Cuba hit with seventh major blackout of the year

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) -- Cuba was plunged into its seventh massive blackout of the year on Friday, the energy ministry said, as fuel shortages bite on the US-blockaded communist-ruled island. "A total disconnection of the electrical system has occurred," the ministry wrote on X, without specifying the cause. The embattled communist nation of more than nine million people is struggling to keep the lights on due to creaking infrastructure and a biting US energy blockade. Most Cubans now have power only for a few hours a day at best, making normal life impossible. With each outage everything from water pumps to ceiling fans grinds to a halt.