WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration imposed its broadest package of sanctions so far targeting Russia’s oil and gas revenues on Friday, in an effort to give Kyiv and Donald Trump’s incoming team leverage to reach a deal for peace in Ukraine.

The move is meant to cut Russia’s revenues for continuing the war that has killed or wounded tens of thousands and reduced cities to rubble since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on X that the measures announced on Friday will “deliver a significant blow” to Moscow. “The less revenue Russia earns from oil … the sooner peace will be restored,” Zelenskiy added. Daleep Singh, a top White House economic and national security adviser, said in a statement that the measures were the “most significant sanctions yet on Russia’s energy sector, by far the largest source of revenue for (President Vladimir) Putin’s war”.

The U.S. Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM), opens new tab and Surgutneftegas, which explore for, produce and sell oil as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers operated by non-Western companies. The sanctions also include networks that trade the petroleum. Many of those tankers have been used to ship oil to India and China as a price cap imposed by the Group of Seven countries in 2022 has shifted much of the trade in Russian oil from Europe to Asia. Some tankers have shipped both Russian and Iranian oil. The Treasury also rescinded a provision that had exempted the intermediation of energy payments from sanctions on Russian banks. The logic of the sanctions “is to hit every stage of the Russian oil production and distribution chain,” the official said. They should cost Russia billions of dollars per month if sufficiently enforced, another U.S. official told reporters in a call. The sanctions target oil producers, tankers, intermediaries, traders, and ports. “There is not a step in the production and distribution chain that’s untouched and that gives us greater confidence that evasion is going to be even more costly for Russia,” the official said. (Reuters)

Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at a reception for newly elected Democratic members of Congress, in Washington, U.S. (Reuters)

JAMAICA – A shining example of resilience, love and family values, is how Jamaican Consul General Oliver Mair described Nesta Leeloo who celebrated her 108th birthday on January 6.  Affectionately called ‘Mama’, Leeloo was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, and moved to the United States (US) after getting married. She is the second oldest living person in the US. America’s oldest resident is Naomi Whitehead, age 114. She was born in Georgia on September 26, 1910, and now resides in Greenville, Pennsylvania. At her recent birthday celebration in Tamarac, South Florida, surrounded by her large family and community, Leeloo reflected on the remarkable life she has lived. “I had a wonderful life, I had wonderful parents, could not ask for more,” she reflected during her birthday celebration. Her life philosophy, grounded in decency and respect for her upbringing, continues to inspire both her family and community. (Jamaica gleaner)

Photo: Despite her age, Leeloo remains remarkably active.

MINNESOTA – Recent findings show bigmouth buffalo fish have perplexingly long lives and appear to get healthier as they age. But scientists are worried their population is about to crash. If you ever find yourself on the shores of Minnesota’s Rice Lake in May time, you may be able to spot swarms of large fish bodies mingling among the wild rice plants in water barely a few feet deep.

These are bigmouth buffalo fish, and they are the world’s longest-lived freshwater fish. Some live for over 100 years.  Every year, these huge fish – which can weigh more than 50lb (23kg) – traverse through Rice River to spawn and reproduce in the lake. But the regularity of this spawning belies a hidden conservation concern: for more than six decades now, no new generations of young fish here have made it to adulthood.  Bigmouth buffalo have remained understudied for decades. In the last few years, however, scientists have begun to realise how unique these huge and incredibly long-lived fish truly are – even as they also uncover how imperilled they may be. (BBC)

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK  –  Police say two more lynx have been spotted in the same area where a pair of the wild cats were captured last Thursday. They were seen near Kingussie in the Cairngorms National Park. Police Scotland have warned members of the public not to approach the animals and said officers are working with specially-trained personnel to capture them. The force said inquiries suggested that the sighting was connected with the release of the two lynx which were captured last Thursday. Police have urged people not to visit the area to try and see the cats.

Insp Craig Johnstone said: “Members of the public are asked not to approach the animals for their own safety and the safety of the lynx. “Officers are working with specially trained personnel to capture them safely and humanely. “Although it may be tempting to try to find them, take pictures or set up cameras, we are asking people not to travel into the area, particularly in the current winter weather conditions.” The latest lynx, believed to be larger than the other two cats, were spotted at about 07:10 on Friday. Experts from Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) along with police and Cairngorms National Park rangers are trying to capture the wild cats. RZSS chief executive David Field said: “Two more lynx have been sighted in the same Cairngorms location where we successfully captured a pair last Thursday. “Further traps are being baited in the area and the hope is that these animals will be safely and humanely captured before being taken to Edinburgh Zoo to join the two captured yesterday in quarantine.”

Police Scotland and Cairngorm National Park Authority Rangers are also in attendance. The public are being asked to steer clear of the area as a build-up of people could disturb the animals and hamper efforts on the ground. A Cairngorms Mountain Rescue Team drone is being used in the search. RZSS condemns the illegal release of wild animals in the strongest possible term

The two animals trapped earlier this week have been taken into the care of the RZSS. They are now at Edinburgh Zoo. The RZSS has condemned the illegal release of the animals as “highly irresponsible”. Experts from the charity worked with police to humanely trap the first two cats, which are now being cared for in quarantine facilities at Highland Wildlife Park before being transferred to Edinburgh Zoo. Some conservation groups have been campaigning to have the wild cats reintroduced to Scotland.

Those who support the idea include the Mammal Society, which has suggested rogue rewilders could be behind the releases. The organisation said it would love to see a stable and healthy population of wild lynx thriving in the UK, and that the reintroduction of the species could “redress ecosystem imbalance and restore biodiversity to our depleted landscapes”. The society said it understood the “frustration” which could lead to illegal releases, but that there were “no shortcuts” to achieving its goal. “Illegal releases are irresponsible and not the answer,” it said. The Cairngorms National Park Authority has appealed to the public to stay away from the search area. (BBC/Getty Images)

GEORGETOWN – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that it has amended the Terms and Scope for ExxonMobil’s seventh project – Hammerhead –  following a legal suit filed by two Guyanese on the matter. It said the Terms and Scope (T&S) was updated to specifically include Scope 3 emissions, following further feedback from stakeholders.  In December 2024, Kaieteur News reported that two citizens filed legal action against the EPA for failing to ensure the impacts from the planned development is properly assessed.

Attorneys-at-law Melinda Janki, Tim Prudhoe, Anna-Kay Brown and Suzanne Bullen are representing the plaintiffs, Wintress Morris and Joy Marcus. In a statement, the citizens explained that the EPA issued a Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Hammerhead Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which does not take into account the impact of greenhouse gas pollution from burning the associated oil and gas from the proposed development. They pointed out that the oil/gas will be burned from the project. To this end, the EPA has a duty to assess the impacts of that pollution in line with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act. If this is not done, a proper decision could not be made about Hammerhead.

The citizens argued: “As citizens of Guyana, every one of us has a right to know how this Hammerhead pollution will affect us and our families. What harm will pollution do to our children? What harm will it do to our fisherfolk?  What harm will pollution do to the elderly and the vulnerable in our society? What will it do to the climate and the ocean? We demand answers.” According to Morris and Marcus, their lawyer, Melinda Janki had written several letters to the Executive Director of the Agency, Kemraj Parsram, reminding him that the TOR for the Hammerhead EIA must identify, describe and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the project. They noted their disappointment that the Executive Director ignored their lawyer’s letters and did not correct the terms of reference for the EIA.

In its statement last Thursday however, the EPA explained that the T&S had previously included direct and indirect impacts to be considered in the conduct of the EIA, which intended to cover all plausible potential impacts, not limited to Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. “However, following feedback from stakeholders and further examination by EPAs technical staff, Scope 3 emissions are now specifically included to provide greater clarity. This is with respect to the application by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited for environmental authorisation for the Hammerhead project, situated in the Stabroek Block, Offshore Guyana,” the agency said. Kaieteur News understands that the citizens will be proceeding with the legal challenge. (Kaieteur News)

Photo: Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram. (Kaieteur News)