Cuba’s energy blackout

Business Matters

The Cuban government has declared an energy emergency after a huge power cut led to the failure of supplies across the entire country. The blackout came after the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas - the largest on the island - went offline. The government had already suspended all non-essential public sector services in an effort to conserve supplies. President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the decades-long US embargo against his country for the problem.

Meanwhile, in China, latest GDP figures show the slowest growth since early 2023. Rahul Tandon examines what's contributing the country's sluggish economy. The global food industry is growing rapidly - some estimates say it’s now worth more than $10 trillion. But there are growing concerns about how healthy some of that food is. The UN has stepped in, detailing what they want global food producers to do about food labelling.

Also, families of fentanyl victims in the US have asked their government to place tariffs on China - for what they say is its role in the opioid crisis. They have submitted a petition seeking trade countermeasures that include tariffs on a range of Chinese merchandise.

Rahul is joined by Katia Dmitrieva, Bloomberg Asia Economics Correspondent, and Andy Uhler - Journalism Fellow at the University of Texas Energy Institute and Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy.