Trump Threatens Tariffs on Countries Supplying Oil to Cuba

AFP/APP

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order threatening to impose additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, escalating pressure on the communist island nation.

The order states that an additional ad valorem duty may be imposed on imports from any foreign country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba,” according to the text released by the White House.

Invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the executive order describes the Cuban government as an “extraordinary threat” to US national security.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/trump-threatens-european-tariffs-over-greenland/

It accuses Havana of aligning with and supporting “hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors” opposed to the United States, including Russia, China, Iran, as well as militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Cuba has been largely under a US embargo since 1962 and until recently received most of its oil supplies from Venezuela. However, following political changes in Caracas, the Trump administration has tightened control over Venezuela’s oil sector and vowed to halt shipments to Cuba unless an agreement is reached.

The Caribbean island has faced severe fuel shortages in recent years, straining its power grid and causing widespread blackouts.

Mexico continues to provide oil to Cuba. Earlier this week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied reports that her government had stopped oil shipments to Havana.

New York Uses Snow ‘Hot Tubs’ to Melt Massive Winter Storm Snowfall

After more than a foot (30 centimetres) of snow blanketed parts of New York during a historic winter storm over the weekend, city authorities are working around the clock to clear the remaining snow before another blizzard hits.

Although the storm has passed, persistently sub-freezing temperatures have slowed natural melting, leaving snow piled along roadsides and sidewalks, posing hazards to pedestrians and motorists.

“If we don’t melt it, then it’ll sit there for a while,” said Javier Logan, an official overseeing New York’s sanitation operations, during a press conference on Wednesday.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/historic-winter-storm-pounds-us-from-south-to-northeast/

To speed up the process, the city has deployed giant snow-melting machines—nicknamed snow “hot tubs”—capable of melting between 60 and 120 tons of snow per hour. Trucks dump collected snow into the machines, which use heated water to melt it rapidly. The resulting water is filtered and released into storm drains.

Although steam rising from the machines gives them a jacuzzi-like appearance, the water temperature is only about 38 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius).

More than 2,500 city workers have been mobilized for the 24-hour operation. Logan said the immediate priority is clearing bus routes to ensure residents can commute safely to work and school.

The snow-melting machines, commonly used at airports and in other North American cities, have not been deployed at such scale in New York since 2021.