← From Our Own Correspondent
From Our Own Correspondent
Cuba's crisis deepens
00:28:54
Nationwide blackouts, food shortages, and struggling health services are taking a toll
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Transcript30 lines
- [00:00]
Will Grant
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.
- [00:06]
Sophia Wilson
Hey, it's Sophia Wilson, athlete and gold medalist and this summer my wardrobe is being perfected with Abercrombie's newest drop. I'm a girl who loves jeans and Abercrombie's new Linen Blend denim has changed the game for me. They have that lightweight feel for summer, but the outfits I live in all summer are matching sets. They always look good and they give your wardrobe options. Spend the summer in Abercrombie. Shop in the app, online and in stores.
- [00:33]
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- [01:05]
BBC News Presenter
Hello, today we're talking Trump in a Chinese taxi as the government weighs up how to respond to the war in the Middle East. In Lebanon, citizens are counting the days, weeks and years they've spent living amid conflict. This week, Iranians across the world celebrated the New Year festival of Nowruz with fear and uncertainty. And finally, we're in Georgia, where an archaeological dig for fossils sparked a political purge. But first to Cuba, where more than 10 million people were left in the dark after the country's electrical grid collapsed. It's the third major blackout this month after the US imposed a fuel blockade, cutting off the oil imports required to keep power stations running. President Trump is reported to want the removal of Cuba's president, Miguel Diaz Canel, as a condition of lifting the fuel embargo. And he's also suggested there could be a friendly takeover of Cuba. Meanwhile, vital health services such as maternity care are on their knees, finds Will Grant in Havana.
- [02:16]
Will Grant
Indira Martinez had every right to be foul tempered. Seven months pregnant, hungry and exhausted, all she'd wanted that morning was a warm shower and a hot breakfast. Neither were available. The electricity had been cut off to her home since the previous afternoon, and the fridge was bare of fresh food. Even the classic Cuban morning staple, a milky coffee and a bread roll, wasn't on offer. At least not until the power came back and her husband returned with supplies. Under such trying circumstances, you might expect Indida to be tetchy and terse. Instead, she was impressively good humoured and welcoming as she ushered me into her darkened kitchen and apologized for not being able to offer me the aforementioned coffee. It was early, but Indira had already been up for hours. Being so far into her pregnancy, it was difficult to get comfortable in bed. In my first trimester, I had chikungunya, she explained, a mosquito borne disease which causes severe pain to the joints. I couldn't walk to the bathroom. Now, in these final months, everyone in the house is worried about something without enough protein or vitamins in her diet. Her mother, a retired nurse, worries about her daughter's reduced calorific intake. Indira's husband worries about her stress levels. And as it draws nearer, Indira worries about the birth itself. You have no idea what condition the hospital will be in when you get there, she said with a hollow laugh of trepidation. She pictures going into labour in a pitch black maternity ward with no working emergency facilities and her baby, a girl they're going to name Ainoa, being delivered while illuminated by the flashlight of a mobile phone. One thing Indira isn't worried about anymore, though, is speaking her mind. In recent years, as the island has sunk into its most acute energy and economic crisis since the Cold War, people have noticeably started to lose their ingrained fear of saying the wrong thing to a foreign journalist or deviating from the revolution's well rehearsed scripts. The newfound boldness has only become more pronounced during Washington's near total fuel blockade. When I had a baby 15 years ago, there was more primary health care, explains Indira, whose son now lives in Florida with his father. Resources were limited, but they were there. Not now, she says, her sunny demeanor quickly evaporating. It's one crisis after another. The whole thing is collapsing. One of Indira's neighbours recently showed me how, with no electricity or gas available, he cooks with firewood, sourcing driftwood from the beach. Brainy Hernandez starts the flames using an old lighter. His wife brings out a pot of rice so their nine year old daughter, who also went without breakfast that morning, might at least come home from school to a hot meal. Like Indira, Brainy's days of simply parroting the government's line are gone. And despite the harshness of the fuel lockout, his ire is directed not at Donald Trump but at the Cuban state. I'm not going to lie. I'd like Trump to take this place over. Then let's see if things get better, he says with unnerving honesty. Asked if he might get in trouble for such openly anti government views, he shrugs. What more can they take from me? He retorts motioning at his family's abject living conditions, his home cobbled together from wood and scrap metal. Walking distance away and most people in Havana are reduced to walking these days is the Grand Palacio de las Convenciones, the favoured venue for official gatherings from state run trade fairs to the Communist Party Congress. Inside, the lights blazing as though life outside was normal, the island's beleaguered and increasingly unpopular President Miguel d' Escanel took to the stage last week to rapturous applause. He wasn't unpopular to this particular audience, made up of members of an international Solidarity coalition who carried banners calling for an end to Trump's oil embargo and urging Cubans to resist. The visitors from across the us, South America and Europe brought with them batteries and solar panels as well as donations of basic food and medicines to help Cubans cope with the energy crisis. But two weeks ago, in the central town of Moron, some people's patience, partly at being told to hold on in the face of endless blackouts, snapped. Protesters set fire to the Communist Party headquarters. Unthinkable scenes a few years ago. Things have evolved fast in recent years on an island where generally the speed of change is glacial. It's now 10 years since President Barack Obama made his historic visit to Cuba, a period of thought, optimism and energy. The contrast isn't lost on Indira, who worries most about the Cuba she's bringing baby Ainoa into. How am I going to tell her she has no prospects in life? She asks now, deadly serious. I have no basis to tell her she has a future or can maximize her intellectual potential here, because if I tell her that, I'll be lying.
- [07:25]
BBC News Presenter
Will Grant Next to Lebanon, which was quickly drawn into another conflict following the US and Israel's bombing of Iran, which killed the country's supreme leader. The Iran backed militia and political party Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by the uk, US and Israel, responded by firing rockets into Israel. This has led to further Israeli bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds, with the group refusing calls from the Lebanese government to disarm. The Lebanese Health Ministry estimates more than a thousand people have been killed over the past month as civilians once again find themselves caught amid conflict and uncertainty. Karin Torbay has been covering the war
- [08:12]
Karin Torbay
in Beirut as yet another chapter of intense violence dawned on Lebanon, a mobile app began to circulate. It claims to calculate the percentage of a Lebanese citizen's life that's been spent living through war. Based on my birth date, I scored 62%. A friend of mine compared her score to mine. I Win, she said with a smiley face. She scored higher than me, but only just. It is the same friend who called earlier in the day to tell me how exhausted and traumatized she is. Even tears bring no relief. On March 2, Israel launched another military campaign on Lebanon after the pro Iranian Hezbollah armed group had fired rockets into isra. There was anger, shock, terror, disbelief and more anger among the people here, but also an overwhelming feeling of intense powerlessness, one that echoes our past experiences. Once more, people are forced out of their homes for fear of being killed by Israeli airstrikes or following blanket evacuation warnings by the Israeli army issued to large parts of the country. Over 1 million people now find themselves displaced, some for the second or even the third time. Endless stories of suffering. Again, each one speaks of unique pain. I met a lady who spent her first days of this most recent displacement in a tent on the coast of Beirut. For the second time in less than two years, she left her house in Dahi, the southern suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah has significant support and clout. Sixteen months ago, after the previous war came to an end, she returned to her home. Its foundations were shaken, but it was still standing. She told me that the first thing she did was to talk to the walls. I asked them how they felt with every boom. I asked them whether they shook, whether they were terrified, she said. She told me later she doesn't know if her house will make it this time. People from the south, especially from the border towns close to Israel. Now the walls of their homes stand little chance. Much of the area was already completely flattened before this new war began. But it isn't destruction they fear the most, but an Israeli occupation once more. Times changed, but the images remain the same, as if on a loop. People fleeing, houses destroyed, buildings flattened, piles and piles of rubble. Children maimed, bodies buried, rockets, bombs. We see all these things again. There are also those who haven't yet been directly affected by the war. They are still in their homes. They carry on with their work and go about their daily life. But it's mostly a facade. The war seeps into their lives, saps their energy, and makes them hostages to the relentless flow of notifications on their screens. Almost one month on, emotions are far from settled. If anything, they've become harder to define. There is a raging blame game for the war going on among the population. The country is deeply divided, but not just the usual divisions that have always shaped politics in Lebanon. On one side, there are those who believe Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into the war and are therefore responsible for the killing. Mass displacement and destruction of the Israeli bombardment. On the other hand, there are those who believe Israel had always been planning to escalate its ongoing attacks on the country. They say that diplomacy with Israel hasn't worked in the past, and the war gets more and more violent. Very little is spared. Bridges, water, pipelines, a power plant they all have been bombed by Israel. The Lebanese people watch, terrified, as Israel pledges to sever a larger swathe of the south from the rest of the country, what it calls a new security zone. There are still those who refuse to leave. They have nowhere to go and can't bear being uprooted once again, they insist they prefer to die on their land. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, but civilians are paying a very heavy price. The trauma is unimaginable. It is also generational. New generations are watching a replay of what they thought was history. I feel cursed to be born in this part of the world, the mayor of a Christian border town tells me once more. The nation is in limbo, while people can only watch the news endlessly. Then I go on air. I'm reminded by my producer to limit my answers to two minutes or less before the news anchor asks, so, Karine, tell us how's life in Lebanon?
- [12:55]
BBC News Presenter
Karen Torbey the spring equinox recently marked the Persian New Year festival of Nowruz. Though this year celebrations in Iran and in communities around the world have understandably been more muted than usual, the ongoing war and the killing of thousands of Iranian protesters at the start of the year are still raw in many people's minds. Laila Malana Allen, who is herself British Iranian, reflects on how Iranians have been trying to draw strength from this 3,3000 year old tradition.
- [13:31]
Laila Malana Allen
Nowruz, the Persian New Year is a time of hope, of renewal, of rebirth. But this year, as bombs rain down across Iran and the country's huge global diaspora is locked in its own bitter battle over the future, it was a celebration simply of survival. It feels like everything is hanging in the balance, one man inside Iran tells me, the sing song, melody and poetic style of Farsi expressions still strong in even though his voice is tight with tension. It's a time of year when community is more important than ever, but coming together during a war only heightens the danger. Of course, friends gather together at high risk just to be close and encourage each other talking about the future. But all of this takes place under the shadow of fear and dread. It's very difficult to manage these emotions altogether, the man went on. In a country of more than 92 million people and millions more. In the diaspora, Iran has over a dozen official ethnicities and religions, high literacy and political engagement, which in turn means there's really no single Iranian viewpoint. Opinions about the future are widely split, further influenced by what each family has experienced during decades of war, displacement, oppression, imprisonment, exile and economic misery. Mehran Kamravar, an exiled Iranian professor who's made his people his life's study, tells me it's that diversity which is Iran's greatest strength, but also makes understanding what Iranians want so challenging. I go to bed thinking about Iran. I wake up thinking about Iran, he says. And every time I go to Iran, I see something that's completely surprising. I'm still blown away by the complexity of the country. Komravar says that complexity and the adaptability honed through half a century under this regime is what allows life to continue in the most impossible circumstances. You're struck by the ways in which on a daily basis, people subtly resist government dictates and mandates, he points out. The normalcy of life itself is an act of resistance, and that complexity comes through particularly in times like this, when life is a daily struggle and when there are bombs raining down. Iran's culture has resistance baked into its very being. Going back millennia, the Islamic Republic's leadership now defines that resistance as being against the West. But for Iranians of all stripes, its essence is a fierce determination to live, to create, to preserve our ancient traditions. One woman in Tehran, whose voice I could finally hear after weeks of trying to connect, told me that following U S. Israeli attacks on the capital's Shahran oil depot, she spent days carefully scrubbing the acid black residue of the burning oil from the bark of trees not just those in her own garden but also in the streets near her home in preparation for the new year. Just celebrating Nowruz, our most sacred Zoroastrian festival, is itself an act of resistance in the face of regime efforts to wipe out what it sees as a pagan celebration, Iran's people have continued year after year, not just stoically but joyfully, to grow their sabze, or crops at home, to gather around the sofre hafsin, the table of items symbolizing new life we prepare each year and to journey out into nature, to commit that crop back to the earth. This year, celebrations have been muted. But signs of that resistance remain in the elderly lady in central Tehran patiently brushing dust from her doorstep to spring clean for the festivities. Despite her home being surrounded by rubble, in the young people setting alight piles of twigs in the streets to cleanse the negativity of the past year by jumping over the flames, afraid to go outside. This year, many lit tea candles indoors instead, but completed the ritual all the same. And as with any family gathering, in times of political strife, everything comes out over the Nowruz table. Did you see what cousin so and so wrote on Facebook about the bombs being a blessing? Instantly blocked or I always knew he was an idiot, but wanting the shar back? No wonder he wasn't invited this year. In such a diverse and divided people scattered across the world, Nuru's traditions remind us we are one a people built on the ancient strength of fire. And that fire of survival continues to burn against all odds.
- [18:08]
BBC News Presenter
Leila Malana Alan
- [18:13]
Sophia Wilson
hey, it's Sophia Wilson, athlete and gold medalist. And this summer my wardrobe is being perfected with Abercrombie's newest drop. I'm a girl who loves jeans, and Abercrombie's new linen blend Denim has changed the game for me. They have that lightweight feel for summer, but the outfits I live in all summer are matching sets. They always look good and they give your wardrobe options. Spend the summer in Abercrombie, shop in the app, online and in stores.
- [18:40]
Grainger Advertiser
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- [19:15]
BBC News Presenter
The Iran war has had severe knock on effects around the world, notably in Asia, where countries like Pakistan and the Philippines have been forced to take measures to cut back on fuel usage. China, too, is heavily dependent on oil from the Middle east, though it secured safe passage from Tehran and for some of its tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, China has so far kept its distance from the crisis, a strategy designed perhaps with an eye on longer term advantages over its rival, the United States. But, says Laura Bicker, it may not be quite that straightforward for Beijing.
- [19:55]
Laura Bicker
Taxi drivers in Beijing rarely offer political commentary. In fact, most people across China avoid any discussion about global news events, as they fear it could get them in trouble. But these days, when it comes to Donald Trump, they seem eager to offer an opinion. After the usual pleasantries asking about where I was from and what I was doing in China, the driver then said, I was lucky not to come from America. He's crazy, he said while alarmingly taking his eyes off the road and turning back towards me while speaking in slow, easy Mandarin. So I'd understand what's going to happen to the world? He asked. He showed me a now viral AI generated cartoon on China's main social media platform, Weibo. It's a thinly veiled allegory about a war between a white eagle and a Persian cat, which portrays the eagle as a power hungry warmongerer. Officially, the Chinese government's reaction to the war in the Middle east has been muted. It has called for a ceasefire and offered to help mediate an end to the conflict. Unofficially, it is a PR gift to Beijing. The message on Chinese social media, circulated by often state sponsored Weibo warriors is that Donald Trump has proved once again beyond any doubt the extent of Western hypocrisy and Western talk of a liberal international order. However, the Chinese government will share the taxi driver's concern about what might happen next. This country is the world's biggest importer of crude oil and much of it its sales through the Strait of Hormuz. In the short term, China has been building up a stockpile of supplies which should last it several months. After that, it could turn to Russia for help. But Chinese leaders will also be calculating what this could mean long term, not just for its investments in the Middle east, but also for its global ambitions. Given China's global footprint as the world's factory, its investments and markets beyond the Middle east, such as those in Africa, are vulnerable to a protracted war. And like so many other countries, the Chinese government is wary of this fresh bout of unpredictability. Politically, Beijing may also be concerned about what might happen to Tehran's new leaders. The two countries have a long standing partnership. China promised to invest $400 billion in Iran back in 2021 and in return, Tehran would keep the oil flowing. There have also been allegations of arms sales between the two countries. China has denied selling Tehran anti ship cruise missiles, but US Intelligence has accused Beijing of supporting Iran's ballistic missile program by training engineers and supplying components. Human rights groups have alleged that Iran's brutal crackdowns against protesters and critics of the regime have been fueled by Chinese facial recognition and surveillance tech shared by Beijing, which China denies. On the face of it, it sounds like both countries were firm friends. In truth, this relationship was transactional. It was not a deep alliance. Iran was a constant irritant to the US and that suited China. It kept US military resources and assets tied up in the Gulf, rather in the South China Sea or in the Taiwan Strait. But there was no mutual defense treaty, no pact which says China must come to Iran's aid or defense. Instead, Beijing will be eager to stay out of this conflict. It may suit President Xi to watch the United States become embroiled in the Middle East. It allows him once again to push the message that China is a beacon of stability in comparison. Having said that, some analysts believe that having such an unpredictable president in the White House may also be a source of unease for Beijing. The Chinese government doesn't want a world that is dominated by the us but it doesn't like instability in the global economy either. Over the weekend, long queues started forming at some petrol stations in cities across the country after Chinese state media warned higher prices were coming. There are around 300 million petrol and diesel vehicles in China. Reports said the cost was going to rise by 20%. But the government stepped in to cap the increase at half that, a decision which suggests Beijing is concerned about passing higher costs onto consumers at a time when it's trying to get its own people to spend more money to boost its stuttering economy. China is also trying to stay focused on its own interests. While the US is distracted from the sidelines. Unencumbered by this conflict, President Xi will be carefully preparing for Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, which is now scheduled for mid May. China is feeling some pain from the ripples of this war, but it will hopefully that in the long term, it could help this country gain the upper hand against its superpower rival, Laura Bicker.
- [25:08]
BBC News Presenter
And finally to the southern Caucasus, where we're digging for fossils. In Georgia, the work of the country's archaeologists was put on hold in 2022 following the discovery of what was thought to be the oldest human fossil found outside of Africa. This was quickly seized by authorities, and archaeologists were banned from their own dig as part of purge of opposition supporters from the country's museum sector. Now they're back at work and making new discoveries. William Dunbar went to meet them.
- [25:42]
Giorgi Bidzinashvili
As you approach the sleepy village of Orosmani, nestled beneath a huge volcanic ridge near Georgia's border with Armenia. The site of the dig looks like an oversized bus stop. Standing at the side of the road, a plastic and metal shelter shades a dusty bank where half a dozen archaeologists, Georgian and international, are busily scraping dirt away from tangled fossilized animal bones and ancient stone tools. The lead archaeologist is Giorgi Bidzinashvili, known as Bidzo. He's an irrepressible ex rugby Player sporting sunglasses, a wide brimmed hat and a bandana, he discovered the site on a prospecting trip in 2019. We saw the bones and the stones just sticking out, he tells me. And within a couple of minutes of digging, just using my hands, I was finding artifacts, stone tools. He immediately knew he'd found something major. The site is sandwiched between two layers of lava from a nearby volcano. Like a burger in a bun, Bizo says the lower eruption has been dated to 1.8 million years ago, the top one to 1.77, meaning that the bones and stone tools in the middle layer belonged to the earliest species of human ever to leave Africa. At Orismani, they settled on the shore of an ancient lake, where they scavenged food and hunted small game, splitting bones and scraping flesh with the most basic stone tools. Bizo set to work, and the discoveries came thick and fast with a rare treasure, a fully intact fossilized human tooth pulled out of the ground by a British student in 2022. Dubbed Adam's tooth, it was possibly the oldest human remains found outside Africa, and its discovery made global headlines. But at the day it was to be presented at a major archaeology conference in the capital, Tbilisi, the tooth was seized by the authorities acting on behalf of the country's Minister of culture. They arrested the tooth, exclaims Bizo, who says his opposition political views and high profile made him an enemy of the powerful culture minister. They fired me from my job at the National Museum, he says. Bizo was fired for incompetence and lack of team spirit, which was the official justification used to dismiss scores of museum employees, fired in what many saw as a purge of opposition supporters in the cultural sector. But the scandal of the seized tooth caused Even pro government MPs to question the dismissals in Parliament. Nevertheless, for more than two years, Bizo's team was banned from the site, not even allowed to change the plastic coverings protecting the fragile fossils below. We lost hundreds of bones just because we couldn't change the COVID he says. It was all at risk of being destroyed. Bidzo and the team finally won a court case, and digging resumed last July. Within just two weeks of being back at work, they discovered the human jawbone. Dozens of stone tools followed, and on the day I visited, excited students were beginning to reveal the sandy shore of the ancient lake, hoping to find the footprints of the early humans who once lived there. Those humans, child sized and with brains half as big as our own, had a tough life. Marks on bones show they were on the menu for hyenas. And saber toothed cats. How did they survive here, this little species? Asked Bidzo. He believes the answer is to be found in a skull unearthed a few miles away at a site called Manisi, belonging to a female nicknamed the Grandma. The skull has no teeth at all, but its gums had healed up for at least two years before she died. Clear evidence that this adult, who couldn't feed herself, had been fed by other members of the group. If this is confirmed, it would mark the oldest evidence of altruism in the archaeological record. And Bidzo thinks that it is this behavior that gave ancient humans the edge they needed to survive in the hostile environment of Orosmani. The main thing is that they had empathy, says Bidzo. They got smart, they got organized, and they got empathetic. Bidzo is confident that Orosmani will shed light on more of the secrets of the past, so long as he doesn't fall afoul of the authorities again. This site is not the property of Georgia only, he says, pointing towards the 25 meters of bank that's yet to be excavated. It's the property of the whole human race.
- [30:00]
BBC News Presenter
William Dunbar. And that's all for today. We'll be back again next Saturday morning. Do join us.
- [30:08]
Alan Davis
Hello, I'm Alan Davis and on BBC Radio 4, we're off into alternate realities mapped out by science. This is life without, where I pull one thread from the magnificent fabric of life and watch what unravels.
- [30:23]
Giorgi Bidzinashvili
Scientists around the world would be crying
- [30:25]
Alan Davis
themselves to see a bunch of mammals would be worrying about where their favorite snack was and we bring it down to earth.
- [30:33]
Giorgi Bidzinashvili
David Beckham.
- [30:34]
Laura Bicker
I can imagine him putting that on the socials.
- [30:36]
BBC News Presenter
My bees of my girls have all disappeared.
- [30:39]
Alan Davis
Sometimes we patch it up and crack on. We will survive.
- [30:42]
Giorgi Bidzinashvili
We will survive.
- [30:44]
Alan Davis
Humans are ingenious.
- [30:46]
Giorgi Bidzinashvili
That is our hallmark property.
- [30:47]
Alan Davis
We should prize above everything else. But sometimes it's bigger than us. Join me to find out just how far the unraveling can go. Subscribe to Life without on BBC Sounds.
- [31:03]
Grainger Advertiser
If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock, so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-granger. Visit grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
- [31:33]
Alex Canceroitz
Hi, this is Alex Canceroitz. I'm the host of big technology podcast a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts.