The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
Amid rising tensions between the two countries, the U.S. State Department accused the Cuban government on social media of using “failed intimidation tactics.”
It also demanded that Havana stop “sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work” of U.S. Charge d’Affaires Mike Hammer.
Friction has intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump last week declared Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and warned of tariffs on any country supplying oil to the communist-run island.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Saturday (31 January), Trump described Cuba as “a failing nation” but said he believed the two sides could reach an agreement.
“I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba,” he told reporters.
On Saturday (31 January), Hammer posted a video describing alleged harassment after leaving a meeting with local church leaders.
“When I left the parish, a few communists, surely frustrated by how bad the revolution is going, shouted obscenities at me,” he said.
Subsequent videos showed small groups during nighttime blackouts taunting Hammer with shouts of “Assassin!” and “Imperialist!”
Trump has also warned that the U.S. could impose tariffs on countries continuing to supply Cuba with oil, part of a broader campaign to tighten economic pressure on the island.
Reuters has reported that Mexico, now Cuba’s top oil supplier after Venezuelan deliveries fell sharply, is reviewing whether to continue shipments amid concerns over U.S. retaliation.
Cuba is facing worsening fuel shortages, frequent power outages and a deepening economic crisis, drawing renewed international attention to the humanitarian impact of U.S. sanctions and regional energy disruptions.
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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will halt the collection of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on Tuesday (24 February), more than three days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the duties unlawful.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressure across Central Asia, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced that the Regional Ecological Summit (RES) 2026 will take place from 22–24 April in Astana.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say he would back any UK government plan to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, a statement shared by Starmer's office said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will halt the collection of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on Tuesday (24 February), more than three days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the duties unlawful.
The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin’s F-35, saying the stealth aircraft would ensure compatibility with Europe’s top-tier air forces.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
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