How the oil crisis has hit the world - Ceylon Daily News
How the oil crisis has hit the world - Ceylon Daily News Actually, it�s this minority who work round the clock to keep the government machinery intact. Africa Africa is at the sharp end of the oil shock and the inter-related surge in food prices. Africa remains the largest area of Red Cross spending, accounting for 45 per cent of the field budget in 2007. After a week that has seen hauliers blocking roads and air passengers facing higher surcharges, yesterday it was the impact on fuel bills that came to the fore. All around the world, in a multitude of ways, the soaring price of oil is hurting rich and poor alike. Americans asked to go down to a four-day week. Among the principle allegations levelled against Sri Lankan trade unions is that the majority of them are affiliated to political parties, and accordingly use labour rights to fulfil the aspirations of not the working class, but their political patrons. An increasing number of employers, anxious to keep their staff, are offering them the option of working longer but fewer days, to cut out journeys to work. And insurance companies report a sharp drop in road accidents. And, for worse, these poor folk drive in their high-powered official limousines and gather in their hundreds in breezy air-conditioned rooms. And, how can they empower the masses driving in their limos to the ballroom. And, it�s time to shed petty individual indulgences for fancy tax free cars and many other worldly pleasures we yearn for. And, relevant authorities must come out with resources, technologies, and consultation. And, some contributors pitilessly employed the phrase �fake scientists� and hit the nail on the fact in no uncertain terms while pondering on an earlier theme. And, the moment you cozy up in chairs larger than life, the words �crisis� and �sustainable development� simply become odd exceptions. Arctic With the threat of the world�s oil reserves one day running out, energy-hungry nations are frantically looking towards the more inaccessible areas of the world for new sources. Are our trade unions using their right to defend the interests of the working class in a responsible manner? As major importers beg major producers such as Saudi Arabia to release millions more barrels on to the world markets those Middle Eastern countries unlucky enough not to be sitting on lakes of black gold are facing growing resentment from their own populations over fuel prices. Asia Daily protests have erupted across Indonesia this week after the Government removed subsidies on fuel, leading to an overnight price jump of 30 per cent. At least, as decent citizens, these responsible authorities should realise that frittering away time in power is beneath their dignity. At the same time, airlines across the Asia-Pacific region are scrambling to cut flights and increase surcharges to boost their haemorrhaging cashflow. Australasia As Kevin Rudd�s newly elected government tries to stem a wave of discontent over prices at the petrol pumps, the airline Qantas announced this week that it was intending to slash hundreds of jobs, freeze executive pay and shut down some domestic rural routes. Awfully, and day by day, the public has increasingly been becoming an extremely disbelieving lot. Badly scarred by the oil crises of the 1970s, many Latin American nations have since diversified their energy mix by encouraging the use of biofuels. Business: Parquet likely to sell stakes ... But do we have the capacity to think in the way? But for all these novelties, you need assistance and advice. But he opted to adopt a lifestyle that is almost plebeian. But in an indication of how the country is struggling to import enough fuel, at least three major Chinese cities brought in diesel rationing yesterday. But Indonesia�s poor have been left reeling by the removal of fuel subsidies and have taken to the streets. But it should be an example that can set the trend. But it�s a commonplace to hear the public complain that higher officialdom is infested with lackluster egotistic officials with multifaceted gut issues. But those figures look less impressive when expressed as percentages. But those most vulnerable to the price of oil have been driven on to the streets in angry protests, which raise a fundamental question: what can we do to survive in a world where a barrel of oil costs $127 (sterling pounds 64)? But while biofuels have kept petrol prices down, food prices - particularly in Central American countries such as Mexico and Haiti - have shot up as vast tracts of arable land are switched from producing food to fuel. But, funnily enough, their fondness to reunite again and again in the ball room seems a bizarre case of deception. But, the open economy allow them more choice where they can buy more in the market place, a choice which they can not manage with discretion. Chip pan fat is worth more than four times what it was a few years ago, making that haul worth more than sterling pounds 3,000. Crisis in the grand ballroom Jayantha SENEVIRATHNA For an official, who lasts in holiday mood forever, its effect is slick, arresting and undeniably theatrical. Currently, global warming, energy, and food are the topics that create immense interest among the public and the world over, but energy seems to be somewhat forgotten in Sri Lanka. Despite being south-east Asia�s largest oil producer, Indonesia has struggled to meet even domestic demand due to aging wells and declining investment. Do Sri Lankan trade unions exhaust other peaceful dispute settlement methods before resorting to strikes? Eleven billion fewer miles is a drop of 4.3 per cent and 330,000 barrels is less than 1 per cent of the country�s total daily consumption. Environmental campaigners, who were not allowed to attend the summit, are concerned that a new scramble for the Arctic has begun and are worried that future exploration can damage the area�s sensitive ecosystems. Especially, in energy conservation, preacher must be the first practitioner. Europe Luxembourg�s Finance Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs the commission of European Union finance ministers, issued a call to all EU Governments yesterday to hold their nerve and avoid the temptation to use the tax system to relieve the misery of high oil prices. European hauliers and fishermen whose livelihoods are under threat. Even in a remote rural district, the masses are suspicious of the authenticity of official intervention. Even so, this is good news for the environment, since the US�s greenhouse gas emissions fell by nine million tonnes in the first quarter of 2008. Even the freshly coined �fake scientists� do not appear to come out with a viable solution of appeal. Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers mmLoadMenus(); DateLineWednesday, 9 July 2008 News Bar � News: Pay hike for private sector ... For a suburban home, it may be using firewood for cooking once in a while. For instance, during late seventies, as a teenage university student, this writer came across an affable young man while travelling to Colombo from his home in one of the remotest corners of the dry zone. For the lucky ones, it is simply a matter of changing their lifestyle. Governments already under pressure from food protests, and in some cases such as Mozambique violent riots, have now to contend with a new problem. Great Britain The rise in the oil price can not come at a worse time for Gordon Brown. Have your say on the above issues as we take Strikes: Is it a healthy option? He or she should switch off the air conditioner, adopt the cheap low fat diet, and travel with the masses using public transport. He was spotted rummaging around in the garbage behind a Burger King, with a tube and a storage bin. If energy is to be innovative as an industry, political authority should encourage real patriots to take the lead, and let others to follow. In a blessed land where oil exploration is already contracted, a pending energy crisis is not an indomitable challenge. In a daily broadsheet, commoners suggest sensible, simple and viable solutions which sound really innovative. In a flashy envelope, carved in golden lettering, the invitation is for another arm-chair session pondering over �crises� in a very unlikely corner. In actual fact, it was not the failure of the concept, but the lackluster officialdom who failed to empower the masses. In an indication of just how much pressure the world�s airline operators are under, Qantas estimated that this year�s fuel bill will be sterling 500m more than last year. In an ordinary class compartment in a train, we were sitting among the peasantry, itinerant workers, and rural students. In August, Russia upped the stakes by planting a flag under the North Pole. In Brazil, the world�s largest ethanol producer, biofuels account for more than half of transport needs. In Bulgaria, lorry and bus drivers launched a joint protest. In Egypt, petrol prices have risen by as much as 40 per cent in a year. In fact soaring oil prices have bulked up budgets to record levels in countries such as Venezuela. In fact, it�s asking too much to expect legends like him to interfere in forming energy policies. In fact, there are many officials with the mark of a scientist or a reputable professional practitioner. In fact, this very debate brings imagination and life to overcome the crisis. In Gaza this week, where fuel shortages have long been a major source of seething discontent due to rationing by Israel and Hamas, Palestinians were forced to fill their cars with olive oil instead of diesel. In his prime of youth, he was a young professional, in one of the most patrician of professions. In March this year, the number of miles driven by American motorists was 11 billion fewer than in March 2007, according to the Transportation Department. In reality, the energy industry has not been innovative since the introduction of the open economy. In South Africa, the Government announced yesterday that petrol prices for next week alone will rise by 5 per cent. In the Netherlands, the protests caused less inconvenience, but made more noise when, at 11.45am on Thursday, lorry drivers across the country simultaneously blew their horns in protest at diesel prices. Iran is acutely vulnerable to rises in fuel prices because, despite being the world�s second largest producer, it is still forced to import about 40 per cent of its petrol because of a lack of refining facilities. Is the right to strike an absolute right outweighing national security and other issues of public interest? It consists mainly of advice on coping with the cost of heating rather than extra money. It may be pedaling your foot cycle instead of the lazy car ride home. It was none other than Professor Senaka Bibile. Its low-budget offshoot, Jetstar, announced it will cut the number of routes it flew by 5 per cent angering many of those living in Australia�s vast interior who rely on the low budget airlines. It�s not a case of weaning oil production, but of newly explored wealth. It�s the talent that gives wings to our visions of the future, the prime source of competitive advantage overcoming a crisis. It�s time for them to visit the land where the seeds perfect, but not the ballroom. Like it or not, dull on the job armchair dreamers and the proactive common man pair off unlikely partners, especially in a country where lazy middle-class indulgences bear many adverse effects on common masses. M. Sarkozy suggested capping fuel taxes if the oil price rose further. Malaysia has told petrol stations to stop selling fuel to Singapore-registered cars. Many rural districts in Sri Lanka are still self-sufficient to a certain extent. Middle East Not even the region with the world�s largest oil reserves has escaped the pressures. Moreover, it�s neither technologies nor strategies. Most importantly, they should practice what they preach.�A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Most of the goods and services are produced within the village itself and the masses are somewhat happier. Much of the regional strain placed on Asia�s oil reserves comes from China�s near-insatiable consumption of energy. Oil prospectors believe it can be home to a quarter of the world�s undiscovered hydrocarbon reserves. On Wednesday, Jakarta announced it will quit OPEC because it was unhappy with the way the international oil cartel was dealing with the crisis. Our involvement with him was a valuable empowerment for us. Outside Seattle, the owner of a pizza restaurant is thinking of installing a CCTV camera over its 50-gallon cooking-oil barrel to keep rustlers away. Palestinians forced to fill up their cars with olive oil. Passers-by pushed and shoved to get their hands on the free hake. Petrol prices in Melbourne this week hit an all-time high of 164.9 cents [80p] a litre on Wednesday. Political: UNP, JVP in dire straits - Minister Sirisena ... Protests last year over fuel prices brought in rationing, which is still in place in Tehran and other major Iranian cities. Protests over rising oil pricesHe reminded them that, when they met in Manchester in 2005, they agreed that such a move will encourage demand and send the wrong message to oil producers. Research has not been an integral part inside the university system, professionalism has been reflecting copybook style attempts at entrepreneurship, and human resource management has been based on poor communication between the employer and employee. Should trade unions be independent of political affiliations? Singaporeans often take advantage of cheaper oil prices in Malaysia by driving over the border and filling up there. Some handed out free fish to underline their point that, with the current cost of fuel, they are practically giving their catches away. Still, the masses see a lot of initiative, common sense, and common touch in them. That is not what France�s President, Nicolas Sarkozy, wanted to hear yesterday, after a week of protests by French truckers and fishermen left several motorways blocked and ports paralysed. That is the sharpest drop year on year that the department has ever recorded, and the first fall of any kind recorded in the month of March since 1979. That is to argue over alternative energy sources, environmental friendly solar-powered cars, or to show off a trendy hostility against ethanol.At the end of the day, for any rational minded, it proves almost an anticlimax. That�s where the Government interference matters. The aim is to ensure that the �social tariffs� get to the people that need them most. The average annual household bill for heat and light is now more than �1,000. The biggest demonstrations were in Spain and Portugal where 10,000 protesters converged on Madrid. The energy and car industries have not been innovative in many years because they have faced no real crisis, no impetus for change,� Larry Page, Google�s founder, told The Economist. The five countries at the summit agreed to let the UN rule on conflicting territorial claims for the region�s seabed. The Government plans to reform data protection laws so that low-income families can be contacted directly by the companies and offered help. The handsome young man was seated next to me, but I came to know that he was a doctor by profession some years later. The number of Britons in �fuel poverty� - 10 per cent of their income goes on energy - is thought to have reached four million. The Prime Minister�s attempt to ease the pain felt by pensioners and low-income families from rising fuel bills was dismissed as a �sticking plaster to hold back a catastrophe�. The protest spread to the seas yesterday, as fishermen across Europe went on a one-day strike, blocking ports. The resource in the shortest supply is neither ball rooms nor limousines. The solutions may not always involve technology. The summit was a bid to stop the Arctic becoming a flashpoint between the nations because of the natural resources it is thought to contain. The United States There are signs that the fuel crisis is persuading Americans to think about leaving the car in the garage. The US Energy Department projects that this year, domestic gas consumption will drop by 190,000 barrels a day and overall petroleum use by 330,000 barrels a day, the first annual fall since 1991. There are also growing fears that rapidly increasing fuel prices can have a knock-on effect for aid agencies in countries such as Ethiopia, which are struggling to pay for fuel. There are patriots who are still remembered with continuing fascination in terms of their ideals. There is a plan to offer public employees on New York�s Long Island the opportunity to work four 10-hour days, instead of five eight-hour days - a move which, it is reckoned, will save more than 30 barrels of oil a day. They have called for a similar treaty to that which currently regulates the Antarctic, which bans all military activity and mineral exploitation. This brings the increase in petrol prices so far this year to 33 per cent, while the price of diesel, used extensively in farming and heavy industry, has leapt 49 per cent. This week Hong Kong�s Cathay Pacific and Taiwan�s China Airlines announced they were considering scaling back some long-haul routes whilst Korean Air said it will temporarily cut flights on 12 international routes over the summer. This week the Red Cross said in its annual report that rising oil and food costs will mean it now needs much more money than last year just to keep the same level of aid distribution. This week, the five main powers bordering the Arctic - Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States - met in Greenland for a two-day summit to discuss their various claims of sovereignty over the Arctic Ocean seabed. We know that they are not made but born. When Kent State University, in Ohio, offered this opportunity to 94 security staff, 78 of them snapped it up.In Northern California, one man thought he had found a way to profit from the crisis. When police caught up with him, they found that he had 2,500 gallons of used fryer grease stolen from various restaurants. While the success or the failure of the strike is yet to be seen, the present situation reflects the conflict of views that has prevailed in our society regarding trade union action for many years. Why can�t it be an impetus for change for us? Wijewardene Mawatha or via e-mail to debate@dailynews.lk on or before July 18, 2008. With enough resources at hand to be in control, the country should search for people who can minimize wasting public funds, and officials who can interpret simple circulars to minimize official red tape. With internet and related communication facilities, the common man is well informed and empowered.It�s the duty of the academics, professionals, and high-ranking officials to get more informed and innovative in their endevours. With millions living on the tiny margin between subsistence and starvation, fuel costs can quickly become a matter of life and death. With the increasing forces of globalization, discussing energy policies poses an obvious challenge. With trade unions in the country reported to be poised for an islandwide token strike tomorrow, the issue of �reasonable� industrial strife has gained prominence in political debates, social dialogues and in the everyday public discourse. Yemen has been rocked by riots in the south, which is home to only a fifth of its 22 million population but produces 80 per cent of the country�s oil. Yet, these poor theorists cling tightly on as these once prestigious professions have slowly been becoming gateways for tax free vehicles, sponsored tours abroad, access to wealth, and much more. Young men and separatists, angry that very little of the nation�s oil wealth has trickled down to ordinary people in the south, have been protesting since April, raising concerns that Islamic militants can exploit the unrest in the notoriously fractious country. Your contributions (limited to 1,500 words) should be sent to Daily News Debate, 35, D.R.
