International

Cuba declares massive fuel plant fire extinguished

AFP

Cuba’s government declared the “elimination” on Friday of a fire at a major fuel storage plant that left two firefighters dead and 14 people missing.

The presidency said on Twitter that “at 7:00 am (1100 GMT) the elimination of the fire was declared.”

After the fire was extinguished, 60 experts entered the disaster zone to recover the remains of those still missing.

“Forensic Medicine teams have been working since early in the morning to search for the remains of the missing persons,” the president’s office said.

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Remains of the missing have been “located in different places” in the devastated area, one of the experts told President Miguel Diaz-Canel during a tour of the plant, according to state television.

The massive fire started on Friday last week after lightning struck a tank at the depot outside the western city of Matanzas, 100 kilometers from Havana.

Four of the eight tanks at the depot — each with the capacity to hold 50 million liters (13.2 million gallons) of fuel — collapsed during the blaze, which injured 132 people. Four of them are in critical condition, according to the latest Health Ministry report.

Two firefighters died in the incident. The body of one was found on Saturday, while another perished on Thursday after spending several days in hospital.

An army of Cuban firefighters worked around the clock for almost a week to extinguish the flames, with the help of technicians, firefighters, and military personnel who came from Mexico and Venezuela.

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Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

International

Elon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation

Billionaire Elon Musk did not appear this Monday before French authorities, who had summoned him for a voluntary statement as part of an investigation into his social media platform X, prosecutors told AFP.

The platform has been under investigation since early 2025 following complaints from lawmakers alleging bias in its algorithms, which may have altered its functioning and interfered in politics in France.

The probe has since expanded to include other alleged offenses, such as complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as the role of Grok in spreading denialist content and sexually explicit fake images.

In early February, investigators raided X’s offices in Paris. The company has denied any wrongdoing, describing the searches as “political” and “abusive.”

At that time, the Paris prosecutor’s office summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to provide voluntary testimony as those responsible for the platform during the period under investigation.

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Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau also stated that X employees were called to testify as witnesses between April 20 and April 24.

International

Four injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico

Four more people were injured by gunfire during the ആക്രമ attack at Teotihuacán, one of the most emblematic archaeological complexes in Mexico, authorities confirmed.

The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico, Cristóbal Castañeda, reported that the victims include two Colombian nationals, one Russian, and one Canadian. Additionally, two other individuals were injured due to falls, according to a statement from local authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed concern over the incident, stating on social media that “what happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us.”

Federal authorities recovered a firearm, a knife, and ammunition at the scene, which remains under the protection of state police and the Guardia Nacional, according to the federal Security Cabinet.

Located about 50 kilometers from Mexico City, Teotihuacán is a major tourist destination frequently visited by both domestic and international travelers.