Cuba’s double whammy

--:--
Essential businesses and schools remain closed until Wednesday as Hurricane Oscar makes landfall in Cuba - an island already in the midst of a massive power failure. Millions have been struggling with a near nationwide blackout after a major power station came offline. The government said power is expected to be mostly restored by Monday evening. We hear how food and water are proving difficult to come by for some islanders.The High Court in London begins hearing a civil trial over the responsibility for Brazil's worst environmental disaster - the collapse of a mining dam in 2015. Nineteen people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed as toxic water was released. Claimants are now seeking $47bn in damages. And, as the 16th annual summit BRICS is about to be hosted by the Russian President VladImir Putin – we speak to Lord Jim O’Neill. He coined the synonym ‘BRICS’ but told us he felt the organisation ‘no longer knows what it stands for’. Its members - including some new ones attending for the first time - account for 40% of the world's population and around a third of the world's GDP. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!
21 Oct 10AM English United Kingdom Business

Other recent episodes

Putin opens key trade summit

Leaders of the ten key BRICS nations gather in the Russian city of Kazan for the annual summit. It began eighteen years ago with Brazil, Russia, India and China. In 2010, South Africa joined. And most recently, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were welcomed. Aiming…
22 Oct 10AM 28 min

Cuba’s energy blackout

The Cuban government has declared an energy emergency after a massive power cut led to the failure of supplies across the entire country. The total blackout came after the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas - the largest on the island - went offline. The government had already suspended all…
18 Oct 5PM 29 min

What's going on with China's economy?

Disappointing new data from China - its economy grows 4.6% in the third quarter. It's the lowest figure in year and a half, and comes as Beijing steps up stimulus efforts. Also, why are their so many tanker crashes in Nigeria right now? We'll hear from the trade body representing…
18 Oct 10AM 29 min

ECB cuts interest rates

The European Central Bank has cut interest rates to 3.25% to prevent a significant slowdown in the Eurozone's economy.Leanna Byrne hears from businesses around the continent to find out how they're responding to their country's economic challenges.
17 Oct 5PM 29 min

TSMC profits surge driven by strong AI-related demand

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reports a 54% increase in Q3 net profit. The company estimated its capital spending in the current quarte would more than double to around $11.5 billion and that the budget was likely to increase further next year, as it expects healthy demand for its products.In…
17 Oct 10AM 28 min