The number of petrol stations closed because of fuel shortages has halved in the space of four days in tentative signs the crisis is easing, a government minister has said.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said the situation is “moving in the right direction” a week after the crisis was sparked by the leaking of a confidential document.
He said there were little more than a quarter of sites empty of fuel on Wednesday, down from 60 per cent over the weekend.
However, many stations across the country were empty on Thursday morning as they awaited their next fuel delivery after running dry.
Drivers continued to queue to fill up their tanks at stations that had fuel after days of panic buying.
Mr Clarke was pressed on the government’s muddled response to the crisis after ministers had planned to use soldiers to drive tankers before taking a step back from the plan.
He said military personnel were “on standby” and would be called upon if needed.
He also said fuel deliveries were on the increase, after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement that 80 government-owned tanks had been used.
“We’re in a situation now where there is more fuel being delivered to petrol stations than is being sold, which is great,” Mr Clark told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“The army is on standby to help support the commercial operations and, of course, we’ve seen some changes, including, notably, allowing some MoD driving instructors to help boost the number of tankers,” he said.
“There’re 150 drivers on standby to help support operations as required.
“This is designed to help buttress the commercial operation, which is driving down the pressures that we’ve seen on forecourts.
“We are confident that things will normalise really quickly if we can just avoid the panic buying, which has exacerbated the situation very severely,” he said.
He refuted the claim that Brexit has led to shortages of qualified HGV drivers in the UK.
He said any claim that Brexit is to blame is an attempt to revert to a “negative conversation about opportunities foregone”.
He pointed out that the EU countries are also experiencing shortages of lorry drivers.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the panic buying must stop and offered hope to drivers with the latest figures.
“We are in a situation where the data is clearer on this, over the weekend 60 per cent of petrol stations were out of fuel – that was down to 27 pe rcent as of yesterday [so] the numbers are really moving in the right direction,” he said.
The government-owned fuel tankers were due to be on the roads by Wednesday afternoon to restock pumps that had run dry.
“The trucks are driven by civilians and will provide additional logistical capacity to the fuel industry,” Mr Kwarteng said.
His announcement came as the Petrol Retailers Association said that about 27 per cent of its members’ sites had run dry on Wednesday.
This figure was down from 37 per cent on Tuesday and the estimated 50 per cent to 90 per cent of stations on Sunday and Monday.
The body represents the independent retailers that make up about two thirds of the UK’s 8,000 petrol stations.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The five pillars of Islam
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
