Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla presented a report quantifying the economic damage caused by the US blockade against the island.
Which caused more than $7.5 billion in damages between March 2024 and February 2025; it noted that, compared to the previous reporting period, it increased by 49 percent, due to the intensification of measures to stifle the country’s economy.
Eighty percent of the current Cuban population was born after the start of the blockade, but suffers its consequences in all areas of their lives.
“It’s impossible to express in numbers, in figures, the emotional damage, anguish, suffering, and deprivation that the blockade inflicts on Cuban families. This has been the case for several generations; more than 80 percent of Cubans were born after the blockade began,” denounced Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
The report precedes the discussion of a draft resolution to be debated at the United Nations (UN) on October 28 and 29, which would consider ending the 65-year-old U.S. blockade of the island.
The Cuban official reported that the accumulated damage caused by the U.S. blockade over more than six decades amounts to $170.677 billion, which “at the gold value, to avoid dollar fluctuations at the Central Bank, is equivalent to $2.103 trillion . “
“What could Cuba have done, beyond the many good things it has done in these 60 years, with that exorbitant figure, for a small economy like ours? (…) It’s an extraordinary figure for any economy in the world, not just for an island and developing one like ours. Had there been no blockade, Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product would have grown 9.2% last year, one of the highest growth rates in the hemisphere,” Rodríguez Parrilla emphasized.
Havana, Sep 19 (Prensa Latina) The first deputy minister of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, Tania Cruz, today praised the courageous and humanistic work of the Henry Reeve internationalist contingent of doctors specializing in disasters and major epidemics, on its 20th anniversary.
In her keynote address for the anniversary, the official reviewed the work of the brigade. Since its creation, 90 groups with 13,000 professionals have provided services in 55 countries, saved the lives of 166,000 people, and treated more than eight million patients.
He considered the precursor activities of this initiative created in 2005 by then Cuban President Fidel Castro (1926-2016) to be essential for its creation.
In 1960, when an earthquake devastated Chile, 25 Cuban health professionals arrived in that nation. They didn’t carry weapons, but rather stethoscopes and hope, Cruz emphasized.
Between 1960 and 2005, 30 medical brigades were deployed in 19 countries, the director recalled, noting that they faced hurricanes, earthquakes, epidemics, and even the wrath of volcanoes.
He recounted the beginnings of the Contingent, created after a category five hurricane swept through the southern United States, especially the city of New Orleans, which was devastated.
Cuba offered its help and the United States rejected it, but the world never forgot the gesture, he stressed.
Cuban collaborators, he recalled, have since worked in the thick snow of the Himalayas, under the intense sun of the Middle East, in Africa, in America, from the Rio Grande to Patagonia, in the Caribbean, and in old Europe.
Of these brigades, three fought Ebola in West Africa, and 58 confronted the COVID-19 pandemic in 42 countries with more than 3,000 volunteers.
At another point, he highlighted the tributes this contingent has received around the world, especially from international organizations, including the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Public Health Prize awarded by the World Health Organization and the nomination for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, supported by more than 100 nations and NGOs.
The ceremony, held at the headquarters of the Central Medical Cooperation Unit, was led by Yuniasky Crespo, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of the Department of Social Sector Care; Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez; and Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal, who presented awards to the various brigades. A plaque commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Henry Reeve contingent was also presented.
The contingent is named after Henry Reeve (1850-1876), an American who joined the island’s independence struggle against Spanish colonialism in the second half of the 19th century. A show of solidarity that is now reciprocated, according to experts.
Havana, Sep 16 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel reiterated his condemnation of the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza today and warned that, if not stopped, it could become a precedent for other regions of the world.
On the social network X, the president criticized the lack of decisive action by some governments in the face of the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, and noted that Gaza has become a “laboratory” for what he called “the philosophy of dispossession.”
“While some governments still hesitate to call it by its name, the #GenocideInGaza continues to devour human lives through hunger and gunpowder. The philosophy of dispossession knows no bounds, and Gaza is its laboratory. If it is not stopped today, other peoples will suffer the same tomorrow,” the platform warned.
According to the official news agency Wafa, at least 38 Palestinians were killed this morning by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip.
Numerous buildings were destroyed in the metropolis the day before, including the Al-Ghafri Tower, the tallest in the city at 20 floors, which housed hundreds of families, media headquarters, and other commercial businesses.
Meanwhile, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that intense explosions were heard in Israeli territory near the coastal enclave from 10 p.m. local time yesterday and throughout the night due to the bombing there.
Luanda, Sep 15 (Prensa Latina) A letter from the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Raúl Castro, and the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, was delivered today by the ambassador of the Caribbean nation, Oscar León, to the Angolan head of state, João Lourenço.
During an audience at the Presidential Palace in Ciudad Alta, the president and the diplomat discussed the state of bilateral relations and the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, according to León’s statement to the press at the conclusion of the meeting.
The ambassador noted that he informed Lourenço about the steps taken to implement the agreements and instruments signed between the two nations, particularly those signed in 2023 when the Cuban president visited Luanda in August and, subsequently, with the Angolan head of state’s visit to Havana in September of the same year.
Regarding the content of the letter, he stated that it reflects the mutual interest in strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation, in a year that marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which will be held on November 15th.
“This event is an excellent opportunity to deepen the friendship between our peoples and expand cooperation in all possible areas,” he added.
Angola and Cuba have long-standing relations, marked by the military cooperation provided by the island since 1975, which contributed to the preservation of national sovereignty, as well as by the training of Angolan professionals and collaboration in health and education, among other sectors.
Bern, Sep 12 (Prensa Latina) An exchange program with Swiss authorities was held in this capital by Marta Bonet, president of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), and Magda Resik, first vice president of the organization.
The main objective of the meetings is to strengthen cultural and interparliamentary collaboration between the two countries, according to a press release from UNEAC.
During their visit, the Cuban representatives met with Simone de Montmollin, a member of the National Council; Hans-Peter Portmann, a member of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cuba;
Also with Yves Fischer, representative of the Federal Office of Culture, and Tatiana Lori, director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Canton of Bern.
According to information shared by UNEAC on its Facebook page, the talks addressed key topics for the development of relations between Switzerland and Cuba, such as interparliamentary relations, heritage management, artistic education, and the promotion of cultural cooperation projects.
The exchanges conducted by Bonet and Resik join other initiatives deployed to consolidate UNEAC’s commitment to bilateral dialogue based on understanding our identities, respect for creative diversity, and the promotion of sustainable cultural exchange between the two nations.
Accompanied by the Cuban ambassador to Switzerland, Laura Pujol, the program included a meeting with representatives of the solidarity movement with the Caribbean island, cooperation organizations, and Cuban residents in the country.
According to the report, both Cuban creators are attending the 60th regular session of the Human Rights Council, where they are carrying out a bilateral work program that emphasizes parliamentary and cultural issues.
UNEAC, as a Cuban civil society organization, has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 1998.
Since Donald Trump assumed the presidency, the State Department has prevented dozens of Cuban athletes from competing in tournaments in the United States.
“No U.S. president has ever gone to such lengths to target Cuban athletes,” said Gisleidy Sosa, international relations director of Cuba’s National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER).
In June, for example, all 17 members of Cuba’s national women’s volleyball team were denied U.S. visas for a major tournament in Puerto Rico, according to INDER. Hear from the players themselves in OUR LATEST VIDEO.
Athletes or Terrorists?
The letter the Cuban women’s volleyball team received from the U.S. embassy in Havana said the denial was to “protect the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security threats.”
They were just the latest athletes to have their dreams punctured by a Cold War-era policy of hostility toward Cuba orchestrated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Other victims include table tennis players, Cuba’s national men’s basketball team, senior track-and-field athletes, and a softball team composed of nine and ten-year-old girls…
ReadtheFULL ARTICLE on the de facto travel ban written by Dariel Pradas and Reed Lindsay.
Moscow, Sep 11 (Prensa Latina) The president of the Russian Society of Friendship with Cuba (SRAC), Alexei Lavrov, participated today in Crimea in activities commemorating the centenary of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
According to Prensa Latina, the professor at the Higher School of Economics met in Simferopol with students from Crimea’s leading universities and active members of the SRAC, who discussed the Association’s 60th anniversary.
Lavrov, for his part, emphasized that 2026 will be a unique year for its memorable dates in Cuban history and Russian-Cuban relations.
First, the 65th anniversary of the manned space flight of Gagarin, the society’s first president, and his first visit to Cuba on July 26, 1961, will be commemorated.
The foundations of Russian-Cuban friendship were then laid, he stated, adding that a major cultural and historical festival will be held to celebrate this event, including photo exhibitions, documentary screenings, and other events.
Furthermore, on August 13, 2026, the entire progressive world, including the Russian Federation, will celebrate the centenary of Fidel Castro, Lavrov noted, emphasizing that the Crimean branch of the SRAC is the most active in Russia, and its activities are known even abroad.
It also meant that Crimean youth have a great interest in the culture, history, science, and art of the Island of Freedom.
“It’s very important to us that our young people are so active and want to develop grassroots diplomacy,” he noted.
In this regard, the head of the association on the peninsula, Irina Kiviko, noted that young people from that territory submitted more than 160 entries to the contest organized to commemorate the SRAC’s 60th anniversary.
The students not only wrote creative works about Cuba, but also drew pictures and sang popular Cuban rhythms.
At the conclusion of the meeting in Simferopol, the participants headed to Gagarin Park in the Crimean capital, where they planted a linden tree symbolizing the growth and prosperity of Russian-Cuban friendship.
Alejandro Gomez Vega, Vice President of Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency and Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Pictorial Nguyen Thang sign a cooperation agreement on printing and distributing the Spanish-language edition of Vietnam Pictorial on September 25, 2023. (Photo: VNA)
Alejandro Gomez Vega, Vice President of Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency, has hailed the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) as a bridge of friendship, fostering friendship and mutual understanding between Vietnam and nations worldwide, including Cuba.
09/09/2025
Havana (VNA) – Alejandro Gomez Vega, Vice President of Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency, has hailed the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) as a bridge of friendship, fostering friendship and mutual understanding between Vietnam and nations worldwide, including Cuba.
Talking with Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in Havana on the occasion of the VNA’s 80th founding anniversary and the 65th anniversary of Vietnam–Cuba diplomatic ties, Vega recalled that since Vietnam’s fight against French colonialism, the VNA has been a key information bridge for the Vietnamese Party, State, and people.
He noted the VNA is not only a national news agency with an extensive network of bureaus at home and abroad, but also an important source of information covering Vietnam’s major events and achievements across various areas.
He praised the VNA’s role in raising mutual understanding among peoples, particularly the enduring friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, which has been reinforced through various training and media exchanges.
Vega spoke of Vietnamese journalists who studied in Cuba, describing them as trailblazers who have kept this fraternal bond alive. One of the VNA’s important missions, he said, is to continue advancing this close relationship.
On the global stage, he underscored the VNA’s standing in international and regional media ecosystems, especially in Latin America. With bureaus in 30 countries and coverage across Vietnamese localities, the VNA delivers fast, trustworthy updates on global and regional developments. In Latin America, it enjoys a large readership, with hundreds of thousands hooked on its news wires and special publications, including the Vietnam Pictorial section of the news website.
The partnership between the VNA and Prensa Latina, Vega recounted, is a story of endurance, born in the crucible of wartime solidarity and sustained through current cooperation agreements. He acknowledged the successes they have shared but was quick to point out the untapped potential, particularly in the exchange of news, photos, videos, and other media that could amplify the reach of both agencies.
Looking forward, Vega struck a note of optimism, urging the two news agencies to deepen their partnership and explore new opportunities to serve their audiences and contribute to global development./.
Hanoi, Sep 10 (Prensa Latina) The Vietnam Red Cross expressed its gratitude today for all the support received for its fundraising campaign, which, it noted, has made Cuba the most popular trend on social media these days.
According to the latest report from the agency, as of 8:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, two million seven thousand 375 contributions totaling 410.6 billion VND (approximately $15.5 million) had been received into the bank account set up for such purposes.
These gestures are not only a demonstration of support for the Cuban people, but also vivid proof of the unity, mutual friendship, and loyalty that unites both countries, the humanitarian social organization reflected on its Facebook page.
The organization itself emphasized that “every transfer of love had an impact on achieving these heartwarming numbers” and in a separate post stated that “the journey continues: may Cuba clearly feel Vietnam’s friendship.”
With the goal of raising 65 billion dong (2.47 million dollars), the campaign began on August 13, on the occasion of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro’s 99th birthday and in the context of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year and the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
However, just 30 hours after starting, it reached the initially proposed goal.
According to Nguyen Hai Anh, President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, this is the first time that an international campaign led by the Vietnam Red Cross Society has reached such a magnitude, both in terms of funds raised and number of participants, in such a short period of time.
Transparent and timely information on the amounts, the number of donors, and the active collaboration of national and local media outlets, as well as digital platforms (in Vietnamese, Spanish, and English), have been key to the program’s widespread dissemination, the VNA news agency reported.
At the campaign launch ceremony, Do Van Chien, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, emphasized that this action demonstrates the Vietnamese people’s tradition of humanity and the deep friendship between the peoples of both nations.
The program not only seeks to provide material support to overcome the immediate difficulties Cuba is facing, but also to strongly spread a message of empathy and international solidarity, Van Chien noted, reiterating that, under any circumstances, the Vietnamese people always stand with the Cuban people.
This, he emphasized, is a traditional connection of affection that spans 65 years and in which “fraternal affection has overcome all geographical distances and economic conditions to become an enduring spiritual value.”
Cuba’s Paris 2024 gold medallist Erislandy Alvarez made an impressive first appearance in the World Boxing Championships 2025 today on another day of top-class action that featured 64 bouts across six men and women’s weight classes.
Alvarez was never troubled as he cruised to a comfortable 5-0 victory over Oier Ibarreche Conde of Spain without losing a round on any of the five judges’ scorecards and will meet Orozbekov Almaz of Kyrgyzstan in the round of 16 on Tuesday evening.
His victory provided a boost to a Cuban team that has endured an uncharacteristically difficult start to the competition with five of their eight boxers having exited the competition.
The early session on day four saw the men’s light heavyweight (M80kg) competition ramp-up with 16 bouts in the round of 32.
The majority went to form as seven of the top eight seeds progressed to the next round however Bulgaria’s William Cholov sprung a surprise when he defeated Japan’s number five seed Go Wakaya. The see-saw contest was in the balance after two rounds, but a strong final round from the Bulgarian saw him win it 10-9 on all of the judges’ score cards to secure a unanimous 5-0 victory.
He will meet Aminiasi Saratibau of Fiji in the last 16 who progressed after his opponent Taj Essoghene Kagho of New Zealand was disqualified in the third round following repeated warnings from the referee.
It was followed by a classic contest between long term rivals USA and Cuba which saw America’s Bobby Gonzales secure a 3-2 split decision victory over Jorge Manuel Soto Napoles. The fight could have gone either way but an assertive round three from Gonzales, saw him get the nod from four judges to secure the narrowest of victories and set-up a last 16 clash with Croatia’s number four seed, Gabrijel Veocic.
Earlier in the session, the round of 32 in the men’s bantamweight session went to form as all eight seeds won.
The number one seed and Paris 2024 bronze medallist, Junior Alcantara Reyes of the Dominican Republic overcame a potentially tricky challenge from Tokyo 2020 flyweight silver medallist, Carlo Paalam of the Philippines, to move into the last eight where he will face Omid Ahmadisafa who is representing the Boxing Refugee Team.
Ahmadisafa, who is based in Germany, became the second member of Refugee team to win as he eased past Mohammed Almuwallad of Saudi Arabia to set-up a medal bout against the number one seed.
The evening session opened with eight bouts in the women’s featherweight (W57kg) division which has the potential to be one of the most exciting categories in the Championships and featured a number of boxers with impressive CVs.
In the first bout of the evening, Poland’s Paris silver medallist Julia Szeremeta showed why she is the number one seed in the weight class with a unanimous victory over Yan Cai of China.
Although she did not have it all her own way in round one, Szeremeta upped her game in the second and third and her constant switching between orthodox and southpaw frequently bamboozled her opponent and enabled the Pole to repeatedly cuff Cai with a series of left and right hands. She will meet Khazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova in the quarter finals.
On her switching style, Szeremeta said: “It helps me to be able to change my stance, even though I didn’t utilize it much in today’s match, it certainly does hinder my opponents when I do this. They don’t know how I will attack. The battle played out just as I imagined, I was in full control, having fun with boxing like I always do, fighting from afar.”
One of the most highly anticipated fights of the evening saw two of this year’s World Boxing Cup winners, Jasmaine Jasmaine of India take on Brazilian number three seed, Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu.
The clash of styles, with both fighters preferring to counter punch, meant the contest never caught fire. In the end, Jasmaine, used her height and reach advantage to pick off her opponent as she secured a unanimous 5-0 victory and a place in the quarter-final against Uzbekistan’s Khumorabonu Mamajonova.
Speaking in the mixed zone after her bout, Jasmaine said: “In this fight we both focused on counter punches so my strategy was to use long punches whether I was going backwards or forwards.”
The evening session finished with 16 men’s welterweight (M65kg) contests across two rings.
Alvarez’s slick victory was the standout performance as once again the more established names dominated with seven of the top eight seeds progressing to the next round at welterweight.
In between the women’s featherweight and the men’s welterweight contests, the round of 16 in the women’s light-middleweight (W70kg) stuck to the form book with three of the four top seeds progressing.
The only one that failed to make it through was Polish number three seed, Barbara Marcinkowska, who lost on a 3-2 split to Chantelle Reid of England. Reid will box China’s Mengge Zhang for a guaranteed bronze medal in Wednesday’s quarter finals.
Tomorrow sees 64 bouts take place across the afternoon (12:00 GMT) and evening sessions (18:00 GMT).
