Cuba

Former North Korean ambassador to Cuba revealed that the embassy was a base of a smuggling ring; cigars would allegedly bought for $50 a box, put in the diplomatic pouch, and sold abroad for much higher prices

Increase in hospitalizations in due to a rare virus transmitted by mosquitos have been confirmed after no cases of the disease had been reported since 2015; the province of Matanzas, one of the island's most visited destinations, is the most affected

A job offer for Cubans living in Grenada has been announced by the embassy in Havana, which posted on its social media the start of the hiring process; as of 16 September the post recorded more than 2.800 likes on Instagram and over 2.500 comments

Many provinces are coexisting with repeated, long power failures, to the point that residents, as soon as electricity is available, be it daytime or night, frenetic use of appliances begins, from washing machines to cell phones chargers or water pumps

Fidél Castro's 'influencer' grandson causes a stir; for those in a daily struggle for food and basic items, Sandro Castro's high-flying lifestyle and apparent lack of empathy is offensive on a whole different level

The unexplained cancellation of the presentation of the International Film School students’ graduation films has been seen as a move to limit space for artistic creation; the 30 years long tradition allowed new filmmakers to showcase in a public venue

Garbage on the streets of several cities has become part of the urban landscape as the sanitation services are unable to regularly collect due to a lack of machinery, inputs, fuel, human resources; only 10% of collected garbage is recycled

Along Havana’s central highway, 114th Street market offers a imported groceries: Washington apples and grapes, garlic from California, Turkish produce; shoppers; almost nobody living off a local salary can afford them, but nobody grows them either

Santa Clara, a 17th-century convent in the heart of Old Havana home to the first cloistered nuns in Cuba, has been restored and opened as a hub for preserving the city’s soul, training young craftsmen and artisans in heritage conservation techniques