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STORY: Protester Yaira said they had been without power since Tuesday (September 27), and that she had been forced to throw out all her food.

By mid-day Friday, electricity had been restored to about half of the capital Havana, officials said, but those still in the dark had grown increasingly anxious.

The prolonged blackouts in Cuba are particularly painful for many residents because obtaining basic goods - including food, fuel and medicine - often means hours waiting in line under the hot Caribbean summer sun.

The protests, across several neighborhoods, mark some of the largest rallies in the Cuban capital since widespread anti-government demonstrations last July.