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Cuba announces five fold increase in fuel prices

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The Cuban government has announced a five-fold increase in fuel prices as it struggles with shortages and a deepening economic crisis.

It said that from February the price of a litre of petrol would rise from 25 pesos ($0.20; £0.16) to 132 pesos.

The government, which subsidises many goods, hopes this will help to reduce its deficit.

It is the latest measure making life more difficult for cash-strapped Cubans.

Finance minister Vladimir Regueiro said the cost of diesel and other types of fuel would face similar mark-ups. He also announced a 25% increase in electricity prices for major consumers in residential areas, as well as hikes in costs for natural gas.

Mr Regueiro said the government would also open 29 new petrol stations which will solely accept payment in US dollars in order to raise foreign currency to purchase fuel on the international markets.

“These measures are aimed at reviving our economy,” Mr Regueiro told state television on Monday.

Cuba has been hit hard by economic turmoil, blamed on the coronavirus pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions in recent years, and structural weaknesses.

Last month, economy minister Alejandro Gil said that Cuba’s communist government could no longer sell fuel at subsidised prices, emphasising it was the “cheapest in the world”.

But economics professor Omar Everleny Pérez told AFP news agency that while petrol in Cuba may be cheap by global standards, when compared with salaries in the country it was “very expensive”.

He added that the new price structure would affect “the whole of society”.

In a nation where few people own vehicles, the rise in the cost of petrol pushes hopes of car ownership even further away.

Cuba, which depends heavily on imports, has suffered growing shortages of food, medicine, and consumer goods for the last four years.

The price hike comes on top of rampant inflation driving up prices for basic items and stagnant salaries for state workers, upping the pressure on Cubans already struggling to make ends meet.

The fuel crisis has led to long queues forming at forecourts, which sometimes stretch for miles and mean that filling a vehicle with petrol can become a days-long ordeal. Public transportation has also been sorely affected.

Last year, the shortages forced the government to cancel Cuba’s 2023 traditional May Day parade.

(BBC News)

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Rescue operations continue in Spain after flash floods kill at least 95

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Emergency teams in southern Spain are continuing to look for those feared missing after flash flooding killed at least 95 people in the region.

Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to Valencia, one of the worst-hit areas, to help with the rescue effort; some places can only be reached by helicopter.

It comes after Spain’s King Felipe VI warned yesterday that there had been “enormous destruction” to infrastructure and, as a result, some communities were harder to access.

Footage uploaded to social media showed floodwaters causing chaos in some areas, dragging cars through streets and leaving some people clinging to trees.

Local authorities have issued warnings about false information circulating online, including whether Valencia’s tap water is safe to drink.

(BBC News)

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Launch of Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship (Pics) 

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China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is to be launched at 04:27am BJT Wednesday (Oct. 30) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission, met the press on Tuesday (Oct. 29).

The three astronauts will take over command of China’s Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-18 crew currently in orbit, and will spend about six months in space.

The mission will be commanded by experienced astronaut Cai Xuzhe, who participated in the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceflight mission, while Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, among the third batch of Chinese astronauts, will carry out a space flight for the first time.

Wang is currently China’s only female space flight engineer and will become the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed spaceflight mission.

Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China’s manned space program, and the 4th manned mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.

The Shenzhou-19 spaceship, sitting atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was previously transferred to the launching area, with pre-launch function checks and joint tests conducted to ensure the spaceship’s readiness.

Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-18 crew aboard China’s orbiting Tiangong space station is preparing for their return mission while wrapping up the remaining experiments. The three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent into space for a six-month mission in April this year. Their return will take place after completing a handover with the Shenzhou-19 members at the space station.

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Hezbollah announces Naim Qassem as new leader

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Hezbollah has announced the group’s deputy secretary general will become its new head.

Naim Qassem replaces long-term leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut last month.

He is one of the few senior Hezbollah leaders who remains alive, after Israel killed most of the group’s leadership in a series of attacks.

The appointment comes as the conflict in Lebanon intensified in recent weeks.

For more than 30 years, Naim Qassem was Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general and one of the group’s most recognised faces.

Hezbollah said he was elected by the Shura Council, in accordance with the group’s rules. His whereabouts are unclear, however some reports suggest he has fled to Iran, which is Hezbollah’s main supporter.

Announcing Qassem’s promotion, Hezbollah released a statement describing him as “bearing the blessed banner in this march”.

The statement also honoured the late Nasrallah and others killed in the conflict.

The new Hezbollah leadership was expected to be passed to cleric Hashem Safieddine, but on 22 October it was revealed that he had been killed in an Israeli air strike nearly three weeks prior.

Israel has carried out air strikes across Lebanon in recent weeks, targeting what it says are Hezbollah’s operatives, infrastructure and weapons.

On Monday night, the Israeli military carried out air strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, an area where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 60 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the attack.

Israel went on the offensive against Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border hostilities sparked by the war in Gaza, saying it wanted to ensure the safe return of residents of border areas displaced by Hezbollah rocket, missile and drone attacks.

Over the past year, more than 2,700 people have been killed and nearly 12,500 injured in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.

Hezbollah has attacked Israel with thousands of rockets and drones over the same period, and at least 59 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.

(BBC News)

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