Europe’s LNG terminals are maxed out as the region continues to import record amounts of gas.
Europe is likely to import even more LNG in the coming years to displace as much Russian gas as possible.
As a result of the EU’s new energy policy, natural gas and LNG prices are expected to remain elevated for years to come.
Europe is importing record volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it looks to cut as much Russian gas consumption as soon as possible. Unlike in previous years, Europe is now the most attractive destination for global LNG flows, outbidding Asia for spot supply as prices and demand in Europe have soared after the EU’s irreversible decision to stop being beholden to Putin for its gas consumption as fast as feasible. Amid soaring demand, however, LNG terminals in Europe are maxed out, limiting how many cargoes the continent can import now before planned new import and regasification terminals can be built and brought online. This has prompted suppliers keen on growing their LNG exports to Europe to offer cargoes at discounts of up to 20 percent to the prices at the Dutch TTF hub, the benchmark gas price for Europe, in order to secure slots at import terminals, traders tellBloomberg.
Europe’s record LNG imports mitigated the gas price action afterRussia halted gas deliveriesto EU members Poland and Bulgaria earlier this week. After jumping by as much as 24% on Wednesday morning when Bulgaria and Poland said their Russian gas supply had been cut off, natural gas prices in Europe pared gains later in the day and eveneased on the following day. This was largely due to continued high LNG imports, the EU’s vow to help affected member states, and significantly improved storage levels at the end of the winter heating season.
LNG exporters are now focused on Europe as a key import market and are reportedly willing to offer discounts now in order to win more customers in the future, as the EU looks to ditch Russia as a supplier as soon as it can afford it without causing a recession.
Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe was plunged into an energy crisis in the autumn of 2021, with low levels of gas in storage and rebounding industry demand post-COVID. The war in Ukraine made Europe rethink its energy strategy, and the European Union has now drafted plans to cut EU demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of 2022 and completely by 2030, possibly by 2027.
Strong LNG demand in Europe while China grapples with fresh COVID-related lockdowns suggests that Europe will continue to be the preferred destination of spot LNG cargoes at least this year and next. The EU will seek to replenish gas in storage levels before next winter so it will be more prepared if—or rather when—Russia decides to halt gas flows to more EU customers, as it already did with Poland and Bulgaria.
Europe will also look to import more LNG in coming years to displace as much Russian gas—which met 40 percent of EU consumption pre-war—as soon as possible. One of the most dependent large economies, actually the biggest economy in Europe, Germany,plans to buildtwo LNG import facilities; one at Brunsbuettel and one at Wilhelmshaven. Germany doesn’t currently have any LNG import terminals. In March, German LNG Terminal and Shell signed an agreement under which the supermajor will make a long-term booking of a substantial part of the Brunsbuettel terminal’s capacity for importing LNG.
Germany, which until two months ago had only sporadically thought of LNG import terminals and imports, now seeks a long-term deal with one of the world’s top LNG exporters, Qatar.
“Gas prices will remain high until 2026 at least. Europe wants to rapidly minimize the 150 Bcm of Russian imports that meet about one-third of its demand. There’s nowhere near enough alternative gas supply available for the next four years until new volumes of LNG from the US and Qatar become available,” Simon Flowers, chairman, and chief analyst at Wood Mackenziesaidthis week.
“Meanwhile, for Europe, it’s about maximizing pipeline imports from Norway, Azerbaijan, and North Africa; outcompeting Asia for flexible LNG; and managing demand. Throughout this period, Russia has leverage and can manipulate volumes; after 2026, prices should ease,” Flowers noted.
Despite filming for the new Fast X movie being already underway, Justin Lin has announced he will no longer direct the latest instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise.
The announcement from Lin came Wednesday, mere days into the film’s production.
According to Deadline, Lin — who co-wrote Fast X with Dan Mazeau — is exiting the franchise due to “creative differences.”
“With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of FAST X, while remaining with the project as a producer,” Lin wrote in the statement announcing his departure.
“Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history.”
Fast X is the 10th instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Deadline reported production of the film will halt briefly as replacements for Lin are considered, with an announcement of the new director coming soon.
Domee Shi & Lindsey Collins on ‘Turning Red’
Lin is much-beloved within the Fast & Furious franchise. He joined production as the director for the third film in the franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He also directed the fourth (Fast & Furious), fifth (Fast Five), sixth (Fast and Furious 6) and ninth (F9: The Fast Saga) movies.
Justin Lin dropping out as director on the FAST franchise reportedly over “creative differences,” days into filming the first of two final sequels, after being instrumental in making it the most diverse blockbuster franchise success in Hollywood… a shock, to say the *very* least https://t.co/RAWQPH9bAr
There's no good way to spin this whatsoever. The fact that they lost Justin Lin, A director who is synonymous with this series is a horrible. It's a bad look for the producers. I'm willing to bet that this is Vin Diesel's fault given he is a tyrant over this series 🤦 https://t.co/0eWo5fgDQb
"Of course. I couldn't sign it fast enough," Williamson said, per ESPN's Andrew Lopez.
Williamson is eligible to sign a five-year rookie extension worth $186 million this summer, according to Spotrac. However, he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign due to a foot fracture he suffered last offseason. The injury-prone big man has only appeared in 85 of a possible 226 regular-season games since he joined the league.
When he's healthy, Williamson is among the game's most dominant young talents. The Duke product averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over 61 games in 2020-21 while shooting 61.1% on 17 field-goal attempts per contest.
After winning two play-in games to clinch the West's No. 8 seed, the Pelicans were eliminated in six games Thursday by the Phoenix Suns. Williamson admits it was challenging to watch his team bow out of the playoffs.
"Being real, it sucks watching from the sideline. I just want to be out there," Williamson said, according to Pelicans.com's Jim Eichenhofer. "But seeing the potential, we've got a lot of great pieces. I'm excited to get on the court with those guys."
If Williamson is healthy in time for the start of next season, he could re-enter an imposing starting lineup featuring rising star Brandon Ingram, proven sharpshooter CJ McCollum, and standout defensive rookie Herb Jones. The Pels also have a number of other enticing pieces, including veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, third-year forward Jaxson Hayes, and rookie Jose Alvarado.
Tickets for a London benefit concert to help the victims of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have sold out.
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“We were not expecting this,” said Luba Waplak, who is on the London Ukrainian Centre’s benefit committee. “It’s been overwhelmingly pleasant to see them sell out.”
Organizers expected to sell about 200 tickets, Waplak says. Instead, they sold more than 350.
It’s another sign of the “vast” outpouring for the people of the embattled country as they fight Russia’s military, Waplak said.
“We have experienced an enormous amount of support from the community,” she said, both from those with connections to Ukraine and the non-Ukrainian community in London.
The benefit is set to take place Saturday afternoon at the centre, which is on Adelaide Street and has become a focus for the relief effort in the Forest City.
On the bill are a Ukrainian dance group, an accordion player, opera singers, a Ukrainian folk-rock band from Toronto, and other acts. “It’s going to be a very energetic, emotional concert,” Waplak said.
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From ticket sales alone, organizers have raised more than $7,000, Waplak said. In addition, a silent auction will be held, with goods from local businesses and organizations up for sale. There also will be prizes, as well as traditional Ukrainian food and drink.
Saturday’s total will be added to the $200,000 already been raised through the centre. “And that’s just in financial donations, monetary donations,” Waplak said, and does not count the value of items that have been donated, such as medical supplies. The centre’s effort helps those on the ground in Ukraine, as well as refugee families which will be coming to London, Waplak said.
The war enters its 65th day Saturday. According to United Nations tracking this week, more than 5.4 million people have been forced from their homes so far, with almost three million of those refugees seeking shelter in Poland.
The war began Feb. 24 at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also ordered an invasion of Urkaine’s eastern provinces in 2014.
Waplak has family in western Ukraine who are helping with the relief efforts inside the country, working with children mostly and helping them get their schooling while the war rages. She says she gets messages from her family, but “it’s hard to read the emotion behind” the words.
“I cannot begin to imagine” how they are suffering, she said.
Despite the rumours circulating about his future after missing the entire 2021-22 NBA season, Zion Williamson has made it clear that he's happy with the New Orleans Pelicans and willing to stay in the Big Easy.
"Of course, of course," said Williamson Friday with a big smile when asked if he'd be willing to sign an extension with the Pelicans. "I wouldn't be able to sign it fast enough."
"I can't control rumours and how people feel about certain things," he later added in his first time speaking publicly in a while. "Anybody that knows me knows I wanna be here."
Williamson is signed for next season, but eligible for a rookie extension at a maximum of $186-million over five years this summer.
Without Williamson within their ranks, the Pelicans made an improbable run through the NBA play-in tournament, and gave a 64-win Phoenix Suns team a scare in Round 1, before falling 4-2 in the series on Thursday night.
Williamson was supposed to re-join the team at some point this season after undergoing foot surgery in the off-season, but suffered a series of setbacks through the year that kept him out. Despite that, Williamson said Friday that he was healthy enough to play in the playoffs, but he and the team decided not to risk it.
"From a physical standpoint, I definitely could have played," he said. "But me, my team and the front office and the team, we decided that longevity was better than trying to rush back."
Heading into next season, Williamson said he's thrilled to rejoin the team next season, citing a 'special' locker room, Brandon Ingram's leadership, the emergence of rookies like Herb Jones and deadline acquisition CJ McCollum.
"It sucks watching from the sideline because I just want to be out there, but just seeing the potential, we've got a lot of great pieces, and I'm excited to get on the court with those guys."
We all make mistakes; the question is, do we learn from them? Over the past couple of years people on the left side of the political and cultural spectrum have made their share. These have contributed to the Democrats’ extremely bleak political prospects going into the midterms. Far worse, it is now quite plausible that Donald Trump could win re-election in 2024.
If we’re going to prevent that kind of catastrophe, it might be a good idea to learn a few relevant lessons:
It is possible to overstimulate the economy. Many progressives persuasively argued that Barack Obama didn’t go big enough to stimulate the economy after the financial crisis. It appears the United States has now gone too big. Inflation is at a 40-year high. Real wages have fallen. Almost 70 percent of Americans think the economy is in poor shape.
Much of the inflation is being driven by global energy and supply chain issues. But, at 8.5 percent, inflation in America is a lot higher than in, say, Europe. Some economists estimate that the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan added between two and four percentage points to the U.S. inflation rate.
Law and order is not just a racist dog whistle. Yes, from George Wallace to Donald Trump that rhetoric has been used as a dog whistle. Yes, every discussion of crime and policing needs to include the outrageous racial disparities that permeate the system. At the same time, it is true that the first job of government is to establish order so people can feel secure. Democrats do not have an effective anti-crime posture at a time when crime is surging. In New York City, for example, while murder rates fell, overall crime was up 37 percent in March compared with a year earlier, driven by a 59 percent increase in grand larceny auto, a 48 percent increase in robbery and a 40 percent increase in burglaries. Shootings went up 16 percent. According to a Gallup poll, 53 percent of Americans now say they worry a “great deal” about crime.
Don’t politicize everything. Education has traditionally been a Democratic strong point. A Washington Post-ABC News poll in 2006 found that voters trusted Democrats over Republicans to do a better job handling education by over 20 points. When the Post-ABC poll asked about the issue last November, the advantage was down to three points. Part of the drop is probably the teacher unions’ preference to keep schools closed during the pandemic, part may be the attacks by some progressives on magnet schools and gifted programs, part the perception that progressives care more about their cultural agenda than actual education. Republicans have certainly politicized education, too, but for some reason it seems to work for them while it doesn’t for Democrats.
Border security is not just a Republican talking point. During one of the Democratic presidential primary debates in 2019, almost all candidates onstage backed the idea of decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings. That sent the signal that the Democratic Party had shifted significantly to the left on immigration. Today, 59 percent of voters believe that the U.S. has an “effectively” open southern border.
Joe Biden never swooned for decriminalization the way many of his opponents did, but he has not yet found a policy that advances progressive goals while assuaging the concerns of border state voters. Just 38 percent of voters approve of his handling of this issue.
“People of color” is not a thing. It was always odd to create a group identity that covered a vast majority of humanity. In this country the phrase “people of color” sometimes covers over a wide array of different ethnic experiences. It contributes to a simplistic oppressor/oppressed narrative in which white Republicans are supposed to be on one side and P.O.C. are supposed to be on the other.
That made it harder to anticipate that Trump would make the impressive gains among Hispanics in 2020 that he did. Hispanics still lean Democratic, 48 percent to 23 percent, according to a recent ICR-Miami poll, but their loyalty to the Democrats may be weakening. According to the same poll, more Democratic Hispanics have switched their party affiliation in the past year than Republican Hispanics. More Hispanics agreed than disagreed with the statement “The Democratic Party has been kidnapped by progressives.”
Deficits do matter. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the government will spend an average of $545 billion a year paying interest on the national debt over the next nine years. If interest rates rise two percentage points above the Congressional Budget Office’s projections, average annual interest costs will increase by $375 billion. That burden will crowd out spending on all other programs.
The New Deal happened once. Year after year Democrats imagine that if they can hand people checks and benefits, they will be rewarded with votes, allowing them to build a dominant majority coalition. It’s not that simple. I enthusiastically supported many of these policies, but we live in an age in which culture, values and identity issues drive politics at least as much as policy.
The Democrats’ largest problem is this: We are living in an age of fear, insecurity and disorder on an array of fronts. The Republicans have traditionally been known as the party of toughness and order. Democrats are going to have to find a posture that is tough on disorder, and tough on the causes of disorder.
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DOWNING WHISKY sours at sunset in the bars of Jordan’s capital, Amman. Puffing a cigarette in the rush-hour traffic in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Raunchy massages in Morocco’s Marrakech. Such are the goings-on in the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims are meant to abstain from food, drink and sex—from dawn to dusk. Some residents of the United Arab Emirates’ fleshpot of Dubai now mockingly dub the month Haramadan, after the Arabic word haram, meaning things that are forbidden.
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Most Middle Eastern states still criminalise public violation of the Ramadan fast. But the fines imposed decades ago are now lower than those for parking. Jordan has a maximum penalty of 25 dinars (about $35). Oman’s is a riyal ($3). The authorities mostly turn a blind eye. “They are too frightened of the social-media outcry to act,” says an Iraqi lawyer in the shrine city of Najaf. Judges, he adds, often interrupt cases in Ramadan for a cigarette break. From Tehran to Tunis, cafés often stay open, some after customers discreetly tap on metal shutters. Egypt, which once routinely jailed people who flouted the fast, even penalised a restaurant that refused to open its doors; the police recently closed down a fast-food joint after a Coptic Christian complained she was refused service.
In recent years Jordan introduced Ramadan licences to sell food and drinks at a hefty price, while still jailing people who openly ignored the fast. At first cafés took the precaution of curtaining over their entrances and windows. Now they are left open. An uninitiated foreign visitor to Amman would barely notice that Ramadan, predicted to end this year on May 2nd, is a special month.
Some trace this new laxity across the Arab world to the authorities’ top-down effort to oppose the extremism of Islamic State and other jihadists, others to a bottom-up revulsion against governments using religion as a tool of control. As governments seek to diversify away from oil, they also need to compete for non-Muslim tourists. Besides, a profusion of food-delivery apps makes it easier to order without public scrutiny.
Soaring prices this year may be casting a pall over nightly guzzling after two years of covid-19 cancelled the feasts entirely. Economic necessity is forcing governments to maintain productivity during what was by tradition an idle month. A financial adviser in Amman says that only two of her 25 colleagues have been fasting.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline "The breakfast club"
All too often this year, Calgary police investigate the scene of a fatal shooting on Saddlecrest Boulevard N.E. on April 20.Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Postmedia file
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There was a time when that rather silly word “yahoo” was synonymous with Calgary.
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No longer. Today a more appropriate exclamation would be “shots fired!”
Perhaps city council, when not overburdened with the future fate of leaf blowers or deciding which of our feathered friends best encapsulates civic virtue, might consider using this phrase when updating those road signs welcoming visitors to town.
(Hey, we can hardly keep urging newcomers to be part of the energy, not when they’re nervously entering our climate emergency city.)
Certainly “shots fired” gets everyone’s attention and it’s becoming increasingly prevalent when scanning the morning headlines these days.
Of course, there are likely a few on council more troubled that some Calgarians working in this current environment, where bullets fly with abandon, still adorn their uniforms with a thin blue line patch. Everyone has priorities, I guess.
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Still, there’s a sea change afoot. Yes, the seemingly constant criticism of our local police service has dialled down of late while demands to defund the cops have vanished. This often happens when handguns, drugs and gangland turf wars trump arcane chatter over identity politics along with arguments about officers refusing vaccination jabs.
Because, when the body count rises, most citizens suddenly realize they couldn’t care less if our cops all don bright-green “Kiss me, I’m Irish” hats, as long as they catch those responsible for gunning down fellow Calgarians and restore some semblance of sanity to city streets.
And, right now the death toll is indeed jumping. So far this year, we’ve had 53 shootings, twice last year’s rate, with seven of them proving fatal. So, yes, perhaps a bit more empathy and a heck more respect are due our cops who face working in such a dangerous environment.
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Of course, to some, catching the bad guys isn’t the real issue. No, we need to get to the root of the violence.
Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal believes these shootings need examining through a socio-economic and cultural lens.
“We need to look at the root cause of why people are pulling these triggers,” he asks. “What’s forcing them, what’s taking them to that threshold where they have no other choice but to pull that trigger?”
Excuse me, but this isn’t eastern Ukraine with the massed Russian army at your township’s border, so it’s difficult to believe anyone in Calgary is actually forced to pull a trigger, no matter what socio-economic climate they endure.
Anyhow, pulling the trigger is simply a final act. The real question is why someone sticks a loaded handgun in his waistband before going out for the evening. Because, once that fateful decision is made, events that follow often flow seamlessly downhill, ending with someone’s lifeblood draining away as a tense dispatch call of “shots fired” echoes in police cruisers citywide.
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(As an aside, I once had a handgun pulled on me, some 37 years ago in a sleazy Edmonton bar. Perhaps some might find it surprising, but the thought of asking the person holding the gun if he’d had a particularly stressful upbringing never crossed my mind.)
So, why then are some young men drawn to such violence? Having it tough growing up is hardly the answer, otherwise the bodies would be stacked 10-deep in the morgue.
No, the ingredients are standard. The lure of easy money through the lucrative drug trade, peer pressure to join neighbourhood gangs and the likelihood of not being caught. (Oh, and the ludicrous ease with which anyone can get their paws on an illegal handgun.)
The cops understand this. They know the best response isn’t simply to return fire or stop and search every young man after midnight. The most effective weapon is the co-operation of those in the neighbourhoods where those shooters reside.
People often know more than they willingly share with police and until that changes no amount of re-arranging deck chairs on the socio-economic deck of this particular Titanic will make a blind bit of difference.
Chris Nelson is a regular columnist for the Calgary Herald.
Are things not going so well for the Fast Family? Less than a week after we heard that Vin Diesel put up a fight when he realized that Jordana Brewster’s Mia Toretto was not originally part of Fast X, that film’s director—Justin Lin, the guy who revitalized the franchise by turning them into over-the-top action/spy movies—has announced that he’s stepping down.
Lin will stay on board as a producer, but it’s hard not to see this as a worrying development for Fast And Furious fans. Lin previously directed Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast And Furious 6, and then Fast 9, so him choosing to leave the project after production had already begun implies that there’s some sort of issue, even if it’s just a scheduling or personal thing he has to deal with, because—at the very least—it means Universal will have to find someone to replace him.
With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of Fast X, while remaining with the project as a producer. Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the Fast family.
Deadline says that Universal has already begun reaching out to potential replacements, and “some second unit footage” will be filmed while the studio goes through that process. Fast X is still expected to be ready for its May 19, 2023 release, but we’ll see.
Globally, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing. A study publishing April 26 in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Marisa Miraldo at Imperial College Business School, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues suggests that living near fast food restaurants increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Food environments have an impact on diet and obesity-two risk factors for T2DM. However, the relationship between food environments and diet in low- and middle-income countries is poorly understood. To examine the associations between the density and proximity of healthy and unhealthy food outlets and diabetes, researchers linked cross-sectional health data with environment mapping surveys for 12,167 people living in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from 2018-2020. They collected self-reported diabetes diagnosis histories and fasting blood glucose levels from residents of urban and rural districts. The researchers then mapped the food environment, collecting data on location and types of food retailer available within 300 meters of each participant's home, categorizing each type of food outlet as healthy or unhealthy.
The researchers found that a higher density of fast food outlets near an individual's home was associated with an 8% increase in their probability of a diabetes diagnosis. Having at least one fast food retailer in the proximity of one's home was associated with 2.14 mg/dL blood glucose increase. Additionally, women and high-income earners were more likely to have higher diabetes mellitus levels. The study was limited by several factors, including the self-reported data on diabetes diagnoses. The study also did not account for the actual diets of participants, which may have been sourced far from their homes, and may be confounded by other variables associated with diabetes. Future studies are needed to validate and expand on how food environments may impact individuals' diets and health.
According to the authors, "Our results show interventions targeting the environment may be effective in preventing diabetes, however, the heterogeneity of the effects found in our analysis suggests that more specific interventions may be needed. One-size-fits-all built environment interventions have not led to improved outcomes and future research is needed to evaluate which food environment interventions could improve diabetes outcomes in this geographical region and population."
"In South Asia diabetes affects 1 in 11 adults and causes 747,000 preventable deaths per year," Miraldo adds. "Our research shows living in proximity to at least one fast food outlet is associated with a 16% increase in the chance of being diagnosed with diabetes. With the number of people with diabetes in Southeast Asia projected to reach 113 million by 2030, it is imperative food and beverage companies and retailers step up their sustainability agendas to promote better diets and prevent diabetes."
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“Fast & Furious” director Justin Lin announced that he will no longer direct the franchise’s next installation, “Fast X,” which began filming last week. The filmmaker, who co-wrote the movie’s script with Dan Mazeau, will remain involved with the project as a producer.
Lin shared the news with a statement posted to social media, which read: “With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of Fast X, while remaining with the project as a producer.”
“Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases,” the filmmaker’s statement continued. “On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family.”
Production on “Fast X” started on April 20, with franchise stars Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang and Charlize Theron returning. New cast members include Michael Rooker, Jason Momoa, Daniela Melchior and Brie Larson. At the end of the first week of filming, Diesel posted a video to Instagram with Lin, teasing that the movie felt like “the beginning of an epic ending.”
While promoting “F9,” Lin opened up to Variety about the direction of the planned tenth and eleventh installments of the franchise, saying he and Diesel began charting the road map nearly a decade ago.
“I used to sit around, talk to Vin and Paul [Walker] — and I thought it was just an exercise, I never thought we were able to ever realize it — so it was very much in theory,” he shared. “Then when I came back Vin pulled me aside and said, ‘We’re doing it.’ So, in a way it felt like ‘F9’ is about celebrating 20 years of this journey, but also just pointing it into this last chapter that we’ve been talking about for years.”
Sources say that production on the main unit has briefly paused while Universal locks in a replacement director, while the second unit continues filming. “Fast X” is planned for a May 19, 2023 theatrical release.
Lin directed five “Fast and Furious” movies, beginning with 2006’s “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” His run with the high-octane franchise continued with 2009’s “Fast & Furious,” 2011’s “Fast Five” and 2013’s “Fast & Furious 6.” The director returned to helm the most recent installment 2011’s “F9,” which raced to more than $700 million at the box office. Lin’s run of films have grossed more than $1.9 billion at the global box office.
Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page.
Growing up in Ghana, Joshua Akom relied on second-hand clothing. Now, living in Canada, the entrepreneur says thrift shopping doesn't just make economic sense, but it can also help the planet survive.
In 2016, he met Oghosa Ogiemwonyi, who always loved the thrifted clothing Akom now chose to wear as an adult. When the pandemic shut down thrift stores, the two saw an opportunity, one that would feed their love of fashion and help stem the clothing industry's environmental impact.
They co-founded Thriftsome, an online thrift store that allows Canadians to make more sustainable fashion choices.
"If you buy second-hand clothing, you are not only saving on cost, you are also extending the life of the planet," said Akom.
Between the chemicals, large water supply needed for production, and the piles of clothing that wind up in landfills, fashion is one of the worst industries for the planet. According to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, it's estimated the clothing and textiles industry is responsible for between two-to-eight per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions — more than all international flights and global shipping combined.
But a number of Canadian companies are trying to slow down the process with circular concepts like online thrifting and developing sustainable materials. They're part of a growing global ethical fashion trend as more consumers seek to shop conscientiously.
Akom says he initially didn't want to get into the fashion industry because of its negative environmental impact. Ogiemwonyi sees their work as a mission to help the future.
"I think what drives me the most is just the fact that I love fashion, first of all. And secondly, I want to have kids someday and I know with the rates that fast fashion is growing, it's scary to think about what will happen in the future," said Ogiemwonyi.
Ogiemwonyi is referring to "fast fashion" — dubbed "fast" because it's not designed to last long. Its lesser quality keeps the cost low, allowing people to purchase more and making its way faster to the landfills. It's also fast for the speed at which styles on the runways hit the stores.
WATCH | These Canadians are disrupting fast fashion:
Disrupting the environmental impact of fast fashion
2 days ago
Duration 6:13
The clothing and textiles industry is responsible for an estimated 2-8% of all greenhouse gas emissions, but these Canadians are trying to disrupt the environmental impact of fast fashion. 6:13
Impacting land, and water supply
It's estimated that every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is added to a landfill or burned, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The industry isn't just impacting the land, but the planet's water supply as well. According to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, textiles account for about nine per cent of annual microplastic losses to the oceans.
The United Nations Environment Programme also says that it takes about 7,500 litres of water to produce just one pair of jeans.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, it's estimated that every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. (Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)
Ogiemwonyi says many of the clothes the Winnipeg-based company acquires to sell still have the original price tags on.
"People just want to buy, and when it's affordable, everyone wants to get it and when they get it, they don't even have time to wait before the next new trend," said Ogiemwonyi.
Fast fashion is weaving into our social fabric in large part because of a desire to follow social media trends. It's fed by companies like Shein, boasting about thousands of new styles, mass-producing affordable, trendy clothes globally.
"The whole idea of fast fashion is to get it quick and get rid of it quickly. And so if you buy second-hand clothing, you are slowing down the process of [it] ending up in a landfill," said Akom.
Without a storefront, and still working to gain traction among shoppers, Thriftsome's clothes are currently stored at Ogiemwonyi's apartment. But Akom is optimistic their business will grow, and he's also trying to tackle the stigma around second-hand clothing, showing that it can be fashionable and sustainable — not just a last-chance option.
"We are hopeful because this generation cares so much about the planet … and we hope that they will put their money where your heart is," said Akom.
'We're literally wearing fossil fuels'
While some are reinventing the wheel, Waterloo, Ont.-based startup, ALT TEX, is inventing a new type of material — from food waste.
"We're essentially creating a more circular alternative to polyester that's biodegradable, carbon neutral and re-engineered from food waste," said CEO and co-founder Myra Arshad.
Avneet Ghotra, left, and Myra Arshad co-founded ALT TEX, a company creating a more circular alternative to polyester that's biodegradable, carbon neutral and re-engineered from food waste. (Laura Clementson/CBC)
Arshad and her co-founding colleague, Avneet Ghotra, want to replace polyester — a synthetic fibre that doesn't break down. Polyester is a popular textile in the fashion industry, playing a large role in the throwaway cycle, and adding to the mounting piles of clothes in landfills.
"A lot of us don't realize it's made from fossil fuels. We love to blame cars and the power companies and say that that's what's causing the carbon emissions. But we're not realizing that we're literally wearing fossil fuels," said Ghotra.
"We're really hoping that by creating these items, the average Joe sitting at home can really connect deeply with the T-shirt they're wearing. Really take care of it, give it a long life cycle, but at the end of its lifecycle, know that it has a home back into the planet rather than the landfill," said Arshad.
From apples and potatoes to T-shirts
By using biodegradable materials such as apples and potatoes — two of Canada's major agricultural products — the polyester alternative is more sustainable.
"All food has the right building blocks. Every food has a certain amount of sugars. So we can always retrofit and change our food waste," said Ghotra.
According to Ghotra, it won't look any different from traditional polyester, but the end result will be a piece of clothing that, instead of sitting in landfill for centuries, will biodegrade. Not only are they hoping to solve wasteful clothing, they are doing it by diverting what otherwise would be food waste — and currently, more than half of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted, according to a 2019 report.
Ghotra says they are using commercial and industrial food waste that doesn't end up on the shelves. She estimates that one T-shirt would use up about one kilogram of food waste.
In their Waterloo, Ont., lab, ALT TEX is using commercial and industrial food waste like apples to make a polyester alternative is that is more sustainable. (Steven D'Souza/ CBC)
Arshad and Ghotra are aiming to have clothing prototypes available within the next one-to-two years. To date, they have raised just over $2 million in funding, from both investors and grants. One of investors backing the idea is retired Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield.
Although the lab is a long way from the fashion runways and production factories, Ghotra says they are currently in talks with a handful of potential customers.
"As soon as we have our product ready, we will be piloting with them and we'll be hitting those runways in Milan soon, sooner rather than later."
'We wear 20 per cent of our wardrobe 80 per cent of the time'
While Canadians wait for more sustainable options to become widely available, Kelly Drennan, the executive director of Fashion Takes Action, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in the fashion industry, says there are ways to mitigate the environmental issues within our current closets.
"We wear 20 per cent of our wardrobe 80 per cent of the time. So basically 80 per cent of our wardrobe is just sitting there not getting worn," said Drennan, of Toronto.
Drennan encourages people to shop their own closet before heading online or to retail stores.
Kelly Drennan of Toronto is the founding executive Director of Fashion Takes Action, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in the fashion industry. (Laura Clementson/CBC)
"If you feel like you really are lacking something in your wardrobe, chances are it's already in there."
Drennan preaches the seven Rs of fashion sustainability: along with reduce, reuse and recycle, there's repurpose, repair, rent, resell, and then recycle again once the clothing has exhausted its lifespan.
It's a philosophy her organization promotes to students as part of youth education programs they deliver in schools.
"We really wanted to play the long game when it came to systems change and behaviour change. And we thought, okay, if we could get young people as young as eight years old up to 17 to really connect with fashion and how it impacts the planet and the people who make our clothes, then longer term, we actually might see some of those changes."
WATCH | Canada still ships plastic waste to developing countries:
Bait and Switch: Recycling's Dirty Secret
6 days ago
Duration 44:10
A joint Fifth Estate/Enquête investigation shows Canada still routinely ships plastic waste to developing countries, often illegally mixed inside containers of paper recycling. We ask Canada’s environmental activist-turned environment minister what he’s prepared to do about it. 44:10
The sustainability message has reached some shoppers along Toronto's Queen Street West, a trendy shopping district.
"One of my favourite things to do is vintage shopping. So by supporting vintage shopping, you're supporting recycled clothing," said Patrick Marzouk, 37. He said he shops online and in-person at stores about once a week, always looking for new finds.
For Tara Amina, 28, quality is top of mind.
"I definitely avoid Shein and the big producers. I don't buy from them. I try to buy things that I know I'm going to wear all the time."
Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page.
Growing up in Ghana, Joshua Akom relied on second-hand clothing. Now, living in Canada, the entrepreneur says thrift shopping doesn't just make economic sense, but it can also help the planet survive.
In 2016, he met Oghosa Ogiemwonyi, who always loved the thrifted clothing Akom now chose to wear as an adult. When the pandemic shut down thrift stores, the two saw an opportunity, one that would feed their love of fashion and help stem the clothing industry's environmental impact.
They co-founded Thriftsome, an online thrift store that allows Canadians to make more sustainable fashion choices.
"If you buy second-hand clothing, you are not only saving on cost, you are also extending the life of the planet," said Akom.
Between the chemicals, large water supply needed for production, and the piles of clothing that wind up in landfills, fashion is one of the worst industries for the planet. According to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, it's estimated the clothing and textiles industry is responsible for between two-to-eight per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions — more than all international flights and global shipping combined.
But a number of Canadian companies are trying to slow down the process with circular concepts like online thrifting and developing sustainable materials. They're part of a growing global ethical fashion trend as more consumers seek to shop conscientiously.
Akom says he initially didn't want to get into the fashion industry because of its negative environmental impact. Ogiemwonyi sees their work as a mission to help the future.
"I think what drives me the most is just the fact that I love fashion, first of all. And secondly, I want to have kids someday and I know with the rates that fast fashion is growing, it's scary to think about what will happen in the future," said Ogiemwonyi.
Ogiemwonyi is referring to "fast fashion" — dubbed "fast" because it's not designed to last long. Its lesser quality keeps the cost low, allowing people to purchase more and making its way faster to the landfills. It's also fast for the speed at which styles on the runways hit the stores.
WATCH | These Canadians are disrupting fast fashion:
Disrupting the environmental impact of fast fashion
1 day ago
Duration 6:13
The clothing and textiles industry is responsible for an estimated 2-8% of all greenhouse gas emissions, but these Canadians are trying to disrupt the environmental impact of fast fashion. 6:13
Impacting land, and water supply
It's estimated that every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is added to a landfill or burned, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The industry isn't just impacting the land, but the planet's water supply as well. According to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, textiles account for about nine per cent of annual microplastic losses to the oceans.
The United Nations Environment Programme also says that it takes about 7,500 litres of water to produce just one pair of jeans.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, it's estimated that every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. (Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)
Ogiemwonyi says many of the clothes the Winnipeg-based company acquires to sell still have the original price tags on.
"People just want to buy, and when it's affordable, everyone wants to get it and when they get it, they don't even have time to wait before the next new trend," said Ogiemwonyi.
Fast fashion is weaving into our social fabric in large part because of a desire to follow social media trends. It's fed by companies like Shein, boasting about thousands of new styles, mass-producing affordable, trendy clothes globally.
"The whole idea of fast fashion is to get it quick and get rid of it quickly. And so if you buy second-hand clothing, you are slowing down the process of [it] ending up in a landfill," said Akom.
Without a storefront, and still working to gain traction among shoppers, Thriftsome's clothes are currently stored at Ogiemwonyi's apartment. But Akom is optimistic their business will grow, and he's also trying to tackle the stigma around second-hand clothing, showing that it can be fashionable and sustainable — not just a last-chance option.
"We are hopeful because this generation cares so much about the planet … and we hope that they will put their money where your heart is," said Akom.
'We're literally wearing fossil fuels'
While some are reinventing the wheel, Waterloo, Ont.-based startup, ALT TEX, is inventing a new type of material — from food waste.
"We're essentially creating a more circular alternative to polyester that's biodegradable, carbon neutral and re-engineered from food waste," said CEO and co-founder Myra Arshad.
Avneet Ghotra, left, and Myra Arshad co-founded ALT TEX, a company creating a more circular alternative to polyester that's biodegradable, carbon neutral and re-engineered from food waste. (Laura Clementson/CBC)
Arshad and her co-founding colleague, Avneet Ghotra, want to replace polyester — a synthetic fibre that doesn't break down. Polyester is a popular textile in the fashion industry, playing a large role in the throwaway cycle, and adding to the mounting piles of clothes in landfills.
"A lot of us don't realize it's made from fossil fuels. We love to blame cars and the power companies and say that that's what's causing the carbon emissions. But we're not realizing that we're literally wearing fossil fuels," said Ghotra.
"We're really hoping that by creating these items, the average Joe sitting at home can really connect deeply with the T-shirt they're wearing. Really take care of it, give it a long life cycle, but at the end of its lifecycle, know that it has a home back into the planet rather than the landfill," said Arshad.
From apples and potatoes to T-shirts
By using biodegradable materials such as apples and potatoes — two of Canada's major agricultural products — the polyester alternative is more sustainable.
"All food has the right building blocks. Every food has a certain amount of sugars. So we can always retrofit and change our food waste," said Ghotra.
According to Ghotra, it won't look any different from traditional polyester, but the end result will be a piece of clothing that, instead of sitting in landfill for centuries, will biodegrade. Not only are they hoping to solve wasteful clothing, they are doing it by diverting what otherwise would be food waste — and currently, more than half of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted, according to a 2019 report.
Ghotra says they are using commercial and industrial food waste that doesn't end up on the shelves. She estimates that one T-shirt would use up about one kilogram of food waste.
In their Waterloo, Ont., lab, ALT TEX is using commercial and industrial food waste like apples to make a polyester alternative is that is more sustainable. (Steven D'Souza/ CBC)
Arshad and Ghotra are aiming to have clothing prototypes available within the next one-to-two years. To date, they have raised just over $2 million in funding, from both investors and grants. One of investors backing the idea is retired Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield.
Although the lab is a long way from the fashion runways and production factories, Ghotra says they are currently in talks with a handful of potential customers.
"As soon as we have our product ready, we will be piloting with them and we'll be hitting those runways in Milan soon, sooner rather than later."
'We wear 20 per cent of our wardrobe 80 per cent of the time'
While Canadians wait for more sustainable options to become widely available, Kelly Drennan, the executive director of Fashion Takes Action, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in the fashion industry, says there are ways to mitigate the environmental issues within our current closets.
"We wear 20 per cent of our wardrobe 80 per cent of the time. So basically 80 per cent of our wardrobe is just sitting there not getting worn," said Drennan, of Toronto.
Drennan encourages people to shop their own closet before heading online or to retail stores.
Kelly Drennan of Toronto is the founding executive Director of Fashion Takes Action, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in the fashion industry. (Laura Clementson/CBC)
"If you feel like you really are lacking something in your wardrobe, chances are it's already in there."
Drennan preaches the seven Rs of fashion sustainability: along with reduce, reuse and recycle, there's repurpose, repair, rent, resell, and then recycle again once the clothing has exhausted its lifespan.
It's a philosophy her organization promotes to students as part of youth education programs they deliver in schools.
"We really wanted to play the long game when it came to systems change and behaviour change. And we thought, okay, if we could get young people as young as eight years old up to 17 to really connect with fashion and how it impacts the planet and the people who make our clothes, then longer term, we actually might see some of those changes."
WATCH | Canada still ships plastic waste to developing countries:
Bait and Switch: Recycling's Dirty Secret
5 days ago
Duration 44:10
A joint Fifth Estate/Enquête investigation shows Canada still routinely ships plastic waste to developing countries, often illegally mixed inside containers of paper recycling. We ask Canada’s environmental activist-turned environment minister what he’s prepared to do about it. 44:10
The sustainability message has reached some shoppers along Toronto's Queen Street West, a trendy shopping district.
"One of my favourite things to do is vintage shopping. So by supporting vintage shopping, you're supporting recycled clothing," said Patrick Marzouk, 37. He said he shops online and in-person at stores about once a week, always looking for new finds.
For Tara Amina, 28, quality is top of mind.
"I definitely avoid Shein and the big producers. I don't buy from them. I try to buy things that I know I'm going to wear all the time."
