HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s power grid collapsed Saturday leaving the country without electricity for a third time in March as the communist government battles with a decaying infrastructure and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.

The state-owned Cuban Electric Union reported a total blackout across the island without giving a cause for the outage.

Authorities said they were working to restore power.

Power outages, whether nationwide or regional, have become relatively common in the last two years due to breakdowns in the aging infrastructure. The breakdowns are compounded by daily blackouts of up to 12 hours caused by fuel shortages, which also destabilize the system.

The last nationwide blackout occurred on Monday. Saturday’s outage was the second in the past week and the third in March.

The blackouts have a significant impact on the population, whose lives are disrupted by reduced work hours, lack of electricity for cooking, and food spoilage when refrigerators stop working, among many other consequences.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said the island has not received oil from foreign suppliers for three months. Cuba produces barely 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy.

Cuba’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years. But the government also has blamed the outages on a U.S. energy blockade after U.S. President Donald Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump also has raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”

It’s also been named as one of the best places in Britain to eat noodles

After a long and stressful day at work, many people will reach for their favourite comfort food for a quick mood booster. Noodles are a popular option thanks to their versatility, how easy they are to make, and how warming they are when drenched in a cosy broth.

In Chinese culture, long noodles symbolise longevity and are an essential dish to have for celebrations such as New Year and birthdays. Cambridge is lucky to have plenty of restaurants serving up a range of noodles that are tasty enough to soothe any issue you might be facing.

The CamBites series sees our reporters going around Cambridgeshire in search of the best food that doesn’t cost a lot of money. The Two Treasure Hand Pulled Noodle Bar caught my eye, not only because it was named one of the best places to get noodles in Britain by The Observer, but also because you can watch the noodles being made.

I visited the noodle bar on a Tuesday at lunchtime with a friend expecting it to be fairly empty. However, when we arrived, the restaurant was absolutely packed with solo diners and groups of friends enjoying steaming bowls of noodles.

You order before finding a table so there were lots of people huddled around the short but inviting menu. While queuing to order, you can watch the chefs hard at work making the hand pulled noodles right in front of you with an incredible ease.

I decided to try the pickled cabbage beef brisket ramen, which cost £13.80, and my friend went for the garlic chilli oil beef brisket ramen, which cost £12.80. We were pointed to a cosy little table right next to the kitchen and waited for our noodles to appear.

Before long, my steaming bowl of noodles had arrived in a wonderfully colourful broth. The soup was topped with a dash of chilli oil, fresh coriander, pickled vegetables, and a generous portion of shredded spring onion.

The broth had a slightly sour flavour with a nice chilli kick that just tingled on the tongue and helped to clear out my sinuses. The heaps of noodles were bouncy, soft, and worked perfectly with the umami soup.

The pickled vegetables added a lovely crunch to the dish. The beef brisket was extremely tender and could easily be pulled apart using chopsticks.

My friend’s noodle bowl did not come with a broth but was still topped with plenty of vegetables and beansprouts. The noodles were thick and springy but still as soft as the thinner noodles in the soup dish.

The garlic flavour was strong and the dish was a bit less spicy than the pickled cabbage option if you are not a fan of spice. If you want to make it hotter, each table has extra chilli oil you can add.

An extra bonus the restaurant does is free noodle refills. If you have finished your meal and still have lots of soup left, you can get another lot of noodles for free.

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However, we didn’t need extra noodles as we were so full that we had to take home some of our food. Two Treasure is armed with plenty of tubs for takeout so they clearly have people taking home their leftover food regularly.

The noodle spot is truly a treasure in a city with loads of restaurants serving up bowls of ramen. Two Treasure Hand Pulled Noodle Bar is a must-visit for a quick dose of comfort food.

Two Treasure Hand Pulled Noodle Bar can be found at 85 Regent Street. The restaurant is open everyday from 11.30am to 9pm.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

The woman, named locally as Amy Doherty, was found injured at a property in the Summer Meadows Mews area of the city, but sadly died later in hospital

A murder investigation is underway after the death of a woman, who has been named locally as Amy Doherty.

Police were called to the Summer Meadows Mews area of the city at around 10.20am on Saturday, March 21, after the woman was found injured.

She tragically died later in hospital. She has been named locally as mum-of-two Amy Doherty, who was in her late 20s. A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

On Saturday night, the Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairi McHugh said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the death of Amy.

“On behalf of the people of Derry and surrounding areas, I would like to extend the heartfelt sympathy & condolences to her family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time,” he said.

“No words can ease the pain of such a loss, but please be assured that the community stands with you in grief, support, and solidarity.

“We all mourn together, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.

“We call on everyone to come together in compassion, to support one another, and to honour Amy’s memory in the days ahead.”

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DUP Councillors Julie Middleton, Niree McMorris and Chelsea Cooke issued a joint statement and said: “As women representing the City at Council, this is utterly devastating news for our city. The loss of a woman’s life in such circumstances is both shocking and deeply distressing for the entire community.

“Our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the victim’s family and loved ones as they face unimaginable grief. No family should ever have to endure such heartbreak.

“This is a stark reminder that violence, particularly against women, has no place in our society. Every woman and girl should feel safe in their own home and community.

“We must ensure that those responsible for such heinous acts are brought before the courts and held fully accountable.

“We would appeal to anyone who may have information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward to the PSNI and assist with their investigation.

“As a community, we must stand together to support the victim’s family and to send a clear message that such violence will never be tolerated.”

Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson added: “There is widespread shock and devastation across the city to learn that police have launched a murder inquiry after the woman’s death.

“Our heartfelt thoughts are with this woman’s loved ones as they face the unimaginable loss which this horrific crime has brought upon them.

“A young woman’s life was taken in the latest act of violence against women and girls and I appeal to anyone with information to bring it forward to the PSNI.

“The Executive’s Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls sets out how it aims to tackle this scourge in our society. But we must all do more to confront the causes and cultures behind this violence and to do everything possible to bring the harm and abuse of women to an end.”

Detective Inspector Michelle Griffin from the Police Service’s Major Investigation Team said: “Officers attended a property in the Summer Meadows Mews area of the city at around 10.20 am and located an injured woman at the scene.

“She was taken to hospital by our colleagues in the NIAS where she sadly died.

“A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, who are left trying to come to terms with this shocking loss.

“Our enquiries are continuing, and I am appealing to anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact our officers on 101 quoting reference 469 – 21/03/26.”

Information can also be provided, with total anonymity, to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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