Cuba grapples with nationwide blackout as oil blockade bites

Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed nationwide on Monday, the latest blackout during the US-led oil blockade; officials say there were no faults in the grid and restoration efforts are underway. The country’s generation relies heavily on oil, and the blockade has worsened an energy crisis, triggering emergency measures such as shortened school days, reduced transport, and hospital service cuts, while unofficial fuel prices surge. Protests erupted in Morón over outages and food shortages. Cuban officials blame the blockade for the energy crisis, even as Washington disrupted oil shipments from Venezuela and warned other exporters; critics point to long‑standing underinvestment in the energy sector. The outage coincides with a drop in internet traffic and tourism impacts, though authorities say power will be restored progressively as supplies allow.