Wall Street Journal (July 1)
“Once one of the world’s main exporters of petroleum products, Russia has banned exports of gasoline and jet fuel for months as Ukrainian attacks intensified. On Sunday, Putin said he is considering a ban on exporting diesel.” Facing an uneven, but widespread shortage, the government now plans to begin importing oil. Lines for gas currently range from hours-long to overnight or even longer. One local government even “started providing portable toilets alongside mileslong fuel lines.” The situation will probably get worse since “the tempo of Ukrainian attacks” has vastly “outpaced Russia’s ability to maintain its refineries, a task already constrained by international sanctions that ban the import of needed equipment.”
Tags: Attacks, Ban, Diesel, Exports, Gasoline, Government, Hours-long, Importing, Jet fuel, Outpaced, Overnight, Petroleum, Refineries, Russia, Sanctions, Shortage, Ukraine
ABC New (December 26)
Due to unexpectedly high migration, “fears that Australia would enter a technical recession during 2023 didn’t eventuate.” Still, “for many, life in 2023 certainly felt recession-like as Australians faced more interest rate hikes, a rising tax bill and a still-increasing cost of living that again outpaced wage growth.”
Tags: 2023, Australia, Australians, Cost of living, Fears, Interest, Migration, Outpaced, Rate hikes, Tax bill, Technical recession, Wage growth
