PARIS --- Skyrocketing fuel prices have sparked strikes and protests across the globe, from Europe to Indonesia, according to a Los Angeles Times report. In France, the price of petrol is nearly $10 a gallon. In Turkey, it's more than $11.

British and Bulgarian truckers have staged fuel protests. Fishermen in Spain and Portugal launched nationwide strikes on Friday, May 30, and kept their trawlers and boats docked at ports. In Madrid, protestors drew attention to their demonstration by handing out 20 tons of fish in hopes of gaining public support.

In Europe, higher taxes mean that crude prices compose a smaller part of the retail cost of gasoline. Drivers there are used to sky-high gasoline prices, but even they are reaching a boiling point.

In Indonesia, protesters marched near the presidential palace in Jakarta, shouting anti-government slogans. Thousands staged rallies in several cities to protest the government's decision to cut gasoline subsidies in a nation where nearly half of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

Just 15 years ago, there were an estimated 553 million vehicles in the world. Today, there are 887 million, according to London consultancy Global Insight. In four years, that figure is expected to be 1 billion.

 

 

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