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A member of the Syrian security forces gestures next to a vehicle at the entrance of the Druze town of Jaramana, following deadly clashes sparked by a purported recording of a Druze man cursing the Prophet Mohammad, which angered Sunni gunmen southeast of Damascus, Syria, on April 29, 2025.

REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar

HARD NUMBERS: Sectarian clashes hit Damascus, Will India attack Pakistan?, Trump eases auto-tariffs, Germany creates coalition government, Malnutrition soars in Gaza, Cuba jails top dissident again

10: At least 10 people were killed in sectarian clashes outside Damascus late Monday. The firefight erupted between pro-government Sunni fighters and gunmen belonging to the Druze minority after a Druze cleric was blamed for an audio recording that insulted the Prophet Muhammad. Containing sectarian violence is a top concern for the post-Assad government as it seeks to rebuild the war-torn country. In response to the violence and threats against the Druze minority, Israel conducted what it called a “warning operation” on Wednesday, targeting an armed group in Syria’s Damascus province.

24-36: Pakistan’s information minister claimed on Tuesday that the country has “credible intelligence” that India may launch a military strike within 24 to 36 hours. The warning follows India’s accusation that Pakistan-backed militants were responsible for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last week that killed 26 tourists — a charge Islamabad denies.

2: Donald Trump on Monday reduced the tariff burden on US-based car manufacturers by ensuring that the 25% levies on vehicles and parts don’t pile on top of existing duties, such as those on imported steel and aluminum. He also provided tariff rebates on foreign parts to automakers operating in the US for a two-year period, giving them more time to shift their supply chains.

84: In Germany’s parliament late Tuesday, 84% of Social Democratic Party members strongly supported the party’s proposal to join a coalition government with the Christian Democratic bloc. Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right party that won the February election, is set to be officially appointed chancellor next week. His main priority? Reviving Germany’s struggling economy.

10,000: Roughly 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition have been registered among children in Gaza so far this year, according to a new UN report. Overall, about 60,000 children there are chronically underfed. Israel has blocked all aid deliveries to the enclave since March 2, saying that Hamas hijacks humanitarian convoys. Dozens of local and internationally run community kitchens have run out of supplies and been forced to close in recent weeks.

3: On Tuesday, after just three months of freedom, Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrerwas arrested again on charges that he had violated his parole agreement. Ferrer, one of the few high-profile opponents of the island’s communist dictatorship, was released earlier this year as part of a Vatican-brokered deal. The Castro regime continues to wield significant influence in Cuba, even amid a crippling economic crisis that has driven more than a fifth of the population abroad since 2022.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Cuban American leaders in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2021.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Cuba libre? Biden takes island off terror list

As the sun sets on his presidency, Joe Biden announced this week that he has removed Cuba from the list of US State Sponsors of Terrorism. In exchange, under a deal brokered by the Catholic Church, Havana agreed to gradually release 553 political prisoners, possibly including some of the 671 protesters jailedafter anti-government demonstrations in July 2021.
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People use mobile phones during a blackout after Hurricane Rafael knocked out the country's electrical grid, in Havana, in November. On Tuesday, the island suffered yet another blackout when a major power plant failed.

REUTERS/Norlys Perez

Cuba suffers yet another blackout

For the third time in two months, all of Cuba was plunged into darkness as the island nation’s power infrastructure shuddered to a halt on Tuesday.

It’s the latest blow for the Caribbean country’s 11 million people, who are grinding through the worst economic crisis in decades. Rising energy prices and sluggish post-pandemic tourism have worsened the effects of economic mismanagement by the Communist government and longstanding US sanctions. In recent years, fully 10% of Cuba’s entire population fled the island altogether.

Especially painful: Cheap oil imports from friendly Venezuela have fallen. For years, Cuba has exported doctors and spies to Caracas in exchange for discounted crude. But Venezuela, struggling with US sanctions of its own, has begun prioritizing Asian buyers who can pay in hard currency. Imports from Russia and Mexico have also fallen, starving Cuba’s decrepit, oil-fired energy plants.

Politically, there has been little effect … so far. But it was only three years ago that Cuba saw its biggest anti-government protests – for food and freedom – in decades. A ferocious crackdown silenced dissent, and hundreds remain in prison, but the economic hardship has only deepened since then.

And don’t forget Los Yanquis. Donald Trump has tapped Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio, an ultra-hawk on Cuba, to be his top diplomat. Things are set to get darker still for the Cuban regime.

People wait in line to buy bread before Rafael's arrival in Havana, Cuba, on Nov. 5, 2024.

REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Hard Numbers: Cuba battens down the hatches, Mexico’s judicial reform stands, Iran’s currency hits record low, Tsk tsk Pyongyang, Reckless raccoon

70,000: In advance of Hurricane Rafael’s arrival on Wednesday, Cuba’s government helped evacuate 70,000 people from dangerous areas and mobilized the military for cleanup. The country is still reeling from another recent hurricane and a large-scale power blackout.
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A woman sitting at her house, looks on as Cuba suffers a third major setback in restoring power to the island, with millions still without electrical service, in Havana, Cuba, October 20, 2024.

REUTERS/Norlys Perez

Will Cuba’s government collapse with its grid?

Millions of Cubans remain in the dark amid a worsening power crisis. The collapse first hit Cuba’s western provinces, including the capital of Havana, on Friday, with no clear timeline for restoration. While the Antonio Guiteras power plant was brought back online over the weekend, its 500-megawatt output falls far short of the 3 gigawatts the island needs, and its output has dropped to 370 megawatts.

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Canadian navy patrol boat HMCS Margaret Brooke passes by Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine Kazan and frigate Admiral Gorshkov, as it enters Havana’s bay, Cuba, June 14, 2024.

REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Our men in Havana

Even a summer trip to Cuba is fodder for controversy in Canada these days. This week, a Canadian warship paid a controversial visit to the port of Havana – docking near Russian warships that were also on a high-profile visit to the Cuban capital.

Defense Minister Bill Blair said there was nothing special about the naval drop-in, which was meant to demonstrate Ottawa’s commitment to freedom of navigation in the Western Hemisphere. It was, he said, announced by the Canadian Armed Forces “in advance.”

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FILE PHOTO: An image of Cuba's former President Raul Castro and Cuba's President and First Secretary of the Communist Party Miguel Diaz-Canel is seen beside a Turkish powership, in Havana, Cuba, April 17, 2023.

REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Cubans cry for electricity and food in rare protests

Extended blackouts and food scarcity drove Cubans into the streets of Santiago, the Caribbean country’s second-largest city, on Monday, in rare and risky protests. President Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed the US trade embargo for shortages and warned that American “terrorists” were fomenting dissent.

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Jess Framptom

GZERO Wrapped 2023

‘Tis the Spotify Wrapped season! (Or Apple Music replay season, for those of us out of step with the cultural zeitgeist). In the spirit of everyone sharing their most-played tracks of the year, the GZERO team decided to look back at some of our top-viewed articles of 2023. You’ll never guess who wrote our top pick …

Plus, check out GZERO’s totally real and definitely not photoshopped 2023 Spotify Wrapped playlists from some of your favorite politicians.

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