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[1/5] Policemen are deployed as people from the fishing community protest near the entrance of proposed Vizhinjam Port in the southern state of Kerala, India, November 29, 2022. The port is of strategic importance to both India and Adani, Asia's wealthiest man and the world's third-richest. The Adani Group has said in court filings that the protests have caused "immense loss" and "considerable delay". The Adani Group says the port complies with all laws and has cited studies that show it is not linked to shoreline erosion. Adani has previously faced protests in Australia, where environmental activists had launched a "Stop Adani" movement to protest his Carmichael coal mine project in Queensland state.

☆ Marion Barter: The search for a missing mother surfaces claims of her lover's 'life of deceit'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’ve exposed a way bigger fish than what I ever expected to find,” Leydon told CNN. He revealed that he’d had a four-month affair with the schoolteacher from February to June, 1997 – the same month she left Australia. Two years after Barter left Australia for Europe, Janet Oldenburg took a similar trip with Blum, who she knew as Ric West. She filed a police report and the inquest heard Blum told police he sent all the jewelry back. In court, Blum denied her claims and accused her of lying.

The LNG industry argues that all of those of measures would result in lower investment and lower natural gas production over time, which would ultimately lead to higher prices. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent surge in energy prices amid fears over the loss of Russian exports of natural gas, LNG, crude oil and coal has provided Australia's LNG exporters with windfall revenues. But it has also led to higher prices in the domestic market, and calls from businesses and households for action to make LNG more affordable. The LNG industry is happy to meet one of those demands, namely ensure sufficient supply is offered to domestic consumers before being made available to the LNG exporters. What gas consumers want is capped prices and guaranteed volumes.

☆ In Australia, firms plan 'super hub' to produce green hydrogen using wind and solar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this article ENR-FFBP Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThis image shows part of a green hydrogen facility in Spain. A number of major economies, including the EU, are looking to develop green hydrogen projects in the coming years. Angel Garcia | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesPlans for an Australian "super hub" focused on the generation of wind, solar and green hydrogen are taking shape, with those involved hoping it will start producing power by 2027. "Energy generated from the project stands to produce green hydrogen as well as feed renewable power to the grid," FFI said. In Aug. 2021, oil and gas giant BP said "the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia using renewable ‎energy" had become technically feasible at scale in Australia.

☆ Australia’s Origin Energy Gets $10 Billion Takeover Bid from Brookfield-Led Consortium
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( David Winning | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Origin is one of Australia’s biggest retailers of electricity and gas, and a shareholder in a supplier of liquefied natural gas to Asia. SYDNEY—Australia’s Origin Energy Ltd. said it has received a takeover proposal worth around $10 billion from a consortium led by Brookfield Asset Management Inc., underscoring the interest in global assets that can support the energy transition. Origin is a major shareholder in the Australia Pacific LNG plant in eastern Australia’s Queensland state, which supplies liquefied natural gas to Asia. The facility, operated by ConocoPhillips , has benefited from elevated prices of LNG after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as countries in Europe scour the world for alternative sources to Russian supply.

☆ Fed's Waller maintains skepticism on U.S. digital currency
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 10 (Reuters) - There is currently no credible case for the United States to develop an official digital version of the dollar, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday, keeping to his long-held skeptical view amid debate at the U.S. central bank. "The case for adopting one is not yet convincing to me and many others," Waller said during an event at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Fed policymakers remain divided on the need for a central bank digital currency, with Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard, second in command at the Fed, among those expressing support. Regardless, the Fed has indicated it would not launch one without clear support from the White House and lawmakers. Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rescue efforts in full swing as Australia's inland towns brace for flood peaks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's east is in the grip of the fourth major flood crisis this year due to a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with increased rainfall. Across New South Wales (NSW) state there were 103 flood warnings on Saturday. "We've had a couple of flood rescues…right now I am at a property east of Forbes helping move some horses. Along the Murrumbidgee River near the town of Wagga Wagga floods peaked on Friday at the highest level since 2010. All four of Australia's eastern states, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have been hit with floods this year.

☆ Australia central bank cuts growth outlook, rates need to rise to cool red-hot inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A man walking past the Reserve Bank of Australia in the central business district of Sydney on June 7, 2022. However, the silver lining, according to the bank, is medium-term inflation expectations and wages growth have remained consistent with the inflation target, and it is important that this remains the case. The central bank lifted its cash rate by 25 basis points on Tuesday to a nine-year peak of 2.85%, bringing its tightening to a steep 275 basis points since May. It also acknowledged that higher inflation is eroding real household incomes against the backdrop of a possible global recession. However, the bank reaffirmed its determination to bring inflation back to target, warning that rates will need to rise further.

☆ Airline apologizes after a woman says she was forced to crawl off a plane because staff couldn't provide a wheelchair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman says she was forced to crawl off a plane after staff couldn't provide a wheelchair for her. Natalie Curtis was traveling from Singapore to Bangkok with the Australian budget airline, Jetstar. Curtis told the Australian Channel 7 breakfast show, Sunrise, that she was offered a standard aisle wheelchair to board the flight in Singapore. Curtis told the news channel that the incident may have resulted from a language barrier between herself and airline staff. A spokesperson for Jetstar told Insider the airline had apologized for the incident and clarified that it did not charge for wheelchair use.

☆ GM's plan to build 400,000 EVs in North America has been delayed by up to 6 months because it hasn't been able to make batteries fast enough
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GM has delayed a plan to build 400,000 EVs in North America. CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday the launch of battery production had been slower than expected. Barra told investors in February that GM planned to make 400,000 EVs in North America through 2023, per Automotive News. Barra wants GM to build one million electric vehicles in North America by 2025. GM plans to open a second next year, and another in 2024.

☆ Southeast Australia braces for more rain, residents told to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Australian authorities warned on Tuesday that flood-affected areas in the country's southeast were set for more rain, as emergency services issued a fresh batch of evacuation orders. Authorities overnight told hundreds of residents to evacuate from the New South Wales (NSW) town of Narrabri, home to 12,000 and about 550km northwest of Sydney, as water released from a full dam nearby worsened flooding. "Clearly the flood risk and the threat remains across NSW today and will do so for some days to come. "Even the smallest amount of rain falling can cause an elevated risk of flash flooding and riverine flooding." Flooding is also expected on several river systems in the adjacent states of Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

☆ Australia's Ampol expects record annual profit; shares tumble on quarterly miss
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Australia's Ampol Ltd (ALD.AX) forecast record full-year earnings and posted a threefold jump in quarterly profit on Tuesday, as strong demand for refined products pushed up refining margins at the country's biggest fuel supplier. Its shares, however, sank more than 9%, as its third-quarter net profit missed Jefferies' estimate, amid the company warning of further market volatility. "The market volatility experienced year to date is expected to continue in the period ahead." The company's quarterly net profit on a replacement cost basis, which excludes the impact of inventory and foreign exchange changes, was A$102.5 million ($64.70 million), significantly missing Jefferies' estimate of A$199 million. Refining margin at the Queensland refinery was $15.46 per barrel, significantly higher than $6.76 per barrel a year ago, but below the $32.96 a barrel in the prior quarter.

☆ Australia flood crisis enters third week as heavy rains lash east
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Already-flooded towns across Australia's east were on high alert on Monday after a weekend of heavy rains, with authorities warning a wild weather system could persist until later this week and trigger renewed riverbank bursts. About 200 flood warnings remained in place in both states as of Monday morning, with 132 of those in New South Wales. A severe weather warning was cancelled on Monday, but the region is still on flood alert. Many agricultural regions have been severely impacted, including Moree where the local river peaked near historic flooding levels. In neighbouring Victoria state, residents of Echuca remain sheltered behind a dirt levee erected last week as the Murray, Australia's longest river, broached a near 30-year high.

☆ Netball Australia: Gina Rinehart pulls sponsorship in dispute over father's racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —When Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart threw a financial lifeline to Netball Australia, she triggered a debate about sponsorships and the role of social and political issues in the sporting sphere. Donnell Wallam of the Firebirds is a rising star in Australian netball. On Monday, Kathryn Harby-Williams, CEO of the Australian Netball Players’ Association told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Wallam had asked for an exemption not to wear the logo and was refused. Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan told Nine News the loss of Hancock sponsorship was “disappointing” but a “strong balance” needs to be struck between social issues and funding. “When done well, sport sponsorship is brand transforming for both the sport and sponsor.”

☆ Workers at Apple stores in Australia went on strike for an hour and are refusing to repair AirPods or handle deliveries in a dispute over pay and conditions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dozens of Apple workers in Australia went on strike on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and conditions. The workers are now refusing to repair AirPods, fix screens, or handle deliveries. "Apple workers represented by RAFFWU have stepped up where no other retail workers in Australian history have gone. Apple workers were not permitted to speak to media but made comments that could be heard by reporters, per The Herald. In June, an Apple store in Towson, Maryland became the first to officially unionize.

Oct 19 (Reuters) - Australian miner New Hope (NHC.AX) said on Wednesday it was not part of a consortium with private-equity firms Oaktree Capital Management and Brookfield (BAMa.TO), which according to a report was bidding for Aurizon's (AZJ.AX) East Coast Rail business. read moreAurizon declined to comment on the media report on Wednesday, but pointed to its annual general meeting held last week at which it said the divestment process was "well advanced" and that it would announce a decision next month. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBrookfield declined to comment on the media report. Shares in coal miner New Hope fell 7% after rival Whitehaven Coal's (WHC.AX) weak quarterly production update. ($1 = 1.5820 Australian dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Upasana Singh; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia casino firm Star to be fined $62 million following inquiry, Sydney Morning Herald reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Australian casino firm Star Entertainment Group (SGR.AX) will be fined A$100 million ($62 million) after an inquiry found it failed to prevent money laundering and criminal activity in its Sydney casino, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) will hand down the decision on Monday, the newspaper reported on Sunday, citing unidentified sources. The report said it had identified "systemic governance, risk and cultural failures" at the Sydney casino of Star, Australia's second-biggest casino operator. Neighbouring Queensland state this month declared Star was unsuitable for a gambling licence after an inquiry found it concealed illegal Chinese wagering payments and lured problem gamblers. Australia's casino sector was put under intense scrutiny over the last three years after media reports accused Star's larger rival Crown Resorts Ltd of money laundering, prompting some states to launch inquiries.

☆ Robust or vulnerable? Experts are split on Australia's economic outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

According to Australia's Bureau of Statistics, Australia's inflation rate rose to 6.1 in June, a 21-year high. Australia's unemployment rate stood at 3.5% in August, and household savings ratio fell to 8.7% in the March to June quarter. Additionally, a small share of borrowers with high debt and low savings are "vulnerable" to payment difficulties. In addition, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones cautioned that Australia's economy is not "hermetically sealed" from the forecasted downturn of the international economy, Sky news reported. This will in turn have an impact on Australia's growth forecast.

☆ I’ve been following a woman around the internet. Turns out she was created by artificial intelligence.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Evan Ratliff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Even in their first efforts, the GAN images were quickly on par with those made by any other, less intelligent software. You can find the results on the Generated Photos site, where you can filter by ethnicity, age, sex, eye color, and other attributes. Generated Photos' GANs tend to match conventional beauty standards, a product of the models that have been fed to the software. I'm not sure anyone would be surprised to find fake images accompanying testimonials on an Estonian bitcoin exchange or an online CBD seller. Are they real people deploying fake images, or fake people deploying fake images?

☆ We're quite bullish on the Australian economy, says Bank of Queensland
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe're quite bullish on the Australian economy, says Bank of QueenslandGeorge Frazis, managing director and CEO at Bank of Queensland, says household savings are "very high."

A preferred solution is to accelerate the energy transition by adding more renewable generation, and crucially, more storage to smooth out the inherent variability of technologies such as wind and solar. At the 121 Mining Investment conference in Sydney on Wednesday the problems were put into focus by the group largely being neglected in the energy transition, the miners and project developers. None of this bodes well for increasing the speed of the energy transition. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ GM to take equity stake in Australian mining company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GM said the investment will help support electric-vehicle eligibility for consumer incentives under new, clean energy U.S. tax credits. GM said the nickel laterite ore is expected to be processed using a new, proprietary process that helps reduce waste. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe GM investment is to assist in the development of its proposed Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) Project in Northern Australia. High-grade nickel laterite ore will be imported from nearby New Caledonia, GM said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sydney smashes rainfall record as Australia braces for more floods
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Sydney has recorded its wettest year since records began in 1858 as further downpours are forecast in coming days that could cause more flooding in Australia’s eastern states. Thursday morning showers in central Sydney took the city’s rainfall so far this year beyond the previous record set in 1950 of 2,194 millimeters (86 inches). Australia has experienced heavy downpours in recent months, forcing residents to flee their homes as rivers breached their banks and waters rose around Sydney, northern New South Wales (NSW) and southern Queensland. Windsor Bridge along the Hawkesbury River in the Sydney suburb of Windsor on July 4, 2022. Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesAuthorities are warning residents of potential flash flooding and to stay away from flooded roads.

☆ Australia rules out curbs on gas exports after producer deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Sonali Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Australia will not put curbs on gas exports after reaching a deal with its three east coast producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to avert a forecast supply crunch, Resources Minister Madeleine King said on Thursday. The pact unveiled on Thursday provides for Queensland Curtis LNG, run by Shell, Australia Pacific LNG, run by ConocoPhillips (COP.N), and Gladstone LNG, run by Santos (STO.AX), to offer an extra 157 petajoules of gas to the domestic market next year. The terms require the LNG exporters to offer uncontracted gas to the domestic market before international buyers and ensure domestic buyers will not pay more for uncontracted gas than customers offshore. This is because it is the only east coast exporter to take more gas out of the domestic market each year than it supplies. GLNG agreed to step up domestic supply during Australia's peak winter demand period, Santos said.

Another key alumina supply channel was shut off by the closure, also in March, of the Nikolaev refinery in Ukraine. CONTINUED METAL FLOWSCertainly, the flow of Russian metal into Western markets has been robust since march. That extreme premium sucked in every spare unit of aluminium, including a lot of surplus Russian metal. A partial boycott will coincide with increased Russian supply as Rusal's domestic market weakens further under the broader economic sanctions package. You can understand why the aluminium market is starting to worry about the prospect of large volumes of unsold Russian metal being dumped into LME warehouses.

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