International

Cuban President urges to redouble efforts in economic battle

Photo: @PresidenciaCuba

July 26 |

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez expressed on Wednesday that the duty of the generations responsible for the immediate destiny of the Revolution is to maintain what has been conquered and advance further, and denounced once again the criminal nature of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the Caribbean nation by the United States (U.S.).

During the central act for the 70th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, National Rebellion Day, the head of state said that as long as a degree of dignified prosperity for all Cubans is not reached, there will be a Moncada to be assaulted.

Referring to the battle on the economic front, one of the fundamental challenges of the Revolution, he recalled that the Cuban people are waiting for answers on issues that affect the standard of living and the daily life of all, which he said can be resolved without waiting for the U.S. to lift the blockade of more than six decades.

Among them, he mentioned the need to increase the supply of consumer goods to combat inflation. He considered that this is “a difficult Moncada that we have the duty to assault here and throughout the country”. Every day, every hour, every minute, we have a Moncada to storm, he pointed out.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Referring to the transcendence of July 26, 1953, he stressed that “the actions of that day were the beginning of the end of the last dictatorship installed in Cuba with the recognition and the immoral and material support of the U.S.”.

He stressed that for that reason Washington does not forgive the Revolution, in addition to the fact that the Cuban people did not allow it “to break national independence, international solidarity, the defense of the socialist alternative to savage capitalism”, as they thought would happen after the physical disappearance of the historic generation.

He pointed out that since 1959 “we are much more than a few dozen brave young people against the tyranny of (Fulgencio) Batista. Since that date we are a people who defend the Revolution and socialism as the fairest way to achieve the fairest society for all”.

Referring to another singular challenge, the U.S. blockade, he pointed out that imperialism is the natural enemy of the right to self-determination of the peoples and of those governments interested in developing programs of social justice and exercising sovereignty in their foreign policy.

He emphasized that the governments of that country have shown themselves to be more aggressive and intolerant when they realize that there is no force in the world capable of provoking the Cuban people to renounce the Marxist, Marti and Fidelist ideals that inspire the untiring struggle for the greatest possible social justice.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

He assured that this explains the severity of the blockade and the current validity of the reinforcement measures established by the Administration of Donald Trump (2017-2021) and maintained by that of Joe Biden, in a more aggressive and harmful dimension.

He denounced five pressure measures imposed by the U.S. that stand out for their perversity and harmfulness to the Cuban economy and population:

The inclusion of Cuba on the list of States that allegedly sponsor terrorism; the application of the provision of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act that allows actions to be taken in U.S. courts against businessmen from other countries who decide to establish ties and investments in Cuba.

The persecution of fuel supplies that Cuba needs to acquire; – the president continued – the persecution of medical services provided by Cuban specialists in dozens of nations; and the existence of a list of Cuban entities with which U.S. citizens are prohibited from having ties.

Díaz-Canel reiterated that the Revolution is not isolated, but that the US isolates itself by maintaining its hostility, as confirmed every year by the generalized rejection of the blockade policy by the international community. He also acknowledged the expressions of solidarity received by Cuba from various nations.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

International

Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match

Fans of Cúcuta Deportivo and their traditional rivals Atlético Bucaramanga clashed outside the stadium following their local league match on Tuesday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.

The deceased fan was stabbed, according to a senior police official in Cúcuta who confirmed the cause of death in a video statement. Local media reported that the victim was a supporter of the visiting team, Atlético Bucaramanga.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Authorities had banned the entry of Atlético Bucaramanga’s organized supporters into the stadium in an effort to prevent disturbances.

Despite the restrictions, violence broke out in the surrounding areas after the game. Among the injured were three police officers, an institutional source told AFP.

The incident adds to a series of recent violent episodes linked to Colombian football. The most recent occurred in December, when supporters of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín clashed in the stands and on the pitch, leaving 59 people injured.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

International

Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean

The man had departed from the port of Gandía, on Spain’s eastern coast, with the intention of reaching the southern Spanish town of Guardamar del Segura, a journey of about 150 kilometers, a spokesperson for Spain’s maritime rescue service told AFP.

Search boats and aircraft were deployed on January 17, but the operation was called off on January 22 after efforts proved unsuccessful. Alerts were then issued to vessels navigating the area in case they spotted any signs of the missing sailor.

As hopes were fading, a surveillance aircraft from the European Union’s border agency Frontex spotted the sailboat on Tuesday, along with a person signaling for help, approximately 53 nautical miles northeast of Bejaia, Algeria.

A nearby vessel, the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier Thor Confidence, carried out the rescue and is expected to bring the man to an end to his ordeal when it arrives on Thursday in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.

Maritime rescue services shared images on social media showing a small white sailboat drifting at sea and secured alongside the much larger ship.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

It remains unclear how the sailboat ended up hundreds of kilometers off its intended route or how the man managed to survive for so long alone in open waters.

International

Rubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks

The United States could join a new round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met last Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi in their first publicly acknowledged direct negotiations to discuss the peace initiative promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“They are going to hold follow-up talks again this week,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There could be U.S. participation.”

However, Rubio suggested that Washington’s role may be more limited than during last week’s discussions, which included Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

The secretary of state indicated that progress may have already been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, one of Kyiv’s key demands in any agreement with Moscow after nearly four years of Russian invasion.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

“There is one remaining issue that everyone is familiar with, and that is the territorial claim over Donetsk,” Rubio said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that Russia wants Ukraine to cede.

“I know that active efforts are underway to see whether the positions of both sides on this issue can be reconciled. It remains a bridge we have not yet crossed,” he added during the hearing.

Rubio acknowledged that the territorial question would be particularly difficult for Ukraine to resolve.