Briefly

CUBA

Malfunction behind power blackout fixed

A malfunction at a thermoelectric power plant in Cuba that caused a widespread blackout on Wednesday has been fixed, authorities said. A false signal of overheated steam caused the automatic shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in the western province of Matanzas, said Ruben Campos, the facility's director general. The plant is one of the largest power stations in Cuba and the incident caused the collapse of the island's national electricity system at 9:14 am. This is the fifth general blackout to hit the island in less than a year.

UNITED KINGDOM

Starmer fires envoy to US over Epstein links

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday fired the UK's ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, The Sun newspaper published emails that it said showed Mandelson telling Epstein to "fight for early release" shortly before Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The emails were published after the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a 50th birthday album compiled in 2003 for Epstein. In that album, Mandelson called Epstein "my best pal" in a handwritten note.

GREECE

75 cases of West Nile virus, 5 deaths reported

Greece's National Public Health Organization reported on Wednesday that 75 cases of West Nile virus infection have been confirmed in the country so far in 2025, including five fatalities. Of the confirmed cases, 62 involved central nervous system symptoms such as encephalitis, meningitis or acute flaccid paralysis, while 13 patients showed mild symptoms or none at all. The five dead were all patients aged over 71, according to the organization. It also warned that additional cases are likely to emerge in the coming period.

Xinhua - Agencies