G7 to explore possible sanctions on criminals linked to migrant smuggling, draft document says
FILE PHOTO: Fish and Wildlife officers patrol the area in Kananaskis Country, where the leaders of the G7 will meet from June 15 to 17, 2025 in Alberta, Canada, June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Todd Korol/ File Photo
G7 to explore possible sanctions on criminals linked to migrant smuggling, draft document says
KANANASKIS, Alberta - G7 leaders are set to reaffirm a joint commitment that they agreed to a year ago to prevent and counter migrant smuggling, and will explore using sanctions to target criminals involved in smuggling, according to a draft outcome document seen by Reuters on Monday.
"Migrant smuggling often has links to other serious criminal offences, including money laundering, corruption and trafficking in persons and drugs, that threaten the safety of our communities," the document said.
The document, one of seven being prepared for consensus among the world leaders, tasked interior and security ministers with doubling down on efforts to follow the money trail of smuggling groups, boosting prevention with countries of origin and transit, collaborating with social media companies and engaging with transport operators to prevent the facilitation of irregular migration.
"We will explore, consistent with our legal systems, the potential use of sanctions to target criminals involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking operations from countries where those activities emanate," the document said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu says Israel is ‘changing the face of the Middle East'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, on May 21. PHOTO: REUTERS Netanyahu says Israel is 'changing the face of the Middle East' JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said June 16 that Israel was 'changing the face of the Middle East' with its military campaign against Iran which could lead to 'radical changes' in the country. 'We are changing the face of the Middle East and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself,' he told a press conference in which he outlined Israel's strikes against Iranian nuclear and military targets. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on June 13 launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation at Israel, sparking fears of a wider regional conflict. 'We have eliminated Iran's security leadership, including three chiefs of staff, the commander of their air force, two intelligence chiefs,' Mr Netanyahu added. 'We are eliminating them, one after the other.' He said that Israel was 'pursuing three main objectives: the elimination of the nuclear programme, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism', referring to Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East. 'We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals, and we are well coordinated with the United States,' he said. Mr Netanyahu asserted that Iranians perception of their government had changed. 'They understand that the regime is much weaker than they thought – they realise it, and that could lead to results,' he said. Israel's strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. The Israeli prime minister's office says 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks since June 13. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
44 minutes ago
- CNA
G7 leaders struggle for unity as Trump says removing Russia from group was a mistake
KANANASKIS, Alberta: Group of Seven leaders met on Monday (Jun 16) seeking a common approach on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East but faced early challenges as US President Donald Trump said removing Russia from the former Group of Eight over a decade ago had been a mistake. The once tight-knit grouping has struggled to find unity as Washington retreats from multilateralism and Trump overtly expresses support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, along with the European Union, are convening in the resort area of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said the former Group of Eight had been wrong to kick out Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea. "This was a big mistake," Trump said, adding he believed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had Putin not been ejected. "Putin speaks to me. He doesn't speak to anybody else ... he's not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn't even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him," Trump said. Though Trump stopped short of saying Russia should be reinstated in the group, his comments raise doubts about how much Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can achieve when he meets the leaders on Tuesday. European nations say they want to persuade Trump to back tougher sanctions on Moscow. Trump spoke on Saturday with Putin and suggested the Russian leader could play a mediation role between Israel and Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the idea, arguing that Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine. A European diplomat said Trump's suggestion showed that Russia was very much on US minds. European officials said they hoped to use Tuesday's meeting with Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and next week's NATO summit to convince Trump to toughen his stance. "The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again, for Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it's a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia," Macron said. In another early sign the group of democracies may struggle to reach agreement on key issues, a US official said Trump would not sign a draft statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict. A Canadian official, though, said the conflict would come up in bilateral meetings throughout the day and it was too early to speculate on the outcome of those conversations. A senior European diplomat echoed those comments, saying Trump had yet to make a decision. DRAFT DOCUMENTS Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt a comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of the 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the US delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving. Leaders have prepared several draft documents seen by Reuters, including on migration, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. None of them have been approved by the United States, however, according to sources briefed on the documents. Without Trump, it is unclear if there will be any declarations, a European diplomat said. The first five months of Trump's second term upended foreign policy on Ukraine, raised anxiety over his closer ties to Russia, and resulted in tariffs on US allies. Talks on Monday will centre around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China. Several leaders arrived in Canada, a country Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex as the 51st US state, in hopes of making progress on trade negotiations with the United States. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped there would be steps towards a solution to a tariff dispute with the United States, even if a solution itself could not be reached at the summit. Britain and the United States should finalise "very soon" the implementation of a trade deal agreed last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. Britain was the first country to agree a deal for lower tariffs from Trump, but implementation has been delayed while details were finalised.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
G-7 leaders agree on strategy to protect critical mineral supply, draft document shows
Raw Rare Earth ore waiting to be processed at Vital Metals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. PHOTO: REUTERS KANANASKIS, Alberta - Group of Seven leaders on June 16 provisionally agreed on a strategy to help protect the supply of critical minerals and bolster their economies, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters. The draft, which a source said had not yet been approved by US President Donald Trump, also said minerals markets should reflect the real costs of responsible extraction, processing, and trade of critical minerals. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets disrupted supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Mr Trump last week said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the United States. Rare earths and other critical minerals, though, remain a source of leverage for Beijing. "Non-market policies and practices in the critical minerals sector threaten our ability to acquire many critical minerals," the draft said. "Recognising this threat to our economies, as well as various other risks to the resilience of our critical minerals supply chains, we will work together and with partners beyond the G-7 to swiftly protect our economic and national security." This included anticipating critical minerals shortages, coordinating responses to deliberate market disruption, and diversifying mining, processing, manufacturing, and recycling, it said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
