United States crude fell by $3.21, or around 6 per cent, to $49.03 a barrel yesterday, while Brent crude shed $3.00 to $51.06. This was after the Interna-tional Energy Agency (IEA) had reduced drastically its forecast for oil demand, offsetting the earlier impact of data showing Chinese crude imports rose to their second highest according to a section of the press. Owing to the Easter public holiday, Sunday was the first day of trade since Thursday's. However, it was not all bad news as hope rose for Nigeria 's crude oil export as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) put out the pipeline fire at its Bomu Manifold in Ogoniland of Rivers State. This was part of the oil firm's effort to re-start an estimated crude oil output of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) that was shut in owing to the incident. The IEA, energy adviser to 26 industrialised countries, had said last Friday that world oil demand would fall by 2.4 million bpd this year compared with 2008 as the rate of contraction in fuel consumption reached levels last seen in the early 1980s.

Transport Strike Could Threaten Food Supplies

Indefinite strike by members of SA's four major transport unions was likely to cripple SA's biggest food chain store, Kevin Korb, director of food merchandise at Pick n Pay, said according to BUSINESSDAY. Members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu), the Motor Transport Workers' Union; the Professional Transport Workers' Union ; and the Transport and Allied Workers' Union of SA went on strike last week over wages. Korb said that although Pick n Pay stores around SA had operated normally since the start of the strike last week, he was worried that if the strike continued for another week or two, operations would be negatively affected. He said that despite the strike, most stores continued to receive 70% of goods with no imminent reports of intimidation. Uganda: Economic Growth to Fall to 5.5 Percent.

Passenger lands turboprop plane after pilot dies

A passenger is forced to land a plane after its pilot becomes incapacitated according to CNN report. The incident began about 1:30 p.m. The plane, a Super King Air two-engine turboprop with four passengers on board, was headed to Jackson, Mississippi, from Marco Island, Florida, about 18 miles south of Naples. The plane entered the jurisdiction of air traffic control at Miami Center, the facility responsible for high-altitude air traffic in southern Florida and the Caribbean, according to a statement issued by the air traffic controllers association.

Floods Displace Thousands North of Bujumbura

Rain-induced floods have displaced over 8,000 people in a commune north of Bujumbura, the Burundian capital, and damaged at least 1,200 houses as well as crops according to IRIN news.” The rains have destroyed many houses and crops; others are still flooded," Moise Ndayisenga, the administrator of Buterere Commune, said More rain fell on 12 April in Buterere - a low-lying area - but the displacement and damage caused has not been fully assessed because some locations are still inaccessible, the official said. At Maramvya, a settlement in Buterere, another downpour on 12 April displaced 450 households and destroyed at least 100 homes, he said, adding: "Half of Buterere Commune's population might become destitute."