On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Canada and Cuba, address by Arnold August, along with the presentation of his book Fidel Castro: la visión de un canadiense, delivered at the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa on December 3, 2025, at a meeting hosted by the Canada–Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Ottawa, December 3, 2025 – At midday today, the Assembly of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Canadian Parliament, established for the current Legislature, convened.

Between November 18 and December 2, Leima Martínez Freire, North America Director for the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), undertook a working visit to Canada, taking her to the cities of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver.

In Toronto, the ICAP North America Director participated in and spoke at a symposium held at the University of Toronto, marking the 50th anniversary of Operation Carlota. The event included the participation of intellectuals and friends of Cuba.

Lebanon's Minister of Education and Higher Education receives invitation to participate in the 15th International University 2026 Congress and the ISRI 2026 International Seminar

Lebanon's Minister of Education and Higher Education, Rima Karami, received Ambassador Jorge P. León Cruz, who presented her with a letter of invitation from the Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, Walter Baluja García, to participate in the 15th International University 2026 Congress, to be held from February 9 to 13, 2026, at the Convention Center in Havana, Cuba.

Building on the long-standing and special friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, Ho Chi Minh City is proud to be a pioneering force in actively strengthening ties with Cuba, Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, affirmed at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic relations (1960-2025) on December 2.

Duoc stated that 65 years ago, Cuba was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to recognise and establish full diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam). This was an inevitable outcome stemming from the strong connection between the two nations, who were both pioneers in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism.

Cape Town, December 3, 2025.- Cuba's ambassador to South Africa, Fakri Rodríguez Pinelo, held a fruitful exchange with Father Michael Lapsley and Fátima Swartz, founding and still active members of the solidarity movement with Cuba in South Africa. also met with Cuba's long-time friend, Marius Fransman, with whom he discussed how to strengthen ties between our nations, which “still have a long way to go.” These meetings reinforce the commitment and momentum of the solidarity movement with Cuba in South Africa, especially in the Western Cape.

During his working visit to Cuba, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung attended a ceremony in Mayabeque province on December 2 to mark the 65th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Vietnam, organised by the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee. 

In his speech, Dung recalled key milestones in Vietnam–Cuba relations, noting that Cuba was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish full diplomatic ties with Vietnam, and that President Fidel Castro was the first and only foreign head of state to visit the liberated zone in southern Vietnam in 1973. He also highlighted active bilateral cooperation and mutual support in agriculture, healthcare, education and training, digital transformation, and judicial reform.

The Cuban Embassy hosted a reception in Hanoi on the evening of December 2 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - 2025). 

On behalf of leaders of the Party, State and people of Vietnam attending the event, General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, emphasised that the day of establishing diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Cuba was a great event, starting the special, exemplary relationship between the two brotherly nations of Vietnam and Cuba.

Cuba present at Pope Leo XIV's mass in Beirut

Pope Leo XIV bids farewell to Lebanon with a mass attended by more than 150,000 faithful on the Beirut seafront, attended by Ambassador Jorge P. León Cruz and the head of consular affairs, Mayra Nieves Escobar, who, as part of the invited diplomatic corps, received a personal greeting upon arrival from the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, the President of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and the Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam.

Vietnam stands ready to assist Cuba in promoting digital transformation in journalism activities, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) Le Quoc Minh told Jorge Legañoa Alonso, President of Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency. 

Minh, who is also Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, made the affirmation in a working session in Hanoi on December 2 with the Cuban delegation, affirming that Vietnam is willing to assist Cuba through training, experience sharing, and the transfer of software and digital newsroom management tools. The host highlighted the longstanding bond between the two countries’ press agencies – a relationship that has been strengthened across generations, including many Vietnamese journalists who studied in Cuba.