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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Cuba's deepening crisis: blackouts, tourism crash, exodus. Will Cubans rise up?
Amid President Trump's threats to start a global trade war, invade Greenland, seize control of the Panama Canal and annex Canada, this story has gone virtually unnoticed: Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades — maybe since the 1959 revolution. Before we get into whether we're likely to see any massive street protests like the ones that shook the island in 2021, let's look at the disastrous situation Cubans are facing today. Recent months have seen Cuba virtually paralyzed by blackouts. By the regime's own admission, power outages averaged 18 hours a day in May. 'We are going through a critical situation,' Cuba's dictator, Miguel Diaz-Canel, conceded in his May 29 podcast. The Cuban economy 'is hurting, diminished, almost paralyzed,' he added, according to the EFE news agency. This rare admission confirmed what Cubans have been saying for years — especially since blackouts started worsening late last year. The regime blames everything, as usual, on the U.S. trade embargo, claiming Washington's sanctions block Cuba from earning the hard currency it needs to buy foreign oil. But experts dismiss this as a tired excuse because Cuba can trade with every country except the U.S. The real culprits: decades of neglected electricity infrastructure, lack of investments in alternative energies and dwindling oil shipments from Venezuela and Russia. 'There's an average of 18-hour-a-day blackouts,' said Alfredo Lopez, head of Cuba's state-run Electric Union company, in the same May 29 podcast. He blamed 66% of the power outages on fuel shortages. Tourism, a major source of the island's income, is collapsing. Many Canadian, European and Latin American tourists are choosing other Caribbean destinations. Who wants to vacation where the lights go out at night? According to the latest figures from Cuba's National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), foreign tourism plunged nearly 30% in the first three months of this year. This comes on top of a previous decline in the number of foreign visitors. Last year, foreign arrivals had already fallen to 2.2 million, down from 4.7 million in 2018. The pandemic, the 2021 anti-government protests and now the blackouts are crippling Cuba's once thriving tourism sector. Sugar production, once one of Cuba's economic pillars, is in crisis: Cuba is now importing sugar. The Reuters news agency reports that the state-run Azcuba sugar company may produce just 165,000 tons this year, down from 8 million in the 1980s. Rum, a top export, is threatened by sugar and alcohol shortages. 'Lack of sugar throws Cuba's rum industry into crisis,' read a May 30 headline in the British daily The Guardian. In recent conversations with foreign diplomats and Cubans living on the island, I asked them whether they expect new protests this summer. Most anti-government demonstrations in recent years happened in summer, when people are most angry over the power outages that keep them from using their fans or — if they are lucky — air conditioners. Most of the people I talked to said they would not bet on new mass protests, in part because of the regime's brutal repression after the 2021 street demonstrations. At least 700 peaceful protesters were arrested, and many got up to 30-year prison sentences. But the bigger obstacle to a new eruption of anti-government rallies may be that Cuba has become an island of old people, several Cuba residents told me. Mass emigration since 2021 has drained the island of young people — the ones most likely to protest. Indeed, official data show that more than 1 million Cubans — 10% of the population — have left since 2020. Most were young. Because of emigration and low birth rates, Cuba now has Latin America's oldest population, Cuban economist Pedro Monreal wrote on his X social media account recently. To be sure, the latest mass exodus of Cubans has given the regime a reprieve by removing potential protesters. But if the current crisis continues, I wonder whether it will be enough to prevent a new wave of social unrest. Many economists agree that the current economic situation is worse than the 1990s 'special period' that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. And President Trump's anti-immigration crusade, including his June 4 partial travel ban on people from 12 countries, including Cuba, will close Cuba's emigration escape valve. To make things worse for Cuba's dictatorship, Diaz-Canel is a colorless bureaucrat with zero charisma, and the country's ultimate behind-the-scenes-ruler, Raúl Castro, is 93. It's unclear for how long Cuba's ruling elite will hold together once Castro dies. So don't be surprised if Cuba is back soon in the headlines. Barring a sudden increase in foreign aid — say, if Russia decides to ramp up its oil shipments to Cuba in response to escalating tensions with the United States over Ukraine — Cuba's crisis could bring about unprecedented challenges to its decrepit regime. Don't miss the 'Oppenheimer Presenta' TV show on Sundays at 9 pm E.T. on CNN en Español. Blog:
CBS News
15-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Cuba suffers another widespread power outage, leaving millions in the dark as ministry works on fix
Cuba suffered a massive power outage Friday night affecting Havana and the country's provinces that left millions in the dark. Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8:15 p.m. local time an outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused "a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System." The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is "working on the recovery process." The streets of Havana were dark and empty, with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators. Internet service was affected. People in provinces as far away as Guantánamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light. Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42% of the national energy system would be shut down. This figure is not the highest in recent memory. Cuba suffered widespread outages in its national energy system at the end of last year, leaving the island in the dark amid a serious economic crisis. The 2024 blackout was considered to be Cuba's worst in two years after Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm in 2022 and damaged power installations. Cuba's power grid has been plagued by frequent outages, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping. Authorities on the island have begun a program to install photovoltaic parks and promised that dozens of them will be ready this year. Blackouts previously prompted anti-government demonstrations in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
CBS News
15-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Cuba suffers another widespread power outage, leaving millions in the dark
Cuba suffered a massive power outage Friday night affecting Havana and the country's provinces that left millions in the dark. Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8:15 p.m. local time an outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused "a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System." The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is "working on the recovery process." The streets of Havana were dark and empty, with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators. Internet service was affected. People in provinces as far away as Guantánamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light. Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42% of the national energy system would be shut down. This figure is not the highest in recent memory. Cuba suffered widespread outages in its national energy system at the end of last year, leaving the island in the dark amid a serious economic crisis. The 2024 blackout was considered to be Cuba's worst in two years after Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm in 2022 and damaged power installations. Cuba's power grid has been plagued by frequent outages, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping. Authorities on the island have begun a program to install photovoltaic parks and promised that dozens of them will be ready this year. Blackouts previously prompted anti-government demonstrations in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Euronews
15-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Cuba suffers another massive power cut leaving millions in the dark
Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8:15 p.m. local time an outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused 'a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System.' The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is 'working on the recovery process.' The streets of Havana were dark and empty, with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators. Internet service was affected. People in provinces as far away as Guantánamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light. Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42% of the national energy system would be shut down. This figure is not the highest in recent memory. Cuba suffered three widespread cuts in its energy system at the end of last year, leaving the island in the dark amid a serious economic crisis. Cuba's power grid has been plagued by frequent outages, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping. Authorities on the island have begun a programme to install photovoltaic parks and promised that dozens of them will be ready this year. Blackouts previously prompted anti-government demonstrations in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the 'coalition of the willing' will be conducted virtually. It follows another frantic week of diplomacy aimed at getting Russia to back a 30-day ceasefire. The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission. 'If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace," Starmer is set to tell leaders, in remarks released by his office ahead of the meeting. 'If they don't, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.' Around 25 countries are expected to be involved in the call, including European partners, and Ukraine. Leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ukraine, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union's executive, are also set to take part. Like last time, there will be no representative from the United States, which has shifted its approach on the war since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. The change of approach relative to that taken by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, became particularly notable after Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office. Saturday's meeting takes place in the wake of a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Zelenskyy has backed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he supported a truce in principle but has set out a host of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has voiced 'cautious optimism' about the possibility of Putin, who met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, on Thursday, backing a ceasefire. Starmer appears to be less optimistic, and is set to tell leaders that concrete commitments are required now as Putin plays 'pointless games' with Trump's peace plan. 'Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place. But the world needs to see action, not a study, or empty words and pointless conditions,' Starmer said. 'The Kremlin's complete disregard for President Trump's ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.' Starmer has taken the lead, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in assembling the 'coalition of the willing' - in part to persuade Trump to maintain support for Kyiv. One outcome has already been a growing acceptance from European countries that they need to do more secure their own security, including by increasing their defence spending. Macron said he had spoken on Friday with both Zelenskyy and Starmer about progress at the U.S.-Ukraine talks earlier this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which led to Trump resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Saturday's meeting, he said, will "continue to work on reinforcing the support for Ukraine and toward a solid and lasting peace.' Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the truce proposal. Russia's army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin likely will be reluctant to rush into a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage. 'My message to the Kremlin could not be clearer: stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, and agree to a ceasefire now,' Starmer said.
Arab Times
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Cuba suffers another massive power outage leaving millions in the dark
HAVANA, March 15, (AP): Cuba suffered a massive power outage Friday night affecting Havana and the country's provinces that left millions in the dark. Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8:15 p.m. local time an outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused "a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System.' The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is "working on the recovery process.' The streets of Havana were dark and empty, with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators. Internet service was affected. People in provinces as far away as Guantánamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light. Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42% of the national energy system would be shut down. This figure is not the highest in recent memory. Cuba suffered three widespread outages in its national energy system at the end of last year, leaving the island in the dark amid a serious economic crisis. Cuba's power grid has been plagued by frequent outages, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping. Authorities on the island have begun a program to install photovoltaic parks and promised that dozens of them will be ready this year. Blackouts previously prompted anti-government demonstrations in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
