Rubio backs Cuba sanctions targeting military firm

May 9, 2026

Summary

Rubio defended new U.S. sanctions on Cuba, including measures targeting military-run conglomerate GAESA.

Why this matters

The sanctions expand U.S. authority to penalize foreign firms tied to Cuba, raising the stakes for international companies doing business on the island. They also come as Cuba faces a prolonged economic crisis and shortages.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday defended new Trump administration sanctions on Cuba, including measures targeting Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), a military-run business conglomerate.

The sanctions announced Thursday also targeted GAESA’s leader and Moa Nickel, a Cuban joint venture with Canada’s Sherritt International. Sherritt said it would withdraw from the business, ending a 32-year presence on the island.

GAESA accounted for nearly 40% of Cuba’s gross domestic product. As of early 2024, he said, it held $14.5 billion in liquid reserves, and annual revenue triple the size of the Cuban state budget.

Established in the 1990s under military control, GAESA oversees retail stores, car rentals, travel agencies, financial institutions, currency exchange bureaus, and major hotels, according to the article.

Rubio told reporters Friday the sanctions did not target the Cuban people. He described GAESA as a company that “is taking anything that makes money in Cuba and illegally putting it into the pockets of a few regime insiders.”

The sanctions came as Cuba faced water and power outages, and fuel and water shortages.

More top news

Africa

Libya refinery shuts down as fighting erupts nearby

The cause of the fighting was unclear. Local media said it began after a security operation against armed groups.

Full story +

Libya’s largest operating oil refinery, in Zawiya, shut down and declared an emergency after fighting between armed groups broke out nearby.

The National Oil Corporation and Zawiya Refining Company said they took a “precautionary halt” to operations and evacuated workers from the oil complex and port. The National Oil Corporation said all employees were safe and fuel supplies would continue as normal.

In a Facebook statement, the company said alarm sirens were activated “following armed clashes involving heavy weapons that erupted around the oil complex in the early hours of Friday.”

It said “several heavy weapons projectiles” landed in different parts of the complex, but no major damage had been reported. “However, the clashes have intensified and reached the residential area adjacent to the refinery, making the area a direct target for heavy shelling and significantly increasing the risk of further damage,” the statement said.

Authorities in Zawiya, about 25 miles west of Tripoli, said they launched a “large-scale operation” against criminal groups. They said the operation targeted “criminal hideouts and wanted individuals” allegedly involved in “murder and attempted murder, kidnapping and extortion, drug, arms and human trafficking and illegal migration.”

Videos showed explosions, gunfire, and damage to cars and facilities inside the refinery. Sirens were audible after shells landed inside operating areas.

Zawiya Refining Company called for an immediate ceasefire and urged Libyan authorities to intervene to protect people and key facilities.

The refinery has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day and is connected to the 300,000-barrel-per-day Sharara oilfield.

Since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has faced recurring violence and political division between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and an eastern-based administration aligned with military leader Khalifa Haftar that is not internationally recognized.
Africa

Mali village attacks kill more than 30, sources say

Mali has faced a security crisis since 2012 involving groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, local criminal networks, and pro-independence movements. The country has been under military rule since coups in 2020.

Full story +

More than 30 people were killed in two attacks in central Mali claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, according to local, security, and administrative sources.

At least 35 people were killed Wednesday in near-simultaneous attacks on the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou. A security source and an administrative source also put the death toll above 30.

WAMAPS, a network of West African journalists focused on Sahel security, said a provisional toll showed more than 50 villagers killed, with several others missing. “Villages have been looted and some properties set on fire,” the group said.

The attacks were reportedly retaliation for acts committed by Dan Nan Ambassagou, a self-defense militia made up mainly of traditional ethnic Dogon hunters. “The victims are mostly militiamen. But there are also teenagers and children,” one source told AFP.

Dan Nan Ambassagou has refused an order to disband after authorities accused it of carrying out a 2019 massacre in Ogossagou that killed 160 people. Ogossagou was also the site of a February 2020 raid that killed about 30 Fulanis.

The Malian army said Thursday it had conducted “a targeted operation against terrorist armed groups” in the area and that about a dozen fighters were “neutralised.” It gave no further details.

In a statement, the governor of the Bandiagara region “condemned these despicable and inhumane acts in the strongest possible terms.”

The attacks came less than two weeks after coordinated assaults on junta positions by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims and the Azawad Liberation Front, an ethnic Tuareg separatist movement. The April 25 and 26 attacks targeted Kidal in northern Mali and Kati, near the capital, Bamako. Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a car bombing at his residence.
Asia

Indonesia volcano eruption kills 3 hikers

Since December, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has warned tourists and climbers to stay at least 4 kilometers, or 2.5 miles, from the Malupang Warirang Crater because of increased seismic activity.

Full story +

Three hikers — two Singaporeans and an Indonesian — died Friday in an eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono after entering a prohibited area, officials said.

The eruption on Halmahera island sent an ash cloud about 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles, into the air. Officials said no towns or villages faced an immediate threat.

North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said 20 hikers were on the slopes when the volcano erupted early Friday. Nine were from Singapore and the rest were Indonesian.

“To date, 15 climbers have safely descended,” Erlichson told reporters several hours later at a volcano monitoring station in Mamuya village. He did not comment on the whereabouts of the remaining two hikers.

By lunchtime Friday, the bodies of the three victims were still on the mountain. “Due to ongoing eruptions, the situation is still considered unsafe for evacuation. So, the joint team is still waiting for the right time to begin the search,” Erlichson said.

Some hikers suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.

The group’s guide and a porter were taken to a police station and could face criminal charges for bringing hikers into a restricted zone.

Geology Agency head Lana Saria said the eruption was accompanied by a “booming sound” and a thick column of ash and smoke. She warned that ash drifted northward and that residential areas and Tobelo city should watch for volcanic ash fall. She said the smoke could threaten public health and disrupt transportation.

Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes and frequent seismic activity because it sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” Mount Dukono remained at level 2 on Indonesia’s four-tier alert system.
\top\

Myanmar reports discovery of 11,000-carat ruby

The highest-quality Mogok rubies can sell for millions of dollars in an industry with limited regulation.

Full story +

Myanmar said Friday that an 11,000-carat ruby had been discovered in the gemstone-producing Mogok area, one of the largest stones reported in the country.

State-run Global New Light of Myanmar published a front-page photo of President Min Aung Hlaing examining the 2.2-kilogram, or 4.8-pound, stone at his office.

In a statement, the government said the ruby was “exceptionally large, rare, and difficult to find.”

“The giant ruby has a purplish-red colour with yellowish undertones and is considered to have a high-quality colour grade,” it said.

The government did not give a precise value for the stone. It said that although the ruby was smaller than a 21,450-carat stone found in the same area in 1996, it was more valuable “due to its superior colour, clarity, and overall quality.”

Mogok, in Myanmar’s Mandalay region, is known for rubies, including so-called pigeon-blood stones.
Europe

UK confirms 2 hantavirus cases, probes island case

The World Health Organization said global risk remained low, even though the Andean strain identified in some cases can, in rare instances, spread between people.

Full story +

The United Kingdom confirmed two British hantavirus cases linked to an outbreak on board the MV Hondius and was assessing a suspected infection on Tristan da Cunha, the UK Health Security Agency said Friday.

Officials did not release further details about the suspected case on the remote South Atlantic island.

Three people, a Dutch couple and a German national, died after contracting the virus during the voyage. Five infections had been confirmed, and several additional suspected cases were under investigation.

The vessel is due to dock in Tenerife in the coming days. British passengers who remain asymptomatic will be flown back to the United Kingdom and asked to isolate for 45 days as a precaution.

Seven British nationals disembarked earlier in St. Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Authorities said two were already isolating in mainland Britain, four remained on the island, and one had been traced outside the country.

Passengers from at least 12 countries who left the ship earlier in April were contacted as part of tracing efforts. Monitoring was under way in multiple regions, including the United States and Singapore, where returning travelers were being tracked or tested despite showing no symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was closely monitoring developments and assessed the risk to the U.S. public as extremely low. Health departments in Georgia and Arizona were monitoring returning residents without symptoms, and other states, including California and Texas, had also identified passengers linked to the voyage.

Singapore isolated and was testing two residents who had been on board, while a French contact was also identified without symptoms.

“This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management. “This is not the same situation we were in six years ago.”

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the outbreak and expressed confidence it was being contained.

“It’s very much, we hope, under control,” Trump said. Asked if people in the U.S. should be concerned about possible spread, he replied: “I hope not.”

Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, though rare cases of person-to-person transmission have been recorded. Health agencies said the outbreak remained contained, with no evidence of broader transmission beyond those directly connected to the cruise.
Europe

Russia, Ukraine trade attacks before Moscow parade

Both sides were set to enter into a 3-day ceasefire over the weekend.

Full story +

Russia and Ukraine launched major attacks on each other Friday, as a two-day unilateral ceasefire announced by Moscow around its World War II commemorations appeared to collapse.

Ukraine did not say it would follow Russia’s call to halt strikes. Kyiv said Moscow had ignored a Ukrainian proposal earlier this week for a short-term ceasefire, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about a pause in the four-year war.

“On the Russian side, there was not even a token attempt to cease fire on the front,” Zelensky said.

“As we did over the past 24 hours, Ukraine will respond in kind today as well,” Zelensky wrote on X.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 67 drones overnight, the lowest number in nearly a month. Zelensky also reported hundreds of Russian frontline attacks involving short-range drones and attempted assaults.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had downed 264 Ukrainian drones overnight and that its troops were “responding symmetrically.” Zelensky said Ukraine had struck an oil depot in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, about 125 miles northeast of Moscow.

Russian aviation authorities said 13 airports in southern Russia were closed Friday morning because of the threat of a Ukrainian attack.

Russia is due to hold a military parade in Moscow on Saturday, May 9, 2026, marking victory in World War II. Ukraine has called Russia’s temporary truce a measure aimed at protecting the parade, a central event in President Vladimir Putin’s political narrative.

Hours before the ceasefire began, Zelensky warned countries close to Russia against attending the parade.

“We have also received messages from some states close to Russia, saying that their representatives plan to be in Moscow… We do not recommend it,” Zelensky said.

Russia this week also warned of a major strike on Kyiv if the Red Square parade were attacked, and urged civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to leave the city.

“We remind the civilian population of Kyiv and staff at foreign diplomatic missions once again of the need to leave the city in good time,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Finance & Markets

Oil rises after U.S., Iran clashes in Hormuz

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell about 0.4% overnight after reaching a record high a day earlier.

Full story +

Oil prices rose after U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, straining a ceasefire announced by both sides on April 7.

Brent crude futures rose as much as 7.5% in volatile trading Thursday before easing as Asian markets opened Friday. The international benchmark was at $101.12 a barrel as of 03:00 GMT, down from a session high of $103.70.

U.S. Central Command said it struck Iran after three U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers came under attack from Iranian missiles, drones, and small boats in the waterway.

Earlier, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire by attacking an Iranian oil tanker and another vessel near the strait. The Iranian military headquarters also accused the U.S. of targeting civilian areas, including Qeshm Island.

President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to downplay the clashes, saying the ceasefire remained in effect. Iran’s state-run Press TV said the situation had gone “back to normal.”

Brent prices were up about 40% from before the war amid an estimated daily production shortfall of 14.5 million barrels.

Asian stock markets opened lower Friday as tensions remained elevated. Japan’s Nikkei 225, South Korea’s Kospi, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index each fell more than 1%.
Health

Court Keeps Mail Access to Abortion Pill in Place

Medication is used in nearly two-thirds of abortions in the United States, and it is almost always used in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Full story +

The Supreme Court restored, for now, a woman’s ability to obtain the abortion pill by mail without first seeing a medical provider. A lower court had sought to require patients to consult with a licensed clinician in person before obtaining mifepristone.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion group that says it provides scientific research for the “pro-life” movement, argued that looser restrictions could allow a father or others to obtain abortion pills by mail and give them to a pregnant woman without her knowledge. Such cases have occurred.

In Texas, a man was charged with capital murder after authorities said he gave his pregnant girlfriend cookies containing mifepristone to induce an abortion.

The Food and Drug Administration and major medical societies have said serious complications from mifepristone are rare. An analysis published by JAMA Network found that the risk of death from childbirth, while low, was still many times higher than from a legal abortion.
Science

Declassified Apollo files detail sightings, mission logs

The files are part of a broader federal effort to release records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena. Additional materials are expected to be released on a rolling basis.

Full story +

Newly declassified government files on unidentified flying object, or UFO, sightings during NASA’s Apollo missions added context to observations recorded during the Moon missions and documented routine mission activity alongside them.

The records included astronaut transcripts and archival images from Apollo 12 and Apollo 17. In them, astronauts described flashes of light, drifting particles, and distant objects while traveling to and from the Moon.

Apollo 17 transcripts showed crew members reporting “very bright particles or fragments” near the spacecraft. They discussed possible explanations, including debris such as ice, paint, or parts from the Saturn V rocket.

Those observations appeared alongside routine communications with Mission Control, including navigation updates, system checks, and maneuver planning.

Apollo 12 transcripts included similar accounts. Astronauts described “particles of light” and later discussed whether they were seeing debris illuminated by onboard equipment.

In another Apollo 17 exchange, an astronaut reported seeing a brief flash on the lunar surface near the Grimaldi crater. Mission Control asked the crew to identify the location on a map.

Officials said the descriptions reflected observations made at the time and did not include conclusions about the nature of the phenomena.

“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters,” President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday. “GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

More files were made available at WAR.GOV/UFO.
World Politics

Rubio backs Cuba sanctions targeting military firm

Cuban authorities said the sanctions amounted to “collective punishment” aimed at damaging the island’s economy.

Full story +

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday defended new Trump administration sanctions on Cuba, including measures targeting Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), a military-run business conglomerate.

The sanctions announced Thursday also targeted GAESA’s leader and Moa Nickel, a Cuban joint venture with Canada’s Sherritt International. Sherritt said it would withdraw from the business, ending a 32-year presence on the island.

GAESA accounted for nearly 40% of Cuba’s gross domestic product. As of early 2024, he said, it held $14.5 billion in liquid reserves, and annual revenue triple the size of the Cuban state budget.

Established in the 1990s under military control, GAESA oversees retail stores, car rentals, travel agencies, financial institutions, currency exchange bureaus, and major hotels, according to the article.

Rubio told reporters Friday the sanctions did not target the Cuban people. He described GAESA as a company that “is taking anything that makes money in Cuba and illegally putting it into the pockets of a few regime insiders.”

The sanctions came as Cuba faced water and power outages, and fuel and water shortages.