Cuba's economy has been in freefall since the pandemic. Lisandra Botey and her family in Havana say they cook with firewood at home. "Every day is the same hunger, the same misery", says her husband Brenei Hernández.

US President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country sending oil to Cuba. Since January, when US troops forced out Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the island's main oil supply has dried up.

Cuban economist Ricardo Torres stated: "Washington's old playbook on Cuba doesn't apply anymore. Trump is changing the rules of the game". Trump has declared that "Cuba is ready to fall".

The fuel crisis is being felt across Cuba. Blackouts in Havana can last up to 15 hours per day. Hospitals are in darkness with only emergency cases admitted. Schools are often shuttered.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is investigating the "highly unusual" incident where Cuban border guards fatally shot four people on a US-registered speedboat.

Source: www.bbc.com