A record-equalling 188 countries yesterday backed an annual UN General Assembly vote condemning the five-decade-old US embargo against communist Cuba.
The United States found only one other country, Israel, to oppose the resolution, down from two allies in last year's vote, in a sign of mounting opposition to the blockade.
Three Pacific island states normally close to the United States -- Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau -- abstained as the barrage of criticism against the embargo reached a new peak in the 193-member UN Assembly.