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What to know about the blackouts and deepening crisis in Cuba

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What to know about the blackouts and deepening crisis in Cuba

Cuba’s widening economic turmoil along with its growing political tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump have paralyzed much of the island and raised uncertainty about what’s next.

The country was plunged into darkness this week by a blackout — the third big failure of its power grid since December — opening the door for Trump to suggest that he might have the “honor of taking Cuba.”

“I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it,” Trump said on Monday.

Cuba is struggling under the weight of an U.S. energy blockade that has halted oil shipments to the island over the past three months.

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Many of the nation’s 11 million residents struggle to keep food from spoiling. Hospitals have canceled surgeries. The leading university has reduced classes due to the power outages and transportation shutdowns.

Here’s what to know about Cuba’s persistent blackouts and deepening crisis.

US leaders say power outages signal need for change

The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that the ongoing blackouts are a symptom of the Cuban government’s failure to provide the most basic needs for its people.

When asked about Cuba at an unrelated White House event on Tuesday, Trump turned to his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants.

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Rubio said Cuba’s current political system and government can’t fix the country’s problems. “So they have to change dramatically,” Rubio said.

Cuba’s economic troubles are part of pressure campaign

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 has for months suggested Cuba’s government is on the verge of collapse and said after the U.S. ousted former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that the increased economic pressure on the island meant the U.S. could have a “friendly takeover” there — though he has not clarified what that means.

Talks between the US and Cuba have been ongoing

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed last week that there have been discussions with Washington.

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While he wouldn’t provide any specifics about the talks, he did say they were aimed at finding solutions to the “bilateral differences between our two nations.”

Trump has suggested that top Cuban leaders would be smart to avoid the fate of Maduro, who was arrested in a U.S. military operation in January.

The Trump administration is looking for Díaz-Canel to leave power, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of talks between Washington and Havana, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive talks and did not offer any details about who the administration might like to see as a replacement.

Fuel is in short supply

Cuba has struggled with dwindling oil after the U.S. removed Venezuela’s leader, halting critical petroleum shipments from the nation. Trump then threatened tariffs on any country selling or supplying Cuba with oil.

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The island is relying on its own natural gas, solar power and its own oil to run thermoelectric plants, but that hasn’t been enough to meet demand.

The impact has been crippling. Buses have cut routes, gas is strictly rationed and a Cuban official said the health care system is teetering.

That’s on top of what was already a shortage of basic necessities, including food and medicine.

Power outages now are a daily occurrence in Cuba

Cuba’s aging grid has deteriorated in recent years to the point of being unreliable. There are daily outages and more frequent major blackouts.

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Its thermoelectric plants are in poor shape too, seeing little maintenance. U.S. sanctions have prevented the government from buying new equipment and specialized parts, officials have said.

Shortages of fuel oil and diesel also have limited power production.

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AP writers Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim contributed from Washington.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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Chelsea given Trevoh Chalobah injury update as star stretchered off in agony vs PSG

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Daily Mirror

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off in the latter stages of Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has delivered an injury update on Trevoh Chalobah after the defender was stretchered off in agony against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. The Englishman was carried off the pitch in the 85th minute following a late challenge from PSG’s Achraf Hakimi.

And Rosenior has revealed the latest when questioned about his condition on TNT Sports after Chelsea‘s 8-2 on aggregate Champions League last 16 exit. He said: “I just asked the medical team, he’s got a high ankle sprain, so I’m praying it’s nothing too serious because of the way Trevoh’s been performing and we can’t afford to lose another defender at this moment.”

The news marks another setback on a difficult evening for Chelsea. Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu secured an emphatic victory for PSG.

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READ MORE: Chelsea out of Europe after PSG humiliation with Blues booed off pitch – 5 talking pointsREAD MORE: Chelsea sold ‘one of the best in world football’ for £28m as owners face backlash

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Rosenior’s side were second-best across both legs, and former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole believes his old club now have some soul-searching to do.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, he said: “That is a real leveller of where this club is compared to Paris. PSG are the gold standard, they are the champions of Europe, but it showed that Chelsea are a million miles away over the course of two legs.

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“This isn’t a Liam Rosenior problem. Liam’s doing what he’s doing; he’s just come through the door. This is a problem with strategy and the direction of where the club are going. This is a real eye-opener to where we are as a club at the moment.

“There’s a lot of money being spent, and we need to really think of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. That’s simply not good enough.

“There’s 20-year-olds and 19-year-olds on the pitch today. There’s time to grow, improve and get better.

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“They’ll have better nights in their career. But as a football club, you’ve got to go football club first, not business first. Simple as that, or else you’ll get performances like that.”

The FA Cup now represents Chelsea’s sole opportunity for silverware this campaign. The Blues have been handed a favourable home tie against League One stragglers Port Vale, though Premier League giants Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool all remain in contention.

Chelsea are also locked in a fight to secure next season’s Champions League qualification. Their current standing, sixth place, would see them fall short, although they trail fifth-placed Liverpool by just a single point, which ought to prove sufficient given the collective showing of English sides in Europe this term.

Rosenior’s squad are next in action at Everton on Saturday evening (5:30pm GMT).

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Trevoh Chalobah injury update after Chelsea star stretchered off in PSG loss | Football

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Trevoh Chalobah injury update after Chelsea star stretchered off in PSG loss | Football
Trevor Chalobah was stretchered off (Picture: Getty)

Liam Rosenior said Trevoh Chalobah suffered a ‘high ankle sprain’ after he was stretchered off in Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Chalobah went down in pain after twisting his ankle in a challenge with Achraf Hakimi in the closing stages of the last-16 second leg at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues centre-back was eventually stretchered off the pitch, with Chelsea forced to play the final minutes with ten men.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game about Chalobah’s withdrawal, Liam Rosenior said: ‘I just asked the medical team, and he’s got a high ankle sprain.

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‘So I’m praying it’s nothing too serious because the way Trevor has been performing. We can’t afford to lose another defender in this moment.’

Chelsea are set to be without Reece James for an extended period after he picked up a hamstring injury, while Malo Gusto missed Wednesday’s defeat due to illness.

Chalobah’s injury blow adds salt to the wounds after what was a damaging night for Chelsea against the tournament’s defending champions.

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Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Chalobah twisted his ankle badly after a challenge by Achraf Hakimi (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Chalobah has been a key player for Chelsea this season (Picture: Getty)

Trailing 5-2 after the first leg, Rosenior’s side needed a miraculous comeback, but instead went further behind when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored after just six minutes.

Bradley Barcola doubled the lead on the night just eight minutes later with a superb finish before Senny Mayulu rounded out an 8-2 aggregate win for the Parisiens with a second-half strike off the bench.

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Reflecting on his side’s defeat, Rosenior added: ‘A tough night. We knew it was a tough ask and to start the game in the manner that we did.

‘We had the ball in the final third but you can’t make mistakes at this level. We had the ball in their box and Barcola hit one from 25 yards into the top corner. Their belief grows..

‘They were clinical. The third goal, ball breaks and he hits in the top corner. I haven’t looked at the stats yet, but we had a lot of shots. They didn’t make mistakes. I want to thank the fans because they saw how hard the lads worked.’

PSG now advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face the winner of Galatasaray and Liverpool, with the English side trailing 1-0 after the first leg in Turkey.

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Modified e-bike led to fatal fire that killed mother and children, inquest hears

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Cambridgeshire Live

Gemma Germeney, 31, and her two children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, died after a house fire in 2023

A modified e-bike battery is believed to have caused a fire that killed a mum and two children, a pre-inquest review hearing heard. Gemma Germeney, 31, and her two children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, died after a fire at their maisonette in Sackville Close, Cambridge.

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Firefighters were first called to their home at around 1am on June 30, 2023. Gemma died at the scene, while Oliver and Lily later died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Scott Peden, Gemma’s partner and Oliver and Lily’s dad, suffered serious injuries in the fire.

At the time, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said the likely cause of the fire was an e-bike. A pre-inquest review was held by Coroner Elizabeth Gray at Vantage House in Huntingdon on Tuesday (March 17).

Mr Peden, who was in a coma for a month after the fire, appeared remotely. Ms Germeney’s parents and other family members attended the hearing in person.

Miles Bennett, counsel for Mr Peden, asked if a man named Mr Severinov would be called as a witness and declared as an interested person. Mr Bennett told the court that Mr Severinov may have been involved in modifying the e-bike battery that caused the fire.

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Mr Bennett said: “Someone carried out a quick fix to that lithium battery.” He added that “after that quick fix was carried out, there was a tumultuous fire at that residence” which led to the deaths.

Mr Bennett said the inquest should consider “the changes to the battery and the problem with the battery and the problem with the battery”. He said someone who may have modified a battery that led to the fire should “at very least be a witness”.

Ms Gray said that at the future full inquest, the “purchase of the bike, the battery being stolen and the modification” would be included in background information.

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Mr Bennett also raised concerns about investigation into smoke alarms at the family home. He said there were “mixed messages” about whether the alarms worked or “did not go off” at the time.

Steve Fleming from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, who appeared remotely, told the court that there were smoke alarms at the property. Due to the “intensity of the fire”, Mr Fleming said it was “nearly impossible” to look at the alarms and only part of the alarms could be recovered.

Mr Fleming added that he didn’t think the smoke alarms were a relevant factor “due to the escape route being blocked due to the fire itself”.

A representative from the Office for Product Safety and Standards was also present in court. Ms Gray adjourned the hearing for a two-day inquest to be held from August onwards into the deaths.

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At the full inquest, several witnesses will be called including representatives from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, and Cambridgeshire Police. There will also be two witnesses from OPSS, one who investigated and another on policies. Mr Peden and Mr Severinov may also be called as witnesses.

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Eberechi Eze injury latest after Arsenal beat Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League | Football

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Eberechi Eze injury latest after Arsenal beat Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League | Football
Eberechi Eze scored Arsenal’s opener in their 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday (DeFodi via Getty)

Eberechi Eze has played down his injury concerns after Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old scored a brilliant goal in the first half to open the scoring for Arsenal before Declan Rice struck in the second half to secure the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal will now play Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final after they overturned a 3-0 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the first leg with a 5-0 win in the return fixture in Portugal.

Eze, meanwhile, went down injured in the second half and was replaced in the 69th minute by Kai Havertz.

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When asked about his injury after the match, Eze replied: ‘Yeah, I’m alright. I’ll be okay.’

Arsenal will now play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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Hayling care home offers open invitation to improve dementia communication

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Hayling care home offers open invitation to improve dementia communication

Wimborne Care Home on Hayling Island is a home for residents who may be frail or living with dementia. It has 47 light and airy rooms, a broad activities programme, delicious food and throughout there is a team of dedicated staff who are employed for their caring attitudes above all else. Wimborne also has a great reputation locally for engaging with their local community, offering a wide range of regular events that are open to all and certainly popular.

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Durham Academy ‘much better than it was in past’ – Ofsted

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Durham Academy ‘much better than it was in past’ - Ofsted

Durham Academy has been described as “a small school with big aspirations for its pupils” in its latest inspection which found that attendance has improved “significantly,” with the gap between disadvantaged pupils’ attendance and national averages closing rapidly.

An inspection by Ofsted was carried out on January 20, and filed its report on March 9.

That report said: “Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly over time.

“Rates of persistent absence have declined sharply.

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“The gap between disadvantaged pupils’ attendance and national averages is closing rapidly.

“This has been achieved through a consistent, determined effort by all stakeholders.”

The school is set to undergo a transformation in the future. (Image: Dawn McNamara Photography)

The report praised the students’ understanding of behavioural expectations, their engagement in lessons, and the high-quality wellbeing and emotional support available to them.

However, concerns were raised about the students’ attainment in national tests and examinations.

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Despite improvements, it was noted that few students have secured the basic qualifications needed for future education, employment or training.

The report stated: “Pupils’ attainment in national tests and examinations has not been as good as it could be over time.

“Too few pupils have secured the basic qualifications they need for future education, employment or training.”

In response to these findings, the academy has been identified as having a “Strong standard” overall but needing attention in certain areas.

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The staff were commended for their commitment to professional development and the school management team was praised for ensuring the staff have adequate time and support to fulfil their roles.

The report said: “There is a relentless commitment by leaders to enhance the experiences and opportunities provided to pupils.

“This work includes support in accessing university courses, sponsorship opportunities and holiday study programmes.”

However, the report pointed out the need for improved examination results and the importance of closing knowledge gaps among pupils.

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The report added: “Pupils’ educational experience is much better than it was in the past.

“Many pupils engage enthusiastically in their learning.

“Staff recognise the variety of life experiences pupils have.

“Careful consideration is given to ensure that all pupils thrive and benefit from high-quality support for their emotional and wellbeing needs.”

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HSDC celebrates National Careers Week

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HSDC celebrates National Careers Week

HSDC was proud to celebrate National Careers Week 2026 recently, showcasing the college’s commitment to preparing students for their futures through sector-leading guidance, inspirational encounters and outstanding progression outcomes and achievements across all three campuses.

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Everything you need to know on new tax rules for 27,000 people in Northern Ireland

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Belfast Live
Everything you need to know on new tax rules for 27,000 people in Northern Ireland | Belfast Live