Iran Open to U.S. Talks in Pakistan if Pressure Policy Ends, Official Says 
Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Negotiations and Pakistan’s Request 
Mexico Senate Seeks Answers on Deadly Chihuahua Crash Involving U.S. and Mexican Officials 
Trump Nominates Economist Christopher Phelan as Chief Economic Adviser 
Navy Secretary John Phelan Fired Amid Pentagon Leadership Shakeup and Shipbuilding Concerns 
Senate Republicans Push $70B Immigration Funding Plan Amid DHS Shutdown Standoff 
Trump Administration Proposes New Rule to Limit Joint Employer Liability 
U.S. Freezes Dollar Transfers to Iraq, Pressures Government Over Iran-Backed Militias 
Virginia Redistricting Vote Boosts Democrats Ahead of Midterm Elections 
Iran Tightens Grip on Strait of Hormuz as Oil Prices Surge 
U.S. Intercepts Iranian Oil Tankers in Asian Waters Amid Rising Global Energy Crisis 
U.S. Criticizes Airspace Denials to Taiwan President as China Influence Grows 
RFK Jr. Faces Scrutiny Over David Geier’s HHS Role and Vaccine Review Work 
Global Military Talks in London Aim to Reopen Strait of Hormuz and Protect Shipping 
Syrian Asylum Rejections Rise in Europe as Minority Safety Concerns Persist 
Argentina Proposes Electoral Reform to Cut Costs and End Mandatory Primaries 
Trump Administration Files Fraud Charges Against Southern Poverty Law Center Over Informant Payments 
The economic collapse and worsening living conditions have led to widespread protests among Cubans in the country. Following an internet blackout, images have shown the Cuban government’s forces starting its brutal crackdown on protesters.
Images have circulated around social media showing Cuban security forces taking control of the widespread protests through brutal means. Some photos have shown law enforcement beating demonstrators as well as using pepper sprays that also led to arrests. Over 100 people have been arrested and detained in what was the largest protest in the country in decades.
Protesters on the streets have said they are outraged with the country’s economic collapse and its food and medicine shortages, including price hikes that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media posts have shown the protesters calling for freedom and an end to the communist government. Some of the protests have also resorted to violent means, with cars getting overturned and looting in state-owned shops.
“A colleague of mine was arrested. They came to look for him at his home. I’m afraid the same thing could happen to me,” said one protester named Carlos Alberto. “We weren’t doing anything bad. We’re just asking for freedom and with this attitude, they’re showing what they are: a dictatorship. The streets are full of police.”
Government officials in the United States, including US President Joe Biden, have publicly expressed their support towards the protesters. Biden has even urged Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel to listen to the needs of the residents. The request seems to fall on deaf ears as Diaz-Canel now turned the blame towards the US.
Diaz-Canel accused the US of sparking widespread protests all over the country through the trade blockades and sanctions imposed by the previous administration.
“All these processes that we have tried to confront and overcome,” said the Cuban leader in his televised address. “In the face of a policy of economic suffocation to provoke social unrest, have cumulative effects. I believe that the problem we are experiencing have to do with those cumulative processes.”
Diaz-Canel went on to criticize the protesters, accusing them of being subject to a US conspiracy to put out social media campaigns and place “mercenaries” on the ground.
