Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

A Enormous Sinkhole Becomes a Waterfall and a Trap for Pedestrians in Havana’s Cerro District

Water rushes into a deep cavity at Amenidad and Cruz del Padre, carrying with it the garbage accumulated in the street.

A woman lifts her shopping cart to cross the flooded area, while other pedestrians look for places to put their feet. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, October 24, 2026 / A massive sinkhole at the intersection of Amenidad and Cruz del Padre, in Havana’s Cerro municipality, has become a dangerous trap for pedestrians and vehicles. The pavement has a large opening through which rainwater pours down like a waterfall. Around the hole, sewer grates are displaced, the asphalt is broken up, and trash accumulates among the debris.

Barely meters away, several pedestrians try to cross the street, which has become a series of puddles and potholes. A woman lifts her shopping cart to cross the flooded area, while other passersby look for somewhere to put their feet without ending up in the water.

The danger is not hypothetical. In February 2025, Jonathan Oliva, a 12-year-old boy, died after being pulled into a sewer during floods that affected Havana. The boy was returning from school when he was swept away by the water in the Villanueva and Vía Blanca area of Luyanó, near the Miguel Enríquez Hospital. His body was found the next day.

Jonathan Oliva was 12 years old and was returning from school when he was sucked into a sewer. / Facebook

The tragedy shocked the capital and once again highlighted the deteriorating state of the sewage system. During a tour of the flooded areas, this newspaper observed numerous accumulations of garbage clogging the drains, while the water reached over a meter in some places.

Just a few steps away, everyday life tries to go on. / 14ymedio

Another fatal incident occurred in September 2022, when a girl was swept away by the current while trying to cross a flooded street with her cousin in the municipality of Cotorro. A man managed to rescue one of the girls, but was unable to save the other. Some witnesses claimed at the time that both had been swept into a storm drain. continue reading

Vehicles have also become trapped in Havana’s enormous potholes. In June 2024, a motorcycle and a car fell into a deep, water-filled crater at the intersection of Infanta and Ayestarán streets, also in the Cerro neighborhood. Neighbors helped recover the motorcycle, and no injuries were reported.

In April of that same year, another enormous pothole in the same municipality had become an impromptu swimming pool where several children were bathing. According to residents, it had been open for about five years without the authorities addressing the problem. The hole was so large that it prevented larger vehicles from passing.

The problem resurfaced with particular severity in July of this year, when rains and clogged drains created a river of sewage in Cuatro Caminos, in Central Havana. A neighbor expressed her fear at the time that another child would be swept away by the current, as had happened to Jonathan Oliva.

In Amenidad and Cruz del Padre, meanwhile, water drips into the sinkhole, amidst debris, displaced grates, and broken pavement edges. Just a few steps away, daily life tries to go on, as if resigned to the fact that this and other disasters are an unavoidable part of normality.

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The U.S. Acknowledges That the Cuban Regime Diverts Fuel Intended for the Private Sector

A State Department spokesperson maintains that the Havana government “must now resort to subterfuge and illegality” to obtain fuel.

The U.S. State Department celebrates that Washington’s policy toward the Island “has broken the Cuban regime’s monopoly on fuel.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, October 24, 2026 — The U.S. government acknowledges that some of the fuel it exports to Cuba’s private sector may end up in the hands of the regime. This is stated by a State Department spokesperson in a statement sent to journalist David Adams, to which 14ymedio obtained access.

“We cannot rule out some diversion to figures or entities linked to the regime, but we will continue cracking down on its efforts to evade sanctions, targeting any company that knowingly supplies the regime,” the spokesperson states, adding that “the regime must now resort to subterfuge and illegality just to obtain a small portion of the fuel entering the country, instead of controlling the entire market.”

The statement celebrates that Washington’s policy toward the Island “has already brought about the greatest privatization in the history of the Cuban economy,” and recalls that after Venezuela cut off its free oil supplies to the regime, some of which was resold abroad for foreign currency, the spokesperson notes, the Trump administration maintained fuel exports to Cuban private business owners. These, the spokesperson says, “now import and sell to other private businesses, humanitarian NGOs, and diplomatic establishments,” meaning that “the regime’s monopoly on fuel has been broken.” continue reading

“The Trump administration continues to target key sources of revenue for the illegitimate Cuban regime by imposing sanctions. We are also combating the regime’s evasion of sanctions,” the State Department emphasizes.

The regime must now resort to subterfuge and illegality just to obtain a small portion of the fuel entering the country, instead of controlling the entire market.

This statement was issued in the context of Washington’s offensive against fuel shipments intended for the state sector. On October 7, agencies of the Department of Homeland Security announced the seizure of 90 shipments of biodiesel, 71 at Port Everglades, Florida, and 19 in Houston, Texas. Their value was around $2.8 million, and their destination was the state-owned company Enetec, which was added to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list on July 13.

Washington’s acknowledgment confirms what this newspaper has been documenting since April, when the authorities began leasing state-owned gas stations to MSMEs* like Acapulco, in Nuevo Vedado, to dispense fuel purchased in the United States. It had been possible to establish since then that the Ticket platform, managed by Cimex, a corporation belonging to the Gaesa military conglomerate and sanctioned by OFAC, was already selling gasoline and diesel in dollars in Havana when only private businesses were permitted to import them from the United States.

A month later, this newspaper confirmed that Transmed vehicles and those of other state-owned companies were refueling at the former Shell station in Guanabacoa, using pumps leased by private operators, which U.S. regulations expressly prohibit.

In September, 14ymedio revealed this connection in a more disturbing way: the El Eficiente gas station, one block from Villa Marista, was supplying vehicles belonging to the state-owned Sepsa, trucks operated by the so-called Black Berets—special brigades of the Ministry of the Interior—and Suzuki motorcycles belonging to State Security. More than five months had passed since the last oil tanker carrying hydrocarbons had arrived in Cuba—the Anatoly Kolodkin, from Russia—and since the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, had publicly declared: “We have absolutely no fuel oil; we have absolutely no diesel.”

Among the documents demonstrating this connection is an invoice dated September 21 from Cimex-Mariel to an Oro Negro service station for more than 23,000 liters of gasoline

Just a few weeks ago, an incident once again exposed this connection: a fire in a fuel tank at Azutecnia, a subsidiary of the state-owned Azcuba company, in Granma province. The official information does not specify what type of fuel burned or where it came from, but Cuba lacks the capacity to produce refined fuel from its domestic crude oil.

As of today, the Ticket platform, which continues to sell fuel at state-owned service stations, remains the most visible indication. Not only are gasoline and diesel sales still taking place in the provinces, but prices have also fallen over the past several months.

An investigation by ADN Cuba and Martí Noticias, published this Friday, has confirmed that Cimex purchases fuel from 21 suppliers, at least 16 of them MSMEs*, and resells it through its network of service stations, in addition to supplying the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. Among the documents demonstrating this connection is an invoice dated September 21 from Cimex-Mariel to an Oro Negro service station for more than 23,000 liters of gasoline. Cimex does not appear as a direct importer, but rather as a purchaser of fuel supplied by Cuban MSMEs.

From January through August of this year, the total value of petroleum products exported from the United States to the Island reached $231.74 million, an unprecedented figure in the entire history of trade relations between the two countries.

These specific figures did not prevent De la O Levy from stating in a recent interview with Reuters about those imports: “I would venture to say that the quantity entering the country does not even cover 3% of its fuel needs.”

“No Cuban state-owned company has managed to secure a fuel contract, whether for small or large quantities,” the minister said at the time.

*Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Prison Sentences of 4 and 5 Years for Several Starlink Antenna Sellers in Santa Clara, Cuba

A pro-government account claims that 37 devices were confiscated and threatens to apply the law to buyers, transporters, and distributors.

““Legalize other companies that compete with Etecsa’s terrible service, and you’ll see that no one will risk losing so much money,” a user claims./ 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, October 24, 2026 – Several citizens of Santa Clara were sentenced to between four and five years in prison for selling Starlink antennas, according to a post circulated by the pro-government account Alejandro Noticias Cuba in the Facebook group Mipymes Santa Clara/ Motorcycle Parts. The message claims that 37 satellite internet connection devices were confiscated and threatens to extend the sanctions to everyone involved in this clandestine market, including transporters and buyers.

According to the post, the detainees were part of a network dedicated to illegally bringing in and selling these antennas. During searches conducted at the homes of those involved and the buyers, the authorities seized all 37 devices. The text states that the transporters were also sanctioned, while those who received the equipment were fined 100,000 pesos and had their antennas confiscated.

However, the account does not identify the convicted individuals, specify which court issued the sentences, or present judicial documents that would make it possible to verify the events. The information attributes the convictions to alleged “sources close to the defendants’ families.”

The account demands that citizens report anyone attempting to bring in, transport, sell, or buy Starlink antennas

The message goes beyond reporting a police operation. “Let no one be under any illusions; this is not an isolated confiscation or a theoretical warning,” it states, before asserting that the sentences are final. It then demands that citizens report anyone attempting to bring in, transport, sell, or buy Starlink antennas. “Don’t become the next case,” it concludes.

The warning is circulating at a time of growing tension between Havana and Washington. This Friday, U.S. President Trump said during a rally in Florida that the military ships deployed in the war against Iran would pass along the Cuban coast on their return. He even spoke of stopping one of them about 45 meters from the Island and then sending Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “close the deal.”

Rubio, for his part, encouraged those seeking political change in Cuba to cooperate discreetly with the CIA. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected Trump’s statements and warned that the Cuban coast would be an “inhospitable” territory for anyone arriving with hostile intentions.

In this climate of confrontation, the pro-government camp has repeatedly sought to associate independent satellite communications with possible operations against the Government. The Santa Clara post explicitly mentions the armed incident in Corralillo, Villa Clara, which occurred last February, when the authorities intercepted a vessel coming from the United States, killing half of its crew. According to the official account, a Starlink terminal was among the equipment seized.

The Starlink devices sold to private individuals in Cuba and other countries are not the specialized Starshield systems that SpaceX develops for defense applications

The message uses that precedent to justify the crackdown on commercial antennas. However, it omits a fundamental distinction: the Starlink devices sold to private individuals in Cuba and other countries are not the specialized Starshield systems that SpaceX develops for defense applications and that Ukraine uses in certain drone operations. Although they share technological infrastructure, Starshield is designed for government and military missions, while Starlink is simply a commercial satellite internet service.

The Cuban authorities’ offensive against Starlink did not begin now. In April 2025, the Cuban Government confiscated 20 satellite kits and 85 routers through Customs, after official agencies warned of fines and confiscations. In May 2026, the Ministry of Communications updated import regulations and maintained restrictions on satellite terminals operating without agreements with the Government.

Article 295 of the Penal Code establishes prison sentences of three to eight years for those who organize, distribute, finance, or profit from unauthorized telecommunications services, as well as for those who sell equipment intended for such activities.

“If Etecsa doesn’t work, then you get a Starlink and that’s that”

Despite the prohibitions, the clandestine market continues. In April, this newspaper documented the presence of these antennas in Havana, Matanzas, and Santa Clara, with prices ranging from $1,300 to $1,800. Some owners also redistribute the connection to neighbors through small private networks. Another report published in July collected accounts from users who paid between $50 and $80 per month to access these connections.

The publication of Alejandro Noticias Cuba has prompted numerous expressions of disapproval. “The real crime is being outside the State’s control,” comments Josué Castillo. Other users believe the authorities should improve Etecsa’s service instead of pursuing alternatives.

“Legalize other companies that compete with Etecsa’s terrible service, and you’ll see that no one will risk losing so much money,” demands Edel Gálvez.

An anonymous participant sums up the frustration with a comparison: “If Cupet can’t sell you gasoline, you find another option; if UNE doesn’t provide you with electricity, you look for renewable energy, and if Etecsa doesn’t work, then you get a Starlink and that’s that.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Rubio Asks Cubans to Cooperate With the CIA; Regime Invites the Pope in Response

The intelligence agency publishes a guide to help contact it anonymously from Cuba, and Bruno Rodríguez issues threats against the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an archival photograph. / EFE/Ricardo Maldonado Rozo

EFE/14ymedio, Washington/Havana, October 24, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged on Friday those who want to bring about a change of government in Cuba to embark on “discreet collaboration with the CIA.”

Rubio published the message on X: “For those seeking to bring about positive change in Cuba, this is the moment. Faced with disappointment over unfulfilled promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of a few, seize this opportunity to create the change you want through discreet collaboration with the CIA.”

This Saturday, the CIA published a seven-step guide on its official Instagram account, aimed at Cubans who want to contact the agency safely and anonymously. The text accompanying the post is explicit: “The CIA wants to know the truth about Cuba, and we are looking for trustworthy people who know the truth and can communicate it to us. Your information may be more valuable than you think.” continue reading

The guide directs users to the intelligence agency’s official website and recommends that those who want to make contact use a new device and email address unconnected to their identity, as well as a VPN with a server outside Cuba and other countries that Washington considers hostile.

Rubio’s message came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared, during a rally in Florida, that once the war against Iran was over, the U.S. Navy would navigate to the Island. According to Trump, following its arrival, representatives of the Cuban Government would “raise their hands,” and he would send “Marco Rubio there to close the deal.” The president maintained that Washington would “simply put” Rubio in Cuba and that “he’ll get it done.”

“The CIA wants to know the truth about Cuba, and we are looking for trustworthy people who know the truth and can communicate it to us”

Trump’s statements come amid the election campaign in Florida, Rubio’s home state and the location of the largest Cuban American community in the country.

For his part, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted on Friday by accusing the U.S. of harboring “ambitions of domination” over the Island. He also reiterated the official government narrative that “it is good to remember that we Cubans achieved our true independence on January 1, 1959, and we are determined to defend it.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also lashed out on social media against what he called “any threat involving U.S. ambitions” toward the Island. In a belligerent tone, the foreign minister stated that Cuba’s shores have “beautiful beaches,” but warned that they also have “dog’s teeth”: inhospitable terrain for those who arrive with hostile intentions and a desire for domination.

On Thursday, the Cuban Government had already taken advantage of a meeting with journalists at the Holy See to invite Pope Leo XIV to visit the Island and once again demand the lifting of the U.S. embargo. Cuba’s ambassador to the Vatican, Leyde Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández, conveyed the invitation to the pontiff during a meeting with journalists. The diplomat repeated the official message: “Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is.”

His statements come just days before the United Nations General Assembly debates, on October 27 and 28, the resolution that calls every year for an end to the embargo against Cuba. The Vatican has not commented on the invitation, so there has been no public acceptance by the pontiff and no date has been set for a possible visit.

This exchange of messages is taking place amid a climate of confrontation that has intensified since January, when the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on the Island. Since then, Washington has progressively added “maximum pressure” measures targeting vital sectors of the economy and companies doing business with the Cuban regime, seeking political change in Cuba.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Sea Opens Up to Cubans With the Opening of Havana’s First Nautical Store

Delcos Marine, linked to a Spanish company, offers products for maritime activities, a sector closely monitored by the regime.

The new Delcos Marine nautical store, next to the Almendares River in Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, October 22, 2026 – Alongside the Iron Bridge over the Almendares River, at the boundary separating Havana’s El Vedado and Miramar neighborhoods, several men have been working for weeks to renovate an industrial warehouse. This is the location Delcos Marine has chosen to open its first nautical store in Cuba, a country surrounded by water where all maritime activities are considered matters of national security.

What was once an abandoned, shabby warehouse is now a freshly painted light-blue building, equipped with several solar panels and decorated with eye-catching advertising signs: a smiling woman splashing in the sea, a man on a paddleboard, a hand holding an immaculate fishing rod, two divers in full gear, and the railing of a boat, all set against crystal-clear waters.

The opening of a private business on the Island is not news, but Delcos Marine’s specialty is an event in itself: it offers “everything for sailing, fishing, diving, or simply enjoying a great day at the beach” in a country where sailing, fishing, and diving are subject to strict controls. On its website, which still lists neither prices nor sales, Delcos Marine features several sections offering every type of sea-related product, from water sports equipment to marine hardware and recreational items. Rods, hooks, fishing line, snorkeling equipment, swimsuits, wetsuits, masks, fins, and outboard motor spare parts are among the items on the list, at least on paper. continue reading

Delcos Marine offers “everything for sailing, fishing, diving, or simply enjoying a great day at the beach.” / 14ymedio

“Your next catch starts here” is the slogan the store uses on its social media accounts to announce its upcoming opening, which, nevertheless, has yet to take place. The store’s Facebook account has been active for almost three years, and the first post introducing it as a “nautical marketplace” is dated April 15, 2024.

“A Provisional Transitional Government,” Demand 146 Former Cuban Political Prisoners

The signatories of the document call, as a priority, for the “total release of all political prisoners and the decriminalization of dissent”

El documento fue presentado este jueves en el Museo de la Brigada 2506, en Miami. / Captura/ Telemundo

14ymedio, Madrid, October 23, 2026 / Former political prisoner Ángel de Fana, leader of the group Plantados hasta la Libertad y la Democracia en Cuba [Holdouts until Freedom and Democracy in Cuba], presented in Miami this Thursday a letter sent to the State Department and backed by more than 140 former Cuban prisoners of conscience, in which he asks the US Government to make dialogue conditional on the release of all those who remain in the island’s prisons for ideological reasons.

“We don’t want there to be negotiations with those who are to blame for the dramatic situation of the Cuban people, with the murderers of our people; with them there is no trust, nor is it honorable to negotiate,” De Fana told CubaNet after the press conference at which the document was presented. The event took place this Thursday at the Brigade 2506 Museum in Miami and was attended by several of the signatories.

“There are other Cubans, including military officers and officials, who don’t have blood on their hands, with whom we are willing to negotiate the democratic future of our country,” he added. continue reading

“There are other Cubans, including military officers and officials, who don’t have blood on their hands, with whom we are willing to negotiate the democratic future of our country”

It is a statement in line with what was expressed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the end of September, when he told the media at UN headquarters in New York: “there are some individuals in that regime with whom we can never work because they have blood on their hands. But there are people there with whom I believe we could work if they are willing to steer the country toward political and economic freedom and toward the process that will lead us to that final goal.”

De Fana confirmed this Thursday that the letter, dated October 10, had been sent to the State Department, but they have not received a response. The former political prisoner stated that in order to talk with anyone linked to the regime, “the first condition is the total release of all Cuban political prisoners and the decriminalization of dissent.”

“The situation in Cuba and the uncertainty about possible negotiations with the United States made it urgent to publish the document,” said De Fana, who defended as the declaration’s objective reflecting the stance of those who have paid with prison for their fight against the regime, as well as giving a voice to those who lost their lives “in combat for freedom.”

The signatories argue that they are not seeking “revenge, but justice for the demands of the people,” and that the release of prisoners and the decriminalization of dissent are “non-negotiable” conditions prior to dialogue. Without them, no rapprochement can take place, they believe. “During our ordeal in prison we refused to be used as bargaining chips so that the regime could obtain international concessions,” they contend. Therefore, they stress, “any negotiation can only take place after the political prisoners are released. It is not permissible to monetize their ordeal.” Only after this “could progress be made toward a transition leading to the establishment of a new Republic.”

“It is one thing to provisionally welcome a technocratic and mixed transitional government, made up of military officers and officials of the previous regime with an acceptable track record together with other Cubans from the island and the diaspora. It is quite another to agree to the continuity of the current political system under the hegemony of the power elite,” it adds.

Another of the document’s key points is the identification of two distinct kinds of problem: the one that exists between the governments of the US and Cuba, and the one between the regime and the population.

Washington should “directly” support the Cubans’ struggle against the current political system if the population’s safety were put at risk through repression. This backing should include “all the means at its disposal” and, eventually, the support of any other nation so that the citizenry may recover national sovereignty.

On the other hand, the declaration adds that if the Cuban leadership agreed to leave power in order to avoid personal risks, there should be channels allowing the participation of Cubans in the negotiations.

On the other hand, the declaration adds that if the Cuban leadership agreed to leave power in order to avoid personal risks, there should be channels allowing the participation of Cubans in the negotiations.

Some of those attending made statements to the media present at the gathering. Among them was former political prisoner José Rolando Cáceres Soto, imprisoned on several occasions until his last release, in 2021, who praised the historic exile community. “For us they represent experience; they are the ones who have shown us the steps to follow, necessary steps that we young people have to take. We see how the youth inside Cuba are already taking part in the future of our country. We are fighting against a dictatorship that (…) has mutated. But that mutation doesn’t mean we shouldn’t draw on the experience and the lived experience of these people,” he told Cubanet.

For his part, academic Eduardo Zayas-Bazán noted that “to forge a new Cuba we need honest people who want a future for Cuba, a democratic Cuba, and who have no blood on their hands.”

The document has been signed by 146 people to date, among them Yamilka Abascal, Sissi Abascal, Eduardo Cardet, Pedro Corzo, Guillermo Fariñas, Angélica Garrido and Luis Zúñiga.

Translated by GH.

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Thefts at Cuba’s Photovoltaic Parks: 24 Guards Arrested for Complicity

Those responsible for protecting the 46 installations of 21.8 MW and other smaller ones receive monthly salaries of about six dollars

the theft of a solar panel affects the complete circuit. / X @MMarreroCruz

14ymedio, Madrid, October 23, 2026 / The guards, called upon to protect solar energy, are, precisely, among the main collaborators enabling thefts that often render the entire infrastructure of a solar park useless. That was the main conclusion drawn this Thursday on the television program Hacemos Cuba, which airs on Canal Caribe and which addressed the prevention of and fight against crimes targeting renewable sources.

At present, at least 24 guards are under arrest for acts such as these, which are tried as crimes of sabotage and carry potential sentences of four to ten years in prison in their mildest form, but can reach 30 – or life imprisonment or death – if the consequences are serious or affect anyone’s personal safety.

Among those currently being prosecuted, “23 of them have already been permanently dismissed from the organization. We have one left who is under a precautionary measure because he is in the process of being investigated,” said Argelis Lescay Martínez, head of the renewable energy investment group of the Unión Eléctrica [Electric Union]. Throughout the program, the official emphasized the importance of careful personnel selection in order to have committed guards. continue reading

“I believe the best people have to be guarding the park. The most responsible, most serious people, the people with the most appropriate civic conduct”

“I believe the best people have to be guarding the park. The most responsible, most serious people, the people with the most appropriate civic conduct. But also, it’s not just the salary, you have to show those people some affection; they need to feel that they are in the most important place, that it is providing energy for the people. It’s not just the salary,” he insisted.

The figures, of course, leave no room for doubt. These workers, he specified, are on support staff scale six, which according to official regulations means a base salary of 4,065 CUP, to which would be added a supplement that, according to Lescay Martínez’s estimates, would be around 877 pesos. In total, with the data provided, the employee earns about 5,000 pesos a month, which at the informal exchange rate amounts to around six dollars.

Although Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Ábalo Mendoza, deputy department head in the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of the Interior, agreed – “selective personnel with conviction must be sought to protect these installations” – there was a dissenting opinion in the room.

“We have… let’s say, a high level of salary demotivation. Ours are among the lowest salaries in the country’s business systems today. The salary of one of our guards doesn’t exceed 4,000 pesos, or 3,700-something,” stated Junior González Núñez, first vice president of the Water and Sanitation Business Group of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources.

Humberto López, the program’s host, interrupted the executive: “This is a matter that has to improve immediately because we are talking about the place on which a community’s water depends,” he rebuked.

“We have… let’s say, a high level of salary demotivation. Ours are among the lowest salaries in the country’s business systems today. The salary of one of our guards doesn’t exceed 4,000 pesos, or 3,700-something”

González Núñez elaborated that the water situation is substantially different from that of the large electric parks and even the installations on community buildings, because, since the panels are installed in small communities to which water is to be brought, the crime remains within a small circle where the neighbors themselves help resolve the situation and even point out the culprit.

According to his explanation, there are some 856 communities with these resources, out of the more than 1,300 that are intended to be covered, but any one of these thefts can leave more than 20 families without running water. In the case of the hydraulic companies, it is not specifically guards – except at night – who are in charge of watching over the panels, but specialized operators.

In the case of the solar parks, said Lescay Martínez – where there are the most cases of vandalism, because they are isolated out in the fields – the installation is carried out first, along with training in operational and security matters. “Many of these institutions have their own security and protection force and we take part in the preparation we provide them,” he noted. Once the assembly is finished, responsibility rests in the hands of these workers.

Lescay Martínez said that the 46 parks already installed in the country have about 26 or 28 panels on each table (metal structure), but stealing just one is enough to put the whole circuit out of action. “When a photovoltaic panel is removed, it leaves the energy of the entire table useless,” he explained. This means, he calculated, around 15.5 kilowatts per hour that go ungenerated. Many of the thefts even precede the commissioning of the park, when the parts are stored inside the fence awaiting installation. Neither the fence nor the security cameras have prevented the vandalism, precisely because of the cooperation of those who are supposed to supervise it.

“A large percentage of incidents of this kind have been cleared up and others are now in the investigation phase”

“A large percentage of incidents of this kind have been cleared up and others are now in the investigation phase,” stated Ábalo Mendoza, who lamented that there is also violence on many occasions, including stone-throwing resulting in injuries to those guards who risk their lives for such a low salary.

The lieutenant colonel warned that the panels can be identified one by one, making it easier to detect the origin of one that has been stolen. “It’s very easy, when carrying out an investigative process, to go to a home, see the panels and the number, look up the number and you know where the panel comes from. In addition, the panel has a plate on the back with a set of data, which makes it evident that it comes from such-and-such photovoltaic park, from such-and-such project,” he added.

Meanwhile, the guests argued, although there is an extra 5% of resources provided for in the contract to replace parts that may break – which makes it possible to have reserves in case of theft – what is needed is not always covered. And, while waiting for it to arrive, “a community is left, as the comrade was saying, eight or ten days without drinking water. Plus the replacement of the panels that has to be done, the consequences are high.”

Translated by GH.
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The Number of Electric Vehicles in Cuba Is Skyrocketing, but Charging Stations Are in Short Supply

The Cuban Government reports that passenger transportation has declined by 75%, and by as much as 90% in the case of buses for workers.

Cuba’s fleet of electric vehicles has doubled in just one year. / Radio Cadena Agramonte

14ymedio, Madrid, October 22, 2026 – Cuba’s fleet of electric vehicles has doubled in just one year, says Transport Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila. In an interview with the British news agency Reuters, the head of one of the sectors hardest hit by the fuel shortage puts the number of these vehicles on the Island at 150,000, including cars, motorcycles, and electric tricycles.

According to his figures, one million vehicles circulate throughout the country, meaning that officially, electric vehicles account for 15% of those operating in Cuba, although Rodríguez Dávila believes the number could be much higher, since a large number are thought to be unregistered.

The minister has provided a considerable amount of data that clearly illustrates the bleak outlook for mobility on the Island. Among the most disastrous figures is the number of passenger journeys, which has fallen by around 75%. Last year, statistics recorded 781.8 million trips, meaning that, after this decline, the number of journeys made by people using public transportation would stand at around 195.45 million. continue reading

Passenger journeys in Cuba have fallen by 75%, from the 781.8 million recorded in 2025 to an estimated 195.45 million this year

Even worse is the decline in journeys on buses for workers, which has reached 90% and takes on particularly serious significance when considered alongside figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information. In 2025, there were only 32.6 million such trips, following a sharp decline from just over 37 million the previous year. This year, the figure would fall to barely 3.2 million. Daily trips from Havana to the other provinces have dropped from 419 to just 11, while the number of national bus routes has fallen from 100 to only 21.

“Traditional public transportation is at one of the lowest points in its history,” Rodríguez Dávila summarized. He is one of the current government’s most highly regarded ministers because of his interactions with users on social media. The official told Reuters that the Island is working “at full speed on the construction of solar charging stations”—known as solineras—to change the energy source as quickly as possible. He said that 60 such facilities are expected to be established throughout the country.

The Island is working “at full speed on the construction of solar charging stations”—known as solineras—to change the energy source as quickly as possible

In the midst of the energy blockade, which began when the U.S. president prohibited shipments of crude oil to Cuba from any country in January 2026, the only fuel reaching the Island is precisely the fuel that private businesses purchase in the neighboring United States and that the State obtains in violation of export regulations. Under these circumstances, gasoline is a scarce commodity and, moreover, extremely expensive for individual consumers.

“These are families who cannot travel, people who cannot visit sick loved ones, and others who cannot get to a hospital. The underlying human drama of these shortages is complex,” Rodríguez Dávila said in the days leading up to the United Nations General Assembly vote on the resolution against the embargo, which the regime promotes every year and for which the United States is trying, more forcefully than ever, to secure a less unfavorable outcome than usual. This has triggered an exchange of accusations and propaganda campaigns on both sides that are more intense than in previous years.

Domestic freight transportation is expected to fall to around 20 million tons this year, slightly more than one-third of the 70 million tons transported in 2025

The minister also said that domestic freight transportation is expected to fall to around 20 million tons this year, slightly more than one-third of the 70 million tons transported in 2025.

The British news agency reported that the minister took journalists on a tour to present yellow electric tricycles owned by a state-run company that were sitting idle in a parking lot because there was no electricity available to charge them. “The frustrated taxi drivers expressed their dissatisfaction,” the report says, concluding with an account of Rodríguez Dávila grimacing as he acknowledged the situation. “These are the problems we have,” he said.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The People of Artemisa Dream of Reviving the Soroa Tourist Complex with the Private Sector

Small and medium-sized private businesses are becoming lifelines for state-owned companies throughout the country.

The hotels were already on their last legs since the pandemic and are now closed. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, October 22, 2026 / Soroa has long been buried in oblivion because of the decline in tourism. The coronavirus pandemic devastated one of the Island’s most privileged areas. Its location, just 80 kilometers from Havana, and the beauty of its natural landscapes had earned it, quite deservedly, the nickname “The Rainbow of Cuba.” But its case perfectly illustrates the blow dealt to an industry that has never been able to recover since COVID-19 and that recent U.S. sanctions have finally finished off.

For the past four months, the tourist complex has been firmly shut, with the exception of the six security guards and 15 workers who, according to a report in the local press, “are dedicated to maintaining the place, at least keeping it free of weeds, dust, and other predictable effects, as they bring even the hands of the clock to a halt.” El Artemiseño states that, in addition to the shortcomings of the electrical system, there is an “absence of drinking water.”

The article notes that a “No Entry” sign warns of the situation at the complex, located in Artemisa—in the Sierra del Rosario and very close to Candelaria—and comprised of a hotel, an orchid garden, several lodging villas, and the picturesque Castle in the Clouds. Hurricane Rafael, which struck the province nearly two years ago, left “damage that has yet to be repaired,” the outlet acknowledges, although it remains optimistic. continue reading

“We learned from the Artemisa Tourism Delegation that there are non-state economic actors interested in taking over management of the complex,” it states confidently, while also acknowledging that “in fact, when speaking with some of the workers at the Soroa hotel, they have no clear idea of where the negotiations stand.”

“We learned from the Artemisa Tourism Delegation that there are non-state economic actors interested in taking over management of the complex”

The article devotes numerous paragraphs to encouraging investors to take an interest in an area with specific potential for ecotourism because of its natural attributes, a sector that offers tax and fiscal benefits to business owners. “The changes make it possible both to add new options to the business models already in place (joint ventures and management contracts) for tourism activities and to lease properties to foreign investors, Cubans residing abroad, and those living in the country,” El Artemiseño states, warning of the risks posed by the authorities’ inaction if they fail to implement the much-publicized 176 measures to transform the economy.

The article emphasizes the importance of restoring Soroa for the more than one hundred workers who have now had to be reassigned to other destinations, the new opportunities for tour guides and other tourism professionals who have received new authorizations to work independently of the State, and a series of other advantages. There are so many that they raise doubts about the private sector’s purported interest in managing the complex.

“If there is no prompt action on the established timetable to approve the model to be followed at the appropriate levels; if workers are kept in the dark about what is happening and how it will be done; if the property lacks the essential maintenance needed to prevent deterioration; and if the decision is pushed beyond the immediate present, the cost of reviving it will be high,” the report adds.

Soroa’s abandonment is far from recent. Although El Artemiseño indicates that the deterioration affects “the facilities that once offered unique experiences in those parts,” the turning point dates back to 2020. That year, 14ymedio visited the region to report on how a population that until then had depended on tourism, both directly and indirectly, had been profoundly disrupted by the closure of the borders.

Those who rented rooms, offered excursions or horseback rides, prepared meals, or even sold orchids—the result of widespread illegal cultivation—were then forced to reinvent themselves to the point of turning their land into vegetable gardens. This newspaper even interviewed a woman who had lost her job after the hotel closed and could not even find work cleaning houses. None of those interviewed was optimistic about escaping a predicament they had never faced before.

And they were not wrong. Despite the very slow and modest recovery in tourism following the reopening of the borders, visitor numbers plummeted, especially beginning in 2023. This continued until the final collapse in 2026, when only 450,353 international tourists arrived on the Island between January and August, 64.4% fewer than during the same period in 2025, which had already been a very bad year. The September figures will be released in a few days

As long as problems such as the lack of flights due to fuel shortages remain unresolved, along with shortages of electricity, water, and food supplies, which hotels can circumvent through investment, and the absence of managers for the facilities since most foreigners left because of the sanctions, the incentives that the press highlights for Cuban or foreign investors will do little good.

“The complexity of securing financing kept postponing the project until, in coordination with the small and medium-sized private company VitallCons, with which working ties already existed, it was decided to begin the project”

Nevertheless, the private sector is beginning to become, albeit on a very small scale for now, the national economy’s only lifeline. On Wednesday, the Las Tunas press reported on the restoration of the old railway station, which will be brought back to life as an intermodal terminal for trains, buses, and trucks, complete with a fuel station. “The complexity of securing financing kept postponing the project until, in coordination with the small and medium-sized private company VitallCons, with which working ties already existed, it was decided to begin the project,” the report explains.

The same has happened in the food sector with the Artemisa Poultry Company and Don Pereda, a medium-sized private company, which have joined forces in an association to reestablish the José Antonio Labrador farm. The facility recently suffered a shortage of animal feed, and after 29 days with no feed at all, it lost most of its poultry stock, while production fell from 28,000 eggs a day to just 38.

“With the guarantee of importing animal feed, the new management model takes responsibility for more than 80,000 laying hens, nearly 42,000 of them already adults, with the remainder being young hens awaiting their first laying cycle,” the report states. According to the article, wages have doubled, and incentive payments can reach 15,000 pesos, three times the monthly salary.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Havana Chronicles: Havana, A City of Desperate Searches

From Nuevo Vedado to Carlos III, a journey through blackouts, ruined buildings, and people searching for a connection or something to eat.

From several blocks around, people arrive looking for something that is becoming as scarce as electricity: an internet connection. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, October 21, 2026 / Just having left my house, on the outskirts of the Ministry of Agriculture, I came across a group of people sitting on the curb, as if waiting for a bus that never comes. But no one was looking toward nearby Rancho Boyeros Avenue for a bus. They all had their heads bent over a cell phone screen. Some were typing rapidly, others were holding the device close to their face, and a woman was straining to hear a voice message over the noise of the traffic.

The proximity of a telecommunications tower has transformed this stretch of sidewalk into an improvised internet café. People arrive from several blocks around, seeking something that is becoming as scarce as electricity: an internet connection. In much of Nuevo Vedado, mobile data has become an intermittent luxury. The signal appears, disappears, and forces people to pursue it through the streets.

This Wednesday morning the sky is overcast and a cool breeze relieves the wait. Other days, those who sit in front of the enormous building end up with sunburnt skin, as if they’d spent hours at the beach. Except they haven’t seen the sea or enjoyed a vacation. They’ve remained in the open air trying to send an email, talk to a relative who’s emigrated, or download a document. continue reading

“Things are so bad that, between the sacks of cement and the bricks I move, I also have to work as a taxi driver.”

I continue toward Ayestarán. Recent rains have converted the sidewalks into a series of puddles and mud. One wrong step could leave my shoe sinking in a mixture of mud and dirty water. I decide to hop on an electric tricycle. The driver is an older man with weathered arms and an easygoing manner. He explains that he doesn’t usually pick up passengers. His business consists of transporting goods from a few private hardware stores to customers’ homes. But these aren’t times for specialization.

“Things are so bad that, between the sacks of cement and the bricks I move, I also have to act as a taxi driver,” he tells me while trying to dodge a van whose driver seems convinced that the size of his vehicle gives him priority on the road.

At the intersection of Ayestarán and 20 de Mayo, the traffic light is out. It’s not the first one we’ve found not working. The power outage extends across large areas of Havana, and intersections have become places where each driver calculates for themselves when to proceed, stop, or simply rely on luck.

“Looks like they’re going to take Díaz-Canel for a walk,” my driver quips as he looks towards the nearby tower of the Plaza of the Revolution

Here, however, a policewoman tries to bring order to the cars, motorcycles, and tricycles. Two officers, in their impecable uniforms, join the operation.

“Looks like they’re going to take Díaz-Canel for a stroll,” my driver quips, glancing at the nearby tower in the Plaza of the Revolution. “Now they’re taking him to a place where everything looks spic and span,” he adds sarcastically.

A little further on, the landscape belies any pretense of a polished city. In the dilapidated doorway of a building that lost part of its roof years ago, a couple has set up their makeshift home. Bags, wood, and plastic sheeting define a dwelling without doors or walls. Trees sprout from the balconies and eaves, seemingly determined to finish the demolition. No one dares to pass beneath that structure for fear of collapse, but they live there.

We turn right onto Carlos III Avenue. In front of the commercial center, a woman is selling trinkets on a blanket spread out on the sidewalk. The tricycle stops, and the driver takes the opportunity to wipe his sweat. “That’s in dollars. I haven’t lost anything there because I don’t have any,” he says, pointing at the establishment.

I glance toward the gates of the Plaza. A old woman hunched over raises her hand every time someone approaches and asks for “something to eat.” Her voice barely manages to cut through the noise of the engines and the bustle of the street. Havana has become a city where we all desperately chase after something: an internet signal, a roof, even if it threatens to collapse, a few dollars, or simply something as basic as being able to eat every day.

A New Education Law for Cuba, but with the Same Ideological Control

The draft bill opens space for the private sector in educational services and financing, but keeps schools in the hands of the State.

The draft bill also includes ideological obligations for teachers. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, October 2026 / Cuban students will have, on paper, the right to express their opinions freely, but they will also be required to “defend the principles of the Revolution.” This is one of the contradictions in the draft bill for the new Education Law, with which the Government intends to replace Law 680 of 1959 and bring together, within a single legal framework, numerous provisions that until now have been scattered across different regulations. The document, comprising 243 articles, incorporates guarantees for students and teachers and opens up new opportunities for private-sector participation, but preserves one of the fundamental characteristics of the Cuban education system: its total subordination to the official ideology.

Economic openness is one of the most interesting new features of the proposal. Although Article 41 keeps the administration and financing of educational institutions in the hands of the State, it allows resources from non-state management models and national and international cooperation to be incorporated. Article 239 also authorizes educational institutions to establish mechanisms for generating supplementary income, including the creation of foundations, interface companies, mipymes (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises), and other authorized structures.

This is not a possibility entirely foreign to the current reality. At the end of August, several private companies committed to sponsoring more than 50 schools in the municipality of Florida, Camagüey, to help with repairs, painting, cleaning, and maintenance. The initiative, promoted by local authorities, was a response to the State’s difficulties in ensuring adequate material conditions for the school year. continue reading

The Cuban draft bill keeps school administration in the hands of the State

This does not amount to authorizing the general opening of private schools. The Cuban draft bill keeps school administration in the hands of the State. The reform allows greater non-state economic participation around the education system, but does not establish general freedom to create independent schools.

In the political sphere, the provisions are equally explicit. Article 11 recognizes students’ right to form and freely express their opinions, to be heard, and to participate in decisions that affect them. However, the following article, which addresses their duties, requires them to “defend the principles of the Revolution, preserving national independence and security.” The document does not clarify how a conflict between these two provisions would be resolved or what would happen to a student who openly advocated political ideas opposed to socialism.

The draft bill also establishes ideological obligations for teachers. Article 14 stipulates that teaching and non-teaching staff must “defend the Socialist Homeland, the principles of the Revolution, and the values of Cuban society.” It also requires them to maintain their political and ideological preparation and systematically keep up to date on national and international events that affect their educational work. Another provision requires them to maintain ethical conduct on social media, without precisely defining the scope of that obligation.

The requirement of political loyalty has explicit precedents. In 2019, the then Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Martha del Carmen Mesa Valenciano, argued that university professors should act as activists for revolutionary policy. In her statement, published on the Ministry’s official website, she invoked Fidel Castro’s definition of the ideological role of educators and maintained that anyone who did not share that commitment should resign from university teaching.

For more than six decades, curricula, student organizations, and school activities have been linked to defending the regime

The new regulation also specifies its doctrinal foundations. Article 6 stipulates that the educational process will promote national values and ideals based on “Martíist, Fidelist, Marxist, and Leninist” thought. Article 50 also includes the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba among the bodies to which certain higher education institutions are subordinate.

This is not a case of political indoctrination only now arriving in Cuban schools. For more than six decades, curricula, student organizations, and school activities have been linked to defending the regime. The new draft bill performs a balancing act to bring these ideological requirements together in new legislation that also proclaims supposed individual rights and the “democratic and participatory” nature of education.

A comparison with other Latin American laws highlights the differences. In Argentina, Article 67 of the National Education Law recognizes teachers’ right to teach on the basis of academic freedom and freedom of instruction. In Uruguay, Article 11 of the General Education Law requires teachers to facilitate access to different sources of information, presenting a broad and balanced range of viewpoints so that students can form their own judgments.

Uruguayan legislation also stipulates that a plurality of opinions and the rational and democratic confrontation of knowledge and beliefs must be guaranteed. The Cuban draft bill, by contrast, does not establish an equivalent general guarantee of academic freedom, although it recognizes a degree of “academic autonomy” in specific activities, such as tutoring and academic supervision.

Another difference from much of Latin America concerns compulsory schooling. While Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay extend it through the completion of secondary education, the Cuban proposal maintains compulsory schooling from preschool through ninth grade. Subsequent levels are presented as a social aspiration that the State should promote, but not as an obligation for everyone.

Universities are not exempt from ideological requirements either. The proposal recognizes students’ right to participate in institutional management, but only within “agreed-upon degrees of relative autonomy.” Another provision makes that autonomy conditional on its consistency with “the principles of socialist society.”

The energy crisis has also endangered the day-to-day operation of educational institutions

In March of this year, the Technological University of Havana (Cujae) decided not to renew Professor Abel Tablada’s contract after he published critical comments about the Government’s economic decisions, according to the professor’s account. His departure sparked protests among students and professors in Cujae’s Faculty of Architecture.

Among the provisions favoring student rights are safeguards against school violence, reporting mechanisms, and protection against retaliation. However, many of these rights were already recognized in the 2025 Code of Children, Adolescents, and Youth. The future law develops the procedures and institutional responsibilities associated with these rights rather than establishing them for the first time.

The document also promises decent working conditions for teachers, school meals, teaching materials, accessibility, and technological resources, although it sets no quantified budgetary commitments to make these guarantees effective. The possibility of turning to business income and supplementary funding sources takes on particular importance in this context. In August, the Education Minister herself acknowledged that only 73% of teaching positions were filled and that in-person attendance throughout the school year could not be guaranteed.

The energy crisis has also endangered the day-to-day operation of educational institutions. In May, UNESCO warned that power outages, fuel shortages, and the deterioration of basic services threatened Cuban education by making it more difficult for students and teachers to attend school and for classes to proceed normally.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Alayn Daniel Blanco, the Second Young Cuban Baseball Prospect to Defect This Month

It is estimated that of the more than 1,000 athletes who have left the Island over the past decade, at least 700 are baseball players.

Alayn Daniel Blanco has already recorded a pitching speed of over 90 miles per hour / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, October 21, 2026 / Alayn Daniel Blanco, 18, is the latest Cuban baseball prospect to defect. The young man is following the path taken by players from the Island who are seeking to reach Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States: traveling to the Dominican Republic. The pitcher’s departure was reported by expert Francys Romero, who noted on Monday that the athlete is seeking to sign a contract with an MLB organization.

The player, who was born in Matanzas and stands 1.92 meters tall, has already recorded a pitching speed of over 90 miles per hour, Romero points out, the average speed needed to compete in Major League Baseball.

The drain of talent is beginning to take its toll on Cuban sports. As journalist Yasel Porto recalls, “one of the keys to this defeat is that the largest percentage of Cuba’s top-level baseball players, aged 14 and 15, are in the Dominican Republic, in academies run by Major League teams or in private academies, seeking a contract.” continue reading

Alayn Daniel Blanco’s defection is the second reported this month and the third in less than 30 days. The previous reported defection was that of Carlos Adrián Hernández, who was part of the preliminary roster of the Cuban team that competed in the Under-15 World Cup held in Mexico during the first week of October. The pitcher also arrived in the Dominican Republic to begin training.

The previous reported defection was that of Carlos Adrián Hernández, who was part of the preliminary roster of the Cuban team that competed in the Under-15 World Cup

At the end of September, the departure of Leandro Forteza García, 19, was also reported. The pitcher from Sancti Spíritus was a member of the Cuban team that competed in the 2025 Under-18 World Cup in Japan. In three games in the tournament, he recorded two wins and one loss, with an earned run average of 3.36, in addition to striking out seven batters in 8.1 innings.

According to Francys Romero’s records, Forteza García is the eighth member of the World Cup team to have left the Island.

Another case was that of Richard Bouquet, a 17-year-old right-handed pitcher from Holguín, who left Cuba last July and came under the guidance of Bailli Baseball, an academy in the Dominican Republic founded by former Cuban baseball player Kenen Bailli, who played in the National Series and in the Major Leagues with Toronto.

Of that Cuban youth team that competed in Japan, the first to leave the country was left-handed pitcher César Morales, from Villa Clara, in July 2025. He began training in Santo Domingo under representation by the Wasserman agency. Marcos Fuentes, Alejandro Cairo, and Cristian Rojas followed in August of last year, while Javier Zambrano left in November.

One of the reasons is the low salaries, which amount to 3,500 pesos for a player competing in the National Series

The departure of these young players adds to the problems Cuban baseball has faced for years. On the one hand, it is estimated that of the more than 1,000 athletes who have left the Island over the past decade, at least 700 are young baseball players with promising futures. To a large extent, the lack of opportunities for growth and the limited prospects of achieving a better life force athletes to seek opportunities far from the Island. One reason is the low salaries, which amount to 3,500 pesos for players competing in the National Series and 8,500 for those in the Elite League, in a country where a carton of eggs can cost as much as 4,300 pesos.

Furthermore, sporting results are getting progressively worse. In the most recent World Baseball Classic, the team known as Team Asere delivered the worst performance in its history, failing even to qualify for the second round after being eliminated with two wins and two losses.

Previously, apart from the unexpected fourth-place finish achieved by the Cuban team in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023, the national team has recorded nothing but failures in the various international events in which it has competed. In the Premier 12 tournament, which brings together the world’s best teams, the team fell from sixth place in 2015 to second-to-last place (11th), tied with Puerto Rico, in 2024.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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China, Russia and Iran Close Ranks with Raúl Castro, “Revolutionary Leader of Great Prestige”

Tehran calls the arrest warrant against the former president for the shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue planes “criminal”; Moscow points to “revenge by Miami’s anti-Cuban lobby” and Beijing offers its “firm support”

Xi Jinping with Raúl Castro during a meeting in Havana in 2014. / Xinhua

14ymedio, Madrid, October 21, 2026 / China has been the latest friendly country to join the club of solidarity with the Cuban regime following the indictment of Raúl Castro in the case of the 1996 shootdown of two light aircraft belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue organization, expanded this Monday by a Florida judge. The measure, signed on Friday by Ariana Fajardo Orshan, charges the former ruler with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, in a case separate from the federal proceedings opened in May over the deaths of four members of the organization.

“Raúl Castro is a highly respected leader of the Cuban Revolution,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said this Wednesday, adding that the former leader “enjoys great international prestige.”

Xinhua echoed these statements, made at a regular press conference at which the spokesperson was asked about the matter. “China has consistently opposed the abuse of judicial means to pressure Cuba,” she said, before stressing that Beijing “firmly supports” the island in “protecting its national sovereignty and rejecting foreign interference.” continue reading

“China has consistently opposed the abuse of judicial means to pressure Cuba”

Mao once again called on the United States to “put an end to its blockade of Cuba and to any other form of coercion or pressure,” and urged it to “stop violating the Cuban people’s rights to survival and development.”

Beijing had been preceded by two other regular partners of Havana, one of them Iran, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement through the state news agency IRNA in which it described the issuing of the arrest warrant against Castro as “criminal and illegal.” Tehran denounced Washington’s “interventionist actions,” including sanctions it called “inhumane” and attempts to threaten and intimidate Cuban authorities and public figures.

The Ministry added that the policy of sanctions, pressure and intimidation “applied against the Cuban people for more than seven decades violates the Charter of the United Nations and contradicts the principles and norms of international law and human rights.” In the view of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Washington will have to answer for the “catastrophic consequences” of these decisions on the daily life of the population, with which it expressed its solidarity in the face of these “criminal actions.”

Moscow was not missing from the group either: quite the contrary: it was the one that opened fire, criticizing the “unfounded and false accusation” that comes “more than 30 years later.” In the view of the Russian Foreign Ministry, this “is nothing more than revenge by Miami’s anti-Cuban lobby, a desire to settle scores with Castro, who celebrated his 95th birthday in June.”

After “categorically” rejecting and condemning the arrest warrant against Castro, the statement said that it is nothing more than part of “a broader escalation of tensions around the Island of Freedom [as Moscow calls Cuba], which is going through extremely difficult times due to an unprecedented commercial, economic, financial and energy blockade, and could destabilize the entire Latin American and Caribbean region.”

The note concludes with a personal message to the former Cuban leader himself: “We wish Comrade Raúl Castro, a friend of Russia, good health and that he maintain his unwavering bravery, courage and strength.” Although the Russian Foreign Ministry took the opportunity to reaffirm its solidarity with the Cuban regime, with which it will continue “strengthening the close ties of friendship, mutual support, assistance and comprehensive cooperation,” the words once again remain just that. Like those of Iran and China. So far this year, the three countries have not stopped expressing, almost weekly, their support and backing for an island in need of resources that none of them has fully decided to send.

While China is the one that has contributed the most goods, products and donations to the regime, Iran and Russia are the partners that have not dared to defy Washington to send the much-desired fuel that could serve as an immediate lifeline for the regime. Chinese support through solar energy, underway for more than two years, represents a slower and more gradual change in the energy matrix, while the oil tankers that Tehran and Moscow could deliver would give Havana breathing room, as happened in April.

On the last day of March, the Anatoly Kolodkin arrived on the island with 730,000 barrels of Russian crude, an entry authorized by Washington, which did not try to prevent the tanker’s arrival, as it later did with other attempts, without Russia daring to enter into direct confrontation. Iran has not even tried, despite being in open war with the US, which it has repeatedly defied, but only in relation to its own territory and surrounding areas.

“Well, I think it’s political. It’s political and it also has to do with the November election, from my point of view”

Mexico is another of the countries that has tried to find legal loopholes to keep supplying oil to Cuba while avoiding a clash with the US, with which it maintains relations vital to its economy. Its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was asked by the press this Monday for her opinion on Castro’s new indictment, which she attributes to the pre-election climate in the neighboring country. “Well, I think it’s political. It’s political and it also has to do with the November election, from my point of view,” she said. “And the votes they want to win on one side and the other,” said the president, who went no further in her remarks.

Paradoxically, her opinion is shared by many Cuban-American users on social media, who reacted to the news the other day by calling it a “circus” or “theater,” explicitly linking it to the November elections, as CiberCuba has reported, based on comments on its social media accounts. These messages do not reflect sympathy for the elderly former president, but rather disappointment with Trump’s handling of the Cuban issue and with other political decisions that are causing dismay among his base of loyal Cuban voters and followers.

The reasons go beyond his policy toward the island – or his lack of action – and extend to his attitude toward Venezuela, where he has shown that he puts the oil business ahead of democracy, and to his open animosity toward the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in contrast to the sympathy he shows for Russia’s Vladimir Putin and for Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un themselves.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Is Now the Oldest Country in the Americas, with 26.7% of the Population over 60

Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución municipality tops the list with 38.2%, followed by the province of Villa Clara with 30.2%, while Guantánamo is the youngest region, with 23.3% having reached old age

The increase in the lowest pensions represents “a bag of milk or a bottle of oil” bought from a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME). / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, October 21, 2026 / Cuba has the largest population over 60 on the entire continent, and the figures are advancing by leaps and bounds. This is revealed in the 2025 yearbook on demographic aging, published this Tuesday by the National Office of Statistics and Information [ONEI]. Older adults now account for 26.7% of the total population, an increase of exactly one point compared with 2024, when the figure stood at 25.7%.

Data from Cepal [ECLAC, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] show that this is by far the highest figure in the continent’s statistics and classify the country as having “very accelerated” aging. Second on the list is Uruguay, with 21.8%, followed by Chile with 19.5% and Argentina with 17.2%. However, a quick look at the trajectory of its main competitors in the category is enough to see the difference.

In 2015, the population over 60 in Cuba was 19.4%, which means growth of 7.3 points in just ten years. Uruguay had 19.4% a decade ago and now has 21.8% (2.7 points), while Argentina went from 14.9% to 17% (2.1 more). Chile, the only one with faster growth, has gone from 15% to 19.5%, which represents 4.5 points over the whole decade. continue reading

Moreover, zooming in even further, it can be seen that in Cuba the acceleration has become extreme in the last five years, since 2021

Moreover, zooming in even further, it can be seen that in Cuba the acceleration has become extreme in the last five years, since 2021. While between the years 2014 and 2019 to 2021 aging remained between 18% and 21%, the big rise came in the last four years, with a jump of 5 points. The timing coincides with the combination of two factors that triggered the migration crisis on the island: the end of the pandemic – which opened doors that had been almost completely shut for two years – and the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021, which brought thousands of people into the streets against the regime.

Frustration over the change that did not happen and the repression of the protesters were the last straw for thousands of people who left Cuba in search of a better future. Officially, the loss is estimated at 15%, more than 1.6 million people. Independent experts speak of 24%, 80% of them in the 15 to 59 age bracket, that is, people of working and childbearing age.

By province, Villa Clara takes first place, with 30.2% of adults over 60, but Havana follows closely, with 29.1%, even though it is one of the territories that benefits most from internal migration, gaining population that moves to the capital in search of work – which affects a younger segment.

Havana is currently home to 1,673,208 people, of whom 486,650 are over 60, almost a third of the total, which highlights the alarming problem in the care sector, along with other closely related ones such as health. By contrast, children under 14 number barely 251,527, confirming the low birth rate of the province, which also has the oldest municipality on the island: Plaza de la Revolución, with 38.2%.

At the opposite end are Guantánamo, the youngest, with 23.3% – and which in turn is home to the municipality with the fewest older people, 17.9% – along with Santiago de Cuba and Artemisa, both with 24.2%. In this case, although these provinces retain a high number of retirees who stay in these areas, poverty – which holds back migration – and higher fertility rates – which coincide with eastern Cuba – bring the average age down.

At the opposite end are Guantánamo, the youngest, with 23.3% – and which in turn is home to the municipality with the fewest older people, 17.9% – along with Santiago de Cuba and Artemisa, both with 24.2%

In its introduction, the ONEI points out that births are also at extremely low levels, with just 68,064 births and a total fertility rate of only 1.29 children per woman, the lowest figure in history. The report notes that, given the progressive aging of its population, Cuba faces the challenge of “reorienting its economic model toward demographic sustainability, promoting inclusive employment, technological innovation and policies that integrate older adults into the economy.”

In a long interview with this newspaper, demographer Juan Carlos Albizu* warned of the risks of not making changes to deal with the island’s demographic crisis, including reform of the pension system. “If what has to change hasn’t changed, we’re going to have a very hard time, because the State, which is already socioeconomically bankrupt, would have no other way out than to abandon people to their fate.”

According to ONEI experts, Cuba will reach 36% population aging by 2040, and the population will have fallen to 8.3 million inhabitants. Unlike other countries, the island currently has no prospect of changing this dynamic through immigration.

Translated by GH

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El Cerro, a Havana Neighborhood Incommunicado for a Month

Residents walk several kilometers to communicate and others keep paying 1,000 pesos for ‘Nauta Hogar’ Internet for fear of losing the service

The entire area around Casino Deportivo, in the Havana neighborhood of El Cerro, has been without telephone service or internet connection / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, October 21, 2026 / The entire area around Casino Deportivo, in the Havana neighborhood of El Cerro, has been without telephone service or internet connection for almost a month due to a fire in the cables of the Electric Union (UNE), which also damaged the lines of Etecsa [Cuba’s state telecommunications company]. The electric company repaired its fault weeks ago, but the telecommunications monopoly says it does not have the cables to restore communications, residents told 14ymedio.

The lack of service affects both those in that part of the municipality of Cerro who use landlines and the homes that depend on Nauta Hogar, Etecsa’s home internet service, which needs the damaged infrastructure to work. Faced with this unresolved situation, residents must travel several kilometers to make a call or connect to the internet.

Among the places they go is the ground floor of the Ministry of Agriculture – located on Conill Street, at the corner of Independencia Avenue, in Nuevo Vedado – where, as this newspaper was able to confirm, residents also come from around Primelles and from the side of Calzada de Ayestarán that belongs to the municipality of Cerro. continue reading

On top of being cut off, there is a financial problem for families who have contracted Nauta Hogar, the web browsing service offered over fiber-optic cables. According to customers who spoke to this newspaper, many pay more than 1,000 pesos a month and have already lost practically an entire period of connection because of a fault that was not their responsibility.

Many pay more than 1,000 pesos a month for the Nauta Hogar service and have already lost practically an entire period of connection

Now, customers of the cable connection service face the dilemma of paying out the money again without knowing when they will be able to use the service, since they fear that if they stop topping up their accounts while the outage lasts, they will end up losing access to Nauta Hogar. Some are considering continuing to pay while waiting for Etecsa to replace the line damaged by the flames.

Residents, however, can file a claim under Cuban law. Decree 124 of 2025, which regulates Etecsa’s concession, establishes in its Article 13 that the company must not charge its customers for the time they remain without service. It would not be the first time the company has had to compensate an affected customer: in February 2026 it acknowledged that it owed a credit of 1,800 pesos to a user who had spent several months without a landline or Nauta Hogar because of a cable fault.

Decree 124 of 2025 establishes in its Article 13 that Etecsa must not charge its customers for the time they remain without service

In the building where the 14ymedio newsroom is located, many of the apartments have been without a landline for more than a year because of another fault that also burned the cables. Since then, Etecsa has not been able to replace the line.

In the rest of Havana, blackouts not only leave residents in the dark and cut off: they also pit them against one another over the few hours of electricity they receive, even provoking a “war” between the circuits that receive unequal treatment from the UNE.

In Luyanó, residents of the less favored areas protested because the circuits that supply two hospitals, the Miguel Enríquez Clinical Surgical Hospital and the Diez de Octubre Gynecological-Obstetric Hospital, hardly suffered any outages. After months of complaints, petition drives and representations to the authorities, they managed to have the blackouts shared out between the two sides week by week.

The measure had an additional consequence. A resident of the favored circuit explained that when the power is cut to the buildings in the other sector, they are also left without internet, because the Etecsa antenna is installed there. Having power is not enough to be connected. Very often the exact opposite happens.

Last weekend, the discontent also reached Nuevo Vedado, where circuit PZ15 racked up 37 hours and 19 minutes without electricity. Residents staged cacerolazos [pot-banging protests] and shouted from the buildings to demand that the supply be restored. The protest was especially striking in an area where numerous officials and people linked to the ruling party live.

Translated by GH

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