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The Sri Lankan government on Sunday urged the public to use fuel and electricity sparingly to cushion potential shortages amid volatile global oil markets. This came as the island nation raised fuel retail prices at midnight, the second such hike in a week. As a conservation measure, the government had rationed fuel retail distribution based on a QR code issued for each vehicle. "We urge the public to consume electricity and fuel mindfully and limit energy consumption to a minimum," said government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayatissa. He warned against hoarding fuel and sought information on such attempts. The minister's statement comes in the backdrop of Iran's ongoing war with the US and Israel, which has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important choke point for the world's energy supplies. With the two cost escalations, the fuel retail prices are set to return to the levels of the 2022 economic crisis, when the island nation declared its first-
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power Saturday after high winds raked eastward from the Great Lakes region, leaving trees down and substantial property damage in their wake. Nearly 600,000 customers were still affected at midday in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide. A 66 mph (106 kph) gust at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday was deemed its fourth-strongest on record that was not caused by a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport saw winds hit 85 mph (137 km) Friday afternoon. Winds took down a gas station canopy in New Franklin, Ohio, and an auto parts store sign in Baldwin, Pennsylvania. Trees and tree limbs fell into or onto homes and cars from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. The roof of a school building in the Chicago suburb of Niles, Illinois, was severely damaged by wind. High winds fuelled multiple wildfires across a broad swath of Nebraska's .
The government will take a consensual view before implementing the CAFE-III rules, which seek to limit average fuel consumption and carbon emissions across the entire model range of an automobile manufacturer, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said on Sunday. The Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency-III (CAFE-3), introduced by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), is proposed to be effective from April 1, 2027, to March 31, 2032. The government has sought feedback on the draft rule from stakeholders. Automobile makers have mixed views on its implementation framework, with some demanding a relaxed emission mandate for small cars based on weight and affordability. Those opposing the relaxation criteria argue that such a move would lead to a compromise on safety standards and hamper the country's clean energy transition. The draft norms, which were brought for discussions in September 2025, suggested relaxed conditions for small cars with an unladen mass up to 909 kg, engine capacity not
Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Saturday directed power Distribution Companies to expedite the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme loss reduction works, observing that a measurable reduction in aggregate technical and commercial losses is critical for the financial sustainability of power utilities. During a review meeting, the chief secretary noted that the southern state is according high priority to Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) implementation to ensure financial viability of DISCOMs, reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT & C) losses and reliable power supply to all consumer categories. Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APSPDCL), Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APCPDCL) and Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APEPDCL) are the three DISCOMs. "Expedite RDSS loss reduction works and ensure time-bound completion with strict quality controlmeasurable reduction in aggregate ...