International
Russia Receives New Sanctions From UK Over On-going War in Ukraine
The United Kingdom has issued fresh sanction against Russia on Friday, targeting imports of diamonds and other minerals in a bid to choke Moscow’s ability to fund the war in Ukraine.
Before a G7 summit in Japan began, London said it would introduce “a ban on Russian diamonds”, copper, aluminium and nickel, and sanction more entities involved in Moscow’s “military industrial complex”.
Russia’s diamond trade is estimated to be worth $4-5 billion a year, netting the Kremlin much-needed tax revenues.
Later in the day, the UK foreign office said the new sanctions would freeze the assets of 86 people and organisations.
These include “companies connected to theft of Ukrainian grain, and those involved in shipment of Russian energy”, it said.
The new sanctions will also target “advanced military technology and remaining revenue sources”.
The summit in Hiroshima is expected to bring a series of new sanctions on Russia — including US measures that will put 70 more Russian and foreign entities on a trade blacklist.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Sky News on Friday that his “straightforward” message for Russian President Vladimir Putin was: “We’re not going away”.
“One of the topics of conversation I’ll be having and have been having with my fellow leaders is about the longer term security agreements… for Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression,” he added.
The G7 as a whole is expected to work to tighten existing sanctions, close loopholes, squeeze Moscow’s access to the international financial system and commit to keeping Russian assets frozen until the end of the war in Ukraine.
On Friday, European Council President Charles Michel said the bloc would target the lucrative trade in Russian diamonds, which he joked “are not forever”.
EU member Belgium is among the largest wholesale buyers of Russian diamonds, along with India and the United Arab Emirates.
The United States is a major end-market for the finished product.
AFP
International
Middle East War: IEA recommends options to ease oil price pressures on consumers, Motorists
Work from home where possible. Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.
Image credit : Shutterstock
Immediate actions to reduce demand:
1. Work from home where possible. Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.
2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h. Lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks.
3. Encourage public transport. A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly reduce oil demand.
4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days.
Number-plate rotation schemes can reduce congestion and fuel-intensive driving.
5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices. Higher car occupancy and eco-driving can lower fuel consumption quickly.
6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods
Better driving practices, vehicle maintenance and load optimisation can cut diesel use.
7. Divert LPG use from transport
Shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from LPG to gasoline can preserve LPG for cooking and other essential needs.
8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist
Reducing business flights can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets.
9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions
Encouraging electric cooking and other modern options can reduce reliance on LPG.
10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures
Industry can help free up LPG for essential uses while reducing oil consumption through quick operational improvements
International
Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new national security rules
Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,700; £9,600), and individuals who provide “false or misleading information” could face up to three years in jail.
Image credit : Getty images
Hong Kong police can now demand phone or computer passwords from those who are suspected of breaching the wide-ranging National Security Law (NSL).
Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,700; £9,600), and individuals who provide “false or misleading information” could face up to three years in jail.
It comes as part of new amendments to a bylaw under the NSL that the government gazetted on Monday.
The NSL was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020, in wake of massive pro-democracy protests the year before.
Authorities say the laws, which target acts like terrorism and secession, are necessary for stability – but critics say they are tools to quash dissent.
The new amendments also give customs officials the power to seize items that they deem to “have seditious intention”.
Monday’s amendments ensure that “activities endangering national security can be effectively prevented, suppressed and punished, and at the same time the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organisations are adequately protected”, Hong Kong authorities said on Monday.
Changes to the bylaw was announced by the city’s leader, John Lee, bypassing the city’s legislative council
(BBC)
International
UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms
“Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red.”
UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms5 hours agoMark PoyntingClimate researcherShareSaveGetty Images A man cools himself at a water fountain. He is wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts and has both hands over his face, from which water is dripping towards the ground.Getty ImagesThe Earth’s climate is further out of balance than at any time in recorded history, the UN’s weather agency has warned.
The World Meteorological Organization says that our planet is gaining much more heat energy than it can release, driven by emissions of warming gases such as carbon dioxide.
This record “energy imbalance” heated the ocean to new heights last year and continued to melt our planet’s ice caps.
And scientists fear that a natural warming phase called El Niño – expected to begin later this year – could soon bring further heat records.
In response to the report, UN Secretary General António Guterres reiterated his call for countries to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to “deliver climate security, energy security and national security.”
“Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red,” he warned, in a typically punchy video address.
The last 11 years were the Earth’s 11 warmest years in records stretching back to 1850, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says.
In 2025, global average air temperatures were about 1.43C above those of “pre-industrial” times – before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels.
A temporary cooling from the natural La Niña weather pattern meant that 2025 was not quite as hot as 2024, which was boosted by the opposite El Niño phase.
Middle East War: IEA recommends options to ease oil price pressures on consumers, Motorists
Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new national security rules
UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms
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