Thousands of claims by American citizens and companies for properties nationalized in Cuba are now worth billions.

Visa and Mastercard payments are to be suspended in Cuba after a foreign bank that processes the transactions on the island decided to end its relationship with a Cuban state financial services

By Dave Sherwood and Kylie Madry June 3 (Reuters) - Cuba will suspend Visa and Mastercard transactions starting June 6, its central bank said on Wednesday, citing sanctions imposed by the United States that in recent days have led a swath of foreign businesses to sever ties with the Caribbean island.

The U.S. indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro is pushing U.S. relations with the communist-run island to the foreground.

The commander of US Southern Command met with senior Cuban military officials on Friday in a rare meeting on the perimeter of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, a US military installation located in Cuba’s southeast.

HAVANA, June 5 (Reuters) - Cuba's former leader Raul Castro appeared at an Interior Ministry celebration in Havana, showed state television on Friday, in the elder statesman's first public appearance since his indictment on murder charges last month in the United States.

Tensions are rising between Cuba and the United States, as heightened rhetoric from officials in Washington and Havana shows a potential clash that one historian said could result in long-term diplomatic divisions.

Escalating US pressure on Cuba is pushing the island into a humanitarian and economic catastrophe. That may be by design.