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Quest Means Business
Sources: U.S. Working To Indict Former Cuban President Raul Castro; Cuba Struggles As Sources Of Oil Imports Run Dry; Catalan President Meets With California Businesses; Ireland, Spain, And Slovenia Will Not Air Song Contest Final; Fiji Airways To Offer Red Light Therapy In Aircraft Lounge. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired May 15, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:20]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, not a pretty day on Wall Street. The Dow there closing down almost a percent down about 539 points.
Renewed inflation concerns caused a selloff in U.S. Treasuries. Those are the markets and these are the main events.
We are just learning the U.S. Justice Department is working to secure criminal charges against former Cuban president, Raul Castro.
Five nations will boycott this weekend's Eurovision Final over Israel's presence.
And Fiji Airways is hoping technology will make long haul flying a little bit less of a burden.
Coming to you live from New York. It is Friday, May 15th. I am Zain Asher, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening.
Tonight, sources tell CNN the U.S. Justice Department is working to secure criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro. It comes just
a day after an extraordinary visit from the CIA director State Department official says Cuba is in talks to accept $100 million in U.S. aid. It would
help alleviate a worsening energy and economic crisis.
Cubans have taken to the streets in protest against near constant power outages, as fuel suppliers have basically run out at this point in time.
The official said the offer did not come up during John Ratcliffe's meeting with Cuban officials Thursday. Instead, he discussed U.S. concerns about
Cuba hosting foreign forces on its territory. His visit was the first time a U.S. government aircraft touched down in Cuba since 2016.
Patrick Oppmann joining us live now from Havana.
Just in terms of what we know about these potential charges, this $100 million in aid the U.S. is planning to offer Cuba. Just walk us what we
know, and also just the fact that Cuba has basically run out at this point of fuel. That obviously leads to a massive worsening energy crisis. It
means constant blackouts, so much more, though, than just power going out.
I mean, we are talking about rising fuel prices and how that affects the entire economy. Inflation, obviously an issue.
Just set the scene for us in terms of what life is like on the island -- Patrick.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Well, this is classic carrot and stick, and I think carrot is about to be taken off the menu. You know, you
have this offer of aid with a lot of caveats that would have to come through the Catholic Church. It would have to go directly to the Cuban
people and the U.S. government obviously wants -- the Trump administration, wants the Cuban government to change its attitude to no longer, they say,
provide listening posts for foreign governments like Russia and China, and to get in line essentially like happened in Venezuela to open up to U.S.
businesses in a way that the government here has not since the 1959 Revolution.
And obviously, there has been a hesitance and resistance on the part of Cuban officials to take orders from their old Cold War enemy, the United
States. And so as a result, we are hearing now what was a rumor that the U.S. would be seeking an indictment against Raul Castro for the 1996
Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown, where some civilian planes that had come into Cuban airspace were shot down, and that essentially life could get
even harder on this island.
But you asked about that, and I really think that's the most important part, is that people who are suffering the most at this point are not high
government officials. You know, they are not losing power in their houses. They have gasoline for their cars. It is the people like the people who we
saw last night in a very poor, downtrodden neighborhood in Havana, who said they had gone 22 hours just that day without power, and that it had been
three days like this and that had led to the food spoiling in their fridges. They didn't have food to give their kids. They were just furious.
And they were not furious, tellingly, I think at the U.S. government, they felt the Cuban government was more to blame because there is power in
certain parts. There is an unequal distribution of power, something Cuban officials have admitted and tried to explain. But of course, when you are
sitting at home in the dark, it is hot, you could be getting eaten alive by mosquitoes because, of course, trash is not being picked up when a fuel
crisis is taking place, you know, no amount of excuses or explanations really serve for much.
And, we should point out that a lot of people can't even watch these government press conferences because they don't have power. So life has,
you know, in some places, it feels like you're living in a different century where there is almost no power at all. You might have a couple
hours each day if you're lucky. And in other places, you know, it just feels like life has come to a complete standstill, that there are no cars
on the road, there is no economic activity of any kind.
[16:05:10]
And certainly when you hear people predicted the Cuban economy could collapse, that seems like what we are seeing in slow motion.
ASHER: Yes, and as you point out, I mean, it really is the ordinary Cubans who are suffering the most, not the high level government officials.
I love the fact that you touched on the fact that, you know, there is an unequal distribution of power in that high level government officials seem
to have a lot more access to power than ordinary Cuban citizens.
Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much for shining a light on that for us.
Now, Cuba is heavily reliant on oil for its electricity, and it has long had to import most of it. The Soviet Union was its main supplier until that
country's fall. Cuba then began to rely heavily on Venezuela. That supply was cut off in January following the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Shortly after, Mexico stopped sending oil under pressure from the U.S. as well. Cuba got a brief reprieve in March when a shipload of Russian oil
arrived. However, that supply has also run out.
Jorge Pinon is a senior research collaborator at the University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute. He worked in the energy sector. He joins us live
now.
Just in terms of what is unfolding in Cuba. I mean, I think this is exactly what a lot of people predicted would happen when it was announced that the
U.S. was going to make sure that Venezuela stopped supplying Cuba with oil after capturing Nicolas Maduro.
Patrick Oppmann laid out really what life is like at this point in time for ordinary Cuban citizens. It is not just about having blackouts in the
evening and not having access to electricity. It is also about the food in your fridge spoiling.
I mean, it affects every single aspect of your life and I think that one of the things that is important as a takeaway here is as we've watched the war
in Iran unfold and what is happening in Cuba, we are learning a lot about the importance of energy independence.
And, you know, my understanding, according to some reports on the island, is that Cuba is really trying, albeit too late, but it is trying to
accelerate its reliance on renewables. It is trying to sort of push itself towards solar energy in certain key areas.
Just walk us through what you know of that effort.
JORGE PINON, SENIOR RESEARCH COLLABORATOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN'S ENERGY INSTITUTE: Well, it is a good effort.
I think any emerging economy in the world ought to have a balanced electric generation matrix and solar and wind and biomass are certainly part of that
equation. Regrettably, Cuba's system is broken and in fact, the Minister earlier this week announced that of the 1,300 megawatt of solar capacity
that the country has, only about 580 megawatts or less than 50 percent is actually generating power.
But Cuba's woes with electricity goes back for many years. Some of the electric power plants that run on oil are over 40 years old with very
little maintenance, and now, with the lack of diesel, even distributed generation is impacted. And remember, this is not only generation, as
Patrick said, it is also transportation. Detractors in the agricultural sector cannot run and operate, so the situation now, it is critical.
We thought earlier this year that the ora sero, the zero hour was going to be in the month of March, but somehow Cuba still has survived, but we think
the situation today is certainly very drastic.
ASHER: And I think, it is also important to remind our audience that Cuba's economic troubles didn't just start in January, when the U.S. announced
that Venezuela would no longer be allowed to send oil to Cuba, and that Mexico was probably going to be allowed to send humanitarian aid, but
certainly not oil.
That wasn't the beginning of Cuba's economic issues. Obviously, it has had long battles with inflation. It has had uneven power distribution and
really sort of difficult reliance on just consistent electricity for a very long time. Just explain to us what Cuba was grappling with even before
January of this year.
PINON: Well, the problem with Cuba over the years is they always rely on dependency of other countries that were giving them either subsidized oil
or free oil. As you said early on, the Soviet Union, there was a trade between sugar and oil.
Then came Hugo Chavez, which was again a trade between services -- doctors and teachers and so on for oil. Then came Mexico with at least 2022 and
2025, as much as 20,000 barrels a day of oil. Then sporadically over the years, we have had the Russian crude oil and Russian products coming to the
island.
[16:10:10]
So, Cuba has generally depended on third parties to provide them with subsidized fuels to run their electric power generation. They were late to
solar power, and solar power only came about because China is actually donating most of the 21.8 megawatt plants that have been built across the
country.
Look at biomass and sugarcane. That's a huge potential. Brazil today supplies six percent of their electricity from sugarcane biomass. Cuba's
sugarcane industry has basically disappeared. Last year, for the first time in its history, Cuba had to import sugar.
So even sugar biomass, which is a huge contributor to a electric power generation, is not there today.
ASHER: All right, Jorge Pinon, thank you so much for breaking that down for us. We appreciate it.
Now, U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after the Summit between the U.S. and China in Beijing.
Mr. Trump is labeling the trip a success, although it is unclear how much was actually accomplished.
President Trump downplayed tensions with Chinese leader, Xi Jinping over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Just the Taiwan, you know, the whole thing with the arms sales was in great detail,
actually. And I will be making decisions.
But you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away. I think that's the last thing we need. We are doing very
well with.
REPORTER: Will the U.S. defend Taiwan if it came to it.
TRUMP: I don't want to say it, but I am not going to say that. There is only one person that knows that, you know who it is? Me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Perhaps the most notable thing about the trip is the fact that tariffs were actually not discussed. President Trump says he did not
address the topic with President Xi. Trade between the U.S. and China has fallen sharply since Trump slapped steep tariffs on Chinese goods last
year.
Alayna Treene is joining us live now from The White House. I mean, listen, they did have a very, very long list of other things to discuss. Others
certainly, I guess you could say more pressing issues, especially as it pertains to the war in Iran. And for China, the most pressing issue for
them was probably Taiwan, but there were very few deliverables.
I mean, not much actually came out of this meeting, although it might appear as though the relationship between the two men and the two countries
does appear to be a little bit more stable at this point. Walk us through it -- Alayna.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, right. I think you're exactly right.
A lot of optics, not a lot of deliverables is how I would frame this, Zain. And look, that is not normally typical, I would argue for a trip of this
magnitude. This is the first time a U.S. President has visited China in roughly 10 years. The last time was actually also President Donald Trump
going to China during his first term and we didn't really see, though, as well, you know, any apparent significant breakthroughs on a number of the
thorniest issues, as you mentioned, tariffs. That was the topic that dominated almost every discussion over the last year. Certainly, any
discussion around the U.S. relationship with China.
But then also, we didn't hear any really big breakthroughs on the Iran War, on A.I. chips, which we knew was going to be a big part of their
discussions, or on rare earth minerals and again, the reason I say that's not typical for a trip of this magnitude is because normally, we see the
Trump administration tries to set up these big deals, and this is even more, you know, apparent when you look at the trip specifically that
President Trump has had with major foreign leaders over the last year-and- a-half or so that he has been in office.
They try to set up these big announcements that they have something really successful that they could tout when they come home.
We didn't really get that this time, and I do think, I agree with you on some of the two biggest issues really being on Taiwan. I mean, of course,
that is something that we know China cares deeply about. We know that President Xi actually brought this up in his meeting with President Trump
and other Trump advisers who were there saying essentially that Taiwan could be the issue that could really be dangerous. That was the word he
used for relationships between Washington and Beijing moving forward, kind of a veiled threat there.
And I do think the President's comments in that clip you played, Zain, of him saying that he still needs to make a decision on arms sales. I mean,
one, that is something that Congress already approved, they approved back in January, a $14 billion deal to have the U.S. sell arms to Taiwan. Also,
I am sure, adding to just the anxiety that many people in Taiwan have when they were watching this trip, you know, take place over the last two days.
And the other of course is on Iran. I mean, a key question around this entire trip was whether or not we were going to see President Trump, you
know, ask in some certain way for President Xi to intervene. We know that China and Iran are close allies. China is the biggest consumer of Iranian
oil. They have a strong relationship.
And to see whether or not the Chinese getting involved at this stage could put diplomacy back on track, it doesn't appear that had actually happened.
But of course, we are still waiting to hear of any more specifics about what they had discussed behind closed doors, beyond kind of the few vague
comments we've heard publicly now from the President himself.
[16:15:26]
All right, Alayna Treene, live for us. Thank you so much.
The winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned this weekend, but some broadcasters in Europe have chosen not to air the
competition. We will speak to one of them next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The President of Catalonia is in California trying to attract U.S. investment to his region of Spain. Salvador Illa was welcomed in
Sacramento, Thursday by California's Lieutenant Governor. His three-day visit commemorates a 40-year sister state partnership.
President Illa is meeting with several business leaders and companies during his trip. His broader goal is to position Catalonia as one of
Europe's most innovative regions.
Catalan President Salvador Illa joins us live now.
Thank you so much for being with us. I think that the 40-year sister state partnership between California and Catalonia is very interesting,
especially when you consider some of the shared values, not just climate change and sustainability, but really both of these two sort of regions'
roles in attracting tech talent. I mean, Catalonia is obviously a huge tech hub. I believe it has over 2,000, possibly nearly 3,000 startups operating
in and around the region.
Just walk us through what this sort of sister-state partnership looks like with California.
SALVADOR ILLA, CATALONIAN PRESIDENT: We have been strengthening this and is the main aim of my trip, strengthening the partnership with California
government, just to boost our relationship in business development and we have reached some agreements between Barcelona Supercomputing Center, which
is a high computing center, one of the best high computing centers of the world with some companies like Supermicro, NVIDIA and with the Berkeley
Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory.
Also, we have reached agreements in climate change cooperation between California and Catalonia.
ASHER: And just in terms of some of the headwinds that are facing Catalonia, obviously, as I mentioned, it is a really important tech hub,
and it -- as I understand it, it is the -- it ranks eighth globally in terms of attracting tech talent, not just in Europe, but beyond.
[16:20:10]
Some of the headwinds of that comes with is obviously the same issues that we are seeing. I imagine, in San Francisco, which is affordability. You
know, higher cost of living. When you attract so many people from around the world, especially digital nomads, that is going to drive property
prices higher.
You see it with so many other cities again, London, San Francisco, Barcelona, as I understand, is having the same issue. How are you handling
that?
ILLA: Well, I would say the most single important issue on affordability is the housing, and we are developing very aggressive housing policies just to
boost the offer, the supply of houses and also, we are taking some decisions to regulate the market of housing.
We want to develop -- to have -- to generate prosperity, but we also want this prosperity to be shared and housing is a key issue for us. So for
example, Barcelona City Council has decided to put a cap on the tourist apartments just to help people who come to Barcelona and to Catalonia for
the tech industries to have access to houses.
ASHER: And beyond houses, I mean, there is, of course going to be strain on things like, you know, office space, for example, electricity grids,
airport capacity. Just explain to us how you're handling that as well.
ILLA: Well, we have a program of investments just to keep in path the infrastructure in, for example, electricity grid or in airport improvement
with the development of our economy, our economy is growing. The vast figure we have is a GDP increase of 2.9 percent this first quarter of 2026
compared with last quarter of 2000, the first quarter of 2025, so we are investing a lot in infrastructure, specifically in electricity grid to keep
in path with the needs of our economy to develop.
ASHER: How does Catalonia and Barcelona specifically, but Catalonia more broadly compete with other sort of tech cities in and around Europe, I
mean, namely Dublin. Dublin is obviously another place that has a -- that draws a lot of startup capital.
How does Barcelona distinguish itself and compete for talent as well?
ILLA: I would say that one of the distinguishing elements for us to compete is our academy, our university system, which is a public system with lots
of talent, and also I would put as an asset the attractiveness of Barcelona itself as a city, as a medium sized city, well connected with good climate
and with good lifestyle.
So these two issues challenge Barcelona itself as a medium sized city, are two key elements for us to be -- besides these, Barcelona's Supercomputing
Center is also a big, big asset for us.
ASHER: I mean, politically, for a long time, at least when I was growing up in Europe, a lot of people associated Catalonia and Barcelona with, of
course, the separatist movement. Your election sort of seemed to sort of end that, end a decade of separatist rule in Catalonia. Just talk to us
about where the campaign for Catalan independence stands at this point in time?
ILLA: We are reinforcing our self-government in the constitutional framework of Spain, and we respect all the views of Catalan people, but
most of Catalan people, I would say now is for self-government and for generating prosperity and also a key point for us is to strengthen the
European Project, 450 public space with shared values, which is key to have a voice in this fast changing world of today.
ASHER: All right, President Salvador Illa, thank you so much for being with us, and good luck with the rest of your trip. Thank you.
ILLA: My pleasure. Thank you very much.
ASHER: All right, the CEO of Inter & Co says that there is a global market for his company's banking super app, Joao Vitor Menin whose company is
based in Brazil, sat down with Richard Quest this week. Menin explained how he grew into Inter & Co to tens of millions of clients in just a decade.
First, though, the chief executive explained what exactly a super app actually is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOAO VITOR MENIN, CEO, INTER & CO: This is a concept that we saw emerging in Asia and when I was reading about that, I said, oh, at the end of the
day, I believe that it is exactly a super app and actually, I am going to China next week. I am going to be there with my senior leadership for 10
days and we want exactly two to benchmark ourselves with the super apps there.
The breadth of products, how they are used in A.I., how they are connecting the UX and UI that the clients have. But I am really confident that we have
a very, very evolved product.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": What is the difference between an app, a good app, a big app, and a super app?
[16:25:02]
MENIN: We have seven different verticals, ranging from banking for daily or day-to-day banking, payments and everything are balanced, credits. The way
you access credits. We also have investments, so we have a full brokerage account where you can invest.
We have also our commerce and lifestyle solutions. You can buy your smartphone, you can book a travel. We also have our global account
capability. So you can travel, invest and save and use our international credit card, a U.S. dollar based credit card paid and get paid, do
remittance. And also we have the loyalty program called loop, so you can get benefits, you earn benefits, you redeem benefits throughout the
ecosystem.
So this is the best and fastest way for me to describe what the super app means.
QUEST: And you want to keep people as much as possible in your walled garden, correct?
MENIN: Correct.
QUEST: And you've been very successful at it. The digital nature of these things is the big revolution.
MENIN: We are to come from 5,000 clients back in 2016 to 44 million clients today. And we did that without one single branch in Brazil, no branch at
all.
We like to say that we have 44 million brands on the pocket of our clients.
QUEST: Right. When you start to look to go outside of Brazil and starting to compete, getting banking licenses or whatever it might be elsewhere,
where are you targeting?
MENIN: Okay, great. So we started that three years ago.
QUEST: Yes.
MENIN: We decided that we want to go to the U.S. first, and the reason why we saw that among our clients in Brazil, there was an important, a big need
for a U.S. checking account, a place where they could save, invest, pay, get paid, send the money through remittance, back and forth. So what we
did, we brought back them our remittance company. And later on, we turned it out to our operations in the U.S.
We just got the approval from the Federal Reserve -- from the Federal Reserve to have our branch license in U.S. and our goal is the same way
that we offer this global account solution to Brazilians, and they embraced it.
So out of this 44 million clients, five million of them are ready to use it. Now, we want to say, look, if it is a good solution for the Brazilians,
I believe that it can be a good solution also for Argentinians, for other geographies.
QUEST: Is there a relatively small number of people that you're all fighting over?
MENIN: I don't think so. When we think about the adoption that we had in Brazil so far, 10 percent of our client base are already using it. If you
replicate to other countries, to other geographies, that they have the same pain point, they want easily to invest abroad to pay, get paid. I see a big
addressable market.
QUEST: Do you see the economics of Brazil -- I mean, I've followed it over the years. The good, the bad, the ugly, the nasty. Do you think that the
economy is fundamentally on the right track now?
MENIN: That's a very good question. I don't think that we are on the right track. I think that there is still a lot of things to accomplish, but I
think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Brazil has some good advantages, such as, for instance, our energy matrix is one of the most
developed in the world.
For instance, our banking system, which I am not able to talk about, it is one of the most developed. In Brazil. For instance, you can do a
transaction and you can pay and get paid 24/7 like that and cost you zero to do that. You don't see that in the United States, for instance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We should note that our Joao Vitor Menin's father, who is also the company chairman, is one of the main owners of CNN Brasil.
CNN Brasil is not actually owned by CNN, but they do license the CNN brand.
All right, Slovenia's national broadcaster will broadcast a show highlighting Palestinian voices instead of the Eurovision Song Contest this
weekend. I will be speaking to the head of the national broadcaster about the decision to boycott the competition over Israel's involvement. That's
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:32:20]
ASHER: Hi, everyone. I am Zain Asher. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment, when the CEO of Fiji Airways will tell me why he wants his
business class flights to feel like a day at the spa.
And far from the drama in Westminster, Richard Quest is getting away from it all in England's Cotswolds District. We will take you there. Before that
though, these are the headlines at this hour.
A U.S. state department official says that Cuba appears willing to accept $100 million in aid from Washington. People in Havana have been protesting
extended blackouts and extreme gas shortages brought on by a U.S. blockade.
Cuba's government says it met yesterday with a U.S. delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. U.S. President Donald Trump says he has made no
commitment on Taiwan, following a two-day summit in Beijing. The president told reporters he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in great detail
about U.S. arms sales to the self-governing island.
He declined to answer when asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan in a conflict with China.
And a dangerous search effort is underway in the Maldives. Four bodies of Italian -- four Italian divers who died in a scuba accident. One body has
already been found. Italy's foreign ministry says the five divers apparently died while exploring an undersea cave, 50 meters beneath the
waves.
All right. People around the world will be tuned into the Eurovision Grand Finale this weekend in Vienna. But some members of the European
Broadcasting Union will be airing different programming altogether. Five nations have chosen to boycott this year's song contest over Israel's
participation. It is a major crisis for Eurovision, which was started 70 years ago as a friendly rivalry between countries.
Natalija Gorscak is the president of RTV Slovenia, one of the broadcasters that opted out of the contest this year. Natalija, thank you so much for
being with us.
So, you know, Slovenia has been participating in Eurovision since 1993 as I understand it, since the dissolution of communism and essentially the four
-- the breakup of Yugoslavia. So, I imagine that for this country it is a huge deal for Slovenia not to be taken part this year. Just -- before we
get into the politics as to why Slovenia is not participating, and obviously, you have a lot of countries this time boycotting Israel's
participation, just explain to us what the overall reaction has been from ordinary people in Slovenia.
[16:35:05]
NATALIJA GORSCAK, PRESIDENT, RTV SLOVENIA: Well, in fact, audience wanted us not to participate, and audience support us in non-participating in the
Eurovision Song Contest. And what is even more important, the authors, the artists, asked us last year not to participate.
And I think, following what artists wanted, we did it.
ASHER: So, what will it take? I mean, assuming you know Israel is allowed to participate. I mean, Israel is allowed to participate this year, but
assuming that next year and the year after that, Israel continues to participate. What will it take for Slovenia to change its stance? What will
it take for Slovenia to want to take part in the competition again?
GORSCAK: Well, of course, we will listen to our audience, and also, we are talking to EBU regarding the rules, and we will see where we will become,
and let's see what also the politics in Israel will do regarding the wars going on around South Lebanon, and what's happening in Gaza.
So, we will see. We will decide after the Eurovision, of course.
ASHER: You know, there are some people -- I mean, as you point out, there are a lot of people in Slovenia who support this decision. They wanted you,
as the broadcaster, not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. But there are other people across Europe who believe that this
competition should be purely about music, purely about bringing people together, purely about art, and that is it. And a lot of people have also
talked about the fact that the Israeli singer Noam Bettan has nothing to do with his government's decisions. And therefore, he should not be -- I mean,
obviously he is being bullied quite a bit on social media. And he is, again, as I mentioned, nothing to do with the political decision of his
governments.
So, just walk us through where you stand on that front. This idea that, perhaps, music could be -- should be made completely separate from
politics.
GORSCAK: I truly believe in that. But when the Russia was kicked out in -- after the attack in Ukraine, I think, we have changed the rules. So, if we
have one rules for Russia, we should have the other -- the same rules for Israel as well.
Of course, the singer is not guilty for anything, and I'm -- he as a nice - - a great singer, and I really feel sorry for what's happening, because he is just an artist.
But, you know, you can't -- you can't just, you know, forget what's going on in the Israeli politics. Also, this is not something against the Israeli
people, but it's again the politics of Netanyahu, State of Israel, which is attacking, at this moment, south of Lebanon.
Our colleagues, journalists can't enter Gaza. In Gaza, it's like in the concentration camp of the Second World War, where Anne Frank died, you
know, where there was starvation, diseases, and where people were just dying because they didn't have the basic, the basic food and medical aid.
So, we think that you -- we -- you can't forget it.
You know, I think we just need to see what was happening in the beginning - - in the past, in Eurovision, and as we kicked out Russia, there should be also the same rules for Israel.
ASHER: I mean, a lot of people have made that comparison that if you are going to apply politics to -- in what -- if you are going to apply politics
in one instance, then, you should be allowed to apply politics in various other instances. It's not, you know -- you know, there are some people who
say that politics should be made separately, as I was making that point. But again, as you point out, in 2022, Russia was banned from participating
because of Ukraine.
Just quickly, just explain to us what you are going to be airing instead. You are airing programming instead of the Eurovision Song Contest in
support of the Palestinian people. Correct?
GORSCAK: Yes. For a whole week. And I would also point out that we also air films talking about Holocaust, every week of 27th of January, and we also
air films about genocide in Srebrenica in around the 11th of July.
So, this is also our sort of homage to the people who died in Gaza, to the people who are suffering in Gaza. And on tomorrow's evening, we will have a
film talking about the Israeli activist, you know, asking the -- answer to the question, can we live together? And the name is "Coexistence, My Ass!"
So, it's a beautiful story about how, and how also Israeli activists are fighting for peace, because, I think, we all want just peace on the Middle
East, because we have been watching --
[16:40:03]
I think, all my life, I've been watching this, you know, horrible stories from the Middle East, and we all need to go and support the peace.
And I'm really sorry that John Lennon is not there anymore, because I think he would have a voice at this moment.
ASHER: Natalija Gorscak, thank you so much for being with us and sharing your perspective. Natalija, thank you.
All right. Trying to sleep on a long-haul flight can certainly be a challenge, let me tell you. But Fiji Airways is rolling out new products to
help us passages get some rest. The CEO joins us live now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A long flight can often be a difficult way to start a vacation, and it's practically unavoidable for people headed to Fiji on this national
airline. For example, a nonstop Fiji Airways flight from Los Angeles to Nadi International Airport takes 11 hours.
To help passengers arrive fresh, the airline is launching its FlyWell program on some long-haul flights next month. Business class passengers
will be offered perks like wearable technology and mental performance drinks.
Paul Scurrah is a CEO of Fiji Airways. I have to say, despite a long flight, I wouldn't mind going to Fiji right now. I wouldn't mind spending
15 hours. I imagine it's probably about 15 hours from New York in the air to get to a destination like that.
This idea of mental performance drinks, we are going to get into what you're offering and why, and FlyWell, and Fiji Airlines being apparently
the world's happiest airlines, according to you guys.
(CROSSTALK)
PAUL SCURRAH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FIJI AIRWAYS: Sure.
ASHER: But just talk to us, what these -- about what these mental performance drinks actually are, Paul.
SCURRAH: Yes. Well, the mental performance drinks -- thank you for having us as well, Zain. It's a pleasure to be here.
The mental performance drinks are part of the package of offerings that have been targeted to deal with the things that are most prevalent when
people are flying long haul, particularly with sleep and fatigue and jet lag. And it also helps with focus and energy.
And we know increasingly, because the beautiful resorts of Fiji are increasing the prominence on wellness. We know that we want that wellness
journey to start when they get on the world's happiest airline to start the journey.
ASHER: And then, just in terms of how you expect this to pay off in terms of revenue,
[16:45:03]
it always does come down to the bottom line -- bottom line, of course. So, just explain that side of it to us.
SCURRAH: Yes. Well, I think it's a crowded market, and we are competing with many other parts of the world. Fiji is absolutely beautiful. We know
that we are seeing record numbers, particularly from the U.S., coming to Fiji. We just broke our monthly record for visitors. But we know we have to
have a point of difference, and we have to stick out from a crowd, where down in the South Pacific, we are a little isolated, so we want to make
sure that we're on people's radars.
So, this becomes a part of our offering that we are the world's happiest airline. We know we offer a great service on our beautiful state of the art
aircraft already. But because wellness is increasing in importance, and Hilton's own research showed that the number one motivating factor for
travel now is rest and recharge. We know that we want that journey to start when they get on the plane, not when they arrive in Fiji.
ASHER: In terms of your airline being the world's happiest airline, you know one of the things that certainly makes people unhappy is of course
high-ticket prices. And you know, with everything that's happening with the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz being closed, and 20 percent of the world's
oil passing through that, and what that means for higher oil prices, you have airlines not just canceling flights left and right, which is its own
problem, but also raising ticket prices as well.
I mean, how much of a problem is that for you guys right now?
SCURRAH: Well, I think, like every year long in the world, on the cost side, we are suffering from extraordinarily high fuel prices. The unique
position we find ourselves in is that the demand has been very strong, so we are able to recover, mitigate to a degree the increase of those cost and
crisis.
Our reputation as a safe and family-friendly destination that's isolated from the conflict is really helping us right now.
So, but like everyone, we have to make changes, we have to monitor it on a daily basis. Fuel is certainly impacting the industry in a very negative
way at the moment,
ASHER: And so, obviously, the FlyWell program is just, we are just beginning to sort of roll that out. But how are you -- you have talked
about how Fiji is competing with other destinations, but Fiji Airlines, just in terms of how it's competing with other airlines that fly, I
understand that American Airlines flies to Fiji, you've got Qantas, you've got sort of various other airlines in Asia that you are competing directly
with.
How do you want your passengers' experience on your airline to really be different from that of your competitors?
SCURRAH: Yes. You mentioned American Airlines and Qantas need great one world partners of ours. So, that partnerships have benefit to us. We don't
see them as competitors, per se.
But when we talked about what we can do to prove we are the world's happiest airline, wellness kept coming up. And so, this journey started
when we appointed DeRolk, who is a globally recognized performance and recovery expert, who's worked with celebrities and athletes to help them
recover and perform.
And we decided that on top of the beautiful experience, the happy staff that we have, Fiji is just such a naturally beautiful country, And despite
the fact that they don't have the wealth that we have in Australia or the U.S., they are just naturally happy, and that shines through on board, and
we are seeing that in our -- in our research.
But we want to add a level of, and a point of difference to that, which is where the FlyWell program came into effect. So, they are going to see some
pretty new things, so the amber special lenses from Ra Optics, the Magic Mind drinks you talked about, which are about mental clarity, or sleep, or
muscle recovery, Vital Red Light, Firefly Recovery, both of those are actually helping people recover from the long-h0aul flights as well.
So, and in our lounges, you've got EMF-blocking technology through Aires Tech. I know it's invisible, but we all know that electronic magnetic
frequencies coming off our phones and our laptops are a bit of a silent issue.
So, we are really excited that this is going to get us a bit of prominence. It's going to put us on the map, and Fiji is going extremely well right
now, and we hope to contribute to doing even better.
ASHER: My gosh, Paul, I have to be honest, I had such a hard time concentrating, because as you were speaking, we were playing B-roll of the
beautiful islands of Fiji. And I can just see myself being up on my computer until 2:00 a.m. today researching various --
Where should I stay if I choose to visit Fiji, Paul?
SCURRAH: I would get myself in a lot of trouble singling out a single resort. But there is so many beautiful islands, the island experience, the
people you -- the friendly people you get to experience here in Fiji.
I'm not going to isolate anyone out. I'd say coming out a beach -- a beach and island experience.
[16:50:04]
The snorkeling is beautiful, the surfing is amazing, and the people are incredible.
ASHER: You have got to be neutral. You can't put your thumb on the scale. I get it. Thank you so much for that Paul Scurrah. We appreciate it. Thank
you.
All right. The International Trade Center, joint agency of the U.N. and WTO, says the Trinidad and Tobago accounts for a third of all Caribbean
exports to Africa.
CNN's Eleni Giokos looks at one Caribbean auto repair company, vying to become a major manufacturer of car batteries with Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): What began in 2015 as a car rental service in Trinidad and Tobago quickly evolved to become a maintenance hub
and one of the leading internal combustion engine car battery distributors across the Caribbean. After attending a 2024 trade mission to Ghana, New
Wave Automotive says it's now ready to expand into the African market.
MICHAEL SEALEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NU WAVE GROUP: One of the major takeaways was scale, and then, opportunity that really gave us a point to
really pivot the business into a larger market.
GIOKOS (voice over): The company says it is investing about $50 million into building a battery manufacturing facility in Ghana's Tema Industrial
Area.
SEALEY: One of the things we do is distribute batteries. So, in -- when we went to the trade mission, one of the main projects was to export batteries
to Ghana. And when we met with several persons, we recognized that Ghana imports their batteries. So, there was a clear opportunity to manufacture
and assemble batteries.
GIOKOS: Nu Wave says that in Ecowas, an economic union of 15 countries in West Africa, the car battery market size is $150 million. The company says
to further tap into this market, it wants to limit Ghana's reliance on importing batteries by providing local manufacturing alternatives.
Nu Wave says its goal is to have the plant up and running by the middle of next year. Once operating at full capacity, the company says they will be
able to produce a million batteries a year and employ up to 1,500 people directly and indirectly.
SEALEY: Because Ghana has in excess of 3.2 million, gas and -- well, petrol vehicles, we are starting with lead acid batteries for cars and SUVs and
trucks, generators, and that type of thing. The plan is to move on to lithium later on.
There is a lot of synergies between Trinidad and Ghana.
And you know, we just want to, want to make it happen, you know. You have to move from conceptualization to actualization. We want to be
trendsetters, we want to be game changers, we want to be the first Caribbean company to really have a huge impact in Africa, starting with
Ghana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:55:52]
ASHER: Richard Quest is taking in a slower pace of life in England's Cotswold District for "WORLD OF WONDER". Many of the treasures left by past
generations can be found in the antique shops throughout the countryside. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice over): An area of natural beauty, to be sure, the Cotswold is simply spectacular.
But this area is also known for the numerous antique shops.
Lorfords Antiques describes itself as Europe's largest collector and distributor of such decorative matter.
Its founder, is Toby Lorford, and he deals with this constant flow of stock, sourcing high-value items, and selling all over the world.
Now, before we get down to talking business. --
QUEST: Oh, that's interesting.
QUEST (voice over): Will someone please stop me from buying the lot?
QUEST: Darling, I went out for a pint of milk, and I came back with a crocodile.
Oh, come on, look at this.
Every home should have what --
What the hell is it?
TOBY LORFORD, FOUNDER, LORFORDS ANTIQUE: There we go.
QUEST: I adore all of this. Right. Off, we go. Keep going.
And I could happily buy the whole bloody lot.
LORFORD: It's not a problem.
QUEST: No, it didn't.
How long does this stuff stay here (INAUDIBLE)?
LORFORD: (INAUDIBLE) We see about 130, 140 new items every week.
QUEST: 130 item that are -- good Lord.
LORFORD: Yes, yes. If we are not fresh, it's not good for business.
And we sell around about 120 items a week.
QUEST: That's a pretty solid.
LORFORD: Almost 90, 95 percent of the stock is online.
QUEST: Yes.
LORFORD: And we sell to specifies interior designers and architects predominantly. And 40 percent of that is American interior design trade.
QUEST: That's interesting.
So, the tourist that pops in is not the bulk by a long way.
LORFORD: No, no.
QUEST: This is -- these are professional people, interior designers.
LORFORD: Yes.
QUEST: Architects who know where to look for that piece that they need to put in that extremely expensive house in the Hamptons.
LORFORD: Yes, yes. Exactly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: That is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Zain Asher. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
