Protests erupt in Havana as Cuba struggles to restore electricity

By Dave Sherwood and Ayose Naranjo Reuters Scattered protests broke out across Havana on Tuesday evening, with residents banging pots, honking horns and shouting “turn on the lights” as millions ‌of Cubans remained without power amid a six-month-long U.S. fuel blockade. Cuba experienced a nationwide outage on ‌Monday — its third this year — but while authorities said most of the country had been reconnected to the island’s grid by late ​Tuesday, many remained in the dark and without electricity as the island doesn’t have enough fuel. The country’s grid operator UNE said it had reconnected the grid from Pinar del Rio, in far western Cuba, to Holguin in the east. Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, remained disconnected and without power, authorities said. The U.S. in January ‌cut off Cuba’s fuel supply, then ⁠imposed fresh sanctions that have prompted an exodus of foreign businesses and a near-complete collapse o...

At least 13 killed in Central America as heavy rains trigger floods, landslides

Thirteen people have died in flooding and landslides in El Salvador and Guatemala as heavy rains pound Central America, authorities from the two countries said.

In El Salvador, the hardest hit country so far, five people died Monday in a landslide in the western district of Tacuba, in the department of Ahuachapan, Civil defense chief Luis Amaya said.

Those deaths follow two fatalities recorded on Sunday after a tree and a pole fell on a car that was traveling on a highway in the capital.

Another four people were killed in flooding and landslides between Friday and Sunday, Amaya added.

On Sunday, Congress approved a state of emergency to facilitate the mobilization of resources.

President Nayib Bukele said on X that he had asked Congress to make Tuesday a federal holiday to avoid commutes and “reduce the risk of tragedies.”

Rains have been slamming both countries since Saturday.

In Guatemala, a 59-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man died on Sunday in the village of Chacaya, in the western municipality Sacapulas, when they were buried by a collapsed wall, authorities said.

Dozens to hundreds die each year in Central America as the rainy season leaves extensive damage to countries’ infrastructure.

-AFP , AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/lgsGZnJ

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’