Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel has led Cuba since 2018, steering reforms under a socialist framework while facing U.S. sanctions and regional diplomacy strains.
Since January, a U.S. oil blockade has cut most foreign fuel shipments to Cuba and has pushed the island into its worst energy and economic crisis in decades. Repeated nationwide blackouts have occurred, hospitals and transport are strained, tourism has collapsed and Havana has approved limited economic reforms while secret U.S. intelligence and diplomatic contacts continue.
As Brazil heads to a high-stakes presidential vote, Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro remain the leading contenders. Voters will decide whether Lula secures a fourth term or Bolsonaro returns his family to power. The race also shapes Brazil’s stance on the Amazon and relations with the United States, with a broad field of other races on Sunday’s ballot.
Florida Attorney General has filed a state charge of conspiracy to commit first‑degree murder against Raul Castro, based on a federal indictment and new Florida evidence. The case centers on the 1996 downing of three Brothers to the Rescue planes, which killed four people and intensified U.S.–Cuba tensions amid renewed sanctions and calls for regime change.