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A man chats using his cellphone while sitting on the seawall in Havana, Cuba
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture allianceImage: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance

Cuba

Cuba is a state in the Caribbean, located 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the coast of Florida, US. The former Spanish colony has been a Marxist-Leninist one-party republic since 1962.

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All Content on this topic

Two people stand in a dark shop, illuminated by a single candle

Latin America: When climate change ruins renewables

Climate change is disrupting Latin American efforts to make more renewable energy. Now, new solutions are being debated.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 8, 2024
Havanna' blacked out seafront at night

Protests as power cuts plunge parts of Cuba into darkness

Protesters take to the streets, as tens of thousands have been left without running water and electricity.
PoliticsOctober 22, 202402:05 min
A Turkish-flagged power barge is docked in Havana

Hurricane Oscar leaves 6 dead in Cuba

The eastern province of Guantanamo has suffered severe damage due to the storm, the president said.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 22, 2024
Cuba power outage

Cuba remains without power as Hurricane Oscar makes landfall

The storm is complicating efforts to restore electricity on the island, after a main power plant collapsed.
CatastropheOctober 21, 202402:11 min
Woman working in restaurant during blackout in Havana, Cuba

Cuba: Hurricane Oscar makes landfall amid power outage

The island has been grappling with a nationwide blackout for three days, with most of Havana still in the dark.
CatastropheOctober 21, 2024
A car drives along a street during a nationwide blackout caused by a grid failure in Havana, Cuba, on October 19, 2024

Cuba struggles to restart power after second grid collapse

Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades has caused a shortage of fuel that spurred weeks of often hourslong blackouts.
CatastropheOctober 19, 2024
Havana, Cuba | Power outage

Cuba begins restoring electricity

After weeks of energy shortages, a countrywide blackout left most of its 10 million people without power.
CatastropheOctober 19, 202401:51 min
Woman works in restaurant in Havana, Cuba during blackout

Cuba hit by island-wide blackout after power plant failure

Cuba saw a total grid failure that left around 10 million people without power after a major plant went offline.
PoliticsOctober 19, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin (r) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smile during their meeting at Pyongyang-Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang.

Stand by me? Vladimir Putin's remaining allies

Putin may be internationally isolated, yet he still can still count on some friendly autocratic nations for support.
PoliticsJune 20, 2024
Screenshot of a tweet with verdict "false" written on the top right corner

Fact check: Fake footage of Russian warships in Cuba

As Russian navy ships, some with advanced weapons, arrived in Cuba, fake videos about the event have circulated online.
PoliticsJune 13, 2024
Russian warships reach Cuba for military exercises

Russian warships reach Cuba for military exercises

A Russian flagship frigate sailed into Havana Bay to a warm reception by its longtime ally.
ConflictsJune 13, 202402:12 min
Havana port with a Russian warship in the distance

Russian warships enter Cuba's Havana harbor amid drills

A fleet of Russian warships has reached Cuba ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean.
PoliticsJune 12, 2024
People wait to enter the Mercabal wholesale market in Havana, Cuba,

Why did the US open up banking to Cuba's private sector?

The move is seen as a boost to Internet-based services and financial services, but reactions in Cuba have been mixed.
BusinessJune 3, 2024
A Cuban flag and an U.S. flag in front of the US Embassy in Havana.

US ex-ambassador sentenced for Cuban espionage

A former US diplomat has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying for Cuba for decades.
CrimeApril 13, 2024
A vintage car passes by the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, June 15, 2022. Picture taken on June 15, 2022

US rejects Cuba claim of fomenting protests

Washington has said it was not involved in recent — rare — protests in Cuba.
PoliticsMarch 18, 2024
A performance at a North Korean stadium in honor of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel

South Korea and Cuba establish ties, rattling North Korea

Cuba has reportedly been described as a "traitor nation" in the North over Seoul's diplomatic mission in Havana.
ConflictsMarch 7, 2024
A food store in the Cuban town of Trinidad with a few cucumbers, onions and potatoes as the only products for sale

Cuba seeks UN food aid as economic crisis deepens

With milk and bread in short supply due to a lack of foreign currency, Cuba has turned to the United Nations for help.
BusinessMarch 6, 2024
Cubans queue to by food outside a store in Havana

Cuba ends subsidies amid lack of foreign currency

Food subsidies will be cut, while electricity and water prices would rise, making it hard for Cubans to make ends meet.
BusinessJanuary 5, 202401:56 min
Residents wait their turn to shop at a government store in Havana, Cuba in 2022

Cuba's economic crisis: Will a paradigm shift help?

Cuba is set to enact price hikes and subsidy cuts, but this "correction" could make things worse before they get better.
BusinessJanuary 4, 2024
The US Department of Justice logo

US charges former diplomat with spying for Cuba

Prosecutors say the charges expose "one of the highest-reaching infiltrations of the government by a foreign agent."
PoliticsDecember 4, 2023
A young Black man standing in a courtyard

Migrants struggle with German bureaucracy

The process of moving to Germany can be a frustrating one — especially given the current backlogs at government offices.
MigrationNovember 4, 202312:36 min
Cuba's President Diaz-Canel and Brazil's President Lula da Silva in Havana

Brazil's Lula meets Cuban leader, slams 'illegal' US embargo

Brazilian leader Lula, in a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, criticized US policy towards the Caribbean nation.
PoliticsSeptember 17, 2023
The G77 Summit in Havana, Cuba

G77 summit in Cuba calls for new global order

The G77 is a bloc of countries from the Global South representing 80% of the world's population.
PoliticsSeptember 16, 2023
A wave splashes on the coast of the Florida Keys

Hurricane Idalia tears through Cuba before reaching Florida

Hurricane Idalia has slammed ashore on Florida's west coast after causing flooding and power outages in Cuba.
CatastropheAugust 30, 20239 images
A young man in red swimming trunks flips into a swimming pool on the coast

Cuba's luxury seaside pools find a second life

The hot summer in Cuba not only draws people to the beach, but also to seawater-filled swimming pools.
SocietyAugust 14, 20237 images
An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony for visiting US President Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

US confirms China maintains spy base in Cuba

US intelligence has determined that Chinese spying from Cuba has been an "ongoing" matter.
PoliticsJune 11, 2023
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) is received by Cuban President Raul Castro (R) at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, on September 24, 2016.

Cuban, US governments deny secret Chinese spy base in Cuba

The Wall Street Journal said Beijing and Havana secretly agreed on the facility, some 100 miles off Florida.
PoliticsJune 9, 2023
A man sits on a blue MZ motorcycle

True love — Cubans and their East German MZ motorcycles

Real love never dies — Santiago de Cuba is the capital of the legendary East German MZ motorcycles.
Cars and TransportationMay 23, 202312:31 min
Cuban flags in front of the US Embassy in Havana

Groundbreaking verdict in unpaid Cuban loan dispute

A London court has ruled that the Cuban government is not liable in a debt dispute, while also saying it must be repaid.
BusinessApril 7, 2023
Moonlight illuminates the skyline of dark Baracoa

Life in Cuba means living with constant blackouts

Daily power blackouts in Cuba can last up to 18 hours. The frustrating situation has sparked a huge migration crisis.
BusinessJanuary 11, 20238 images
Ana Belen Montes

Former US intelligence analyst who spied for Cuba freed

Ana Belen Montes has spent the past 20 years behind bars after she was found guilty of spying for Cuba.
PoliticsJanuary 8, 2023
Immigrants bundle up against the cold after spending the night camped alongside the U.S.-Mexico border

US restricts migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti

The new policy represents a major change to immigration rules, seeking to curb rising arrivals at the US-Mexico border.
MigrationJanuary 5, 2023
The US embassy in Havana pictured in May 2022

US restarts Cuba visa service after 'Havana syndrome' scare

The US is resuming consular services in Havana to help ease the current wave of illegal migration from Cuba.
MigrationJanuary 4, 2023
A view of Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida

Florida closes national park due to migrant influx from Cuba

There has been a rise in migrants arriving from Cuba due to the economic turmoil in the country.
MigrationJanuary 3, 2023
DW Rev Sendungslogo deutsch und englisch

REV - The Global Auto and Mobility Show

Havana’s amazing vintage car mechanics, Fisker’s electric popemobile and the 2022 Opel Astra.
Cars and TransportationNovember 1, 202226:01 min
A wooden Cuban migrant boat is tied to a sea wall in the Fills area of Indian Key in the Florida Keys

Migrant boat collides with Cuban border guard, killing 5

The deadly incident comes amid the largest migratory flight from Cuba since the "Mariel crisis" of 1980.
MigrationOctober 30, 2022
Vintage blue and white car surrounded by falled trees and power lines

Blackout in Cuba after category 3 Ian hits

Hurricane Ian hit Cuba with great force, causing damage and a blackout across the country.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 29, 20227 images
Debris can be seen in the streets in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

Cuba entirely without electricity due to Hurricane Ian

Cuban authorities are working to restore power to the country's population of 11 million.
CatastropheSeptember 28, 2022
Two women register to vote at a polling station during the new Family Code referendum in Havana, Cuba

Cuba approves same-sex marriage, adoption

Cuban communist leaders applauded the result of a nationwide referendum, which upends decades of discrimination.
Human RightsSeptember 26, 2022
A woman loading sandbags in the back of a pickup truck

Hurricane Ian heading for Cuba, Florida

Evacuations are underway in parts of Cuba, while authorities in Florida urged residents to prepare for wild weather.
CatastropheSeptember 26, 2022
A Pride parade in Havana, a group of smiling people holding a huge rainbow flag with apartment towers in the background, on a sunny day

Cuba votes on same-sex marriage, adoption

More than 79,000 neighborhood meetings were held this earlier this year to debate the government-backed proposal.
Human RightsSeptember 25, 2022
Hand holding Cuban crocodile

The race to save Cuba’s endangered crocodiles

Researchers are fighting to save the endangered Cuban crocodile from habitat loss, climate change and poaching.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 7, 20229 images
Virgen Frometa, sister of Germany-based Cuban national Luis Frometa, sentenced to 25 years in prison for his participation in recent anti-government protests, cries as she shows a picture of her brother in the La Guinera neighbourhood of Havana

The aftermath of protests in Cuba

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets over a year ago. These protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades, a truly historic moment. More than 1400 people were detained in the aftermath of the protests. In recent months, hundreds of demonstrators have been sentenced to long prison terms, in some cases up to 25 years.
Human RightsAugust 31, 202229:59 min
Wholesale market in Cuba

Cuba to allow foreign investment in wholesale and retail

For the first time since 1959, Cuba plans to allow some foreign investment in local wholesale and retail trade.
PoliticsAugust 17, 2022
A photographer prepares to shoot a massive plume of smoke rising at Matanaz as a woman looks on from a car

Massive fire spreads at Cuba oil facility

Mexico and Venezuela have deployed teams to help contain the deadly blaze at Cuba's main oil terminal Matanzas.
CatastropheAugust 8, 2022
Firefighters are seen near an oil tank on fire in Matanzas, Cuba

One dead, dozens injured in Cuban fuel depot blaze

The disaster comes as the island struggles with fuel shortages and daily blackouts.
CatastropheAugust 6, 2022
Two women, photographed from behind, are walking along a boardwalk towards the sea. They are looking at each other and smiling. The woman on the left has a rainbow flag draped around her shoulders. A Cuban flag decorates a beachside stall in front of them.

Could same-sex marriage become legal in Cuba?

The outcome of the September referendum is anything but clear.
SocietyAugust 1, 2022
A cheerleader dances with a rainbow flag in Cuba

Cuba announces same-sex marriage referendum

Cuba's parliament has announced a new family law that would allow same-sex marriage.
PoliticsJuly 23, 2022
People stand at the door of a hut with a tin roof by Lazarus Gachanja from Kenya.

Documenta art show focuses on Global South

Collectives from Africa, Asia and South America take center stage at the international exhibition held every five years.
ArtsJune 17, 2022
President Joe Biden, center, speaks beside Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso, center left, and Colombian President Iván Duque, center right, during a meeting on migration at the Summit of the Americas, Friday, June 10, 2022, in Los Angeles.

US: Biden signs migration pact with Latin American leaders

In a bid to reassert US influence in Latin America, Biden signed a pact to regulate migration and offer more assistance.
PoliticsJune 11, 2022