Weeks after the U.S. military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, economic pressure on the communist government in Havana Cuba has escalated. Soon after Donald Trump cut off subsidized oil imports from Venezuela and Mexico blackouts became a daily occurrence, and even the widely admired Cuban medical system was impaired as vulnerable patients faced life threatening crises due to power outages. On March 29, a Russian oil tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil, was headed to Cuba, with no interference from the Trump administration.
(“Blackout Economics,” Economist, March 19, 2026; “Is Latin America Ready to Abandon Cuba,” New York Times, March 14, 2026; “Sanctioned Russian Tanker Carrying 730,000 Barrels of Crude Heads for Cuba,” Energy News, March 30, 2026)
After weeks of surging oil prices due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that closed down the Strait of Hormuz, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared an energy emergency to address the current disruption of fuel delivery impacting the distribution of food, medicines and agricultural products. Marcos empowered a committee to ensure the orderly movement of basic goods across the country, and prevent the hoarding and profiteering of petroleum products.
(“Marcos Promises ‘Flow of Oil’ as Philippines Declares Energy Emergency,” BBC News, March 24, 2026; “Philippines President Declares Energy Emergency as Impact of Iran War is Felt,” Al-Jazeera, March 25, 2026)
The record March heatwave in the American West is threatening to rapidly melt the sparse snowpack and ramp up wildfire risks in the seasons ahead. The Guardian reports that extreme heat is exceptionally dangerous, especially so early in the year.
(“The Threat is Here: Searing Heatwave Bad News for Wildfire Season and Water Supply,” Guardian, March 24, 2026; “As Western heat wave ends, scientists try to make sense of its length and intensity,”NBC News, March 28, 2026)
