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.

The EREC festival in Ethiopia should have been a day of Thanksgiving among the Aromo ethnic group.

Instead, there were arrests. This quiet is growing in the country as the Prime Minister, who campaigned on promises to the Aromo, continues to fall short.

And the betel nut is the stimulant of choice in many parts of Asia.

Our correspondent heads to China's Hunan province, where it's revered, exchanged in greeting, even given to kids.

The thing is, it's a known carcinogen.

First up, though.

Today, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson will deliver his speech to the annual gathering of his Conservative Party.

The delegates will, of of course be attending virtually.

Now, this might not be the party conferences we know it, but it's still your conference.

There are still the big speeches from the foreign secretary.

And those delegates will be looking for reassurance at a time that's worrying on a number of counts.

Mr Johnson's government has come under repeated criticism for its handling of the pandemic. This week, the country's test and trace system came under fire after nearly 16,000 COVID cases

weren't followed up, reportedly because of an error with an Excel spreadsheet.

Mr. Johnson is hoping that new measures he's introduced will slow the uptick in cases.

The crucial thing is that in the next few days, week we'll see more clearly whether some of the restrictions that we've put in,

we'll see whether that starts to work in driving down the virus.

Alongside the pandemic, Mr. Johnson is having to deal with another crisis of historic scope,

Brexit.

Britain and the European Union are still at loggerheads on a post-Brexit trade deal.

There are just weeks to overcome that impasse if Britain is to avoid the no-deal scenario

that has been forecast or feared for years now.

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