Cuba's blackout, Shakira in Mexico and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean

Feb. 27 - March 5, 2026

Swaths of Cuba remained without power this week after a huge blackout hit the western part of the island in the latest outage blamed on a fragile electric grid and a lack of fuel. In Mexico, nearly 20 years after her first Zócalo concert, Shakira broke the plaza's attendance record with about 400,000 fans, closing her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour. A military plane carrying 18 tons of new banknotes crashed in Bolivia, killing more than 20 people.

This gallery was curated by photo editor Leslie Mazoch based in Mexico City.

AP photography: https://apnews.com/photography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews

FILE - Women dressed as race horses inspired by the Japanese franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, walk before competing at the Monterrico racecourse in Lima, Peru, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)

FILE - Flavio Cobolli of Italy holds the trophy after winning the men's singles final match against Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. at the Mexican Open tennis championship in Acapulco, Mexico, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

FILE - People watch a soccer match between FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid on a sidewalk in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph, File)

FILE - Attendees react to President Javier Milei's annual State of the Nation address at Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, File)

FILE - Colombian pop star Shakira gives a free concert at the Zocalo in Mexico City, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - Military police stand next to a cargo plane that crashed on a highway in El Alto, Bolivia, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - People gather outside the Iranian Embassy to protest the US-Israeli war on Iran in Caracas, Venezuela, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

FILE - Dylan Aquino of Argentina's Lanus, top, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's third goal during extra time in the Recopa Sudamericana second leg final soccer match against Brazil's Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Argentine gendarmerie officer Nahuel Gallo arrives to give a press conference days after being released from a Venezuelan prison in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro protest against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

FILE - People eat cups of soup outside during a blackout in Havana, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress.

He had faced calls from GOP leadership to end his reelection bid, and from others in Congress to resign.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election,” Gonzales said in a statement posted late Thursday to X.

The move is the latest in a quickly changing situation that stunned Capitol Hill and resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzales' decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 primary.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership earlier Thursday had called on Gonzales to withdraw from reelection after Gonzales, a day earlier, acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement.

“In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”

Johnson, R-La., has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare step that requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber.

GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats.

Their move came after Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.

Santos-Aviles, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.

“I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.

The congressman, now in his third term, had said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out.

Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the interview broadcast Wednesday, Gonzales said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024. She died in September 2025.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales went on to say he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, and has asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation.

Johnson and GOP leadership urged that committee to “act expeditiously.”

Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference about school safety enhancements at North East Independent School District in front of the new Wilshire Safety Training Center Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Blaine Young/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)