WORLD BRIEFING

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, an annual ritual that highlights global opposition to the policy.

This year’s vote was 187 to 3 in opposition to the embargo, up from 185 to 3 last year, with only Israel and the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau again supporting the United States. It was the 18th year in a row that the General Assembly has taken up the symbolic measure, with Washington steadily losing what little support it once had.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez ticked off a long list of grievances in his speech before the world body, saying the 47-year-old embargo -- which the Cubans refer to as a blockade -- had cost the island’s fragile economy tens of billions of dollars over the years and prevented Cuban children from getting needed medical care.