Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Cuba was plunged into darkness on Saturday after a nationwide power grid collapse left the entire island without electricity, marking the third major outage this month. The state-run Cuban Electric Union, which operates under the Ministry of Energy and Mines, initially confirmed the blackout without giving a cause. Hours later, officials said the outage was triggered by the sudden failure of a generating unit at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province. According to the Ministry, the breakdown led to a cascading failure across multiple power stations, causing a total collapse of the national grid. Read related news:  Nationwide Internet…

The Trump administration has confirmed it will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports from Monday, as long security queues worsen during a partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump said the move was intended to support airport security operations and assist Transportation Security Administration staff who have been working without pay since 14 February. The operation will be led by Trump’s border adviser, Tom Homan, who said on Sunday that ICE officers would begin arriving at airports the following day. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said ICE agents would help “our wonderful Transportation Security Administration agents” who have…

Two teenagers have been charged in the United States with terrorism-related offences after allegedly throwing improvised explosive devices during an anti-Islam protest outside the New York mayor’s residence. Federal prosecutors said the incident occurred on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, during a demonstration organised by right-wing activists. New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and his family were not at home at the time. According to a criminal complaint filed in the southern district of New York, 18-year-old Emir Balat threw two explosive devices at protesters after receiving them from 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi. Prosecutors said both men expressed…

New Mexico authorities have launched a search of a ranch formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, state officials announced on Monday. The property, known as Zorro Ranch, has been cited in civil and criminal proceedings as a site of alleged sexual abuse by the late financier. Despite this, it was never searched by federal authorities, according to a recent investigation by the The Guardian. The New Mexico department of justice said it had “initiated a search” of the ranch, with assistance from state police and the Sandoval county sheriff’s office. The operation was carried out at the direction of the state…

More than 220 million children worldwide could be living with obesity by 2040 unless urgent action is taken, an international report has warned. New figures from the World Obesity Federation show a sharp rise from current levels. In 2025, an estimated 180 million children globally were classified as obese. By 2040, that number is projected to reach 227 million among 5 to 19-year-olds, with more than half a billion children expected to be overweight. According to the federation’s 2026 World Obesity Atlas, at least 120 million school-age children are likely to show early signs of chronic disease linked to high…

Donald Trump on Tuesday sought to quell a growing backlash in Congress and among his own supporters over the US decision to attack Iran, rejecting claims that he had been manoeuvred into military action by Israel. Facing criticism from both Democrats and factions of his Maga base, the president denied suggestions that Israel had already decided to strike Iran and that Washington was merely dragged along. Speaking to reporters, Trump insisted the decision was his alone. “No. I might have forced their hand,” he said. “We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were…

Israel carried out intense airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut in the early hours of Monday, after the Iran-backed group launched missiles and drones towards Israel. The attacks followed Hezbollah’s claim that it was retaliating for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. Residents of Beirut were woken at around 3am by a series of explosions. About a dozen strikes hit three locations in the southern suburbs. Bombardments continued into the morning, with another strike reported close to noon, by which time the area had been largely abandoned. The blasts shattered…

Numerous airlines cancelled or suspended international flights across the Middle East through the weekend after India’s civil aviation authority classified large parts of the region as a high-security risk zone at all altitudes. The warning covered airspace over several countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, prompting widespread disruption to international travel, particularly routes linked to Dubai and Tel Aviv. Air India announced the cancellation of all flights to Middle Eastern destinations. Turkish Airlines suspended services to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan until Monday, while also halting flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. In…

Joe Biden has warned that his successor, Donald Trump, will attempt to “steal” the upcoming US midterm elections, delivering the accusation in a rare public address on Friday. Speaking in South Carolina, where he was honoured for a lifetime of public service, the former president said the United States was facing “dark days”. His remarks came just hours before the Trump administration launched military strikes on Iran. Addressing an audience at the Columbia Museum of Art, Biden revived a line from his successful 2020 campaign, saying the “battle for the soul of this nation is one that’s never really over”.…

California regulators have warned that any takeover of Paramount will face close scrutiny, regardless of which bidder ultimately prevails. Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, said the deal was far from settled. He stressed that the companies involved had not yet cleared regulatory hurdles and that California intended to conduct a thorough review. “It is not a done deal,” Bonta said. “These two Hollywood titans have not cleared regulatory scrutiny, and we intend to be vigorous in our review. The proposed WBD transactions must receive a full and robust review, and California is taking a very close look.” Under the…