Cuba Gov. Tells Maduro He Can’t Count on Its Support

Cuba Gov. Tells Maduro He Can’t Count on Its Support

Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro recently received bad news when he asked for help from his Cuban partners. Sources close to the Venezuelan government said that, in mid-October 2025, the dictator met in Caracas with Cuban advisers to discuss possible military or logistical support from Havana amid the growing presence of US forces near Venezuelan shores.

The Cuban Regime’s New Strategy to Attract Foreign Currency

The Cuban Regime’s New Strategy to Attract Foreign Currency

Facing a liquidity crisis and a growing loss of financial credibility, the Cuban government has launched a new strategy to attract fresh foreign currency: granting greater autonomy to foreign companies in the tourism sector.

Why Does the Dollar Keep Rising in Cuba?

Why Does the Dollar Keep Rising in Cuba?

Keys to understanding the new wave of foreign currency demand.

Young Cubans Willing to Fight and “Bleed” for Money

Young Cubans Willing to Fight and “Bleed” for Money

“Do you have the guts to bleed?” That’s the slogan used to promote a clandestine fighting league in Cuba that offers up to 20 euros per match. Amid the country’s deepening economic and social crisis, dozens of young people between 19 and 31 years old agree to fight without an audience, hoping to earn in one night what many don’t make in a month of state employment.

Jose Daniel Ferrer Didn’t Leave Cuba — He Was Expelled

Jose Daniel Ferrer Didn’t Leave Cuba — He Was Expelled

What kind of state governed by the rule of law releases an alleged criminal just because its political adversary asks it to? There is no interpretation of Ferrer’s banishment that favors the Cuban regime.

Gasoline in Dollars: The Gap Widens Between Cubans

Gasoline in Dollars: The Gap Widens Between Cubans

As the country dollarizes its economy, citizens improvise, adapt, and survive, aware that each liter purchased or each empty tank left behind is a reminder of the distance between official rhetoric and real life.

Complaining in Cuba Is Not the Same as Protesting

Complaining in Cuba Is Not the Same as Protesting

Official discourse in Cuba has once again equated citizen protest with the right to complain, deeming any public demonstration outside the framework of “institutionality” as illegitimate.

Cuba: Stores & Gas Stations in US Dollars Continue to Grow

Cuba: Stores & Gas Stations in US Dollars Continue to Grow

In early May 2025, El Toque published a list of the dollar stores we were able to find in Cuba. At that time, we counted 85 establishments that sold their products exclusively in foreign currency. Now, five months later, we count 209 — an increase of 146%.

Is it True There Are No Political Prisoners in Cuba?

Is it True There Are No Political Prisoners in Cuba?

From Raul Castro to Fernandez de Cossío: the same FALSE discourse persists to deny political prisoners and accuse Amnesty International.

Cuba X-ray: Power Doesn’t Pay Debts but Demands Obedience
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Cuba X-ray: Power Doesn’t Pay Debts but Demands Obedience

In the midst of blackouts lasting up to 25 hours and more than 3 million Cubans facing limited access to drinking water, Miguel Díaz-Canel once again promised “victories.” Yet while his talk centers on creative resistance, families turn to homemade inventions to collect rainwater and survive in increasingly precarious conditions.

Cuba’s Linemen Work Without Gloves, Boots, or Safety Gear

Cuba’s Linemen Work Without Gloves, Boots, or Safety Gear

In Cuba, there is hardly any electricity. That is a fact. But the workers in this field also lack the means to perform their duties. A lineman told El Toque: “The conditions in which I work are awful and dangerous, lacking all safety and protective equipment.”

Good News for Cuba Travelers: Tariff Exemptions Extended

Good News for Cuba Travelers: Tariff Exemptions Extended

Cuban authorities have once again extended a set of exceptional tariff benefits, established to ease the shortage of basic necessities and the energy crisis in the country.

Job Offer for Skilled Cubans on the Island of Granada

Job Offer for Skilled Cubans on the Island of Granada

They offer contracts in US dollars and work visas for the island of Grenada to Cuban masons and carpenters.

Neglected Cuban Towns Without Electricity or Potable Water

Neglected Cuban Towns Without Electricity or Potable Water

Life in Cuba’s towns is fading away. A set of photographs from San Antonio de Cabezas, in the municipality of Union de Reyes, Matanzas, bears witness to the decline. The streets show barely any movement: few people and no vehicles appear in public. A park without people, buildings without paint. The monotony of nothingness.

Cuban Teen Gets Eight Years for Carrying “El Quimico”

Cuban Teen Gets Eight Years for Carrying “El Quimico”

On September 4, 2025, the sentencing was announced in Moron (Ciego de Ávila) of an 18-year-old who must now spend eight years in prison for being in possession of several doses of the drug with intent to traffic, according to a report in Invasor, the official newspaper in that central province.

MERCADO INFORMAL DE
DIVISAS EN CUBA (TIEMPO REAL)

toque_logo_white
1 EUR540.00 CUP
1 USD485.00 CUP
-5
1 MLC200.00 CUP
1 GBP439.58 CUP
-62.36
1 CAD309.73 CUP
+0.09
1 MXN20.21 CUP
+0.82
1 BRL81.03 CUP
+0.71
1 ZELLE470.45 CUP
+0.88
1 CLA445.23 CUP
+2.84
Calendar iconCUBA
publicidad_banenr

English

Cuba Gov. Tells Maduro He Can’t Count on Its Support
Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro recently received bad news when he asked for help from his Cuban partners. Sources close to the Venezuelan government said that, in mid-October 2025, the dictator met in Caracas with Cuban advisers to discuss possible military or logistical support from Havana amid the growing presence of US forces near Venezuelan shores.

Facing a liquidity crisis and a growing loss of financial credibility, the Cuban government has launched a new strategy to attract fresh foreign currency: granting greater autonomy to foreign companies in the tourism sector.

Keys to understanding the new wave of foreign currency demand.

“Do you have the guts to bleed?” That’s the slogan used to promote a clandestine fighting league in Cuba that offers up to 20 euros per match. Amid the country’s deepening economic and social crisis, dozens of young people between 19 and 31 years old agree to fight without an audience, hoping to earn in one night what many don’t make in a month of state employment.

What kind of state governed by the rule of law releases an alleged criminal just because its political adversary asks it to? There is no interpretation of Ferrer’s banishment that favors the Cuban regime.
Official discourse in Cuba has once again equated citizen protest with the right to complain, deeming any public demonstration outside the framework of “institutionality” as illegitimate.
From Raul Castro to Fernandez de Cossío: the same FALSE discourse persists to deny political prisoners and accuse Amnesty International.
In Cuba, there is hardly any electricity. That is a fact. But the workers in this field also lack the means to perform their duties. A lineman told El Toque: “The conditions in which I work are awful and dangerous, lacking all safety and protective equipment.”
They offer contracts in US dollars and work visas for the island of Grenada to Cuban masons and carpenters.
On September 4, 2025, the sentencing was announced in Moron (Ciego de Ávila) of an 18-year-old who must now spend eight years in prison for being in possession of several doses of the drug with intent to traffic, according to a report in Invasor, the official newspaper in that central province.
As the country dollarizes its economy, citizens improvise, adapt, and survive, aware that each liter purchased or each empty tank left behind is a reminder of the distance between official rhetoric and real life.
In early May 2025, El Toque published a list of the dollar stores we were able to find in Cuba. At that time, we counted 85 establishments that sold their products exclusively in foreign currency. Now, five months later, we count 209 — an increase of 146%.
In the midst of blackouts lasting up to 25 hours and more than 3 million Cubans facing limited access to drinking water, Miguel Díaz-Canel once again promised “victories.” Yet while his talk centers on creative resistance, families turn to homemade inventions to collect rainwater and survive in increasingly precarious conditions.
Cuban authorities have once again extended a set of exceptional tariff benefits, established to ease the shortage of basic necessities and the energy crisis in the country.
Life in Cuba’s towns is fading away. A set of photographs from San Antonio de Cabezas, in the municipality of Union de Reyes, Matanzas, bears witness to the decline. The streets show barely any movement: few people and no vehicles appear in public. A park without people, buildings without paint. The monotony of nothingness.

MERCADO INFORMAL DE
DIVISAS EN CUBA (TIEMPO REAL)

toque_logo_white
1 EUR540.00 CUP
1 USD485.00 CUP
-5
1 MLC200.00 CUP
1 GBP439.58 CUP
-62.36
1 CAD309.73 CUP
+0.09
1 MXN20.21 CUP
+0.82
1 BRL81.03 CUP
+0.71
1 ZELLE470.45 CUP
+0.88
1 CLA445.23 CUP
+2.84
Calendar iconCUBA
publicidad_banenr