Latest Cuba News

Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba

May. 16, 2024 10:45 AM EDT

HAVANA (AP) — The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans. But 65 years later, religion seems omnipresent in Cuba, in dazzling diversity. The bells...

Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba

May. 16, 2024 08:22 AM EDT

HAVANA (AP) — The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans. But 65 years later, religion seems omnipresent in Cuba, in dazzling diversity. The bells...

State Department removes Cuba from short list of countries deemed uncooperative on counterterrorism

May. 15, 2024 17:47 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed Cuba Wednesday from the State Department's short list of countries that it deems less than fully cooperative against violent groups. In a statement, the State Department said Blinken had found that Cuban and U.S. law...

Long lines form and frustration grows as Cuba runs short of cash

Apr. 27, 2024 16:30 PM EDT

HAVANA (AP) — Alejandro Fonseca stood in line for several hours outside a bank in Havana hoping to withdraw Cuban pesos from an ATM, but when it was almost his turn, the cash ran out. He angrily hopped on his electric tricycle and traveled several kilometers to another branch...

Writer Leonardo Padura chronicles life in Cuba as his detective 'alter ego' solves gripping crimes

Apr. 23, 2024 01:18 AM EDT

HAVANA (AP) — His novels recount gruesome murders, thefts, scams, bribes and humiliating secrets. But those are not even the most important themes in the stories told by award-winning Cuban writer Leonardo Padura. For the last four decades, Padura, 68, has managed to turn his...

Canadian family receives wrong body after father died on Cuban vacation

Apr. 22, 2024 17:45 PM EDT

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — A family in Quebec is searching for answers after discovering that their father's remains didn't make it to Canada from Cuba, where he died while on vacation, and instead received the remains of another man. Funerals for Faraj Allah Jarjour were scheduled for...

Today in History: April 19, 80 killed in Waco Siege, 168 killed in Oklahoma City bombing

Apr. 19, 2024 00:01 AM EDT

Today is Friday, April 19, the 110th day of 2024. There are 256 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 19, 1993, the 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ended as fire destroyed the structure after federal agents...

Today in History: April 18, San Francisco’s great earthquake sets off fires, thousands die

Apr. 18, 2024 00:01 AM EDT

Today is Thursday, April 18, the 109th day of 2024. There are 257 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000...

Former US ambassador sentenced to 15 years in prison for serving as secret agent for Cuba

Apr. 12, 2024 18:06 PM EDT

MIAMI (AP) — A former career U.S. diplomat was sentenced Friday to 15 years in federal prison after admitting he worked for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba, a plea agreement that leaves many unanswered questions about a betrayal that stunned the U.S. foreign service. ...

Italian wrestler Chamizo claims he rejected $300,000 bribe to throw a match he controversially lost

Apr. 11, 2024 13:07 PM EDT

MILAN (AP) — Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Frank Chamizo claimed he turned down a bribe of $300,000 to deliberately lose a match at last week’s European wrestling Olympic qualification tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan. Chamizo, who competes for Italy after...