Cuba President

US sanctions Cuban Prez Miguel Diaz-Canel, widening pressure on leadership

The United States has imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, along with his wife and three other individuals, according to a filing from the US Treasury Department. It's the latest Trump administration move to pressure the island's leadership. Included in the sanctions are Alejandro Castro Espin, the sole son of former President Raul Castro and Vilma Espin. He served as an adviser to Cuba's Defense and National Security Commission and was present when Raul Castro greeted then-US President Barack Obama in Havana during a historic March 2016 meeting. Castro Espin's son, Raul Alejandro Castro Calis, was also listed. The sanctions come after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions against the island and has been threatening military action ever since ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economi

Cuba's President warns US against attacking island or trying to depose him

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the US has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or to attempt to depose him. Speaking in an interview on NBC News' Meet the Press programme, the president said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security. But should it happen, Diaz-Canel said, Cubans would defend themselves. "If the time comes, I don't think there would be any justification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba, or for the US to undertake a surgical operation or the kidnapping of a president," Diaz-Canel said, speaking through a translator. He added: "If that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we'll die, because as our national anthem says, 'dying for the homeland is to live'." His comments come as tensions between Cuba and the US remain high despite both sides acknowledging talks, although no details have been ...

A Castro may lead Cuba amid rising US pressure for leadership change

As US President Donald Trump pushes for change in Cuba's leadership, speculation is mounting about who, if anyone, might replace Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. As Raul Castro's handpicked largely figurehead successor in 2018, Diaz-Canel has been the only leader without the last name Castro to govern since the 1959 revolution. He still has two years left in his term, but some experts and a growing number of Cubans doubt he'll make it. Two Castro cousins have come into focus as potential replacements, experts said. Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga - Raul Castro's 55-year-old great nephew - has shot to power since emerging from obscurity several years ago. He became minister of Cuba's influential Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in May 2024 and was appointed the island's deputy prime minister in October. By contrast, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro - Raul Castro's grandson - has never occupied a government post, having served as his grandfather's bodyguard and later as head of Cuba

Trump, Rubio call for new leadership in Cuba amid deepening economic crisis

President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged imminent action against Cuba's socialist government as his moves against the island bring the U.S.' longtime opponent deeper into crisis. A day after Trump's sanctions on Venezuela, including a stop to vital oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba's latest nationwide blackout, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said that the administration sees the island nation as the next country where the U.S. can expand its influence. "Cuba right now is in very bad shape," Trump said. "And we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon," he added. Until recently, Trump's comments on change in Cuba might have been considered remarkable. But they come after his administration's military raid that captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and the launch of U.S. military strikes against Iran. The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to leave as the U.S. continues negotiating with the Cuban government, accordin

Tropical storm Rafael crosses Jamaica as Cuba prepares for hurricane hit

Tropical Storm Rafael chugged past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba. The storm was located 170 kilometres east of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands on Tuesday after passing by Jamaica, where little damage was reported. It was picking up speed with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and was moving northwest at 24 kph, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. The centre said it expected steady to rapid intensification over the next 24 hours. It was expected to pass over or by the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night and make landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday. "Rafael is expected to become a hurricane as it passes near the Cayman Islands with further strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba," the centre said. The US State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to reconsider travel to Cuba

Meet Cuban President Diaz-Canel: Know about Raul Castro's ally in 10 points

Cuba's new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, began his term on Thursday with a promise to defend the socialist revolution led by the Castro brothers since 1959