English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español

In June 2024, kickboxer Ely Malik Reyes became the first transgender athlete officially recognized in Cuba. In an exclusive interview, Belly of the Beast’s Liz Oliva Fernández speaks with Reyes about breaking barriers in Cuban sports.

Also this week:

Solidarity convoy arriving in Havana
Daniel Montero: “Regime change through starvation”
No, NBC, you’re not the first to report from a Cuban Hospital
New poll: most people in U.S. oppose oil blockade
What do Cubans think of U.S.-Cuba talks?
U.S. warns its citizens about blackouts it is causing
Russian oil tankers to the rescue?
Costa Rica cuts diplomatic relations with Cuba
Cubans abroad allowed to open businesses on the island
Trump: “I can do whatever I want with Cuba”
Rubio contradicts NYT report on Cuba talks
Five detained following violent blackout protest in Cuba

Ely Malik’s historic journey as a trans athlete

Ely Malik made history when he entered the ring in a competitive kickboxing fight in June 2024, becoming the first transgender athlete to compete in an official sports competition on the island.

“This is the moment to show who I am,” said Malik.

Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández visited Malik in his gym and at home, speaking with him about his struggle to overcome discrimination and his journey toward acceptance in the ring and within his family.

To watch the full interview:

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Nuestra América Convoy arriving in Havana

The Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, an international coalition of movements, trade unionists, parliamentarians, humanitarian organizations and public figures, will be arriving in Cuba in the coming days. They will deliver more than twenty tons of aid, including four tons of medicine.

The convoy includes prominent political and cultural figures, including Jeremy Corbyn, Clara López, Pablo Iglesias, Hasan Piker, Kneecap, Chris Smalls, Daniela Serrano, María Fernanda Carrascal, Gerardo Pisarello, Orlando Silva, Marc Botenga, Rud Rafael, and Thiago Ávila.

The convoy also includes Cuban Americans.

“I want engagement between our countries — not siege,” said Danny Valdes, co-founder of Cuban Americans for Cuba. “The policies coming out of Washington today punish ordinary Cuban families while claiming to act in our name. That is why we are travelling to Havana: to show that solidarity across the Florida Straits is stronger than the politics of blockade.”

“From the global movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa to the flotillas that sailed to challenge the siege of Gaza, international solidarity has repeatedly emerged to confront injustice,” said David Adler, one of the convoy’s organizers.

Belly of the Beast will be covering the convoy. Stay tuned!

More info on how to support the convoy can be found HERE.

Daniel Montero: “Regime change through starvation”

Belly of the Beast journalist Daniel Montero was on Democracy Now! Tuesday to discuss the most recent blackout on the island and the impact of Trump’s oil blockade on the Cuban people.

“We understand what this oil embargo means and what sanctions have always meant,” Daniel said. “This is regime change through starvation.”

Watch Daniel’s full interview on Democracy Now!

No, NBC, you’re not the first in a Cuban Hospital

NBC released a report from Havana yesterday claiming that correspondent George Solis "is the first journalist given access to a hospital in Cuba by the government in more than a decade."

Belly of the Beast has been reporting from hospitals for years, including our half-hour documentary Health Under Sanction, which was broadcast last year on Al Jazeera.

New poll: most people in U.S. oppose oil blockade

A recent poll by analytics firm YouGov finds that more people in the U.S. disapprove than approve of the U.S. blocking oil shipments to Cuba. The poll shows that 46% of people in the U.S. disapprove of Trump’s oil blockade on Cuba, while 28% approve and 27% are unsure.

The survey also indicates that most people in the U.S. oppose sanctions on Cuba.

In addition, despite the Trump administration's claim that Cuba represents a threat to U.S. national security, two-thirds of those polled believe Cuba poses only a minor threat or no threat at all. Among those polled, countries viewed as more threatening than Cuba include Russia, Iran, North Korea, and even Mexico.

What do Cubans think of U.S.-Cuba talks?

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed last week that Cuban and U.S. officials were engaged in talks.

Belly of the Beast went to the streets of Havana to ask Cubans what they think about the ongoing discussions.

One message stands out: dialogue is a good thing. Watch the video.

U.S. warns its citizens about blackouts it is causing

The U.S. Embassy in Havana issued a security alert Monday to its citizens on the island following a nationwide blackout:

“Scheduled and unscheduled power outages are prolonged and a daily occurrence throughout the country, including Havana. The outages affect water supply, lighting, refrigeration, and communications. Take precautions by conserving fuel, water, food, and your mobile phone charge, and prepare for significant disruptions.”

At a time when the U.S. is blocking oil from reaching the island while waging unprecedented economic war on the Cuban people, the embassy’s comments amount to warning about a fire while adding fuel to it.

Russian oil tankers coming to the rescue?

The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin may be heading to Cuba with 700,000 barrels of oil, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a follow-up report from The Financial Times pointed to a second ship — the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse — also heading toward the island with 200,000 barrels.

The Sea Horse had been previously reported as going to Cuba in February, but later changed course before turning back toward the island again.

Cubans abroad allowed to invest on the island

Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga this week announced that Cubans residing abroad will be allowed to own or partner in private businesses on the island, an opportunity previously reserved for Cuban residents.

The shift enables Cubans living overseas to directly invest in local companies and form ventures with both state and private enterprises. They will also be permitted to open Cuban bank accounts and receive land in usufruct for agricultural use.

“Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relation with U.S. companies, also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants,” Pérez-Oliva told NBC News.

"This extends beyond the commercial sphere," added Fraga, who also serves as Cuba's minister of foreign trade and investment. "It also applies to investments — not only small investments, but also large investments, particularly in infrastructure.”

The timing suggests a willingness to cooperate with Trump, who has maintained that his Cuba policy aims to benefit Cuban Americans in Florida.

Pérez-Oliva also said Cuba was open to U.S. investment in Cuba, but said U.S. sanctions are the main obstacle.

Costa Rica cuts diplomatic relations with Cuba

The government of Costa Rica announced Wednesday that it’s closing its embassy in Havana, while asking Cuba to reduce its diplomatic personnel in San José. Costa Rica’s president, who has consistently praised Donald Trump, justified the decision in a press conference, saying the hemisphere “should be cleansed of communists,” and that his administration does not recognize the government of Cuba.

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the decision “arbitrary” and “obviously taken under pressure and without consideration for their national interests.”

Ecuador’s right-wing government expelled Cuban diplomats earlier this month.

Trump: “I can do whatever I want with Cuba”

Donald Trump said Monday at the Oval Office that he’ll “have the honor of taking Cuba.”

Then, after wavering between the idea of "taking" or "freeing" the island, he remarked: “I think I could do whatever I want with it. [It’s] a very weakened nation.”

Rubio contradicts NYT report on Cuba talks

A report in The New York Times about Cuba-U.S. talks sparked a sharp rebuke from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The report claimed the U.S. is looking to force the removal of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel for negotiations to advance, quoting “four people familiar with the talks.” Rubio called the report “fake news” and its sources “charlatans & liars.”

Five detained after violent blackout protest in Cuba

A group of people in the town of Morón, in the central region of Cuba, attacked the local headquarters of the Communist Party over the weekend to protest increasing blackouts. According to El Invasor, the local newspaper of the party, five people had been detained.

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