Cuba hit by widespread power blackout

HAVANA (Reuters) -- A power outage struck most of Cuba, including Havana, the state electric utility said on Wednesday, as the Communist-run government grapples with increased pressure from ‌the Trump administration that has curtailed oil shipments. The electric company Union Electrica UNE said the blackout was caused by an unexpected outage at Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant about 100 kilometers east of Havana, cutting electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far ⁠west to central-eastern Cam

March 5, 2026

Iran conflict may divert US weapons from Ukraine

With the United States focused on its conflict with Iran, Ukraine could face a critical shortage of US air defense missiles at a time when Russia shows no signs of easing its campaign ‌of striking Ukrainian cities. Since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on Saturday, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Gulf countries. Most have been intercepted, including with the PAC-3 Patriot missile interceptors that Ukraine relies on to defend its energy and military infrastruct

March 5, 2026

Ecuador orders mission to leave country

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador declared Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Antonio Gutierrez, and his diplomatic staff “persona non grata” on Wednesday and gave them 48 hours to leave the South American country. Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the measure was adopted within the framework of international diplomatic law, but didn't say why they were forcing the diplomats to leave. The Vienna Convention allows countries to declare diplomatic personnel a persona non grata with

March 5, 2026

Sea is higher than we thought: study

Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said. Researchers studied hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90 percent of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 30 centimeters, according to Wednesday's study in the journal Nature. It's a far more frequ

March 5, 2026

US Senate backs Trump on Iran strikes

US Senate Republicans backed US President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran on Wednesday, voting to block a bipartisan resolution aiming to stop ‌the air war and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorized by Congress. The Senate voted 53 to 47 not to advance the resolution, largely along party lines, with all but one Republican voting against the procedural motion and all but one Democrat supporting it. The latest effort by Democrats and a few Republicans ‌to rein in Pre

March 5, 2026

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, frontrunner to be Iran's supreme leader?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba has emerged as frontrunner to succeed his late father as Iran's supreme leader after years spent forging close ties with the elite Revolutionary ‌Guards and building influence in the clerical establishment. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has survived the US-Israeli air war on Iran and is seen by Iran's establishment as a potential successor to his father, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday, two Iranian sources said on Wednesday. A powerful mid-ranking cleric,

March 5, 2026

Michelangelo's works hidden in 'secret room,' researcher say

ROME (AFP) -- Renaissance artist Michelangelo ordered many of his artworks to be hidden by his pupils in a secret room to protect them for posterity, an Italian researcher claimed Wednesday. According to renowned art historian Giorgio Vasari, the Italian genius burned a large number of his own drawings and sketches before his death in Rome in 1564. But researcher Valentina Salerno says she has unearthed unpublished archival documents that reveal a plot to squirrel away his works. "One of these t

March 5, 2026

Airline, travel industries scramble with fallout

The airline and tourism industries scrambled to deal with the fallout from the escalating US and Israeli air war against Iran, while governments rushed ‌to bring stranded travelers home from the Middle East following the cancellation of more than 20,000 flights in recent days. Major Gulf hubs including Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, remained closed or severely restricted for a fourth day, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. According to Flightradar24, some 21,300

March 4, 2026

Trump says US Navy could escort tankers, Iran aimed to strike first

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through a crucial Gulf shipping route, as he justified his war on Iran by saying he believed Tehran was about to strike first. Trump has given often conflicting explanations for the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, while the president who once campaigned to end to America's Middle Eastern wars has set out no firm endgame. The attacks and Iran's fiery response have engulfed the Middle East -- while also causing glo

March 4, 2026

Macron orders France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Mediterranean

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the war in the Middle East. Macron said the Charles de Gaulle carrier will be escorted by frigates and its air wing. In a prerecorded speech on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defense systems and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East. “An

March 4, 2026

US turns up heat on Venezuela with threat to indict new leader Delcy Rodriguez

The Trump administration is quietly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez including readying a draft criminal indictment, one of several tools it is using to strengthen its leverage with Caracas, according to four people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors have put together possible corruption and ‌money laundering charges, and have communicated to Rodriguez that she is at risk of prosecution unless she continues to comply with Trump’s demands follo

March 4, 2026

Syria sends thousands of troops to Lebanon

Syria's Defense Minsitry said it reinforced its border with Lebanon, and eight Syrian and Lebanese sources said this included rocket units and thousands of troops as conflict spread in the ‌region including between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The sources included five Syrian military officers, a Syrian security official and two Lebanese security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the army has reinforced its ⁠deployme

March 4, 2026

[Graphic News] Global oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz

The steady flow of Gulf oil to Europe, the US and Asia through the narrow Strait of Hormuz has created the world’s largest oil transit chokepoint. After decades, the US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran, and Tehran’s ability to disrupt the strait has rattled markets and choked trade. Oil prices have already spiked and are expected to remain high as conflict threatens supplies. More than 20 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels passed through the strait daily last year. OPEC mem

March 4, 2026

Clinton says had no knowledge of Epstein crimes

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Former US president Bill Clinton said in sworn testimony released Monday by a US congressional committee that he had no knowledge of the sex crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton also said President Donald Trump, a one-time close friend of Epstein, "never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either." Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, were deposed by the Republican-l

March 3, 2026

Iranian-Americans fear for relatives in homeland

Many in the Iranian-American diaspora spent the weekend glued to their televisions, watching news of US and Israeli bombs falling on Iran, some clinging to hopes of a brighter future for their motherland but terrified their relatives might suffer from the collateral damage of war. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who for decades ruled the country while violently crushing dissent, was killed early in the attack. In the US, many celebrated, some taking to the streets to cheer the toppling of the man they c

March 3, 2026