Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Global attitudes towards recreational drugs are softening, but not in Japan, where harsh laws are mixed with strong social stigma.

The country doesn't have much crime related to drugs, but there's also no sympathy or help for those who get mixed up with them.

And today, tourists in Australia are making a last-minute dash up Uluru, a stunning rock formation that will close to the public tomorrow.

It's a dangerous climb and a disrespectful one.

The site's Aboriginal owners have always viewed it as a sacred place.

First up, though.

When asked whether he should request a Brexit extension from the European Union beyond the October 31st deadline,

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a flippant but frank answer.

I'd rather be dead in a ditch.

But last week, Mr. Johnson was forced by Parliament to make that request.

Today, the EU is meeting to discuss whether to grant Britain the extension, whether for weeks or months it's unclear.

Mr. Johnson, meanwhile, has a new plan and a new date to trumpet. He's aiming for a

general election on December 12th. Having failed to cobble together consensus in time, Mr. Johnson

finds himself in the same position as his predecessor, Theresa May, calling a snap election to get

enough parliamentary support for the revised deal he's hammered out with the EU.

Just like Mrs Mays, though, that is a risky move.

But Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, has made a bold, if rather cynical, move.

Anne McElvoy is a senior editor at The Economist, and a longtime haunter of the halls of power.

He has called for an election on the 12th of December, a snap election, and he hopes that will split his opponents.

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