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Cuba

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cuba. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Havana

Head of State

President Miguel Díaz-Canel

Head of Government

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz

Cuba scrambled to restore power on Monday after a nationwide blackout that hit the communist-run island just as US President Donald Trump said he expected to take it over. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very limited options’

Any response from Beijing is likely to be constrained to diplomatic opposition and humanitarian aid, according to analysts.

19 Mar 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

China manufacturing

China to help Cuba with solar energy amid US oil blockade and total power outage

18 Mar 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba’s leader vows ‘unbreakable resistance’ if US tries to take over island

18 Mar 2026 - 1:01PM

Donald Trump

Video | Trump says he will have the ‘honour of taking Cuba’

The US president’s remark comes amid a nationwide blackout linked to US-led oil blockade.

17 Mar 2026 - 10:50AM

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign an executive order creating an anti‑fraud task force headed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

00:58

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump vows to ‘take’ Cuba as island reels from total power blackout

US president says he can do ‘anything I want’ with weakened nation as oil embargo cripples Havana’s power grid.

17 Mar 2026 - 3:46PM

United States

Trump administration can resume ‘third-country’ deportations, appeal court rules

Attorney General Pam Bondi called the ruling, that deports undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own, a ‘key win’.

17 Mar 2026 - 3:45AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Protesters in Cuba attack Communist party office amid blackout fury

Videos on social media show a large fire and ‌people throwing rocks through the windows of a building.

14 Mar 2026 - 10:52PM

People bang pots and pans during a protest against electricity power cuts in Havana, Cuba, on March 7. Photo: Reuters

United States

Cuba confirms US talks as island gasps under Trump’s energy blockade

President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the discussion a ‘highly sensitive process’ because it affects bilateral relations of both sides.

13 Mar 2026 - 8:43PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

8 Mar 2026 - 1:46AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump says Cuba is going to ‘fall pretty soon’

The president has said it is ‘just a matter of time’ before the US turns to Cuba after finishing its war in Iran.

7 Mar 2026 - 7:59AM

A woman holds a pro-Trump sign and Cuban flags during a protest against Cuba’s government in Miami, Florida, in February. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Opinion | China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once

Far from freeing up resources to focus on China, Trump’s administration finds itself fighting fires on several fronts, sapping its resources.

5 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Security forces fire tear gas to disperse a protest against US and Israeli attacks on Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located, in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2. Photo: AP

Hong Kong transport

Hongkong Post’s airmail services to 24 countries affected by strikes in Middle East

Public postal service suspends airmail to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, affecting ‘services transiting through these locations’.

1 Mar 2026 - 11:50PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump says US discussing ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba: ‘they’re in big trouble’

‘They have no money, they have no oil, they have no food,’ the president says, as the US puts pressure on the Communist-run island.

28 Feb 2026 - 2:52AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba coastguard kills 4 in firefight with US-registered speedboat

The authorities says shots were fired from the vessel as they approached to identify it.

26 Feb 2026 - 7:19AM

A Cuban coastguard vessel is seen in Havana in 2022. Photo: TNS

US-Cuba relations

Spain to send humanitarian aid to Cuba through UN amid US fuel blockade

Trump has vowed to cut off oil and fuel to Cuba following the US military operation last month in Venezuela, Cuba’s main supplier of oil.

17 Feb 2026 - 5:51AM

A mechanic repairs a flat tyre from a cycle rickshaw at his workshop in Havana as the fuel crisis in Cuba forces many workers to abandon petrol cars and turn to electric tricycles and bicycle taxis. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

China vows to ‘do what it can’ as US blockade leaves Cuba with just weeks of oil

Beijing pledges continued support for Cuba and champions Havana’s sovereignty as the island grapples with worsening fuel shortages.

12 Feb 2026 - 7:38AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba warns airlines it’s almost out of fuel as US blockade tightens chokehold

Air Canada suspends Cuba flights as Havana warns it can no longer guarantee refuelling for international carriers.

10 Feb 2026 - 3:33PM

Americas and the Caribbean

‘Tracked and hunted’: US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean

US military intercepts the US-sanctioned Aquila II after a transoceanic chase from the Caribbean.

10 Feb 2026 - 3:08PM

The Aquila II tanker, which was boarded by US forces
after it was ‘tracked and hunted’ from the Caribbean. Photo: Pentagon via X

China-Latin America relations

China keeps Cuba and Uruguay in the fold, puts Panama out in the cold

Beijing promises more aid to struggling Havana and cooperation with Montevideo as Washington looks to extend its reach in Latin America.

6 Feb 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

US pledges food aid for Cuba while putting squeeze on fuel supply

Havana signals a cautious readiness for talks as the island’s leader accuses the US of imposing an ‘energy blockade’.

6 Feb 2026 - 3:35PM

Vietnam

Friend or foe? Leaked Vietnamese military document labels US ‘belligerent’

While noting that ‘there is little risk of a war’, document urges vigilance to prevent the US from finding a pretext to invade Vietnam.

4 Feb 2026 - 12:01PM

A US Marine honour guard holds the Vietnamese flag to welcome Defence Minister Phan Van Giang to the Pentagon on September 9, 2024. Photo: AP

US-Cuba relations

Cuba confirms ‘communications’ with US as Trump moves to block oil

Reeling from blackouts and the loss of its Venezuelan patron, Havana confirms communications with the US but says no formal negotiations yet.

3 Feb 2026 - 3:28PM

A mechanic fixes a car on the street in Havana, as Cubans hunker into survival mode. Photo: Reuters

North Korea

North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s fall

Kim will ‘overhaul the entire system regarding his security and countermeasures in case of an attack against him’, Lee Il-kyu says.

28 Jan 2026 - 1:26PMvideocam

United States

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

23 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

China sends emergency food aid to Cuba as US sanctions worsen shortages

First batch of rice arrives in Cuba under new Chinese programme while the island reels from abrupt halt in Venezuelan oil shipments.

21 Jan 2026 - 6:19PMvideocam

Workers in Havana, Cuba stack donated rice that arrived from China on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Vladimir Putin

How Putin’s focus on Ukraine war leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba exposed

Russia’s war in Ukraine leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba vulnerable, exposing security failures and eroding trust in Moscow’s global influence.

14 Jan 2026 - 6:48PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Kremlin during their May 2025 meeting in Moscow. Photo: Reuters

US immigration

At least 4 migrants have died in US ICE custody since start of 2026

Reported deaths occurred in the first 10 days of the year; two of them attributed to ‘heart-related issues’.

14 Jan 2026 - 2:05PM

Mexico

Sheinbaum tells Trump US military intervention in Mexico ‘unnecessary’

Mexico’s president said she rejected Trump’s offer of sending the US military after the cartels in her country.

13 Jan 2026 - 8:49AM

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Cuba

As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very limited options’

Any response from Beijing is likely to be constrained to diplomatic opposition and humanitarian aid, according to analysts.

China to help Cuba with solar energy amid US oil blockade and total power outage

Cuba’s leader vows ‘unbreakable resistance’ if US tries to take over island

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Trump says he will have the ‘honour of taking Cuba’

The US president’s remark comes amid a nationwide blackout linked to US-led oil blockade.

Trump vows to ‘take’ Cuba as island reels from total power blackout

US president says he can do ‘anything I want’ with weakened nation as oil embargo cripples Havana’s power grid.

Trump administration can resume ‘third-country’ deportations, appeal court rules

Attorney General Pam Bondi called the ruling, that deports undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own, a ‘key win’.

Protesters in Cuba attack Communist party office amid blackout fury

Videos on social media show a large fire and ‌people throwing rocks through the windows of a building.

Cuba confirms US talks as island gasps under Trump’s energy blockade

President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the discussion a ‘highly sensitive process’ because it affects bilateral relations of both sides.

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

Trump says Cuba is going to ‘fall pretty soon’

The president has said it is ‘just a matter of time’ before the US turns to Cuba after finishing its war in Iran.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once

Far from freeing up resources to focus on China, Trump’s administration finds itself fighting fires on several fronts, sapping its resources.

Hongkong Post’s airmail services to 24 countries affected by strikes in Middle East

Public postal service suspends airmail to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, affecting ‘services transiting through these locations’.

Trump says US discussing ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba: ‘they’re in big trouble’

‘They have no money, they have no oil, they have no food,’ the president says, as the US puts pressure on the Communist-run island.

Cuba coastguard kills 4 in firefight with US-registered speedboat

The authorities says shots were fired from the vessel as they approached to identify it.

Spain to send humanitarian aid to Cuba through UN amid US fuel blockade

Trump has vowed to cut off oil and fuel to Cuba following the US military operation last month in Venezuela, Cuba’s main supplier of oil.

China vows to ‘do what it can’ as US blockade leaves Cuba with just weeks of oil

Beijing pledges continued support for Cuba and champions Havana’s sovereignty as the island grapples with worsening fuel shortages.

Cuba warns airlines it’s almost out of fuel as US blockade tightens chokehold

Air Canada suspends Cuba flights as Havana warns it can no longer guarantee refuelling for international carriers.

‘Tracked and hunted’: US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean

US military intercepts the US-sanctioned Aquila II after a transoceanic chase from the Caribbean.

China keeps Cuba and Uruguay in the fold, puts Panama out in the cold

Beijing promises more aid to struggling Havana and cooperation with Montevideo as Washington looks to extend its reach in Latin America.

US pledges food aid for Cuba while putting squeeze on fuel supply

Havana signals a cautious readiness for talks as the island’s leader accuses the US of imposing an ‘energy blockade’.

Friend or foe? Leaked Vietnamese military document labels US ‘belligerent’

While noting that ‘there is little risk of a war’, document urges vigilance to prevent the US from finding a pretext to invade Vietnam.

Cuba confirms ‘communications’ with US as Trump moves to block oil

Reeling from blackouts and the loss of its Venezuelan patron, Havana confirms communications with the US but says no formal negotiations yet.

North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s fall

Kim will ‘overhaul the entire system regarding his security and countermeasures in case of an attack against him’, Lee Il-kyu says.

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

China sends emergency food aid to Cuba as US sanctions worsen shortages

First batch of rice arrives in Cuba under new Chinese programme while the island reels from abrupt halt in Venezuelan oil shipments.

How Putin’s focus on Ukraine war leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba exposed

Russia’s war in Ukraine leaves allies Venezuela, Iran and Cuba vulnerable, exposing security failures and eroding trust in Moscow’s global influence.

At least 4 migrants have died in US ICE custody since start of 2026

Reported deaths occurred in the first 10 days of the year; two of them attributed to ‘heart-related issues’.

Sheinbaum tells Trump US military intervention in Mexico ‘unnecessary’

Mexico’s president said she rejected Trump’s offer of sending the US military after the cartels in her country.

Video | Trump says he will have the ‘honour of taking Cuba’

Opinion | China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once