July 22 2008

China: PetroChina to Control Exports to Ease Domestic Gasoline, Diesel Shortages

PetroChina Co., the nation's biggest oil producer, said its will extend the ``strict control'' on fuel exports in the second half of this year to ease domestic shortages of gasoline and diesel.

Egypt: Drivers infuriated by shortage of affordable fuel

Taxis queued in front of gas stations across Cairo as the congested city suffered a shortage of 80-octane and diesel fuel, a crisis that reached its peak last week.

“I have to stay in queues for two hours or more, and sometimes I do not even find fuel available for my car,” said Hussein Soliman, a taxi driver.

India: Acute diesel shortage hits Hyderabad

Hyderabad is experiencing an acute shortage of diesel for the past few days. This has forced petrol pumps to ration the fuel and as a result cabs are steering out of business.

"Due to this diesel shortage, all my cars are getting stopped. My cars were taken on finance. Business is affected as drivers are unable to take the cars out due to lack of diesel,” said Mohammed Aslam. He is a supervisor for a cab service and supplies cabs to several IT companies in the city. However, for the past few days his cabs have to wait for at least four hours every morning to get diesel.

India: State industries to bear extra loadshedding

The acute power shortage in the state, aggravated by absence of rains, will hit the industries in Maharashtra the hardest. Beginning Tuesday midnight, all industries in the state will have to face extra eight hours of load-shedding, over and above the 16 hours that they undergo every week.

Pakistan: Traders protest load shedding

Traders on Monday demonstrated against hours-long load shedding in front of district nazim office.

They later blocked Mardan-Nowshera Road for one hour while shouting against WAPDA, provincial government and district authorities. Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran President Hajji Muhammad Aslam, Carpenter Association President Iftikhar Khan and General Secretary Syed Muhammad led the demonstrators.

Zimbabwe: Load-shedding prejudicing business

For the better part of the week — working days — 95 percent of shops on the western wing are without electricity. Most of the times power is switched off at 9am when we commence work only to be restored exactly at 4:30pm when we knock off.