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West Australian
28-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Environmentalists slam new gas exploration sites
Environmentalists have slammed a state government's decision to open nine new gas exploration sites, claiming it will only support the international market. The Queensland government will open the new fields spanning 16,000 square kilometres across the state to tap into further gas reserves. The fields will span Cooper, Eromanga, Bowen and Surat basins in the state's regions using conventional gas extraction methods and coal seam gas. Resources Minister Dale Last said the exploration sites will be vital to finding a new supply to meet the growing demand for energy across Australia amid fears of blackouts along the east coast. "The best way to bring down energy prices is to have more energy in the market, and that starts with exploration," Mr Last said in a statement. "These steps are about unlocking new supply, securing an investment pipeline and getting the right policy settings in place so Queensland can lead the way on energy security." The Australian Energy Market Operator has previously issued blackout warnings in NSW and Queensland during summer due to high electricity demand and hot temperatures. Natural gas accounted for more than a quarter of Australia's total energy consumption in 2022-23, with 1518 petajoules used. Mr Last said "unscientific" decisions made by southern states have left Queensland carrying the load for the east coast gas market, leading to the need for more exploration. "We need a regulatory framework that supports new development, instead of holding it back," he said. But environmentalists have called the announcement devastating and deceitful. "The government should be ashamed to look Queenslanders impacted by climate-fuelled disasters in the eye, and pretend that they care," Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said. Gas is Queensland's second-largest export behind coal, with the state producing 1550 petajoules of coal seam gas to supply both the international and domestic markets in 2024. Mr Copeman said it is a false narrative that the new exploration sites will support other states and territories when the bulk of the gas is exported. "No company is planning to pipe gas from the Bowen basin to Melbourne," he said. Other environmental advocates also say the announcement will only benefit multinational gas companies instead of Queenslanders. "The vast majority of Queensland's gas is destined for export, not for domestic use," Lock the Gate's Ellen Roberts said. She called for an urgent moratorium on the gas expansions to prevent any possible damage to the land and underground water resources regional communities rely on. The state government also announced it will carry out a three-month land release review starting on Wednesday to consider opening more gas exploration sites. The review is set to look at the needs of the energy market as well as the environmental and community impacts. It will consider changes to the land release expression of interest process, the land release area selection process, and the competitive tender process. The state government's gas expansion decision follows a previous pledge to scrap ambitious emissions reduction targets, ordering a review of the legislation. The former Labor government legislated 50 per cent emissions reduction targets by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2035. The Liberal National government has said it is committed to net zero by 2050.
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Environmentalists slam new gas exploration sites
Environmentalists have slammed a state government's decision to open nine new gas exploration sites, claiming it will only support the international market. The Queensland government will open the new fields spanning 16,000 square kilometres across the state to tap into further gas reserves. The fields will span Cooper, Eromanga, Bowen and Surat basins in the state's regions using conventional gas extraction methods and coal seam gas. Resources Minister Dale Last said the exploration sites will be vital to finding a new supply to meet the growing demand for energy across Australia amid fears of blackouts along the east coast. "The best way to bring down energy prices is to have more energy in the market, and that starts with exploration," Mr Last said in a statement. "These steps are about unlocking new supply, securing an investment pipeline and getting the right policy settings in place so Queensland can lead the way on energy security." The Australian Energy Market Operator has previously issued blackout warnings in NSW and Queensland during summer due to high electricity demand and hot temperatures. Natural gas accounted for more than a quarter of Australia's total energy consumption in 2022-23, with 1518 petajoules used. Mr Last said "unscientific" decisions made by southern states have left Queensland carrying the load for the east coast gas market, leading to the need for more exploration. "We need a regulatory framework that supports new development, instead of holding it back," he said. But environmentalists have called the announcement devastating and deceitful. "The government should be ashamed to look Queenslanders impacted by climate-fuelled disasters in the eye, and pretend that they care," Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said. Gas is Queensland's second-largest export behind coal, with the state producing 1550 petajoules of coal seam gas to supply both the international and domestic markets in 2024. Mr Copeman said it is a false narrative that the new exploration sites will support other states and territories when the bulk of the gas is exported. "No company is planning to pipe gas from the Bowen basin to Melbourne," he said. Other environmental advocates also say the announcement will only benefit multinational gas companies instead of Queenslanders. "The vast majority of Queensland's gas is destined for export, not for domestic use," Lock the Gate's Ellen Roberts said. She called for an urgent moratorium on the gas expansions to prevent any possible damage to the land and underground water resources regional communities rely on. The state government also announced it will carry out a three-month land release review starting on Wednesday to consider opening more gas exploration sites. The review is set to look at the needs of the energy market as well as the environmental and community impacts. It will consider changes to the land release expression of interest process, the land release area selection process, and the competitive tender process. The state government's gas expansion decision follows a previous pledge to scrap ambitious emissions reduction targets, ordering a review of the legislation. The former Labor government legislated 50 per cent emissions reduction targets by 2030, and 75 per cent by 2035. The Liberal National government has said it is committed to net zero by 2050.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Alan Jackson retires from touring after 30 years on the road
Alan Jackson had a 'Good Time' on the road for more than three decades of his life. The country music legend is hanging up his cowboy hat for good, and performed his final tour show in Milwaukee, on Saturday. Jackson, 66, announced last year that he would be retiring from the stage as he battled major health issues, and embarked on his 'Last Call: One More for the Road Tour.' 'Y'all may have heard that I'm kinda winding down. In fact, this is my last roadshow of my career,' Jackson told the crowd in a video shared online. 'Y'all gonna make me tear up out here. 'I will say that this is my last road show out here, but we're planning on doing a big finale show in Nashville next summer sometime. I just felt like I had to end it all where it all started, and that's in Nashville, Tennessee. But this is the last one out on the road for me.' The 'Chattahoochee' singer added, 'It's been a long, sweet ride. It started 40 years ago this September. My wife and I drove to Nashville with an ol' UHaul trailer, and chased this dream. It's been a crazy ride. I lived the American dream for sure. So blessed.' Jackson's representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 5 Alan Jackson performs at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas, on May 8, 2025. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP 5 Alan Jackson sings during his 1994 music video 'I Don't Even Know Your Name.' Getty Images Jackson kicked off the tour just one year after revealing his battle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a degenerative nerve condition that affects his motor skills. He was diagnosed in 2011. 'I have this neuropathy and neurological disease,' Jackson said during a 'Today' show interview at the time. 'It's genetic that I inherited from my daddy. There's no cure for it, but it's been affecting me for years. And it's getting more and more obvious.' The 'Livin' on Love' musician said he's been 'self-conscious' on stage because it's affected his ability to balance, especially in front of a crowd and in front of the microphone. 'I know I'm stumbling around stage now,' he said. 'I'm having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone. I just feel very uncomfortable. 5 Alan Jackson accepts the lifetime achievement award at the 2025 ACM Awards. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP 5 Alan Jackson and his family attend the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Medallion Ceremony on Oct. 22, 2017. Terry Wyatt 'In some ways it's a relief [to talk about it] because I was starting to get so self-conscious up there about stumbling around. I think it'll be good for me now to get it out in the open. If anybody's curious at why I don't walk right, that's why.' In 2023, the two-time Grammy Award winner opened up about his plans to release new music despite his personal setback. 'I'm always scribbling down ideas and thinking about melodies… I feel like there'll be some more music to come, yes,' Jackson said during an appearance on his daughter Mattie Jackson's 'In Joy Life' podcast. 'I may not have toured much, but again… like I said, the creative part jumps out every now and then,' Jackson said. 5 Alan Jackson performs 'Where Were You When the World Stoped Turning' at the 35th annual Country Music Association Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Nov. 7, 2001. REUTERS '[Writing songs] is more fulfilling than anything. It's like, you can be a singer and go out and tour … but it's kind of like you're just doing the same thing over and over.' Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
New York Post
13-05-2025
- New York Post
Four West African men charged in sick sextortion scam linked to California teen's suicide
Four men from West Africa have been arrested in a sick 'sextortion' scam that caused a California teen to take his own life, the Department of Justice announced. High school senior Ryan Last, 17, killed himself in February 2022 just hours after he sent nude photos online to a scammer he believed to be a 20-year-old woman — who then threatened to make the image public if he refused to pay. 'He didn't realize these people were taking advantage of him, and he was terrified of what it would do to us,' Last's mother, Pauline Stuart, told the Los Angeles Times. Advertisement Last's death sparked a massive international investigation into the scheme that targeted 'thousands of victims' — including minors — in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy, according to federal prosecutors. 5 Ryan Last, 17, killed himself in Feb. 2022 after he was sextorted on Meta. via San Jose Police Department 5 The high school senior from San Jose planned to attend Washington State University. via San Jose Police Department Advertisement Last was contacted on Meta by Alfred Kassi, of Côte d'Ivoire, who, posing as a young woman, allegedly sent an explicit photo and then asked for one in return. Kassi then immediately demanded $5,000 from the boy, threatening to share the nude photo with Last's friends and family, CNN reported. Kassi lowered the price to just $150 when the desperate teen said he couldn't afford what he'd asked. Stuart said that once her son forwarded the money, the scammers 'continued to hound him.' Before taking his own life, Last wrote a note apologizing for what had happened, his mother said. Advertisement Kassi was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 29. He was found with the sextortion exchange still on his phone, according to the Justice Department. 5 Last had sent a nude photo to a scammer he believed to be a 20-year-old woman. via San Jose Police Department 5 Last's mother she hopes the arrests scare scammers targeting Americans from abroad. Investigators also identified several money laundering accomplices who had helped Kassi move Last's $150. Advertisement One of those alleged money launderers is Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25. Two other Ivorians, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse, were also part of Kassi's sextortion network and confessed to their own sextortion crimes. A US-based accomplice, Jonathan Kassi — unrelated to Alfred Kassi — was convicted in 2023 in a California State Court and sentenced to 18 months in jail. 5 Ryan Last via San Jose Police Department Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, meaning the four defendants living in Africa will be prosecuted in their home country under Ivorian cybercrime laws, according to the DOJ. Stuart said she hopes the arrests send a strong message to scammers targeting Americans from abroad. 'We're feeling grateful that [law enforcement officials] didn't give up and they continued to work,' Stuart said. Advertisement 'Unfortunately, it will never bring Ryan back. It's one of those double-edged swords,' she added. 'My son's still gone, but I'm hoping that, with this arrest, it brings awareness and scares the scammers, because they kind of feel safe over in a foreign country. They don't think they can be touched.'
International Business Times
13-05-2025
- International Business Times
Four Cote d'Ivoire Men Arrested Over Involvement in Sextortion Scam that Led San Francisco Teen to Suicide
Four men in Côte d'Ivoire have been arrested in connection with an international "sextortion" scheme that targeted minors, including a 17-year-old from the San Francisco Bay area who died by suicide. As previously reported, Ryan Last, a 17-year-old high school senior from San Jose, Calif., claimed his own life in February 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion scam. Last's death prompted an international investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Scammers Demanded $5,000 from Last, Threatened to Leak His Explicit Photo to Friends and Family Last was exchanging messages with someone he believed was a 20-year-old woman who sent him explicit photos. According to prosecutors, the teenager reciprocated by sending back photos of himself — only to be hit with an initial blackmail demand of $5000 to prevent the images from being leaked to his friends and family. The teen told the cybercriminal that he could not afford to pay the total $5,000, and they eventually settled on just $150. He paid them out of his college fund, but the scammer continued to demand more money from the teen. "They, in other words, catfished my son and gained his trust through flirting and showing interest," Pauline Stuart, the 17-year-old's mother, said in a 2022 video posted by the San Jose Police Department on Facebook. "People can pretend to be anyone. The fact that he was told they would send out or post the pictures on social media had a devastating effect on Ryan. He chose to end his life, rather than have the pictures distributed on social media. He believed his reputation would be destroyed and he was terrified of what his friends and family would think," Stuart added. Scammer Still Had Last's Explicit Photo on His Phone at the Time of His Arrest Law enforcement identified the person he was speaking with as Alfred Kassi, DOJ said in a statement. The teenager was terrified the photos would be exposed, so he took his own life. Prosecutors say that upon Kassi's arrest, he still had the explicit photos of Last on his phone. The investigation found several other accomplices who allegedly helped Kassi move the money sent by Last. Ivorian law enforcement arrested Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. A U.S.-based accomplice, Johnathan Kassi, was convicted in 2023 by a California State Court and sentenced to 18 months in jail, the statement said. The government of Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its citizens, so Alfred Kassi, Ouedraogo, Diaby and Cisse will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes, per the statement. The case remains under investigation by the FBI, the San Jose Police Department, the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Meta, and the government of Côte d'Ivoire.
