Entertainment
Fuel dealers seek govt intervention as artificial diesel shortage hits pumps
- Dealers say some companies delivering small amounts of diesel.
- Fuel pumps running dry and unable to serve customers: dealers
- Dealers also complain of cancellation of orders after placement.
Fuel traders warn that a manufactured shortage of high-speed diesel is affecting petrol pumps nationwide, calling on the government to act before conditions deteriorate, The News reported on Saturday.
In a letter to the chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Petrol Pump Dealers Association said oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been limiting diesel supplies for the past week.
According to the dealers, some companies are delivering very small amounts, while others are not supplying fuel at all. Because of this, many pumps are running dry and are unable to serve customers.
Dealers say they place orders that later get cancelled, and fuel trucks are left waiting for hours without being loaded. They believe the shortage is not natural but artificial, created by companies ahead of a possible increase in fuel prices expected later this month.
The association said the supply cuts are so severe that stations are “hardly able to meet the public’s needs”. They have asked Ogra to direct OMCs to provide diesel based on each pump’s regular sales so that stations can operate normally again.
The letter, sent on November 14 by the association’s vice chairman, was also shared with senior officials, including the petroleum minister, the petroleum secretary, the director general oil, and the secretary of the Oil Companies Advisory Council.
It may be noted that a fuel price update is expected at midnight today.
The government jacked up the fuel prices for the outgoing fortnight, effective from November 1, following recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the relevant ministries.
The petrol price was increased by Rs2.43 per litre and set at Rs265.45 per litre till tonight, while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was also increased by Rs3.02 to Rs278.44 per litre, the Finance Division said in a notification based on the authority’s last review.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reportedly rejected settlement talks over their civil case and are now moving forward to trial.
Last week, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed 10 of 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including allegations of harassment and defamation, against her It Ends With Us co-star and director.
Baldoni denied all those allegations which were made against him and his film studio, Wayfarer.
Editors at MailOnline reported that both Lively and Baldoni remain at their different ways, even though Judge Liman asked them to update the court on any settlement.
No agreement was reached in pre-trial hearings and the trial is scheduled to start on 18 May.
The judge, however, ruled that Lively could not file a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she was an independent contractor on the film and she also could not bring a harassment claim under California law because the filming took place in New Jersey.
Only three claims are going forward and that are “breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.”
A Simple Favor actress posted a long statement on Instagram saying that she will continue to fight to expose people and systems that harm, shame, silence or retaliate against victims.
Blake also added that she will not waste the privilege of being able to stand up and thanked supporters for keeping her going.
American hedge fund Pershing Square, led by the activist investor Bill Ackman, announced Tuesday that it had offered to buy Universal Music Group in a merger, saying it believed the world’s biggest music label was undervalued by stock markets.
Pershing Square said its offer to Universal shareholders included 9.4 billion euros ($10.9 billion) in cash plus 0.77 shares in the new entity for each UMG share. After a merger with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, an acquisition company, the new entity would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Universal currently trades on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
The Reuters news agency says Pershing Square’s cash-and-shares offer values Universal Music at around 30.40 euros ($35) per share, 78% over its last closing price of 17.10 euros and making the deal worth 55.75 billion euros ($64.31 billion).
The merged company would boast a stable of top artists including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and Drake.
Pershing Square hopes to close the deal by the end of 2026.
“UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business,” Ackman said in a statement.
The company pointed to uncertainty about French conglomerate Bollore’s plans for its 18 percent stake in Universal, delay in listing on the U.S. stock market, and “underutilization of UMG’s balance sheet” among concerns that have held back the shares’ performance.
Lamar Odom offered his own perspective on the events surrounding his 2015 overdose, and it doesn’t fully align with Khloé Kardashian’s account.
In Netflix’s Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, Kardashian was portrayed as a central figure in his recovery.
She was shown to have stayed by his side throughout his four-month hospital stay.
But in a new appearance on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, the former NBA star downplayed the idea that she “saved” him.
“She stood by your side, she saved your life,” Jenna Bush Hager said.
“In some ways,” Odom replied. “God saved my life. My lord saved my life, honestly… Yeah, she took care of me, but God took care of me the most. What I came back from is like a medical miracle.”
The documentary also featured Kardashian’s claim that Odom’s father, Joe, urged doctors to remove him from life support until she intervened.
She alleged Joe agreed to back down after she gave him $100 and a pair of Nikes.
The 46-year-old rejected that version.
“You know, I was knocked out and asleep at that time,” he said.
“If you know Joe Odom, I don’t think that’s something he would ever come out of his mouth. He was my biggest fan. I don’t know where that got mistranslated.”
After leaving the hospital, Kardashian rented Odom a home near hers in Calabasas and arranged for a caretaker and chef.
But when she discovered him smoking crack, she admitted she “just punched him in the face” before cutting ties.
“I just put my life on hold to f—ing take care of you,” Kardashian said in the documentary.
“He was playing me so I can continue this lifestyle for him.”
The two didn’t reconnect until nearly a decade later, during a 2025 episode of The Kardashians, when Odom visited her home to collect keepsakes.
“It was awkward, and it wasn’t really good for me,” he admitted. “But once you’re family, you’re always family, so she ain’t going nowhere.”
Though he acknowledges the bond they once shared, Odom made it clear their relationship will never be romantic again.
“I will always have love for her, but being in love, no,” he said.
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