Protests erupt in Havana as Cuba struggles to restore electricity

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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...
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Wildfire rages in Ecuador’s drought-stricken capital

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 A raging wildfire filled Ecuador’s capital of Quito with smoke and threatened homes on Tuesday as authorities rushed to control the blaze at a time when a historic drought has stretched resources and patience.

President Daniel Noboa said the armed forces had been deployed to fight the fire, which started around midday in the bohemian Guapulo neighborhood and gradually spread to nearby residences and forested areas.

Some tearful residents worked desperately to put out flames, according to a Reuters witness.

“We couldn’t rescue anything. We just arrived, we didn’t know what to do … I don’t know why this is happening to us,” said Guapulo resident Rosana Cepeda.

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

Quito’s firefighting force said its contingents were fully deployed and that its units would be fighting fires throughout the night.

“The fire will not end in the next few hours. It will surely continue into the night,” Mayor Pabel Munoz told the press, adding that falling nighttime temperatures should help efforts to control the blaze.

Ecuador’s worst drought in over 60 years has plunged the hydropower-dependent country into an energy crisis as diminished reservoirs leave hydroelectric dams offline.

The country’s energy minister announced nationwide 12-hour power cuts on Monday and said the country’s dry season started two months early.

Power cuts scheduled for Tuesday were suspended for the coverage area of Electrica Quito, the capital city’s electric utility, the company said on social media.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/n40ZYS6

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