By Dave Sherwood HAVANA, June 3 (Reuters) - Felicia de la Caridad Alvarez, a resident of Old Havana, knows a thing or two about survival. The 64-year-old former hospital custodian, blind in one eye, suffers from hypertension and diabetes.

In his remarks from the Senate floor this week, Peter Welch slammed the Trump administration's oil blockade against Cuba, which he labeled "an illegal act of war."

Mike Waltz rejected claims U.S. policies are responsible for Cuba's worsening humanitarian crisis

By Dave Sherwood HAVANA, June 2 (Reuters) - Cuba on Tuesday defended a military-run conglomerate long the target of U.S. sanctions, saying the group of businesses known as GAESA has contributed to the nation's economic and social development despite a recently ramped-up U.

The U.S. has been restricting oil shipments to Cuba since January, plunging the country into blackouts lasting days at a time.

The US side has doubled down on its blockade and sanctions on Cuba, going so far as to add Cuban leaders to its sanction list. That once again reveals the US hegemonic and domineering behavior and bullying practices.

China delivered 15,000 tons of rice to Cuba on Saturday, alleviating a wide-spread food insecurity crisis which has been brought on by the US' blockade of Cuba.

Blackouts in Cuba have been common for years because the Cuba government has mismanaged and neglected its energy system, historians and foreign policy experts said. The U.S. government’s oil blockade has worsened the situation.

Last week, the Cuban Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) announced a major health breakthrough with VAXIRA, a vaccine treatment for lung cancer. This is