New Delhi, April 20 -- Havana's broad avenues are empty at night. Theaters are closed. Bars and cafes have curtains lowered. It's hard to find lights in the streets or Cubans making money entertaining tourists.

Under the weight of an oil embargo imposed by the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the island's most severe economic crisis in decades, the city's once bustling nightlife has gone quiet.

"I feel empty inside when I see my streets empty," said Yusleydi Blanco, a 41-year-old accountant. "I can't be happy when my country is sad."

'Worse than the Special Period'

Following a 2016 deal between then-Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro easing U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba, money flooded the island as tou...