Cuba Watch

Blurb:

The suspects’ boat was loaded with tactical gear, assault rifles and improvised explosives, according to authorities on the island

Cuba’s Interior Ministry has released new findings from its investigation into the deadly gunfight between Cuban border guards and a US‑flagged speedboat, saying the vessel was carrying ten armed men who allegedly intended to execute a “terrorist infiltration.”

Havana said the clash erupted on Wednesday when border guards approached a Florida‑registered vessel, FL7726SH, operating roughly one nautical mile off the northern coast of Villa Clara province for an identification check. The individuals aboard the boat allegedly opened fire first, wounding the commander of a Cuban patrol craft before guards returned fire, killing four people and injuring six others.

Blurb:

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Wednesday night that an investigation was underway after the Cuban government opened fire on a speedboat they claimed was registered in Florida, killing four people and wounding multiple others.

Rubio, speaking from St. Kitts and Nevis during a diplomatic engagement with Caribbean leaders, stated that the US learned of the incident through direct Coast Guard-level contacts with Cuban authorities before the Cuban government’s public announcement.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened, who was involved, and we’ll make a determination on the basis of what we find out,” the secretary told reporters.

Blurb:

Havana — Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there isn’t enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island, the latest step in its moves to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources.

The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel wouldn’t be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.

Political pressure from President Trump on Latin America has effectively severed Cuba’s access to its primary petroleum sources in Venezuela and Mexico.  In late January, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.

Blurb:

While Canadians in Cuba are waiting for flights home as an energy crisis worsens in the nation amid a U.S. oil blockade, those who send aid are struggling to do so.

Cuba warned international airlines on Feb. 9 that aviation fuel would no longer be available on the island, beginning Feb. 10, in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation’s oil supply.

Major Canadian airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat, have already suspended service to Cuba. All three airlines have confirmed they plan to bring travellers back home to Canada.

Blurb:

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has declared that the communist regime would defend itself “to the last drop of blood” before making a deal with the United States.

Bermúdez responded defiantly to pressure from President Donald Trump, who urged Havana to strike a deal with Washington.

Trump addressed Cuba earlier in the day in a Truth Social post, warning the regime to negotiate while it still can and signaling a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward the island.

“They make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote.

Blurb:

President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolas Maduro was deposed as Venezuela’s leader. Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country’s oil products. Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!” “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida.