Saturday, October 2, 2021

Six In The Morning Saturday 2 October 2021

 

Boris Johnson's reign is becoming one long crisis

Updated 0412 GMT (1212 HKT) October 2, 2021


On Sunday, Boris Johnson will walk among his Conservative faithful for the first time since October 2019, as members of the UK's governing party gather in the English city of Manchester for their 2021 conference.

He does so as Britain faces numerous crises, from fuel shortages bringing its roads to a grinding halt to energy prices soaring due to unusually low gas supplies. There are serious concerns that the UK will experience food shortages as it approaches Christmas, while supermarket shelves are already looking bare in some areas.


‘A perfect storm’: supply chain crisis could blow world economy off course

From Liverpool to LA, shortages of energy, labour and transport are threatening recovery from Covid


 in Sydney


It was all going so well. Successful vaccination programmes were driving the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy, stock markets were back at record highs, and prices were rising just enough to make deflation fears a thing of the past.

But a supply crunch that initially put a question mark over the availability of luxury cars or whether there would be enough PlayStations under our Christmas trees is instead morphing into a full-blown crisis featuring a shortage of energy, labour and transport from Liverpool to Los Angeles, and from Qingdao to Queensland.

All the problems are in one way or another tangled up in the surge of post-pandemic consumer demand, but taken together they threaten what one leading economist calls a “stagflationary wind” that could blow the global economy off course.


Ex-president Saakashvili says he is back in Georgia — despite arrest warrant

Mikeil Saakashvili said he had arrived in time for Saturday’s local elections, and called on supporters to ‘take back control’

Oliver Carroll

Estranged president Mikheil Saakashvili said he had returned home to Georgia on Friday, despite orders being out for his arrest — setting up a battle of wills with his longtime foe and the local kingpin billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

In a grainy, nighttime video apparently shot on the Black Sea-front promenade of Batumi, the bling casino resort Mr Saakashvili helped popularise, the former leader said he had "risked everything" to come back.

"I have really missed this place," he whispers, grinning and dressed in a hooded top. "Today, my dream is fulfilled."



Taiwan rebukes China over largest ever air incursion

Defense officials have accused Beijing of "damaging regional peace" after China flew an unprecedented 38 military aircraft into the Taiwanese air defense zone, including nuclear-capable bombers.

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said Saturday that China's military aircraft maneuvers within its air defense zone were an act of "bullying."

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry on Friday said China flew 25 military aircraft into its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), in what amounted to a large display of force on China's national day, which celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China. 

A second group of jets flew into the ADIZ later on Friday night, bringing the total number of warplanes entering the Taiwanese air defense zone to an unprecedented 38.


Philippine President Duterte announces retirement in surprise move

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for his daughter to run to succeed him.

"The overwhelming... sentiment of the Filipinos is that I am not qualified and it would be a violation of the constitution to circumvent the law, the spirit of the constitution" to run for the vice presidency, Duterte said.

"Today, I announce my retirement from politics," he added, accompanying loyalist Senator Christopher "Bong" Go from their ruling PDP-Laban party as he registered to run for vice president.








Ros Atkins explains how global supply chain problems have led to shortages of some goods in the West.




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