Marketplace Morning Report – "Cuban residents suffer daily power outages"

Date: February 13, 2026 | Host: Nick Qureshi (Marketplace/BBC World Service)

Episode Overview

This episode of Marketplace Morning Report focuses on the acute energy and humanitarian crisis in Cuba, where residents now suffer daily, prolonged electricity blackouts. The segment explores how this impacts daily life, including access to food, healthcare, and the broader social fabric. The show also quickly recaps major global economic stories, including cocoa price drops in Ghana, a major political shift in Bangladesh, and the retirement of the designer behind Hello Kitty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Humanitarian Aid Arrives in Cuba Amid Crisis

• Tanker Shipments from Mexico:

  • Two humanitarian aid vessels have docked in Havana, sent by Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum’s government.
  • They brought 800 tons of powdered milk, rice, beans, and other essential goods.
  • Critically, no crude oil was included, which is what Cuba needs most.

• Context:

  • Cuba struggles under a "virtual oil blockade" imposed by the Trump administration, drastically reducing fuel supplies.

• Quote – Will Grant (01:11):

  “They included more than 800 tons of basic goods, powdered milk, rice and beans, items desperately needed in this worsening humanitarian crisis in Cuba. However, what wasn’t on those tankers is what Cuba most needs in this moment, which is crude oil.”

2. Voices from Havana: Life Amid Blackouts

• Interview with an anonymous Havana resident:

  • Daily life for Cubans now revolves around surviving extended blackouts, lasting between 10–16 hours or more.
  • People struggle with basic tasks, especially storing and preparing food due to unreliable refrigeration.
  • Quote – Resident (01:49):

    “My day to day life...reduced as the life of everybody else to the survival between cycles of blackouts. That is now the situation.”

  • Managing food is almost impossible:
    • Residents can’t store food for long because refrigerators don’t work without power, causing food to spoil.
    • “It reduces life to try to obtain the things you need for the day.” – (02:27)

• Impact on institutions:

  • Hospitals operate only for immediate lifesaving procedures.
    • Quote – Resident (03:05):

      “Only those [procedures] for immediate saving of a life” [are performed in hospitals.]

  • Schools and other services are severely disrupted.

3. Economic Collapse and Social Breakdown

• Tourism Halted:

  • Virtually no tourists come to Cuba due to health risks and lack of basic infrastructure.
  • Only hotels receive steady electricity, but “you don’t go to a country to visit a hotel.”
  • Rising violence and safety risks:
    • The city plunges into darkness every night, making streets unsafe.

• Quote – Resident (03:24):

  “Tourism now it is not feasible. Nobody wants to be a tourist in a country in the middle of this situation. Lack of sanitation, serious problem of public health, nothing... Social situation is deteriorating rapidly... at night you cannot walk in the street because they are all black.”

• No Hope for the Future:

  • Widespread sense of despair and belief that only drastic change could improve conditions.
  • Quote – Resident (04:12):

    “Everything is going down slowly in the country and the daily life is complicated. I see no future. The only future is a change. There is no other exit situation. And continue like this. Can I continue like this?”

Other Global Economic Updates

Ghana Cocoa Prices Plummet

• Government cuts cocoa prices by 28%, citing falling global prices.
• Financial crisis: Many farmers go unpaid.

Bangladesh Political Shift

• Center-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wins in a landslide following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
• Economy faces:
  • High youth unemployment
  • Inflation (8% in October according to World Bank)
  • Business confidence is low.
  • Relations with India remain tense since Hasina’s exile; her extradition is unresolved.
• Quote – Azadeh Mashiri (05:16):

  "The BNP will be inheriting an economy suffering from high unemployment. The group that is the most affected by unemployment are young graduates..."

Hello Kitty Designer Retires

• Yuko Yamaguchi, creative lead since 1980, steps down; was pivotal in Hello Kitty’s evolution into a global brand.
• New designer “Aya” will take over; a new Hello Kitty theme park is set to open in China.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Cuban daily life:

  “My day to day life...reduced...to the survival between cycles of blackouts.” – Anonymous Havana resident (01:49)

• On food security:

  “You cannot accumulate too much food...because of the lack of refrigeration capacity in the houses. And even if you have a good refrigerated storage, it depends on the availability of electricity. So food starts to rot.” – (02:27)

• On future prospects:

  “I see no future. The only future is a change. There is no other exit situation.” – (04:12)

Notable Timestamps

• 00:46 – Main story on Cuba begins
• 01:11 – Will Grant reports on aid shipments to Cuba
• 01:49–04:30 – Interview: Day-to-day impact of blackouts in Havana
• 04:30 – Other world business news: Ghana cocoa and Bangladesh politics
• 05:11 – Analysis of Bangladesh’s economic woes
• 07:00 – Hello Kitty designer’s retirement

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a measured but urgent tone, especially in the Cuban segment, reflecting both the gravity of the crisis and empathy for residents. Direct quotes from those affected preserve the authenticity and immediacy of the situation.

This summary captures the episode’s core stories, offering context, lived experiences, and expert perspectives, especially on the Cuban energy crisis, for listeners to understand today’s interconnected economic challenges.