Gambari returned to Myanmar amid row

United Nations envoy Mr Ibrahim Gambari returned to army-ruled Myanmar yesterday as a row over the junta's move to kick out the UN's top resident diplomat overshadowed his mission to coax the generals to reform.

He emphasised immediately UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's backing of country chief Charles Petrie, told by the regime he was no longer welcome after highlighting a deepening economic crisis that fuelled mass protests crushed by the army.

"Mr Gambari conveyed the Secretary-General's support for the Country Team and the Resident Coordinator and the important work they continue to do to improve the socioeconomic and humanitarian situation," the UN office in Yangon said in a statement.

"In this regard, Mr Gambari plans to address, with the Myanmar authorities, a range of issues, including those discussed previously, pertaining to further cooperation and dialogue between the United Nations system and Myanmar."

The statement also said Mr Gambari, met by Petrie at Yangon airport before flying on to the junta's new capital, Naypyidaw, unaccompanied by the UN country head, had a "specific message" for junta supremo Than Shwe.

It gave no hints on what the message might be.

Mr Gambari's mission, on his second visit to the former Burma since the army crushed monk-led protests in September, is to persuade the junta to enter serious talks about political reform with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. - Reuters

Myanmar expelling UN envoy

Myanmar on Friday ordered the expulsion of the United Nation’s top diplomat in the country after his office issued a critical statement urging the ruling generals to heed the voices of protesters.

The diplomat, Charles Petrie, was handed a letter ordering his expulsion at the end of a meeting with government officials on Friday in Naypyidaw, the capital.

“The government of the Union of Myanmar does not want Mr. Petrie to continue to serve in Myanmar, especially at this time when the cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations is crucial,” the letter said.

The sudden decision comes on the eve of a six-day visit by the UN special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, aimed at bridging the gap between the junta and its opponents.

UN Spokesman in Bangkok, Hak-Fan Lau said Petrie was expelled because the envoy has earned the ire of the ruling junta when he spoken out the regime's violent suppression of the protests

Meanwhile, despite this twist of event, Gambari assured he would not cancel his scheduled visit in the country.

The office of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement saying that he was “disappointed” by the Myanmar government’s move and that he had instructed Mr. Gambari to convey his views on the expulsion directly to the authorities.

The Bush administration sharply criticized the expulsion.

On Oct. 24, Mr. Petrie’s office issued a statement urging the government to listen to dissenting voices in Myanmar and warning of a “deteriorating humanitarian situation.” It concluded with a reference to the protests, which erupted after a fuel price increase in August and developed into a wider movement calling for political change.

Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the next day, saying the statement was “unprecedented” and “very negative,” and it complained that Myanmar officials had not been notified in advance.

Oil will surpass $100 a barrel ?

Oil prices — which zipped past $96 per barrel Thursday — would need to surpass $100 a barrel and remain at that level for at least two weeks or more to inflict widespread and lasting economic damage, says Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at consumer group Public Citizen in Washington.

Fortunately, the consensus view on Wall Street is chances are slim that oil will surpass $100 a barrel and stick for any length of time.

A severe housing slump and attention-getting credit crunch are tapering U.S. economic growth, which will trim energy demand and bring prices down to around $70 to $80 a barrel, predicts Fimat analyst Antoine Halff.

All bets are off if tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate, he adds.

But even a snapshot of today's prices compared with prices at the same time a year ago is psychologically alarming.

Crude oil prices hit a record overnight Thursday after the U.S. reported a surprisingly large drop in inventories. Light, sweet crude for December delivery fell $1.04 to settle at $93.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after rising as high as $96.24, a new trading high, overnight. That compares with $58.71 a barrel on the same day last year.

However, looking beyond the day's headlines is revealing and comforting — from an economic perspective. The average per-barrel price of crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange through Oct. 30 was $68.22, compared with $67.34 over the same period in 2006, according to Energy Department data.

The increase is slightly more pronounced at the pump. Regular gasoline has averaged $2.75 per gallon (73 cents a liter) through the first ten months of the year, compared with an average of $2.67 a gallon (70 cents a liter) over the same period last year.

Consumers are changing their behavior in response to higher prices at the pump. Sales of hybrid vehicles and energy-efficient compact cars are expected to set records this year, while sales of gas-guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs have declined.

Jason Shogren, a professor of economics at the University of Wyoming, said the U.S. economy has held steady when oil prices increased in recent years because the price changes were gradual. But even price spikes, like what has been seen in the crude oil market in recent weeks, isn't enough to convince Americans to cut back on their driving.

The average daily demand for gasoline is up slightly so far this year at 9.3 million barrels compared with 9.2 million barrels a day through October 2006, according to government data.

Cape Town trials solar-powered traffic lights

Cape Town has joined forces with South African power giant Eskom and the National Energy Efficiency Agency to try out an innovative project. Four pairs of solar-powered traffic lights have been installed in the southern suburb of Ottery. If the pilot is successful, many more such lights could be installed across South Africa within the next few years.

Explaining the rationale behind the project, Eddie Chinnappen, Cape Town municipality's director of transport, roads and stormwater, said the purpose was twofold: "The city is very much environmentally conscious."

"Also, we are hoping to get uninterrupted power supply for traffic lights in Cape Town so when there are power outages like we have had over the past two years, we will not have traffic jams."

Power interruptions mean traffic officers have to be sent to the affected junctions, says Mr Chinnappen, "and given the limited resources it is near impossible to get to all the junctions around the city".

The traffic lights are powered by a 3.6 m2 solar panel, tilted at a 30-degree angle to ensure maximum efficiency in capturing the sun's rays.

According to Mr Chinnappen, the panel converts these rays into electric power which is transmitted to a set of batteries which can provide eight hours of power to service the lights.

To prevent vandalism, the solar panel is located at the top of a 6m (18-foot) pole while the batteries are located in a thief-proof concrete casing which authorities say would require a mini-limpet mine to open.

The power-saving traffic lights have been fitted with hundreds of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which use seven times less electricity than conventional light bulbs.

LEDs also last for a minimum of five years as opposed to the three-month lifespan of the conventional light bulbs in traffic lights.

"Because the solar-powered system is more expensive than the conventional traffic lights, we will do an evaluation to see the cost-effectiveness of it after three months," says Mr Chinnappen.

There will be a separate evaluation during Cape Town's winter months when there is much less sunlight.

But the director of transport, roads and storm water is optimistic about this 21st Century solution to controlling traffic.

"So far it seems like it is working reasonably well... but we have not had any power outages recently, so we will have to cut the power at some stage to look at the implications." -BBC