UK fuel shortages – what’s the army up to?
The UK energy sector is in crisis this week – it has been announced that the army will be deployed to drive fuel tankers as queues at petrol stations continue. Petrol shortages and price rises recently arose from a lack of lorry drivers to supply petrol, with this issue also affecting supermarkets and fast-food chains. Panic buying has worsened the shortage, with 27% of petrol stations (37% earlier in the week) reporting being out of fuel, though the situation is forecast to ease in the coming days. Elsewhere in Europe, a lack of lorry drivers has affected deliveries and distribution of goods, but free movement of labour has prevented widespread shortages. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has argued Brexit is primarily responsible for the supply chain fragility, with the end of free movement and immigration restrictions making recruitment of haulage drivers, healthcare workers, and manual labour even more difficult.
Social Democrats come out on top in German elections
In Germany’s elections (or ‘Bundestagswahl’) on Sunday, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) claimed the largest share of the vote, beating Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Armin Laschet. While the margin between the two leading parties was extremely narrow, this marks a turning point in German politics – CDU suffered historic losses, while SPD and the Green Party made huge gains in popularity across the country. With no outright majority, crucial talks are happening between the ‘kingmakers’ of the election, the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP), who will likely form a coalition government with either CDU or SPD. SPD candidate Scholz has voiced his support for a ‘traffic light’ coalition, made up of the SPD, FDP, and Greens – the ‘traffic light’ based off the party colours of red, yellow, and green
La Palma under threat from volcanic eruption
The Spanish island of La Palma has been devastated by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, with hundreds of homes flattened by lava and over 6000 residents evacuated since the 19th of September. This lava has now reached the Atlantic, prompting fears of explosions through coastal erosion and the release of toxic gases into the air. The President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, said that streams of lava up to 600 metres wide had devastated the landscape in many areas of La Palma. Residents in several regions have been locked down and have lost homes, schools, and livelihoods from the catastrophic eruption. Last week, it was estimated that the damage incurred would likely exceed £345 million, and financial support has been pledged by the Spanish government. The disaster will have economic implications for the island, with banana plantations, as well as avocado and papaya crops, being destroyed by the lava – La Palma depends on bananas for half of its economic output.
Return of the London Marathon; No Time to Die premiere
The London Marathon is set to go ahead this year on the 3rd of October, the 41st running of the event after it was postponed last year due to COVID-19. It is estimated that participation levels could exceed previous years with almost 100,000 runners, with the Marathon acting as a ‘beacon of hope’ in dark times for the UK. 2020’s race broke the record for the highest number of people to participate in a virtual marathon, at over 37,000. In other news, Daniel Craig’s final Bond film ‘No Time to Die’ premiered this week in London, receiving high praise from critics describing the film as playing to Craig’s strengths in a typical Bond-like action-filled plot. While it is currently unclear who his future replacement will be, likely candidates include co-star of No Time to Die Lashana Lynch.
