There were tearful scenes in the central American nation of Honduras on February 23, as locals said goodbye to the Cuban healthcare professionals who had been treating them for free for around two years. It came after the Honduran government abruptly ended the Cuban medical mission under pressure from the administration of the US president, Donald Trump.

That same day, a “sensitive” US State Department memo was sent to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio. It discussed the US strategy to sabotage Cuba’s medical internationalism, which has been an integral part of the island nation’s foreign policy since 1960. In recent years it has also become a key pillar of its economy.

The US has imposed unilateral sanctions on Cuba for more than 60 years. These prevent Cuba from engaging in “normal” international trade – for example, third parties cannot sell goods to Cuba if 10% of their components are from US companies or subsidiaries. And Cuba cannot export goods to the US. On top of that, the US blockade severely restricts Cuba’s access to the international financial system.

In this context, the export of medical professionals has become vital to the Cuban economy. For decades the Cuban government sent medical missions around the world as a donation to developing nations. But over the past two decades, it has developed cooperation agreements under which governments or local authorities pay the Cuban government for the medical services of its healthcare professionals.

Attacking that revenue looks to be a key component of the US push for regime change in Cuba by the end of the year. This is alongside the total oil blockade imposed by Trump’s executive order on January 29, which has now caused multiple national blackouts that have left the entire island in the dark.

It is a policy of carrots and sticks. Countries kicking out Cuban medics are offered US support for “infrastructure modernisation” – things like telemedicine and virtual training. A year earlier, Rubio had announced visa restrictions for current and former officials and their families from anywhere in the world who took part in Cuban programmes.

By mid-March this year, neighbouring governments fell into line. Guatemala, Paraguay, the Bahamas, Guyana and Jamaica terminated Cuban medical missions, ending decades of cooperation. In Guatemala, more than 400 Cuban healthcare professionals, most of them doctors, are serving indigenous communities under a three decades-long partnership. The last doctors will leave by the end of the year.

The US government’s attack on Cuban medical internationalism is not new. It began in 2006, the year after the oil-for-doctors programme between Cuba and Venezuela transformed the export of healthcare professionals into Cuba’s greatest revenue source.

US policy sought to eliminate this income and undermine the prestige the programmes earned the island. The then US president, George W Bush, set up the Cuban Medical Professional Parole (CMPP) Program, encouraging Cuban medics abroad to abandon missions and defect to the US. The programme was ended only in 2017, in Barack Obama’s final days as president.

Despite this, and reflecting the deficit in healthcare globally, Cuba’s earnings from the export of healthcare services rose. Revenues in 2018 (the first year Cuba published separate data for health services) were US$6.4 billion (£4.8 billion). Trump’s first administration developed policies, and funding, to sabotage these programmes.

Cuba’s bill of health

It also devised a new justification for doing this. The US government could not openly demand that countries sacrifice the health and wellbeing of their populations just to deny Cuba revenue. So instead, it accused Cuba of human trafficking and equated its healthcare professionals to slaves.

Anyone who has spoken to Cuban participants – as I have – knows the overseas service contracts they sign provide them with their regular Cuban salary, plus extra remuneration from the host country. They are guaranteed holidays and contact with families.

Even with tens of thousands of medical workers overseas, the state’s investment in healthcare and medical training means that the Cuban population has the highest ratio of doctors per person in the world. In 2022, it was said to have nine doctors and nine nurses for every 1,000 citizens. In the US, there are 2.6 doctors per 1,000 citizens and in the UK the figure is 3.2.

For many Cuban healthcare professionals, it signifies the fulfilment of an internationalist duty; for others a way to travel or increase their income. The Cuban government takes the lion’s share of revenues and puts them back into Cuba’s universal free public healthcare provision and medical training.

But under Trump’s second administration, Rubio, the son of Cuban migrants who left the island during the Batista dictatorship, has spearheaded a renewed attack on the island’s international medical programmes. The recent State Department memo stated that Cuban medical brigades were a key source of “hard cash” for the regime.

The four forms of Cuban medical internationalism practices established in the 1960s are:

1. emergency medical brigades overseas
2. treatment of foreign patients in Cuba
3. training foreign students as healthcare professionals, and,
4. establishment of public healthcare facilities overseas.

This contribution to developing nations has often been ignored or censored. But it translates into millions of lives saved and improved globally every year. Sabotaging medical internationalism would devastate Cuba. But it would also leave millions of people around the world without the vital medical attention that they had previously enjoyed.

The man was spotted driving dangerously in West Belfast by PSNI officers

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A teenager has been charged after he was observed driving a scrambler in a dangerous manner by PSNI Air Support Team officers on Sunday afternoon, March 22.

The 19-year-old man has been charged to court with several offences, including dangerous driving. He was spotted driving the scrambler dangerously in the Glen Road area before being arrested.

The man was also charged with resisting police, using a motor vehicle without insurance, no driving licence and failing to wear protective headgear.

READ MORE: PSNI appeal after charity box stolen from Portadown Train StationREAD MORE: Motorcyclist in critical condition after Lisburn Road crash

He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday, April 17.As is usual procedure, PSNI said the charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

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Meanwhile, at the rally organised by Our Fight UK Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, told the crowd : “Burning that ambulance service down, waiting for a moment when all four of its ambulances were in one place, not on call, it’s premeditated, it’s calculated, it’s despicable.”

The Made in Chelsea star’s new Disney+ parenting documentary is just days away from release

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Made in Chelsea stars Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing are making their pregnancy journey public in an eye-opening new Disney+ documentary that releases in a matter of days.

Raising Chelsea charts the couple’s experience preparing for the arrival of their new baby through to the labour itself across three episodes. The official synopsis reads: “An intimate three-part series following the former Made in Chelsea stars, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, as they face the messy, scary and hilarious reality of becoming parents.

“Pregnancy begins with joy, before panic quickly sets in, as medical jargon, home renovations and family opinions pile up. Fun-loving, workaholic Jamie, says he’s the boy who won’t grow up and struggles to see himself in the role of dad.

“Meanwhile Sophie balances career highs and the thrill of becoming a mum, with raging hormones and fears of maternity leave and motherhood impacting her career. Jamie and Sophie run headlong into the drama of labour to finally meet their baby – and with family and friends never far away, they laugh and cry their way through the joy and the chaos.”

A release date for the new series has been announced today (March 24), with the series landing on the streaming platform on April 2. However, ahead of its release, the couple revealed there was one moment that features in the series that they had never anticipated including.

“We always have this struggle in our relationship with the podcast, with social media, online, everything. Jamie would want to share every single thing, and I more so find that a little bit scary,” Sophie admitted. “However, with this TV show, after we started filming, we quickly realised, well, I realised, that it wasn’t going to work unless we showed everything.”

She continued: “And with the birth scene, we really didn’t expect to go in there. I didn’t actually want to film that, but it’s there and it’s real and that is the story and that is what happened. I’ve just gone for it.”

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Jamie was quick to jump in, adding: “I didn’t force Sophie to film the birth scene,” as his wife went on to share the sweet reason she wanted to keep it in.

“What actually happened was my anaesthetist took my phone and filmed the whole thing! When I’d given birth and we were looking through the photos, we were like, ‘Oh my God, the whole thing’s been filmed’,” she recalled.

“And actually, it made us feel really emotional and obviously it was the greatest day of our lives. We thought ‘Do you know what? It happens, it’s real life’ and we put it in there.”

The couple became parents to baby Ziggy in December following a love story that began on reality series Made in Chelsea. Following years of dating, Jamie proposed at the Rosewood London hotel in December 2021 – the same spot where they had their first date.

Raising Chelsea will be available to stream on Disney+ from April 2.

Fans of the ITV soap are hoping that soap bosses end the storyline soon

Coronation Street fans have issued the same plea for Todd Grimshaw and Theo Silverton as they’ve “had enough”.

Ever since Theo Silverton was introduced to the cobbles of Weatherfield last year, his character has left a sour taste in many Coronation Street viewers mouths as his behaviour continues to escalate dangerously.

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With Todd Grimshaw falling head over heels for Theo, it appeared the couple could resolve the issues Theo faced from his previous marriage. However, Theo consistently lashed out and belittled Todd, leaving him to become a shell of his former self.

In the lead up to Corriedale, Todd finally confided in good friend Billy Mayhew who saw footage of Theo attacking Todd in their flat. Offering Todd a safe space, he promised to get him back home and away from Theo.

However, as the events of that night unfolded Theo made sure Billy wouldn’t escape the burning minibus, and Todd was left with no one to protect him.

Over recent episodes, Theo decided to break things off with Todd but still tracked him on his phone to show up wherever Todd was as a form of control. During Monday’s (March 23) installment, Todd woke up drowsy after Theo slipped drugs into his drink, and felt ashamed when he realised he’d missed the marathon he was running in memory of Billy and Paul.

Theo found Todd in the corner shop and gloated that he’d managed to get a medal, as he promised that he’d tell everyone a lie to save Todd from the embarrassment.

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Later, Theo pleaded with Todd to take him back, and unfortunately Todd wasted no time in accepting the offer, relieved to have Theo back in his life.

Over on X (formerly known as Twitter), viewers expressed their frustration over the situation as @kliceanicole_xo wrote: “i wish this Theo & Todd situation would come to an end now i honestly can’t deal with it at all”.

@lornawatts added: “Please let Theo be taken down soon and punished, same with Megan” as @cupofteakim penned: “why has no one caught on about theo yet? every time they’re around each other in public todd has a face like a slapped arse. i’ve had enough of this storyline now ffs”.

Another viewer, @xxalicia89 expressed the same annoyance over the storyline and added: “Can’t wait for Theo to get exposed next week”.

The inclusion of sensory calm spaces at all festivals has also been introduced, along with compulsory disability awareness and inclusion training, and a mystery shopper system where disabled participants attend selected festivals and assess the accessible facilities available.

Huw Owen was at the centre of a manhunt after leaving his victim, Julian Hargreaves, lying on the floor of his home in Staithes overnight, alone and unable to move after punching and kicking him repeatedly before hitting him with a lamp.

Owen, 42, from Cornucopia Close in Norton, was jailed today and told he will serve a minimum of 16 years and 110 days for killing Mr Hargreaves.

Mr Hargreaves’ brother Jonathan raised the alarm on March 14, 2024, after finding him on the floor of his living room with two black eyes and a small cut to the top of his head. He believed he had been there for a total of 14 hours.

At this point Mr Hargreaves was able to name Owen as the person who had assaulted him repeatedly and struck him over the head with a lamp.

He was taken to hospital but did not recover and died three weeks later on April 4, 2024.

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The investigation found that Owen had attacked his victim on the evening of March 13, 2024, and fled, leaving him on the floor.

CCTV footage showed Owen hiding from police near the scene the following day, peering out to see what was happening, while officers worked at the scene.

After a large scale man-hunt, Owen was located in Newcastle on April 10, 2024 and arrested for murder.

Owen pleaded not guilty on August 8 last year but was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, February 20, 2026.

His co-accused, who was also charged with murder, was found not guilty.

Mr Hargreaves had medical vulnerabilities and pre-existing conditions, but the court heard there was a direct and substantial link between the head trauma and his death.

Medical experts concluded that he had been unlawfully killed.

After sentencing, Police Staff Investigator Paul Thompson, of Scarborough and Ryedale CID said: “This was a calculated and sustained brutal attack, verging on torture, on a vulnerable man.

“Callously, Julian was left lying on the floor overnight, alone and unable to move.

“Understandably, this incident has had a traumatic effect on both Julian’s family and the local community of Staithes. Julian was well known and liked, and his death will leave a lasting impact on the local tight-knit community.”

In a Victim Personal Statements, read our in court, Jonathan Hargreaves said: “It’s been almost two years since the death of my brother Julian, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t remember the sight of him laying helplessly on the floor of his house in Staithes.

“I knew something was wrong as I found his door unlocked but was shocked at what I saw. To see him unable to move and helpless was beyond upsetting.

“I can still hear his voice, and it saddens me to think that I will never be able to see him or speak to him again.

“I am grateful for all the help of the NHS for looking after my brother and the care and commitment of all the police officers that have kept me, and my mother appraised throughout, without whom I am not sure we would have managed.”

Mr Hargreaves’ mother Jackie Hargreaves told the court, in her victim statement: “I don’t think a day has gone by, since his death, that I have not cried at his loss and the way he was killed.

“I know that Julian was a poorly man but know he would have been alive today.”

His nephew added: “Not having him in our lives this last two years has felt like walking in a dark hole. Not being able to climb out of that hole, my heart is and always will be shattered and incomplete – like that of my extended family.”

The senior investigating officer for the case, Detective Chief Inspector Tim Bentley said: “This has been a complex murder investigation – a long and difficult case to investigate due to Julian’s poor health prior to the assault, but I hope today’s result offers some comfort to Julian’s family that justice has been done, and that they can now move forward the best they can.”

“The complexity of this case cannot be underestimated and I would like to commend PSI Paul Thompson for his diligence throughout. My thoughts remain with Julian’s family.”

It follows a number of incidents over the last number of weeks.

Police are investigating multiple reports of anti-social behaviour in Bangor over the last number of weeks.

It was reported on Monday, March 16 that a number of teenage boys entered a retail premises on Main Street in the Co Down city where they threatened to assault a staff member and caused a disturbance.On Friday, March 20 two reports were received, in one it was reported that a teenager had been verbally abusive and thrown food items towards staff and customers in a business premises in the Main Street area. The PSNI says it’s aware of a video circulating on social media of this incident.

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In the other, youths entered a retail store, throwing items around and in general causing a disruption to workers and those trying to shop.A PSNI spokesperson said: “Officers take all such reports seriously, and we recognise the wider impact that this kind of behaviour can have on the local community. We are committed to addressing these issues and supporting those affected.“Patrols in Bangor and the wider area will continue, and we are also continuing to work alongside partner agencies and local representatives in order to help resolve any issues.“It is vital we work together to promote responsible behaviour and support a safe environment for everyone. Our enquiries are continuing, and I am appealing to anyone with any information which might help us to get in touch.“You can contact us via 101, or submit a report online via our non-emergency reporting form at http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. Information can also be passed anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

US President Donald Trump has halted strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure amid ongoing talks regarding the conflict in the Middle East – some in Iran say his comments are driving them ‘crazy’

Iranians have issued a plea to Donald Trump as they beg the US President to postpone further strikes on energy infrastructure.

Iran has been in conflict with the US since February 28, when the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites. Iran responded by striking sites across the Middle East, plunging the region into conflict. Energy infrastructure has been targeted by both US-Israeli forces in Iran and Iranian forces across the Middle East.

In a post on his social media site Truth Social on Monday, March 23, Mr Trump said that the US and Iran had, over the last two days, “very good and productive conversations” about the resolution of hostilities in the Middle East.

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The post, written in all caps, continued: “Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”

Iranians, speaking to BBC Persian, reacted to Mr Trump’s post.

A man in his 20s, who resides in capital Tehran, said it will be very costly for Iranians.

“Whether the Islamic Republic remains or realises that it is on its last legs, it will increase the cost to the Iranian people as much as possible,” the man said.

A woman in her 40s, also from Tehran, said she believes Trump wants to give the Iranian leadership “another ultimatum”.

Her theory is: “If they don’t open up the Strait of Hormuz, he will strike because he wants to put pressure on them, either by capturing Kharg Island or by attacking them on land.”

A woman, in her 20s, who resides in the north of the country, said: “Did you see Trump’s new message? It’s driving us crazy.”

Trump also issued an update about Iran’s new Supreme Leader – who the president suggested may be dead. He told reporters the US had not been talking to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the previous Supreme Leader who was killed in the initial strikes.

“We have not heard from the son,” he told reporters. “We don’t know if he’s living.”

The Trump administration has escalated its scrutiny of Harvard University, announcing two new federal probes against the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League institution.

The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights office confirmed it “opened two new investigations into Harvard University amid allegations that it continues to discriminate against students on the basis of race, color, and national origin” in violation of federal law.

These latest inquiries will specifically examine whether Harvard employs race-based preferences in its admissions process, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action in higher education. Additionally, the department will investigate allegations of antisemitism on Harvard’s campus.

This action follows reports released last year by Harvard task forces, which detailed bigotry and abuse faced by Jewish and Muslim students at the university.

A Harvard spokesperson said on Monday that the school is “firmly committed to confronting antisemitism” and has taken steps aimed at “preventing harassment and discrimination.”

Harvard does not discriminate on grounds of race, the spokesperson said, and complies with the law in admissions practices, including the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision.

“We are reviewing the U.S. Department of Education’s latest actions, which represent the government’s latest retaliatory actions against Harvard for its refusal to surrender our independence and constitutional rights,” the spokesperson said.

A deal to resolve the Trump administration’s probes against Harvard remains elusive.

Last week, the administration sued Harvard to recover billions of dollars over allegedly failing to protect Jewish students. The Trump administration also separately sued Harvard in February, accusing it of failing to comply with a federal investigation, while also seeking documents to determine whether the university considered race in its admissions process.

Education advocates have urged universities to push back against government efforts to collect more admissions data, saying they could lead to privacy violations. A former official from President Joe Biden’s administration described it as “a tool for anti-civil rights enforcement.”

Campaign against top schools

U.S. President Donald Trump has attempted to crack down on universities and freeze their federal funds over pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, transgender policies, climate programs and diversity initiatives, leading to concerns over academic freedom, free speech and due process.

Efforts to freeze federal funds have faced legal and judicial roadblocks.

Trump has in particular cast pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic and alleged that universities, including Harvard, allowed antisemitism on campus.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly conflates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.

Trump’s administration has reached deals to settle investigations against some schools including Columbia University in New York. Columbia has agreed to pay over $200 million to the government.

Academic experts have raised alarm over parts of those agreements, saying they set a precedent for “pay-to-play” deals.

Trump has not initiated equivalent probes into allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias.