Cuba
Cuba reels from US sanctions as hotel chains quit and card payments collapse
A US executive order is stripping Cuba of its tourism lifeline. Melià and Iberostar have quit, card payments shut down this week, and airlines are cutting routes as Washington's sanctions bite deeper.
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Washington turns Venezuela playbook on Cuba, but finds a harder nut to crack
Indictment, warships, a poisoned chalice of aid: the Trump administration turned every screw on Cuba in a single day. But Cuba is no Venezuela — and Washington may be about to find that out the hard way.
Cuba armed with Russian and Iranian drones discussed strikes on US soil, leaked files show
Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and held internal discussions about potential strikes on the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, American naval vessels and possibly Key West, Florida, Axios reported.
Cuba runs out of fuel as protests push US aid offer back to the fore
Cuba declared it had exhausted every last drop of fuel on May 14 — no diesel, no fuel oil, no reserves — as blackouts of 22 hours plunged Havana into darkness and street protests thrust a pre-existing $100mn US aid offer back into the spotlight.
Latin America's democracies face silent erosion from within, UN warns
Latin America and the Caribbean's political systems are experiencing a gradual institutional decay that rarely manifests as outright democratic collapse but instead hollows out governance from within, the UNDP has warned in a new report.
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ECLAC cuts Latin America growth forecast as Middle East war fans inflation
ECLAC trims Latin America's 2026 growth forecast to 2.2%, warning that soaring oil prices, tighter credit and slowing global trade are locking the region into a fourth consecutive year of sluggish expansion.
Latin America's unfinished battle with inflation leaves the region exposed to the Iran shock
The Middle East conflict has landed on Latin America at an awkward moment. After two years of gradual progress bringing inflation under control, the region's central banks now face the prospect of that effort being undone by an external conflict.
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US and Cuba talk in Havana but cannot agree on what was said
Cuba has confirmed that senior officials from Havana and Washington held face-to-face talks on the island in early April, in the highest-level diplomatic encounter between the two governments in nearly a decade.
IMF raises Latin America growth forecast but warns of uneven impact from Middle East war
The IMF raised its 2026 growth forecast for Latin America and the Caribbean by a tenth of a percentage point to 2.3%, while cautioning that the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East will most impact the region's smaller economies.
Latin America growth slips as weak investment persists, World Bank says
The World Bank has cut its 2026 growth forecast for Latin America and the Caribbean to 2.1%, down from 2.4% recorded last year, warning that the region faces a toxic combination of weak investment, tight fiscal space, and productivity deficits.
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Viva capitalism, says Fidel's grandson, pouring drinks in Havana
While Cuba goes dark, Fidel's grandson is posting Instagram videos and calling for capitalism. The Castro family's most unlikely dissident is also its most stylish.
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Trump allows Russian oil tanker to dock in Cuba but warns island is "next" after Iran
The United States has allowed a Russian government-owned oil tanker to break its own blockade of Cuba, delivering the fuel-starved island its first significant energy shipment in three months.
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US quietly ships 30,000 barrels to Cuba's private sector as state blockade holds
The United States has exported roughly 30,000 barrels of fuel to Cuba's private sector since early February, Reuters revealed, disclosing for the first time a carve-out that allows private Cuban firms to receive US supplies amid an oil blockade.
Cuba warns military is preparing for possible US aggression
Cuba's deputy foreign minister has said the island's armed forces are actively preparing for a potential US military attack, in the starkest public acknowledgment yet of Havana's fears as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the regime.
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Russian oil tankers close in on Cuba after island's worst blackout in decades
Russia has sent two ships carrying crude oil and gas to Cuba as the Caribbean island endures its worst energy crisis in living memory, with a 29-hour nationwide blackout underscoring the depth of a sanctions-induced fuel emergency.
Cuba's national power grid suffers total collapse
Cuba's national electricity system suffered a complete collapse on March 16, state utility Unión Eléctrica announced, plunging the entire island into darkness as the country grapples with an acute fuel shortage.
Trump says Cuba deal could come “very soon” as Díaz-Canel confirms talks
President Donald Trump has said that Washington could reach an agreement with Cuba imminently or take unspecified alternative action, as Havana's leader publicly confirmed for the first time that the two governments are holding discussions.
Cubans strike Communist Party facility as energy crisis ignites fury
Footage circulating on social media captured rocks smashing through windows and flames leaping into the sky as the voices of demonstrators demanded change.