Topic: Cuba
Cuba getting some relief, but challenges persist
As Cuba’s crisis deepens under US pressure, here’s a look at how the world, Washington and Havana are responding.
Five days at sea: A Cuban refugee’s harrowing journey to Cayman
This account of a Cuban refugee’s journey to the Cayman Islands is based on the firsthand testimony of a migrant who arrived by raft at sea.
Cuban migration patterns shift, but arrivals to Cayman remain modest
Cuba’s deepening crisis has yet to trigger a surge in migration to Cayman, as more Cubans opt to settle in new destinations in Latin America.
BVI keeping Cuban doctors as Jamaica seeks new deal
The British Virgin Islands is maintaining its Cuban medical programme, while Jamaica is planning to renegotiate a now-ended agreement as pressure from the US intensifies.
White House steps up pressure on Cuba amid power outages
The United States has increased pressure on Cuba as the island grapples with widespread power outages and a deepening energy crisis.
US pressure mounts as Jamaica, Honduras end Cuba medical deals
Caribbean and Central American governments are facing growing US pressure over Cuba’s medical missions, with Jamaica and Honduras ending their agreements with Havana and other countries moving to restructure their arrangements.
Cayman residents feeling the pain of relatives in Cuba
Caymanians with family connections in the Isla de la Juventud say the hardships are increasing for their relatives in Cuba
Spotlight on Rubio, Cuba and security at CARICOM meeting
CARICOM leaders including Cayman Premier, André Ebanks, convened in St Kitts, and were joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Cuba’s deepening humanitarian crisis and Washington’s renewed focus on regional security and transnational crime dominated discussions.
Cayman premier at CARICOM summit as Rubio meets regional heads
Premier André Ebanks is in St Kitts and Nevis for CARICOM’s 50th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government. The high-level gathering has drawn added attention with the attendance of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Cayman residents mobilise aid for Cuba amid worsening conditions
As Cuba grapples with a worsening socioeconomic crisis, members of the Cayman community are stepping up private efforts to provide humanitarian support.
Cuba fuel shortage disrupts flights, prompts monitoring in Cayman
A jet fuel shortage in Cuba has forced airlines to cancel or reroute flights, prompting monitoring by officials in Cayman.
Caribbean region sees uptick in earthquake activity
An uptick of earthquakes in the Caribbean has been recorded in the past days, but no significant damage has been reported.
Cuba in crisis: What it means for its people, and for Cayman
Cuba’s deepening economic crisis is heightening fears of instability, with potential ripple effects for Cayman.
The Cayman connection to Cuba’s wild coast
150 miles away from Grand Cayman, less than 400 people live on a 90 mile long stretch of coastline with many of the same plants, trees, birds as the Cayman Islands, even the ironshore and the white sand beaches look very similar.
Cayman on alert after large earthquake hits Cuba
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Cuba at 11:49am this morning.
Cuba power crisis worries neighbours in Cayman
Electricity was starting to return to Cayman's closest neighbour on Monday, after a complete island-wide failure Friday of Cuba's grid.
Cubans will need in-transit visas to enter Cayman
Travellers from Cuba will face more scrutiny when leaving for the Cayman Islands after in-transit visas were approved by Cabinet.
Cabinet approves $2.4M funding for new immigration detention centre
Cabinet has voted $2.4 million in new funding for a “detention facility” capable of housing more than 300 “irregular migrants” - government's term for the mostly Cuban refugees arriving in Cayman by boat.
Pink flamingo sighting creates excitement in Cayman community
The sighting of a beautiful pink flamingo, which has taken up short term residency at the Malportas Pond in North Side, has been thrilling Cayman Islands residents.
Cubans believed drowned off Cayman Brac among ‘invisible shipwreck’ victims
A citizen-led rescue effort to save a group of Cubans whose makeshift boat capsized close to Cayman Brac was a rare glimpse of the “invisible shipwrecks” responsible for hundreds of deaths each year in the Caribbean Sea.
Cubans detained in Grand Cayman
Ten men from Cuba have been detained in Grand Cayman less than 24 hours after they had been seen illegally arriving on a boat in Cayman Brac.
Cayman Airways keeping an eye on Cuba route following ESTA clampdown
Cayman Airways is monitoring if the US government's clampdown on issuing ESTA travel waivers for people who have travelled to Cuba in recent years will impact passenger numbers on its Havana route.
The Cuba conundrum: Untangling the US entry puzzle
What happens if you have been to Cuba since 2021 and normally use an ESTA to enter the US? What happens if you wish to go to Cuba in the future? Should you cancel your trip to Cuba? These are some of the questions travellers are asking since the US clamped down its entry policy.
Cayman travellers warned over Cuba trips as US clamps down
If you are thinking of visiting Cuba and aim to travel to the US on an ESTA visa-waiver at any stage in the next few years, the advice from travel experts is simple – don’t.
Cuban in Cayman: ‘A prisoner in a free land’
In this third chapter of The Cuba-Cayman Connection, the Compass delves into the complicated, and ambiguous, process of applying for asylum, as well as the shocking fate that awaits the successful applicants and grim future of those who are denied.
The great escape: Cubans fight ‘waves as big as mountains’ to reach Cayman
Cubans who flee their homeland brave dangerous seas, thick jungles and barren deserts in search of freedom.
Special report: Inside the Cuban migration crisis
In the first of a four-part Compass series Cubans in Cayman, including a former sniper who spied for the US government before being granted asylum here, explain why they left their homeland.
Cuban migration costs nears $3 million for 2022
As the cost of accommodating and repatriating Cuban asylum seekers looks likely to reach nearly $3 million this year, lawmakers in Cayman are amending legislation that will speed up the processing of their applications.
Broken-down Cuban vessel sparks rescue in waters off Cayman Brac
A small vessel adrift for seven days, carrying 14 Cubans, which had exhausted its supplies of drinking water was rescued last week by police, customs, the fire service and coast guard in the sea off Cayman Brac.
Travelled to Cuba recently? You may not be allowed in to the US
Travellers from the Cayman Islands are becoming collateral damage in the renewal of Cold War hostilities between two of its most powerful neighbours, with anyone who has visited Cuba recently potentially facing challenges getting to the US.
Church starts donation drive for hurricane-struck Cuba
As Cuba struggles to recover from being struck by Hurricane Ian on Tuesday, a Cayman Islands church has begun accepting donations to help people in need on that island.
COVID and government repression fuelling Cuban ‘migration crisis’
Cuba is facing a ‘new migration crisis’ as a consequence of economic hardship, the fall-out from the pandemic and a harsh crackdown on political protests, according to two international experts familiar with the situation.
Arriving Cubans’ plea: ‘Don’t send us back’
Hundreds of Cubans braved dangerous seas in makeshift boats to reach Cayman's shores. Now they are asking Cayman's government not to send them back.
Bullet-riddled planes and a suitcase stuffed with cash
In a special report, the Cayman Compass looks back in time to the days in April, 1961, when Cayman played an unwitting role in the CIA sponsored invasion of Fidel Castro's fledgling socialist state in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
Missing over Cuba: The decades old mystery of the plane that vanished
On Good Friday, 1975, a twin-engine prop plane departed Grand Cayman bound for Fort Lauderdale. It never arrived. There was no distress signal from the cockpit and no wreckage was ever found. In a special holiday long-read, the Cayman Compass delves into the facts, theories and conspiracies surrounding the story of the Lockheed Lodestar plane N51131 that vanished without a trace.
Cayman Airways to resume Havana route
Cayman Airways is set to resume nonstop flights between Grand Cayman and Cuba starting next week.
Cayman Airways seeks permission for repatriation flight to Havana
Cayman Airways is planning a repatriation flight from Grand Cayman to Havana, Cuba.
Jamaica, Cuba face worst COVID-19 outbreaks yet
While global new infections start to decline, a handful of countries across the Caribbean are suffering their worst outbreaks since the start of the pandemic.
Cayman Airways schedules 2 Cuba repatriation flights
Cayman Airways has scheduled two repatriation flights to Havana, Cuba, in the coming weeks, the airline announced Wednesday.
Cuba reopens Havana airport ahead of tourism high season
Havana airport will open to regular commercial flights on Sunday after being closed for seven and a half months due to the coronavirus pandemic
Cuba has big stake in US election after Trump’s trashing of detente
Cuban pensioner Esperanza Chacón, 89, prays every day for Donald Trump to lose the US presidential election as her livelihood has been threatened by Trump's tightening of the US trade embargo on the Communist-run island.
Cuba says US sanctions to end remittances, Western Union says not so fast
Cuba said late on Tuesday Western Union would have to shut down its operations on the island due to new U.S. sanctions, thereby cutting off key remittances, but the money transfer firm said it was still exploring ways to comply with the new rules.
Cuba urges calm as overhaul of monetary system looms
Cuba’s economy minister on Monday urged calm as the government prepares to unify its dual currency system and multiple exchange rates in hopes of improving economic performance.
UPDATE: Customs, police attend Cuban vessel in Brac
A small vessel from Cuba is being monitored by Customs & Border Control in Cayman Brac.
Cuba punches above weight with ‘white coat army’ during pandemic
Nearly 40 countries across five continents have received Cuban medics during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the island nation - home to just over 11 million inhabitants - has once more punched far above its weight in medical diplomacy.
Cuba welcomes first tourists in months
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba rolled out the red carpet on Friday for the first planeload of tourists to arrive on the Communist-run island in months as it struggles toward a post-pandemic new normalcy.
Havana announces curfew to curb new coronavirus peak
HAVANA (Reuters) - Havana's governor announced an overnight curfew, ban on travel from the Cuban capital to other provinces and greater restrictions on the circulation...
Havana back on lockdown as coronavirus rebounds
Cuba placed Havana back on a strict lockdown on Saturday following a rebound in coronavirus cases, ordering restaurants, bars and pools once more to close, suspending public transportation and banning access to the beach.
Cuban doctors being recruited for Cayman frontline
A request has been sent to the Cuban government for between 50 to 100 Cuban medical professionals to be sent to Cayman to join local health care workers in the COVID-19 battle.
Sargassum and trash in Cuba
Julio Batista Rodríguez
Periodismo de Barrio
In Guanahacabibes, at the western end of Cuba, the garbage and sargassum carried by the sea’s currents have changed the...
Cayman to host US, Cuban and Canadian football teams
Team USA will come to Grand Cayman's Truman Bodden Sports Complex on 19 Nov. for a Nations League game against Cuba.
Margolis: New US sanctions on Cuba have a silver lining
Cuban socialism has survived exploding cigars, Keystone counter-revolutionaries and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Jessop: Cuba — overcoming the inertia of the tired
Just over a week ago, Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said that starting this month all state employed workers will receive the first of what will likely be several salary increases. His widely reported announcement responded to shared concern among Cubans that their salaries have become inadequate in relation to the cost of living.
Ships head to Cayman amid Cuba cruise ban
Cuba’s loss could be Cayman’s gain, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to ban cruise ships from travelling to the communist island.
Great Inagua: land of white hills and pink skies
Great Inagua is not just an ‘out there’ island, it is a ‘way, way out there’ island of the Bahamas. Some call it the outback of the Bahamas, the country’s second largest island which lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba.
Cuban migrants get another shot at asylum
Seven Cuban migrants who were initially denied asylum will have their cases heard again after the Grand Court ruled on Friday that government did not properly consider their applications.
Jessop: The consequences of Washington’s Cuba policy
Just before Easter, the Trump administration announced multiple new sanctions on Cuba. In doing so, senior US officials made clear that Washington was not just trying to break Havana’s close economic and political ties with Venezuela but intended the measures to bring about fundamental political change.
Bloomberg: Cuba is a problem that Trump is making worse
The Trump administration came into office betting that Cuba’s government would buckle under pressure, but Havana has withstood much worse than this.
Men sentenced on cockfighting charges
Two men charged with cruelty to animals were sentenced this week after admitting involvement in the staging of cockfighting in Grand Cayman.
Cuba makes impression on young Cayman musicians
They played with Cuba’s national youth orchestra. They busked on the street. They sat in class with other young musicians. And they attended a multi-faceted performance of Mozart’s Requiem at Havana’s main theater for performing arts.
Analysis: Cuba expands rights but rejects radical change
María Isabel Alfonso
Cuba has rejected a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in its new and revised constitution, a move that disappointed some gay rights...
Community holds fundraiser for Cuban tornado victims
A group of concerned Cubans and Caymanians with ties to Cuba came out over the weekend to raise money for victims of a tornado that struck Havana on Jan. 28. That natural disaster killed four people and injured 197, leaving many families in the Cuban capital district homeless.
Cuban hunger strike ends
After more than three weeks, a hunger strike at the Immigration Detention Centre has come to an end, according to government.
Garage sale to assist Cuban tornado victims
A garage sale to raise funds to help victims of last month’s deadly tornado in Havana, Cuba, will be held on Saturday in Grand Cayman. Organizers say they are hoping to raise funds to help families and individuals affected by the tornado, which killed six people, injured more than 170 people, and damaged nearly 3,500 homes.
Second Cuban hunger striker sent to hospital
As a hunger strike at George Town’s Immigration Detention Centre completed its second week, a second asylum applicant was sent to the hospital.
Detained Cubans announce second hunger strike in year
Seven Cuban men and one woman held at the Immigration Detention Centre are launching a hunger strike in protest of how government is handling their asylum applications, according to a Cuban migrant familiar with the situation.
A look back at the year that was
The year 2018 was an eventful one for the Cayman Islands.
After breakdown, Cuban vessel drifts from Brac to Little Cayman
Twenty-six Cuban migrants are being held on Cayman Brac after their boat broke down and landed in Little Cayman last week.
Cuban migrant vessel lands in Cayman Brac
Nine Cubans who landed in Cayman Brac on Saturday have chosen to stay in the Cayman Islands and will likely apply for asylum.
Government argues against Cuban migrant appeals
The appeal hearing involving seven Cuban migrants seeking asylum in Cayman continued into late Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, with the Cubans’ attorney, Alastair David, and Crown counsel Michael Smith arguing over whether the Immigration Appeals Tribunal was correct in denying the migrants’ applications for asylum.
7 Cubans appeal asylum denials
Seven Cuban migrants who were denied asylum by government have appealed their cases to the Grand Court, where a two-day hearing began on Tuesday.
Cuban migrant wires mouth shut
A Cuban man who landed Friday with 10 other migrants in Cayman Brac has reportedly wired his own mouth shut.
