In many ways a second act would have been easier to achieve than breaking through in the first place.
At least that seemed to be the prospectus Boris Johnson was offering his traumatised political party. Mesmerised by the gloom resulting from the Conservative party’s annus horribilis in 2022, the bouncing Boris bombshell, that he was considering a return to power, was proving irresistible to colleagues who not so long ago held him in contempt.
MPs who denounced Mr Johnson on Twitter two months ago were now announcing support if he tried to take over from Liz Truss. In the end, Mr Johnson last night ruled himself out of the race.
Up until then, however, it seemed like politics was running on fumes.
The UK has a self-inflicted threat of bankruptcy hanging over it. It no longer commands much of an audience in foreign affairs. It is incapable of leadership in areas where it once used heritage and diplomatic guile to set the weather.
This is politics running on fumes
Take its sluggish policy on Iran. No cigarette paper width of distance has come between London and the efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the tarnished 2015 nuclear deal that has a zombie-like hold on international negotiators.
Britain issued sanctions on Iranian entities tied to the drone programme, in response to allegations that these are being exported for use in the Ukraine war, but only matching those imposed by the EU. Britain did little when these drones were deployed in Yemen with disastrous consequences.
Back to Mr Johnson. Until last night, he was the only serious impediment to Rishi Sunak emerging as the next British prime minister. Mr Sunak served as Mr Johnson’s finance minister and performed, in hindsight, a remarkable feat of running a tight financial ship under the most profligate of recent British premiers.
As chancellor of the exchequer, Mr Sunak gave little away about how he was running things. We now see why. He was treading a very narrow path for the UK economy, around some enormous holes in its financial soundness.
Once Ms Truss was let loose, the magnitude of the weakness was plain.
Now the Conservative government, which has still two years of its parliamentary term to run, must come up with a plan that satisfies the markets. The need is stark when the UK is seeking, as it did last month, to sell £20 billion ($23bn) or more of debt every few weeks.
The idea that Mr Johnson had worked out how to do this, were he to return to the hot seat, was for the birds. The injection of energy and optimism that he offered may have been welcome but it was an intangible.
The US dollar squeeze on the world economy will continue to be an objective reality that Mr Johnson couldn't have blustered around. Add to that, his second term was likely to be immediately plunged on to a knife edge about previously misleading the House of Commons. In the UK, this is the gravest offence for a politician and by the rest of us, it is essentially known as lying.
Greg Hands, a junior minister who opposed Mr Johnson, recalled last weekend trying to quit on principle from Mr Johnson’s government in July. The prime minister offered him a place in the cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary. Mr Hands said it was scarcely conceivable this sensitive post was dangled as sop. He quit anyway.
It is unlikely that the technocratic, sure hands such as Mr Sunak's or the steady veteran Jeremy Hunt would have served under Mr Johnson has he won this week. That is because there was no second version of the flamboyant former mayor of London on offer, merely the classics-loving sponge of political illusions who imploded the last time around.
The economist Simon French says there is a “dullness dividend” available to the UK. He says this confidence boost could amount to billions of pounds as the next budget is thrashed out, perhaps around one fifth of the looming fiscal gap.
Here's the thing. The UK has become a global fascinator. A satirical report came out last week with the headline that Ireland had run out of popcorn as the UK crisis came to a head. The US right is fascinated by the flameout of the radical shift that Ms Truss, who promoted ministers almost entirely from the ranks of Mr Johnson’s loyalists, tried to ramrod through the British political and economic system.
The result is evident: it looks like a grim mess.
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
Dunki
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The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
