International
G7 to implement Russian oil price cap ‘urgently’
AFP | by Sebastien ASH
G7 industrialised powers vowed Friday to move urgently towards implementing a price cap on Russian oil imports in a bid to cut off a major source of funding for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The G7 said it was working towards a “broad coalition” of support for the measure but officials in France urged caution, saying a final decision could only be taken once all 27 members of the European Union had given their assent.
Households on the continent have borne the brunt of rising energy prices, with governments under pressure to alleviate the pain of the resulting high inflation.
“Russia is benefitting economically from the uncertainty on energy markets caused by the war and is making big profits from the export of oil and we want to counter that decisively,” German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in a press conference after the move was announced.
The aim of the price cap on oil exports was to “stop an important source of financing for the war of aggression and contain the rise in global energy prices”, he added.
Ahead of Friday’s decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sounded a clear warning.
The adoption of a price cap “will lead to a significant destabilisation of the oil markets,” and force American and European consumers to pay the price, he said.
And Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak had warned on Thursday that Moscow would “simply not supply oil and petroleum products to companies or states that impose restrictions,” according to Russian news agencies.
‘Powerful tool’
At a summit in June, the G7 leaders agreed to work towards implementing the ceiling on crude sales.
In their statement, finance ministers from the G7 said they would “urgently work on the finalisation and implementation” of the long-considered measure, without specifying the cap level.
The price cap was “one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inflation and protect workers and businesses in the United States”, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement Friday.
She said the measure already was beginning to influence prices, with countries that have not yet committed to join the cap able to negotiate lower prices from Russia.
“We’re already seeing this initiative pay off because countries that are buying Russian oil are signing deals with Russia to sell oil at greatly discounted prices,” Yellen said on MSNBC.
She said the capped price “will be set at a level that will continue to make it profitable for Russia to produce,” rather than follow through on Moscow’s threat to shut-in their oil and keep it off world markets.
The G7 move would block Russia from getting any kind of service, including maritime insurance, on its petroleum shipments unless the product is sold at or below the cap, she explained.
And Yellen noted that G7 countries provide the vast majority of such services, including maritime insurance, 90 percent of which come from Britain and the EU.
A senior US Treasury official told reporters that the cap would include three prices, one for crude oil and two for refined petroleum products.
The French finance ministry said technical work on the price cap was still in progress.
“It is clear that no final decision can be taken until we have consulted and obtained unanimous support from all 27 member states of the European Union,” it said.
“We support all measures that reduce the income that Russia derives from the sale of oil,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added.
EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the bloc aims to find a deal by December 5 for crude oil and February 5 for petroleum products.
‘Broad coalition’
The G7 also voiced ambition to extend the measure beyond the bloc, saying it was seeking to form a “broad coalition” of support for the oil price cap to “maximise” the effectiveness of the measure.
The ministers urged “all countries that still seek to import Russian oil and petroleum products to commit to doing so only at prices at or below the price cap”.
The push to get as many countries as possible to go along with the cap is expected to be a key topic for discussion by leaders at the G20 summit in Bali on November 15 and 16.
The initial cap would be set “at a level based on a range of technical inputs” the G7 ministers said, adding that its effectiveness would be “closely monitored”.
Analysts warned, however, that the cap may yet fuel another rise in prices.
The cap would introduce new risks for the oil market by “potentially disrupting Russian energy supplies”, Capital Economics analyst Liam Perch said in June. “This could push global energy prices up further.”
International
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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