President Donald Trump this week said he believes he’ll have “the honor of taking Cuba” soon.  Without declaring a formal blockade, Trump and his administration have already crippled trade with the island and threatened the future of the Communist Party regime. In March, supplies of oil, food and other goods to the island collapsed, with no foreign-originating tankers arriving to Cuba, according to shipping data analyzed by Windward, a maritime intelligence firm. The volume of port calls, which includes tankers moving from one Cuban port to another, averaged around 50 per month in 2025 but fell to just 11 in March - all of them arriving from domestic ports. It was the lowest since 2017.

Poland once was in economic ruins when communism fell more than three decades ago. Now it's the 20th largest economy in the world. Poland edges out Switzerland with more than $1 trillion in annual output. The Trump administration is taking note by inviting Poland to attend the Group of 20 summit of leading economies this year. Poland prospered by turning decisively toward the European Union and dodging the corruption that plagued other countries that had been in the Soviet orbit. Poland's entrepreneurs aren't afraid to take risks and start new businesses. All that means many educated young people see their future at home instead of abroad.

Vietnam hold a nationwide vote to choose a new five-year National Assembly, just two months after the ruling Communist Party confirmed its leadership at its national congress and reelected To Lam as general secretary. Nearly 79 million voters were eligible to select 500 lawmakers from 864 candidates. All contenders were screened by the Communist Party, which tightly controls political activity. Authorities say centralized leadership helps pursue long-term development goals. The new assembly is expected to implement policies set at the congress, as Vietnam navigates global trade tensions while sustaining rapid export-driven economic growth.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government has held recent talks with the U.S. His comments on Friday mark the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed speculation about active communication with the Trump administration which has been openly hostile toward the communist government. Díaz-Canel said the talks were aimed at finding solutions to differences between the two nations. Cuban officials have bitterly complained about a U.S. oil blockade on the island that they blame for severe energy shortages. Cuba's western region was hit by a major blackout last week that has left millions without power.