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A30 world news
Diahuebs 24 Maart 2022

Amid protests, Europe limited in curbing high energy prices

households and small busi- farmers paraded their tractors
nesses. In the meantime, workers are through Madrid on Sunday.
taking to the streets as gaso- Outside government offices,
Such measures “are sensible, line across the EU’s 27 coun- cattle breeders poured out
and some of them, such as tries has risen 40% from a milk that they said costs them
energy tax cuts, could be sus- year ago, to an average of 2.02 more to produce than they
tained indefinitely — even if euros per liter — the equiva- earn selling it.
prices continue to increase,” lent of $8.40 a gallon.
said Elisabetta Cornago, a With the country’s logistics
senior research fellow at the Truckers around France, dis- in disarray from the trucker
Centre for European Reform satisfied with aid they con- protests, Spain’s national
think tank who specializes in sider “insufficient,” held a fishing federation said mem-
EU energy policy. day of action Monday, with a bers can’t even move their
group of independent drivers catch from the ports to the
But she called them partial in Normandy and the Eng- markets further inland.
solutions that “only make a lish Channel region staging a
small difference.” blockade that prevented hun- Italian truck drivers and fish-
(AP) — Across Europe, tries like trucking or fishing dreds of trucks from moving. ing boat owners and crews
governments are slash- who are staging protests to Raising interest rates, the tool also have held one-day pro-
ing fuel taxes and dol- push politicians to ease their wielded by central banks to Collateral damage included a tests over high fuel costs.
ing out tens of billions to financial pain. The war has tame inflation, also would do Paris gig by British hard rock
help consumers, truckers, exacerbated a monthslong little to rein in energy prices group Royal Blood. The band Their actions come even as
farmers and others cope energy crunch in Europe, — which European Central tweeted the cancellation of its governments have spent bil-
with spiking energy prices which is dependent on Rus- Bank President Christine show Monday night because lions to help businesses and
made worse by Russia’s in- sian oil and natural gas. Gov- Lagarde noted last month. its gear was stuck at a service households. France last week
vasion of Ukraine. ernments have limited op- That’s because “rising energy station near Paris and “the unveiled a multibillion-euro
tions to provide lasting relief prices are due to fundamen- protesters will not allow the economic assistance pack-
But it’s not enough for some as households and businesses tal shifts in energy markets,” (equipment) trucks to leave.” age, including partial subsi-
whose livelihoods hinge on face crippling energy bills, Cornago said. dies of fuel for fishing boats
fuel. high prices at the pump and In Cyprus, hundreds of live- and trucks over the next four
other effects. Volatile energy The energy crisis will be a hot stock breeders protested months, and 3 billion euros
Miguel Ángel Rodriguez was markets control natural gas topic at a European Council Monday outside the coun- to help some companies pay
one of 200 concrete truck and oil prices that have soared summit starting Thursday in try’s Presidential Palace and soaring gas and electric bills.
drivers who held a slow- and fueled record inflation. Brussels, where leaders from demanded compensation to
driving protest around Ma- Spain, Portugal, Italy and offset the sharp increase in Greece is giving a one-off
drid this week. He said filling Countries like Italy, the Neth- Greece will call for an ur- animal feed prices because of subsidy to taxi drivers, and
up used to cost 1,600 euros erlands, Belgium, Greece, gent, coordinated bloc-wide higher transport costs tied to Britain announced a package
($1,760) a month, but he’s Sweden and Cyprus are do- response. EU officials on fuel price hikes. of tax cuts and support pay-
been forking out an extra ing what they can, passing Wednesday said they would ments that fell far short of
500 euros since the start of temporary efforts to provide seek U.S. help on a plan to Spanish truck drivers have what consumer advocates de-
the year because of the rising immediate help: slashing fuel top up natural gas storage been disrupting delivery manded as utility bills are set
price of diesel. taxes, rolling out heating and facilities for next winter and of fresh produce and other to rise 54% in April because
power subsidies or rebates, also want the bloc to jointly goods for supermarkets for of soaring natural gas costs.
He’s among those in indus- and capping energy bills for purchase gas. more than a week, while

Taliban break promise on higher education for Afghan girls

(AP) — Afghanistan’s Tal- in parts of the Afghan capital a right to education, adding, of uncertainty” about the fu- U.N. special representative
iban rulers unexpectedly of Kabul and elsewhere in the “For the sake of the country’s ture, she said. It said that in Deborah Lyons will try to
decided against reopening country. Some girls in higher future and its relations with some areas, teachers said they meet Thursday with the Tal-
schools Wednesday to girls grades returned to schools, the international community, would continue to hold class- iban to ask them to reverse
above the sixth grade, re- only to be told to go home. I would urge the Taliban to es for the girls until the Tal- their decision, U.N. spokes-
neging on a promise and live up to their commitments iban issued an official order. person Stephane Dujarric
opting to appease their Aid organizations said the to their people.” said.
hard-line base at the ex- move exacerbated the uncer- Waheedullah Hashmi, exter-
pense of further alienat- tainty surrounding Afghani- The Norwegian Relief Com- nal relations and donor rep- Earlier in the week, a state-
ing the international com- stan’s future as the Taliban mittee, which spends about resentative with the Taliban- ment by the Education Min-
munity. leadership seems to struggle $20 million annually to sup- led administration, told The istry had urged “all students”
to get on the same page as it port primary education in Associated Press the decision to return when classes re-
The surprising decision, con- shifts from fighting to gov- Afghanistan, was still wait- was made late Tuesday night. sumed Wednesday.
firmed by a Taliban official, erning. ing for official word from
is bound to disrupt efforts by the Taliban about canceling
the Taliban to win recogni- It also came as the leadership the classes for girls above the
tion from potential interna- was convening in Kandahar sixth grade.
tional donors at a time when amid reports of a possible
the country is mired in a Cabinet shuffle. Berenice Van Dan Driessche,
worsening humanitarian cri- advocacy manager for the
sis. The international com- U.S. Special Representative committee, said their rep-
munity has urged Taliban Thomas West tweeted his resentatives had not gotten
leaders to reopen schools and “shock and deep disappoint- official word of the change
give women their right to ment” about the decision, as of Wednesday night, and
public space. calling it “a betrayal of public that girls in the 11 provinces
commitments to the Afghan where they work had gone to
The reversal was so sudden people and the international school but were sent home.
that the Education Minis- community.”
try was caught off guard on The committee’s staff in the
Wednesday, the start of the He said the Taliban had made provinces “reported a lot of
school year, as were schools it clear that all Afghans have disappointment and also a lot