The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday that a “large-scale” attack was “affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France”, leading to food losses and fires

International News via Reuters:

Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, causing fires and spoiling food.    

The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday that a “large-scale” attack was “affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France”, leading to food losses and fires.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has instructed France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, a person in his office said. 

France was coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected, the person said, adding that authorities were assessing whether other French companies were at risk.    

Felix Aime, a senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research, said Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium had also been affected.

Carrefour said 80 of its supermarkets were hit, while Monoprix, which operates about 490 stores in France, said 5% of its stores were affected.

Les Mousquetaires, owner of retailer Intermarche, said fridges at around 150 of its stores were heated up to 50 C for six hours overnight. A spokesperson said all affected food had been discarded to eliminate health risks.

Paris resident Geert de Clercq witnessed staff at an Intermarche in central Paris throwing cartfuls of defrosted frozen foods into a giant trash container, with molten ice cream sloshing out of broken tubs on the street.

Cooperative U CEO Dominique Schelcher said his supermarket group had also been targeted.    

“Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented,” he wrote on X.

Food retailers E.Leclerc and Auchan did not respond to requests for comment.

There was no immediate estimate of industry-wide losses, but Intermarche CEO Thierry Cotillard told BFM TV the “unprecedented” attack would represent losses amounting to “tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.”

Christel Delberghe, director general at European retail association Eurocommerce, said, “This incident underlines the importance of resilience across the entire supply chain.”

COLD AISLES CONTROLLED OVER INTERNET

Supermarket cold aisles are typically run by control panels that manage an entire store’s fridges and freezers and can be accessed over the internet, which lets maintenance companies adjust them from anywhere.

The source close to Lecornu said ANSSI had identified a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish company Danfoss.

Danfoss said it was “aware of incidents in France affecting a limited number of refrigeration management systems”.

The affected units “were running outdated firmware”, Danfoss said, adding that it had “long advised customers to keep supported systems updated with the latest firmware and to migrate legacy systems to current-generation solutions”. 

On August 9, cybersecurity firm Claroty’s Team82 published research detailing vulnerabilities in the Danfoss AK-SM 800A controller. According to the report, software updates issued by Danfoss addressed issues that could have allowed attackers to bypass authentication controls and execute code on compromised devices.    

The attacks resemble disruptions reported at about a dozen US military commissaries in late August that led to food losses after fridges were affected.

In a statement, French retail association Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution called for “full transparency” from Danfoss about the incident. It said supermarkets aimed to protect consumers and return to normal operations as soon as possible. The FCD said some impacted stores were already back up and running.

DUTCH SECURITY ISSUE

Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize, which operates the Netherlands’ largest supermarket chain Albert Heijn and has major operations in the US, said it was dealing with a “security issue” on its network and had taken several systems offline as a precaution.

A message on the retailer’s smartphone app said it was unable to deliver groceries because of a “cybersecurity incident”.    

Online orders account for about 10% of Albert Heijn sales. Physical stores remained open, while Dutch news agency ANP reported that rival retailers had seen a surge in delivery orders.

Ahold Delhaize said there was no reason to see a link between the incidents in France and its supermarkets.

Ahold is the fourth-largest grocery retailer in the US. Websites for its Stop & Shop, Giant, Hannaford and Food Lion chains displayed notices saying “site temporarily down”.

It was unclear whether other operations had been affected.

Reporting by Leo Marchandon, Helen Reid, AJ Vincens, Makini Brice, Toby Sterling; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Richard Lough, Alexander Smith, Mark Potter and Cynthia Osterman

Oil and gas companies have reaped bumper profits this year, as energy prices have surged during the US-Israeli war with Iran, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours

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The European Union is examining a bloc-wide windfall profit tax on oil and gas companies, the EU’s tax chief told Reuters on Monday, as governments scramble for funds to help citizens with soaring energy bills.    

Oil and gas companies have reaped bumper profits this year, as energy prices have surged during the US-Israeli war with Iran, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours.

Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner responsible for climate and taxation, said the Commission was setting up a working group to examine the merits and drawbacks of a levy and assess whether such a measure would be viable.

“Citizens, and particularly vulnerable citizens, are confronted with dramatic increases in their energy bills. And some companies are reaping truly excessive benefits without delivering any additional service or any additional products. They’re reaping the benefits from the world being in turmoil,” Hoekstra said in an interview.

“To many citizens and many politicians, that feels off… I think we all have sympathy for the underlying logic, regardless of where we exactly take the conversation,” he said.

Benchmark Brent crude futures prices climbed to multi‑year highs near $120 a barrel in late April and remain more than 70% above their level at the start of the year, boosting profits for oil refiners and producers.

Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland and Austria have urged the EU to examine a bloc-wide windfall profit tax.

Hoekstra said Brussels would carefully assess the legal status of any potential measure.

The EU introduced a windfall profit levy on oil, gas, coal and refining companies in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring. Legal challenges are still pending after companies including ExxonMobil argued the measure was unlawful. 

“We’re still litigating court cases from the decision in 2022 to do something similar,” Hoekstra said. “So that is something that we need to take into account as well.”

The 2022 scheme imposed a minimum 33% levy on surplus profits, defined as profits more than 20% above a company’s average earnings in previous years. It raised nearly €29 billion ($32 billion), according to a Commission report.

Some EU countries have already introduced national windfall levies. Portugal, for example, imposed a 33% tax on extraordinary profits earned in 2026 ​by oil and refining companies.

($1 = 0.8961 euros)

Reporting by Kate Abnett. Editing by Mark Potter

The US National Hurricane Center said Simon was about 55 miles (90 km) west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco state at 8 a.m.

International News via Reuters:

Hurricane Simon crept northwest just off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday, lashing western states with dangerous winds, heavy rain and flooding that put riverside communities on alert for possible evacuations.

The US National Hurricane Center said Simon was about 55 miles (90 km) west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco state at 8 a.m. (1400 GMT), packing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), making it a Category 2 hurricane. 

Simon has weakened since Saturday when it was a Category 4 system.

“Simon is slowly losing wind intensity and could ultimately stall this week and never make a true landfall as an organized storm,” said Alex DaSilva, a hurricane expert at private forecaster AccuWeather.

Simon is forecast to make landfall on Thursday in Mexico’s Sinaloa state.

“The slower Simon moves, the more rain potential the storm carries, but right now most of that rain is offshore and to the south of the storm’s center ultimately sparing the feet of rain we thought this storm could initially bring,” said DaSilva.

Simon was moving northwest at just 3 mph (6 kph) and was expected to continue along that track before turning northeast and moving inland across west-central Mexico around midweek.

Authorities said that Simon could bring life-threatening flooding and mudslides to parts of the Pacific coast and nearby mountains. 

The hurricane is forecast to dump an additional 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) of rain across coastal areas of southwest and west-central Mexico, with isolated amounts of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) in parts of Jalisco and Sinaloa. The National Hurricane Center said isolated storm totals could reach 30 inches (76 cm) in parts of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

The head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, Laura Velazquez, said one person was reported to have died due to the storm in Guerrero state, home to the popular tourist destination of Acapulco.

In the coastal town of Cihuatlan in southwestern Jalisco, patrols warned residents to prepare for potential evacuation as the Marabasco River rose. Floodwater inundated streets and low-lying areas of the town overnight.

In the port city of Manzanillo in Colima state, residents waded through flooded homes and streets as navy personnel helped remove water. 

“Everything got flooded,” said resident Maria Elena Vazquez from inside her home, pants rolled up as the water came up to her ankles.

The National Hurricane Center said Simon was expected to produce dangerous storm surge and large destructive waves close to where it approaches the coast. Swells from the hurricane are also forecast to create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along southwestern and west-central Mexico over the next few days.

Following weeks of storms that have battered Mexico, at least 10 people are missing in the state of Baja California and one minor was killed in the coastal city of Ensenada.

Reporting by Alberto Fajardo and Daniel Becerril in Manzanillo, Mexico; Writing by Kylie Madry and Paolo Laudani in Mexico City; Editing by Will Dunham and Cynthia Osterman

Bas will be replaced as minister by Alexander Schweitzer, former state premier of the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate

International News via Reuters:

Germany’s labour minister and co-head of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) quit unexpectedly on Monday, adding to uncertainty around Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s struggling coalition after bruising state election defeats last month.

Baerbel Bas said she was resigning from both positions to deal with grief over her stepdaughter’s recent death.

She added that “public attacks against me, unfortunately also from within the ranks of our coalition partner,” had made her situation unbearable.

Bas will be replaced as minister by Alexander Schweitzer, former state premier of the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and the whole of the SPD leadership will face re-election in a special party conference at the end of the year.

While the departure of one minister was not expected to disrupt the overall government, it highlighted the turmoil facing Europe’s largest economy.

Merz’s coalition has been under growing pressure following state election victories for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in eastern Germany last month, which it views as the first step towards victory in federal elections due in 2029.

Merz’s government is languishing in opinion polls amid economic uncertainty and frustration over living costs.

Bas, whose former ministry oversees large parts of Germany’s welfare system, was the target of repeated criticism from some members of Merz’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) who accused her of standing in the way of economic reforms.

Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who shared the leadership of the SPD with Bas, cancelled a planned trip to India and it was unclear whether he would attend a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers in Thailand this week.

STRAINED RELATIONS

Klingbeil said Bas had been subject to “unacceptable” attacks from the CDU while mourning her stepdaughter.    

But at a press conference, Merz said he had urged his party to show her “every personal consideration, including Christian compassion,” in recent weeks. 

“I cannot see that we have failed to do so in any way,” he said, adding that he was confident new minister Schweitzer would swiftly advance pending legislation and cooperate well within government.

Merz was speaking after senior CDU members had held a two-day meeting to seek a way forward after months of coalition wrangling over planned tax, pension and labour laws aimed at reviving Germany’s sluggish economy.

“We want to demonstrate our readiness for change – something that is essential given the election results,” he added.

As part of the leaders’ five-page policy paper aimed at addressing voter discontent, he pledged to push ahead with a cut in electricity tax, reviving a measure that was shelved last year because of budget constraints.

While both sides in the coalition agree on the need for reforms to shore up the pension system as the population ages and to help industry confront a surge in energy prices and increasingly intense competition from China, significant differences remain.

Merz, a pro-business fiscal conservative, has struggled to win popular support for changes that could push back the retirement age for some, increase the cost of health insurance and weaken worker protections.

Support for the government will be further tested in five more regional elections next year that will impact his ability to get major legislation through the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament filled by Germany’s 16 states.

Reporting by Andreas Rinke, additional reporting by Maria Martinez, writing by Ludwig Burger and James Mackenzie, editing by Ros Russell and Andrew Cawthorne

Rebounding from earlier losses, Brent crude futures were up $2.04, or 2%, to $106.76 a barrel at 11:07 a.m.

International News via Reuters:

Oil prices were up 2% at near two-week highs on Monday as attacks on Saudi Arabia overshadowed the prospect of increased supplies after US President Donald Trump hailed fresh Russian diesel exports and a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on energy targets.

Rebounding from earlier losses, Brent crude futures were up $2.04, or 2%, to $106.76 a barrel at 11:07 a.m. EDT (1507 GMT), their highest since September 29. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $93.69 a barrel, up $1.84, or 2%.

The Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for a Saturday strike on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Further attacks happened on Sunday.

In addition, more attacks on tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz have been reported this month, threatening to dampen a recovery in Middle East crude exports seen in September.

A tanker was struck by a drone in the vicinity of Oman’s Sohar, while another was damaged transiting Hormuz, the ​United ​Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.

“The sense of some kind of normality of exports from the Strait of Hormuz was shattered last week. Fresh attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia added to this and helped to lift prices,” said SEB commodities analyst Bjarne Schieldrop.

“Hard choices over what to defend will increasingly have to be made: oil infrastructure, military installations, royal palaces, civilian airports or other.”

Goldman Sachs, in a note, raised its Brent price forecast for December to $90 a barrel from $85, estimating a risk premium of just over $20 a barrel.

“We forecast WTI prices, which are unusually low vs Brent because of high US-Europe shipping costs, to average $81 in December 2026 and $73 in 2027,” they added.

In the Gulf of Mexico, energy majors Shell, Chevron and BP were seeking to redeploy personnel and restore production at their platforms after Hurricane Isaias made landfall early on Saturday.

MORE RUSSIAN DIESEL

ICE gasoil futures fell 2.3% to $1,449 per metric ton after Trump said on Friday that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) of diesel to US and global markets, with more to come later.

“The release will be developing gradually through the rest of this year and the expected amounts during the coming month don’t appear capable of forcing much additional downside price pressure,” said analyst Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates in Florida, who noted that he did not expect much of a price reduction by the time the US midterm elections take place three weeks from now.

“The immediate impact of the deal is questionable, as Russia’s refining capacity has been severely reduced,” PVM analyst Tamas Varga said. “However, Moscow has partially lifted its ban on diesel exports, allowing 500,000 tons (around 3.7 million barrels) to be released onto the international market — equivalent to roughly one day of US consumption and around 13% of global demand.”

Trump also unexpectedly announced on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a ceasefire covering energy infrastructure. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire on Monday, while Russia did not comment.

The International Energy Agency’s Fatih Birol said all members should assess whether additional diesel releases are necessary and that countries which have not yet fully delivered pledged volumes should accelerate releases, prioritising diesel.

Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Mohi Narayan in New Delhi and Florence Tan in Singapore. Editing by Susan Fenton and Mark Potter

The EU executive Commission secured agreement with Beijing on Friday to limit imports of hybrid cars from China to 350,000 vehicles a year, most likely from early December, with a 6% annual increase

International News via Reuters:

The European Commission is set to lay out potential trade defence measures in December designed to rein in its trade deficit with China and reduce its reliance on the world’s second-largest economy for critical supplies.

The EU executive Commission secured agreement with Beijing on Friday to limit imports of hybrid cars from China to 350,000 vehicles a year, most likely from early December, with a 6% annual increase. 

The safeguard, which will also apply to other EU trading partners, will last four years, cutting Chinese hybrid exports to the EU that are on course to reach 800,000 this year and reducing the market share of Chinese-built vehicles to around 6%, from 12% now.

EU leaders will discuss China as the first point of their summit starting on Thursday. Commission officials, providing details of the deal with China, said the leaders were likely to make an assessment of the agreement and determine if further action was required. 

“Dialogue needs to deliver and it has delivered results,” a senior Commission official said on Monday. “But dialogue alone looks unlikely to deal with this structural problem of unsustainable imbalances that we have with China.”

“That is why the question will be what more do we do in parallel to the dialogue,” the official added.

The Commission plans in December to propose an instrument to limit companies’ reliance on a single source for certain critical supplies, the official said.

Another new initiative would seek to offer support to industries or specific regions within the EU that were hit by trade measures imposed from outside.

Leaders will then discuss these and other potential measures at their end-of-year summit on December 17-18.

Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Inti Landauro and Alex Richardson