Cuba

Cuba's economy is in a severe crisis, described as the worst in history, with tourist destinations deserted and lacking power and fuel due to US sanctions. The government is relying on Russian oil shipments and Chinese assistance to delay the petroleum problem, while a thinktank suggests a massive renewables investment could break the blockade.

• 5Russia pledges further oil supplies to Cuba after dispatching crude cargo
• 1Cuba sees short-term relief as Russian oil begins to flow
• 1Cuba to continue buying energy from abroad
• 1Could the US oil blockade snuff out the Cuban cigar?
• 1Lula says Cuba's economy is at its worst ever

Political focus is dominated by a tense standoff with the US, with President Díaz-Canel publicly refusing to step down and warning against US attempts to depose him. The government has conducted a large-scale prisoner pardon while accusing the US of pressuring countries to end Cuban medical missions, and US Democratic lawmakers have visited to call for de-escalation.

• 18Cuba pardons and begins releasing more than 2,000 prisoners
• 5Mexico, Brazil and Spain coordinate support for Cuba
• 4Trump suggests visiting Cuba after Iran
• 3US gives Cuba two-week ultimatum to release high-profile political prisoners - EL PAÍS English
• 3Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tells NBC News that he will not step down

Security tensions with the US have sharply escalated, with the Pentagon reportedly preparing for a possible operation in Cuba and the US accusing Cuba of complicity in sending fighters to Ukraine. In response, the Cuban leader has vowed a guerrilla war if attacked, while military-technical cooperation with Belarus is under review.

• 4Pentagon prepares for possible operation in Cuba — media
• 3Teacher jailed in Cuba after fleeing to avoid sentence for raping minor
• 2Cuba and Colombia, the main recruitment hubs for the Russian army in Latin America - EL PAÍS English
• 1FBI rescues kidnapped child in Cuba from parent
• 1US' $240 Million Drone Over Cuba That's Strangling China's Oil Supply

Society is polarized between government-led mobilization against the US blockade and human rights groups demanding the release of protesters. The dominant tension is between state narratives of resistance and external accusations of repression, highlighted by a mass prisoner release that critics label a staged pardon, while hundreds of women rally against the energy crisis.

• 2Opinion: In this time of crisis and opportunity, Cuba requires true political reform
• 2Hundreds of Cuban women stage rally against US blockade as energy crisis deepens
• 2As freed prisoners celebrate in Cuba, human rights groups demand clarity and release of protesters
• 1Cubans in Havana face uncertainty amid US attack fears and desire for change
• 1Chernobyl children treated in Cuba after nuclear disaster