Supermarket chains across several European countries were hit by a major cyberattack on Monday, disrupting freezer and refrigeration systems. Thousands of euros’ worth of chilled and frozen foods and seafood have been lost in the incident, although no reports have yet confirmed the destruction of frozen or chilled tuna. The temperature of freezers in some stores across Europe reportedly rose to as high as 50C (122F).

Beyond France, where retailers experienced a similar cyberattack in early October, supermarket freezers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, Germany and Portugal were also affected. Retailers including Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, Coop, ICA Sweden and Ikea were among those impacted. Supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe are commonly connected to the internet, allowing maintenance and troubleshooting to be carried out remotely. The perpetrators have not been identified, and no group has claimed responsibility, according to international media reports.

Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has graduated the first batch of Pacific Islands Regional Fisheries Observers (PIRFO) this year. The graduation ceremony was held on October 30 for 25 students. They were trained to the PIRFO standard and will now join the NFA Observer Program to serve on tuna vessels in PNG waters and the WCPO region. These new observers will collect data on catch, bycatch, and compliance, which are essential to fisheries management, according to NBC New Ireland.

David Karis, NFA Managing Director and Executive Manager Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS), told graduates during the ceremony that PNG “has one of the strongest observer programmes in the region, and you are now part of that legacy.” PIRFO is a standardized framework, training, and certification program for fisheries monitoring personnel across Pacific Island countries and territories. It is managed by the WCPFC’s scientific community, the SPC.

Ecuadorian police seized more than half a ton of cocaine hidden among boxes of canned tuna in an export container bound for France at the Naportec port terminal in Guayaquil. Authorities discovered 784 blocks of cocaine during routine inspections of export cargo early Monday. The drugs had been concealed in sacks between boxes of tuna in an attempt to evade customs controls. The seizure is part of a series of anti-narcotics operations targeting drug shipments concealed in export cargo along Ecuador’s coast. In recent weeks, authorities have seized significant quantities of drugs at ports in the provinces of Guayas and El Oro, according to Ecuadorian news sites.

John Reimberg, Ecuador’s Interior Minister, said in a post on X that the operation was carried out by the National Police at Naportec. He added that the investigation is ongoing. Ecuador’s tuna industry has faced recurring cocaine-smuggling incidents involving export containers, with criminal networks using legitimate shipments to transport drugs overseas.