Blackouts skyrocket global political unrest

In Lebanon, where endemic corruption and political gridlock have crippled the economy, the United Nations World Food Program is increasingly giving people cash to buy groceries, especially after a devastating 2020 port explosion that destroyed huge grain elevators. For consumers, this means paying more for the same or inferior food, or cutting out certain habits altogether. One knee-jerk response has been food export bans aimed at protecting domestic prices and supplies as a growing number of governments in developing countries seek to show a nervous public that their needs are being met.ДЇor business owners, the rising cost of cooking ingredients - from oil to chicken - has prompted them to raise prices, with people paying 10% to 20% more at WuвЂ™s cookshop. Using frozen chicken has affected the flavor of the dish, but we have no choice,вЂќ Wu said.ДЄs inflation soars around the world, politicians are looking for ways to keep food affordable as people increasingly protest the rising cost of living. For Singapore, which sources a third of its poultry from Malaysia, the impact was immediate. Wu was forced to switch to frozen chicken after Malaysia last month banned the export of live broiler chickens, which are more affordable and better-tasting, to offset rising local prices.

But recently, customers have been complaining that his chicken doesnвЂ™t taste quite as good as it used to. Soki WuвЂ™s food stall, tucked away in a shopping mall food court in Singapore, is a crowd favorite for its fresh, juicy chicken rice, a national dish.

Blackouts skyrocket global political unrest