Cuba

Cuba begins releasing prisoners under scrutiny of rights groups, US government

The decision to release the prisoners on the island comes after Washington's most intense pressure campaign in decades, although Havana denies any decision-making under US coercion.

Regla Yolanda Gonzalez poses for a photograph following her son's release from prison, part of a deal brokered by the Vatican that saw the Biden administration loosen sanctions on Cuba, in Havana, Cuba January 21, 2025.
An aerial view shows the oil tanker named Boracay (also called Pushpa), a vessel being investigated by French authorities and suspected of belonging to the so-called "shadow fleet" involved in the Russian oil trade, off the coast of the western France port of Saint-Nazaire, France, October 2, 2025

US allows Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, reversing course on blockade

Activists of the Nuestra America Convoy and Cuban officials unload humanitarian aid from the vessel Maguro -- symbolically renamed "Granma 2.0" as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro's guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 -- at Havana port on March 24, 2026.

Two humanitarian aid boats en route to Cuba are missing, Mexico says

The US flag flutters at the US embassy in Caracas on March 14, 2026, ten days after the restoration of diplomatic relations following the capture of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro in a US military raid.

US push for Western Hemisphere dominance could extend to Cuba and Nicaragua, experts say


Pentagon may tell troops to look for suspected 'Havana Syndrome' cases

The State Department has already issued a memo on the issue, asking staff to immediately report any symptoms.

 The Pentagon (Aerial view)

The end of the Castro era provides new opportunities on Cuba - opinion

As Raúl Castro exits the scene, ending 62 years of Castro tyranny, many questions abound. One thing, however, is perfectly clear: Decades of US sanctions have failed. And miserably.

CUBAN PRESIDENT and Communist Party First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel joins hands with Raúl Castro during the closing session of the Congress of the Communist Party in Havana last month.

Cuba's Raul Castro leaves the political stage, his legacy yet unknown

Still, some thirty years after the end of the Cold War, Cuba remains one of the last Communist-run countries in the world.

Cuban First Secretary of Communist Party Raul Castro Ruz gives a speech, on January 01, 2019, during the celebration of 60th Anniversary of Cuban Revolution at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba. At back, the Fidel Castro's tomb.

Castro era in Cuba to end as Raul confirms he's retiring

Older Cubans said they would miss having a Castro at the helm, although most acknowledged it was time to pass on the baton.

Cuban First Secretary of Communist Party Raul Castro Ruz gives a speech, on January 01, 2019, during the celebration of 60th Anniversary of Cuban Revolution at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba. At back, the Fidel Castro's tomb.

Biden launches review, aims to close Guantanamo before leaving office

Trump kept the prison open during his four years in the White House. Now, 40 prisoners remain, most held for nearly two decades without being charged or tried.

DEMONSTRATORS IN prison jumpsuits and black hoods call for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in a protest near the White House in January.

Senate confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary

Mayorkas is one of a number of Jewish Cabinet secretaries, including Antony Blinken in the State Department, Janet Yellen in Treasury and Avril Haines as director of national intelligence.

US DEPUTY SECRETARY of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas

Alejandro Mayorkas, the Cuban-Jewish attorney who may head Biden's DHS

Mayorkas' ties with Israel extend beyond his family. In 2016, he spearheaded a deal to automate the sharing of cyber-data between Israel and the US.

Alejandro Mayorkas, US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security gestures as he speaks during the annual Cyberweek conference at Tel Aviv University, Israel June 20, 2016.

The 30th anniversary of the outbreak of the Gulf War: A Cuban perspective

At the end of July, we were on a family vacation in Havana. We had flown from Mexico with a boisterous group of young Danish Communists on their way to cut sugar cane in the Marxist paradise.

A HEADSTONE with a Star of David stands at the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa near Havana, Cuba, in 2007.

Antibody drug lowers risk of death in elderly COVID-19 patients

A Cuban study found that itolizumab prevented COVID-19 from worstening.

People pass by an image of late Cuban President Fidel Castro amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Havana, Cuba, July 19, 2020.

Bird sacrifices and chants, Cuba's Santeria seek coronavirus protection

"We are calling these blessings upon her to keep her healthy," said Henry Rodriguez, 40, leader of the ceremony. "But this ceremony isn't just for us; it's also for global health."

Follower of the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria holds a dove during a ceremony amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease outbreak in Havana