• Cuba's national electric grid collapsed, leaving around 10 million without power.
• The blackout is attributed to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade affecting the country's energy supply.
• President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed that Cuba has not received oil shipments since early January.
• Protests erupted across the country in response to the worsening economic conditions and power shortages.
• The Cuban government is engaged in talks with the U.S. to alleviate the crisis.

Cuba's national electric grid collapsed on Monday, leaving around 10 million people without power amid ongoing crises exacerbated by a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba (UNE) confirmed the situation is under investigation, marking the latest in a series of widespread outages that have become routine in the country. These outages stem from a combination of an obsolete generation system and exacerbated supply issues due to U.S. sanctions, according to Reuters, CBS News, and South China Morning Post.

The blackout comes amidst deteriorating economic conditions, aggravated by the absence of oil shipments since early January, following increased U.S. pressure on Venezuela, previously Cuba's main oil supplier. President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba has been operating on limited resources, including solar power and natural gas, while surgeries for thousands have been postponed due to the energy shortages. Videos of public dissent, including protests where residents bang pots and pans, have surfaced on social media, reflecting the population's growing frustration with the situation, as noted by CBS News and NPR.

The U.S. government's stance on Cuba has hardened, with threats of sanctions against any countries providing oil to the island. This past week, President Trump remarked about a potential "deal" with Cuba, highlighting the U.S. strategy of regime change through economic pressure. Meanwhile, Cuba continues engaging in discussions with U.S. officials to seek solutions to their rapidly escalating crisis, according to Reuters, Al Jazeera, and South China Morning Post.