Newspaper headlines: Poisoned Yulia speaks for the first time
BBC News
menu
Brazil diesel prices cut in effort to halt strike
24 May 2018 Latin America & Caribbean
Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Whatsapp
Image copyright REUTERS Lorries block the BR-324 highway during a protest against high diesel prices in Simoes Filho near Salvador, Brazil May 23, 2018.
Image caption Lorry drivers block lanes in the a highway near the city of Salvador
The Brazilian state-owned oil company, Petrobras, has announced it is cutting the price of diesel by 10% to give the government time to negotiate with striking lorry drivers.
The announcement comes at the end of the third day of the strike.
Lorry drivers, angry at the rising cost of diesel, have blocked roads, causing chaos in several Brazilian cities.
Many supermarkets have been unable to refill their shelves and some airports said they were running low on fuel.
It is not clear whether the unions will agree to suspend the strike.
Image copyright REUTERS Tyres burn as truck owners block the BR-324 highway during a protest against high diesel prices in Simoes Filho near Salvador, Brazil May 23, 2018.
Image caption A judge has authorised the use of force to clear road blocks on six highways
The Petrobras president, Pedro Parente, said diesel prices would be frozen for 15 days.
"It's an exceptional measure. It doesn't mean the company is changing its pricing policy," said Mr Parente.
"This will give the government 15 days to talk to the truck drivers," he added.
Petrobras intends to gradually resume its popular of tracking international oil prices once the crisis is over.
Fuel prices in Brazil have almost doubled in the past two years, since President Michel Temer took office following the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.
Most Brazilian states have been affected by the strike.
On Wednesday, a judge in Brasilia authorised the police to use force to clear six of the country's main roads.
Brazil prosecutor targets politicians in Petrobras scandal
14 March 2017
Brazil hit by first general strike in two decades
28 April 2017
Brazil oil giant Petrobras posts record quarterly loss
22 March 2016
Brazil's recession worst on record
07 March 2017
Copyright © 2018 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Warning! This user is on my black list, likely as a known plagiarist, spammer or ID thief. Please be cautious with this post!
To get off this list, please chat with us in the #steemitabuse-appeals channel in steem.chat.