International

A third total blackout in Cuba in three days thwarts attempts to recover the service

The third total blackout of Cuba’s National Electric System (SEN) in less than 72 hours has once again frustrated this Sunday attempts to restore a basic service that collapsed three days ago after weeks of exacerbation of an energy crisis that has been brewing for years.

“At this moment, steps are being taken to restore the connection,” Félix Estrada, director of the national cargo office of the company Unión Eléctrica, told state television.

The manager of the state company explained that a strategy is currently being followed to reorganize the country’s electricity generating units by regions and then carry out their start-up.

He said that the objective is to restore the SEN connection in the shortest possible time to gradually restore the service of the approximately ten million inhabitants of the island.

Cause of the third blackout in Cuba

He recalled that the cause of this third blackout occurred due to a “transmission failure” when it had been possible to connect in the same subsystem to Mariel (west) and Holguín (east), separated by more than 600 kilometers.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The first total fall of the system that left the country in “zero national energy coverage” was recorded last Friday, after an “unforeseen” exit from operations of the Guiteras thermoelectric plant, considered key to the stability of the SEN.

This Saturday, the actions carried out to re-energize and recover the SEN failed again, which caused the second total disconnection, and in the last hours of that day the subsystem that had been created in the western half of the island collapsed, so the work had to start again.

The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged this Sunday in an appearance that the situation in the electricity system is “very tense.”

Precarious state

But he said that the Government aspires for the SEN to recover within two days the state it had before the first massive blackout and that consequently most consumers will have light again “tomorrow Monday” and that “the last customer may perhaps be receiving (current) next Tuesday.”

The SEN is in a very precarious state due to the shortage of fuel – the result of the lack of foreign exchange to import it – and the frequent breakdowns in obsolete thermoelectric plants, with four decades of operation and chronic lack of investments.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Stocks have been common for years but the situation has worsened in recent weeks. In recent days, days have been recorded with maximum affectation rates of more than 50%, that is, moments when half of the country was simultaneously without electricity.

Affected economy

The frequent blackouts damage the Cuban economy – which in 2023 contracted by 1.9% and boost social discontent in a society affected by an aggravated economic crisis in recent years.

They have also been the trigger for anti-government protests, including those of July 11, 2021 – the largest in decades – those in Nuevitas and Havana in August and September 2022, and those of last March 17 in Santiago de Cuba (east) and other locations.

The last time a similar situation of “zero production” occurred was in September 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Ian with category three through the extreme east of the island. This caused a serious mismatch and the recovery took days.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.