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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Wildfires rage across Bulgaria, destroying forests and homes

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Firefighters battled wildfires at nearly 100 locations across Bulgaria on Sunday, with houses burned and residents evacuated, local media reported.

A fire at the foot of the Pirin mountain in southwestern Bulgaria was spreading across thousands of acres of forest, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.

Another fire in the town of Simitli destroyed several houses as it spread towards the Maleshevo Mountain.

More than 200 firefighters sent to the area on Saturday were pulled out because high winds were putting their lives in danger, authorities said, adding they expected air support from other EU countries.

In western Bulgaria, a fire which broke out on Saturday and quickly spread across the border into Serbia on Sunday along the Miloslavska mountain range, almost burned the village Rani Lug to the ground, Nova television reported.

“It’s a merciless tragedy,” emergency volunteer Zvezdelin Vlaykov said as huge clouds of smoke rose over the hills. “In all my years of firefighting, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Authorities said three villages had been evacuated and the fire had caused significant damage.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry described Bulgaria’s wildfire situation as “dynamic and severe”.

On Sunday afternoon, a large fire broke out in the village of Kozarevo in the southeastern province of Yambol, burning several houses, BNR reported.

Countries in southeast Europe have experienced record temperatures over the past week, with many located in an area dubbed “a wildfire hotspot” by scientists.

SOURCE: AGENCIES AND REUTERS



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

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