Cuba says electricity plant successfully repaired after large blackout
An escalating US pressure campaign, including an oil blockade, has strained the Caribbean country’s ageing energy infrastructure. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Cuban authorities say that repair teams have successfully fixed a large thermoelectric plant that shut down earlier this week, causing blackouts across an island that is straining under United States-imposed restrictions. Felix Estrada Rodriguez, a top engineer at Cuba’s Electric Union, told the state-owned media outlet Canal Caribe that the Antonio Guiteras plant is expected to resume operations by Saturday afternoon. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list He also explained that the pace of repairs was the result of difficult working conditions and safety concerns. “It is a confined space with a high temperature,” Estrada Rodriguez said. A broken boiler had caused the plant to shut down on Wednesday, prompting power outages that left millions of people without power in the country’s western areas. Widespread outages have increased in recent months as the US takes measures to further isolate Cuba and push the country’s energy system to its breaking point. Following the abduction and imprisonment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump moved to cut the flow of oil and money between Cuba and the South American nation. Then, on January 29, he issued an executive order threatening economic action against any country that supplied Cuba with oil. The island’s ageing energy grid continues to rely largely on fossil fuels, though it has taken steps to increase its supply of alternative power sources. China, for instance, has been helping Cuba develop its solar energy supplies, with thousands of panels being exported to the island. Advertisement Still, the US oil blockade against Cuba has heightened an economic and humanitarian crisis on the island, which has also struggled under a decades-long US trade embargo. The pressure campaign has increased since US President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Trump has talked openly about toppling the Cuban government and has tightened economic restrictions in an effort to degrade conditions on the island. Trump said earlier this week that regime change in Havana was a “matter of time” as he embraces the threat of US military action to reshape Latin America. On Saturday, Trump reiterated his threats towards Cuba at a summit of right-wing Latin American leaders. He suggested the island’s communist government was “in its last moments”. “Cuba’s at the end of the line. They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time,” Trump said. In the past, demonstrations have arisen in Cuba in response to chronic blackouts, supply shortages and frustration with Havana’s government, which has a record of repressing dissent. Cuba’s Electric Union did not offer details about how many people remained without power on Saturday, but it said about 1,000 megawatts of power was available. That is enough to meet less than half of Cuba’s current demand. The government has announced a series of austerity measures meant to conserve energy, and protests broke out following the most recent blackout. Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Satellite images reveal damage to several Iranian military bases
NewsFeed Satellite imagery reveals extensive damage at several Iranian military sites following a wave of airstrikes by the United States and Israel. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Doctors try to save girl as father was killed in Gaza Israeli attack
NewsFeed Doctors in a hospital in Gaza try to save a girl who sustained severe injuries in an Israeli attack that hit her and killed her father. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
PALM BEACH, FLA – British opposition leader Nigel Farage is taking aim at his country’s prime minister for not supporting the U.S. in its military strikes against Iran. “I think not to support America when it asks for support is a pretty extraordinary thing to have done.,” Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump has blasted Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking the U.S. from using British military bases, specifically Diego Garcia — a strategic base located on an Indian Ocean island — for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer later permitted the use of the bases for “defensive strikes” after Trump’s complaints. Starmer hasn’t spoken to Trump since they connected on a call last weekend, after the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes on Iran. The British prime minister has made clear his country would not be joining the U.S. in attacking Iran, emphasizing he didn’t believe in “regime change from the skies.” HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACK ON IRAN Trump, taking a jab at Starmer, said earlier this week, “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.” Farage criticized Starmer for not changing his stance, “even now, despite the fact that we’ve got an RAF base in Cyprus that’s been under attack, we’ve got allies of ours in the Gulf that are under attack.” “I think there’s been less than wholehearted support has come for the Americans in this endeavor. And I think the British Prime Minister on the world stage, he’s upset the Americans,” Farage said. “He’s upset the Cypriots. He’s upset the Gulf states. And he’s pretty friendless at the moment.” THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA: REPUBLICAN SENATORS WEIGH IN ON IRAN ATTACK Farage, who seven years ago founded the populist Brexit Party, which later transformed into the Reform UK party, was interviewed ahead of an appearance at an annual economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent political group that pushes for fiscal responsibility. Starmer has been feeling Trump’s wrath not only for their differences over the attack on Iran, but also over the British deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where Diego Garcia is located, to Mauritius. Starmer has argued his lease-back deal is the only way to secure the British-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. Farage, who has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, told Fox News Digital that “outside of America itself,” Diego Garcia “is the most important base you’ve got in the whole world. Now it’s there as part of British sovereignty. We have a treaty between us that goes back to 1966 and Keir Starmer is on the verge of giving away the sovereignty of the Chagos islands and Diego Garcia to Mauritius.” “If Trump initially had problems with the Brits over using the base, just think what it will be like with the heavily Chinese-influenced Mauritians. They already have said they believe that America should not have struck Iran, that it was against international law, then are calling for a ceasefire,” Farage said. NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS KEY ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’ Farage, who said his opposition to the deal was a key factor in his weekend trip to the U.S., said, “I would just urge the president, this administration, stay firm. Tell the British government you will not accept giving away of sovereignty to Mauritius, and let’s ensure a future for Diego Garcia. I think it’s really important.” Farage, who’s hoping to become Britain’s next prime minister, argued that Starmer’s relationship with Trump is beyond repair. “I think the personal relationship between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump has gone. I mean, Trump can be forgiving, but, you know, that would take a long time. So I think that breakdown is there,” he said. But as for the longstanding bonds between the two countries, known as the ‘special relationship,’ Farage was more optimistic. “The special relationship went through bad times in the past. We had a massive fallout 70 years ago over Suez, but we got back together again. I’m convinced it can, and it will, be mended,” he predicted.
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the “hatred” between Russia and Ukraine is getting in the way of reaching a peace deal in that conflict, where the death toll is getting worse. Trump, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Fla., told world leaders assembled there that, “The hatred between Putin and his counterpart is so great.” “It’s so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you’d think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It’s very hard for them to get there. It’s very, very hard to get there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “But we’ve been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out.” “But we’re losing, you know, they’re losing, you know, doesn’t really affect us very much because we’ve got an ocean separating. I’m doing it as a favor to Europe, and I’m doing it as a favor to life because they’re losing 25,000 souls,” Trump added. “Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000. Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers.” UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY: RUSSIA TRYING ‘TO PLAY’ GAME WITH TRUMP, STALL PEACE TALKS Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News in late February that Russia is trying “to play with the president of the United States” and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to freeze the conflict along its current lines, proposing a ceasefire followed by negotiations. But he said he would not accept a Russian demand for Ukraine to surrender territory the Russian army has not been able to capture in four years of fighting. RUSSIA LOSING ‘MASSIVE’ 25,000 TROOPS MONTHLY IN UKRAINE AS WAR GRINDS ON, NATO CHIEF SAYS NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in January that Russia is losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops each month in its war against Ukraine as fighting drags on into a fourth year. Rutte told the Renew Europe Global Europe Forum in Brussels at the time that the staggering number of casualties reflects the intensity of Ukraine’s defense but warned that Russia remains NATO’s most significant long-term threat. Fox News’ Simon Owen, Greg Palkot and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
President Donald Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. is “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela while vowing to “take care” of Cuba’s regime following America’s focus on Iran. The president, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, prefaced his remarks by saying that since the January operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the administration has “been working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez,” and, “she’s doing a great job working with us.” “And we’re taking out tremendous amounts of oil. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made, ever made. We have the big oil companies in. They are making more money, we’re getting some,” Trump said. “They’re getting a lot. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made in the history of their country.” “And I’m pleased to say that this week we have formally recognized the Venezuelan government. We’ve actually legally recognized them. We have also just reached a historic gold deal that’s called the gold deal with Venezuela, to allow our two countries to work together to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan gold and other minerals,” Trump continued, describing a license issued by the Treasury Department Friday that prohibits people and companies from Iran, North Korea, Russia and Cuba from doing business with Minerven – Venezuela’s state-owned gold mining company – among other measures. US RESTORES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA AMID PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION “As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba. Cuba’s at the end of the line,” Trump also said. “They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time. And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don’t have any money from Venezuela. They don’t have any oil,” Trump added. Trump in January had declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil. MILLONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS Trump said Saturday that Cuba is “negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba.” “But Cuba is in its last moments of life as it was. It’ll have a great new life, but it’s in its last moments of life, the way it is,” the president added. The State Department described the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral as a gathering of the “strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region.” Trump said America’s “focus right now is on Iran,” but “many of you have come today, and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba because you’ve had problems with Cuba, right? You mentioned.” “I was surprised, but, four of you said, actually, ‘could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, okay?” Trump said, garnering applause. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
GOP senators say Trump’s strikes ‘significantly degraded’ Iran but emphasize attacks not ‘forever wars’
PALM BEACH, FLA. – One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has “degraded” Tehran’s ability to strike back. But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized that the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” in the volatile Middle East. “Our military is doing a great job,” Scott said. And pointing to Iran, he said, “They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.” Budd highlighted that “we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us… their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.” CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACKS ON IRAN Budd and Scott were interviewed as they attended an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility. President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” said on Saturday that Tehran will be “hit very hard” and warned the U.S. is considering “areas and groups” not previously considered to target. Over the past week, “Operation Epic Fury” has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting. WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN The president said on Thursday, in an interview with Axios, that he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago. And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency. “Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,” Scott said. “But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to… chant Death to America and death to our allies and try to destroy us.” Budd added that “we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.” The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk. Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved. Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations. But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans. “Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So he’s doing the right thing,” Scott emphasized. Budd added, “I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done… The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.” Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections. “Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully… the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,” Scott said. Budd acknowledged that “we are going to have some short-term disruptions.” But the senator was optimistic that “very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.”
Delhi: Man beaten to death after his 11-year-old relative threw water balloon at Muslim woman during Holi; Violent protest erupts, four arrested
A 26-year-old man, identified as Tarun, was beaten to death in a clash between two communities, which started after a 11-year-old girl who was Tarun’s relative allegedly threw a water balloon on a Muslim woman during Holi celebration in Uttam Nagar.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta addresses women at National Convention, urges them to ‘move forward and make their mark’
During the event, organised in connection with International Women’s Dav, the Chief Minister stressed the importance of recognising women’s contributions and empowering them to achieve their aspirations.
‘Killers roaming everywhere’: Father of Delhi man killed during Holi clash demands CBI probe, alleges police negligence
The father of 25-year-old Tarun, who was killed in a brutal attack in Delhi on Holi, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the matter on Saturday, March 7. The family alleged that the police have not shared details of the arrests made so far.