Cuba 

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Latest news on Cuba, including Cuban politics, Havana, the US embargo, the Cuban economy, human rights, blackouts, Guantanamo Bay, tourism and culture.

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, with a population of around 10 million and its capital in Havana. It is a one-party socialist state led by the Communist Party of Cuba, with a president as head of state. The island sits just 90 miles from Florida, which gives its relations with the United States a lasting significance.

Coverage often turns on the long-running US embargo, travel and remittance rules, and Cuba's ties with Russia, China and Latin America. Other recurring themes include electricity shortages, fuel supply, inflation, the dual currency reforms, migration and the state of the tourism, nickel and sugar industries. Human rights groups regularly raise concerns about detentions and limits on speech, while the government points to its health and education record and blames the embargo for hardship.

Cuban culture is known worldwide for son, salsa and rumba, for Havana's colonial architecture and classic American cars, and for cigars and rum. Baseball is the national passion. Writers, filmmakers and artists continue to shape the island's image, while the Cuban diaspora, especially in Miami, remains closely tied to events at home.

Spanish rule ended after the 1898 war, and Cuba became a republic in 1902. The 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista and aligned the island with the Soviet Union. The 1962 missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs invasion and the end of Soviet support in the early 1990s defined later decades, with Raul Castro succeeding his brother.

Our NewsNow Cuba feed gathers the latest news on Cuban politics, US-Cuba relations, the economy, human rights, Havana life, culture and tourism, from across the Caribbean and the wider world.