The Official Gazette of the Republic published new provisions regulating the importation of goods by natural persons through Decree-Law 132/2026 and Resolutions 197/2026 and 340/2026, which will take effect in seven days.

According to details shared Tuesday by the General Customs of the Republic on its official Facebook profile, the new rules allow travelers and senders to formalize items exceeding established non-commercial limits as commercial imports via a new clearance process and the payment of tariffs and services in U.S. dollars.

Decree-Law 132 modified Article 14 of Decree-Law 22 of 2020 and maintains administrative confiscation when prohibited products are introduced, fraudulent declarations are made, or other circumstances specified in current legislation occur.

Resolution 197/2026 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices established a progressive tariff for travelers: up to 2,000 USD at 15%, from 2,000 to 4,000 USD at 20%, from 4,000 to 6,000 USD at 25%, and above 6,000 USD at 30%. For shipments, the tariff will be set at 30%.

Payments can be made using national or international cards denominated in USD, while cash will be accepted exclusively at airports and authorized entities.

Maximum customs service fees were also established, ranging from 2 USD to 50 USD based on the value of the goods.

Resolution 340/2026 from the General Customs of the Republic defined the rules determining the commercial nature of imports, establishing maximum quantity limits for specific items, such as mobile phones (five units) and computing devices (three units).

The resolution also provides a one-time allowance to import a fully electric car via unaccompanied baggage or shipment, exempt from customs duties if accompanied by a charging station powered by a renewable energy source.

Customs may penalize repeated non-commercial import violations and temporarily restrict an individual's right to import, thereby strengthening control over the entry regime for goods into the country.

Army General Raúl Castro Ruz sent a congratulatory letter today to the staff and students of the University of Medical Sciences of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (UCIMED-FAR), Order of Carlos J. Finlay, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of its founding.

The message, as reported by Producciones Verde Olivo on its Facebook profile, was read by Division General Ramón E. Rodríguez Morfa, Chief of the FAR Logistics Directorate, during a ceremony held at the Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital.

The ceremony was presided over by Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Hero of the Republic, and Minister of the FAR, alongside Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister of the FAR and Chief of the General Staff.

The commemoration was attended by Minister of Higher Education Walter Baluja García and Deputy Minister of Public Health Julio Guerra Izquierdo, along with representatives of the military diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba and officers of the FAR.

During the ceremony, commemorative badges were presented, and the specialties of Gynecology and Obstetrics as well as Toxicology received Accreditation of Excellence.

Additionally, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa was awarded to Doctors of Science José Hernán Salas and Eloy Andrés Frías.

The Minister of the FAR, Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, presented a diploma of recognition to the institution in tribute to its academic and scientific trajectory.

Founded in 1981, UCIMED-FAR has trained generations of health professionals linked to the defense and service of the Homeland, consolidating itself as a benchmark in military medical preparation.

Due to its importance, the Cuban News Agency provides in full the letter from the Army General, current leader of the Cuban Revolution, taken from UCIMED-FAR's Facebook profile:

REPUBLIC OF CUBA Havana, October 7, 2026 "Year of the Centenary of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz"

Officers, professors, cadets, students, and civilian workers of UCIMED:

As we commemorate the 45th anniversary of the creation of the University of Medical Sciences of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, I extend to you warm congratulations for the results achieved over these years.

For more than four decades, this collective has graduated high-level professionals who today guarantee medical support to military units, military hospitals, and our people.

The political and ideological level of the faculty and its students, and their proven technical and scientific preparation, constitute the finest tribute to those Mambí and rebel doctors who during our wars of independence bravely offered their knowledge to safeguard the lives of our troops, and even those of the enemy.

In these times, when preserving the unity and independence of the Homeland remains our highest priority, know that we feel proud of your successes in fulfilling all the tasks assigned by the highest leadership of the country and by your command.

A warm embrace,

Raúl Castro Ruz Army General

Havana —Alexandr Schetinin, director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared this Sunday in Moscow to Russian media that resuming direct flights between Russia and Cuba remains on the agenda, although it depends on the evolution of the situation on the island.

According to the Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina, Schetinin stated: “Above all, this depends on the serious situation currently observed in Cuba. The question of resuming connections is on the agenda, but it is undoubtedly a matter that requires guaranteeing a whole series of necessary conditions that, as we hope, will be resolved as the situation evolves.”

On January 29, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing the imposition of tariffs on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba and declared a state of emergency over an alleged security threat originating from the island.

The measure worsened the fuel shortage in Cuba, creating adverse impacts on transportation, food production, healthcare, and education.

According to data from Cuba's National Office of Statistics and Information, from January through the end of March, Cuba received 298,057 international visitors, a 48 percent drop compared to the same period in the previous year.

The lack of fuel to supply aircraft led to the suspension of direct flights from countries such as Canada and Russia, two of the primary source markets for tourists visiting the island.

Relations between Cuba and Russia have consolidated through intergovernmental agreements spanning energy, transportation, biotechnology, and infrastructure.

In the political arena, both governments have maintained mutual support and coordination in international forums.

The Cuban government expressed gratitude for Russian support against the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States, while Moscow reaffirmed its solidarity with Havana.

Russian contributions have included the donation of an oil tanker and the recent delivery of neonatal ambulances provided by Saint Petersburg, among other actions.

The resumption of direct flights will depend on how the situation evolves in Cuba and the conditions guaranteed moving forward, according to Schetinin.

Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, denounced in an interview with Reuters, replicated by the Cubadebate portal, that the coercive measures of the United States seek to create an economic dependence of Cuba through threats and blackmail against foreign companies.

Pérez-Oliva explained that the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, aggravated by the energy siege, has caused the partial departure of companies, mainly from the tourism sector, due to direct pressure from the State Department.

He noted that the executive orders of January 29 and May 1 established that energy siege that imposed, de facto, a naval blockade on Cuba regarding fuel, which generated uncertainty among shipping companies and traditional suppliers.

The deputy prime minister denounced that the U.S. administration restrictively authorized some American companies to sell fuel under costly and inefficient conditions, which makes the Cuban economy more expensive.

Regarding tourism, he stated that chains such as Meliá and Iberostar withdrew due to direct threats, although he clarified that there is no stampede of foreign investors and that Cuba maintains business interest with companies from various regions.

In the maritime field, he indicated that international shipping companies have limited the transport of cargo to Cuba, which caused delays in the arrival of food and medicines, with effects on hemodialysis patients and on serum production.

Regarding the mining sector, he specified that companies such as Sherritt and Antilles Gold remain in the country, although some of their operations were sanctioned, which generates concern among traditional partners.

Pérez-Oliva reiterated that Cuba will not become a colony of any country again and stressed that U.S. policy seeks to force an irregular economic dependence, while the Island maintains its attractiveness for foreign investors.

He added that the update of real estate policy, with surface rights extended to 99 years and new urban regulations, opens opportunities for projects in areas such as Miramar and Old Havana.

The Ministry of the Interior (Minint) highlighted today from its profile on the social network Facebook that recording with a phone does not constitute a crime, but publishing or disseminating images without consent can constitute a violation of personal and family privacy.

The entity stressed that a judicial case is not decided on social media and specified that the difference between documenting and exposing is key to understanding proceedings for the unauthorized dissemination of images.

It recalled that freedom of expression and the right to information are fundamental, but not absolute, since a person's image is part of their private life and its dissemination without authorization can be sanctioned.

The Penal Code classifies the crime against personal and family privacy, so it is not the act of recording that is judged, but the unauthorized publication of the image, the institution clarified.

It explained that these proceedings can originate from a private complaint, when the affected person exercises legal action, and that the presumption of innocence applies both to the accused and to the complainant.

It indicated that precautionary measures applied in some cases, such as house arrest or a ban on leaving the country, are provisional and do not constitute anticipated convictions.

Minint emphasized that freedom of expression does not protect the exposure of others' privacy and that public interest must be justified, since political criticism does not require disseminating images without consent.

It concluded that reporting rigorously, without turning each case into a media spectacle, is the best way to respect the parties and contribute to a more informed and less polarized society.

Thus it was described by its director, also an actor, Omar Alí, at a press conference from the Héctor García Mesa hall of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (Icaic).

This debut feature, which will premiere on October 10 at the Yara cinema, "has a very special treatment of certain things and I would like to say that it is a historical fiction, an exercise of thought about what certain historical events in Cuba were."

Alí, who has accumulated a broad and distinguished career in the performing arts, commented that the road to get here was very difficult, since over nearly seven years the production team had to overcome diverse obstacles.

In his opinion, it is a simple and human production, "that does not pretend to be great, because the greatness lies in what certain generations did in our life and what it falls to us to do."

The filmmaker thanked the audience, the people and institutions that made the project possible, and expressed his wish that young people understand with this film what they have always been and must be.

Also participating at the table were producer Inti Herrera, director of photography Alexander González, and actor Andros Perugorría.

Screenwriter Daniela Alí and actor Abel Molina were present online at this regular Tuesday gathering at Icaic to offer details of the cinematic universe.

The premiere of El Camino on October 10 at the Yara cinema celebrates Cuban Culture Day and the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Culture.