One reported dead in anti-government protests in Cuba

On Sunday, CNN journalists witnessed aggregate radical being forcibly arrested and thrown in the backmost of vans astatine protests successful Havana. Videos of the protest showed demonstrators turning implicit a constabulary car and throwing rocks astatine officers.

The Cuban authorities has not said however galore radical were arrested oregon injured successful the disturbances.

These are the largest protests connected the land successful decades, arsenic Cubans complained astir a deficiency of nutrient and medicine arsenic the state undergoes a sedate economical situation aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic and US sanctions.

In San Antonio de los Banos, a metropolis of astir 46,000 radical to the westbound of Havana, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets connected Sunday, fed up aft astir a week of energy cuts during the sweltering July heat.

"Everyone was successful the streets," 1 resident, who did not privation to beryllium named, told CNN. "They person gone six days with lone 12 hours of powerfulness each day. That was 1 of the things that blew this up."

On Wednesday night, the Cuban authorities announced it would assistance restrictions connected travelers bringing successful food, medicine and hygiene products. Custom duties connected these products volition not request to beryllium paid, and the relaxed measures volition enactment successful spot for the remainder of the year.

Díaz-Canel had antecedently blamed US commercialized sanctions for the communist-run island's economical woes successful a nationally televised address, and urged his supporters to physically face the protesters.

"The bid to combat has been given," helium said astatine the extremity of his quality connected Sunday. "Revolutionaries request to beryllium connected the streets."

He denied constabulary had utilized excessive unit -- but days later, acknowledged the authorities needed to bash much outreach and amended conditions successful mediocre neighborhoods that had been rocked by the protests. He said helium didn't cognize the nonstop figure, but estimated "tens of people" had been injured successful the protests.

The authorities besides held a gathering connected Sunday to sermon the protests, according to authorities media. It was attended by high-ranking members including erstwhile President and Communist Party caput Raul Castro, the member of erstwhile President Fidel Castro.

Castro retired his past enactment relation successful April earlier turning implicit powerfulness to his handpicked successor Díaz-Canel. At the time, Díaz-Canel said Castro would beryllium consulted connected each large issues impacting the island.

Journalist detained

Acosta, the detained journalist, writes for the ABC paper successful Madrid, the Spanish capital.

ABC reported that she was arrested connected Monday greeting successful Havana arsenic she near her home. Later, Cuban information agents searched her location and took her computer, it said. Hours earlier, she had reported connected anti-government demonstrations successful the Cuban superior connected Sunday.

This is not the archetypal clip that Acosta has had a run-in with Cuban authorities for doing her occupation arsenic a reporter, ABC said.

The paper said that her apprehension is "completely unacceptable." It besides called for Acosta's "immediate merchandise and the instrumentality of each nonrecreational worldly taken from her home," arsenic good arsenic the dropping of the charges against her for alleged crimes against Cuban authorities security.

An exertion astatine ABC confirmed to CNN that Acosta is simply a Cuban nationalist and had been moving astatine the insubstantial for astir six months.

Spain's Foreign Minister Albares called for her contiguous merchandise successful a tweet, saying that, "Spain defends the close to escaped and peaceful demonstrations and asks the Cuban authorities to respect that. We support quality rights."

US President Joe Biden has warned the Cuban authorities not to ace down connected its recently defiant citizens. But connected Monday, astatine different lengthy televised authorities meeting, Díaz-Canel said the protesters were criminals.

"They stoned the constabulary force, damaged cars," helium said. "A behaviour that's wholly vulgar, wholly indecent."

Cuban authorities officials connected Monday said determination had been nary much protests arsenic they enacted an net blackout. This prevented Cubans from sharing images of demonstrations that had gathered momentum down the protests successful the archetypal place.

Meanwhile, US-Cuban relations are astatine their lowest constituent successful years. The Trump medication enacted immoderate of the toughest economical measures against Cuba successful decades, and truthful far, the Biden medication seems reluctant to assistance them.

Biden's reappraisal of Trump's argumentation is inactive underway, an medication authoritative confirmed. Several months aft taking office, helium has yet to fulfill his run pledge to "go back" to the afloat diplomatic relations enactment successful spot by erstwhile President Obama.

Whether Biden volition yet travel done remains to beryllium seen. Sen. Menendez, a beardown hostile of Obama's policies and the almighty president of the Foreign Relations Committee, hinted Monday that helium thinks Biden mightiness not, aft reviewing "all the openings that President Obama made, which were one-sided, unilateral successful presumption of concessions."

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price connected Tuesday called connected the Cuban authorities to amusement restraint and halt its net blackout.

In Miami, the halfway of the Cuban exile assemblage successful the United States, protesters person taken to the streets successful enactment of the anti-government demonstrators. On Tuesday, parts of the Palmetto Expressway was unopen down by protesters, according to Lt. Alex Camacho of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The US Coast Guard has issued a connection urging Cubans connected the land "to not instrumentality to the sea," noting the "dangerous and unforgiving" transit crossed the Florida Straits has claimed astir 20 lives successful caller weeks, according to Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commandant of the Seventh Coast Guard District successful Miami.

The already struggling Cuban system has been deed hard arsenic tourism and bully imports person dropped steeply during the pandemic. On Sunday, Cuban wellness officials besides reported a grounds single-day summation for caller Covid-19 cases and deaths.

On Monday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador joined Cuban officials successful calling for the US to suspend the Cuba commercialized embargo arsenic a humanitarian gesture. "No state successful the satellite should beryllium fenced in, blockaded -- that's the other of quality rights," helium said.

When asked wherefore Biden had not yet reversed Trump's policies towards Cuba, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday the US had continued to supply humanitarian assistance and aesculapian supplies, but added, "I person thing to preview for you successful presumption of a alteration of policy."

And US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has pushed backmost against disapproval from the Cuban government, saying "it would beryllium a grievous mistake for the Cuban authorities to construe what is happening successful dozens of towns and cities crossed the land arsenic the effect oregon merchandise of thing the United States has done."

"That is what we are proceeding and seeing successful Cuba, and that is simply a reflection of the Cuban people, not of the United States oregon immoderate different extracurricular actor," Blinken said.

Correction: An representation that accompanied immoderate earlier versions of this nonfiction showed pro-government supporters but was utilized to picture anti-government protests. The representation has been replaced.