Blackout pressure and health risks: Cuba’s power crisis is deepening, with rotating outages and daily life grinding to a halt, while health officials in Pinar del Río warn of an “unusual increase” in hepatitis A tied to rainfall and contaminated water. Protests and repression: In Santiago de Cuba, three women accused after pot-banging against blackouts face prosecutors seeking up to 10 years in prison, as authorities keep tightening control. US escalation and military jitters: The US keeps ratcheting up pressure—new sanctions on Cuba’s leadership and Castro family, plus more visible military posture near the island—while Havana says it’s preparing for possible aggression. Financial squeeze hits travel and payments: Visa and Mastercard services in Cuba are being suspended, and Canadian airlines have halted flights indefinitely, adding to the tourism collapse. Humanitarian strain and outside aid: The UN warns surgeries are being suspended and medicine shortages are worsening, even as Mexico and Belize delivered 1,700 tons of basic goods to Cuba. Cuba’s internal security apparatus on display: Raul Castro and Díaz-Canel presided over promotions in the Ministry of the Interior, underscoring the regime’s focus on surveillance and internal control. Culture under strain: A wave of Cuban books and releases in May centers on memory, exile, and the human cost of upheaval.