On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, a major blackout plunged Havana and much of western Cuba into darkness, cutting electricity to millions of residents on an island already grappling with chronic power shortages. Energy officials said the disruption began when a high-voltage transmission line connecting two key power plants failed, forcing parts of the national grid offline and triggering a cascading outage across several provinces. The general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lázaro Guerra, said the fault occurred on a line linking the Antonio Guiteras plant in Matanzas with generating facilities that supply the capital. As protective systems…
Author: Emily Harper
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Italian prosecutors in Rome have ordered 13 luxury fashion houses to submit detailed records on their corporate governance, internal controls and audit systems as part of a widening investigation into alleged labor exploitation in the sector. Judicial documents seen by reporters show that the request focuses on possible abuse of Chinese workers employed in subcontracted workshops that manufacture goods for some of Italy’s best-known brands. According to the documents, investigators are examining how these companies oversee their production chains and whether existing compliance systems were sufficient to detect or prevent abuses. The move marks the latest phase of an effort…
What a Supermoon Is and Why It Looks Bigger As December evenings approach, skywatchers have a celestial treat: the last supermoon of the year. The phenomenon occurs because the moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical — at certain points it comes closer to our planet. When a full moon aligns with that near-Earth point, the result is a “supermoon”: a lunar appearance that can look up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the faintest full moons of the year, according to NASA. Supermoons typically arrive in clusters, and this December’s event caps off a trio of consecutive supermoons in…
Visa has announced plans to begin operations in Syria after reaching an agreement with the country’s central bank on a roadmap to build a nationwide digital payments infrastructure. In a statement released on Thursday, the global card network said the accord sets out steps to introduce electronic payments in a market that has been largely cut off from international finance for more than a decade. The company said its immediate focus will be cooperation with licensed Syrian financial institutions to create a “robust and secure payments foundation.” That work will include the issuance of payment cards, the rollout of digital…
Breakthrough After Years of Investigative Dead Ends Federal investigators believe they have finally identified the person suspected of planting two viable pipe bombs near the headquarters of both major national political parties in Washington. The FBI arrested Brian Cole, according to senior law enforcement officials familiar with the case. The arrest brings a long stalled investigation closer to resolution after years of public appeals, extensive surveillance review, and mounting political pressure. Officials have confirmed that the arrest took place in the morning, and a Justice Department briefing is planned to outline additional details. Cole’s relatives declined comment, though one family…
Renewed Mission to Solve Aviation’s Greatest Mystery Malaysia is set to resume the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the jetliner that vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing more than a decade ago with 239 people on board. The disappearance of the Boeing 777 remains one of the most puzzling tragedies in modern aviation, with no clear explanation for its loss and only scattered debris confirming its fate somewhere in the remote Indian Ocean. Authorities confirmed that the next phase of the mission will begin at the end of December and continue for 55 days in…
Costco Wholesale Corp. has become the largest U.S. company so far to challenge former President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs, asking a federal trade court to order a refund of the duties it has already paid. The warehouse-club retailer has filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, arguing that the levies, imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), were unlawfully applied and should be rolled back for affected importers. The case underscores how deeply Trump’s trade measures have affected big-box retailers that rely heavily on imported goods, from electronics and clothing to…
From February 1, 2026, air passengers in the United States who reach security without a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable ID will have to pay a $45 fee to travel. The policy, announced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), applies to the small share of travelers who do not meet identification rules now enforced under the REAL ID Act of 2005, which became fully effective for air travel in May 2025. Currently, people who forget their wallets or present non-compliant cards may still fly after extra questioning and manual checks. That labor-intensive option will be replaced by a standardized,…
Tomlin Acknowledges Boos Pittsburgh heard something unusual inside Acrisure Stadium. Boos. After a lopsided 26-7 loss to Buffalo, some fans voiced frustration as the Steelers slipped into a pattern that feels unfamiliar for one of the most stable teams in football. Mike Tomlin did not run from that response. He embraced it. He told reporters that in a sport entertainment business, winning is the entertainment. When the Steelers fail to deliver, frustration is fair. His team surrendered 249 rushing yards, committed costly penalties and lacked rhythm on both sides of the ball. The performance left supporters upset enough to call…
Immersive Art Takes Center Stage A major public installation on Miami Beach has become one of the standout attractions during Art Week. British artist Es Devlin has unveiled “Library of Us,” a monumental rotating bookshelf surrounded by water that invites visitors to read, reflect, and reconnect with their own relationship to books. The work is located outdoors along the shoreline beside the Faena Hotel and has quickly emerged as a centerpiece for the nonprofit Faena Art, which is marking a decade of programming dedicated to creative experimentation and public access. The installation is a 50 foot wide triangular structure. It…
