International

Cuba suffers a new national blackout, the third in two months

The Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) of Cuba reported on Wednesday that the country suffered a new national blackout, the third in just two months, after the failure in a key thermoelectric power plant for the National Electric System (SEN).

“At 2:08 this morning, the Electrical System, SEN, was disconnected when the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric company left by firing the automatic. We are working on the recovery process,” Minem said on social networks.

Cuba suffered another national blackout on October 18 due to another breakdown in that same thermoelectric power plant and another with the passage of Hurricane Rafael, on November 6, with category 3 (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale through the west of the country.

Energy crisis

In both cases it took days to restore service throughout the island. The country has been plunged into an energy crisis for years due to the lack of fuel – due to the lack of foreign currency to import it – and the frequent breakdowns in its obsolete thermoelectric plants, with decades of operation and a chronic deficit of investments. The situation has worsened since the end of August.

The Minister of Energy, Vicente de la O Levy, assured the state press that the reconnection will be “relatively faster” than in the previous two times. In that sense, the Chancellor, Bruno Rodríguez, said that “there are favorable conditions” for the restoration.

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On Tuesday, the Caribbean country recorded its highest rate of affectation due to electricity generation deficit, with 52%, a figure similar to the one announced on November 19.

The frequent blackouts weigh down the economy – which already contracted by 1.9% in 2023 – and stire social discontent, visible in the massive migration of recent years and in the unusual protests that have been recorded since 2021.

In mid-November, the Minister of Economy, Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, acknowledged that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will also contract in 2024.

“The economic development of a country depends largely on energy and we have had electrical effects throughout the year (…) On the other hand, we have not had a stable supply of fuel this year either. There is a shortage of gasoline, diesel, etc… and the economy needs energy to be dynamic,” he lamented.

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International

Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka

Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.

The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.

An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.

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Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.

Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.

Internacionales

Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages

May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.

In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.

Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.