Brazil fuel protests continue despite price cut

A lorry drivers' strike that paralysed Brazil for a week appears to be continuing despite the government's decision to lower diesel prices.

کد خبر: ۸۰۳۶۳۲

تاریخ: ۰۸ خرداد ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۹:۱۰

Most of the truckers' unions backed the move to cut the price by 46 Brazilian cents ($0.13; £0.09) per litre. But some unions are still holding out.

Drivers have been blocking major roads across the country.

Hundreds of mills in the country's south producing almost all of Brazil's ethanol have halted for lack of fuel.

Meat producers say 70 million chickens have perished for lack of feed.

The strike has brought much of Brazil to a standstill, with queues at petrol stations, airports running out of fuel and supermarket shelves empty.

Brazil's security forces have had to escort fuel tankers in a number of states.

The strikers have been defying President Michel Temer's threats to send the army in.

The government says some of the unions have been infiltrated by anti-government agitators.

Lorry drivers were dismayed by the rise in diesel prices from 3.36 Brazilian reais a litre at the start of 2018 to 3.6 reais just before the strike.

Many protesters have been calling for the government to resign.