Oil behemoths rake
in petro-dollars
The two wars that are now taking place between Russia and Ukraine and between US-Israel and Iran has added to the cost of living almost all over the world with even protests being seen, in huge measure in France, as also in Italy, Portugal and Albania, but is has been noticed that the main cause for the cost of living increase is because of the price of crude oil that has risen from $70 to $120 per barrel in most countries. It is in light of this increase that the world’s largest oil majors such as Shell, British Petroleum, Chevron, Total Energies and ExxonMobil have been raking in huge profits according to estimates from credible sources which is to the extent of 86% to 158% higher during the war period. It should be emphasised that even in the absence of 20% of the world’s crude oil being partially blocked due to the stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz, still the big oil companies are making huge profits with the amount of crude being less than 80% of the total usual production since Russian oil was under partial sanctions, even though now the United States has allowed Russian diesel supply. Without any doubt the major oil producers and refiners are raking in the petrodollars in a difficult situation that the entire world finds itself in which is an irony that benefits the oil lobby.
Elvidio Miranda, Panaji
Airport scale errors
At the airports, when you check-in the bags at the counter the weight displayed is recorded by the system, displayed and printed on the boarding pass. Are you sure that the weight is correct? It may happen that weighing machines at different airports can show different weights for the same bag/s! At times, even the neighbouring machines in an airport could display variable weights. A national survey revealed that six out of ten fliers experienced baggage weight discrepancies. The airport scales showed higher weight for their bags than by their scales at home. There are incidences when fliers have noted weight variations (2 kg or more), when they weighed the bag in an adjacent check-in counter. The scales are commercial-grade ones and it is a legal mandate to routinely calibrate and certify because the machines need to be checked for wear and tear, and technical and physical errors. But it is anybody’s guess if these are actually carried out. The airports display a board mentioning the date of the last service and calibration of the scales to set to rest the fliers’ apprehensions. For better accuracy, the scale has to be flat, bags are to be placed properly and no one should touch/lean on the bags/scales. Request to check the weight, in case of any doubt, in an adjacent scale.
Sridhar D Iyer, Caranzalem
Delayed Congress tickets
Leader of Opposition and Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao, while speaking in an interview with a local news channel, said that Congress party candidates would be declared before those of any other party in Goa. But the big question is: when? When even the cricket/football teams of various nations announce the names of their players, along with their team captains, months before the start of any major tournament, especially the World Cup, why is the Congress party still hesitating to declare the names of its candidates who will contest the 2027 Assembly elections in Goa? Well, after observing the body language of two prominent elected leaders among the remaining three Congress MLAs over the last 4 1/2 years, I feel that all is not well within the party, as both these self-centred leaders appear to be trying to outsmart each other while desperately dreaming of becoming Chief Ministers in a Congress-led government.
Jerry Fernandes, Saligao
Peace bond controversy
All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora’s refusal to sign a peace bond raises important questions about the balance between individual liberty and public order. While the legitimacy and necessity of the police notice deserve scrutiny, an outright refusal may not be the most constructive response. Instead, she should specifically address the allegations and explain why she believes the proposed restrictions are unjustified. There are also concerns that some protests may be infiltrated by disruptive elements who resort to violence or damage public property. Such allegations must be investigated impartially and supported by evidence rather than used to discredit peaceful demonstrators collectively.
A P Thiruvadi, Chennai
Men in blue triumph
Kudos to our ‘Men in Blue’ for winning the second T-20 match against New Zealand to go two-nil up in the five-match series. It was another nail-biting encounter, decided on the final ball of the match. Though our bowlers managed to restrict the NZ team to 180, surpassing the target was no cakewalk for our team, as NZ Captain Santner was smart enough not only to restrict the scoring but also to account for our top-order batsmen, putting our team in a precarious position. We could only sympathise with his efforts in taking four wickets. The no-ball wicket, misfielding and wide during the final over only added to his woes. Despite being in a precarious situation, our Vice-Captain Tilak Varma and his statemate Nitish Reddy ensured there were no hiccups in surpassing the target.
N Mahadevan, Chennai
