Big Oil’s Green Retreat Helps Clear the Way for Everyone Else in Renewables

William Mathis
Mon, June 19, 2023 




(Bloomberg) -- Big Oil won’t be missed by its renewable power competitors.

Shell Plc’s pivot away from wind farms and solar parks to the oil and gas that drove record profits is the latest example of the world’s biggest energy companies spurning a crucial tool for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. BP Plc previously softened its target for cutting fossil fuel production.

The green pullbacks may be a worrying sign for investors and policymakers seeking a quicker energy transition, but they also have the effect of widening the lanes for renewables firms in the game from the start. They include Spain’s Iberdrola SA, Denmark’s Orsted A/S and Germany’s RWE AG.

“Oil companies pulling back from renewables isn’t great for climate change, but it’s good for the existing competitors,” said Deepa Venkateswaran, an analyst at Sanford C Bernstein & Co. “If they had decided to subsidize renewables with oil and gas profits, and they were willing to accept lower returns, that wouldn’t have been good for utilities.”

The shift may be most notable in the offshore wind sector, where oil companies have used their financial heft to win government auctions at record-setting prices in the US and Europe. That, along with inflation and supply-chain constraints, helped upend the economics of a technology crucial to decarbonizing the power grid.

In the span of just a few years, Shell went from having an ambition to be the world’s biggest power producer to one without any renewable-electricity capacity target. It plans to invest more than six times as much on fossil fuels as it will on clean power in the coming years, according to a strategy update last week.

Meanwhile, BP wants to refocus its low-carbon spending on more profitable areas such as biofuels and convenience stores while being more selective with its power push.

Still, there’s no sign the low-carbon transition is slowing. This year, clean energy is set to attract a record $1.7 trillion of investment — about two-thirds more than the global investment in fossil fuels, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

That marks the eighth consecutive year green energy attracted more cash. Investment in solar power alone will surpass the amount of money going into oil production for the first time, the IEA expects.

Most of that money is destined for renewable-power projects that will be the backbone of any effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They include projects as small as a few solar panels on a rooftop to multibillion-dollar wind farms coming online in the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean off the US and waters off China’s east coast.

Still, times have been tough for major renewable power companies in recent years. Even as the deployment of wind and solar sets records, the business case is being undermined by soaring inflation and rising interest rates.

The costs of massive steel turbines have increased so much and so quickly — more than 20% since the end of 2019 — that they’ve put some projects at risk. And wind, especially harnessed offshore, is a business that’s been particularly attractive for European oil companies with experience working on major projects at sea.

“The way markets deal with price wars is someone blinks, and if Shell is blinking, it will relieve that price pressure,” said Michael Liebreich, former chief executive officer of BloombergNEF and an energy consultant who’s advised Shell. “It’s normal market hygiene.”

As far as the health of the transition itself, the reduction in Big Oil money won’t make much difference for key bottlenecks such as electric grid capacity.

UK Windfall Tax on Renewables Could Hurt Decarbonization Efforts

Competition has been a core problem for the wind industry. Governments have come to expect that technological advancements and industrial scale will keep driving power prices down.

However, perpetually falling prices, especially when costs increase, aren’t sustainable and have put renewables’ impressive growth at risk of cooling. The exits of some players may make it easier for the companies that stay in the space to raise prices to a sustainable level and to ramp up investment.

“It’s become increasingly clear that it is not easy to make money in renewables and that is where the difference between us and most other actors is,” said Mads Nipper, chief executive officer of Orsted. “We’re more experienced at this and probably better than them.”

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Flying the F-35 stealth fighter can leave pilots looking 'like they are 100 years old,' says test pilot

Isobel van Hagen
Sat, June 17, 2023 

A US Air Force F-35 Lightning II flies over the US Central Command area of responsibility, July 17, 2020.

US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Duncan C. Bevan

F-35 test pilots described how intense it is to fly the aircraft, The Jerusalem Post reported.


"It's like an 800-pound gorilla sitting on your chest," a pilot said in a Lockheed Martin webinar.


"After some training, pilots come out looking like they are 100 years old," another test pilot said.

A US test pilot described the challenges of flying one of the world's most advanced warplanes, the F-35 fighter jet, in a recent discussion in a webinar organized by Lockheed Martin.

Tony "Brick" Wilson, an F-35 test pilot for the American defense company who formerly served in the US Navy, described the "g-forces" — or gravitational force — must deal with when flying the hi-tech US fighter jets.

"It's like an 800-pound gorilla sitting on your chest," Wilson said earlier this month, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The F-35 has a top speed of around Mach 1.6 or 1,228 mph.

Aircraft-to-aircraft "dog fighting" is like a full-body workout, and "you are wiped out" by the end, Wilson added.

The hi-tech, fifth-generation aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin is a multirole stealth aircraft that is intended for air superiority and strike missions, Insider previously reported.

Monessa "Siren" Balzhiser, another F-35 test pilot for the company, also addressed "g-forces" in the discussion.

An average roller coaster pulls about three to four "g-forces," Balzhiser said, who, prior to joining Lockheed, served in the US Air Force.

"For a g-force, think about your weight. So if you were 100 pounds, pulling 9 g's, you would be pulling 900 pounds of force on a person's body. Imagine that much pressure on your body. It takes a lot of training and special training," Balzhiser said.

Following a mission, "pilots come out looking like they are 100 years old," she added.

F-35 jet fighter refueling mid-air.guvendemir/Getty Images

Wilson was later asked how far the jets could fly, per The Jerusalem Post, and he described the different fuel levels available in each variant of the jet.

An F-35A carries 18,000 pounds of fuel, the F-35B carries about 13,000 pounds of fuel, and the F-35C carries almost 20,000 pounds of fuel, the test pilot said.

Generally, on missions, pilots fly no more than "500 to 700 nautical miles, execute a mission, and then travel back" to base, Wilson said.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the US Air Force deployed F-35 fighter jets to NATO's front line to patrol for Russian missiles that could threaten planes, Insider previously reported.

An F-35 taxis down the flight line.DVIDS

A multirole stealth aircraft, the F-35 is intended for air superiority and strike missions and is now flown by at least 17 airforces worldwide.

It is equipped with a powerful electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance suite. The capabilities, which allow the F-35 to gather and distribute real-time battlefield information to friendly forces, have earned it the nickname "the quarterback of the skies."

In the webinar, Balzhiser said what she most valued about the warplanes is "the amount of information and situational awareness that the F-35 gave me in comparison to the F-16."

The F-16 has three separate screens and displays, with each screen tied to a specific sensor," she said, per The Jerusalem Post. "The pilots needed to do sensor fusion in their brain to take the information, think about it, and come up with a solution. The F-35's large graphic display does that, provides that situational awareness faster than what I was able to do in the F-16."

The weaponry carried by the F-35 varies. In a configuration known as "beast mode," it carries four 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs on its wings, two GBU-12 in its internal weapons bay, and an AIM-9 air-to-air heat-seeking missile. That configuration sacrifices stealth for firepower, according to a 2022 Insider report.

Hackers strike Iranian government, releasing presidential documents

John Bowden
Sun, 18 June 2023 

A group of hackers working against the Iranian government have struck again, this time with a second trove of documents obtained from the highest levels of the authoritarian regime.

Credit for the attack was claimed by the group calling itself “Ghiam ta Sarnegoun”, or “Rise to Overthrow”.

The attack follows a similar episode in early May, when the group defaced the website of Iran’s foreign ministry with messages in support of Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran — a politician-in-exile with backing from many in the west, including in Washington.

Among the documents posted in the second attack, which were posted online on 29 May, were directives from the office of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi. In one, addressed to a top security chief by Mr Raisi’s chief of staff, the president raises clear concerns about ongoing protests in the country that began last year in response to the killing of a young woman in police custody over her supposedly improper headcovering.

“In these incidents, in addition to the initial intelligence surprise of the September 1st, in particular the events of October 26, as well as the strikes and riots on November 15, 16 and 17 no prediction and prevention [options] were [presented], and the analysis were based only on general and imprecise estimates and calls in the social media,” reads one letter in part.

“To correct this process and prevent repetition of these surprises in the future what has been done? As the failure and end point of the enemy's project were not included on 7 and 8 of December reports of analyzes and predictions,” that letter continues, adding later: “Unfortunately, in recent months, the reports have mostly [been] describing the events of the streets and waiting to discover the surprising devices of the enemies.”

Other documents were equally unflattering. A second letter to an intelligence minister again signed by Mr Raisi’s chief of staff laid out known issues with Iran’s intelligence community including “incompetent and dependent managers”, “infiltration”, as well as “marginalisation and demoralisation of revolutionary forces”.

Passports belonging to top Iranian officials were previously posted online in early May by a group calling itself ‘Ghiam ta Sarnegoun’, or ‘uprising until overthrow’ (The Independent)

The Independent has not verified the documents in-house, although experts with the Computer Emergency Response Team in Farsi (CERTFA) have called the documents posted on 29 May from the latest hack legitimate.

Altogether, the document presents a revealing look at a beleaguered government that found itself largely unable to effectively stamp out demonstrations that swept across the nation in response to a major societal episode — in this case, the killing of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, by so-called “morality police” in the country. The assessment could bode poorly for the Raisi government should similar protests emerge in the near future.

The NCRI agreed in a statement to The Independent, arguing that the documents showed “the fragile state” of Iran’s security apparatus and “the fear and vulnerability of the regime”.

At the same time, other passages betray the Iranian regime’s continued confidence in its ability to evade or otherwise bear the cost of US sanctions, which were snapped back into place under the Trump administration and remain under the presidency of Joe Biden. If more than bluster, it’s a spark of good news for Iran’s government given the State Department and White House’s lack of success in reaching an agreement to reignite the 2015 nuclear agreement and the resulting low chance of those sanctions being dropped.

Mr Biden was heard telling a voter on a ropeline late last year that his administration views the accord signed under the presidency of Barack Obama (and his own vice presidency) to be dead.

“It is dead, but we are not gonna announce it,” he said at the time, quipping: “Long story.”

Three Palestinians killed in Israeli West Bank raid with helicopter fire

AFP
Mon, 19 June 2023 

The West Bank city of Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have frequently been the site of violent clashes between Israel and the Palestinians (Jaafar ASHTIYEH)

Israeli forces on Monday killed three Palestinians including a teenager and fired missiles from a helicopter during a raid on the occupied West Bank the army said was to pursue "wanted suspects".

"Three Palestinians died as a result of the occupation (Israeli) aggression on Jenin," a statement from the Palestinian health ministry said, adding that at least 29 others were wounded.

It named the three killed as Qassam Abu Saria, 29, Khaled Assassa, 21 and Ahmed Saqer, 15.

The Israeli army said a "massive exchange of fire" erupted as forces entered the northern West Bank city to arrest "wanted suspects".

"IDF (army) helicopters opened fire toward the gunmen in order to assist in extraction of the forces" after "large numbers of explosive devices were hurled at the forces", it added in a statement.

The army said a military vehicle had been damaged by an explosive device.

A Palestinian intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity it was the first time since 2002 -- during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising -- that the Israeli army has fired missiles from an aircraft during a raid in Jenin.

An AFP photographer in the city, the scene of frequent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, confirmed that fighting was ongoing as of 10:30 am (0730 GMT).

Jenin's deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, told AFP the Israeli forces had launched the raid at around 04:00 am (0100 GMT).

"The army stormed the (Jenin refugee) camp and the city after the dawn prayer in large numbers, and there was intense gunfire," he said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, the Palestinian Authority's civil affairs minister, said a "fierce and open war is being waged against the Palestinian people... by the occupation (Israeli) forces".

He called for the Palestinian leadership to take "unprecedented decisions" without elaborating.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War and its forces regularly launch incursions into Palestinian cities, which are nominally under the control of president Mahmud Abbas's Palestinian Authority.

Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have frequently been the site of violent clashes between Israel and the Palestinians.

In March, four Palestinians were killed during the a raid on the camp.

Ten Palestinian were killed in another operation in the camp in January -- the deadliest single raid in the West Bank for 20 years.

Since the start of the year, at least 162 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

The figures include combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

bur-gb/ami

LGBT activists in Moldova hold march without police protection

Sun, 18 June 2023 
By Alexander Tanas

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Activists from Moldova's LGBT community held a pride march on Sunday that for the first time needed no heavy police cordons to protect them from protesters largely linked to the Orthodox church.

The peaceful event, with hundreds strolling through the centre of the capital, signalled a change in social attitudes, though public opposition to equal rights for gays still runs high in many ex-Soviet states.

Since the 2020 election of pro-European President Maia Sandu, Moldova has set a foreign policy goal of joining the European Union -- a pledge underscored by an outdoor public assembly last month attended by thousands.

"Judging from the march, European Moldova is progressively moving towards a normal society of people with diverse views," Alexei Marcicov of the event's organiser, GenderDoc-M, told Reuters.

"Political will is still needed in order for us to be accepted in normal fashion in this society," Marcicov added.

About 100 Orthodox clerics and their sympathisers stood at one point on the parade route with placards reading, "We stand for the traditional family."

But there was no contact between the two opposing groups and no need for police intervention.

Moldova lies between Ukraine and European Union member Romania and about 90% of its population professes ties to one of two branches of the Orthodox Church -- one linked to Russia, the other to Romania.

The Moscow-linked church denounced the march; the Romanian branch tried to play down its importance.

Movements for LGBT rights are also making progress in Ukraine, where a 2021 march took place without incident. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed sympathy for upholding gay rights while ruling out constitutional changes to allow single-sex marriages while the country is at war.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has derided the LGBT movement and led a drive to crack down on "non-traditional" lifestyles that he says are evidence of Western moral decay.

Russia's lower house of parliament gave initial backing last week to legislation that would ban gender reassignment surgery.

(Editing by Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler)

Bird flu: how much of a risk is there for humans?

Cinzia Rizzi
Sun, 18 June 2023 


In recent months, bird flu has again come to the fore of the news agenda. H5N1, a virus belonging to the influenza A subgroup, has caused the deaths of millions of birds and also, on a much smaller scale, contagion among mammals, including some humans. Certain regions of the world, such as North America and South-East Asia, have been most affected, while in Europe the risk is currently low.

"It is quite a serious situation for the bird population," says World Health Organization epidemiologist Richard Peabody. "However, the risk to the human population is low. This is an important message we want to convey. The risk of it passing from birds to humans is quite low for the general population and we have no evidence that the avian influenza virus has the ability to spread from person to person."

Preventive measures for poultry workers

Human infections usually involve people who have been in close contact with infected birds, usually poultry. Therefore some preventive measures are still essential.

"We are a bit more concerned about poultry workers," says Peabody. "They are more at risk of being exposed to the virus. So we have some recommendations both for them and for the general public. And for the general public, it is simply to be sensible and not to touch dead or dying birds. But more importantly, for people working in the poultry industry, there are recommendations on what workers should do in terms of protection, wearing protective equipment and monitoring their health."

Vaccination against seasonal flu could have a positive impact: it would reduce the risk, for those in close contact with poultry, of so-called viral recombination, where the seasonal flu virus combines with the avian flu virus.

Bird flu death in Cambodia: How worried should we be about H5N1 spilling over into humans?


Nearly 48 million animals culled in Europe's 'largest ever' bird flu epidemic


Bird flu cases soar across Europe as governments pledge further action

France has outlined a prevention campaign to vaccinate poultry. Two vaccines tested have already proven to be highly effective for ducks raised to make foie gras. This should start in October. Farmers are pleading for vaccinations to start in the summer, but the ministry said that time was needed to ensure safe testing, production and storage of vaccines.

The concern of poultry farmers doubtless arises from recent history: during the previous epizootic in 2022-2023 in France, six million birds were slaughtered. In 2021-2022, the figure stood at 22 million.

In May 2023, the virus was reported to the Gers, Landes, and Pyrenées-Atlantiques departments, in the southwest of France.

A total of 85 farms were infected. Now, says Marc Fenot, the French Agriculture Minister, the peak incidence has passed. The risk of spreading the virus on the French mainland was reduced to "moderate" from "high".

What you need to know about bird flu

Avian influenza is an acute infectious disease of domestic and wild birds that was discovered over 140 years ago.

The disease is characterized by damage to the digestive and respiratory organs in birds and has a high mortality rate.

Avian influenza can be transmitted from animals to humans in two main ways: directly from birds or a contaminated environment, or through an intermediate host, such as a pig.

People who are in close contact with infected birds and animals, such as farm workers, are particularly susceptible to the virus.

Laboratory tests are needed to diagnose human infection with avian influenza.
Bird flu symptoms in humans

Human infection with the avian influenza virus can cause diseases ranging from a mild upper respiratory tract infection to a more severe, potentially fatal illness. There is also evidence of cases of conjunctivitis, manifestations of gastrointestinal symptoms, encephalitis and encephalopathy (decrease in blood flow or oxygen to the brain).

So far, there is no evidence suggesting bird flu could mutate into a form that can be transmitted from person to person.

Should Europeans worry?

In March and April, the incidence of avian influenza among poultry decreased compared to the previous reporting period (December to February).

However, black-headed gulls are still heavily affected by the virus.

The virus continues to spread to the Americas and is expected to even reach Antarctica in the near future. Two cases of avian influenza virus have also been reported in cats in the US and one in a dog in Canada.

The risk to the general population in Europe remains low and increases to low to moderate for workers and others who come into contact with potentially infected sick or dead birds and mammals.

These are the main findings of the latest avian influenza report compiled by the European Agency Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the ECDC and the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL).

In March 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched the Bird Flu Radar project. This is an early warning system for outbreaks of avian influenza.

WHO recommendations

The nature of influenza viruses is constantly changing. Given the large-scale circulation of the virus in birds, the WHO stresses the importance of maintaining global surveillance of its progress.

It recommends that all people who work with poultry or wild birds be vaccinated against seasonal influenza to reduce the theoretical risk of mixing with other viruses.

Travellers to countries with reported outbreaks of zoonotic influenza should refrain from visits to farms and avoid contact with animals in markets where live animals are sold. They should not go to places where animals are slaughtered and should avoid touching surfaces that are visibly contaminated with animal faeces.

General precautions include regular handwashing, good hygiene and ensuring food safety.

‘No time to waste’: getting Australian homes off gas crucial for meeting net zero targets, report says


Adam Morton Climate and environment editor
Sun, 18 June 2023 

Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

Getting households off gas for heating and cooking would cut energy bills and improve people’s health, and is necessary for Australia to have any hope of reaching net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050, a new analysis says.

The report by the Grattan Institute, a Melbourne-based thinktank, called on state and territory governments to set dates for the end of gas use and launch campaigns to encourage and help households become “all electric”, running on renewable energy.

It recommended governments also ban new gas connections for homes, shops and small businesses and set dates to phase out the sale of gas appliances and by which rental homes have to be fitted with electric cooktops and water and home heating systems.

Related: Do the fossil fuel industry’s claims of Australia’s gas-fired future stack up? | Temperature Check

The report said the transition to running on electricity will be challenging – about 5m homes across the country use gas. In Victoria, the most gas-reliant state, getting off the fossil fuel by 2050 would require an additional 200 households to get off it every day until then.

But it said the cost and health benefits would be significant. It recommended governments pay for upgrades to social, community and Indigenous housing and for a limited period offer low-interest loans and tax incentives for other households and landlords.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Tony Wood, the lead author of the report, said there was “no time to waste”.

“There will be costs to the great energy transition, and governments will need to decide who pays, how much, and when,” he said. “But we must do this for our hip pockets, our health and our environment.”

The report said it currently usually costs more to buy an electric appliance than a gas equivalent, but electric options were more efficient and cheaper to run. The lower running costs of efficient electric appliances allowed households to recover more than the upfront cost over the lifespan of an appliance in nearly all cases.

Exceptions were for some homes in Western Australia, where gas is much cheaper than in eastern states, and for households that bought cheap, inefficient electric appliances.

On health, the report cited studies that found gas stoves released nitrogen dioxide and tiny PM2.5 particles that irritate lungs and have been linked to substantially higher asthma levels in children. Gas stoves may leak particles even when not in use, it said.

The report comes as the gas lobbying group, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, has launched a national advertising campaign to bolster gas use, claiming it is “cleaner” than coal and crucial in getting the country to net zero.

In reality, gas is a fossil fuel that adds methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, increasing global heating. The Grattan Institute report said Australia would use it “for a while”, but it must be cut to zero if the country was to reach net-zero emissions unless it planned to rely on extensive carbon offsetting. It said gas consumption forecasts were continually being revised downwards, but the current projected decline was not fast enough.

Related: Households offered $1bn help in budget to install energy saving measures

The report acknowledged governments had begun to take steps to support electrification of homes. The Albanese government announced in last month’s budget that about 110,000 households would be able to access $1bn in low-cost loans for double glazing, solar panels and cleaner appliances, with eligibility criteria to be announced later. It also promised $300m funding for social housing upgrades.

Victoria and the ACT have separate schemes to help households to get off gas and run on electricity. A campaign led by Saul Griffith, a former energy adviser to the US government and now head of Rewiring Australia, suggested a $13.5bn package to electrify homes.

The report found that while gas and pipeline industry leaders have argued that biomethane and hydrogen – sometimes described as “green gas” – could be used as alternatives for heating and cooking in homes, they were too costly and too far off for widespread use.

It said green gas may have a limited role at businesses that need high-temperature heat for industrial processes, but there were “economic, technical, and logistical reasons” preventing it being a substitute for fossil fuels in most cases.

AUSTRALIA
Greens renew push for rent freeze as housing bodies say ‘time is of the essence’ to pass Labor bill


Amy Remeikis
Sun, 18 June 2023 

Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

The Greens will continue to push for a national freeze on rents and interest rate rises, declaring there is more the Albanese government can do to address Australia’s housing cost crisis.

Their call comes as the country’s peak housing bodies call for the debate deadlock to be broken and for Labor’s Housing Australia future fund to be passed this week.

Related: Labor has boosted its housing package but will it be enough to win over the Greens?


Senator Nick McKim will introduce a private member’s bill in the Senate on Monday which seeks to allow the commonwealth work with states and territories in a similar way to the energy market intervention and freeze rent increases for two years, cap increases thereafter and ban no-grounds evictions.

The bill comes as Greens dig in over their demand for action for renters before they support the housing future fund legislation, which remains in limbo without the minor party’s support.

Meanwhile, Everybody’s Home, Community Housing Industry Australia, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, Homelessness Australia, National Shelter, the Property Council and Industry Super Australia have joined forces to plead for urgent action.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

“Australia can not afford to delay its response to the housing crisis any longer,” the groups said. “This is the worst housing crisis in living memory and the time has now come to pass this legislation.”

The Albanese government says a rental freeze would not address the housing problem and is instead concentrating on supply. It has put renters’ rights on the national cabinet agenda but continues to push back against Greens’ claims it could step in to regulate the rental market.

On Saturday the government announced a $2bn social housing “acceleration” fund which will begin flowing to the states and territories within two weeks as further proof the housing future fund was not its only action on housing.




McKim’s bill sets the Greens up for another clash with Labor.

The “freeze on rent and rates increases” bill would also strengthen section 11 of the Reserve Bank Act, which gives the treasurer powers to overrule the Reserve Bank, including on interest rates.

The RBA review has recommended scrapping the power but McKim says it should be beefed up to make explicit that the government is ultimately responsible for monetary policy.

“This bill represents a tangible solution for renters and mortgage holders amidst an unprecedented housing crisis,” McKim said.

Record low vacancy rates have the RBA predicting further rent increases. Less than 1% of rentals are affordable for people earning minimum wage, while for people on fixed income support, the situation is even more dire.

Labor says its housing future fund is another piece of the solution and has accused the Greens of holding back attempts to address housing supply. The Greens argue other solutions are needed in the short term.

The housing peak bodies said “time is now of the essence” and the future fund needed to be passed to ensure the new institutions it would create, including the housing supply affordability council, could begin work.

“As advocates, we intend to build upon the new legislation by campaigning for additional resources in the years ahead,” their statement said.

“We know that the current legislation on its own will not fix the housing crisis. But it does create the institutions necessary to make a start. We consider this package a floor, not a ceiling.

“This is especially true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, whose housing needs have been consistently neglected, leading to severe overcrowding and poor health.

“The time for repairing our housing system has arrived.”

Will AI re-write creativity? Here's what to expect from Cannes Lions 2023

Damon Embling
Sun, 18 June 2023 

Will AI re-write creativity? Here's what to expect from Cannes Lions 2023


With ChatGPT already rewriting the storybook when it comes to content, what does the deepening deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and other disruptive technology mean for the creative communications business?

For brands, advertisers, marketers, and media coming together at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on the sun-drenched French Riviera, it’s set to be the hot topic of conversation.

Ahead of the event’s 70th edition, we caught up with its CEO, Simon Cook, to get the lowdown on this annual pow-wow of creative minds.

'Creativity can come from anywhere'

"This is a really exciting year for us. In 2023, it’s about looking forward to the next 70 years: supporting those 'in the making' and using creativity to drive progress," Cook told Euronews Next.

"Today, creativity can come from anywhere. We’re not just talking about creativity that lives in communication, at Cannes Lions we have awards now that are recognising the creativity that exists in areas like business transformation, commerce, and gaming.

"It’s across a range of really interesting places and that means creativity is permeating everything in a really positive way".

From AI to Twitter: What Elon Musk did and didn't discuss in his appearance at VivaTech in Paris

AI: A creativity killer?

AI is fast becoming a household name, with the much-talked-about ChatGPT making waves around the globe.

While some creatives welcome the growing use of AI in the communication business, others fear it's a creature hungry to gobble them up for dinner.

This year’s Cannes Lions comes hot on the heels of the European Parliament endorsing the world’s first set of comprehensive rules for AI, as the EU races to regulate and get a grip on its rapid and expanding use.

"I think it’s safe to say the debate around the role of AI in our industry will dominate the stages at Cannes Lions this year," explained Cook.

"Google’s Senior Vice President of technology and society, James Manyika, is going to be talking about how AI is helping to solve the world’s biggest problems and what’s coming next.

"In separate sessions, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and Axel Springer will both be looking at ChatGPT".

ChatGPT: Are Europeans afraid that Generative AI will take away their jobs?

Another 'palette in the paint pot'

According to the State of Creativity Study 2023, released by Cannes Lions, 65 per cent of brands and agencies cite AI as the most important tech trend this year.

By 2025, 10 per cent of all data produced, and 30 per cent of all outbound marketing messages from large brands will be from generative AI, according to data from the tech research and consulting company Gartner.

It’s a type of AI that can create text, images, or other media content by responding to prompts.

"I remember about 10 years ago the stages of Cannes Lions were dominated by talk around big data and the threat it posed for our industry. We don’t hear about big data today because it’s become invisible," Cook highlighted.

"Overall, I think AI will eventually become an invisible part of our ecosystem. It will just serve as another palette in the creativity paint pot. But the journey to get to that point will be very interesting".

More than half of French employers do not plan on using artificial intelligence

Virtual influencers: Say hello to Rae

Virtual influencers, and computer-generated characters, are nothing new in the communications and marketing business, but Cannes Lions will welcome one to the stage for the first time ever this year.

Rae is one of the biggest virtual names to come out of Asia, amassing a fanbase of over one million across Instagram and Weibo since debuting in 2019.


"As a virtual human who effortlessly treads the lines between fantasy, technology, and reality, she offers a unique perspective through her collaboration with cult labels, musicians, fashion designers, and global brands," Cook told Euronews Next.

But virtual influencers are not everyone’s cup of tea.

Italian tourism officials thought they were onto a winner earlier this year when they came up with a digital version of Venus, the goddess of love, to entice visitors to the country.

But critics described her as a "new Barbie" who destroyed Italy’s cultural heritage.

Consumer expectations 'very high'

More sophisticated and intelligent tech may make virtual influencers more difficult for consumers to spot what’s real and what’s not in the future.

In a world driven by data and tainted by misinformation, there’s growing awareness around privacy and fact-checking.

But, as the creative minds gather in Cannes, Cook says the industry now has consumers who are more confident in sharing data in return for some services.

"Consumer behaviour is changing rapidly and I think expectations are very high. We’re also seeing a very savvy customer. I think it’s interesting to see customers get comfortable with giving up their data in exchange for hyper personalisation and sophisticated targeting," he explained.

"Agency models will continue to shift and they’ll have to be asking themselves whether they have the right conditions in place for success".

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Proving the value of creativity

Today’s global uncertainties weigh heavy on most sectors. Those attending this year’s Cannes Lions, they’re facing an uphill challenge of proving their creative worth.

"The significant focus on effectiveness at this year’s Festival reflects the extreme pressure on marketing budgets," said Cook.

"The brands that are embedding a culture of creativity and showing an ongoing commitment to creativity as a driver for growth, are the brands that are seeing continued success. It’s about sustained creativity that drives sustainable growth".

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2023 runs June 19-23.

Tunisia protesters demand 'political' prisoners' freedom

AFP
Sun, 18 June 2023 

Protesters carried photographs of what they called the 'political prisoners' detained in Tunisia (FETHI BELAID)

Hundreds of supporters of Tunisia's main opposition coalition on Sunday rallied to demand freedom for about 20 detained personalities and opponents of President Kais Saied.

Up to 300 protesters, many carrying photographs of what they called the "political prisoners", gathered in the centre of Tunis in defence of the former ministers, business figures and others held since February.

In March the European Parliament, in a non-binding resolution, decried the "authoritarian drift" of Saied, who says those detained were "terrorists" involved in a "conspiracy against state security".


Tunisia was the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings in the region more than a decade ago, but Saied in July 2021 suspended, then later dissolved, parliament as part of a power-grab allowing him to rule by decree.

"Freedom! Freedom!" the protesters chanted, also demanding an election ahead of the scheduled October 2024 date.

Among those detained is Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party which was the largest in parliament before Saied's power grab.

"They are imprisoned because they exercised their legitimate right to dissent," Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, who heads the National Salvation Front opposition coalition, told the protesters.

On Friday counterterrorism officers questioned Ghannouchi for three hours as part of an investigation into claims of a "plot against state security".

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