolved, the situation “will continue to be complex”.

One of the damaged facilities was the Hermanos Díaz Oil Refining Company, which is responsible for fuel supplies throughout the east.

On the subject of energy, if there is any news in the official press, it refers to the effects of Hurricane Melissa, which almost a month later are still being felt in eastern Cuba. One of the damaged facilities was the Hermanos Díaz Oil Refining Company in Santiago de Cuba, which is responsible for fuel supplies from Las Tunas to Guantánamo. “Diesel, fuel for electricity generation, kerosene for mountainous areas, lubricants and other derivatives depend on its stable operation,” Juan Jesús Alfonso López, director of Refining at Cupet, told Sierra Maestra.

At the refinery, the newspaper reports, “work is continuing around the clock to restore the plant to full operation.” Hurricane-force winds – reaching speeds of up to 200 kilometres an hour – caused “severe damage to internal electrical networks, thermal insulation, sea containment barriers and other systems critical to the refining process.”

This Thursday, President Miguel Díaz-Canel, once again dressed in olive green, visited areas in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Granma, the hardest hit by the cyclone. He noted that 96.43% of electricity service has been restored. “There are still 9,000 customers in remote areas, which we are working on,” he said.

Meanwhile, the daily deficit is returning to its pre-hurricane levels, once again approaching 2,000 MW. On Wednesday, the Cuban Electric Union recorded a shortfall of 1,964 MW during peak demand hours in the late afternoon and evening. For the following day, 1,494 MW were expected to be available for a demand of 3,200 MW, meaning that the deficit would be 1,706 MW, although the actual impact was expected to be 1,776 MW.

Six thermoelectric power plants (CTE) are out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance: one in Felton, three in CTE Renté, another in Santa Cruz and one more in Cienfuegos, as well as the gas plant in Puerto Escondido, Varadero.

Translated by GH.

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The Regime Admits Its Defeat in Its Struggle With Cuban Freemasonry

He withdraws his support for his pawn, former Grandmaster Filema Duarte, and accepts the election of his successor, José Manuel Valdés.

Valdés’s candidacy was presented under the slogan “United we are stronger.” / Facebook / José Manuel Valdés Menéndez-Cuesta

14ymedio, Havana, November 20, 2025 — After nearly two years of open crisis in the Grand Lodge of Cuba, the regime has decided to try to extinguish the flames. The Ministry of Justice declared the general elections of October 25th “legitimate,” in which Havana Freemason José Manuel Valdés Menéndez-Cuesta was elected as the new Grand Master. With this decision, the country’s authorities officially withdraw their support for Mayker Filema Duarte, who clung to the position against the will of the majority.

The decision comes via Resolution 7, signed by the Director of Associations at the Ministry of Justice, Miriam García Mariño, and represents a sharp reversal of the government’s stance since May, when the Masonic High Chamber removed Filema from office, yet the ministry refused to acknowledge the change. Now, without state backing, Filema is definitively out of the picture, after months of presenting himself as the legitimate Grand Master thanks solely to the endorsement of government authorities.

In July, Justice Minister Óscar Manuel Silvera asserted on national television that the Masonic crisis was an “internal matter” and labeled accusations of state interference as “false” and “malicious.” However, Law 54 on Associations itself grants the Ministry a “leading” role over the internal affairs of organizations like the Grand Lodge of Cuba (GLC) and empowers it to approve or reject the resolutions of its Higher Chamber. In practice, no Masonic election is valid until the Ministry of Justice ratifies it. This key to “legality” has been used by the regime to prop up unpopular Grand Masters and, now, to try to extinguish the fire it itself helped to ignite.

For months, Filema refused to call elections, suspended crucial sessions, and tried to extend his term beyond its established deadline. On July 6, around 200 Freemasons staged a sit-in at the GLC headquarters to prevent him from remaining in office, in one of the most unusual displays of civil defiance Havana has seen in recent years. continue reading

The Ministry of Justice admits that Filema’s attitude “disregarded the will of the majority” and sought to “irresponsibly and indefinitely” delay the institutional functioning of the Grand Lodge

The security apparatus responded with summonses, threats, and surveillance. Several leaders of the revolt were interrogated, and some, such as Acting Grand Master Juan Alberto Kessel Linares and Sovereign Grand Commander José Ramón Viñas Alonso, ended up facing criminal charges for alleged “currency trafficking,” measures that the membership itself interpreted as punishment for not being “submissive.”

In the resolution that now recognizes the new leadership, the Ministry admits that Filema’s attitude “disregarded the will of the majority” and sought to “irresponsibly and indefinitely” delay the institutional functioning of the Grand Lodge.

Some Freemasons, interviewed anonymously by the independent media Cubanet, went even further, describing the Filema period as a veritable “dictatorship,” made possible only by state support. “We lived under a dictatorship, Filema’s dictatorship,” one of them summarized. Another interviewee believed that the regime’s interference “will continue,” but “not so blatantly,” and warned that these nearly two years of struggle with the government “shook the foundations of the Order” and forced the government to “put out the fire” in the face of the strength shown by the membership.

In this context, José Manuel Valdés Menéndez-Cuesta, a member of the Federico Valdés lodge in the Havana municipality of Cotorro, rose to Masonic power. With more than 25 years of experience within Cuban Freemasonry, Valdés was elected on October 25th at the National Masonic Building, following an election in which the Higher Chamber managed to overcome Filema’s delaying tactics.

With Resolution 7, the Government is trying to close the most scandalous chapter of its fight with Freemasonry.

The scale of the embezzlement Valdés inherited goes far beyond the $19,000 stolen from the Llansó National Masonic Asylum, the theft of which triggered the current crisis. According to internal documents cited by the Grand Lodge itself, then-Grand Master Mario Urquía Carreño and his treasurer Airam Cervera were not only responsible for that cash, but also allegedly manipulated bank statements and falsified invoices to misappropriate another 2.1 million Cuban pesos, in addition to recording $2,700 as “losses.”

The supposed “restitution” of the money has also failed to restore confidence. At the end of August, Urquía and Cervera sent one million pesos as the first payment. Weeks later, a second deposit of four million pesos was announced, also in Cervera’s name, bringing the total to five million pesos deposited into the Grand Lodge’s account. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the dollars from the Asylum remain unclear, and the leadership itself admits that the repayments only cover part of the shortfall created in Masonic finances.

Valdés’s candidacy was presented under the slogan “United we are stronger,” a motto that encapsulates the aspiration to close ranks after the internal fracture. Some members of the Fraternity describe him as an “honest” and “decent” man, capable—at least in theory—of rebuilding internal order, restoring the institution’s independence, and “getting rid of the traitors and infiltrators” that the crisis exposed.

With Resolution 7, the government attempts to close the most scandalous chapter of its conflict with Freemasonry. But the gesture does not erase either the previous interventionism or the legal framework that made it possible. The ministry urges Valdés and his team to “achieve unity, institutionalization, and the proper development of the transition process” in accordance with Masonic legislation, while reserving the final say on any relevant decision.

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Belgium Closes Its Embassy in Havana and the Regime Expresses “Surprise and Disappointment”

The decision has a strong symbolic impact at a time when official ties with Europe have cooled and the regime’s international reputation has deteriorated

Belgian Embassy in Cuba. / cuba.diplomatie.belgium.be

14ymedio, Havana, November 20, 2025 — The Government of Belgium reported the closure of its embassy in Havana, and the Cuban regime has responded by expressing “surprise and disappointment.” The announcement, made on November 18 by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is part of a restructuring of its diplomatic network which includes the closure of eight missions and the opening of five new ones.

According to the official Belgian statement, the change is due to a “strategic redistribution” of resources and does not constitute a break in its relations with Cuba, since consular services will be taken over by other regional missions and special envoys.

For its part, the Cuban embassy in Belgium stated that the measure “does not affect the historical ties that unite both peoples,” emphasizing the more than 120 years of bilateral relations, which, according to the text, have included scientific, cultural, academic and economic exchanges.

The measure “does not affect the historical ties that unite both peoples”

The Belgian embassy maintained that the decision was based on a technical and strategic analysis. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot explained that the review was the first in more than a decade and that the government is pursuing a more “broad, resilient and future-oriented” diplomacy. continue reading

For Cuba, the decision also has a strong symbolic impact at a time when official ties with Europe have cooled and the regime’s international reputation has deteriorated, especially after the recent closure of Ukraine’s diplomatic headquarters on the island and allegations of the recruitment of Cubans to participate in the Russian invasion of that country.

In the short term, Cuban and Belgian citizens will have to face changes in consular procedures. The services provided by the Belgian embassy in Havana — visas, citizen registration and consular assistance — must now be provided from other countries, such as Panama.

But the impact does not end there. In Cuba, the Belgian embassy was also an interlocutor between official institutions and the European Union in various cooperation projects. The closure can slow down cultural initiatives and academic collaboration.

The Belgian embassy held that the decision was based on a technical and strategic analysis

In its statement, the Cuban embassy in Brussels requested “that the measure not damage the links between institutions, entrepreneurs and ‘the many friendships established between both peoples.” It warned that the closure “contradicts” Belgium’s speech on Latin America and the Caribbean and expressed its hope that the decision will not result in “a de facto break.”

Although the Belgian authorities claim that bilateral diplomacy will continue through other channels, the move comes at a time of growing tensions between Havana and the West. For Havana, it represents a new challenge in its strategy to strengthen European alliances that counterbalance its isolation with Latin America and Russia.

The Cuban embassy concluded its statement stating that it maintains “the will to preserve existing links,” even in a scenario of “difficult understanding” for citizens who expect consular services and cultural cooperation that may be affected by the Belgian decision.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Mexican Press Exposes Record Oil Shipments to Cuba Worth $850 Million

Despite everything, the population continues to suffer from endless power cuts.

The oil tanker Ocean Mariner is scheduled to arrive in Cuba this Sunday from Mexico. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 16 August 2025 (delayed translation) — The Mexican press woke up on Saturday to inflammatory headlines questioning the management of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Between 29 May and 27 June 2025, the company carried out 39 export operations aboard 20 ships bound for Cuba, including 10.2 million barrels of crude oil and 132.5 million litres of refined products (jet fuel, diesel and petrol). And yet Cubans continue to suffer endless blackouts: this Saturday, the Unión Eléctrica forecasts a deficit of 1,675 megawatts during peak hours.

These products, valued at $850 million, were shipped through Gasolinas Bienestar S.A., the Pemex subsidiary created, among other “solidarity” objectives, to export fuel to the island. These deliveries even included jet fuel, which Havana was all but begging for, last December when flights had to be cancelled for several hours at the capital’s airport.

Mexico has even replaced Venezuela in terms of the amount of fuel sent to the island. In June, Caracas sent just 8,000 barrels per day (bpd), instead of the monthly average of 50,000 bpd in previous years, although in July it increased its exports to 31,000 bpd. In contrast, Mexico delivered 333,000 bpd of crude oil alone to Cuba in June, in addition to fuel.

The amount is almost equal to the value of the oil that Pemex sent to Cuba over more than a year, between July 2023 and September 2024: nearly $1 billion. Deliveries have continued since last June, with the Ocean Mariner, continue reading

scheduled to arrive in Cienfuegos tomorrow, 17 August, and the Sandino, which is currently loading crude oil in the Mexican port of Pajaritos-Coatzacoalcos, in the state of Veracruz, where it arrived on 28 June.

Of the total shipments in 2025, 19 departed from Coatzacoalcos and one from Tampico, in Tamaulipas, with 6.8 million litres of diesel. The importing company was Coreydan S.A., a Cuban state-owned company about which little is known, but which in 2023 imported hydrocarbons from Gasolinas Bienestar worth $60 million between July and another unknown date, according to Bloomberg. According to the Mexican press, the state-owned company shares its headquarters in Havana with Unión Cuba-Petróleo (Cupet), at 552 Amistad Street, in Centro Habana. 14ymedio was able to verify on site that no neighbour in the building had heard of Coreydan.

Of the shipments from May to June this year, all but one are registered as having been imported by Coreydan, with the exception of one dated 19 June, in which 8 million litres of regular petrol were shipped on behalf of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cupet and Coreydan, the state-owned company that imports Mexican oil, share headquarters at 552 Amistad Street in Havana. / 14ymedio

Other vessels involved in transporting crude oil between Mexico and the island include the Ocean Mariner, which arrived in Havana in July with 13,000 tonnes (approximately 91,000 barrels) of fuel from the Ciudad Madero refinery, after having made at least two previous trips during the year. The tanker is scheduled to arrive at the port of Cienfuegos on Sunday.

In previous years, according to Mexican media reports, there have also been frequent trips by the Bicentenario, owned by Pemex Logística, which made four visits to Havana and one to Matanzas in 2023. In addition, Cuban vessels such as the Delsa (eight trips), the Esperanza (six trips) and the Vilma (17 trips) made trips between 2023 and 2024, all from the Coatzacoalcos-Pajaritos terminal.

In a report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024, Pemex had already acknowledged that, since July 2023, its subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar S.A. had been purchasing crude oil and petroleum products from its own companies for export to Cuba. In that same report, the company stated that it had exported products worth $400 million between July and December 2023 and another $600 million in 2024.

As for 2025, in the first quarter, Mexico sent 19,600 barrels of oil per day (bpd) to the island, worth more than $166 million, according to Gasolinas Bienestar S.A.’s own reports. In the absence of data for April and May, it is already a fact that Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has delivered more than $1 billion in oil and derivatives to its Cuban ally.

However, this million-dollar support has not been free for Mexico. On 25 February, the association Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI) revealed that Pemex has become even more indebted as a result of these shipments, which were subsidised at least until the last years of Manuel Andrés López Obrador’s term in office (2018-2024). It is currently unknown whether Havana pays anything for these deliveries, whether it is a barter in exchange for services (although Cuba already receives a very high payment for its health missions) or whether it is a donation from Mexico.

Pemex has become even more indebted as a result of these shipments, which were subsidised at least until the final years of Manuel Andrés López Obrador’s term in office.

Last July, the Mexican Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex) warned that Pemex’s accumulated debt to its suppliers, mostly SMEs, threatens thousands of businesses across the country, especially in key regions of the energy sector.

According to a statement from the organisation, which represents more than 36,000 companies responsible for 30% of the national gross domestic product (GDP), although Pemex reduced its debt to suppliers by 20% at the end of the first quarter of the year – placing it at around $20.2 billion – the amount remains “unsustainable”.

Mexico is also unable to export such large quantities of crude oil, local media criticised on Saturday. With headlines such as “Pemex prioritises Cuba over Mexico in petrol shortage”; “Petrol shortages… and Cuba benefits from Pemex”; and “While Mexico suffers petrol shortages, Pemex sends million-dollar shipments to Cuba”, the press reported that petrol supply problems have been reported in Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Nuevo León and Chiapas.

14ymedio note: The data provided by the Mcci is the result of an erroneous interpretation of Mexican Customs statistics.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Received 35% Less Oil and Oil Products From Mexico and Venezuela Between January and October

The documents cited by Reuters contradict the record export figures published by the Mexican press and explain the deep energy crisis affecting the island.

Vilma is one of the tankers Cuba sends to Mexico in search of oil / Tomasz Nadolnik-Marinetraffic

14ymedio, Madrid, 20 November 2025 — The fuel deficit is affecting Cuba more than ever this year, when exports from its two regional benefactors are already down a third compared to the previous year. The collapse in oil shipments from Venezuela, which has been evident throughout the year, is now compounded by those from Mexico, whose deliveries between January and October 2025 fell by 73% compared with the same period last year. The collapse contrasts with data from the first half of the year, which showed a 2.8% increase in shipments, excluding derivatives.

Exports from state-owned Pemex to the island averaged 5,000 barrels a day (bpd) in the first ten months of the year, not very much compared to 18,800 in the same period in 2024, according to cargo dispatch data obtained by Reuters.

Figures from the British agency show that Mexico is reducing its cooperation with the island, spurred on by its own economic and productive limitations.

The figures from the British agency show that Mexico is reducing its cooperation with the island, spurred on by its own economic and productive limitations, after having become a new and important energy partner for the Havana regime in July 2023. That year, the country – then governed continue reading

by Andrés Manuel López Obrador – sent an average of 16,000 barrels of oil and derivatives a day to the island (equivalent to some £250 million, that no one knows how it was paid for).

Throughout 2024, collaboration rose to 20,100 bpd, up 20% (although derivatives fell by 18%), with an estimated combined value of $600 million. To get the global comparison, we will have to wait until the end of the year, as after months without receiving anything from Pemex, the Ocean Mariner arrived on the island on Monday with some 70,000 barrels of diesel (valued at approximately £12-18 million).

The Reuters data also casts doubt on the figures provided by the organisation Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI), which on 13 October published a report revealing extraordinarily high amounts. According to the document, the value of hydrocarbons sent by Mexico to Cuba between May and August 2025 exceeded $3 billion, delivered in 58 shipments.

“I understand that Mexico is not currently sending oil to Cuba,” Jorge Piñón, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, told this newspaper at the time, adding: “The MCCI has misinterpreted the Mexican Customs data and, in fact, Pemex has problems producing light crude oil (Istmo).”

So far this year, according to Reuters figures, the decline is 15% compared to 2024, when they had already fallen by 42% compared to 2023.

Added to this problem is Venezuela’s failure to comply with the 2000 agreements signed between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, under which Caracas would deliver PDVSA crude oil to Havana in exchange for resources in various sectors, ranging from doctors to intelligence agents. So far this year, according to Reuters’ figures, the drop is 15% compared to 2024, when they had already fallen 42% compared to 2023.

In the first ten months of 2025, Venezuela’s average export volume was 27,400 bpd, and the product that declined the most was fuel oil, which is necessary for power generation.

Reuters puts the total impact at 35%, taking into account both sources and all products – crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, and residual and motor fuels. The figure fell from 69,400 bpd to 45,400. According to the agency, both Mexico and Venezuela have little surplus to sell to Cuba – despite what President Claudia Sheinbaum claimed last October, which was denied by sources at 14ymedio – which adds to Havana’s problems in paying cash. This has led to a cap on imports, the agency notes, although the payment mechanism to Gasolinas Bienestar, the front company created by Pemex for this type of opaque business, is still unknown.

Two further problems compound all these difficulties. On the one hand, the Olmeca crude oil that Pemex used to supply preferentially to Havana is now being sold – according to Reuters – to solvent customers. Meanwhile, production of the residual fuel oil from PDVSA that the island requires for its electricity generators has fallen, according to internal company documents. Finally, Cuba’s lack of fuel storage capacity – following the 2022 fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, where 17 people died – was the final nail in the coffin.

Cuba’s lack of fuel storage capacity – following the 2022 fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, where 17 people died – was the final nail in the coffin.

For its part, Russia has only sent two shipments to Cuba – similar to 2024 – one in February and another in September. On the most recent trip, the Akademik Gubkin brought 740,000 barrels of Ural crude oil (valued at about £48 million) to the island, while the first shipment of the year brought 790,000 barrels, valued at £55 million.

On Wednesday, the Cuban Electric Union estimated the deficit at 1,775 megawatts (MW) during peak hours. The system was only capable of generating 1,375 MW during peak demand hours, which exceeded 3,000 MW.

The energy production of the 31 new photovoltaic solar parks was 1,659 MWh, with a maximum power of 392 MW, but the lack of batteries prevents this energy from being stored for times when there is no sun, and breakdowns in five thermoelectric units, together with the two that are out of service for maintenance, makes the situation worse. However, the real problem lies in distributed generation, where 91 plants are out of service, resulting in a loss of 731 MW.

“I’m just reporting this so you’ll publish it. Callejón de los Perros, in Santa Marta, Matanzas, today at 8 a.m. we had been without power for 27 hours straight and counting, because it still hadn’t come back on. And not a word,” complained one on-line commenter.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Is Freezing the Bank Accounts of All Foreign Companies

There is growing suspicion that the regime has appropriated these funds to pay for its imports

Line at a branch of the Banco Metropolitano in Luyanó, Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio / EFE, Havana, November 20, 2025 — The Cuban regime is communicating to foreign companies that they will not be able to extract or transfer abroad the currencies they currently have deposited in Cuban banks. This was confirmed to EFE by “multiple business and diplomatic sources.”

Foreign companies are also being offered the possibility of opening a new type of bank account, called “real,” which must be fed with “foreign currency.” These may be used for foreign transfers and cash withdrawals.

However, some foreign companies indicated to EFE that there are also problems in these “real” accounts with extracting currency in cash and repatriating money.

In an article published this Thursday, EFE says that the measure implies a recognition of the inexplicit “corral” that the country has been suffering for months, and generalizes the model that the Cuban authorities tested in the first half of this year with a handful of foreign companies, information also reported by the Spanish agency last April. continue reading

Although the regime formally restricted this kind of operation in early 2025, in practice it had already been controlling its partners’ finances for a long time

In fact, this newspaper had access last July to a letter from Agri VMA, a Vietnamese company with facilities in Mariel. The regime officially restricted this kind of operation in early 2025, but in practice it had already been controlling its partners’ finances for a long time, allowing them to make transfers only under express authorization.

In a desperate request for authorization, dated May 28, 2024, Agri VMA addressed three Cuban ministers to explain the imperative need to access their frozen funds in an account of the International Financial Bank — owned by the Cuban state — to send $300,000 to their headquarters in Vietnam. The company claimed to need these funds to “buy raw materials and ensure a perfect continuation of our services.”

It was not possible to know whether the transfer was finally authorized, but last year Havana became much more careful with its Asian ally, its second trading partner on that continent after China and its first in investment on the island. Agri VMA itself has not stopped appearing in the headlines for its “successful” rice project and last January became the first foreign company to which the Cuban state ceded land to exploit.

What is most suspect is whether the regime has been using these currencies to pay for its imports, in a context of absolute illiquidity in the banking system. Cuba has 334 businesses with foreign direct investment, of which 56 have 100% foreign capital, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

According to what EFE published today, the plan is part of the mechanism for management, control and allocation of foreign exchange provided by the Government Program to Correct Distortions and Revive the Economy, the recently published plan of anti-crisis measures, which does not contain details.

According to the same EFE sources, the Cuban Foreign Ministry met this Wednesday with the diplomatic corps to communicate “a similar mechanism to alleviate the financial difficulties suffered by the representations of other nations,” although without having to open a “real” account. Thus, it was explained to them that a cut-off date for their accounts would be announced shortly. Foreign currency received from then on could theoretically be withdrawn and transferred abroad. The availability of previous funds is not guaranteed, they added.

The measure also takes place months after it was unexpectedly announced that all foreign entities must start paying rent in dollars

These announcements, which highlight the banking, economic and financial crisis that Cuba is suffering, take place at a time when many foreign companies are experiencing serious difficulties. These are aggravated by the distortions in the exchange rate, since legal entities must operate at 24 pesos per dollar when the street exchange of the greenback is around 450.

The measure is also taking place months after all foreign entities were unexpectedly told that they must start paying rent in dollars for the buildings they rent from Cuban real estate companies and for the salaries of their employees (which are paid through a Cuban agency that collects a commission).

Neither the Cuban government nor the Central Bank of Cuba, which is organically dependent on the executive, has publicly reported on these measures or explained the reasons. Experts and observers believe that the authorities have resorted previously to using the currencies in these accounts to be able to make payments abroad.

Also, several years ago, the debts of the Cuban State to more than 250 Spanish companies raised the sector’s complaints and forced the government of Pedro Sánchez to intervene. In a visit to Havana on the occasion of the opening of the Tourism Fair, dedicated in 2018 to Spain, the then Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, asked the regime for a payment plan for its debt with Spanish entrepreneurs, as well as a reduction of bureaucratic obstacles so that they could do business on the Island.

In return, he offered Spain’s support for investment in Cuba, such as support lines for the internationalization of MSMEs* and, especially, an equivalent fund created with the $400 million debt that Spain forgave in 2015.

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

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A 28-Year-Old Mother Is the Fourth Victim of Gender-Based Violence in November in Cuba

Diosdeisis Sandoval Damas was attacked and then dragged into the street, where an elderly neighbour tried to help her.

Diosdeisis Sandoval Damas vivía en el popular barrio de La Güinera, en Arroyo Naranjo. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, 19 November 2025 — Diosdeisis Sandoval Damas, 28, is the latest victim of femicide reported by the independent platforms Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba. The woman, a resident of La Güinera, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, was allegedly murdered by her ex-partner on 13 November.

According to witnesses, the woman was attacked by the man, who then dragged her into the street, where an elderly neighbour tried to help her. The attacker stabbed her fatally in the groin, and when the man tried to intervene, the attacker started throwing stones to stop him. The victim had a young daughter.

According to 14ymedio’s tally, this case is the 37th femicide in Cuba so far this year and the fourth in November. Before this incident, the newspaper had reported on the murder of Liena de la Caridad Reinoso Ramos, a 23-year-old nurse stabbed by her ex-partner in Pinar del Río on 6 November.

The assailant allegedly stabbed her fatally in the groin, and when the man tried to intervene, the attacker started throwing stones to stop him.

Independent organisations that keep these records compile and verify femicides based on community reports, social media complaints and testimonies from family members, due to the lack of detailed official data.

With less than a month and a half left until the end of the year, 14ymedio’s records show 15 fewer femicides than at the end of 2024, when 52 were documented. However, it it is still impossible to know the true extent of gender-based violence in Cuba: many cases are never reported on social continue reading

media, and the government only releases data related to certain legal proceedings.

Last year, the authorities held 76 trials for gender-based crimes, but the dates on which the murders took place are unknown. In the trials held in 2023, 110 victims were recorded.

The Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Supreme Court and other institutions announced this year that they would create a computerised administrative registry to collect data on femicides, but shortly afterwards confirmed that it would not be made public.

Translated by GH

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“In the Last Sugar Harvest We Finished Without Collecting 14,000 Tons of Cane”

A producer in Las Tunas calls for increased incentives to workers and reproaches the state insurance company for its poor coverage: “Always looking for justifications”

A worker in a sugarcane plantation in Madruga, Mayabeque (Cuba). / EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa

14ymedio, Madrid, November 19, 2025 — The machinery for starting the sugar harvest of 2025-2026 begins to be greased with the doubt about how much planning will go up, in a year that could drown in the bottomless pit that has become Cuba’s former premier industry. The season should be “a watershed” with respect to recent years, Joel Queipo Ruiz, first secretary of the Communist Party in Holguín said last September, and although he was referring to the particular province, the message is valid for all.

Falling below the maximum 147,652 tons produced in 2025 would be disastrous, but it is quite possible. The loss of labor force is one of the factors that adds to the agricultural and technological problems, says José Luis Jomarrón Cera, president of the Diego Felipe cooperative. Located in Puerto Padre, Las Tunas, the company is one of the few that are doing well, although the sugar mill to which it delivers the cane — the Antonio Guiteras — remained at 16% of what was foreseen last year, 7,200 of the 45,000 tons planned.

So far this year, he has achieved a good yield: 42 tons of cane per hectare “in very poor quality and dry soil,” he says. In the spring campaign he achieved the goal of planting the 82 hectares planned. “Now we have the land ready to start the cold campaign and plant another 73.4 hectares,” he tells Periodico26, which today interviews the producer to try to understand what is failing in the Cuban sugar industry and how it could be helped.

So far this year, he has achieved a good yield: 42 tons of cane per hectare “in very poor quality and dry soil,” he says

“Producers know how to do it, and we are aware that much can be done,” he says after considering that the sector suffers from the dilemma of whether it is the chicken or the egg. “Should more cane be sown if the industry cannot process it?” the producers ask him. “If the industry does not grind there will be no cane, and if there is no cane the industry will not grind,” he continue reading

says. This is not the first time that the provincial newspaper has asked the same question: on October 18, it published a long and harsh article in which it directly accused the industry of being “totally obsolete.” For Jomarrón Cera, however, the main stumbling block is the lack of incentives for the workers.

“In the last sugar harvest we were left without collecting 14,000 tons of cane with approximately 28 million pesos to be paid, of which eight would be for expenses and 20 for distribution, which would represent 200,000 pesos per profit for each worker,” he explains.

In his view, the campesino must be aware that he owns the production, and he must be provided with materials and inputs and motivated. “This is not new, but you have to pay them a stimulus for productivity, quality and work discipline. There is legal support for implementing payment systems that take these attributes into account, but there is a lack of materialization,” he says, without going into detail.

The producer states that, despite contradictory data, the government has adopted decisions that have improved the situation — the known 93 measures to strengthen sugar production that came into force in 2022 — and ensures that the State accompanies workers through all institutions, except one entity that is accused of the contrary: the National Insurance Company (ESEN).

“Insurance is too expensive and yet does not cover even 10 per cent of the costs that affect production. There are persistent droughts, floods with large productive and economic impacts, and the ESEN does not cover anything, it always seeks justifications and in most cases it does not show up. This is the general opinion among the labriegos [farm workers].

This figure should be around 20%, but in many companies, they are working with percentages of between 40 and 70 percent

Jomarrón Cera, despite his conviction that the state supports them, has some criticism. “There should be more attention paid to the workers, because right now they are the only asset we have available, and they can generate many of the resources that we lack. We have lost 10 times more than we would have spent on such actions, but we have not paid attention to that strength. We have only had speeches, good intentions and stereotypical phrases.”

In his case, he considers that the cooperative has achieved good results as a result of linking the campesino to the land and achieving a good balance of cane varieties. This figure should be around 20%, but in many companies, he says, are working with percentages between 40 and 70%. “Also, the cane is milled too late because of delays in the harvest.” Jomarrón Cera says that his company is also failing to earn a lot of money. “We had planned to pay, between basic advance and incentive for performance evaluation, up to 17,000 pesos per month, and it was not possible.” But he still gives a weekly incentive to his workers.

The producer, who praises the ability of other countries to make money from the sugar sector, still defends the production model. “The State must give autonomy, but control more. It has to play another part, another role,” he says. And he points out that the cooperative model is a work organization that is “perfect for a socialist model,” which is not sufficiently recognized.” We cannot continue betting on privatization,” he concludes.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Eight Arrested in Guantánamo for Fraud in Sale of Dollars

In Camagüey, several workers were arrested for the illegal sale of burial vault spaces.

Image of the arrest of one of the individuals accused of fraud, published by ‘Héroes de azul’ (Heroes in Blue) / Héroes de azul

14ymedio, Madrid, November 19, 2025 — Eight people – five men and three women – have been arrested in Guantánamo for fraud in the sale of US dollars. The network had been operating in the province since at least July, but its operations extended to Havana, Villa Clara and Las Tunas, according to official police reports.

The news was reported by the Héroes de Azul account, an official profile dedicated to praising the successful operations of Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior’s forces. According to the publication, 100,000 Cuban pesos, mobile phones and lines used to carry out the fraud were seized during the operation. The economic impact of their activities is six million pesos and $1,000, according to the police.

The fraudsters used currency trading groups on social media to select their victims, agreed on a meeting point to hand over the currency, and fled the scene after receiving the money. “The authorities urged the public to report similar incidents in order to contribute to justice and public safety,” the post said, noting that this crime carries prison sentences of between six months and one year for those found guilty, as well as additional measures ranging from confiscation of illegally obtained assets to disqualification from certain functions. continue reading

The economic impact of their activities is six million pesos and 1,000 dollars, according to the police.

Héroes de azul echoed much less accurate information on the same day about the arrest of workers at the Camagüey cemetery for allegedly participating in the illegal sale of burial vault spaces. According to police details, those involved “obtained illegitimate financial benefits through these practices, which affect the transparency and dignity of funeral services.”

It is not known how many people are being investigated for these incidents, but just hearing about it has made Camagüey residents aware that the funeral home is acting illegally by prioritising burials in exchange for money. “The day I went to bury my mother, one of the gravediggers offered me a grave for her alone for 10,000 pesos. It was disrespectful,” one user reported. “And then there are the funeral home workers, who charge 5,000 dollars to prioritise transfers,” another one mentioned.

In recent years, the ruling party has created an ecosystem of affiliated accounts that publicise numerous crimes, always after they have been detected or the cases have been resolved. Mostly, these are relatively small matters: minor scams and drug seizures, or cases of corruption which, although they have an impact on citizens’ lives, are not particularly significant.

Readers often criticise these profiles for not providing information on major cases of corruption and crimes involving senior government officials.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Declines To Attend Baseball’s Caribbean Cup After Qualifying for the Central Americans

The trip involves additional expenses, which would be better spent on the National Baseball Series, says the Federation

Cuba has won 15 gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, November 19, 2025 — The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation announced on Tuesday that the country will not attend the Caribbean Cup, which will be held in the Bahamas at the beginning of December. The decision was made after the Island qualified directly for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.

According to a Prensa Latina statement, Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, president of the Federation, explained that attending the tournament “made no competitive or logistical sense,” since the spot that would be contested in this event for the regional games was guaranteed.

To justify his decision, the official said that the trip involves additional expenses and that it would be better to concentrate those resources on the National Baseball Series. Since it began last September, Cuba’s participation has had to be suspended due to problems with hotel capacity, lack of fuel to move players to some of the venues and even infections with the viruses that plague the island right now.

Despite the economic, energy and even health crises that the country is experiencing, they will seek to “concentrate resources and planning” to organize a tournament

Encouraged, Pérez Pardo said that, despite the economic, energy and even health crises that the country is experiencing, they will seek to “concentrate resources and planning” to organize, in the last quarter of 2026, a continue reading

tournament that could award places for the next Pan American Games, to be held in Lima, Peru, in 2027.

Last Sunday, the Executive Committee of the Pan-American Baseball Confederation (COPABE) reported that it gave out five direct tickets to the Central American and Caribbean Games. The top five teams in the Americas (except the United States) received a pass: Mexico (third place in the Americas and sixth in the world), Puerto Rico (fourth in the continent and seventh in the world), Panama (fifth in the Americas and eighth in the world), Cuba (sixth at continental level and ninth internationally) and Colombia (eighth in the continent and thirteenth in the world).

Originally, access to the regional contest was going to be split into two events at this year’s close: the America’s Baseball Cup, which would be played in Panama but was recently canceled due to sponsorship issues, and the Caribbean Baseball Cup, to be held between December 1-9, in Nassau. In the first event there were going to be five tickets in play, while in the Bahamas one ticket will be contested.

Cuba will have the opportunity in the Central American Games to return to the forefront of the discipline

With its presence assured, Cuba will have the opportunity in the Central American Games to return to the forefront of the discipline, something that it has not been able to do for 11 years since it won the title in the Veracruz in 2014, and to confirm its dominance as the greatest winner in history at the regional contest.

Since the first edition of the Central American Games, held in Mexico in 1926, Cuba has won 15 gold medals, far above the rest, where the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico appear with three. Nevertheless, Cuba’s domination has been diluted since the beginning of this century, because of the last six editions of the Games, where it won only two, as did Puerto Rico. The remaining games were divided between Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

It could also cut through the stalemate that has been especially evident in the last two years, leading to its 12th place in the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball (WBSC) ranking by mid-2025, its worst position ever since this system was invented in 2011. In recent months Cuba managed to advance to ninth place, just 41 points above Panama, in eighth place.

In addition, poor performance has also caused Team Cuba, which in 2012 was the leader of the world ranking, to fall even at the regional level, where for two years it occupied sixth place on the American continent.

Translated by Regina Anavy

Cuba: A ‘Very High’ Infestation of Aedes Aegypti Mosquitos Causes Arbovirus Cases To Rise Again

Cuba is registering an average of 700 new cases of chikungunya daily in October, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

“Your Health Says NO!” Last week, authorities reported a cumulative total of 21,681 chikungunya cases. / EFE

14ymedio, Madrid, November 18, 2025 — This Tuesday, a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) indicated that Cuba registered an average of 700 new daily cases of chikungunya in October, the vast majority in Havana and Matanzas.

Last week, authorities reported a cumulative total of 21,681 cases, while for dengue fever, data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO ) shows 9,602 cases and a very high incidence rate of 87.79 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. According to estimates from the Ministry of Health, approximately 30% of Cubans have contracted one of the two diseases during this outbreak.

According to data compiled by the Americas section of the World Health Organization (WHO), the cumulative incidence in Cuba is 183.43 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in all of the Americas this year, above Brazil (112.07) and the averages of the Caribbean (43.53) and the entire continent (26).

Adding to these figures is the fact that patients treated for fever symptoms increased by 2.5% last week, bad news after last Tuesday when the director of epidemiology, Francisco Durán said that infections had been declining for two weeks.

On Monday, Vice Minister Carilda Peña García delivered the bad news, adding bluntly that the fundamental cause is the “very high” infestation rates of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The official stated that Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Havana, and Villa Clara are the most affected provinces, although the entire country is now affected, with the exception of Isla de la Juventud, which is still considered an “alert zone.” The rest of the country remains classified as an “endemic epidemic corridor.”

Dengue fever is more localized in the west and center of the island, with Villa Clara, Havana, Sancti Spíritus, Las Tunas and Artemisa continue reading

at the forefront, but transmission has been demonstrated in 13 provinces.

The worst cases are concentrated in Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Guantánamo, which have simultaneous circulation of both diseases.

Peña García stressed the importance of fumigation – which has arrived late and with great difficulty, due to a lack of supplies, according to specialists speaking on television last week – and pointed out that it is progressing unevenly, since the plan was to cover all urban areas in three weeks, but only Mayabeque, Havana, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba reached 95%.

Faced with resistance from some residents to allowing fumigation teams access, Peña García reminded them that during an epidemic, not only is it mandatory but obsctruction also constitutes a crime of spreading disease. He further emphasized the importance, now more than ever, of citizens participating in eliminating breeding grounds, cleaning water tanks, and other measures, each according to their means. The responses to the video, posted on Canal Caribe’s social media, reflect the discontent of a population that insists fumigation is not taking place.

“In Camagüey, we live two blocks from the provincial hospital, and everyone on my block has the virus, and there’s no fumigation,” laments one user. Responses from nearly every province highlight the alarming situation and how the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg, since many people aren’t going to the hospital. “The saddest, most painful thing, and what should most concern our authorities is the loss of trust and credibility many Cubans have in our healthcare system, which was once, without any chauvinism, the best in the world. Why would I go if there’s nothing available and many healthcare workers are also infected?” another commenter laments.

Yamirka Montesino Felipe, head of the National Group of Pediatric Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, reiterated that hospitalization is essential for all children under two years old with fever, as they are one of the most vulnerable groups. If, in addition, there is a comorbidity such as diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, or kidney problems, the risk is even higher.

“When a child develops a fever and the family seeks medical assistance immediately, we can reach the sick patient early and prevent complications,” something that is key to “reversing potentially adverse developments” for the child. He warned that fever is more persistent in children and can cause skin lesions, including blisters, which are very uncomfortable and painful for them. However, the very painful joint pain that adults experience is less pronounced in children.

Montesino Felipe reminded everyone that it is crucial to keep children hydrated, as gastrointestinal symptoms can lead to dangerous dehydration.

Montesino Felipe emphasized the importance of keeping children hydrated, as gastrointestinal symptoms can lead to dangerous dehydration. This basic advice wouldn’t seem so difficult were it not for the supply problems plaguing the island, exacerbated by Hurricane Melissa’s impact on some provinces. This situation, coupled with sanitation issues, hinders treatment and increases the risk of the disease spreading. Last week, María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado, director of the Research, Diagnosis, and Reference Center at the Pedro Kourí Institute (IPK), acknowledged this, warning that the proliferation of water tanks in homes—caused by the unreliable water supply—is compounded by “inadequate solid waste management and sanitation deficiencies.”

Diana Couto Núñez, president of the Cuban Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, also spoke about another vulnerable group: pregnant women, who also require urgent hospitalization. “Diagnosis cannot be done at home. That has to be done at the hospital,” she said, especially if they suffer from hypertension or diabetes, as serious complications could arise.

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“Mission and Vision” of an Undersupplied Market in the City of Matanzas, Cuba

“If you want something, ask me and I’ll tell you if it’s available or not.”

Inside, the Ideal Market of Versailles, in Matanzas, shows its unvarnished reality. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, November 18, 2025 – At the entrance to the Versailles Ideal Market in Matanzas, the first impression is of a hastily assembled stage set. A sign welcomes customers with a list of 18 products: salt, sugar, rice, pork loin, oil… An inventory that, more than an offering, seems like an invocation. “They’re waiting here for some boss to visit,” Aurora, an elderly woman, quips ironically as she curiously examines the sign.

Inside, the shop reveals its stark reality: half-empty shelves, a few bottles of oil, a handful of cans of tomato sauce, seasoning packets, and jars of soy yogurt arranged more for decorative than commercial purposes. From behind the counter, the employee—looking weary—utters the phrase that shatters any illusion: “Ma’am, if you’d like something, just ask, and I’ll tell you if we have it or not.” Because in this market, the existence of certain products is real only in the ink on the sign.

Aurora presses on: “Do you have minced meat, mortadella, or chicken?” The response is a slow, decisive nod. “Maybe we’ll get some tomorrow,” the shop assistant murmurs. “It’s not certain. But come by and see what’s up.”

The place depends on the Matanzas Municipal Trading Company, which is experiencing fuel shortages that hinder the transport of goods.

The place depends on the Matanzas Municipal Trade Company, which is experiencing fuel shortages that hinder its ability to transport goods. The word “ideal” in its name has long since become a source of sarcasm for the locals. Marcelo, a father observing the scene from the entrance, sums up his experience: “The other day I bought four pounds of ground meat here, and it was spoiled because continue reading

they don’t have refrigeration; the refrigerator is broken.”

On the wall, two posters display the store’s “Mission” and “Vision,” hollow phrases in a place where even a simple “good morning” is rarely exchanged. Aurora finally buys a packet of cumin and tries to pay by bank transfer. The shop assistant responds with a smile that’s more of a warning than a friendly one: “It has to be cash.” Near the counter, a QR code promises to be a quick way to pay electronically. Just another sign out of touch with reality at the Versailles Ideal Market.

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