At about 2:00 PM eastern Daylight Time here in the US, the government of Cuba announced the entire country is in an electricity blackout.
It is believed the United States Embargo of Cuba has resulted in no fuel being available to power electric generating stations.
This belief is DISPUTED by government, but the dispute is a distinction without a difference; the lights are all still out.
It is not know when electricity to the island will be restored.
Cuba's aging electric grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to an increase in daily outages and island-wide blackouts. But the government also has blamed its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after President Donald Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.
The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.
Trump also has raised the possibility of a "friendly takeover of Cuba."
