Category: WORLD

Havana, Aug 3 (IANS) Cuba was hit by another nationwide blackout, the National Electric Union said.

The union said in a statement on social media that the country’s national power system experienced a total disconnection at 22:43 local time (0243 GMT) on Sunday.

A partial collapse of Cuba’s National Electric System left western provinces without electricity on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency

Cuba has struggled to import fuel and repair its ageing power plants due to the impact of US sanctions, the statement said.

Since October 2024, Cuba has suffered several nationwide blackouts due to power facility failures, hurricanes and other factors.

Earlier on August 1, the National Electric Union said that the country was hit by a partial collapse of its national electric system affecting provinces from Matanzas to Pinar del Rio.

The union said in a statement that the incident occurred at 18:07 p.m. local time on Saturday, triggered by the tripping of transmission lines.

Additionally, a partial collapse of Cuba’s National Electric System left western provinces without electricity on Saturday.

In a brief statement on social media, the union said the failure occurred between the provinces of Matanzas and Pinar del Rio at 6:07 p.m. local time (2207 GMT) and was caused by transmission line trips.

Earlier in July, a 100-page report by the US State Department accused the Cuban government of playing a leading role in shaping “America’s most famous and influential extremist movements,” and of operating espionage and subversion networks on US soil.

Cuba rejected the report, saying it promotes a false narrative aimed at justifying Washington’s longstanding policy of aggression against the island country.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a post on social media platform X that the report was promoted by “one of the most corrupt officials in the current administration, with proven ties to drug traffickers and terrorists in Florida.”

Diaz-Canel said the decades-long US embargo and the recent fuel ban were part of a policy intended to turn Cubans against their revolutionary government.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung returned home on Monday from an 11-day overseas tour that included meetings with the heads of leading US tech firms and summits with the presidents of three South American nations.

The trip first took Lee to San Francisco, where he met with Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang and the heads of three other leading US tech companies to promote bilateral cooperation on artificial intelligence, reports Yonhap news agency.

During subsequent visits to Brazil, Chile and Argentina, Lee held summits with their presidents and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas ranging from critical and strategic minerals to crude oil imports.

At his final stop in Frankfurt, he briefly met with members of the Korean community in Germany.

Back in Seoul, the president was scheduled to resume receiving policy briefings from government ministries and agencies, beginning with the trade, environment and labour ministries on Tuesday, followed by the foreign, defence and unification ministries the next day.

Additionally, the president was set to hold a special meeting with his aides later in the day to discuss recent issues related to the housing market and sharp fluctuations in the local stock market, according to the presidential office.

The closed-door meeting at Cheong Wa Dae will bring together Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and other relevant ministers to discuss pressing issues in the real estate and stock markets.

The government has sought to revise the property tax system, tackle supply and demand issues in the housing market, and introduce measures related to single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds, which have been blamed for heightened volatility in the stock market.

–IANS

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London, Aug 3 (IANS) A tanker reported hearing an explosion in close proximity to the vessel near the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, though both the vessel and its crew were reported safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

According to a UKMTO advisory on Sunday, the agency received the report from the vessel’s master at 20:37 GMT on Sunday. The master said the explosion was heard while the vessel was about 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman.

The UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency.

As tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated again, the UKMTO has reported a series of maritime security incidents in recent days, most of them occurring off Oman’s coast near the Strait of Hormuz, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (Washington time) that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, noting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar had asked the United States to call off planned strikes because “they think there’s a deal.”

“There’s a deal on (the Strait of) Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearisation of Iran,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews.

Claiming that Iran had also asked the United States to pull back the planned strikes, Trump said that “now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation.”

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud spoke on the phone with Trump on Saturday and “expressed concern and asked for clarity” about the proposed plan of action against Iran, a US official told news outlet Axios.

Pakistan, Qatar, the UAE, Türkiye and other countries have also called on the United States and Iran to de-escalate tensions and avoid further conflict.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Monday called on President Lee Jae Myung to veto a recently passed bill aimed at abolishing the prosecution’s direct investigative powers.

PPP lawmakers made the appeal as they held a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council outside Cheong Wa Dae, slamming the bill as a measure that would only benefit criminals and undermine the rule of law.

“When the passage of the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act abolishing the supplementary investigative authority was declared, the rule of law in South Korea was handed a death sentence,” PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said.

“This is a bill that only benefits criminals, including President Lee,” he added, noting that Lee’s own criminal trials are currently suspended.

Rep. Jang warned that public calls for Lee’s impeachment would grow stronger if he refuses to veto the bill, stressing that the legislation is opposed by a majority of the public, legal experts and even some ruling party lawmakers amid concerns it could weaken protection for victims.

Under the bill, the prosecution will be stripped of its authority to conduct direct investigations, including supplementary investigations. Prosecutors will instead be allowed to request judicial police officers to carry out supplementary investigations, reports Yonhap news agency.

The bill passed a plenary session last week in a 175-2 vote, despite protests from the PPP.

The revision is part of the ruling party’s broader prosecution reform drive aimed at dismantling the prosecution and creating two new agencies, tasked with handling investigations and indictments, respectively.

–IANS

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Sydney, Aug 3 (IANS) One teenage boy has died, and three others have been hospitalised under police guard after an alleged stolen vehicle they were travelling in crashed north of Sydney on Monday morning.

According to police, the vehicle left the road and crashed into a field 110 km north of Sydney around 3 a.m. local time on Monday.

Emergency services attended and treated a 13-year-old boy, but he could not be revived and died at the scene.

A second boy, aged 14, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital with leg injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two other people believed to have also been travelling in the vehicle left the scene prior to the arrival of police.

A crime scene was established and an 18-year-old and a second 14-year-old were arrested following inquiries and taken to hospital under police guard.

Police said that the vehicle had been allegedly stolen from a nearby town either late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning and called for anyone with information about the incident to contact investigators.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a man was shot during an invasion of his home in western Sydney on Sunday night. He has been hospitalised, officials said.

A police statement on Monday said that officers were called to reports of a shooting in the western Sydney suburb of South Wentworthville around 9:10 p.m. on Sunday.

Officers were told that two males wearing head coverings had entered a property and shot a resident before leaving the scene.

The resident, a 60-year-old man, was treated by ambulance paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries before being taken to hospital in a stable condition.

Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph reported that the target of the shooting was an innocent relative of a family involved in organised crime.

A 44-year-old man related to the same family was the target of an attempted shooting while picking his daughter up from a western Sydney school in June.

Police said on Monday that a crime scene has been established at the South Wentworthville home and an investigation is underway.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea’s defence ministry on Monday launched a new counterintelligence unit tasked with countering espionage and terror threats from North Korea and elsewhere, as part of a sweeping overhaul aimed at replacing a former unit long dogged by criticism over its political influence.

The new defence counterintelligence agency is one of three new bodies being established under the reform plan, after the ministry decided to disperse and transfer the core functions of the Defence Counterintelligence Command (DCC) to new and existing agencies.

The ministry unveiled the reform plans in early June to dismantle the DCC, marking the command’s dissolution 49 years after its establishment.

The new counterintelligence unit will “proactively tackle future security threats” by working with domestic and foreign partner agencies to combat increasingly covert intelligence activities and terrorist threats from North Korea and other countries, the ministry said in a release.

It will also focus on preventing military secret leaks in the defence industry, while seeking to provide security support for other strategic areas, such as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations being pursued in cooperation with the US Navy, reports Yonhap news agency.

Also, a major task will be protecting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite systems against potential cyberthreats, the ministry added.

A launch ceremony was held at the former headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, attended by Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and other military officials.

A new security support unit was also launched within the ministry on the same day. It will mainly oversee internal military security, including security audits for corps-level units or larger formations and investigation into security breaches, the ministry said.

The DCC has often been criticised for wielding excessive powers through its unique intelligence-gathering roles and has undergone a series of reform efforts under previous administrations.

Its involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law imposition on December 3, 2024, had reignited calls for reform.

The reform plans also call for creating a separate investigative unit to handle crimes threatening national security, such as espionage, treason and cybersecurity threats.

–IANS

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Budapest, Aug 3 (IANS) Hungary is entering its “most critical 5 days” as dropping water levels on the Danube River threaten the complete shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant amid an extreme heatwave, Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar has said, warning that the plant could be shut down for more than a month.

Speaking to local commercial television channel RTL on Sunday (local time), Magyar said the last remaining operating turbine at the 2,000 MW facility will likely be shut down late Sunday or on Monday. A complete halt to power generation at Paks, which accounts for nearly half of Hungary’s domestic electricity generation, would mark the first full closure in the plant’s 44-year history.

Magyar explained earlier on social media that strict nuclear safety regulations mandate the shutdown because of record-low river levels needed for cooling water, reports Xinhua news agency.

He reassured the public that nuclear safety remains fully guaranteed, with around 50 water management experts assisting plant personnel to maintain cooling operations.

The unprecedented energy crisis comes as Hungary braces for temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius or higher over these “most critical five days,” placing immense strain on the national grid.

The Hungarian government has introduced emergency measures to maintain grid stability. Under a decree that took effect on Saturday, mandatory consumption cutbacks can be enforced on major industrial consumers if necessary.

However, Magyar noted that voluntary conservation efforts by businesses and the public have so far helped avoid enforced rationing. Major companies, including MOL, Audi, and Gedeon Richter, have pledged significant demand reductions.

Nearly 300 companies have already pledged voluntary reductions for Monday, along with numerous state-owned firms, most local councils, civil society groups and churches, he said.

To save power, decorative lighting on Budapest’s iconic landmarks, including the Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, and the Chain Bridge, was turned off on Sunday evening.

Additional measures include halting most rail freight transport between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. starting Monday, bringing reserve power units on standby, and maximising electricity imports.

“If Hungary can get through these most critical five days, temperatures are expected to drop by 5 to 7 degrees Celsius,” Magyar said, adding that household restrictions remain an absolute last resort to maintain system stability.

–IANS

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Rio De Janeiro, Aug 3 (IANS) Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party (PT) officially nominated incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its candidate for the upcoming presidential election as he seeks a fourth term in office.

At the party’s national convention in Sao Paulo, on Sunday, delegates formally approved the ticket pairing Lula with incumbent Vice President Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Socialist Party, Xinhua news agency reported.

PT President Edinho Silva announced that the party had completed its candidate registration with the Superior Electoral Court.

Addressing the convention, the 80-year-old Brazilian president said his administration’s achievements will serve as a strong foundation for the campaign.

“We can proudly demonstrate to people everywhere what the federal government has accomplished,” Lula said.

Lula pledged to strengthen Brazil’s defence industry, safeguard the country’s strategic mineral resources and protect national sovereignty.

“No Chinese, no American, no French will touch these resources without respecting Brazil’s sovereignty,” he said, adding that his government would need to be “much more daring” to deliver further changes.

Lula’s campaign has highlighted proposed income tax reforms aimed at reducing the burden on lower-income earners, as well as a debt relief programme that has gained public support.

Meanwhile, Lula has continued to strengthen Brazil’s relationship with China, its largest trading partner, through direct engagement with President Xi Jinping. Recent discussions between the two leaders focused on expanding cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, critical minerals, agriculture, and broader Mercosur-China economic ties.

Under Brazil’s electoral rules, political parties must confirm their candidates by August 5 and complete official registration by August 15. The official election campaign is scheduled to kick off on August 16.

Lula previously served two consecutive terms as president after winning the 2002 and 2006 elections. He returned to office after winning the 2022 election and began his third term in January 2023.

–IANS

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San Francisco, Aug 3 (IANS) One person was killed and five others injured in a neighborhood shooting in Portland, the US state of Oregon on Sunday (US local time), the local government said in a press release.

At 3:33 a.m. local time, Portland police officers assigned to North Precinct responded to a report of a shooting in the 5800 block of Northeast Alberta Street, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the release.

When they arrived, they found two victims with apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to the hospital by ambulance. A short time later, officers learned that four additional victims had arrived at local hospitals by private vehicles, it added.

An adult male later died at the hospital, while the other five injured have been treated and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, the release said, adding that a teenage juvenile is among the injured.

The suspect or suspects left the scene after the shooting and no immediate arrests have been made.

Portland Police Homicide Unit detectives are asking anyone who has information about this case and has not spoken to police to submit a tip online.

Earlier on Saturday, at least three people were killed and at least two others injured in a shooting in the area of an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, in the northwestern US state of Idaho, local officials said.

The shooting began inside the restaurant before 2:30 p.m. local time (2030 GMT), CBS News reported, citing Joshua Palmer, public information coordinator for the city of Twin Falls. Details surrounding the incident remained unclear.

Meanwhile, police were responding to an active shooter incident near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, in the US state of Idaho, authorities said Saturday.

The Twin Falls Police Department said in a public safety alert that officers were working in the area and asked residents and visitors to stay away so that law enforcement officers and first responders could operate safely,

–IANS

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Tehran, Aug 2 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that negotiations between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Araghchi said on Sunday during a cabinet meeting that the negotiations have progressed and are on the path of being finalised.

Elaborating on the Iran-Oman talks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Sunday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that reaching an agreement between the two countries is not related to the waterway’s reopening or continued closure, reports Xinhua news agency.

Baghaei said Iran and Oman are working to designate a “new route” in the strait within a traffic separation scheme format that can ensure both sides’ sovereign rights as well as Iran’s national interests and security.

Earlier, Iran’s Acting Defense Minister Seyed Majid Ebn Al-Reza said Sunday that Tehran perceives every “enemy” threat as “real and noteworthy,” rejecting any characterization of them as mere psychological warfare.

“We will neither be surprised nor remain passive. We use threats as a basis to increase our preparedness, strengthen our deterrence, and develop our power,” Al-Reza wrote on social media platform X after US President Donald Trump said earlier that he had agreed to hold off fresh attacks against Iran.

Tehran tightened its grip on the strait after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on February 28.

The US military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets last month, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.”

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and facilities in the region.

–IANS

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