As tensions continue in the Caribbean, the US allows Cuba to get access to some Venezuelan oil.

Live from the UK, this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

I'm Leanna Byrne. Good morning.

The United States says it will allow some small Venezuelan oil shipments to reach Cuba through its private sector, providing a lifeline to the Caribbean island, as Washington's blockade is worsening a crisis there.

Tensions between the White House and Havana are high. Just yesterday, Cuba reported that its border forces killed four people and wounded six when a Florida registered speedboat crossed into its waters. The thing is, Cuba's

entire electricity system runs on imported fuel. Its own production is limited. Its infrastructure

is decades old. And while foreign oil, the lights simply don't stay on. One resident recently told

the BBC about the impact of the oil shortages.

Some days it feels like the whole town is standing still.

No public transport and extremely limited private transport.

Nothing is moving in town.

Power cuts, which were bad before, are now even worse.

We barely have two hours of electricity a day on average.

For more, here's the BBC's Michelle Flurry in New York.

Very slowly and gradually, daily life starts to grind or halt.

And that's why you're starting to also see countries like Canada saying that they will try and provide some aid to Cuba.

But we've also seen, obviously, the US administration and the Treasury Department

now taking action, essentially saying they're going to let companies in the US who want licenses

to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba. They will let that proceed as long as the sale of that oil

is to private companies and not to the Cuban government or anything tied to the Cuban government.

The thing to remember here is that the US has had a blockade on Cuba for many years, but this

latest squeeze really has pushed things kind of to another level. And that humanitarian

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