International

Cuban President denounces the impact of the U.S. blockade

Photo: Estudios Revolución

October 18 |

According to the Cuban president, “the excessive migratory flows are situations that have occurred cyclically and are always related to when the U.S. government tightens the situation”.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced on Monday the impacts on the population and migration, as well as the extraterritoriality of the U.S. blockade against the island.

In an interview with Cuban state television, the Cuban president blamed what he called an increased migration due to the complex economic crisis that the country is going through on the policy of maximum pressure from the US government which induces an “illegal, unsafe and disorderly” irregular flow.

According to the Cuban president, “the excessive migratory flows are situations that have occurred cyclically and always have to do with the U.S. government’s tense situation”, he stressed.

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Díaz-Canel criticized the U.S. Government’s strategy of making the new non-state sector an enemy of the Cuban Government and exemplified: “now when a group, with the best intentions, went to an event in the United States that was supposed to be a business event, a commercial event, an exchange event, not political, and they politicized it, and some of them had a terrorist at a dinner”. In that sense, he wondered “Who politicized that, the MSMEs, those from Cuba, the Cuban government? The United States politicized it”.

In his speech, the Cuban president explained that “with Trump’s measures which, among others, were also aimed at creating an unfavorable situation to seek a social outburst”, consular services in Cuba were cancelled.

He denounced that the U.S. government “has taken other measures to close off our income from tourism, such as now recently the automatic visa, the visa for European citizens: if they visit Cuba they take away the visa with which they have facilities to enter the United States.”

The Cuban president emphasized that the relations between Cuba and the United States are “relations with a tremendous asymmetry and where they are marked, above all, on the part of the Government of the United States towards Cuba as a policy of maximum pressure, as a policy of genocide, as a policy of strangulation, and it causes all those things”.

Likewise, the Cuban president wondered “When is the United States going to have to answer for the violation of human rights that constitutes the genocidal blockade it has applied for more than 60 years to Cuba?”

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International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.