DOHA/LONDON: Qatar, the world's largest seller of liquefied natural gas (LNG), told consumers it was powerless to cool energy prices as British steelmakers said they could be forced to halt output in the face of soaring costs.

The rebound in economic activity after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns has laid bare a shortage of natural gas stocks and other fuel supplies, causing blackouts in some countries. To keep factories open and homes heated, industry executives and governments are having to pay more for energy and revert to coal and oil, the most polluting fossil fuels. As some generators switched to burning oil, crude futures on jumped by more than $2 a barrel on Monday, with analysts predicting that prices will stay high.