Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Cuba News This Week
- **Historic Energy Crisis Worsens:** Rolling blackouts have escalated from 12 to 20 hours daily as the island’s aging power grid buckles under fuel shortages and maintenance failures, forcing the government to reduce work hours in state sectors.
- **Tourism Rebounds with a Catch:** While international arrivals are up 15% year-over-year, new reports confirm a significant drop in spending per tourist due to inflation and limited access to cash, creating a fragile economic recovery.
- **U.S. Visa Policy Shake-Up:** The Biden administration has quietly expanded visa processing capacity in Havana, cutting wait times from 18 months to 6 for family reunification, but leaving tourist and investor categories frozen.
- **Internet Freedom Crackdown:** Activists are reporting a 40% increase in government interference with VPNs and encrypted messaging apps, coinciding with a new digital surveillance decree that criminalizes "disinformation" with up to 6 years in prison.
- **Desalination Plants Go Live:** In a major infrastructure win, two new reverse-osmosis plants in Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba are now producing 50,000 cubic meters of fresh water daily, directly addressing the unprecedented drought affecting 70% of the population.