Indonesia: Riots over fuel prices

Indonesians riot over fuel price-rise plan

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of rock-throwing Indonesians protesting at plans to push up fuel prices by more than 30 per cent. Several people were injured and rushed to hospitals.

NZ Herald,

29 March, 2012.

Rallies were held under tight security in big cities all over the country as Parliament debated the increase.

Some legislators said the Government had no choice but to cut budget-busting fuel subsidies, which have for years enabled motorists to fill up for roughly 65c per litre.

With global oil prices surging, most Indonesians realise there's little choice. But that hasn't stopped thousands in a nation of 240 million, many of whom live in abject poverty, from taking to the streets every day for the past week.

If a price increase is approved, it will go into effect on Monday.

Security was especially tight in the capital, Jakarta.

"We reject the fuel hike plan," protest leader Akhmad Suhaimi, told a cheering crowd gathered in front of the palace. The cost of everything from food and transportation to electricity will go up, he shouted. "It's the poor that are going to suffer most."

Most demonstrations were peaceful. But in Jakarta and Makassar thousands of protesters blocked off streets, set fires and pelted police with rocks.

The demonstrators - many of them students swinging big bamboo sticks - were eventually dispersed with tear gas and water cannons.

The price of crude oil has jumped from US$75 a barrel in October to nearly US$110 recently, in part due to growing concern a military strike by Israel or the US against Iran's nuclear facilities would disrupt global crude supplies.

Subsidies, put in place in Indonesia and many other Asian countries decades ago to make fuel affordable for the poor, eat up 20 per cent of the national budget. Analysts say that money would be better spent on infrastructure, education, and health.

Poverty in Britain

Fuel poverty as families struggle to pay heating bills

BBC,

24 November 2011 

More than 400,000 families in Wales are struggling to meet the cost of heating their homes.

With fuel bills rising more than 21% since last year, new figures show that four out of the top five areas in the UK suffering fuel poverty are in Wales.

Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Caerphilly are the worse affected.

But many customers may be able to get help and could be missing out on hundreds of pounds towards their bills.

For video GO HERE

The winter of discontent

From Mike Ruppert:

I think I can safely speak for everyone in the Peak Oil movement when I say that this has always been one of our worst nightmares. It will sadly be coming true all over the world this winter of 2011-2012. Many will die... in Europe, in Pakistan, in India, in Europe and in Africa. I wonder if the world will choose to call them what the British do?... "Excess deaths". I am also becoming fairly certain that we should expect some very serious epidemics and pandemics this winter. This would be the time to unleash bioweapons. That would distract from what's happening economically and it would triple the size of the pharma bubble. - MCR

It's Official - A Cold La Nina Winter!

Financial Sense,

11 November, 2011

The new La Niña that is developing in the Pacific will have the impact of a strong event. Expect North America to have another cold winter. 

You’ve seen the headlines. The Northeast was hit by a Nor’easter snowstorm that affected 60 million people. Over three million were left without power and outages to last for days. New York City received its earliest inch of snow 

since the Civil War. Pennsylvania, Washington DC and the entire Northeast were buried in as much as two feet of snow and then hit by freezing weather.

The Northeast is not the only cold area. Even Texas, already drought-stricken, had snow this month in Amarillo. The Rocky Mountains, including my home 300 miles from the Mexican border, has been buried in white stuff two times in October. Sunny California started the month with heavy rain in the Fresno valley (hammering the drying raisin crop) and snow for the ski resorts in the Sierra Nevadas. And it is all due to hot water and cold, cold air.

We are being hit by a La Niña and a “wild card”. Welcome to the early beginning of the winter of 2011/2012.

For article GO HERE

Japan: Electricity shortages could mean chilly winter for some

Asahi Shumbun

12 November, 2011

People across most of the country should be preparing to bundle up.

With many nuclear power plants offline since the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, electric utilities in some regions will likely face difficulties securing enough power this winter.

Kansai Electric Power Co., which depends on nuclear power for more than 50 percent of its electricity generation, expects that its supply capacity will be 7.1 percent below peak demand in January and 9.5 percent in February.

Similarly, Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s capacity will be 3.4 percent below peak demand in January and 0.5 percent in February, according to estimates. At Kyushu Electric Power Co., the ratio will be 2.2 percent in January.

Other utilities expect their supply capacity to exceed peak demand in winter.

The government on Nov. 1 asked electricity users in the Kansai region to reduce peak consumption in winter by 10 percent or more from a year earlier and those in Kyushu to cut back by at least 5 percent.

Electricity users in other regions have been asked to save power, although no numerical targets were set.

For article GO HERE