ri Lanka Is "Grinding to a Halt" Amid Fuel Shortage, Inflation & Austerity, Prompting Mass Protests

Jul 7, 2022 Fuel shortages in Sri Lanka have triggered a wave of protests calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This comes as Sri Lanka's government has forced the closure of all schools and announced plans to cut electricity by up to three hours a day, as well as stop printing currency to quell inflation. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is also facing a dire shortage of food and medicine, and doctors say the country's entire health system could collapse. "There is no discussion on the part of the government on how we as Sri Lankans are going to come out of this crisis," says Ahilan Kadirgamar, political economist and senior lecturer at the University of Jaffna, who explains how the government's doubling down on austerity measures has devastated the working class.

Ukraine: U.S. to Bolster Europe’s Fuel Supply to Blunt Threat of Russian Cutoff

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Russia announced military drills near Ukraine, a day after U.S. troops were placed on “high alert.” President Biden held talks with European leaders as fears of a Russian invasion deepened.

The Biden Administration announced on Tuesday that it was working with gas and crude oil suppliers from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia to bolster supplies to Europe in coming weeks, in an effort to blunt the threat that Russia could cut off fuel shipments in the escalating conflict over Ukraine.

European allies have been cautious in public about how far they would go in placing severe sanctions on Moscow if it invades Ukraine. Germany has been especially wary; it has shuttered many of its nuclear plants, increasing its dependence on natural gas imports to generate electricity.

Many European officials have said they suspect President Vladimir V. Putin instigated the current crisis in the depths of winter for a reason, calculating that his leverage is maximized if he can threaten to turn off Russian fuel sales to Europe. » | David E. Sanger | Tuesday, January 25, 2022