Cuba’s national power grid went down on Saturday, cutting electricity for millions, officials said. The outage marks the second nationwide blackout in a week and the third major grid failure in March.
The state utility, Unión Eléctrica, reported on social media that at 18:32 local time (22:32 GMT) the entire National Electric Power System went offline. Authorities later said the failure was caused by a malfunction at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province, which triggered a cascading shutdown across the grid.
To maintain essential services, the Ministry of Energy and Mines activated “micro-islands” of generating units to supply power to hospitals, water systems, and other critical centres. Officials said restoration efforts are underway.
Frequent blackouts, sometimes lasting up to 12 hours a day, are now common in Cuba due to both fuel shortages and deteriorating infrastructure. Residents face disruptions to cooking, refrigeration, work, and healthcare, with some hospitals forced to cancel surgeries.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Cuba has not received foreign oil supplies for three months. The island produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs to run its economy.
The blackouts have been worsened by a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. Following the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Cuba lost its key oil supplier. The Trump administration has cut Venezuelan exports to Cuba and threatened tariffs against other countries that sell oil to the island.
While the U.S. has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil due to the war in Iran, Cuba remains explicitly excluded from these exemptions. Mexico, another important supplier, has also halted shipments but continues to provide humanitarian aid.
The U.S. government has linked the crisis to Cuba’s command economy, while Havana blames Washington’s blockade for the worsening situation. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that Cuba’s government is on the verge of collapse and has demanded political reforms in exchange for lifting sanctions.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will “soon be reviewing” a new 14-point proposal sent by Iran, casting doubt on the chances of a deal after Tehran called for security guarantees, an end to naval blockades and a halt to the war across the region, including in Lebanon.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of meetings, according to Italian media reports, in a visit that comes amid strained relations between Washington and parts of Europe and heightened tensions involving Pope Leo XIV.
Israel has approved a major defence deal to purchase new squadrons of advanced fighter jets from U.S. manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the country’s defence ministry said on Sunday (3 May).
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest peace proposal, which was delivered to Washington via Pakistani mediators on Friday (1 May).
President Trump has issued a warning to the international community, claiming a nuclear-armed Iran would strike Israel "very quickly" before targeting Europe and the United States.
Ukraine is monitoring “unusual activity” along its border with Belarus, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement released on Saturday (2 May). He warned that Kyiv is ready to respond if necessary amid continued regional tensions linked to Russia’s war.
Hundreds of young people in South Korea have gathered in Seoul to take part in a city-backed “power nap contest”, aimed at drawing attention to the country’s chronic sleep deprivation.
Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is set to visit Armenia in early May to take part in the 8th European Political Community Summit, in what will be the highest-level Turkish visit to the country to date. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is reportedly expected to miss the forum.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of meetings, according to Italian media reports, in a visit that comes amid strained relations between Washington and parts of Europe and heightened tensions involving Pope Leo XIV.
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
Germany has said a planned reduction of U.S. troops should push Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence, as concerns grow in Washington over the impact of the move on regional security.
Malian authorities have launched an investigation into suspected soldiers accused of involvement in coordinated attacks on military bases carried out by militants linked to al Qaeda and separatist Tuareg rebels on 25 April 2026.
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