With the opening of the well-known Jupuro premises, located at the corner of Carretera Central and Honorato del Castillo, the province is launching its first establishment under the neighbourhood market modality, one of the transformations of axis 19 of the 176 measures approved by the Cuban Government, relating to commerce, gastronomy and services.

The artist Héctor José Torres González will present on 19 October, at the Raúl Martínez Visual Arts Gallery, an exhibition of portraits dedicated to the Commander-in-Chief. His engraving workshop aspires to become a socio-cultural space, when the Art Instructors course reopens

During the afternoon of today, Tuesday, the area of low pressure located in the Gulf of Mexico organised itself better, forming Tropical Depression Nine of the current cyclone season. At five in the afternoon, its central region was located at 22.1 degrees North latitude and 95.6 degrees West longitude, a position that places it 615 kilometres west of Progreso, Mexico.

This system has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometres per hour, with higher gusts. It has a central pressure of 1007 hectoPascals and is moving east at 7 kilometres per hour. It is expected to continue gaining in organisation and intensity, and could become a tropical storm in the early hours of Wednesday.

This system poses no danger to Cuba.

The next tropical cyclone warning on this system will be issued at six in the afternoon tomorrow, Wednesday.

Against Las Tunas, the current runners-up and several-time champions of Cuba, the Ciego de Ávila team made its debut at the Julio Antonio Mella stadium with a 3-2 victory as the 65th National Baseball Series got underway this Sunday.

Los Tigres relied on excellent work from starter Kevin Soto, who allowed only three hits in seven innings, and excellent relief from "the matador" Yuniel Quintana, who retired all six batters he faced, including three strikeouts.

The winners had a productive second inning in which they scored their three runs thanks to singles by Marcos Torres, Asniel Jiménez and Dany López, which, combined with a walk to Alfredo Ramos and an error by the local defence, produced the trio of runs.

Kevin's only poor inning came in the third, when he allowed two runs with a double and two singles. From that moment on, he worked with relative ease.

These two teams will face each other again this Monday from 1:30 in the afternoon, and for the Avilanians the right-hander Yanquiel Tamayo is likely to work on the mound.

In the remaining games of Sunday's matchday, Granma inflicted a 14-2 KO on Holguín, while Matanzas (6-0) hung nine zeros on Cienfuegos with YoNis Yera on the mound, while Sancti Spíritus was better than Camagüey 9-4, Villa Clara than Mayabeque 6-5 and Artemisa than Isla de la Juventud 9-2.

The failure of municipalities to meet assigned revenues, the reduction in central budget levelling, and connectivity problems that delay transfers, together with an accumulated deficit of 377 million pesos at the end of July, are the fundamental causes of the delay in wage payments to workers in the budgeted sector in Ciego de Ávila.

This was explained by Damaris Betancourt Machado, provincial director of Finance and Prices, during a live broadcast by Invasor, who clarified that this is not a non-payment, but a delay relative to the date agreed in collective labour agreements.

Betancourt specified that the wage fund is budgeted and guaranteed in accounting terms, but the problem lies in the lack of effective liquidity in many municipalities. "It is not that the State budget does not have money, but rather that liquid money does not arrive at the right time," she stated.

Among the financial factors she mentioned were the failure to meet territorial taxes and contributions, the modification of the budget in the first quarter that reduced levelling, and connectivity difficulties that prevent transfers from arriving on time. Added to these are operational factors such as unfilled staffing, disruptions due to electricity and connectivity problems, which delay the preparation of payrolls.

As an emergency measure, the Government and the Provincial Directorate of Finance and Prices have advanced funds from the treasury system to four municipalities for an approximate amount of 59.7 million pesos, with the commitment that they be returned before the close of the fiscal year. "It is not a sustainable measure; it is a temporary patch," the official acknowledged. Likewise, mayors have been instructed to strengthen collection teams, prioritise wage payments above any other expense and take advantage of periods when electricity is available to prepare payrolls.

Ernesto Marrero Vega, a member of the Secretariat of the Provincial Committee of the Cuban Workers' Federation (CTC), confirmed that they have received complaints every month and that, through municipal committees and trade unions, compliance with what was agreed in collective agreements is being monitored. He noted that entities have been detected setting date ranges for payment, which constitutes a violation, since the agreement should only set a specific day. "If the worker is due to be paid on the 5th and is not paid until the 6th, there is a violation of a labour right," he emphasised.

For his part, Pedro de Jesús González Ramírez, legal adviser to the CTC in the province, explained that, although there is a legal basis protecting the right to timely payment, the current situation has been considered a case of force majeure. He highlighted that no claim for breach of the collective agreement has been filed, because workers understand the objective reasons for the delay.

He mentioned that the measures underway, such as the issuance of new decrees related to the bank, the increase in withdrawable capital and the issuance of new banknotes, will contribute to improving liquidity and to enabling municipalities, with their autonomy, to resolve wage payments to workers internally.

The broadcast concluded with the authorities' commitment to continue working to resolve this problem, which affects sectors such as education, health and culture, and which has a direct impact on the family economy of Avilanian workers.

The micro-dumps that today dot the corners of Ciego de Ávila are not the product of chance or the exclusive negligence of a single institution.

This was acknowledged by the main authorities responsible for communal hygiene in the municipality, who, during a live broadcast by Invasor, bluntly set out the causes of a deterioration that affects the city's image and, above all, the health of its inhabitants.

Yamilé Gómez Sobrero, municipal director of Communal Services, explained that her body is the highest authority responsible for overseeing communal hygiene, although today it has the support of the Local Development Project (PDL) Costávila and the Comcávila Company, in charge of the southern ring road.

According to Gómez Sobrero, the main cause of the current deterioration lies in the fuel shortage, which has prevented maintaining stable collection cycles. "When stability in the population's collection cycles cannot be achieved, the waste increases further," she warned.

Added to this is the lack of personnel for door-to-door collection within the city: the municipality has only 17 carts, insufficient to cover urban demand, which requires men, horses and contracted carts that do not currently exist.

The director was emphatic on one point: even if more cart drivers could be contracted, the sheer volume of waste accumulated on the ground can no longer be resolved with this type of traditional collection.

"We need to find heavy equipment to be able to collect that waste that is on the ground," she specified, and acknowledged that both she and the other actors involved are fully aware that these micro-dumps can generate diseases in the population.

Edelso Pérez Fleita, commercial director of the Costávila PDL, provided a complementary view of the origin of the crisis.

The project arose in December 2025 and began operations in January 2026, as part of a national instruction for communal services to cease being provided by budgeted units and move to business management, with variants according to each territory.

In Ciego de Ávila, that responsibility fell to Costávila for the entire municipality, including outlying settlements and other municipalities.

Pérez Fleita identified two indispensable requirements for the project's success which, as he explained, have not been met on a sustained basis: fuel and budgetary backing.

The first, because Costávila was conceived to operate with the same amount of fuel that Communal Services previously received, a resource that has been diminishing and competes with equally vital needs such as water pumping, ambulances and radio and television broadcasts.

The second, because Costávila is a private management entity whose only client is the Municipal Directorate of Communal Services, dependent on the municipal budget; accumulated debts have at times prevented the punctual payment of wages, which has led to trained workers leaving, who do not always return when payment is resolved.

The director also explained the cyclical nature of the problem: when collection stops for just 48 hours, the volume of waste "grows as if it were 15 days," which forces the mobilisation of more equipment, trucks and resources than planned to reverse the situation, in a self-perpetuating circle.

Despite the outlook, both interviewees agreed that there is an active commitment from the provincial and municipal government, together with the Costávila project, to seek sustainable solutions — currently in the consultation and approval phase — both in fuel supply and financial backing.

In this regard, on the instruction of the first secretary of the Party in the province and the governor, a city-wide cleaning campaign has been convened, with the aim of reducing to a few days a clean-up that, under normal conditions, would take two weeks.

Pérez Fleita stressed that this campaign cannot depend on the institutions alone. He called on the population to join in actively, noting that alongside the indiscipline of those who dump waste on any corner for convenience, there are families who simply do not have adequate places to deposit their rubbish.

"Here we are not divorced: the government over there, the project over here. We are all in this together, and there are solutions we all have to find," the director summed up, referring to the collective character that, according to both authorities, the recovery of communal hygiene in Ciego de Ávila must have.

The incorporation of non-state management forms into pharmaceutical services is advancing, with the evaluation of 36 projects for the administration of community pharmacies, reported Cristina Lara Bastanzuri, national director of Medicines and Medical Technologies of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap).

This 8 September, the Joven Club de Computación y Electrónica celebrate their 39th anniversary with a trajectory that consolidates it as the "Cuban family's computer."

For nearly four decades, these facilities have become a reference space where children, adolescents and young people immerse themselves in digital training, without leaving other age groups behind.

In Ciego de Ávila, the numbers support the work: 297,287 graduates and over 10,485 courses delivered, which has strengthened the technological skills of more than 2,270,558 users, among whom a significant number of people with disabilities stand out.

Darisleisy Garachana Rodríguez, Director of Institutional Communication for the entity in the Avilanian territory, reported that within the framework of the "Joven Club for Cuba" campaign, assistance has already been provided to 3,704 clients.

As part of the celebrations for the new anniversary, technology fairs, demonstrations of payment gateways such as Transfermóvil, workshops on free software and computer security actions will be held.

The director also announced that the programme includes introductory workshops on artificial intelligence, video game tournaments, painting competitions and the continuation of the "Youth for Cuba" campaign.

Products will also be promoted, and a backpack with attractive and educational materials will be handed out for families to enjoy.

Services extend to all municipalities, with emphasis on care for people with disabilities, the elderly and communities in rural and mountainous areas, without forgetting visits to homes for children without parental care.

The occasion, Garachana said, will be opportune to pay tribute to the Historic Leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, creator of the Joven Club, in the year of his centenary.

There will be themed exhibitions and special recognitions for workers who have accumulated between five and 25 years of uninterrupted service, thus reaffirming the mission of these centres as a bridge between technology, culture and the community.

With a massive and welcoming activity in a central stretch of Martí Street, combined with the Book Fair, the summer programme in Morón, conceived for the months of July and August, came to a close.

Among the most applauded offerings were the well-coordinated movements of the Zumba groups, Fuerza Viva from Ciro Redondo and Zumba Zumba from Morón, which filled the space with liveliness.

No less attractive were the various performances by the Rayitos de Sol Children's Circus, as well as children's dance groups and musical groups made up of children and young people from the Haydé Santamaría House of Culture.

The Book Fair will run until today, Sunday, and includes presentations of literary works, some by local authors.

As the summer closure, this weekend the city is hosting the Jorge Nilo Marín In Memoriam Golden Boleros Festival, with a parade of ten performers, cultivators of this immortal musical genre.

A phenomenon categorised as extreme drought is afflicting the central Cuban province of Ciego de Ávila.

Such is the extremity of the event that dates back to November 2020. Since then, the territory has not managed to fully recover the levels of groundwater upon which its economic and social development depends, because water is the source of life.

Oscar Osvaldo Monteagudo Brito, Master in Water Resources Management and technical director of the Ciego de Ávila Hydraulic Utilisation Company (EAHCA), reported that the Ruspoli sources are in a critical state; of its four wells, only one is pumping, and not at maximum capacity, which has made it necessary to transfer water from the southern basin to the provincial capital.

He argued that "the hydrogeological sectors of the Peonía area remain very unfavourable, as does number five, which corresponds to the municipalities of Morón, Ciro Redondo and part of the city of Ciego de Ávila, and the Pedro Ballester settlement; Jagueyal and Vicente remain unfavourable; while Falla, Ranchuelo, Bolivia, Majagua, Venezuela and Baraguá are favourable."

He explained that these are some examples of the impact of the phenomenon in question. While reservoirs are at 46 per cent capacity, only one was performing well, above 90 per cent—according to the information provided by the specialist—the Liberación de Florencia hydraulic system, with the Cañada Blanca and Chambas Dos dams, where rain fell in October and November last year.

Faced with this complex situation, the workers of the Ciego de Ávila Hydraulic Utilisation Company (EAHCA) are not standing idly by, with the implementation of the Euroclima Plus and Mi Costa projects, in which this National Vanguard collective has experienced collaborators.

"We have installed 13 rainfall station devices that provide us with real-time information on rainfall in the northern basin, basically in areas of agricultural development and in the sector that supplies water to 60 per cent of the province's population.

"This type of equipment was also placed in areas of the La Cuba and Arnaldo Ramírez Agricultural Companies and the Agroindustrial Bolivia. Meanwhile, from the Mi Costa project, in the southern basin, rainfall and well-level recorders have been installed, as well as automatic stations on the Majagua river and the Zaza-Ciego de Ávila main canal.

He argued that in the case of evaporimeters, they are located at the reservoirs with the highest consumption, in strategic places to be able to calculate evaporation and develop a water balance control graph with more reliable data, since our dams were created in 1988 and 1989 and the climate has changed, so the management of knowledge, the application of science, technique, innovation and the fulfilment of the objectives of these projects will be of mandatory continuity."

He said that to mitigate the effects of hydrological drought, it is vital to control the exploitation of both groundwater and regulated surface water and unregulated surface water from rivers and streams, which is the EAHCA's main mission.

"What we all need most now," he emphasised, "is not so much a cyclone because of its serious consequences, but an event that generates a large runoff towards the aquifer, because at this moment the province is in a critical situation with water."

A phenomenon categorised as extreme drought is afflicting the central Cuban province of Ciego de Ávila.

Such is the extremity of the event that dates back to November 2020. Since then, the territory has not managed to fully recover the levels of groundwater upon which its economic and social development depends, because water is the source of life.

Oscar Osvaldo Monteagudo Brito, Master in Water Resources Management and technical director of the Ciego de Ávila Hydraulic Utilisation Company (EAHCA), reported that the Ruspoli sources are in a critical state; of its four wells, only one is pumping, and not at maximum capacity, which has made it necessary to transfer water from the southern basin to the provincial capital.

He argued that "the hydrogeological sectors of the Peonía area remain very unfavourable, as does number five, which corresponds to the municipalities of Morón, Ciro Redondo and part of the city of Ciego de Ávila, and the Pedro Ballester settlement; Jagueyal and Vicente remain unfavourable; while Falla, Ranchuelo, Bolivia, Majagua, Venezuela and Baraguá are favourable."

He explained that these are some examples of the impact of the phenomenon in question. While reservoirs are at 46 per cent capacity, only one was performing well, above 90 per cent—according to the information provided by the specialist—the Liberación de Florencia hydraulic system, with the Cañada Blanca and Chambas Dos dams, where rain fell in October and November last year.

Faced with this complex situation, the workers of the Ciego de Ávila Hydraulic Utilisation Company (EAHCA) are not standing idly by, with the implementation of the Euroclima Plus and Mi Costa projects, in which this National Vanguard collective has experienced collaborators.

"We have installed 13 rainfall station devices that provide us with real-time information on rainfall in the northern basin, basically in areas of agricultural development and in the sector that supplies water to 60 per cent of the province's population.

"This type of equipment was also placed in areas of the La Cuba and Arnaldo Ramírez Agricultural Companies and the Agroindustrial Bolivia. Meanwhile, from the Mi Costa project, in the southern basin, rainfall and well-level recorders have been installed, as well as automatic stations on the Majagua river and the Zaza-Ciego de Ávila main canal.

He argued that in the case of evaporimeters, they are located at the reservoirs with the highest consumption, in strategic places to be able to calculate evaporation and develop a water balance control graph with more reliable data, since our dams were created in 1988 and 1989 and the climate has changed, so the management of knowledge, the application of science, technique, innovation and the fulfilment of the objectives of these projects will be of mandatory continuity."

He said that to mitigate the effects of hydrological drought, it is vital to control the exploitation of both groundwater and regulated surface water and unregulated surface water from rivers and streams, which is the EAHCA's main mission.

"What we all need most now," he emphasised, "is not so much a cyclone because of its serious consequences, but an event that generates a large runoff towards the aquifer, because at this moment the province is in a critical situation with water."

Identifying, characterising and providing differentiated attention to those who need it most is the purpose of the Social Assistance System in the province of Ciego de Ávila, a process that relies on the work of social workers and digital tools, which allow the vulnerability map to be permanently updated.

This was explained by Ramón Cruz Vega, head of the Social Assistance Department of the Provincial Directorate of Labour and Social Security, who detailed that the concept of social vulnerability is defined in Agreement 9152 of 2021 as "the condition that hinders the ability of individuals, households or communities to face or overcome natural, economic or social threats."

According to him, the identification of people in that situation stems from the systematic work of social workers, who have an updated characterisation of the population in each constituency. "From there comes what is already the vulnerable person and the people we have in a vulnerable situation emerge," he stated.

Cruz Vega noted that the country established eight profiles for the social characterisation process, which include beneficiaries of monetary benefits, women living alone over 60, men living alone over 65, pregnant women, children under five, adolescents with low weight and height, minors with chronic illnesses, and mothers who are heads of household with more than three children.

The study of these profiles was carried out one hundred per cent in each territory, with the support of Public Health and the Consumer Registry Office, to ensure that no one was excluded. From there, eligibility criteria are applied to "extract the vulnerable from the vulnerable," through a digitalised programme.

However, the process does not end. "There are people who leave vulnerability, there are people who die, and we remove them from the programme, and others that appear in the community are incorporated," the official explained.

In addition, the Soberanía platform is being implemented, available on social workers' mobile phones, through which any citizen who feels vulnerable can request assistance. "Within 30 days, we visit them, attend to them and give them the result," he added.

Regarding the role of social workers, Cruz Vega stressed that it consists of "the constant visit to each vulnerable person and attention to the vulnerable person and their needs," and recalled the words of the Commander-in-Chief when he called them "doctors of the soul."

As for concrete help, he detailed that monetary benefits are granted to those who lack financial support and resources such as mattresses or beds are also arranged when housing requires it. The process includes the opening of a file by the social worker, its review by the Social Care or Community Work Commission, and final approval at the municipality and municipal government level.

For those who cannot work and do not have obligated relatives, the benefit is maintained "until they die or manage to leave vulnerability." In the case of mothers caring for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, there is a programme that grants them a payment equivalent to a salary, with rights to holidays and retirement, "as if it were a workplace," until the child leaves that condition or dies.

With these actions, the province is advancing in the consolidation of a social protection system that is more agile, humane and adjusted to the realities of each community.

Civil Defence has reported that, according to confirmation from the National Centre for Seismological Research (CENAIS), no seismic movement has been recorded in the national territory during the afternoon of this Tuesday, 18 August.

Dr Enrique Arango, head of research at CENAIS, assured Tele Turquino that the national seismology network did not detect any seismic event during the specified time. In that regard, he described the alert that reached some mobile phones and confused the population as "completely false."

The centre's authorities call on the public to remain informed only through official channels and to avoid spreading unverified messages, in order not to create false expectations or generate unnecessary panic.

"In the event of any real event, our systems and official channels will activate the corresponding protocols promptly," Arango added.

The Provincial Government of People's Power in Ciego de Ávila, based on complaints and feedback from the population and the analysis carried out on this matter by its main authorities together with specialists, regarding the increase in retail and wholesale prices applied to various essential products.

Some men never become absent. They leave the world, but remain in the memory of people; their voice fades, but their ideas endure; their body disappears, but their work survives. Fidel Castro belongs to that lineage that needs no monuments to endure, because they left their mark in a much more lasting place: the life of their people.

One hundred Augusts after his birth, Fidel remains, for millions of Cubans, a pillar of the Revolution he helped to build. His life, his efforts, his successes and also the enormous battles fought are inseparably linked to that work which he made his reason for existence.

He himself had announced it, when his struggle had barely begun, before a court that sought to judge his dreams: "History will absolve me."

And history, which is never a simple court, continues to write its pages.

Today it is the people who keep his legacy alive.

He did not want honours. He did not ask for statues to eternalise him in marble. He did not need avenues with his name to feel present. His greatest monument was something else: the school opened for those who could not study before, the doctor who reached where no one had ever reached, the child who could learn to read, the young person who found an opportunity, the people who learned to defend their sovereignty as a possession not to be surrendered.

His work sought to look towards the humble, towards those "poor of the earth" to whom Martí dedicated his existence.

And perhaps that is why one of the most beautiful images of his legacy can be found far from any square: in the classrooms where young people from Latin America found a possibility that their own circumstances denied them.

The Latin American School of Medicine was also that: an open door. Thousands of young people came to Cuba with dreams that seemed too big for their lands and returned as professionals, carrying with them something more than knowledge. They returned with the memory of an island that, even amidst its own difficulties, decided to share what it had.

Because internationalism, for Fidel, was never an empty word. It was extending a hand. Understanding that solidarity does not first ask how much it can receive, but how much it can give. It was making his own Martí's mandate of walking "in a tight formation, like silver in the roots of the Andes," convinced that peoples, when they recognise each other as brothers, can turn unity into strength and dignity into a banner.

There was also his way of understanding sovereignty: as Cuba's right to decide its own destiny; as defence of independence; as affirmation that no people should be too small to dream, nor too poor to aspire to justice.

Patriotism and internationalism were not opposing paths for him. They met in a single conviction: loving the homeland deeply without hating other peoples.

Fidel looked beyond the sea that surrounds Cuba. And from that small strip of land, so often challenged by history, he tried to illuminate with his particular beacon of convictions other paths of solidarity, independence and justice.

The years have passed. His voice became a memory. The images became photographs. The squares kept their silence. But some presences do not depend on calendars.

Because a man can die and yet remain when his ideas find where to take root. He can physically disappear and continue walking in the hands of those who continue his work, in the memory of those who knew him, in the books that recount his time, and even in the discussions of those who question his legacy.

Because that also means to transcend: to provoke that generations keep asking who he was, what he wanted to do and what remains of that dream.

One hundred Augusts later, Fidel remains a loved, defended, questioned presence and, above all, impossible to ignore in the contemporary history of Cuba.

But perhaps the best way to understand his permanence is not in grand words. It is in the face of an old man who remembers. In the doctor who heals. In the teacher who teaches. In the young person who dreams of a better country. In the memory of those who believe that a nation can rise, even when besieged.

And as long as a people preserve the legacy of their struggles, their dreams and their contradictions; as long as men and women are willing to defend dignity, sovereignty, solidarity and justice, that presence will continue to inhabit history. Not in marble, not in bronze, but in the living memory of Cuba.

As part of the activities with which the municipality of Ciego de Ávila pays tribute to the centenary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, this Sunday the main authorities of the province and the municipality led a voluntary work day.

In areas of the José Antonio Echeverría Credit and Service Cooperative, the participants boosted food production, a gesture that encouraged farmer Yunieski Pérez de Corcho Ríos, as he benefited from the planting of sweet potatoes on three hectares.

Arsenio Verdecia Verdecia, president of the cooperative, said the organisation brings together 168 members on 65 farms, settings in which they achieve the production of milk, tobacco and various crops on 873 hectares.

However, the challenge is unequal, as only a portion is dedicated to and achieves good dividends in tobacco production, a sector that benefits from payment in foreign currency, which in turn affects the supply of fuel, inputs and other resources.

Voluntary work days like this one are added to other actions on the occasion of the date, including the improvement of the image of several educational and sports institutions, and the rehabilitation of three polyclinics in the southern area of the provincial capital, which has a favourable impact on the quality of medical services.

"These are, in total, 100 actions conceived and organised in the territory to worthily greet the arrival of the centenary of the historic leader of the Revolution and to be faithful to his legacy," Viviana Martínez Cárdenas, president of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power, told Invasor.

She highlighted that, in addition, the political movement "My neighbourhood for the homeland" and the Community Youth Network maintain full vitality, to drive tasks that in the economic, political and social spheres boost territorial development.

Motivated by the complex situation regarding fuel supplies to ensure inter-provincial transport, since 18 June a reduction in national train services has been in effect, with one departure every 16 days to the usual destinations: Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín and Bayamo – Manzanillo.

Likewise, National Bus services were reduced to three weekly departures from Havana to provincial capitals; plus one weekly departure to Manzanillo, Baracoa and Moa; and the links from Santiago de Cuba to Artemisa and San José de Las Lajas.

In the case of the maritime link between Batabanó and the Isle of Youth, the two weekly trips that were being made were maintained.

From that date, a new procedure for reserving capacities on national bus, railway and maritime services to and from the Isle of Youth also came into effect, to prioritise people with an urgent need to travel, in a scenario where demand far exceeds supply.

The combination of both measures, along with poor handling of reservations in some territories, has created conditions for corruption and indiscipline in the allocation of capacities, as well as public discontent, resulting in the available capacities on national services not being fully utilised, mainly on trains and the connection to the Isle of Youth.

Additionally, in recent weeks there have been disruptions to train schedules and, to a lesser extent, to boat and bus departures, due to the lack of necessary fuel for services at the right time, which has led to actions being taken to ensure passenger accommodation at stations.

Taking into account the feedback received from the public and the need to increase occupancy rates for services, considering that public demand remains above transport supply, the following decisions have been made:

1. Maintain the currently planned dates and times for National Bus, National Train and Isle of Youth boat departures.
   
2. Return the commercialisation of available capacities on national trains, the maritime link with the Isle of Youth and National Buses to the Ticket Sales Agencies of the Viajero Company in all municipalities of the country where these offices exist.
   
3. Maintain in the Provincial Groups the allocation of a minimum of capacities for each National Bus departure originating in the territory, to respond to cases of passengers whose travel reason is unavoidable.
   
4. Keep ticket reservations via the Viajero app out of service until the technical work on it is completed; we will inform about its re-commissioning in due course.
   
5. Adjust the reservation and commercialisation period for capacities on all services (bus, railway and boat) to three (3) days before the travel date, taking into account the difficulties with fuel supply to ensure the fulfilment of scheduled departures.
   
6. On Wednesday 12 August, the Viajero Company's Ticket Agencies will begin to commercialise capacities for journeys taking place from the 15th onwards, under the new three-day period.
   
7. Capacities not sold at Viajero Sales Agencies will be made available to the public on the day of service departure, at the railway stations, maritime link terminals and National Bus terminals.
   
8. Maintain the current refund policy of the Viajero Company for passengers who, having purchased a ticket, do not wish to travel.
   
9. These decisions come into effect from Monday 10 August 2026.

Transcript of the programme "Cuadrando la Caja", 19 July 2026. Cuba is betting on subsidising people, not products.

In response to the difficulties faced by the population in accessing cash and the tensions this has generated on the banking system, the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) has announced a set of measures aimed at strengthening monetary circulation, incentivising digital payments and facilitating access to financial services, with emphasis on pensioners and other vulnerable sectors.

When presenting the new provisions, the President Minister of the BCC, Juana Lilia Delgado Portal, explained that "the lack of cash is a consequence of several elements that are inherent to the situation the economy is going through."

Delgado Portal recalled that currently more than 80% of salaries and pensions are paid via bank cards; however, the sustained increase in cash withdrawals has altered the dynamic for which the financial system had been preparing, centred on the gradual expansion of electronic payments.

As part of the actions to restore the operational availability of the monetary system, the Minister announced the introduction into circulation of 2,000 and 5,000 peso banknotes, which have already begun to be distributed in the country's bank branches.

She specified that these new denominations respond to the current economic context, will allow banking counters to operate more efficiently, reduce costs associated with cash handling, and improve service to the public, with priority for salary and pension payments.

She also reported that new facilities will be created to incentivise the return of cash to the banking system; these include greater flexibility for economic actors to make deposits and subsequently withdraw cash in accordance with programmes coordinated with financial institutions.

Likewise, links between banks and major wholesale actors will be strengthened, with the purpose of encouraging supply chains to operate increasingly through digital payments, thus reducing the need to operate in cash.

Another measure contemplated involves reducing the commissions applied to businesses that use the online payment service, and adding these establishments to the bonus system, an incentive that until now only benefited consumers.

In this way, with online payment, businesses receive a 2% bonus at the time of the transaction, real-time crediting and a reduced commission of 0.8%.

Furthermore, she announced the suspension of the limit for cash payments previously established by Resolution 111, through the entry into force of Resolution 74 of the Central Bank of Cuba published this Friday, with the purpose of offering greater flexibility while conditions continue to be strengthened for expanding the use of electronic channels.

GREATER ATTENTION TO PENSIONERS

One of the most impactful announcements is aimed at facilitating pension collection for pensioners, who constitute one of the groups most affected by difficulties in accessing cash.

"We are talking about elderly people queuing for long hours in branches. For us, this is truly one of the most difficult problems we are facing," acknowledged Delgado Portal.

In response to this situation, the Central Bank, in coordination with local governments and economic actors, is promoting a mechanism whereby state and non-state businesses may voluntarily take on cash payment of pensions to people resident in their area.

The initiative will allow pensioners to collect their pensions at establishments close to their homes, reducing travel and the concentration of people at bank branches.

The President Minister explained that participating businesses will act as banking agents through Extra Cash contracts, and for this purpose a digital platform has been developed to facilitate the formalisation of agreements, the registration of benefited pensioners and the control of operations.

She added that this modality is already functioning in several municipalities across the country and will continue to be extended gradually with the support of territorial governments.

Establishments participating in this modality will receive the corresponding commission for providing the service, while pensioners may opt for the new mechanism or continue to collect their pensions at bank branches, should they so prefer.

BANKING OPERATION THRESHOLDS EXPANDED

With the purpose of encouraging the use of electronic channels, the Central Bank will increase the thresholds for banking operations established some years ago.

The President Minister informed that the new limit is set at 2,500,000 pesos monthly per client, a figure that replaces the current amounts of 80,000 daily and 120,000 monthly, and responds to the current economic and inflationary context.

"What we want to encourage is for people to turn to digital payment and do everything digitally," she stated.

The BCC head specified that the increase of these limits will allow natural and legal persons to carry out larger transactions via electronic channels, without the need for additional procedures that until now were frequently required.

Among the planned actions also features the creation of incentives to encourage cash deposits in financial institutions and subsequently facilitate their withdrawal, in line with the needs of economic actors.

In parallel, the banking system is advancing in the improvement of its technological platforms and the interoperability of digital services to soon implement new services; in addition to strengthening the energy infrastructure of branches through the installation of photovoltaic systems, with the purpose of guaranteeing greater stability in service provision.

Delgado Portal reiterated that the announced measures pursue the strengthening of the national financial system, increasing the operational availability of cash and advancing the digital transformation of banking services.

"We are not proposing to eliminate cash payments. What we do want is to provide all facilities so that digital payments are prioritised," she emphasised.

In a packed Principal Theatre, a jewel of Avilanian architecture and witness to the province's great events, the University of Medical Sciences of Ciego de Ávila celebrated its 46th Graduation, corresponding to the 2025-2026 cohort.

The Youth Technical Brigades (BTJ) of the Territorial Division of the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (Etecsa) in Ciego de Ávila organised the "Forjadores del Futuro" (Future Makers) Exhibition, an event conceived for young workers up to the age of 35 to present their solution proposals to the entity's problems.

The day, which took place at the theatre of Etecsa's headquarters building, brought together young people from various areas of the company, who presented work ranging from technical improvements in telecommunications services to mobile application proposals, in line with the sector's priorities.

During the meeting, Bilier Díaz Cabrera, General Secretary of the Party Committee at the Territorial Division, assessed the participation of young people in the study and design of innovative solutions as very positive, and urged those present to continue working and contributing to the development of Etecsa and the country's economy.

"Forjadores del Futuro" is part of Etecsa's Scientific Day and constitutes a key space to make visible the talent of the new generations, who are already a presence in the company and who, from their areas, contribute concrete solutions to the sector's challenges.

The early hours of Sunday 21 June were another night of tension at the Las Nereidas Photovoltaic Park (PFV), located in the locality of the same name on the Ciro Redondo to Morón road: three individuals attempted to break into the facility and were once again thwarted by Security and Protection personnel.

Shortly after midnight, operator-custodian Kevin Ley Pérez López and shift leader Irán González were carrying out their usual patrol of the south-western perimeter when they detected movement inside the fenced area.

Upon approaching and ordering them to halt, the intruders — two inside the perimeter and a third from outside — responded by throwing stones. The situation forced the workers to respond in kind; shortly afterwards, operator-custodian Eliersy Verao Villegas joined them.

After several minutes of confrontation, the three individuals fled through the same hole they had cut in the welded mesh fence.

The subsequent reconnaissance inspection yielded telling data: X-shaped marks at points distant from the guard posts — apparently to mark vulnerable areas — evidence of the passage of at least two animal-drawn vehicles, and piles of stones deliberately stockpiled next to the fence. Everything points to a planned action, not a spontaneous attempt.

Inspection of the facility confirmed that there was no damage to the photovoltaic modules, technological equipment, lighting system, or any other physical asset. The custodians were also unharmed, despite the stones having been thrown with evident intent to cause them harm.

The National Revolutionary Police of the municipalities of Ciro Redondo, Morón and Ciego de Ávila were notified immediately, as were the head of the Protection Body of the Provincial Ministry of the Interior (Minint), the officer responsible for Economic Counterintelligence, and the National Electric Union. Directors of the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company and the corresponding Base Business Units arrived at the scene in the following hours.

Prevention, an Urgent Matter

The fact that this is already the second documented attempt against Las Nereidas compels us to go beyond the incident report. The pattern is worrying: if someone marks weak points in the fencing with crosses, prepares arsenals of stones and arrives in the darkness with animal transport to avoid making noise, they are not improvising. They are studying the target.

The park's own managers acknowledge in the report that vegetation in neighbouring paddocks offers natural cover to intruders and that the distances between surveillance positions are considerably long. None of those conditions disappeared after the first attempt. Nor after the second.

The report also warns of something that should not be overlooked: some custodians have expressed that, should this level of aggression continue, they might be forced to leave the collective for fear of physical harm. If fear displaces workers from their posts, the criminals will have achieved, without stealing anything, what they did not achieve by breaking in.

The response so far has been firm. But the firmness of the collective cannot be the only defence. The country's energy infrastructures — and the solar parks are key pieces of the transition that Ciego de Ávila is driving — also need more robust institutional responses: greater presence and coordination with the Minint, technical reinforcement of the perimeter fencing, and a serious assessment of the vulnerability points that the intruders themselves have already taken the trouble to identify. Waiting for a third attempt would be a luxury the electrical system cannot afford.

At the meeting of the Government Commission for Attention to Demographic Dynamics (CGADD), chaired by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, Ciego de Ávila appeared among the territories with situations to resolve in several indicators of the Maternal and Child Health Programme.

The President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, conveyed his heartfelt condolences and full solidarity to the Government and people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that shook the country's centre. The Caribbean president expressed the unconditional support of the largest island of the Antilles in the face of the lamentable loss of human life and the extensive material damage caused by the phenomenon.

The response of the Caribbean nation was executed immediately as a demonstration of the historic brotherhood that unites both peoples.

Cuban medical brigade collaborators are fully deployed in the affected areas, actively cooperating in emergency care efforts for those affected.

The double earthquake, which registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, occurred shortly after 18:00 local time, with epicentres located in the states of Carabobo and Yaracuy. Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, officially declared a state of national emergency to expedite the mobilisation of economic resources to the hardest-hit communities.

So far, the confirmed number of fatalities is 164, with more than 970 injured receiving care at various centres of the public health system. The state of La Guaira was declared a disaster zone due to the structural collapse of dozens of residential buildings.

Silence and solemnity, as a sign of respect and tribute, were the dominant notes when, at the stroke of 10:00 in the morning, Ciego de Ávila began the homage of its people to Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, who passed away in the early hours of last Sunday.

The final tribute was led by the highest political and governmental authorities of the territory, at the head of which were Julio Heriberto Gómez Casanova, first secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Alfre Menéndez Pérez, governor.

The glorious notes of the National Anthem broke the stillness of the inaugural moment and, seconds later, the pilgrimage of the people of Ciego de Ávila began before the image of the Hero of the Republic of Cuba and of Labour.

Before the effigy of the man who treasured undeniable merits during the decisive years of the armed struggle and the subsequent construction of socialism, the expressions and attitudes of those present revealed the respect earned by the Moncada Barracks assailant, Granma expeditionary and Che's comrade in arms in the taking of Santa Clara.

After the triumph of the Revolution, and over more than sixty years of unconditional dedication, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez fulfilled countless tasks, but perhaps the assignment that perpetuates him in collective memory was the one he assumed at the head of the Ministry of the Interior.

It is expected that throughout the day, workers, students, housewives and retirees from different sectors will express their feelings in a ceremony that has its culminating point at the provincial headquarters of People's Power.

The province of Ciego de Ávila is dressed in mourning and solemnity this Tuesday to pay tribute to one of the most distinguished sons of the Cuban Revolution.

The headquarters of the Provincial Government of People's Power will be the epicentre of the posthumous tribute to Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, who passed away on Sunday, 21 June.

The tribute, which will run from 10:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, is part of the Official Mourning decreed by the country, in force from 6:00 a.m. this Tuesday until midnight.

In this space, the people of Ciego de Ávila, together with the highest political and governmental authorities of the territory, will have the opportunity to express their respect and admiration for the eternal combatant.

Born on 28 April 1932 in Artemisa, into a humble working-class family, Ramiro Valdés forged from a very young age a political consciousness that led him to join the clandestine struggle against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship. His incorporation into the 26 July Movement marked the beginning of a career of absolute dedication.

His name was etched in golden letters in the nation's history when he took part, at just 21 years of age, in the assault on the Moncada Barracks on 26 July 1953. That heroic action, which rekindled the flame of national liberation, cost him captivity at the Presidio Modelo on the Isle of Pines, although neither imprisonment nor subsequent exile in Mexico diminished his revolutionary spirit.

He was one of the 82 expeditionaries of the Granma yacht, landing on 2 December 1956 to begin the war in the Sierra Maestra. Under the direct command of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, he fought in Column 1 "José Martí". However, it was in 1958, when he was selected to join the Invading Column No. 8 "Ciro Redondo", under the command of Che Guevara, that his daring reached epic proportions.

As Chief of the Vanguard Platoon, Ramiro Valdés led the heroic march from the Sierra Maestra to the centre of the country, being decisive in the liberation of Villareal and in the Battle of Santa Clara, an action that precipitated the tyrant's flight and sealed the Revolutionary Triumph of 1 January 1959.

Triumph did not mean rest for the young Commander. Faithful to the trust placed in him by Fidel, Ramiro Valdés assumed the high responsibility of founding and directing Cuban security as Chief of the National Revolutionary Police, laying the foundations of a body in defence of the people. Later, as Minister of the Interior at different stages, he safeguarded State security against the aggressions of imperialism and internal counter-revolution.

His mark was sealed in the country's political structure. He was a founder of the Communist Party of Cuba and a member of its first Central Committee in 1965. From the 1st Congress in 1975, he was a member of the Politburo, the highest political leadership of the nation, a responsibility he maintained until his last days.

As a Deputy to the National Assembly and Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers, he contributed to the implementation of the Revolutionary Government's economic and social programmes.

In recognition of his career of total dedication to the Homeland, the Council of State conferred upon him the honorary title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba and awarded him the Máximo Gómez First Class Order, among other high decorations.

At the time of his departure, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez was serving as Vice Prime Minister, remaining an active and lucid leader on the front line of socialist construction and the defence of Fidel's historical legacy.

Today, Ciego de Ávila joins the grief of all Cuba. The tribute day, at the Provincial Government headquarters, is an opportunity for the people of Ciego de Ávila, like the rest of the island, to recognise in the figure of Commander Valdés the synthesis of rebellion, loyalty and dignity that have characterised the Cuban Revolution throughout its history.

Excerpts from the interview for the "En Persona" segment of Mesa Redonda, broadcast on 3 August 2018.

On the afternoon of the interview, it poured with rain in Havana.

Even in the small room adjacent to his offices at the Palace of the Revolution, where the set was improvised, the thunder and flashes of lightning were felt with such intensity that at times his voice became imperceptible, and we feared the worst: that the microphones would not pick up the answers and we would have to suspend the most eagerly anticipated meeting for our team since the "En Persona" segment was created. Fortunately, the storm had already broken once the dialogue had advanced enough to break the myth that "Ramiro Valdés does not give interviews."

THE SON OF OFELIA, FROM THE LA MATILDE NEIGHBOURHOOD

–Commander, first of all, thank you. Many people told me: you won't be able to interview Ramiro, he doesn't talk. Why?

–First of all, I am here complying with an instruction I could not fail to carry out, which is to grant the interview.

–That's good. And why doesn't he speak to the press?

–Look, Arleen, first of all I don't like to speak in the first person, I don't like to be the protagonist of something that I simply believe we have all done very naturally, ever since duty called us.

–Well, you may not be protagonistic, but a protagonist of the Revolution you are, hence the insistence. I want to know—not just me, the people of Cuba, the younger generations want to know: Who is Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, before being a Commander of the Revolution?

–We are a family of very poor, humble origins. From Artemisa, from the La Matilde neighbourhood, from which most, not all, practically all the comrades who participated in the Moncada came. Furthermore, we all coincided at different times in schools and there we developed fraternity at the neighbourhood level and got to know each other. Julio, Rigoberto, Ciro, Emilio, different comrades who later participated in everything related to the assault on the Moncada, they came from there, from that closeness of the neighbourhood, of the school.

–What did you live on? What did your parents do to support you? How many siblings?

–Five siblings, my family, I repeat, was very poor, without a trade. My mother was a very upright person and, I told you before coming in here, she was very Martí and very Céspedes in her thinking, although she was quite sceptical about politics, because she said that politicians simply used others to step on as a ladder to climb, and afterwards they forgot all their promises, and therefore her children, if she could help it, were not going to be a stepping stone for anyone, for any politician.

–Someone once told me that you slept completely naked because your mother washed the only set of clothes you had at night...

–That's how it was. She would wash and mend the clothes so that we could go to school clean, because my mother also said, with great pride, that we were an upright family, poor but upright, with much morality, clean and honest. She even, to survive, became a "listera" in the numbers games, she was a "listera" (and also) worked in tobacco sorting.

–What was her name?

–Ofelia Menéndez, she did laundry for some people; I would go, collect the clothes, and she would wash and iron them, and that was a small income we had. My mother said: "neither a prostitute, nor anyone's servant," and she raised us with great dignity, from an ethical point of view. And from a political point of view, I tell you she was very much a follower of Céspedes and Martí.

–Were you the youngest?

–I was the second youngest, but always, I don't know why; I do know why, always at home, everyone treated me as the youngest, because I was the one who was always spoiled. It happened that when my mother gave birth, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and I was practically given up for dead; they even tried to snatch me from her arms, the doctor and the others, but she simply refused and refused, and she took me in, fed me with a dropper, giving me milk drop by drop, until finally, here I am, thanks to my mother's effort.

–Did she live long enough to see you become a hero of this country?

–More than 90 years.

–You were also a bit of a troublemaker at work. Were you fired, dismissed from some job, I've been told?

–Well, from the electric company, when I was an apprentice, that was in Los Palacios. One of the jobs we were doing was in Los Palacios; we worked live, and one of the comrades made a mistake, touched the current and it knocked him down.

–Did he die?

–He didn't die, but it left him disabled, a young, strong guy. On one of those occasions, when we went there, to Los Palacios, my godfather wanted to do it live, he was the foreman, so I opposed it and the others also opposed it, and it couldn't be done, so we had to order the power cut, for that repair we called it a "clearance," they cut the power and you work. That was enough; it was sufficient that when we returned from Los Palacios to Artemisa, they removed me.

–They removed you from the brigade.

–They removed me from the crew, as it was called, for being a communist.

–For being a communist, and were you already a communist?

–No, I had no idea, nothing. Back then, troublemakers were accused of being communists. From there I went to toss cane from a truck, as an assistant. In that truck, tossing cane, we were caught by the 10th of March in the countryside.

FROM MARCH 10, 1952, TO JULY 26, 1953

–What does Ramiro Valdés Menéndez feel when he learns of the March 10 coup, you were 20, right?

–Yes, more or less. After I was removed from the Electric Company, I was working tossing cane for the Pilar Sugar Mill and the San Cristóbal Sugar Mill, and while in the countryside we found out. Around four in the morning we turn on the radio, I always turned on the radio to listen to music, and there was nothing on the radio, so we asked ourselves, what could have happened? When we arrived at the mill, between 10 and 11, we found out that Batista had carried out a coup d'état; well, my joy was tremendous.

–How so?

–Yes, it was tremendous, because I told the truck owner's brother, who was the driver: "now he's going to pay for all of them, the old ones and the new ones, and it will fall to us, to the youth, to face this, because neither Millo Ochoa, nor Pardo Llada, nor Agramonte, nor anyone is going to face this; the only ones who are going to face this here are we, the youth." We already listened to Fidel, for an hour of radio he had here in Havana.

–You found what he said important.

–Of course, even when we go to see Pepe, I tell him, "well, Batista has to be overthrown with weapons." There were already four of us who had conspired to organise ourselves and seek contact with Fidel, through Pepe, and so it was; we spent about two months insisting with him, asking if he had seen Fidel, and after about two months, we met with Fidel here, at Prado 109. With Fidel and with Abel. We were Julio, Pepe, Ciro, Gerardo and I. And there we placed ourselves at his disposal, and he accepted the proposal.

–What impression did meeting him personally make on you? Did you confirm he was the man?

–No, "the man," no, because Batista said he was "the man," and it would never have occurred to me to say that Fidel was "the man," that phrase never; that he was the leader, who simply by his entire track record, very young, but by his entire track record, his honesty, his political, revolutionary thinking, his confrontation with corrupt governments, simply gave us the guarantee and security that he was the leader, the politician, the revolutionary who was going to solve the problem of Cuba's situation after the coup d'état, and well, that's how it was.

–Does the defeat at Moncada not scare you?

–No, it's painful, but of course not, the struggle must continue, until... look, when we were coming on the Granma, Fidel speaks to us all and at the end I always remember he said: ...that victory lay in three elements: resist, resist and resist, if we resist we win, because the people know it is a just struggle and they will join the struggle and with the people we will achieve triumph, we must resist, whatever the circumstances. He told us that later, but we already knew it, from history.

CIRO, THE INVASION, CHE

–Commander, you are promoted in the Sierra Maestra in the first months and you join Che's column, which, moreover, when it goes on the invasion, already bears the name of your best friend, your brother, Ciro Redondo. I have always thought that Ramiro has some responsibility in the 8th Column bearing that name.

–No. Well, the responsibility we have is that of having been together from the start, Ciro, Julito – Julito was killed at Uvero – I have nothing to do with it, but for me it is very special because it is the result of Ciro's life. Ciro was a very revolutionary person, very outgoing, very supportive, very valiant. Ciro was tremendously daring and he died in the Mar Verde battle, and Che always held great distinction and affection for Ciro and felt him as a close and cherished comrade.

–Now, tell me, is it true that you were not on the first list of comrades who would go on the invasion, that you had to fight to go on the invasion?

–(Laughter) Not exactly like that... Fidel had not thought of me to go with Che on the invasion, and I went to talk to him and asked him.

–How did you convince him?

–Well, I said to him, "Are you going to deny me participation in an event in Cuba's history that will never, ever be repeated, like the invasion?" He looked at me and said: "Go." But in other terms.

–An image appears, well, when they are receiving Fidel from his first trip through Latin America. We see Che, who was your commander on the invasion...

–And in life, one of my commanders in life.

–What do you mean by that?

–He was my commander in the Sierra, there is Column 1 and later Column 4, Column 4 with Che at the front and I go with him; Fidel assigned me to him, but also in Mexico, at the Santa Rosa ranch. We could say that I also met Che at María Antonia's house. There we became very good friends.

–How tough was Che as a commander?

–Che was very severe, but as Fidel said, Che demanded more of himself than he demanded of others, and especially with the closest people, he was intransigent.

–The closer, the more demanding.

–But, notice, at the same time he was a cool guy, likeable, even if some people don't believe Che was likeable, very brotherly, he had nothing, he gave himself completely and had great authority, due to those human relations he was able to develop with subordinates, with comrades, and also due to his example, of stoicism and bravery, because he was a stoic. Che suffered from asthma, even without an apparatus, he had asthma attacks that he would walk five metres and have to sit down, and five metres and have to sit down, and I always accompanied him. Everyone walking ahead and we always went behind and arrived at the end. People respected him greatly and he made himself respected.

–What feelings do you have when you learn that your friend, your commander, has left for another revolution and you don't go with him, and later you have the responsibility of searching for his remains?

–The list of comrades he had selected to accompany him was headed by me, but it was decided that I wouldn't go, and when the search came, I thought that had I been there, had I gone, I wouldn't be searching for him but they would be searching for both him and me.

"Look, when Column 1 was divided and Column 4 was created, Fidel takes me aside and makes me responsible for Che's life. 'They will collect the two of us together because I'm not going to tell Che that I'm going to grab him by some part to tell him don't do this or don't do that.' These are the things that mark one: that trust of Fidel in giving me that mission, we could say, of preventing Che, in the midst of his daring, from doing things he shouldn't, to preserve life.

"Of course, that with Che was impossible and with Fidel himself it was also improbable. That was impossible and that's how it was. When we were on the search I thought about all those things: I could well have been one of those who died with Che in Bolivia. It's a heavy burden for a revolutionary."

THE TRIUMPH

–Commander, twice Minister of the Interior, in two eras of great confrontation with the United States, of assassination plans against Fidel – more than 600 – assassination plans against other Revolution leaders. Later Minister of Communications, currently Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers. You have been attending in previous eras and now strategic sectors of the economy that have a very fast evolution due to new technologies. How do you manage to understand this world where everything moves so fast and where technology imposes languages and codes? Did you study any business career or engineering?

–No, my connection with technology comes from the very moment we started, when I was given the task of organising State Security and we realised that the confrontation with the Americans was a technological confrontation. Of course, we did not have technical intelligence but we did have human intelligence, due to the support of all the people to the revolutionary process. There was no one who moved that Security didn't know about, and that allowed us to penetrate counter-revolutionary organisations and climb up.

–And from your era, I imagine the idea came out for that series that still moves us so many years later, 'In Silence It Had to Be'. Was it you who gave it the title?

–No, I'm not going to claim paternity, but I did have something to do with it. And that is what has nuanced my whole life: in silence it had to be.

–That's why I say it. Anyway, I would like to insist: that part today, understanding yourself with the world of technology, for me, who is at least a generation younger, is difficult. How do you do it? Telecommunications, mines, engineering...

–This is not about that; the problem is, let's say, the commitment and vocation for the task. I often say, seriously and jokingly, to my comrades, that I don't know if I was a good student, but teachers I did have good ones. I repeat: fundamentally the values, from childhood at home, with my mother, later Fidel, Raúl and Che. I don't know if I was a good student, but I had teachers and I learned from them.

–But there is a legend that says that many years ago, when you ran the Ministry of the Interior, you used to walk or run.

–Running.

–From here from the Plaza (de la Revolución) to your house in Santa Fe.

–To Personal Security.

–How many kilometres?

–17 kilometres.

–Daily?

–Yes, when I still could, and afterwards I did weightlifting at the gym.

–How much do you still lift? Or not anymore?

–Yes, I lift.

–Better not boast about that.

–No need to boast, but yes, I do intense exercise. You have to be ready, for the tasks and for what may come.

YOU WILL GET TO KNOW DÍAZ

–Well, one last thing: a new generation has entered the country's leadership; President Díaz-Canel publicly asks you to accompany him in the task, especially in that task we've been talking about that entails understanding of technology, changing concepts, etc. What does it mean for Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, who worked under the orders of Fidel, of Raúl and of Che, to work with the new generation?

–Well, that's precisely what it's about. The entire revolutionary process translates into creating new generations capable of assuming the historical succession. Raúl himself has explained this, even publicly: that the only survivor of all the young cadres who were identified, the only survivor is he. I have, I would say, many years of knowing him, since he was in Santa Clara, and we are comrades, friends for many years, many years, and we feel mutual respect and mutual recognition of the tasks and the revolutionary relationship in the tasks of the Revolution.

"The new generations have to take the lead, to address the succession of the historical generation, as it is often said. That was the task of the historical generation, led by Fidel and Raúl, who have been selecting, so to speak, the future cadres who will be the successors, and the most outstanding has been Díaz. And truly, you will get to know Díaz through his deeds. He is a very organised, very intelligent person, with political maturity, with much tenacity, much spirit, very demanding, very hardworking, which forces others to work at the same pace."

–It also seems he is a bit romantic.

–Pardon?

–Romantic, like you.

–Well, look, history shows, at least Cuban history, that to be a revolutionary you have to be romantic, idealistic and in love, don't ask me with whom, firstly with the Revolution, that's how it is, there is no other way.

–How do you see Cuba's future?

–Promising.

–Doesn't it worry you, faced with the world that lurks and how distant prosperity seems?

–We are taking care of it. The heritage is to take care of what comes upon us, as Raúl says, what we have always had upon us since before the triumph of the Revolution, from the very beginning of the revolutionary war, not in the Sierra but before Moncada, of what happened at Moncada, of prison, the risks Fidel ran of being assassinated, later in Mexico as well, and simply this is a risk we all revolutionaries have, all, and firstly, he, who headed the revolutionary process, Raúl, Che... and look, this surrender to the Revolution, going above all risks, all inconveniences... difficulties of all kinds temper men, revolutionaries, and the new generations in the example of previous generations.

"Because we, and when I say we I mean our generation, what did we inspire ourselves in? In history. Our history is full of that: facing great difficulties, great obstacles with sometimes non-existent resources, facing them with the resources we had at hand and we emerged victorious in many cases, there it is, that is Cuba's history, Cuba's history is that."

(Excerpts from the interview for the "En Persona" segment of Mesa Redonda, broadcast on 3 August 2018)

Within the framework of the economic and social transformation process, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero presented to Cuban deputies a set of proposals aimed at modernising the banking system, reforming the tax scheme and updating price policy to revitalise the functioning of the economy.

Transformations in the Banking System

The project recognises the need for a profound transformation of the banking system and includes measures to foster greater participation of private capital in financial activity, including the possible creation of corporate private banking under the supervision of the Central Bank and subject to the same system regulations.

Likewise, the establishment of non-bank financial entities oriented towards granting microloans is proposed, along with the elimination of restrictions on foreign currency payments between foreign suppliers and Cuban counterparts, as well as the updating of interest rates and the design of new financial products.

Among the measures, the introduction of new digital platforms for the development of the financial market is also contemplated.

Similarly, it is proposed to increase the limit on transfers between natural and legal persons, as well as to resize the official currency exchange market and the remittance market, incorporating non-state economic actors, the creation of private exchange houses, a digital currency exchange market and foreign currency auction systems.

The package also includes successive devaluations of the national currency with the aim of adjusting the exchange rate, warning that companies unable to sustain these conditions would be subject to liquidation.

Finally, the design of new last-mile financial products for remittance management, managed by specialised financial entities, is envisaged.

Tax System

In fiscal matters, the application of Value Added Tax (VAT) in certain economic chains is proposed, with the introduction of reduced tax rates in specific sectors.

Also proposed is the generalisation of electronic invoicing and the bankingisation of commercial operations, together with the reduction of the tax burden for certain economic actors, as well as the introduction of a tax on companies that declare themselves in certain conditions.

It is proposed to simplify the payment of profits in the cooperative sector, eliminating the concept of per capita profit, and to introduce tax incentives for state and non-state actors that contribute to the development of the social sector.

In the area of personal taxes, the updating of the personal income tax is proposed, with a modification of the progressive scale, a reduction in the number of bands and an increase in the exempt minimum up to the average salary at the end of 2025. The reactivation of a simplified regime for less complex economic activities is also envisaged.

Likewise, it is proposed to expand the fixed amounts of taxes associated with transport, vessels, documents, and environmental impact, as well as rates for advertising and commercial signage, along with the design of new tariff rates for industrial processes.

Price Policy

In the area of price policy, the decentralisation of approval powers is proposed, granting greater autonomy to companies and local administrations.

Similarly, it is proposed to eliminate the price formation approach based exclusively on costs, moving towards a scheme determined by market correlation, as part of the updating of the economic management system.

Statistical System and Control Mechanisms

In the statistical field, the design of a system adjusted to current conditions is proposed, including the completion of the base year as a methodological reference.

Likewise, the creation of a working group tasked with strengthening control mechanisms and updating information systems is proposed, with a view to greater precision and transparency in economic decision-making.

Insurance System

In insurance matters, the recognition of the profitability of financial resources associated with this activity is proposed, as well as the creation of supplementary life insurance to the pension.

Likewise, it is proposed to boost the marketing of foreign currency policies in sectors such as transport and other economic services, together with the mandatory regulation of civil liability policies in certain activities.

Speech delivered by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of the Republic, at the closing of the Extraordinary Plenum of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, at the Palace of the Revolution, on 17 June 2026, "Year of the Centenary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz".

(Shorthand Versions - Presidency of the Republic)

Comrades, members of the Party Central Committee;

Guests;

Compatriots:

This Extraordinary Plenum is meeting on decisive days for Cuba. Proud heirs of the Commander-in-Chief's legacy, Cuban revolutionaries today face challenges of enormous magnitude that demand unity, ideological firmness, courage, audacity and creative resistance.

We have the guidance of our leader, a prominent member of the vanguard of the Centenary Generation and zealous guardian of the continuity of the socialist Revolution that he contributed decisively to building from its foundations to the present day, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, Hero of the Republic of Cuba, who has taught us every day the sacred value of unity.

The context is extraordinarily complex and challenging due to the unceasing aggressiveness of the tightened economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States Government and the criminal purpose of the current administration's hostile actions: firstly, the inclusion of Cuba on the infamous and spurious list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism, and other equally false accusations that seek to discredit the authority and management of the Government, while depriving the country of any source of foreign currency income.

A blockade further tightened by the Executive Orders of 29 January and 1 May, which support the genocidal energy siege and internationalise the blockade with secondary sanctions, financial persecution, energy and investment restrictions to extremes of maximum pressure.

At the same time, political-ideological subversion is intensified through media poisoning on social networks to damage the credibility of the Revolution, among Cubans and foreigners, stimulating social disorientation in a national and international scenario impacted by profound transformations in the socio-economic structure and global geopolitics, as a consequence of the unlimited powers of a hegemonic imperial policy that seeks to tear multilateralism apart, feeds neofascist currents and sharpens global tensions, constantly threatening international peace and security and attempting to break the indispensable unity of left-wing forces.

The silent genocide that has been undertaken against Cuba causes immeasurable damage and terrible limitations in our daily life as a people, while its perpetrators lie shamelessly to the world, denying the energy siege and claiming that we prohibit the entry of millions in donations, which they announce loudly and of which they have barely delivered anything promised.

Cuba resists heroically and creatively, but has suffered for too long a barbaric, undeserved, unbearable punishment, to which is now added the threat of military aggression as a new weapon against collective resistance.

Cuba faces a cruel blockade and real, daily financial persecution that makes every drop of fuel, every medicine, every food, every part and every technology the country needs more expensive.

Reality imposes urgent and necessary changes on us. And when people's lives become so hard, the first duty of the Communist Party and the revolutionary Government is not to better explain the crisis, but to change what must be changed to get out of it.

A deep and agile economic agenda is needed, executable in the short term, combining macroeconomic stabilisation, incentives to stimulate and promote productive openness, legal security, attraction of investment, intensive use of technology and focused and effective social protection.

Let us remember that at the closing of the 11th Plenum, we stated that the postponement of the Congress did not limit the possibility of making the necessary changes, modifications and movements, taking into account the powers of the Party and Government structures, such as the Plenums of the Central Committee, when it comes to agreements adopted by Party congresses.

This has been intensively worked on, based on the valuable report and debate of the ANEC Congress, the popular consultation on the Economic and Social Programme for 2026, the criteria of economists and experts, the debates and contributions made by the Economic Commission of the Party Central Committee, the Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy approved and updated at the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Party Congresses, the proposals of the 11th Plenum of the Central Committee and the work carried out by the commissions that have been preparing the documents for the postponed Ninth Party Congress, for known reasons, regarding the updating of the Conceptualisation of the Economic and Social Model, the Guidelines and the National Economic and Social Development Plan up to 2030.

Furthermore, a study has been carried out of the experiences of socialist construction in other countries such as China and Vietnam, and artificial intelligence has also been used to deepen the search for references and evaluate the proposals in relation to our current laws and regulations.

The aim is to face the enormous challenge of continuing to advance in the process of socialist construction, the defence of the Revolution and its achievements, and the improvement of our society, under the conditions of a country subjected to the cruellest, most genocidal and longest-lasting economic, financial, energy and commercial blockade, exercised by the most powerful nation in the world. And to overcome that, the legacy we have is that of our Commander-in-Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz (Applause).

No one in human history has had as a challenge socialism under the conditions that this country, this nation and these people currently have to build it! That challenge, without a doubt, we are going to overcome with unity, with courage, popular participation and full conviction in our capacity to achieve victory.

The transformations we are presenting are to advance in the defence of socialism, to support and expand social justice, to create economic wealth and distribute it equitably. If there is no wealth, there is nothing to distribute; we would be talking about social justice in abstract. Social justice, as conceived by the Revolution, with its humanist vocation, helps those who are most disadvantaged, generally through welfare programmes and projects that are free for individuals but cost the State. To do this, to deepen it, to sustain it, to maintain it, the State needs wealth, and we have to produce that wealth ourselves. If there is no wealth, there is no social justice, and everything else is a fairy tale! Either we produce under these conditions, create wealth and then distribute with social justice, with equity, not with egalitarianism. That is the challenge!

We need to unleash the productive forces, so that there is more production rather than more restriction, because it is proven that control without supply only displaces operations to the informal market.

Equality and integration of economic actors is necessary, in line with the National Economic and Social Development Plan up to 2030 and the territorial and local development strategies, involving state enterprises, MSMEs, cooperatives, agricultural producers, foreign and Cuban investors, residents and non-residents: all must act and contribute under clear rules to the country's socio-economic development.

We must export and produce to capture and obtain foreign currency and make productive use of it. Every foreign currency that enters must have paths to finance production, imports, investment, wages and infrastructure.

Legal security must be guaranteed: contracts, usufructs, leases, concessions, surface rights and licences, with temporal stability and protection against arbitrary changes. Without legal security, no one invests, no one takes risks.

We must promote digitalisation with traceability: electronic invoicing, digital payments, public records and interoperable data as a basis for reducing evasion and corruption.

Social protection must be prioritised: replacing inefficient generalised subsidies with direct support to vulnerable people. Always attentive to ensure that each action does not increase social inequalities; on the contrary, that they are gradually reduced until they disappear.

Act with selective and intelligent openness: attract technology, financing, markets and external knowledge, protecting strategic sectors through regulation, not through immobilism.

Gradualism and experimentation are necessary: reform by phases and verifiable pilots, maintaining state leadership and correcting course with evidence to deal with and minimise possible economic and social costs.

Also indispensable are political unity to guarantee consistency and credibility of the measures, clear and precise communication of the decisions to be implemented, to gain support for the transformations, as well as the adoption of compensatory mechanisms to mitigate economic and social impacts.

We must work with agility, coherence and quality, and above all with control. Ensure that what is approved is implemented properly.

In this scenario, it is necessary to advance on at least five fronts simultaneously:

Macroeconomic stabilisation and recovery of external income.
Transformation of the Economic and Social Model.
Stimulation and recovery of the agricultural productive sector.
Strengthening of accounting and cost management.
Foresight and mitigation of the social costs associated with the necessary transformations of the Economic and Social Model.

And these five aspects are very well developed in the report presented by ANEC at its last congress.

The Commander-in-Chief taught us that in times of crisis, we could not renounce either development or thought, that there is no insurmountable obstacle and that there is always an opportunity to grow. And on that path, the Army General showed us that it is possible, it was possible, and it will always be possible.

The people know the causes of many of the difficulties we face, but they also need concrete answers, timely decisions and results that are felt in everyday life.

Some obstacles do not come from outside or from the blockade. There is slowness, bureaucracy, regulations that hold back those who want to produce, and decisions we have postponed. What depends on us, we must change ourselves, and we must change it now.

Resistance has given us the homeland, but today, resistance alone is not enough. This time demands that we transform, produce more, unlock more, listen more, decide better and render accounts.

What we propose to set in motion is an emergency economic and social agenda, with measures that are part of our Government Programme and policies approved by the Party, along with decisions that cannot wait any longer. Some will not have absolute consensus, but they are unavoidable. And every one of them will have a named individual responsible, a defined deadline, an indicator to measure compliance, and public accountability before the country.

What works will be expanded. What does not work will be corrected without delay. Whoever has a responsibility will have to account for it, and when someone cannot fulfil what this moment demands, they must step aside, responsibly, for someone who can do better.

We are going to face this process as the challenge of the generations that today share the defence of the Homeland, the Revolution and Socialism.

Regarding the Economic Management System, I want to emphasise that the most important thing is that central planning, if we adopt these transformations, would not have the function of administering the economy, but of creating an appropriate institutional and regulatory environment so that enterprises and workers are stimulated to produce goods and provide services with quality and efficiency, as well as to introduce innovations in their management for these purposes.

And we definitely have to ensure that the Plan is built from the bottom up with the participation of workers.

We will continue the restructuring of the Government, State, Party and institutional apparatus. We are going to integrate structures where necessary, review duplicated functions, reduce unnecessary steps and permanently optimise the way the country is directed and served. Making structures more dynamic, more proactive and less bureaucratic.

One of the most important and urgent tasks is to boost the country's development from the grassroots, from the municipalities.

It is unavoidable to unleash management in municipalities and for them to finally have and apply all possible powers to develop.

No economic change will be sufficient if the socialist state enterprise, which will continue to be the fundamental pillar of the economy, does not have a genuine capacity to manage, innovate and be accountable for its results.

Reforming state enterprise management based on real autonomy, economic-financial evaluation, separation of state and business functions, and application of the principle "comply or explain" to prevent regulations from becoming a brake when a more beneficial and demonstrable solution exists, is necessary.

To this end, we will advance in two directions: more real autonomy for enterprises and more professional management of State assets, through the National Institute of Business Assets, responsible for representing the owner of the means of production, evaluating results, demanding efficiency, and better separating the business function from the regulatory function of ministries.

Autonomy does not mean absence of control; it implies a framework of accountability; it means being able to decide in time, associate better, invest better, pay better and be accountable for results to the people and to the State.

The state enterprise needs to be strengthened, not replaced by administrative mechanisms that immobilise it. To this end, the separation between state and business functions must be completed, performance must be evaluated with economic-financial tools, and real autonomy must be granted to manage material, financial and human resources, with subsequent control, transparency and accountability.

There is no sovereignty with an empty plate. The food of the Cuban people will be treated for what it is: a matter of national security.

And idle lands must end in Cuba. Every piece of land that today is covered in marabú, when it should be producing food, will have to have a clear response: either it is put into production, or it is handed over to someone willing to do so.

We are going to expand the granting of land in usufruct to those willing and able to produce: producers, cooperatives, MSMEs and associative forms, without ever renouncing national sovereignty or regressing to the dependent country we left behind with the Revolution.

We are going to recognise the right of those who work the land to invest in what they need to make it produce, and for those who commit to real results, to be able to directly import seed, fertiliser, parts, and equipment. But a principle must be clear: that land will continue to belong to the people; and if it does not produce, if it does not serve the country, if it does not fulfil its social function, it will have to pass into the hands of those who can put it to produce.

The Cuban peasant cannot continue to be asked for more food with fewer tools and prices below their costs; they must have functioning mechanisms for direct access to foreign currency, such as selling to exporters, as in the case of Tourism, or to the currency exchange market.

We must make land an opportunity and not a burden, so that those who sow see the fruit of their effort, those who produce can live better, and those who invest in the countryside find security, support and a future.

Cuba needs its peasants, their work and their trust. When the Cuban countryside becomes a path to prosperity for those who work it, the country will be stronger, fairer and more sovereign.

Regarding foreign trade, exports, logistics and value chains, we must authorise direct import and export for state and non-state enterprises, productive, exporting or substituting imports, maintaining technical and fiscal requirements, but eliminating compulsory intermediation.

Regarding debt renegotiation, we must conduct a debt-for-asset swap process, fundamentally focused on swapping national assets for debts, without alienating their ownership in perpetuity. With this mechanism, financing and other benefits can be achieved without losing the right of ownership over the assets.

We must also use other mechanisms that can be explored, such as debt-for-nature or debt-for-social-development swaps, issuance of Sustainable Development Goal bonds and others.

We are going to comprehensively review the list of activities prohibited for the private sector with a clear principle: substitute, whenever possible, prohibition with responsible regulation. The country needs to open legal paths, with clear rules and adequate controls for these activities.

We are also going to relax the scope of the corporate purpose of MSMEs and other economic actors, and significantly alleviate the bureaucratic burden that many entrepreneurs face today; and, in addition, we must speed up the creation of economic partnerships between state and non-state management forms.

Foreign investment is also trapped in a grid of obstacles that hinder its necessary growth. We must not only tell foreign investors where to invest, but also let them have the initiative to invest in the economic sector of their interest, as well as directly choose their workers without state intermediaries.

We must authorise direct foreign investment in the national private sector, including MSMEs, with clear rules on ownership, repatriation, reinvestment and dispute resolution.

We must facilitate investment models with different modalities and with all actors by Cubans living in Cuba. And to the Cuban resident abroad who wants to invest, donate, import technology, open a market, start a project in their land, we will offer a clear, stable and respectful framework, without them being looked at with suspicion for wanting to help their own or contribute to the development of the land that saw them born. To those who want to build with Cuba, without intending to impose anything, we say with our heart in our hands: here you have your home, and here you have the door open, because this homeland, at this hour, does not have a single good Cuban to spare (Applause).

The blackout is not just a problem of megawatts or generation deficit. The blackout is the child who couldn't study for the test, the food that spoiled in the refrigerator, the elderly person who stays up all night without rest and in the heat. It is the hospital working at the limit, the clinic that cannot keep a medicine, the worker who loses their workday, and the establishment that has to close. That is why energy is not a technical issue; it is a human, economic and national issue.

We are going to accelerate the incorporation of solar energy into the national economy, as we have been doing. To achieve this, we will facilitate the direct entry of foreign companies that supply panels, batteries, inverters and associated solutions, reducing intermediaries that increase costs for the population and the country.

Tariffs on the import of solar technologies, storage systems,s and equipment intended for energy saving have already been eliminated. We will now also move forward with the elimination of taxes on their sale and on services related to their installation and maintenance.

In addition, we will create credit and financing mechanisms so that these solutions are not accessible only to a few, but can progressively reach homes, MSMEs, medical clinics, educational centres, care homes for the elderly and other essential services for the population. And in this, our Cuban companies and technicians, state and private, will be at the centre, installing, maintaining, repairing, integrating and creating jobs. Cuban companies can specialise in the installation, integration, operation and support of these technologies.

We will promote electric transport linked to renewable sources. Any electric vehicle for public, private or light cargo transport that demonstrates it operates wholly or mostly with solar energy will be eligible for special incentives, tariff exemptions, elimination of taxes on its sale and facilities to import chargers, batteries, parts and associated solutions.

We will also promote the installation of charging stations throughout the country with foreign, private, cooperative and state investment, prioritising urban routes, tourist hubs, productive zones and essential services. Alongside this, we will establish an expedited route for granting transport, electric taxi or associated mobility service licences, under clear rules, technical control, road safety and transparent prices.

The priority, before any other, is people who cannot wait for the economy to improve, because there are people who do not understand deadlines. True social justice is not sustained on artificial prices that later end up becoming scarcity, queues, low wages and illegal markets.

Social justice is built on real bases, incomes with purchasing power, direct protection for those who need it most and a national economy capable of producing more. There are no shortcuts. These are not new ideas; they are decisions the country discussed and approved years ago. The mistake was not in proposing them, but in having postponed them, and that stage of postponement must end.

The basic basket will be guaranteed for pensioners, for families with chronically ill children, and for vulnerable people. Targeted programmes will be developed for social transformation in the poorest neighbourhoods. We must give the state and private business sector greater protagonism and incentives to get involved in solving prioritised local problems, such as soup kitchens, sanitation, centres for children without family support, among others. They will have new concrete tasks with these decisions: bringing payment to pensioners close to their homes so they don't have to queue for hours under the sun; sponsoring soup kitchens, care homes, day centres for the elderly and children's centres; creating solidarity quotas and cost prices for those who truly need them; digitalising everything so it is known who contributes, who receives and what results it gives.

For years, we operated under a logic of contained wages, regulated prices and a State that subsidised a huge part of the country's economic life. That formula had its reason, its context, its results and its moment, but it does not respond to the complex reality we live in. The prices a family faces have diverged too much from what a worker or pensioner earns, and we cannot continue acting as if that gap did not exist.

We will also open new avenues for safe access to medicines.

Regarding fiscal, tax, monetary policy and financial restructuring, I propose that the main objective for reducing the fiscal deficit lies in increasing production, which is the basis of taxes, and reducing unnecessary Budget expenditure. That is why we are also going to correct a policy that did not give the expected results.

Price caps, in practice, did not manage to contain inflation. They often led to the disappearance of products, diversion into illegality, higher prices, less tax collection and an impossible race between real prices and administrative decisions that always arrived late or remained unchanged in ignorance of the changing economic reality, limiting all those who wish to develop their economic activity within the legal and transparent framework. Therefore, we are not going to continue capping prices in a general way, as the Prime Minister explained. Distortions in the tax system that currently make production chains more expensive and end up being passed on to the final price must be corrected.

We will move towards a credible and supported Value Added Tax (VAT), progressively supported by electronic invoicing, to avoid cascading taxation. But these decisions can only be applied together with more direct, more effective social protection, with the transition from subsidising products to subsidising people, and with the effort to recover the purchasing power of wages and pensions. It is not about leaving anyone alone in the market; it is about protecting better, producing more, regulating intelligently and organising realistically.

We need a financial system that supports the economy, is functional for the different economic actors, reduces queues, facilitates payments, makes operations transparent and turns savings, credit and investment into concrete development tools.

To deeply modernise the country's banking and financial system. For this, Cuba needs more agile banks, more digital, closer to the people and more useful for those who produce, export, import, invest or undertake.

We are going to open spaces, under strict regulation, to private and foreign financial institutions; new mechanisms for credit, productive financing, development of financial markets and payment services, where state, cooperative and private actors can participate. The aim is that collecting a pension, receiving a remittance from abroad, paying for a service, applying for a loan, financing a harvest, buying equipment or moving money to produce should not be an obstacle course.

Allow accounts abroad, foreign currency payments between companies and auditable international operations for actors who import, export or provide global services.

It is not about weakening the role of the State, but about expanding and modernising the country's capacities to finance production, support those who generate goods and services, organise money flows and provide a better service to our people.

We will turn digital transformation, software and artificial intelligence into cross-cutting tools to develop agriculture, the energy sector, health, education, foreign trade, banking, digital commerce, logistics, tourism and oversight.

Specific proposals for software, artificial intelligence, the knowledge economy and the digital economy must be presented as cross-cutting infrastructure to raise national productivity. It is not just about exporting software, but about digitalising payments, taxes, foreign trade, agriculture, health, energy, logistics, government and statistics.

Regarding tourism and real estate business, new business modalities must be applied, with the participation of all economic actors. Develop a regulated, productive real estate market that includes: leasing of idle state premises, rental of buildings, premises, warehouses, storage, offices, tourist facilities, workshops and industrial spaces, concessions, right of use over properties and transparent tenders for state, private, cooperative or mixed actors.

We have talked about fuel imports and everything that has been opened to the private sector, but now it is about achieving it with reasonable, transparent and non-abusive profit margins.

Regarding vehicle imports, eliminate all obstacles to imports, give priority to the import of electric vehicles, and, of course, develop charging stations.

I know there is justified concern about the partial dollarisation of the economy, inflation and the absence of many products in national currency. We are not going to ignore that problem. The business models we are authorising in foreign currency must contribute in a direct and verifiable way to an increase in foreign currency income that allows the maintenance of offers in national currency.

We must be more demanding about the use of digital payment platforms. We must expand wholesale and retail trade approvals, eliminating intermediaries, and definitely, we must apply electronic invoicing.

We must eliminate wage obstacles that prevent retaining talent and highly qualified labour in productive, export, technological, energy and agro-industrial sectors, and allow variable remuneration in CUP and foreign currency linked to verifiable results in exports, import savings, increases in productivity, innovation, energy availability or external sales.

Regarding digital government, public data and intelligent control, we must implement compulsory and progressive electronic invoicing for medium and large taxpayers; later advancing to MSMEs and self-employed workers, with simple tools adapted to real connectivity.

Modernise the National Statistical System and ONEI through digital capture of data from companies and entities, publication through artificial intelligence public service applications and protection of sensitive data.

We must use artificial intelligence to simplify procedures, process scanned documents, detect errors, validate files, authenticate documents and reduce administrative burdens.

We must improve the quality of services to the population, designing new approaches to each issue.

And we must seriously address a problem that affects the daily lives of millions of Cubans: solid waste collection. We will launch local projects to improve the collection, treatment and disposal of solid waste, in which, responsibly, those who impose the greatest burden on the system must also contribute more to sustaining it.

But this solution will not be only state-led; it will incorporate foreign investment into the non-state sector, the business system, communities and creative initiatives that help restore cleanliness, order and health to our cities and communities.

Comrades:

Cuba does not need more delays; it needs solutions. It is not about creating more offices or multiplying meetings, but about achieving concrete results.

Governing is about resolving, unblocking, accompanying and ensuring that decisions become real improvements, because creating in Cuba, investing in Cuba, working in Cuba and staying in Cuba also depend on the country being able to open paths, organise intelligently and support those who want to contribute.

Alongside economic opportunities, we will also promote concrete spaces for young people to act in their communities.

The Community Youth Network must be a way for a young person to find a place to train, to be employed, to serve their community and to turn an idea into a real project. This network must articulate useful initiatives in neighbourhoods: recovery of public spaces, support for vulnerable people, cultural and sporting activities, vocational and technology training, community communication, productive projects, local employment and support for young people at risk.

It is not about creating another structure or calling on young people only to receive guidance; it is about giving them capacities, tools, knowledge, responsibilities and real spaces to transform the place where they live; because staying in Cuba must also mean having a place to be useful, grow, learn, lead and build a future from the block, the school, the workplace and the municipality.

We know our country; we know where the obstacle is, where corruption hides, where slowness abounds and where shame and dignity are lacking.

Each measure we announce will have responsible parties, deadlines and indicators. We will report on what advances, what is not fulfilled and what needs to be corrected.

There will be things that, to protect them from those who want to sabotage them, we will have to treat with discretion. Martí already taught us that there are things that, to be achieved, must remain hidden, but discretion will never be a permission to hide something from the people.

As a people, we are not going to call on ourselves only to resist; we are going to call on ourselves to create, to produce, to decide, to oversee, to prosper and to transform, because what we start today is not done by a Government; we all do it or it doesn't get done: with the peasant who starts sowing again, with the MSME that dares, with the technician who installs the first panel, with the teacher, with the doctor, with the young person who decides to stay and bet on their land, with the Cuban residing abroad who extends a hand, with you, with me, with everyone.

We are not going to deny the problems, we are not going to defend bureaucracy, we are not going to close the door to talent, we are not going to abandon the vulnerable, and we are never going to allow the suffering of these people caused by the perverse imperialist blockade to be used against the sovereignty of the homeland (Applause).

Nothing will be impossible if we assume the challenge as an opportunity and history as inspiration!

Céspedes, Agramonte, Maceo, Gómez, Martí, Mella, Villena, Guiteras, Che, Camilo, Almeida, Fidel and Raúl, all our heroes, faced moments as difficult or more so, for their time, than those facing the new revolutionary generation today, and all emerged from those challenges with honour and glory, even those who fell in battle without living to see victory, because they bequeathed us lessons of courage that endure to this day, as was verified on 3 January this year when 32 Cuban combatants fell facing elite troops far superior in number and means.

No revolution has had it easy, and ours has dared to survive six decades of blockade, genocidal laws, hybrid warfare and a ladder of unilateral coercive measures that no other nation has endured or would endure for so long.

In the Centenary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the 95th birthday of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, the best tribute we can pay to the admirable work of our two historic leaders is to defend it and preserve its essence of social justice, amid the gale of predatory wars, threats of invasion and processes of neocolonisation that, like the seven-league giant, go across the sky swallowing worlds in these times.

We are all called, and together we will overcome.

Long live Free Cuba! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")

Long live the heroic Cuban people! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")

Long live the sovereignty of the Cuban nation! (Exclamations of: "Long live!")

Socialism or Death!

Homeland or Death!

We will overcome! (Exclamations of: "We will overcome!")

There is no constant movement of trains in the Ferroazuc yard, the best base business unit (UEB) of its kind in the country, belonging to the Cuban Railways Union, with its main location in the centre of Ciego de Ávila province.

Antonio Maceo Grajales and Ernesto Guevara Lynch were born in different countries and eras, but from a very young age, they occupied the same trench. They dedicated their lives to the struggle for decorum and dignity, to the fight for the independence and sovereignty of their own land and of brother peoples, thus standing as an example for all time.

By historical coincidence, both saw the light of day on 14 June. In Santiago de Cuba in 1845, the son of Marcos Maceo and Mariana Grajales, the stoic mambisa who raised virtuous offspring and managed to keep 11 of her children alive through the exercise of the finest human qualities.

One hundred and eighty-one years after his birth, he lives on in the collective memory, evoked as a flesh-and-blood hero, a vehement patriot with legendary overtones who must be rediscovered in the extraordinary value of his military and political genius and in the fullness of his human dimension.

Antonio attained the rank of Major General of the Liberation Army and, as a trophy of war, his body was marked by 26 scars after taking part in more than 600 military actions in the emancipation campaign.

He earned respect as a master of military tactics, a fighter of renown and a commander of great prestige — a true lynx with the machete in his hand.

The warrior also stood out as a political genius who rose to fame in February 1878 when he gave a categorical response to those hatching the Pact of Zanjón, as he fought the victorious battles of Llanada de Juan Mulato and San Ulpiano.

On 15 March of that same year, he carried out the Manly Baraguá Protest — "the most glorious event in the history of Cuba", as José Martí considered it — an act that placed national dignity and decorum at the highest level, because Antonio Maceo, at the head of his troops, knew how to stand tall and adopt a stance that morally saved the Revolution.

As a result of the altruistic stance of the man who had as much strength in his mind as in his arm, and of that timely and firm event, Cuban revolutionary thought was consolidated, and the commitment to return to the battlefield to conquer freedom with the edge of the machete was ratified.

Guevara came into life in 1928 in Rosario, Argentina; in that child tortured by asthma who refused to let himself be defeated by the disease, glimpses could be seen of the guerrilla fighter, the political leader and the internationalist combatant he would later become.

Testimonies from those who knew him, when he was still Ernestico and later in his younger years, allow us to appreciate the distinctive features of his character: an iron will in the face of all obstacles and the eager search for truth and justice.

On the 98th anniversary of his birth, this Argentine-Cuban icon — forged in the toils of the trench and creative work — is evoked. He is more present than ever because in him it is always possible to find the example and model of a revolutionary that allows one to face hardship and adverse circumstances with head held high and without violating a single principle.

Che became involved in Cuba's national liberation war after meeting Fidel Castro and his comrades in arms in Mexico; he became a Commander of the Rebel Army and then, after the triumph of the Revolution — which he helped forge — he demonstrated maturity in senior public office and travelled to friendly and brother countries on missions of utmost trust, cooperation and peace.

He offered unprecedented lessons when he took to the podium at the United Nations. When he raised his voice on behalf of Cuba before foreign ministers who bowed before the master, accustomed to sterile debates, the audacity, rigour and depth of the sui generis diplomat who called a spade a spade were astonishing.

In the field of solidarity and internationalism, he was the most prominent model for Cubans of all time, and even for the honest men and women of the world today, because he embodied the purest ideals of the struggle for independence, sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of a country, and absolute and lasting peace.

The fruitful lives of the Bronze Titan and the Heroic Guerrilla have legendary overtones, but in remembering them one must necessarily reject the myth that often distorts and distances, because they are not men to be put on a pedestal; they must be discovered in the fullness of their integrity and human dimension, as well as in their connection with just causes, in the pursuit of freedom and justice.

In these special beings, what is overwhelming is their deep-rooted generosity, which showed them magnanimous even amid the cruelty of war; their complete goodness, because they were loving and understanding husbands, extraordinary brothers, loyal friends, good sons and fathers, unparalleled patriots and consistent humanists.

Although their lives were relatively short — Maceo lived only 51 years and Che 39 — they left an astonishing legacy to new generations, above all for placing their intelligence and bravery at the service of the supreme objectives of national sovereignty and the intransigent anti-imperialism that characterised them.

Che Guevara's phrase for assessing the calibre of the powerful and dangerous empire — which he knew very well — is recurrent: "You cannot trust imperialism, not even a little bit."

There are other similar milestones in the actions of both men to make Cuba free: The Invasion of the West Campaign in the 1895 War of Independence, in which Antonio Maceo led 119 battles, while Commander Guevara came close to re-enacting the feat at the head of an Invading Column during the insurrectional struggle, just as Commander Camilo Cienfuegos did.

Although there are men, like them, who, even after death, are the light of dawn, the physical disappearance of these two heroes who fought in the same trench was irreparable.

"The homeland mourned the loss of one of its most valiant defenders; Cuba, the most glorious of its sons; and the Army, the first of its generals; thus Major General Máximo Gómez summed up what the fall of Antonio Maceo in a battle at Punta Brava, San Pedro, near Havana, on 7 December 1896, meant.

Ernesto Che Guevara fell in October 1967 in the very heart of his America (Bolivia), in his Greater Homeland, after having walked the hills and canyons of the last republic founded by the Liberator Simón Bolívar, making roads, making history, giving light like his own fire, that of his star that continues to burn and still illuminates.

There is an instant, just before the referee's whistle gives the order to start the match, when the whole world stops. Language does not matter, the flag does not matter, the colour of the shirt does not matter.

For ninety minutes, eleven against eleven, everything else ceases to exist. That instant of collective magic will be repeated 104 times between 11 June and 19 July 2026, when the United States, Mexico and Canada host the first 48-team World Cup.

It is a pity that while the stadiums fill with jubilation, there will be children in Gaza, in Iran, in Syria, in Lebanon, who will hear the referee's whistle mixed with the drone of drones, rockets and bullets.

On 11 June 2026, the legendary Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will witness the opening match between the host nation, Mexico and South Africa, a nod to 2010 when the African continent embraced the World Cup for the first time.

While the monumental cathedral of Mexican football vibrates with "Cielito Lindo", somewhere in Iran, a soldier will have to choose between protecting a trench or listening on the radio to his national team's goal.

That is why today — from the imposing MetLife in New Jersey, which will host the final, to BC Place in Vancouver, via SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Gillette Stadium in Boston — a hope as naive as it is necessary beats in the hearts of millions: the need, the obligation, I would say, for a truce during the World Cup days.

It would not be the first time. On Christmas Day 1914, in the midst of the horror of the First World War, British and German soldiers left their trenches, exchanged gifts, sang carols and played a football match in no man's land. No generals were ordering it. There were no treaties signed. It was football that imposed itself on the irrationality of war. That truce lasted one night. But it showed that, when people want it, dialogue can overcome bullets.

More than a century later, the world needs another truce. Not for one night, but for several nights, for the entire duration. From 11 June to 19 July 2026, while 48 teams play 104 matches in three countries — with 21 venues in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — wars should take a pause, to forget conflicts and remember that beneath the uniforms, ideologies and flags, some people breathe the same air, who sweat the same emotion when their team scores a goal.

There will be those who say it is a naive dream. That warlords do not understand referees or offside. Those missiles do not have commercial breaks. But those same sceptics forget that football has stopped wars before.

In 1967, Pelé declared a three-day truce in Nigeria. As soon as Nigerians learned of the presence of O Rei, it is said that the Biafran War stopped completely, resuming immediately after the Brazilians left.

In 2005, after qualifying for their first World Cup in history, Didier Drogba took the microphone in the Ivory Coast dressing room and launched a message that spread across the entire country: he asked on his knees for them to lay down their arms, and thus stopped a civil war that had lasted five years.

Why should this 2026 World Cup, the biggest in history, with 48 teams — from powerful Argentina to debutants Indonesia, from the always-feared Germany to the hopeful teams of Portugal or Morocco — competing for the most coveted trophy on the planet, not achieve the same?

Let us imagine, for a moment, that the referee's opening whistle in the great Azteca Stadium, with a capacity of 83,000 people, marks not only the start of Mexico-South Africa, but also the beginning of a global ceasefire.

Let us imagine that, for 30 days, in the 16 venues — from Arrowhead in Kansas City to Hard Rock in Miami, from Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta to Lumen Field in Seattle — not a single bomb is heard in the world. Let us imagine that the final at MetLife in New Jersey is celebrated not only by the 82,500 spectators who fill the stadium, but by an entire world that, for 104 matches, has remembered that life is worth more than any conflict.

It may seem like a dream, but dreams sometimes come true. Like that Christmas of 1914. Like every time a poor child kicks a tin can in an alley and for a second forgets hunger.

The 2026 World Cup will be historic for many reasons: for being the first with 48 teams, for being the first shared by three countries, and for having the largest number of matches ever played in a World Cup. But it could be historic for a much more important reason: for being the World Cup in which humanity decided that, for one month, football matters more than war. Hopefully, the belligerents will understand.

The 211 member countries of FIFA, with all their political differences, border disputes and historical grievances, manage every four years to sit down at the same table to play football. Could they not also, during that same period, sit down at the peace table?

During these World Cup days, somewhere in the world, a child is inflating a burst ball. He knows nothing of wars, nothing of borders. He only knows he wants to kick. From this 11 June 2026 onwards, that child deserves a world where the only noise he hears is that of a goal.

Let the ball roll. Let the cannons fall silent. Let there be a truce for the ball.

The pioneers of the city of the porticos, like those across Cuba, starred in one of the most symbolic ceremonies of childhood: the change of scarf, an act that certifies their transition to a new stage of primary education and their entry into the Pioneer Explorer Movement.

Early in the morning, a student broke the silence with the pledge that identifies them: "To be faithful to the organisation, to fulfil my duties, to study, to work, to fight, inspired by the example of the heroes of the homeland, to be the worthy successor of the glorious Young Communist League (UJC)," he declared.

The words, chanted in unison by dozens of young voices, resonated in the park that guards the memory of the Apostle like an echo of the new generations who do not forget his legacy.

The first secretary of the Municipal UJC Committee in Ciego de Ávila, Dariel Acosta Peláez, took the floor to link that commitment with a notable figure of national history: Antonio Maceo.

"The Bronze Titan, who had as much strength in his mind as in his arm, always displayed his incredible fortitude. This man inspires us to, from an early age, prepare for life in complex situations, learn from nature, care for it and understand it."

"He saw nothing as impossible; his bravery and audacity made him a worthy hero of our nation," he expressed before the attentive gaze of families and teachers.

Acosta Peláez stressed that the presentation of this attribute symbolises the same indomitable spirit of the mambí: "Let us celebrate the awarding of this category to the pioneers who have overcome such an important stage, just as that mambí example overcame it."

Immediately afterwards, the placing of the red scarf took place, that triangle of cloth that now accredits them as José Martí pioneers. Emotion overflowed when a pioneer read out the explorers' pledge:

"The explorer loves nature, the socialist homeland, and prepares for life in the field."

With that phrase, the children publicly assumed their connection to environmental care, the study of endemic flora and fauna, and the camping skills that characterise this movement, which emerged in the 1990s to strengthen patriotic-military education from the grassroots.

The provincial president of the José Martí Pioneer Organisation, Raimery Fau Guzmán, delivered a message full of tenderness and firmness.

"Today is a very special day; we gather here to celebrate that our new pines are receiving the attribute that accredits them as José Martí pioneers, which symbolises not only a personal achievement, but also the commitment they have to their country and its ideals," she affirmed.

The US blockade has also tried to suffocate educational and healthy recreation programmes, but the pioneer movement resists with the creativity and work of its more than one million members across the island.

The leader urged the new explorers to turn classrooms and neighbourhoods into laboratories of dreams:

"Every book you read, every question you ask, will bring you closer to being the young leaders our homeland needs. Never underestimate the power you have to change things, and remember that great changes begin with small steps."

Her words were endorsed by the enthusiasm of a generation that, according to figures given at the event, already includes 4,679 new members in the Avilanian territory, distributed across all municipalities.

The Polichinela Guignol Theatre Company, with its puppets full of humour and didacticism, and the Corazón Project, drew smiles and applause.

At the end, the new pioneer explorers returned to their homes with the scarf tied around their necks and the certainty that studying is the best way to prepare for a future that will surely be full of visible challenges.

Forces of the Ministry of the Interior in Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, recently detained a truck intended for pit cleaning that was transporting around 6,000 litres of fuel, originating from the first refining process of the oil wells of the Faja Pina, belonging to the municipality of Ciro Redondo in Ciego de Ávila.

A preparatory phase case has been opened here to investigate a possible act of sabotage, with four accused held under the precautionary measure of provisional remand.

The officer specified that initially an offence of receiving stolen goods was filed, although the process could also lead to charges of embezzlement or robbery with force.

Among those implicated are two drivers, presumably not belonging to the entity owning the vehicle — the Aqueduct and Sewerage Company of Villa Clara — and a principal defendant identified as a self-employed worker, dedicated to manufacturing aluminium implements, who claimed to have acquired the fuel for use in that activity.

"We are talking about fuel, and evidently, it came from the state sector, where gaps in internal control, resource protection, control of those resources and their final destination are exposed," Cabrales Pérez told Escambray.

The investigative process continues in Ciego de Ávila. Further details on this incident will continue to be provided as the investigation progresses, including procedural guarantees, as established by law.

Forces of the Ministry of the Interior in Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, recently detained a truck intended for pit cleaning that was transporting around 6,000 litres of fuel, originating from the first refining process of the oil wells of the Faja Pina, belonging to the municipality of Ciro Redondo in Ciego de Ávila.

A preparatory phase case has been opened here to investigate a possible act of sabotage, with four accused held under the precautionary measure of provisional remand.

The officer specified that initially an offence of receiving stolen goods was filed, although the process could also lead to charges of embezzlement or robbery with force.

Among those implicated are two drivers, presumably not belonging to the entity owning the vehicle — the Aqueduct and Sewerage Company of Villa Clara — and a principal defendant identified as a self-employed worker, dedicated to manufacturing aluminium implements, who claimed to have acquired the fuel for use in that activity.

"We are talking about fuel, and evidently, it came from the state sector, where gaps in internal control, resource protection, control of those resources and their final destination are exposed," Cabrales Pérez told Escambray.

The investigative process continues in Ciego de Ávila. Further details on this incident will continue to be provided as the investigation progresses, including procedural guarantees, as established by law.

Any current analysis of the country's reality that aims to be objective must necessarily start from the recognition that the economy is developing under conditions of war, and that it lives under a constant threat of military aggression.

The Attorney General's Office of the Republic, in the arduous battle it is mandated by the Constitution to wage, is immersed in confronting all acts of corruption or criminal offence where resources of high importance for the conduct of our main economic battles are undermined. These acts, besides representing a critical threat to the sustainability of the electrical system, strike directly at the heart of our nation's energy security.

Consequently, in Ciego de Ávila, preparatory phase cases have been filed to investigate the theft of dielectric oil from transformers, of fittings and parts from photovoltaic solar parks, and of cabling from the electric lighting system.

Likewise, in April, two oral trials were conducted for the crime of sabotage, as provided for in Article 125 of the Penal Code, where sentences of up to 12 years' imprisonment were sought.

The first of these related to the theft of more than 2,000 litres of dielectric oil, an incident that affected the communities of Plan Piña and Vivero Café. The accused remained under the precautionary measure of provisional remand throughout the investigative phase, and a sentence of 12 years' imprisonment was sought against them, along with the ancillary sanctions of deprivation of rights and prohibition from leaving the national territory. The case is now concluded for the delivery of a verdict. Once the sentence is notified, both the Prosecutor's Office and the accused, if dissatisfied with it, will have the period established by law to file the corresponding appeals.

The second trial involved the theft of cable rolls from the public electric lighting system. Three accused, including one woman, were detained by public order agents while committing the act, which allowed the stolen goods to be recovered. The Prosecutor's Office, responsible for exercising the public action, sought sentences of 7 and 8 years' imprisonment, which, after evaluating the evidence, were admitted and imposed by the Court.

In both proceedings, the conditions of due process were guaranteed, including legal counsel from the preparatory phase and the right of the accused to present their arguments at the judicial hearing.

The measures implemented — from the imposition of custodial sentences, classification of the acts as sabotage, to the confiscation of assets and institutional coordination — seek to ensure that these acts do not go unpunished.

This Monday marked the start of the 5th National Exercise for the Prevention and Confrontation of crime, corruption, drugs, illegalities and social indiscipline, this time to intensify actions against these acts and behaviours that undermine the country's priorities.

As part of its development in the province of Ciego de Ávila during the first and second days, seizures were made of agricultural products that were being marketed illegally, which were then delivered to educational, care and social welfare centres.

According to a report received from specialists of the Coordination of Programmes and Objectives of the Provincial Government, who are in charge of organising this process, the actions carried out on Monday and Tuesday allowed the confiscation of a total of 986 pounds of burro banana, 319 pounds of cachucha chilli and 991 pounds of sweet potato, in addition to 432.54 pounds of guava, 44.52 pounds of ripe fruit banana and 163 pounds of cooking banana.

All the products were redistributed to the Manzanita, Ismaelillo and Meñique day-care centres, the Old People's Home in the provincial capital and the Nguyen Van Troi Teaching Psychiatric Hospital.

The authorities highlight that these actions are part of the systematic fight against illegalities, especially those linked to the unauthorised marketing of agricultural products, resource diversion and violations of established prices. They also stressed that all seized products that are in optimal condition for consumption are donated to education, health and social welfare centres, in compliance with the law and with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable population.

The 5th Exercise will continue to be developed in the coming days across all municipalities of Ciego de Ávila, with emphasis on mobile checkpoints, inspections of economic entities and preventive actions.

In order to guarantee a greater degree of autonomy in the processes of public inquiries by telephone, operations will soon be carried out on the fixed telephone network to protect some command posts of provincial entities and the municipality of Ciego de Ávila.

In this regard, the following telephone numbers, all in the city of Ciego de Ávila, will change from June onwards:

• Public Inquiries – Provincial Government of People's Power

Current number: 33227201

New number: 33215092

• Bus and Rail Terminal

Current number: 33223076

New number: 33215294

• El Clavel Funeral Home

Current number: 33224210

New number: 33215296

• Ciego de Ávila Cemetery

Current number: 33227562

New number: 33215320

• Command Post of the Provincial Directorate of Communal Services

Current number: 33204214

New number: 33215321

• Command Post of the Provincial Transport Delegation

Current number: 33222943

New number: 33211541

• Provincial Command Post of the Aqueduct

Current number: 33224983

New number: 33212051

• Command Post of the Municipal Health Directorate

Current number: 33223280

New number: 33212319

• Command Post of the Provincial Directorate of the Credit and Commerce Bank

Current number: 33266371

New number: 33213396

• Command Post of the Provincial General Education Directorate

Current number: 33225590

New number: 33214721

• Command Post of the Municipal General Education Directorate

Current number: 33224812

New number: 33212035

• Provincial Command Centre of CUPET

Current number: 33203154

New number: 33214221

• Serv. Mec. – CUPET

Current number: 33228761

The tightening of the economic, commercial, financial and energy blockade by the United States government against the people of Cuba, aggravated by the executive orders of 29 January and 1 May 2026 by President Donald Trump, has led to a drastic reduction in fuel supplies.

In recent months, the siege has intensified through threats and coercion to prevent ships from docking or suppliers from selling, in an international context made more expensive by wars and geopolitical tensions. Faced with this complex reality, the scarce fuel supplies that arrive come at high costs, making it impossible to maintain a single, fixed price for dollar sales across the country.

The gradual process of social and economic transformations that Cuba has been undertaking, in the exercise of its legitimate and sovereign right, has enabled the existence of multiple actors capable of importing and marketing fuel in foreign currency.

Given this context, from next Friday, 15 May, at 00:00 hours, the sale prices in foreign currency of fuels will be updated, either upwards or downwards, according to the actual costs of each specific operation.

Therefore, going forward, different retail fuel prices will coexist, displayed at service stations, reflecting the actual import cost of each economic actor; this will be influenced by the supplier, the cost of freight, the supply route, insurance, risks and fluctuations in the international market.

Until now, a fixed price for fuel sales has been maintained as a protection policy against the changes and instabilities of a volatile market, a situation which cannot be economically sustained under current conditions.

Cuba asserts its inalienable right to import fuel to guarantee the country's economic and social development and the well-being of its people.

The historian, writer and cultural promoter from Morón, Larry Morales Rodríguez, has just received the 2026 International Prize in History, awarded by three academic institutions of continental reach: the World Academy of Literature, History, Art and Culture (AMLHAC), the Latin American Academy of Modern Literature (ALJM) and the Academic Society of Historians, all members of the Global Federation of Leadership and High Intelligence.

The award was granted in recognition of his career in service to future generations, and his biographical entry will be included in the Great Encyclopaedia of Universal Culture.

The diploma was signed by Dr Francisco Xavier Ramírez S., president of the federation, and Dr José Roque Quintero, vice-president.

Born in Morón on 20 August 1957, Morales Rodríguez has spent decades building a body of work that does not fit easily into a single label. He is a historian, but also a poet, narrator, editor and essayist.

He presides over the Provincial Branch of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation in Ciego de Ávila and is the national coordinator of that institution for the central provinces.

From this dual role, he has sustained a non-profit cultural practice, connecting historical research with community work, in a province that has found in him one of its most persistent chroniclers.

His historiographical output is extensive and, in several instances, difficult to ignore. Half a Millennium for Morón, his 1998 novelised monograph, earned public praise from Fidel Castro, who described it as a literary gem.

The Leader of the Suicide Squad, dedicated to local hero Roberto Rodríguez, "El Vaquerito", was jointly published in Cuba and Spain in 2008. Enrique Varona: The Leader of a Thousand Strikes won the 26 July Prize in 1989 and was adapted for radio in one hundred episodes broadcast by Radio Progreso.

To these titles are added Throwing Stones at the Sea and Memories for a Reunion: Conversation with Santiago Álvarez, among others.

The 2026 prize arrives after a chain of international recognitions that have intensified over the last decade. In 2015, the Academic Society of Latin American Historians awarded him the Walter Rela Prize and invested him as a Doctor Honoris Causa alongside the Academy of Modern Literature of Mexico, in a ceremony held at the Auditorium of the Guanajuato Normal School.

In 2021, that same academic tradition awarded him the Latin American Prize in Historiographical Research Dr Francisco R. Escudero, awarded by the Academic Society of Ibero-American Historians based in Mexico.

In 2023, he added the César Vallejo World Prize, awarded by the Hispanic World Union of Writers from Lima, in the History category, endorsed by intellectuals and academics from 140 countries.

He was the first president of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba in the City of the Porticos and initiator of the vanguard activity that characterises it.

What distinguishes Larry Morales from the office-bound intellectual is that his research has always had a clear direction: to give a name and a body to those whom official history sometimes leaves on the margins.

His books on "El Vaquerito", on Evelio Capote and on Enrique Varona are long-term works that seek the ordinary reader, not just the specialist. Furthermore, as president of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation, he has ensured that the Avilanian community feels part of a cultural process with a high educational responsibility, without commercial interests intervening. That, in the current context of Cuban culture, is no small achievement.

With this new laurel, Larry Morales Rodríguez's name will be included in the Great Encyclopaedia of Universal Culture, a recognition that goes beyond the symbolic: it places the work of a researcher from Morón in the same catalogue where figures from history, arts and letters from across the globe converge.

For Ciego de Ávila, it is also a confirmation of what the territory possesses and, at times, does not quite see with sufficient clarity: its own intellectual class, with deep roots and a far-reaching projection.

The best baseball players from Ciego de Ávila, from the youth, under-23 and senior categories, will be involved in the Cup for Fidel's Centenary, which will kick off this Friday at the José Ramón Cepero stadium from 10:00 in the morning.

There will be four teams in contention: Northern Selection, Southern Lumberjacks, and the youth and under-23 squads, the latter directed by Mario Vega.

In Monday's technical meeting, Licenciado Pedro Ramón Gallón, who is in charge of the organisational aspects of the competition, clarified that games will be seven innings and that the IBAF Rule will be applied, but with the variation that a runner will be placed on second base from the eighth inning onwards in the event of a tie on the scoreboard.

It was also revealed that the system will be a double round-robin, so each team will play six games, and the top two places will contest the title on the 30th of this month.

From a technical standpoint, this Cup aims to keep players in shape and to compensate for the absence, this year, of the Provincial Championship.

Once the competition ends, a preliminary squad will be selected to begin training in June, as it is possible that the 65th National Baseball Series will start at the end of August.

The new manager of the Tigres has yet to be named. The provincial sports directorate is working hard to find someone to lead the pack, following the sudden death of Dany Miranda.

In a fraternal meeting marked by remembrance and solidarity, the province of Ciego de Ávila received the visit of a delegation from Namibia, headed by His Excellency Mr Lebbius Tangeni Tobias, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia in Cuba.

The gathering brought together provincial government officials, representatives of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, project coordinators, directors of cultural institutions, Communist Party leaders and Namibian delegates.

The main objectives were to strengthen institutional collaboration, report on the progress of ongoing projects, and honour the memory of the citizens of Ciego de Ávila who lost their lives during the attack on Cassinga while supporting Namibia.

The meeting, which was attended by figures from the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution and political authorities, took place in commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the Cassinga massacre, which occurred on 4 May 1978, to reaffirm the historic brotherhood between the two peoples.

During the day, and using multimedia, a characterisation of the territory was offered to those present, as for several members of the delegation, it was their first visit to the province.

The exchange also addressed the so-called Cuban-Namibian Project, an investigation lasting more than ten years into the Cassinga massacre.

The project coordinator is Doctor of Sciences Yeniska Martínez Díaz, author of several books resulting from this research, such as Cassinga: The Truth of a Massacre, published by Verde Olivo Editorial, and Guardians of Cassinga: The Epic of the Avilanians, published by Ediciones Ávila, which is currently in the process of translation.

The governor of the territory, Alfred Menéndez, stressed that the Cuban revolutionary experience is distinguished by having gone through three major crises: the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Missile Crisis and the current period of intensification of US sanctions, each of which entails significant challenges.

In his remarks, the Governor emphasised the enduring solidarity between Cuba and Namibia, recognising the Island's unwavering support during the African nation's struggle for independence and in the decades following.

Cuba provided military, technical and humanitarian assistance to Namibia during and after its independence struggle, including the sending of engineers, doctors and trainers, while survivors of the Cassinga massacre received professional training and psychological support on the Island.

Namibian officials expressed their deep gratitude for Cuban support, highlighting the unbreakable bond between both nations, forged through shared struggle and sacrifice.

In this regard, Namibia reaffirmed its solidarity with Cuba, especially in the face of the tightening of economic sanctions, and assured that it will continue to mobilise resources to support the Island, maintaining in all international forums a consistent official stance of support for the Cuban Revolution.

The Namibian delegation, on behalf of its leadership, extended a greeting and reiterated its continuing solidarity with the Cuban people. The meeting concluded with a call to continue the legacy of leaders such as Fidel Castro and Sam Nujoma.

On the cultural front, Ediciones Ávila will be responsible for the translation, reproduction and publication of the related research work, guaranteeing editorial continuity. The director of the Provincial Centre for Books and Literature, Roberto Jiménez, gave the delegation a tour of its work areas.

The platform Cuba Solidarity Now (CSN), created in South Africa in February, is mobilising medical supplies, food and solar panels for Cuba, which has been affected by the economic crisis intensified by United States restrictions.

The platform emerged in response to the worsening conditions in Cuba resulting from President Donald Trump's January executive order, which tightened restrictions on access to oil and international trade. This worsened the economic crisis, marked by blackouts, shortages of fuel, food, medicines and inflation.

"There are many platforms for political debate, but what is refreshing is the practical approach," said Cameron Dugmore, a member of parliament for the African National Congress.

The network brings together around 800 participants from South Africa, Namibia and other countries, including activists and solidarity organisations. Brian Williams, a specialist in labour law and mediation, heads the initiative.

"Cuba needs practical solidarity right now: medicines, food, energy solutions and humanitarian support," he stated.

Contributions have funded two solar energy installations in Cuba: one in a care home for the elderly and another in a rural medical clinic. CSN operates as a legal non-profit entity, with funds managed by an independent law firm and accountants.

Calvyn Gilfellan, Executive Director of the Castle of Good Hope, stated: "We run a very tight ship."

The solidarity is grounded in Cuba's role in the liberation of southern Africa. From the 1960s onwards, the island offered support to anti-colonial struggles. Thousands of African students received scholarships to study in Cuba.

Clever Banganayi, National Secretary of the Friends of Cuba Society in South Africa, studied engineering in Cuba thanks to the Fidel Castro Solidarity Education Programme.

"Those of us who received that education come from poor backgrounds; it had a life-changing impact," he said.

Norah Appolus, a Namibian communicator and administrator of CSN, linked her support to her family's experience of exile.

"Cuba and the Russians shared trenches with our fighters and sacrificed their lives for our cause," she noted.

"Having an enormous moral debt to Cuba made it natural to help those who supported us in our hour of need."

Cameron Dugmore recalled his visit to Cuba as Education advisor for the Western Cape province, where he saw monuments to Cubans who fell in Angola.

"Seeing that gave me a concrete understanding of the role of their soldiers and doctors," he expressed.

"There are many other groups for debating Marxism-Leninism, postcolonialism and decolonialism. All the theoretical debates do not provide immediate relief," said Gilfellan.

As a prelude to May Day, World Proletariat Day, Ciego de Ávila held an event recognising outstanding collectives and workers with a significant track record within the trade union movement.

Before the 22nd Congress of the Cuban Workers' Federation (CTC), the theatre of the Provincial Party Committee was the venue for the presentation of the Lázaro Peña 3rd Degree Order to the Construction Materials Company (AVILMAT).

Earlier, to honour extraordinary work merits, this high distinction was received by Mirtha González Fernández and Amado Recio Jiménez, from the Civil Defence Workers' Union, together with Nelio Hernández Naranjo, representing the Commerce, Gastronomy and Services sector.

The day of Wednesday, 29 April, was also an occasion for the presentation of the Jesús Menéndez Medal to workers with a notable career in the agricultural, forestry and tobacco sectors, as well as to those from the Sugar Workers' Union.

At the end of the gathering, the "Labour Productivity" Medal was awarded to Biorges Quiñones López and Lázaro Mantilla Díaz, work execution group leaders from the Ciego de Ávila Construction and Assembly Company, and to Reinier Díaz Castillo, director of the Authorised Business Base Unit "Constructora Brigade No. 2 for Miscellaneous Works".

After presenting the recognitions, the general secretary of the CTC in Ciego de Ávila, Niurka Ferrer Castillo, told this media outlet that all 15 trade unions in the province had held their respective plenaries.

The Cuban Workers' Federation (CTC) in Ciego de Ávila detailed this Monday, at a press conference, the schedule of organisational, political and trade union actions leading up to the May Day parade.

The day will be driven by three central themes: the 22nd CTC Congress, the tribute to the centenary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and the persistent denunciation of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States government.

Niurka Ferrer Castillo, CTC secretary general in the province, highlighted that the territory has deployed multiple initiatives to mark International Workers' Day, with the active participation of work collectives, political and mass organisations, youth and communities.

Among the most symbolic actions is the presentation of a baby layette to the first boy or girl born on 1 May at the Antonio Luaces Iraola (Ciego de Ávila) and Roberto Rodríguez (Morón) hospitals. According to the leader, this gesture embodies the hope, continuity and social commitment of the Cuban working class.

The leader of the workers' movement reported that 33 events are planned across the ten municipalities, and although exact figures are not available, the CTC estimates that popular mobilisation will surpass that of previous stages, based on the enthusiasm reflected in plenaries, community events, voluntary work days and trade union meetings.

As part of the preparatory activities, readings of the May Day call have been held in more than 2,000 work collectives, along with municipal plenaries, revolutionary reaffirmation rallies, productive mobilisations in organoponic gardens, communities and workplaces, as well as actions denouncing the blockade.

Ferrer Castillo recalled that Ciego de Ávila has been preparing for this date for months, especially after having hosted the national event for the 87th anniversary of the CTC. "Since then, Avilian workers have maintained an intense political, productive and social agenda," she underlined.

At the press meeting, a political movement was also announced that will recognise work collectives outstanding for their economic results, trade union functioning, labour discipline, contribution to the Homeland, community work, innovation, rationalisation, occupational health and safety, as well as for their cultural and communications mobilisation in honour of the date.

In this first stage, 100 collectives will be recognised, in tribute to Fidel's centenary. Of these, 30 will receive commemorative plaques and 70 will be acknowledged at the level of provincial trade unions, in recognition of the results achieved amidst the country's complex economic situation.

The CTC secretary general stressed that many of these collectives, despite fuel, resource and supply limitations, have managed to meet their economic plans and sustain essential services for the population, a merit that the trade union movement recognises in its proper dimension.

During the press conference, it was also specified that the Construction Workers' Union will lead the provincial parade in the Avilian capital, as recognition of its comprehensive results, its contribution to the Homeland and the vanguard status achieved by several of its collectives. This union was also the first to fulfil the contribution to the Homeland in the territory.

Youth participation will play an essential role. The CTC, together with the Young Communist League, has promoted plenaries in universities, workplaces and communities to strengthen youth protagonism in trade union, productive and revolutionary tasks.

The impact of the "Cuba Solutions" initiative against the blockade was also highlighted, taken this year to communities with the participation of innovators, rationalisers, companies, mass organisations, popular councils and residents. The experience made it possible to showcase solutions created by work collectives themselves to confront material limitations, substitute imports, recover spare parts, maintain services and contribute to the local economy.

"Every innovation, every voluntary work day and every revolutionary reaffirmation rally demonstrates the capacity of the working people to resist, create and overcome amidst adversity," emphasised the Avilian trade union leadership.

May Day in Ciego de Ávila will be, according to the CTC, a day of unity, working-class joy and revolutionary commitment. Workers will once again take to the squares and streets to defend their achievements, condemn the blockade and ratify that, from every workplace, the nation's future is also built.

Non-state management enterprises in Ciego de Ávila account for the majority of services offered by the Territorial Division of the Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A. (Etecsa) via Transfermóvil, an electronic payment gateway that demonstrates its advantages in daily life.

According to statistics from 14 April, provided to Invasor by Reinel Luna Pérez, head of the Commercial Department at the entity, "more than 4,200 state-owned enterprises and non-state management businesses benefit from online payment through Transfermóvil, of which 78 per cent correspond to the latter."

This figure reveals an increase compared to September last year, when Invasor reported advances in the bankingisation and technological sovereignty process in the province, then with "more than 3,800 businesses, mostly non-state, enabled with QR codes for electronic commerce", which at that time amounted to 71 per cent of the total.

Back then, it was acknowledged that full implementation was clashing with — and today continues to clash with — "evasive practices and myths that persist among the population and some businesses".

Etecsa managers and specialists consider that both state entities and the rest of the management forms can grow even further and contribute to the bankingisation process.

In this regard, insufficient user knowledge remains an obstacle. A report from www.jovenclub.cu noted in February of this year that, in the context of the eleventh anniversary of the Transfermóvil application, the Joven Club de Computación y Electrónica continued to provide advisory and training services to publicise the multiple advantages that this electronic payment platform offers in daily life.

The report itself highlighted that Transfermóvil constitutes "the country's main payment gateway. It currently has more than 5,720,000 users and exceeds 130 million monthly transactions, according to official data released on the Cuban Television Midday News."

In addition to security in management, when using Transfermóvil, "no cash is involved in the presentation of monetary assets, everything is done electronically", an advantage taken by self-employed workers, MSMEs, cooperatives and individual farmers in the territory, specifies the head of the Commercial Department at the Etecsa Territorial Division.

Irregularities in the electricity service impact most economic and social activities, but the use of the aforementioned payment gateway does not depend on access to the mobile data network; "with a minimum of cellular coverage, payments can be managed," adds the manager.

Luna Pérez adds that "nor does the person need to come to us; through our institutional website www.etecsa.cu, they manage their contract Annex 1, and once it is ready, they can track the status of their QR code creation via that channel."

According to Dr Dianelys González Gallego, head of Primary Health Care at the Provincial Health Directorate, confirmed to Invasor, all 19 polyclinics in the province now have photovoltaic kits installed and operational.

"Not only those located in the municipal capitals, but also those providing services in some towns have their photovoltaic systems active," the specialist specified.

Each of these centres has 2 KW panels, a capacity that, while not addressing all healthcare needs, has brought about a qualitative change in daily service.

"It has allowed us to attend to the population without darkness. We no longer depend on torches or mobile phone lights. We have fixed electric lighting to attend to patients in our consultations," explained González Gallego.

However, the official clarified that the 2 KW equipment cannot power services such as ultrasounds, X-rays or clinical laboratory equipment simultaneously or continuously.

Faced with this reality, each polyclinic has designed alternative strategies: patients are attended to, samples are taken and processed when conventional electricity returns, or higher-energy-consumption studies are rescheduled.

Among the 19 centres, there is one notable exception: the Norte Polyclinic, located in the municipal capital of Ciego de Ávila. This centre has a 10 KW photovoltaic system, which allows it to offer a wider range of services.

"That polyclinic does have enough capacity to provide vital services such as X-rays, ultrasounds and laboratory analyses. That is why it has become a natural concentration point for a large part of the population of the capital," said the doctor.

Nevertheless, she recalled that these services require air conditioning and sometimes cannot be used simultaneously. But, in relative terms, the Norte Polyclinic today represents the reference facility for care with solar backup in the province.

Dr González Gallego called for patients' understanding: "We continue working to improve. The panels have given us stability for essentials, and at the Norte Polyclinic, we can concentrate on more complex services. The entire system is reorganising to ensure no one is left without care."

With this initiative, Ciego de Ávila continues to integrate renewable energy into the health system, although the challenge remains to expand installed capacity to achieve full service coverage.

Less than 100 days from the opening of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games, the representation from Ciego de Ávila that will swell the ranks of the Cuban delegation for the event is still unknown, although it could be around a figure similar to that contributed in the immediate previous edition.

Let us remember that three years ago, 19 exponents of local sport were present on the fields of the oldest regional multi-sport competition on the planet, but equalling or approaching that figure depends more on non-sporting factors than on the real quality of our home aces.

The complex situation the nation is going through, in which the impacts of the tightened imperial blockade are evident, also affects the calculations of Cuban sports strategists, who are forced to integrate a contingent that stands out for its efficiency in each competition, or in other words, with a real capacity to reach the award podiums.

If in 2023 Cuba's medal haul was reduced compared to previous appearances, the current forecast confirms the trend towards a decrease both in the number of athletes attending the traditional event and in the total number of medals won.

Despite this, Ciego de Ávila should have about eight exponents in field hockey, if the Cuban teams in that sport attend, called upon to try for revenge against the Mexican teams that, in both sexes, dethroned Cuba from the top spot in the last competition.

Another discipline in which this central province holds a winning tradition at the national level is men's softball. Our best athletes, led by veteran pitcher Alain Román, may well pack their bags for Santo Domingo.

And when it comes to aspirations, it is to be expected that other ball sports will also feature Avilanian talent. This is the case for indoor volleyball in both sexes (Yensy de la Caridad Kindelán Iznaga and Carlos Yoandrys Charles Santana), handball through experienced goalkeeper Magnol Suárez Fis, and 3x3 basketball, with Rachel Contreras Díaz.

The probable list also includes Yandy Espinosa Marrero (racquetball), cyclist Randol Izquierdo Rodríguez in the road and mountain bike events, and goalkeeper Yurixander Zayas Carrillo, captain of the national under-20 football team, among the three goalkeepers of the probable under-23 squad in that discipline.

Options to join the delegation also exist for Elizabeth Buchillón Lorenzo in the windsurfing - iQFoil event, as well as wrestling referee Yunior Sosa Naranjo and softball coach Jesús Echarte Leiva.

Finally, in the case of the sport of balls and strikes, the largest island's roster may include Yunier Batista Ramírez on its pitching staff, if he proves himself in the 4th Elite League.

Three players from the Tigres of Ciego de Ávila were selected as reinforcements for other teams for the 4th Cuban Baseball Elite League, which will begin on 2 May and run until early July.

Naturally, when addressing the issue of attendance at the upcoming games, specialists and provincial sports officials are cautious, awaiting the official list of delegation members who will defend national honour in neighbouring Quisqueya.

The Principal Theatre in the provincial capital has this year accumulated a double national recognition: it received an honourable mention in the Restoration category of the 24th edition of the National Monument Conservation and Restoration Award, and was also selected for the UNAICC Special Award in its 21st edition, convened under the motto "For the protection of Cuba's built heritage".

With the start of the "My Signature for the Homeland" process, the province of Ciego de Ávila offered another powerful demonstration this Sunday morning of the people's determination to support the Revolution, to build and preserve peace through truth, and to mobilise to thwart any attempt at aggression.

There are dates that are not measured by calendars, but by the pulse of dignity. The days of 17, 18 and 19 April 1961 belong to that lineage: they are the lightning bolt that split the history of ignominy in the Americas in two.

Two months after the announcement of measures approved at the national level to confront the acute current energy crisis, Higher Education in the municipality of Florencia continues to develop, largely, through virtual means.

As the opening of the School Recess Week and approaching the 65th anniversary of the Victory of Girón, a large turnout of children, young people and the general public gathered in the vicinity of Ignacio Agramonte Park in Morón, where a Community Outreach activity took place.

The Council of Ministers approved Decree 143/2025 on the marketing of agricultural and forestry products, accompanied by Resolution 16/2026 of the Ministry of Agriculture, regulations that update the legal framework and repeal previous provisions.

In a context marked by fuel and energy limitations, the province of Ciego de Ávila is undertaking a complex logistical operation to guarantee the distribution of basic food basket products and other priority food items.

The Credit and Commerce Bank (Bandec) in Matanzas has issued an alert via social media to the population about the increase in digital scams that use the WhatsApp messaging platform as their main attack vector.

The Failde Orchestra arrived from the city of Matanzas to savour the last drop of the twenty-third edition of the Piña Colada Festival in Ciego de Ávila. With Ethiel Failde entering from the back of the Principal Theatre, a show began that suffered delays due to bad weather.

As part of the process of granting prison benefits established by law and in accordance with Article 90, paragraph II of the Constitution of the Republic, a decision has been made to release two thousand and ten sanctioned individuals through a pardon approved by the Cuban Government.

The Government Economic and Social Programme 2026 defines the planning and implementation for crisis management, the what, how and when to act, in order to boost the economy. It is the compass, the roadmap, the guiding thread for achieving the necessary transformations in the complex landscape in which the economy operates.

The Construction Materials Company in Ciego de Ávila (Avilmat) is diversifying its horizons by integrating the Yisan complex into its productive and service structure.

Just days before the close of the Campaign for the declaration and payment of the profits tax, which involves legal entities, Ciego de Ávila is showing a pace that jeopardises compliance. Consequently, the provincial and municipal offices of the National Tax Administration Office (ONAT) are intensifying actions to change this situation.

An allocation of up to $16,031,447 to respond to HIV and build resilient and sustainable health systems in Cuba for the period 2027-2029 was approved by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), as reported on Thursday at the meeting of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for this type of financing.

A contingent made up of more than a hundred activists, representing around 50 solidarity and political organisations, as well as trade union and workers' collectives from 17 countries, arrived at José Martí International Airport in Havana on Tuesday evening with an approximate cargo of five tonnes of medical supplies and other essential items.

A Week of Action in Defence of Cuba began this Sunday in the United States, organised by the National Network on Cuba (NNOC), made up of more than 70 organisations from the northern country that condemn the tightened blockade and the threats against the Caribbean nation.

"We must focus, immediately, on implementing the urgent transformations, the most necessary ones, that need to be made to the economic and social model," stated the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during his speech at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

In recent years, Cuba has had a legislative package that regulates and seeks to sustain communication, but has progress been made? Are sources now more accessible? Has the quality of communicative products increased? Do communication processes respond to information flows and interaction between the different parties?

The letter, addressed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and to the head of the oil company, Magda Chambriard, is prompted by the worsening of the energy and humanitarian crisis affecting the island following the recent measures tightening the blockade imposed by the United States.

This Sunday, workers from the Provincial Government of People's Power in Ciego de Ávila, and members of its Provincial Council, carried out voluntary work on the farm belonging to the Las Palmas local development project, which supplies the canteen for workers of the aforementioned government structure and vulnerable families in the popular councils of the north of the city.

Faced with the current energy contingency and the fuel shortage confronting the nation, the Territorial Division of the Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A. (Etecsa) in Ciego de Ávila has implemented a plan of measures to guarantee, as far as possible, the continuity of communications services, whilst simultaneously readjusting its channels for public attention.

Notwithstanding the limitations, Avilanian sport will try to maintain its vitality, following the measures — amidst the energy crisis — taken by the leadership of the National Institute of Sports and Recreation (Inder) and the cancellation of most national tournaments.

The scarcity of fossil fuels and electrical energy cannot mean the collapse of food production. Each municipality is responsible for designing and applying a "tailor-made suit."

Several mandate holders of the UN Human Rights Council today issued a joint public statement condemning the executive order issued last 29 January by the United States government, which authorises the imposition of trade tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.

Protecting the worker, amidst a complex scenario that forces a readjustment of life routines and work dynamics, is an immovable principle of the Cuban State. This was ratified by Orlando Díaz Rodríguez, head of the Provincial Directorate of Labour and Social Security, in statements made to the press in Ciego de Ávila.

Every sinew is being strained. It is logical. The David of these times calmly faces a Goliath with pretensions of planetary domination wielding a fascist discourse. The harassment has reached extremely dangerous proportions.

During the year 2025, 41 criminal incidents affecting 84 transformers were recorded in the province of Ciego de Ávila, resulting in the loss of 14,440 litres of dielectric oil and causing service disruption for several communities.

All hepatitis cases detected in Ciego de Ávila have evolved favourably without complications, informed Dr. José Luis López González, deputy director of Epidemiology at the Provincial Centre for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology in this province.

To put thought into the service of solving problems; to remove from modes of thinking every ballast that hinders work and the possibilities of achieving results; to know that, even in difficulty, there are opportunities to identify and to know how to seize.

He has been at sea for twelve days. At this point, he no longer smells the salt air nor notices the constant sway of the vessel. Ever since the Felicia set sail from New York, plans have not stopped in his head: settle, save some money, find a decent house... and of course, send for his wife and child.

Although it is always opportune to critically evaluate how much more remains to be done and in the face of an economic situation that complicates certain advances, the province of Ciego de Ávila figures among the outstanding in Cuban science.

An entire nation paused today to honour those fallen on Venezuelan soil, while the words of an improvising Avilanian poet give voice to the collective pain.

Venezuela ratified in an official statement its "historic stance within the framework of relations with the Republic of Cuba, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and in International Law, regarding the free exercise of self-determination and national sovereignty."

The United States President acknowledged this Thursday that his Government has applied all possible measures of pressure and harm against Cuba, except the military option.

The province of Ciego de Ávila registered an infant mortality rate of 10.7 per thousand live births as of the close of the year 2025, a result that did not meet the goals of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and which occurred in a context of a notable decline in births, with 2556 births, 143 fewer than in the previous period.

The National Electrical Union reports that yesterday the service was disrupted for 24 hours. The maximum disruption due to generation capacity deficit yesterday was 1710 MW at 18:20 hours; at 01:54 hours this morning the service was restored and at 04:54 the service began to be disrupted again due to generation capacity deficit.

In the face of the declaration of national mourning for the loss of 32 Cubans in the recent United States attack on Venezuela, the passage of the Victory Caravan through the province of Ciego de Ávila was suspended, without overlooking the historic date and with demonstrations of support for the Republic of Bolívar.

As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the government of the United States against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, carried out in the early hours of the 3rd of January 2026, 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat actions, who were carrying out missions representing the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterpart organs of the South American country.

The province of Ciego de Ávila shows a 33.9 percent reduction in febrile cases as of the close of week 50, although specialists maintain vigilance and control actions in several municipalities where focal points persist.

A fundamental pillar of the updating of our economic model is the monetary exchange transformation, which is embedded in the Macroeconomic Stabilisation Programme and the Government Programme to correct distortions and reinvigorate the economy.

The XI Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, held via videoconference on the past 13th of December, adopted far-reaching agreements in the face of the country's challenging economic, political and social situation, within a context of intensified blockade and permanent media warfare.

Amidst complexities in the Education sector and in society in general, Ciego de Ávila will hold its event for Educator's Day, as a way to commemorate the important work carried out by professionals of that branch in the province.

Omar Ramírez Mendoza, deputy director of the National Electrical Union, described the energy situation presented in the country over the weekend as "very complex", because the lack of fuel—which has kept between 900 and 1000 MW unavailable for days—was compounded by the outage of several thermoelectric generation plants.

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued a statement today to inform about the notification of sentences to Alejandro Miguel Gil Fernández, which due to its importance, we transmit in its entirety.