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.
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.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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