Danica Coto| Associated Press

A senior Cuban diplomat tells The Associated Press that Cuba is open to dialogue with the United States if certain criteria are met. The island faces an economic crisis, blackouts and disrupted oil shipments from Venezuela due to U.S. actions.

Cubans are hustling to become more self-sufficient as the U.S. government tightens its economic noose over the communist-run island in a move experts say is meant to force a popular uprising and usher in a new government.

The number of sexual abuse cases being treated at a clinic in Haiti’s capital has tripled in the past four years as gang violence surges across the troubled Caribbean country.

The U.S. Embassy posted Wednesday on X that such a maneuver would undermine efforts to establish "a minimal level of security and stability" in Haiti, and said the U.S. would take "appropriate measures" to respond.

Not a single named storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean in nearly three weeks, even though it’s the peak of hurricane season. This is only the second time that no named storms have formed during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season since modern record-keeping began in 1950.

A person familiar with the arrest said on Monday that the arrest occurred at Pierre Réginald Boulos' home in South Florida late last week. Boulos was born in the United States but renounced his citizenship to run for president of Haiti in recent years.

Bad Bunny’s latest album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” is sparking global conversations about Puerto Rico’s culture and struggles. The artist’s series of 30 concerts in Puerto Rico, which began Friday, amplify these issues, highlighting housing crises and economic challenges. The album’s impact extends beyond music, boosting tourism, creating jobs, and more. Fans and experts see this as a powerful moment for Puerto Rico’s visibility.

A new report says that a record 38 million metric tons of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, with more expected this month. It’s the biggest amount of algae spotted in the region since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011.

On Jan. 26, large-scale arrests began, angering many local officials and civil leaders who have created programs to shield and help the island’s immigrants as authorities step up raids to a scale never before seen in Puerto Rico.

Haitian officials say an airport in the country’s southwest region is ready to receive international flights for the first time. No commercial flights are able to land at Haiti's main airport in Port-au-Prince because of persistent gang violence.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is proposing opening a U.N. office that would provide drones, fuel, ground and air transportation and other non-lethal support to a Kenyan-led mission in Haiti struggling to fight gangs.

Jenniffer González Colón has been sworn in as Puerto Rico’s new governor as the island prepared for a normally ebullient ceremony overshadowed by widespread anger over a blackout that hit the U.S. territory days ago.