Society would grind to a halt and be literally plunged into darkness for years to come.

something happens, and they grind to a halt. And it's confusing because they're not sure

Perlmutter's astounding discovery means that the universe will not grind to a halt, then crunch back down into a pinhead of super dense matter.

And he warns, if we launch economic nuclear war on every country in the world, business investment will grind to a halt, consumers will close their wallets and pocketbooks, and we will severely damage our reputation with the rest of the world.

Computers around the world began to grind to a halt on Thursday night after a faulty software update with a single defect saw severe disruption to air travel, hospitals, banks and much more.

and Typo will suddenly grind to a halt and fastidiously explore the spot of pavement that looks identical to all the other spots of pavement around it,

If you open a map that tracks ships, zoom in on the Indian Ocean, then turn on live tracking... ...the vital arteries of global commerce become obvious Without access to it, trade between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia... ...would basically grind to a halt These are the choke points, the critical passages that fuel the world economy For India, they're non-negotiable, carrying almost all its trade and energy Since the Indian Ocean is named after India, it is quite integral to India's worldview But it's also important to another giant China is pouring billions into ports, infrastructure and naval expansion And that has India alarmed China is not violating any international rules And China is not infringing upon India's interests Therefore, they have to change their mentality What were once obscure specks in the vast Indian Ocean... ...are now the silent targets in a looming struggle One that could choke global trade and tilt the balance of power There's increased competition between the US and China... ...between China and India as well, vying for influence within that President Donald Trump's shift in foreign policy... ...has cast uncertainty on the US's role in the region I will put America first And open doors for China At the centre of it all are tiny countries like Mauritius... ...which find themselves courted by powers that might once have overlooked them Mauritius is known for its beautiful white sand beaches, the lagoon... ...the great five-star hotels and the hospitality of Mauritians But it's more than that Mauritius controls 2.3 million kilometres... ...of economic exclusive zone in the Indian Ocean It sits in the middle of the maritime trade So it shows how strategic, important Mauritius is Its heat sweetens those sugar canes on which the island's economy depends When I was born, the country was living off sugar cane plantation We saw a kind of a surge of interest from the early 2000s from China It shifted from China to India... ...leveraging on the fact that Mauritius is also known as Little India... ...or Chota Bharat, as we say And these countries do help us, be it China, be it India So it's helping the country to prosper But just beyond these pristine shores, military bases... ...on the Agalega Islands, a territory governed by Mauritius... ...India has constructed a new airstrip to land surveillance aircraft... ...in large part to track Chinese activity Meanwhile, Diego Garcia, another island Mauritius has sovereignty over... ...has proved strategic for US and UK military power... ...with a base there since the 1970s When powers become global, one thing they want to do... ...is kind of spec the globe with military bases to project power internationally And when you think about that kind of network... ...it's something that China is starting to set its sights on But China is not alone India's Agalega base signals a shift in its global ambitions too... ...driven by economic expansion and tensions with China India and China have had ties dating back millennia They had a brief period of friendship in the 1950s... ...but the two countries fought a border war in 1962 And the relationship honestly has never quite recovered It's characterised by deep mistrust, a deep sense of insecurity on Delhi's part And in fact, in 2020, the two countries fought a series of border skirmishes... ...which resulted in loss of life on both sides If the dispute between India and China was primarily land-based in the past... ...now both countries are thinking about how that extends into the maritime domain Four of the world's six most important maritime chokepoints are in the Indian Ocean... ...making it absolutely critical to global trade When you think about countries like India and China... ...the dependency is really quite startling India relies on the ocean for something like 95% of its international trade... ...80% of its energy In fact, 40% of the world's offshore petroleum is found in the Indian Ocean... ...and nearly half of oil products transiting through these chokepoints... ...are received by India and China When Beijing looks at its energy security, its ability to procure oil for example... ...it's very heavily dependent on the Middle East to some extent, Africa... ...and nearly all of that goes through this chokepoint called the Strait of Lacka Blocking any of these routes would have a huge impact on global trade... ...creating a potential flashpoint for conflict But China has seemingly been preparing As part of its Global Belt and Road Initiative... ...it has asserted its regional influence... ...with multi-billion-dollar infrastructure investments across the Indian Ocean You can see China's influence in infrastructure, the airport, the dam... ...the headquarters of the national radio TV station In Mauritius, they've also installed surveillance cameras... ...made by Chinese telecom giant Huawei You will find that all these projects are economic projects... ...which of course are welcomed by these countries Alongside its aggressive military build-up in the South China Sea... ...China is also extending its reach into the Indian Ocean Chinese warships have been sent on anti-piracy missions... ...and billions funnelled into 46 commercial ports... ...36 of which can host naval vessels On Africa's east coast, China built its first military base in Djibouti... ...and is expanding its naval footprint in Cambodia... ...giving it the potential to project power from both sides of the Indian Ocean The rate at which China is building ships, aircraft, missiles... ...you have actually a dramatic expansion of Chinese military power It's a growing concern for Indian policymakers... ...who know the Indian Ocean is more than just a trade route The idea that an external power... ...and these days it's increasingly Beijing that they're thinking of... ...could shut that down or somehow hinder it... ...is a really big threat to India's national security... ...and its hopes of rising As China pushes in, the power that has dominated... ...the Indian Ocean for decades is in retreat We have more breaking news on this Friday night Secretary of State Marco Rubio now ordering the US... ...to immediately stop almost all foreign aid and supplies... ...pending a review The US cuts to foreign assistance are like a gift to China The US had been investing aid in democracy promotion... ...protecting civil society, health, education, transparent economic development Now that many of those programmes have gone away... ...it really is allowing China an opportunity to come in and fill the gaps While the US still controls more military installations than any other nation... ...with about 750 across at least 80 countries... ...President Trump's foreign policy has meant scaling back... ...on global defence commitments And that puts more pressure on the US base on Diego Garcia... ...to counter China's growing presence This is the only base where the US has bombers in the Indo-Pacific region... ...aside from Guam And it's an area where countries like India... ...would not want the Chinese to get access and get a hold on As a result, India is flexing its military might Alongside the airstrip in Agalega... ...it has commissioned a new base on Minicoy Island... ...and opened its first offshore military logistics hub... ...at Dukhum Port in Oman It's also working harder to win hearts and minds around the Indian Ocean We are at the main metro station in Portlis, the capital The whole project has been funded through grants from India It showcases India's investment in a small island nation like Mauritius While China continues to dominate regional investment... ...not all of its projects have delivered See this picture?

Whole global supply chain, obviously, will grind to a halt." I think Christian is talking about an incident in the Suez Canal during the pandemic.

hospitality sectors, as well as the agricultural and parcel delivery sectors, would grind to a halt.

The idea that you can have a three-month interregnum in which government would grind to a halt, but also you would have nonstop speculation and briefing about what a Burnham government would look like, which would ultimately define for Andy Burnham what is government how his government is framed in a way that might be very hard to rescue should he then become Prime Minister in late September." They say, "Look, it's for the birds.