Cuba

[phkrause]

Solar revolution

Cuba is struggling with nationwide blackouts as the US oil blockade strangles fuel supplies. The crisis could be accelerating a China-backed clean energy effort that’s been quietly unfolding on the Caribbean island.

[phkrause]

U.S. eyes attack-drone threat from Cuba

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and possibly Key West, Fla., 90 miles north of Havana, according to classified intelligence shared with Axios' Marc Caputo. Why it matters: The intelligence could become a pretext for U.S. military action. "When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it's concerning," a senior U.S. official said. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba on Thursday and warned officials that Cuba "can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere," a CIA official told Axios. On Wednesday, the Justice Department plans to unseal an indictment of Cuba's de facto leader, Raúl Castro, for allegedly ordering the 1996 downing of two planes flown by a Miami-based aid group. More sanctions against the island nation could be announced this week. Zoom in: Cuba has been acquiring attack drones of "varying capabilities" from Russia and Iran since 2023 and has stashed them in strategic spots across the island, U.S. officials say. Within the past month, Cuban officials have sought more drones and military equipment from Russia, the senior U.S. official said. Reality check: U.S. officials don't believe Cuba is an imminent threat or actively planning to attack American interests. "No one's worried about fighter jets from Cuba. It's not even clear they have one that can fly," the senior U.S. official said. "But it's worth noting how close they are — 90 miles … It's not a reality we are comfortable with." Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Caritas starts distributing US humanitarian aid in 2 towns near Havana

HAVANA (AP) — Hundreds of boxes of humanitarian aid from the U.S. are being distributed in two towns near the Cuban capital, the Catholic Church organization in charge of the distribution said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/cuba-aid-us-caritas-energy-embargo-crisis-food-f0420803a8207e63596a9ad94fb26abc?

[phkrause]

Raúl Castro is absent as Cuba celebrates the anniversary of a key revolutionary attack

Cuba held a traditional rally on Sunday to commemorate one of the revolution’s most important anniversaries but former President Raúl Castro was conspicuously absent. Read More.

[phkrause]

Cuba says US sanctions are blocking its efforts to open the economy to private investment

The United States has demanded that Cuba open up to private investment, and Cuba has passed sweeping reforms to encourage just that. So Cuba’s U.N. ambassador says he wants to know why Washington keeps piling on sanctions that stymie the very economic opening it has sought for decades. Read More.