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Cuban ministers reveal details of food, fuel shortages amid economic crisis

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Cuban ministers reveal details of food, fuel shortages amid economic crisis

Nov 22 (Reuters) – Senior Cuban officials have over several weeks provided an increasingly dire snapshot of a deepening economic crisis in a series of televised prime-time appearances, revealing the extent of the downturn in unprecedented detail.

Minister after minister have delivered the bad news as the import-dependent Communist-run country weathers a fourth year of crisis, scraping by with a minimum of foreign exchange as output plummets.

Food production, the supply of phamaceuticals and transportation are down by at least 50% since 2018, the top officials said, and continued to decline this year in large part due to chronic fuel shortages and power outages.

Cuba imports most of the food and fuel it consumes, but revenues have plunged following the pandemic, hampered by stiff U.S. sanctions and floundering tourism, once a mainstay of the Caribbean island economy.

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“The ministers provided new information revealing just how serious the crisis is and that growth this year is very doubtful,” Cuban economist Omar Everleny said.

Production of pork, rice and beans – all staples on the Cuban dinner plate – are down by more than 80% this year over pre-crisis levels and eggs 50%, Agriculture Minister Ydael Jesus Perez said.

“It has only been possible to acquire 40% of the fuel, 4% of the fertilizer and 20% of the animal feed required,” the minister explained.

Hospitals, short on basic supplies such as sutures, cotton and gauze, have done 30% fewer surgical procedures compared with 2019, according to data shared on state-run TV during a presentation by First Deputy Health Minister Tania Margarita Cruz. Nearly 68% of basic pharmaceuticals are not available or in short supply.

Public transportation, vital in a country where few have vehicles, has also been hobbled by fuel shortages and difficulties in obtaining spare parts.

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If before the collapse of former benefactor the Soviet Union “there were 2,500 buses operating in Havana … today there are just 300 compared with 600 four years ago,” Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Davila said.

The ministers revealed domestic freight traffic continues to decline and is half of what it was in 2019. Industry is operating at 35% of capacity.

Cuba’s government has acknowledged its state-run economy needs reform.

Local authorities, increasingly under pressure as the problems and tension ratchet up, have launched programs to contain hunger, build homes and improve the flow of transportation, but remain hamstrung by a lack of funds, they have said.

Reporting by Marc Frank;
Editing by Sandra Maler

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Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Defense and special teams lift Notre Dame to 23-10 win over Georgia in Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal

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Defense and special teams lift Notre Dame to 23-10 win over Georgia in Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s defense made it hold up in a 23-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday that sent the third-ranked Fighting Irish into the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

In a game that was delayed by a day because of a deadly terror attack in the host city, Notre Dame (13-1, CFP No. 5) made enough big plays and got some help from a clever move by coach Marcus Freeman.

“Our coaches called the game aggressive. Our players executed, put everything on the line for this university and this football team,” Freeman said. “I’m really proud of them. Proud of the way they handled the events of the last 24 hours.”

Georgia (11-2, CFP No. 2) was in position to close within one score when Notre Dame stopped it on fourth-and-5 from the Irish 9-yard line with 9:29 to go.

Minutes later, Notre Dame had a fourth-and-short deep in his own territory when Freeman sent the punt team out before running all 11 players off the field and sending the offense out. Georgia raced to match up and then jumped offside as the play clock ticked down, giving the Irish a clock-sapping first down with 7:17 to go.

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“They were going to hard-count us. We prepare for that. We do it every week,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We jumped offsides.”

By the time the Bulldogs got the ball back, just 1:49 remained, and Notre Dame was well on its way to its 12th straight victory and a date with No. 5 Penn State (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) in a semifinal at the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 9.

“That’s the aggressiveness in terms of our preparation that I want our program to have,” Freeman said. “That’s got to be one of our edges, that we are going to be an aggressive group and not fear making mistakes.”

Georgia entered the game without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his elbow in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and one touchdown.

The Bulldogs outgained Notre Dame 296 yards to 244, but Georgia was stopped on all three of its fourth-down attempts and lost two fumbles — one deep in Notre Dame territory and one inside its own 20.

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“The turnovers are the difference in the game, guys,” Smart said. “I mean, you should know when you turn it over twice and they return a kickoff for a touchdown, you’re not going to have a lot of success.”

Leonard finished with 90 yards passing and a team-high 80 yards rushing, including a late first-down run in which he was sent head over heels as he tried to leap over a defender.

“We’re in the playoffs,” Leonard said. “Everybody else can put their body on the line, I’m going to do it right there with them.”

The game had been set for Wednesday night as part of a New Year’s Day playoff tripleheader, but it was postponed after an Army veteran inspired by the Islamic State group drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing 14 revelers. Security was increased at the Superdome — which will also host the Super Bowl next month — and arriving fans said they felt safe.

With some fans unable to alter their travel plans, attendance in the 70,000-seat stadium was announced at 68,400. There were some patches of empty seats in the upper levels, but passionate supporters made no shortage of noise trying to will their teams into the next round of college football’s first 12-team playoff.

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The game was tied at 3-all before Notre Dame scored 17 points in a span of 54 seconds.

The unusual sequence began with Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in first half.

Soon after, Georgia paid for a decision to attempt a drop-back pass from its own 25. RJ Oben’s blind-side sack caused Stockton to fumble at the 13, where Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka recovered. Leonard found Beaux Collins over the middle for a touchdown on the next play for a 13-3 lead that stood at halftime.

By the time 15 seconds had elapsed in the third quarter, Notre Dame led 20-3.

Harrison took Georgia’s second-half kickoff all the way to the end zone, slipping a tackle near the middle of the field, cutting toward the right sideline and outrunning everyone.

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Georgia closed the gap to 20-10 when Stockton hit reserve running back Cash Jones for a 32-yard score before Jeter’s third field goal of the game gave the Irish their winning margin.

Takeaways

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Notre Dame: With a dominant defense and the dual-threat nature of Leonard’s playmaking, the Irish look dangerous heading into the semifinals.

Georgia: A team trying to win big games without its starting QB can’t afford big mistakes, and missed opportunities doomed the Bulldogs and Smart, who will have to wait a year for another chance at his third national title.

Up next

Notre Dame: The Irish resume a series with the Nittany Lions that is currently even at 9-9-1.

Georgia: The 2025 season opener will be at home against Marshall on Aug. 30.

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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu leaves hospital after prostate surgery

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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu leaves hospital after prostate surgery

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from hospital on Thursday after his prostate surgery ended “successfully,” his office reported on X.

NETANYAHU GOES AGAINST DOCTOR’S ORDERS, APPEARS IN ISRAELI PARLIAMENT AFTER SURGERY

Israeli PM Netanyahu speaks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement on Nov. 26 in Jerusalem, Israel.  (Israeli Government Press Office via AP)

“I have just left Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital,” he said on X. The hospital is in Jerusalem.

His office said Netanyahu, 75, was in good condition and fully conscious after the conclusion of his prostate surgery.

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Weather warnings as freezing temperatures hit United Kingdom

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Weather warnings  as freezing temperatures hit United Kingdom

The UK’s Meteorological Office said a snap of cold weather will grip the country, with large areas facing snowfall.

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A three-day weather warning was issued in the UK on Thursday as swathes of the country face ice and snow in a cold snap in the first week of the New Year. 

Yellow weather warnings were put in place for northeast Scotland, northwest England and Northern Ireland with people in those areas told to expect icy conditions and delays in their journeys. 

Most of England, southern Scotland and all of Wales were told by the Met Office to prepare for snow from Saturday until Monday morning.  

Areas in northern England could see between 5cm and 30cm of snow, local media report, and travel delays and power cuts are likely in affected regions. 

The warning comes after parts of the United Kingdom were flooded on Wednesday as heavy rains and powerful winds continued to disrupt New Year’s celebrations. 

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Several communities in the Manchester area were flooded, with several homes evacuated and cars submerged up to their roofs on roads and in parking lots after nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in two days. 

A major incident was declared and mountain rescue teams were called in to help firefighters respond to swamped properties and stranded vehicles, Greater Manchester Police said. 

In Stockport, rivers were flooded and local flood wardens warned that extra measures may have to be taken. 

Warnings that indicate flooding is expected were issued at one point to more than 150 communities across the U.K., with most being in northern England. 

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