Australia’s media movers and shakers on who survives in Australian journalismCadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDNS) Shares Sold by Advisors Asset Management Inc.Published 5:38 pm Saturday, November 30, 2024 By Data Skrive Sunday’s game at XFINITY Center has the Maryland Terrapins (6-1) squaring off against the Alcorn State Braves (0-8) at 12:00 PM ET. Our computer prediction is a one-sided 84-56 victory, as our model heavily favors Maryland. According to our computer prediction, Alcorn State should cover the point spread, which is listed at 32.5. The two teams are projected to exceed the 137.5 total. Watch men’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Both Maryland and Alcorn State are 3-4-0 against the spread (ATS) so far this season. The Terrapins are 5-2-0 and the Braves are 2-5-0 in terms of going over the point total. The teams score an average of 140 points per game, 2.5 more points than this matchup’s total. Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Rep your favorite players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Pembina Pipeline Corporation ("Pembina" or the "Company") (TSX: PPL; NYSE: PBA) announced today its 2025 financial guidance and provided a business update. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/en/ Highlights Business Update Pembina anticipates a record setting financial year in 2024 reflecting the positive impact of recent acquisitions, growing volumes in the WCSB, and a strong contribution from the marketing business. As expected, volumes in the conventional pipelines business have strengthened in the fourth quarter relative to the first three quarters of the year. In 2024, the Company meaningfully advanced its strategy through the full consolidation of Alliance Pipeline and Aux Sable (the "Alliance/Aux Sable Transaction"), and by reaching a positive final investment decision on the Cedar LNG Project. These two accomplishments highlight Pembina’s focus on strengthening the existing franchise, increasing exposure to resilient end-use markets, and accessing global market pricing for Canadian energy products. In addition, Pembina Gas Infrastructure ("PGI") announced transactions with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc., creating opportunities with attractive economics that are expected to enhance asset utilization, capture future volumes, and benefit Pembina’s full value chain. Through these two transactions, we are realizing the vision set forth with the creation of PGI in 2022. Other accomplishments over the past year include the completion of the $430 million Phase VIII Peace Pipeline Expansion and the $90 million NEBC MPS Expansion, on time and under budget; sanctioning $210 million (net to Pembina) of new projects, including the Wapiti Expansion and K3 Cogeneration Facility; and entering into long-term agreements with Dow Chemical Canada to supply up to 50,000 barrels per day ("bpd") of ethane for their Path2Zero Project (the "Dow Supply Agreement"). Through its extensive asset base and integrated value chain, Pembina can provide a full suite of transportation and midstream services across multiple hydrocarbons – natural gas, crude oil, condensate, and NGL. This uniquely positions the Company to benefit from a robust, multi-year growth outlook for the WCSB driven by transformational developments that include the recent completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, new West Coast liquefied natural gas ("LNG") and NGL export capacity, and the development of new petrochemical facilities creating significant demand for ethane and propane. Growing production and demand for services in the WCSB continues to provide opportunities to increase utilization on existing assets and pursue expansion opportunities. As attention turns to 2025, Pembina is focused on several key priorities including: Alliance Pipeline CER Toll Review The CER initiated a review of Alliance Pipeline’s tolls, which were previously approved by the CER. As such, the CER has ordered Alliance Pipeline to submit for approval a detailed toll application justifying why the current tolling methodology remains compliant with the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, or a new tolling methodology application. Likewise, the CER has ordered that the current tolls shall be deemed interim tolls until resolution of the above. Alliance Pipeline's tolls for the Canadian segment of the pipeline are approved by the CER, while its tolls for the United States segment are approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Alliance Pipeline's Canadian long-term firm service tolls have remained level since they were approved by the CER in 2015, while its full path tolls to Chicago have declined by approximately 15 percent. In comparison, tolls on alternative systems have increased by approximately 30 percent. Likewise, Alliance Pipeline has operated at an industry leading reliability rate. Furthermore, Alliance Pipeline remains an ‘at-risk’ commercial model where returns and cost recovery are squarely driven by the customer demand for its service and Alliance Pipeline's ability to efficiently provide such service. By contrast, the competitive alternatives and the majority of CER regulated Group 1 natural gas pipelines' returns are not materially exposed to volume or cost recovery risk. Alliance Pipeline is working collaboratively with its stakeholders through the CER review process and will remain focused on delivering the highest standards of service that customers have come to expect. Pembina will work expeditiously throughout 2025 with shippers towards a negotiated solution, in accordance with all CER direction. Approximately 60 percent of the adjusted EBITDA contribution from Alliance Pipeline is generated from the Canadian portion of the pipeline. Pembina’s 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance, discussed below, assumes the existing toll is in effect for the full year. Board of Directors Appointment Pembina is pleased to announce that Mr. Alister Cowan has been appointed to the board of directors effective December 3, 2024. Mr. Cowan has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry and has significant financial executive level experience at various public companies. In 2023, he was Executive Advisor of Suncor Energy Inc. ("Suncor") and was previously Chief Financial Officer of Suncor from 2014 to 2023 where he oversaw financial operations, accounting, investor relations, treasury, tax, internal audit, and enterprise risk management. Prior to joining Suncor, Alister was Chief Financial Officer of Husky Energy Inc. from 2008 to 2014. Before that, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority. Mr. Cowan is a non-executive director of The Chemours Company and of Smiths Group PLC. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Heriot-Watt University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Mr. Cowan has also been appointed to the audit committee. "The board of directors is excited to welcome Alister, and we look forward to working with him. Alister is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience in Canadian energy. We are sure to benefit from his contribution as we work together to ensure Pembina's continued success during a transformational period of growth in the Canadian oil and gas industry," said Henry Sykes, Chair of the Board. 2025 Guidance Pembina is anticipating 2025 adjusted EBITDA of $4.2 billion to $4.5 billion. Relative to the midpoint of Pembina’s adjusted EBITDA guidance range for 2024, the major factors driving the outlook for 2025 adjusted EBITDA include: Pembina has hedged approximately 32 percent of its 2025 frac spread exposure. For 2025, the weighted average price of Pembina's frac spread hedges, excluding transportation and processing costs, is approximately C$36 per barrel, which compares to the prevailing 2025 forward price at the end of November 2024 of approximately C$37 per barrel. The mid-point of the 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance range includes a forecasted contribution from the Marketing & New Ventures segment of $550 million. Excluding the contribution from the Marketing & New Ventures segment, the midpoint of the 2025 guidance range reflects an approximately 5.5 percent increase in fee-based adjusted EBITDA, relative to the forecast for 2024. Further, Pembina remains on-track to achieve four to six percent compound annual growth of fee-based adjusted EBITDA per share from 2023-2026. The lower and upper ends of the guidance range are framed primarily as a function of (1) commodity prices and the resulting contribution from the marketing business; (2) interruptible volumes on key systems; and (3) the U.S./Canadian dollar exchange rate. Current income tax expense in 2025 is anticipated to be $415 million to $470 million as Pembina will continue to benefit from the availability of tax pools from assets recently placed into service. Pembina's 2025 adjusted EBITDA may be directly impacted by market-based prices as follows: Key Variable 2025 Guidance Midpoint Assumption Sensitivity Impact on Adjusted EBITDA ($millions) (1) AECO / Station 2 Natural Gas (CAD/GJ) (2) $1.94 ± $0.50 ± 20 Chicago Natural Gas (USD/MMbtu) $2.90 ± $0.50 ± 49 Mont Belvieu Propane (USD/usg) $0.80 ± $0.10 ± 70 Foreign Exchange Rate (USD/CAD) $1.39 ± $0.05 ± 50 Includes the impact of Pembina's hedging program. In addition, Pembina has asymmetric exposure to AECO natural gas prices through a commercial contract with a customer, where Pembina benefits as AECO price rises above $3.00/GJ but does not have downside risk. 2025 Capital Investment Pembina's 2025 capital program is expected to be allocated as follows: ($ millions) 2025 Budget (1) Pipelines Division $330 Facilities Division $345 Marketing & New Ventures Division $15 Corporate $55 Capital Expenditures $745 Contributions to Equity Accounted Investees $355 Capital Expenditures and Contributions to Equity Accounted Investees $1,100 Pipelines Division capital expenditures primarily relate to sustaining capital, a terminal expansion within the conventional pipeline system, development spending on potential future projects, including the Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion, and investments in smaller growth projects, including various laterals and terminals. Capital expenditures in the Facilities Division primarily relate to construction of the RFS IV Expansion, smaller growth projects, and sustaining capital spending. Capital expenditures within the Marketing and New Ventures Division and the Corporate segment are primarily targeted at information technology enhancements to further the Company's continuous improvement aspirations. Contributions to Equity Accounted Investees includes approximately $200 million of contributions to Cedar LNG to fund the construction of the Cedar LNG Project, and contributions to PGI to fund development of the Wapiti Expansion, K3 Cogeneration Facility, as well as development activities related to the previously announced agreements with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc. The Company's 2025 capital program includes: In addition to the 2025 capital investment program detailed above, Pembina is in development of potential additional projects that, if sanctioned, would increase the 2025 capital program by up to $200 million. These projects primarily include pipeline and terminal upgrades in support of volume growth in NEBC, the Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion, investments related to the Dow Supply Agreement, including the addition of a de-ethanizer tower at RFS III within the Redwater Complex, and optimization of the Prince Rupert Terminal to allow for the use of larger vessels, which would reduce per unit costs. Capital Allocation Pembina continues to execute its strategy within a fully funded model and consistent with its financial guardrails. Within the 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance range, Pembina expects to generate positive free cash flow with all 2025 capital investment program scenarios being fully funded by cash flow from operating activities, net of dividends. Under prevailing market and economic conditions, Pembina expects to prioritize the use of excess free cash flow to debt repayment in 2025. As has been our approach since 2021, Pembina will continue to evaluate the merits of debt repayment relative to share repurchases while considering expected future funding requirements along with prevailing market conditions and the risk-adjusted returns of the associated alternatives. Pembina expects to exit 2025 with a proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.4 to 3.7 times. Excluding the debt related to the construction of the Cedar LNG project this ratio would be 3.2 to 3.5 times. About Pembina Pembina Pipeline Corporation is a leading energy transportation and midstream service provider that has served North America's energy industry for 70 years. Pembina owns an integrated network of hydrocarbon liquids and natural gas pipelines, gas gathering and processing facilities, oil and natural gas liquids infrastructure and logistics services, and an export terminals business. Through our integrated value chain, we seek to provide safe and reliable energy solutions that connect producers and consumers across the world, support a more sustainable future and benefit our customers, investors, employees and communities. For more information, please visit www.pembina.com . Purpose of Pembina: We deliver extraordinary energy solutions so the world can thrive. Pembina is structured into three Divisions: Pipelines Division, Facilities Division and Marketing & New Ventures Division. Pembina's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under PPL and PBA, respectively. For more information, visit www.pembina.com . Forward-Looking Information and Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of applicable securities legislation, that are based on Pembina's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "continue", "anticipate", "schedule", "will", "expects", "estimate", "potential", "planned", "future", "outlook", "strategy", "project", "trend", "commit", "maintain", "focus", "ongoing", "believe" and similar expressions suggesting future events or future performance. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements, including certain financial outlooks, pertaining to, without limitation, the following: Pembina's anticipated 2025 adjusted EBITDA, 2025 capital investment program costs, 2025 year-end proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio and current income tax expenses in 2025; Pembina's capital allocation plans, including with respect to debt repayment and share repurchases; expected cash flow from operating activities in 2025 and the uses thereof; 2024 year-end financial results, including the expectation that 2024 will be a record setting financial year; expectations with respect to the impacts of the Dow Supply Agreement and the transactions with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc., as well as future actions taken in relation thereto; future pipeline, processing, fractionation and storage facility and system operations and throughput levels; Pembina's corporate strategy and the development and expected timing of new business initiatives and growth opportunities, including the anticipated timing and impacts thereof; expectations about industry activities and development opportunities, as well as the anticipated benefits and timing thereof; expectations about the demand for services, including expectations in respect of increased utilization across Pembina's assets, future tolls and volumes; planning, construction, capital expenditure and cost estimates, schedules, locations, regulatory and environmental applications and approvals, expected capacity, incremental volumes, power output, project completion and in-service dates, rights, activities and operations with respect to planned construction of, or expansions on, pipelines systems, gas services facilities, processing and fractionation facilities, terminalling, storage and hub facilities and other facilities or infrastructure; the development and anticipated benefits of Pembina's new projects and developments, including the K3 Cogeneration Facility, the Cedar LNG Project, the Wapiti Expansion, the Taylor to Gordondale Project, Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion and the RFS IV Expansion, including the completion and timing thereof; expectations regarding CER's review of Alliance Pipeline's tolls, including the timing and outcome thereof and steps taken in connection therewith; the impact of current and future market conditions on Pembina; Pembina's hedging strategy and expected results therefrom; Pembina's capital structure, including future actions that may be taken with respect thereto and expectations regarding future uses of cash flows and uses thereof, repayments of existing debt, new borrowings and securities issuances; and Pembina's commitment to, and ability to maintain, its financial guardrails. The forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that Pembina has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release regarding, among other things: oil and gas industry exploration and development activity levels and the geographic region of such activity; that favourable market conditions exist, and that Pembina has available capital for share repurchases, repayment of debt and funding its capital expenditures; the success of Pembina's operations; prevailing commodity prices, interest rates, carbon prices, tax rates and exchange rates; the ability of Pembina to maintain current credit ratings; the availability of capital to fund future capital requirements relating to existing assets and projects; future operating costs; geotechnical and integrity costs; that all required regulatory and environmental approvals can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; prevailing regulatory, tax and environmental laws and regulations; maintenance of operating margins; and certain other assumptions in respect of Pembina's forward-looking statements detailed in Pembina's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the "AIF") and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the "Annual MD&A"), which were each filed on SEDAR+ on February 22, 2024, as well as in Pembina's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated November 5, 2024 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 (the "Interim MD&A") and from time to time in Pembina's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca , www.sec.gov and through Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . Although Pembina believes the expectations and material factors and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, there can be no assurance that these expectations, factors and assumptions will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the regulatory environment and decisions and Indigenous and landowner consultation requirements; the impact of competitive entities and pricing; reliance on third parties to successfully operate and maintain certain assets; the strength and operations of the oil and natural gas production industry and related commodity prices; non-performance or default by counterparties to agreements with Pembina or one or more of its affiliates; actions taken by governmental or regulatory authorities and changes in legislation (including uncertainty with respect to the interpretation of the recently enacted Bill C-59 and related amendments to the Competition Act (Canada)); the ability of Pembina to acquire or develop the necessary infrastructure in respect of future development projects; fluctuations in operating results; adverse general economic and market conditions in Canada, North America and worldwide; the ability to access various sources of debt and equity capital on acceptable terms; changes in credit ratings; counterparty credit risk; and certain other risks and uncertainties detailed in the AIF, Annual MD&A, Interim MD&A and from time to time in Pembina's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca , www.sec.gov and through Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . This list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Readers are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, forecasted or projected by forward-looking statements contained herein. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof. Pembina does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information contained herein, except as required by applicable laws. Management approved the 2025 adjusted EBITDA, 2025 capital investment program costs, 2025 proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA and 2025 income tax expense guidance contained herein as of the date of this news release. The purpose of these financial outlooks is to assist readers in understanding Pembina's expected and targeted financial results, and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Throughout this news release, Pembina has disclosed certain financial measures and ratios that are not specified, defined or determined in accordance with GAAP and which are not disclosed in Pembina's financial statements. Non-GAAP financial measures either exclude an amount that is included in, or include an amount that is excluded from, the composition of the most directly comparable financial measure specified, defined and determined in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP ratios are financial measures that are in the form of a ratio, fraction, percentage or similar representation that has a non-GAAP financial measure as one or more of its components. These non-GAAP financial measures and ratios, together with financial measures and ratios specified, defined and determined in accordance with GAAP, are used by management to evaluate the performance and cash flows of Pembina and its businesses and to provide additional useful information respecting Pembina's financial performance and cash flows to investors and analysts. In this news release, Pembina has disclosed adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, and proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP ratio, which that do not have any standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and may not be comparable to similar financial measures or ratios disclosed by other issuers. Such financial measures and ratios should not, therefore, be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, measures and ratios of Pembina's financial performance or cash flows specified, defined or determined in accordance with IFRS, including revenue or earnings. Except as otherwise described herein, these non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios are calculated on a consistent basis from period to period. Specific reconciling items may only be relevant in certain periods. Below is a description of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio disclosed in this news release, together with, as applicable, disclosure of the most directly comparable financial measure that is determined in accordance with GAAP to which each non-GAAP financial measure relates and a quantitative reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to such directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Additional information relating to such non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios, including disclosure of the composition of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio, an explanation of how each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio provides useful information to investors and the additional purposes, if any, for which management uses each non-GAAP financial measure; an explanation of the reason for any change in the label or composition of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio from what was previously disclosed; and a description of any significant difference between forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures and the equivalent historical non-GAAP financial measures, is contained in the "Non-GAAP & Other Financial Measures" section of the Annual MD&A, which information is incorporated by reference in this news release. The Annual MD&A is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca , EDGAR at www.sec.gov and Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated as earnings before net finance costs, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (included in operations and general and administrative expense) and unrealized gains or losses on commodity-related derivative financial instruments. The exclusion of unrealized gains or losses on commodity-related derivative financial instruments eliminates the non-cash impact of such gains or losses. Adjusted EBITDA also includes adjustments to earnings for losses (gains) on disposal of assets, transaction costs incurred in respect of acquisitions, dispositions and restructuring, impairment charges or reversals in respect of goodwill, intangible assets, investments in equity accounted investees and property, plant and equipment, certain non-cash provisions and other amounts not reflective of ongoing operations. In addition, Pembina's proportionate share of results from investments in equity accounted investees with a preferred interest is presented in adjusted EBITDA as a 50 percent common interest . These additional adjustments are made to exclude various non-cash and other items that are not reflective of ongoing operations. The equivalent historical non-GAAP financial measure to 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance is adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2023. 12 Months Ended December 31, 2023 Pipelines Facilities Marketing & New Ventures Corporate & Inter-segment Eliminations Total ($ millions, except per share amounts) Earnings (loss) 1,840 610 435 (696) 1,776 Income tax expense — — — — 413 Adjustments to share of profit from equity accounted investees and other 172 438 84 — 694 Net finance costs 28 9 4 425 466 Depreciation and amortization 414 159 46 44 663 Unrealized loss from derivative instruments — — 32 — 32 Impairment reversal (231) — — — (231) Transaction costs incurred in respect of acquisitions, gain on disposal of assets and non-cash provisions 11 (3) (4) 7 11 Adjusted EBITDA 2,234 1,213 597 (220) 3,824 Adjusted EBITDA from Equity Accounted Investees In accordance with IFRS, Pembina's jointly controlled investments are accounted for using equity accounting. Under equity accounting, the assets and liabilities of the investment are presented net in a single line item in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, "Investments in Equity Accounted Investees". Net earnings from investments in equity accounted investees are recognized in a single line item in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings and Comprehensive Income "Share of Profit from Equity Accounted Investees". The adjustments made to earnings, in adjusted EBITDA above, are also made to share of profit from investments in equity accounted investees. Cash contributions and distributions from investments in equity accounted investees represent Pembina's share paid and received in the period to and from the investments in equity accounted investees. To assist in understanding and evaluating the performance of these investments, Pembina is supplementing the IFRS disclosure with non-GAAP proportionate consolidation of Pembina's interest in the investments in equity accounted investees. Pembina's proportionate interest in equity accounted investees has been included in adjusted EBITDA. 12 Months Ended December 31, 2023 Pipelines Facilities Marketing & New Ventures Total ($ millions) Share of profit (loss) from equity accounted investees - operations 109 233 (26) 316 Adjustments to share of profit from equity accounted investees: Net finance costs 22 160 1 183 Income tax expense — 41 — 41 Depreciation and amortization 150 207 25 386 Unrealized loss on commodity-related derivative financial instruments — 16 — 16 Transaction costs incurred in respect of acquisitions — 14 58 72 Total adjustments to share of profit from equity accounted investees 172 438 84 694 Adjusted EBITDA from equity accounted investees 281 671 58 1,010 Proportionately Consolidated Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA Proportionately Consolidated Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP ratio that management believes is useful to investors and other users of Pembina’s financial information in the evaluation of the Company’s debt levels and creditworthiness. 12 Months Ended ($ millions, except as noted) September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 Loans and borrowings (current) 946 650 Loans and borrowings (non-current) 11,182 9,253 Loans and borrowings of equity accounted investees 2,770 2,805 Proportionately consolidated debt 14,898 12,708 Adjusted EBITDA 4,187 3,824 Proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA (times) 3.6 3.3 ($ millions) 12 Months Ended September 30, 2024 9 Months Ended September 30, 2024 12 Months Ended December 31, 2023 9 Months Ended September 30, 2023 Earnings before income tax 1,791 976 2,189 1,374 Adjustments to share of profit from equity accounted investees and other 640 454 694 508 Net finance costs 514 398 466 350 Depreciation and amortization 805 627 663 485 Unrealized loss on derivative instruments 83 129 32 78 Non-controlling interest (1) (12) (12) — — Loss on Alliance/Aux Sable Acquisition 616 616 — — Derecognition of insurance contract provision (34) (34) — — Transaction and integration costs in respect of acquisitions 20 18 2 — Gain on disposal of assets, other non-cash provisions, and other (5) (18) 9 (4) Impairment reversal (231) — (231) — Adjusted EBITDA 4,187 3,154 3,824 2,791 =A+B-C A B C (1) Presented net of adjusting items. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/en/ CONTACT: For further information:Pembina Investor Relations (403) 231-3156 1-855-880-7404 investor-relations@pembina.com www.pembina.com KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TRANSPORT UTILITIES SOURCE: Pembina Pipeline Corporation Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 05:05 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 05:06 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/enThe Kid Mero (real name Joel Martinez), one of the biggest entertainers from the Bronx, is working to bring up the next generation of new talent — coming from unexpected places. “There’s a dude right now in some random country, town — spin the globe, point a finger, and there’s a guy who’s the most brilliant biochemist of our time. And he’s just sitting in a tree reading a book, because he doesn’t have access,” said Mero in an interview with the Bronx Times. “And that’s what I think the Bronx needs more of too — access. And if I can do that, I would love to be the guy to spearhead that.” While Mero and his wife, Heather, are now raising their four kids, ages 13, 11, 9 and 7, in what he called a “super suburban” New Jersey neighborhood, he never fully left the Bronx, remaining committed to uplifting the borough and the talented people within it. Mero is best known for his work with Desus Nice (real name Daniel Baker), a fellow Bronxite who was his comedy partner for nearly a decade. Desus and Mero’s authentic perspectives hilariously embodied New York City culture. Their first podcast, “Desus vs. Mero,” first launched in 2013 and later became the “Bodega Boys” pod, which turned into television with shows on Viceland and Showtime, where they interviewed fellow Bronx native U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and celebrities including David Letterman, Spike Lee, Derek Jeter and Denzel Washington. In 2020, Desus and Mero published a New York Times bestselling book, “God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx” (with his sections written in his signature ALL CAPS style). But alas, in 2022, the duo went their separate ways, and fans still aren’t over it. But Mero remains a Bronx Dominican-American superstar who keeps us up-to-date on new talent and laughing along the way — with more big things coming soon for him and his team. Mero is currently between seasons of “Victory Light ,” a podcast he created and hosts, billed as “an extremely culturally relevant biweekly podcast” in which he and co-hosts “discuss topics of the day with the energy of a rhino on Viagra.” Mero is also a frequent co-host of the popular sports podcast “7PM in Brooklyn” by Knicks alum Carmelo Anthony. It has been a remarkable road for a guy who went to middle school at 176th and Morris Avenue and wishes that all Bronx kids could have all the resources he sees in the Jersey suburbs. “I want football fields, I want baseball fields, I want soccer pitches, I want tennis courts, I want indoor gyms, I want pools, dance classes, fencing classes,” Mero said. “Stuff that’s not, ‘Here’s a basketball hoop. You’re welcome.’ This big brand like, ‘Hey, we sponsored your school basketball team.’ Bro, you sent warmup suits. Cut it out. Build us a new court! Build us a new track! All these huge corporations — come back here [to the Bronx]. There’s so much that’s untapped.” Mero sat down with the Bronx Times at the Parkchester restaurant Step In, the same locale where he and Desus put AOC’s bartending chops to the test in early 2020. Over a lunch of Cuban sandwiches (his recommendation), Mero talked for nearly four hours about his favorite Bronx pizza spot (Tommy’s in Throggs Neck), New York sports, being an “elder statesman” of the entertainment industry, his split with Desus and how the natural funny guy in him sometimes crosses the line into “annoying mode.” “This is the New York Times for me, man,” said Mero. “I love the Bronx so f—in’ much.” This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. Where in the Bronx did you grow up mainly? Kind of all over the place, really. But like here, in Throggs Neck on East Tremont and Dewey Avenue by the Throggs Neck Houses. Kingsbridge on 184th and Sedgwick. Bounced around, you know, apartment to apartment, girl to girl. If I was king of New York or something, I’d be like hey, guys, we are gonna freeze these prices so that more people with families and you know your neighbors and have a sense of community, you can stay here. You know what I mean? Even if you get a job at like, Apple, and you’re making a bunch of money, you should be able to kinda like grow with the people around you. There’s something to be said for leaving your hood, but there’s also the other side of that, which is like, continuity, communities, small businesses staying solid. I miss that a lot. I come back to around here, and Step In is still here, bro — that’s it. If this place ever goes, I’m gonna cry 40 days and 40 nights. For someone who’s from here but doesn’t live here anymore, unfortunately, it seems like you’re still a big part of repping the Bronx and staying connected. I don’t know if I should say this, but I still come out here and do graffiti. Like I love the Bronx, I need...it’s like recharging my batteries. I come back here, I come [to Step In]. I go to Sabrosura in Castle Hill, and they have Dominican-Asian fusion, which is like, wild, but it’s delicious. [In Jersey] the lifestyle is like, suuuuper suburban. NFL players, Housewives of New Jersey territory. There’s no sidewalks where I live now. You know what I’m saying? Neighbors growing trees really long and tall so you can’t even see what they’re doing. It’s really kind of siloed; everybody has their little mansion. I walked here, and I was five minutes later than I would’ve been, because I parked my car and put money in the meter, and this old Puerto Rican dude came and was like, “Papi, that’s a nice car! I wanna get me a 2025 Mustang, the new body styles, they’re bringing back the old school style.” So, we just ended up chopping it up about cars for like five minutes. And then I was like, I gotta go. There’s a reporter, a very important reporter waiting for me to do a piece. I gotta jet, but yo, it was good talking to you. Hopefully I’ll see you around. Peace.” That was a very everyday Bronx interaction. That’s part of also what makes it so great to be a reporter here. You know what it is? Bronx people, I’m speaking for the borough — I feel like we don’t get talked about. There’s like, the Yankees and hip-hop, and that’s it. There’s waaay more than that to the Bronx. There’s so much culture here, there’s so much color here. It’s so vibrant. I’ll throw the challenge to Queens for diversity! Your kids go to school, they see everybody and everything and every culture. And to me, that is the ideal way to grow up. It’s a meeting ground for so many different people from different places. But they come here to work. I feel like no one comes to the Bronx for a luxurious vacation. Y’all come here to work. That’s what I love about the Bronx. It’s like, blue collar...everyone here is on their grind. Everybody here is born with the hustle gene. Even if they’re lazy! They find a way to be creatively lazy. What sort of things do you think should be talked about more in the Bronx? Honestly, like, the people. I would love to see the everyday people of the Bronx highlighted. Like Joe [the server at Step In]. Joe is a character, he’s been here forever, and that’s a guy that deserves a profile. Because everybody here knows who he is, but everybody out there doesn’t know who he is. Especially in these times, we’re in a weird climate. How about we focus on what we do like about each other. Let’s leave red versus blue to the Bloods and the Crips. People look at New York, and it’s just like, “The trains are crazy, and there’s homeless people and violence and crime,” blah blah blah. There’s a lot of pearl-clutching when it comes to talking about the Bronx. And it’s like, no, man, this is a great place. The food is another thing I feel like should definitely be highlighted. There’s so many different ethnicities. You can go get some Albanian food, you can get Nigerian food, you can get some Italian food which is the BEST Italian food in the world, I will fight anybody! I live in Jersey now, but the best Italian food is in the Bronx! I don’t care about Mulberry Street [in Manhattan’s Little Italy]. You can take that and put it in an air fryer, I don’t care. The best Italian food is in the Bronx. Mero said it. When I started dating my wife, she was like, “I really like Thai food.” And I never had Thai food, but I was like, “We live in the Bronx. So I’m sure there will be a Thai food place near us.” And Honey’s Thai Pavillion hit the spot. You know what I mean? So shoutout to them. It’s real food made by people that are from the places they are coming from. I feel like if this interview was only about New York sports, that would be cool by me. So with everything going on with the Knicks and the Timberwolves... [Karl-Anthony Towns] is balling. He is BALLING. I’m cheap, so I don’t have [NBA subscription channel] League Pass, so I didn’t watch enough Timberwolves basketball to understand KAT’s game. Like, I knew he was a big man that can shoot. And also he’s Dominican, so I made an effort to follow him. But everybody’s like, aw, he’s soft, he can’t play defense, he’s this, he’s that. And I see him at the [Madison Square] Garden like, three on one, in the paint, “Get off me!” and he’s just like, “NEW YOOOORK!” and I’m just ready to pull out a Dominican flag and wave it down the court. If there was ever a destination that was perfect for him that was not Minnesota, it was New York. Not the Brooklyn Nets — the New York Knicks. It’s like the trade where both teams win. You know what I’m saying? Julius [Randle], he handled the pressure of New York pretty well, but I feel in Minnesota, people will like his tenacity. Like, the bully ball. Cause everyone was like, “Oh, KAT’s so soft.” And you get a guy that’s an absolute monster. He might have a little spin move turnover here and there, you know what I’m saying, but the passion is real. I wasn’t gonna bring up the Yankees, because that’s, like, sad... [laughs] You know what’s crazy about Yankees fans? Yeah, we did go out sad. That was the fifth inning from hell, the worst inning I’ve ever seen, and I coached Little League. They were doing s—t that would get you benched for the next two games if I’m your coach. But you know, these are million-dollar grown men. You can’t just say oh, I’m gonna bench this guy. Imagine benching Aaron Judge. But I’m proud of the Yankees! We made it to the World Series — it’s been 15 years! You know what I’m saying? We made it! The ALCS Juan Soto at-bat will live in my brain forever, like the birth of my first child. They’re gonna be that vivid in my memory until I’m on my deathbed like [wheezing], “Play the kids being born, and Juan Soto’s at-bat to send us to the World Series. That’s all I wanna see before I go.” What in the Bronx are your go-to spots, not just for food but anything else? Fordham Road is like my drag. When I wanna go shopping, Fordham Road is there for me. If I just wanna sit in front of someone’s building, I’m on 196th and Morris, my boy Ed’s building, just hanging out. That’s a very New York thing and a very Bronx thing in particular. Like, we live in apartment buildings and we’re not allowed to just hang out in the lobby, so let’s go hang out in front of the building. You know what I mean? Let’s have some drinks, let’s get a hibachi grill from the dollar store, and let’s make things happen. They put a Mama Sushi in Throggs Neck on Tremont! When I was there, it was like, three pizzerias and a food market. Now it’s like restaurants, Mamajauna! This, that and the third. I was like, yo, you could go on a date and not be embarrassed. I don’t have to take you to McDonalds. Tremont for restaurants, Fordham Road for shopping. I love just walking down Southern Boulevard just to sit on a bench and people-watch. I feel like the Botanical Garden is a corny answer, but it’s like nobody talks about it. It’s mad nice! It’s like an oasis of beauty in the Bronx, mad nature. Do a lot of people recognize you when you’re out? I was gonna say no, but surprisingly, yes. Which is great, and it makes me feel like...this is gonna sound crazy, but I feel like [Yankees legend] Derek Jeter, you know? A kid from here who made it, and when people are proud of you, man, that hits. Like, “Yo, you did it. You’re representing for us, you’re not stopping. You didn’t switch up. You didn’t get on TV and become an L.A. guy and change your voice and do all this other goofy stuff. You’re still Mero. You’re not out here with a hoop earring and doing yoga. Talking about ‘I’m bi-coastal.’” I’m not bi-coastal, I’m from the Bronx. Can you talk a bit about stuff you have going on now? You have the podcast. Yeah, we got “Victory Light,” which is an extension of me loving the Bronx so much that I want to elevate young talent from where we’re from. Shoutout to [co-hosts] Rainey Ovalle and Lizbel Ortiz [and the rest of my team]. It’s a very small crew, but I just wanna give them all their flowers because we’re all New York City kids. Rainey in particular is from East Tremont in the Bronx. It’s like damn, you’re me 10 years ago. And he’s so talented musically, like he’s just an artist. He’s hilarious, funny guy, comedian, musician, gamer, you name it. Fashion guy. I just love, like Dos Flacos, like Planta Industrial. This is all coming out of the Bronx, like yo, a pop-punk band coming out of the Bronx? Like, what?! No media company is in the business of making you rich. So it’s just like, I’m gonna take this money and make what I want. And if you don’t like it, f—k you, fire me, I dare you. That’s the attitude I always had. Well, not always — I’m an immigrant child, my parents were always like, “Don’t leave your job until you have a new job.” But if it felt like I wasn’t being valued where I was at, I was already looking for the next thing. Because we are from the Bronx, our voices matter, we matter. Going from like AOC to like local artists, DJs, all that kind of stuff. If you watch early episodes of Viceland show, that’s what it was. It was like me picking up my phone, like, I know [rapper] Wale, but I also know, you know, [Bronx rapper] A Boogie [Wit Da Hoodie] before he was A Boogie. I appreciate that. I feel like that’s where journalism really should be. Let’s do high-profile, let’s do what’s coming up. Stay ahead of the curve in supporting. Are you open to talking a little bit about your split with Desus? Is there any path forward with the two of you, or what do you think about that? I always say never say never, but probably not. I’m moving in kind of like a different direction. I started in writing first, so that’s always been my forte. Performing just is part of me being like the goofy older brother, you know what I’m saying? I would do [impressions] for my family. Everyone gets together on a weekend, my father would have a couple Courvasiers and be like, “Hey, do an impression of your uncle.” And I would do it. I’ve told this story a bunch of times. I realized, hold up — there’s power in this. There’s all these people who are like authorities to you, like your elders. Growing up as a child of immigrants, it was like, these are my elders. I must respect them at all times. But when I was making them laugh, all those rules went out the window. I could cuss, I could be like, “Yoooo, you drunk motherf—er!” and I was like, “Great! Comedy is the key to opening all this up.” I’m not gonna lie to you that I had that epiphany at eight years old, but I made that connection later on in life to those experiences as a seven-, eight-, nine-year-old. To me, it’s like, I wanna produce young talent from the Bronx. I wanna bring up young talent from the Bronx. The door that I opened, I want to hold it open, like Game of Thrones, “Hodor!” — but keep it open, not shut. And let all of them through. There are people who have to be in the very right place in the very right time to get a look, you know? Sadly, not a lot of people come to the Bronx to look for talent, which is crazy. Talent doesn’t give a f—k where it’s born. Do you feel that kind of worldview put you on a different path than Desus? I think so. We used to joke around, and he used to say, “I can’t wait to sell out. I can’t wait to move to L.A., hahaha,” this, that and the third, jokey joke. But you know, sometimes you say things out loud — the power of manifestation or whatever. But I always was like, I’m my father’s son to the fullest. Shoutout to my pops Tito Martinez, the Don, you know, and my mom Dulce, because they raised me to be like ... yo, listen, I always saw my dad. He was an independent HVAC technician, and he had a steady stream of work. Not that there’s anything wrong with taking government assistance or whatever, but he was like, yo, this is my goal — I’m gonna provide for y’all without government assistance. And that was a point of pride, you know what I mean? When anyone would come over from DR, or he met a guy who was like, down, but knew how to turn a screwdriver, he’d be like, “Yo, come work with me.” So seeing that at a young age, I was like, wow. I just locked that in. If you can help somebody and it costs you nothing — even if it costs you a little bit — you got all this going on, why not? That’s what we’re here for. What sort of things do you think people in the Bronx need or should have more access to? And does that get political at all? Yeah! So where I’m at now in Jersey, I saw campaign ads like, “Governor Phil Murphy has taxes out of control in the state of New Jersey. Property taxes are at an all-time high.” And I’m like, “Bro, I’m from New York City. Beat that. Beat those taxes.” I have four kids, and when I go to the baseball fields, when I go to the parks, when I go to the library, when I go to every public common area, it’s like, well-kept, there are people working to take care of it, and the upkeep is there. I want that for my neighborhood, for where I’m from. Cardinal Hayes [High School in the South Bronx] won the state championship in football without, like, real — I mean they have facilities, I’m not trying to dunk on Hayes — but you don’t have the same facilities and standards as they do in say, Long Island. Random town on Long Island has more resources and more, you know, everything than we do in the Bronx. Which is nuts! If you can’t attract investment in New York City, what the f—k are you doing? Do I need to run for mayor? Like Eric Adams, we both live in New Jersey. Ok, so you have the podcast now. It seems to be a big part of what you do. Yeah, Victory Light started as a blog. I’m a writer by trade. My first foray into comedy was always writing, and writing in my own voice. Shoutout to [manager] Victor Lopez for being like, “This guy is writing in a very clever way, and he’s not breaking from who he is. This is not a persona, this is a person, this is an authentic voice, and he’s funny as f—k.” The agency he was at at the time was like, “Hey, leave that guy alone.” But [Victor] was like, “No f—k you. He’s very funny, and I think we can build something big together.” So we started working together, and the rest was history. We’re between seasons [for Victory Light]. I wanted to give my guys a break for the holidays. We’ve been ripping two times a week, 80 episodes for a year straight, no breaks. So I wanted to give them a break because I was like, you know, “Y’all are new to this.” When I got into it, I was so hungry, I didn’t care. I was working five days a week, six days a week, seven days a week, 12 hours, I did not care. F—-k union rules. I’m just here to make things happen. And having done that, I’m like [quoting the Jay-Z song, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.”)], “Hov did that so hopefully you don’t have to go through that.” And the podcast with Melo [Carmelo Anthony] — is that still going on? Yeah. With season two, I have so many commitments that I couldn’t commit to every day being on set. So we expanded the roster. Shoutout to [ESPN basketball analyst] Monica McNutt, shoutout to [former NBA player] Rudy Gay, shoutout to Kaz [host Kazeem Famuyide] for coming on the team and having kind of a 7PM universe. I like to have conversations with people, like, just be yourself. If you wanna curse, curse. I’ll curse too. Much to the chagrin of my wife, and our kids running around the house like, “F—k you, motherf—-er!” It is what it is, but like...that’s my thing. I don’t care who you are. It could be Emily sitting across from me, it could be Denzel sitting across from me...it’s still the same energy. I’m still me. It’s crazy that that’s not the norm, that you can’t just be you and be successful. That you gotta put on this face every day. It’s crazy, because I wake up and I’m Mero. My wife is like,” Turn that s—t off,” and I’m like, “You know I can’t! You knew what I was when you signed up!” She calls it “annoying mode.” My kids, my family, my brother Tito, my sister Ingrid, my mom and dad — I have such a strong sense of family and community that, I feel good no matter what, man. I could be up, I could be down. Entertainment is weird. One year I might make fifteen million dollars, and the next year, I make, like, a hundred thousand. Which is still a lot of money! ‘Cause in my mind, I am broke. Forever. I’m perpetually broke. I reinvest my money into my own stuff. Like, when I got paid from the Showtime bag and all that stuff, I didn’t go buy a Lamborghini. I went and invested that shit, I bought a house, I paid my wife’s student loans off, you know? I invested money wisely because I knew, I don’t want to be a slave to a network the rest of my life. I can’t be The Kid Mero at 65 years old, falling out of my chair, talking about current events that I don’t even know about, you know? With what you’re saying about not wanting to be shackled to one place or thing, how do you approach that now? Is that a big part of your independence and doing your own thing? Yeah, I always step into a room confident and like, “Yo, my work speaks for itself.” I’ve done almost any kind of media product you can do. I’ve done podcasts, sports talk shows, I’ve hosted awards shows, I’ve been on covers of magazines, I’ve written articles, I’ve been the subject of articles. Anything you can touch in media, I’ve touched. In the space of where I’m in now, linear, old-school TV is fighting a battle against digital. I’m like, “This it it for me. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.” I’m banging my fist on the table — there is no Black or brown-owned production companies in New York City. That is insane! We gotta change that. Victory Light is gonna be the first. So, if you’re a government official and you want to bring some grants, holler at me. Right now, we’re raising capital — and it is looking good. Get in on the ground floor. So even in New York City, the media companies are all very white at the top? The same is true in journalism too. Once you go up the chain, it’s crazy. My whole thing is, Victory Light as a company, as a production services entity, that C-suite is gonna look like the rest of the company. You know what I’m saying? And that’s not saying, “F—k white people, get out of here.” It’s talent first. And we’re gonna look for talent where people don’t look for talent. It’s like, “Oh, we need a TV person. Who’s coming out of NYU?” Who’s coming out of Lehman College? Who’s coming out of BCC [Bronx Community College]? Who’s independently doing their own thing? Those are the people who deserve the most praise and the biggest megaphone. We got Asian, Latino, Black, everything. Gay, straight, every iteration. But it’s not about “let’s check these boxes.” It’s like, “Yo, are you good at this? Alright, bet. Let’s do it.” I don’t give a f—k what your background is. If your background is different, that’s good, because you can give me a POV that I don’t have, as a Dominican man who’s 40 years old with four kids. You are a 30-something-year-old Black woman, so you tell me what your experience is like. And that will inform how we do comedy. I feel like that’s important. What sort of things do you envision Victory Light doing? What sort of things would people see on a daily basis? Everything. Starting with the podcast, getting that super locked in. Season two, I’ve taken this extended break because I wanna come out on fire. Nuclear. ‘Cause the fans who have been locked in with us now — it’s not mind-blowing numbers, but I wanna reward them with something BIG. Like live shows, where you can come. Because I’ve done this before. The trajectory for Victory Light, the numbers, the community reception of it — it’s giving, “I’ve been here before. There’s a previous iteration I’ve done like this before, to much success.” But to run it back, with younger, newer talent, because I am washed. I am the elder statesman, you know what I’m saying? “Bodega Boys” was just two dudes. A Dominican Afro-Latino and a Jamaican man from the Bronx. Similar POVs. And now “Victory Light” is — to me, I love it. We’re all Dominican kids, but we’re all very different. Rainey is very, like, anime, nerdy guy, Magic the Gathering. Lizbel is like, quintessential New York “f—k around and find out” shorty. Reminds me of my sister. That woman needs to be heard, you know what I mean? They are the backbone of New York City, and they don’t get heard. But when you scale up, you gotta expand your reach. That’s a lesson I’ve learned throughout my career that I’m trying to teach them early. That they do stuff for themselves that fulfills them, but then they also keep the lights on. You know, a Coca-Cola commercial here or there, or sponsorship. But OUR way. The Coca-Cola commercial we’re doing — we’re going to the bodega to get the Coca-Cola on a hot day, and then we’re drinking Coca-Cola while we spray your car with the window open from the hydrant as you drive past. It’s hilarious that every podcast, no matter how famous the person is or how much money the newsroom has, they all have these ridiculous ads. It’s wild because the market is saturated. Everybody tells me this, so that’s why I’m saying it: “Bro, you’re too modest. You’re too humble, you don’t talk about what you accomplished.” I got to Complex first alone, and there was a show called “Mero in the Wild” that ran concurrently with “Desus vs. Mero.” “Desus vs. Mero” was successful because I had somebody to bounce off of. Those conversations were like, on the block conversations. I was just like, “Hey man, if we take this and just scale this up, we can’t lose.” That was all [their manager] Victor Lopez. Victor was like, “You guys got lightning in a bottle. Let’s just keep going. We’re not gonna take on sponsors, we’re just gonna do what we wanna do.” And boom, there comes CashApp. And we took our one sponsor, they let us do what we wanted, we maintained total creative control. Which is rare, bro. Shoutout to Eddie Huang, one of the first guys I met in entertainment. His story with how they took [Huang’s memoir] “Fresh Off the Boat” and put it on ABC, he didn’t like how they were treating it. Tracy Morgan has a similar story with his show on FOX. Once you get to this higher level — it’s like me taking your legal pad right now and being like, “Now I’m writing the story, motherf—er.” No! You’re not the creator, you didn’t sit with this, you didn’t create this. When you get to a point in making television... I was never a line producer. The line producer deals with the budget, he’s just the money, number-crunching guy. And I never had to do that. But I get to Showtime, and now I gotta do that. Because now I’m like, alright, we got a 25 million dollar budget. This guy that’s an executive producer that I’ve seen twice is getting paid three million dollars?! And I never see him? He contributes nothing to this show except liability, accepting liability? F—k, I’ll do that! I’ll take it all on the chin if it means that I get to divide this money amongst the people who deserve it, the people who are on the ground. The people who are outside when it’s cold when we’re doing field pieces. S—t like that. I came to this game thinking it was like corporate America. Nah, bro, this s—t is like the streets, for real. You gotta be aggressive. Unfortunately, when you’re Black and brown, being aggressive is... aggressive . Confrontational and scary. Even if you’re using the king’s English, people are gonna get nervous. So that’s one obstacle we’ve had to fight against the entire time we’ve been doing what we do. But I don’t care. It makes it sweeter when we get to the top. Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
Airports around the country are bracing for chaos as hundreds of Qantas engineers walk off the job. But the airline has assured customers there will be no impact on their travel plans on one of the busiest travel days of the year. About 500 workers from three different unions began a 24-hour strike action at 3.30am this morning. It’s expected to impact major airports across the country, including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and will end at 7.30am on Saturday. Friday marks the first day of the six-week summer travel period when 13.5 million travellers pass through Australia’s domestic airports. It’s also the first day of school holidays in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The striking workers, responsible for the towing and marshalling of planes, are calling for a 5 per cent per year pay increase over 5 years after what they say is 3.5 years of frozen wages. Qantas says it has put forward a competitive package with 3 per cent per year over three years, with negotiations now at a stalemate. Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union National Secretary Steve Murphy says industrial action was the only way to get Qantas to the bargaining table. It’s been six weeks since the last strike. “Workers have no other choice. They will be taking industrial action to bring Qantas back to the bargaining table,” Murphy said. “Qantas is to blame if there’s any disruption to commuters over the holiday period. They have had six weeks to simply do what they said they would.” A Qantas spokesperson said a number of contingencies are in place to prevent delays. “Around 160 aircraft maintenance engineers are rostered on during Friday’s industrial action, and only members of the alliance unions can take industrial action,” said Qantas. The spokesperson noted there were no delays or cancellations during the previous strikes. It wasn’t just the Coalition dodging questions this morning, with Labor frontbenchers Chris Bowen and Bill Shorten playing coy on the broken 2022 election promise that power bills would come down by $275 by 2023. Energy Minister Chris Bowen was asked if he regretted making the promise in 2022, but he was keen to redirect the question to discuss the cost of renewable energy. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen “I don’t regret obviously pointing out that renewables are the cheapest form of energy,” Bowen said. “I look forward to debating the competing plans before the Australian people at the next election.” Pushed to answer the question again, Bowen said we were dealing with “a different set of circumstances internationally” post-2022. “Australia’s increase in energy prices has been less than a lot of other comparable countries. We delivered billions of dollars of energy bill relief, which has been the appropriate thing to do, which has been opposed by the Liberal and National Party.” Asked about the promise on Nine’s Today , NDIS Minister Bill Shorten also opted to pivot to the Coalition’s nuclear plan. “We know that energy prices are part of the cost-of-living pressure on families. That’s why I think that the heroic assumptions of Peter Dutton promising some fanciful solution in 25 years’ time is just a crock,” Shorten said. “The idea we’re going to come from scratch and build a whole nuclear industry in Australia is, you know, just a fantasy.” The wait is over for Queensland’s year 12 graduates, with school-leavers across the state receiving their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results this morning. This year, 28,845 graduates received an ATAR – about 1000 more than last year – with 36 students achieving a top result of 99.95. ATARs were made available to eligible students through Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre (QTAC). Big smiles for Lachlan Howie and Kaiyu Su, two of the 36 students in Queensland to receive top ATAR scores of 99.95. Credit: QTAC Seventeen-year-old Brisbane Girls Grammar graduate Kaiyu Su was among those to achieve the top score. “I was definitely hoping for it but it’s been great to see that it’s a 99.95,” she said. “[I’m] definitely very happy and excited for where it might take me.” Read the full story. Queensland year 12 graduates are getting their ATAR results this morning, providing their ticket to tertiary study. But the Queensland government has not released the full data for year 12 results for years. The information released today in Queensland will include overall figures for the state, such as how many students received an ATAR and how many got the top rank of 99.95. Hardly illuminating. In comparison, our colleagues at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can access individual school data, which they can use to celebrate wins, including when students get great results against the odds. Queensland journalists can only get school-by-school data if they contact each school individually, and putting aside resourcing issues in stretched newsrooms for a minute, it would hardly be surprising if only the top-performing schools were happy to share – and we all know how controversial these media-created league tables are, especially if they lack context about a school’s socio-economic background. Without the full data, we can’t understand individual school data in its proper context and explain it. This was not always the case in Queensland. Before the OP system was swapped for ATARs, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority released a more than 200-page report showing how many students received OPs in each bracket at each individual school , but this was discontinued in 2021 under the ATAR system, with a brief Queensland-wide report now produced. NSW and Victoria also use ATAR, but release more comprehensive results than the Sunshine State. Amid our constraints, Brisbane Times journalist Courtney Kruk has put together a story celebrating the achievements of this year’s graduates. We’d love to have brought you even more. Two of the ABC’s most well-known broadcasters, Patricia Karvelas and Michael Rowland, have signed off for the final time from their respective morning programs. Rowland wrapped up nearly 15 years at ABC News Breakfast helm in an emotional final bulletin surrounded by his family and colleagues. ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland has signed off after 15 years in the role. Credit: ABC “Thank you very much, It’s been wonderful,” said Rowland. “I have been genuinely touched and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection from our viewers. One of my great achievements over the last 15 years has been building up this fantastic audience.” Meanwhile, Karvelas signed off after three years hosting ABC’s flagship morning radio show RN Breakfast. “You’ve been there with me throughout great change in our country and the world, and I want to thank you for it,” Karvelas said, thanking listeners and the Radio National team. Karvelas reflected on her “uniquely Australian” story, growing up in a household where she didn’t speak English. Patricia Karvelas has been filling in as host since Grant’s departure and will now stay in the chair until the end of the year. Credit: Scott McNaughton “Because of a strong public education system and dedicated teachers and incredible family support, I got to grow up and host a national radio show where rigour and curiosity is at the centre of what we do,” she said. Karvelas wished the best of luck to her replacement Sally Sara. “I’ll be listening because I care about this show, and I care about journalism, and I care about telling the truth in a world where the truth is not to be contested.” Coalition frontbenchers have avoided promising energy bills will be cheaper if they win government, as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton prepares to reveal the costings of his signature nuclear policy later today. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and MP Barnaby Joyce were both asked if they would pledge power would be cheaper under the Coalition, but both dodged the question. McKenzie was asked on Nine’s Today , where she first said that the price is attached to the “cost of delivering something”. “And our plan is absolutely cheaper than Labor’s plan to get to 2050,” she said. Asked again if the Coalition would bring down power bills, McKenzie weaved again, saying prices would come down in the longer term. “By adding net zero nuclear to firm up the renewables that we’ve got in the grid as well, is the way to actually get prices down over the long term,” she said. Joyve was asked the same question on ABC’s RN Breakfast. On the fifth iteration of the question, would power bills come down under the Coalition, Joyce finally answered: “That is asking for a hypothetical question, which I could answer you, but I would not be telling the truth, because I don’t have the facts before me.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took time out of his busy pre-Christmas schedule to join the farewell party for Sammy J on ABC Radio in Melbourne this morning, where he wasted no time using his appearance to go into political attack mode. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Credit: Kate Geraghty “It’s Friday the 13th, an auspicious day, I’ve got to say, for Peter Dutton to drop his nuclear nightmare policy out there,” Albanese said, bypassing the pleasantries and bonhomie in favour of dropping a bomb on the opposition leader. “Oh, so straight into it,” said Sammy J. “Have you had a sneak peek [at Dutton’s nuclear power plan]?” he asked. “I had a look at some of the fiction that’s out there,” the PM replied, claiming nuclear power would not lead to savings on the cost of household power but rather “increase bills by $1200”. “The truth is that renewables are the cheapest form of new energy. Everyone knows that’s the case. The science tells us that that’s the case. The economists tell us that’s the case.” The Brisbane City Council has offered sandbags to residents in the city’s tidal flood areas before a predicted anomaly from Sunday through to Tuesday next week. The council advised residents that tide peaks were expected to reach similar levels to September this year, and that “minor localised flooding may be experienced in bayside, riverside, and low-lying parts of nearby suburbs”. Sandbags were also made available for locals, and those in low-lying foreshore and riverside areas were warned to avoid parking their cars on the street. The higher-than-average tides were also expected to impact creeks within bayside suburbs. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts another top temperature over 30 degrees for the River City today, on a partly cloudy day. While there isn’t much hope for a shower, over the weekend there will be a 60 per cent chance of falls across Brisbane, lessening on Sunday. The weather will remain much the same early next week, with the days gradually becoming warmer. Here’s the outlook for the next seven days.
The 12 Best Hair Straighteners, Tried and Tested by Celebrity Hairstylists
LeBron James 'Quitting' Lakers Over Diddy Controversey? Theories SurfaceCBC resurrects plans for live New Year’s Eve broadcast specialsTriNet Announces Quarterly Dividend
Aided by a Lake County Sheriff Department helicopter, Santa arrived Saturday at Pointe Plaza, from where he headed way downtown to the old courthouse. The jolly fellow’s arrival was part of a weekend that featured the city’s annual Winter Market, along with Small Business Saturday. Shivering on a frigid 19-percent morning for Santa Claus, many people said they plan to spend more on holiday gifting. Popular items include books, clothing, technology, games, and toys. Alli Strabavy of Schererville noted, “I’ve already spent more.” Heather Corsey, a teacher from Crown Point, replied, “I may spend less, but probably more.” Carla Smolek, president of the Crown Point Lions Club, thinks she’ll spend about the same as last year. She cautioned, “I have to buy a little of everything. I have great-grandchildren, along with children who are 62, so I have a wide range.” The Small Business Administration reported spending in 2023 by those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around $17 billion. Among local businesses in the courthouse, Kim Boyd has operated The Little Pink Shop for nearly 12 years. The women’s boutique offers apparel, accessories, and gifts. Boys said the key to her success is “just building relationships with returning customers and new customers. People like that we’re honest and authentic.” The challenge for a small business owner, Boyd noted, is “doing everything. You’re the buyer, janitor, and marketing person.” Across the way is Toys In The Attic, a toy, games, and puzzle store owned by Christine Reddick. She has operated the Crown Point store for nine years and a Valparaiso shop for seven years. Success, Reddick said, is about “customer service and carrying unique products. Plus, we’ve increased our stock.” Based on a Gallup survey taken between Nov. 6 and 20, Americans will spend on average $1,012 on Christmas gifts this season, compared to $975 in 2023. For the most part, people awaiting Santa’s arrival at Pointe Plaza planned to purchase multiple gift cards, with the average in the 10-15 number range. Cards to be purchased ranged in price up to $50, which is near the national average. Julie Wendorf, director of the Crown Point Community Library, plans to purchase 50 cards for her staff. Capital One Shopping reports 71% of U.S. shoppers plan to buy gift cards this season, due in part, experts say, to their convenience. On average, Capital One projects, U.S. consumers will spend more than $200 each on gift cards and certificates this holiday season. For some small merchants, their storefront is the Internet. At the Winter Market, sisters Kelly Goss and Stephanie Cruz are in the initial year for PenPals, “beautiful pens for everybody,” Goss said. The sisters sell pens from Facebook and at vendor shows. So far, Cruz said, “People like our variety. We go out of our way to get what people want.” Also operating online and at pop-up shows is Curved Plus Size Fashion, owned by Ann Rhineberger of St. John. In business for three years, Rhineberger noted, “People have been very receptive. It’s hard to find plus-size clothing.” The big thing, Rhineberger said, is her online presence. “People are warming up to each other and our bodies and helping each other,” she said.Europa League table: Lazio still leaders, Roma revitalised
SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates AVAV, CTV, AE, PLL on Behalf of Shareholders
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The guy on the Philly sports talk radio station had something to say, and he started to vent about the perceived strained relationship between star quarterback Jalen Hurts and standout wide receiver A.J. Brown. Why weren’t these two Pro Bowl Eagles on the same page? Why had their personal and professional relationship changed even with Philadelphia enjoying tremendous success? It was football gossip usually ripe for a hot-take host or fed-up fan to stir up on the air — only in this instance, the temperature check came from inside the locker room. Normally respected team leader Brandon Graham, who is sidelined with a triceps injury, noted in a radio appearance that “ things have changed ” between Hurts and Brown in the wake of a stale passing game in last week’s win over Carolina. An apologetic Graham walked back his comments. Hurts and Brown both insisted their relationship was cool in front of media hordes more appropriate for the Super Bowl. As for the rest of the Eagles, they were ready to squash the so-called controversy. “We are moving on,” offensive lineman and Christmas song crooner Jordan Mailata said. “It is the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Not the A.J. Brown and Jalen Show. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.” Oh yeah, the Steelers! Lost in the brouhaha ignited in a Philly sports bar is the fact that sitting — and winning — on the western side of Pennsylvania are the Steelers (10-3). Unlike most matchups in series history, this one Sunday at the Linc comes with the tantalizing appeal of a potential Super Bowl preview. The Steelers have won seven of eight, and the Eagles (11-2) have won nine straight and could clinch the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss or tie. It's the first time the teams — among the original eight NFL teams — will play each other when they both have a double-digit win total. Both teams are in strong position for a playoff run — the Eagles led by Saquon Barkley and his pursuit of Eric Dickerson's NFL season rushing record; Russell Wilson and the soft-schedule Steelers atop the AFC North in large part thanks to six wins against teams that currently have losing records. “I do like playing really good people, I think there's growth in it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “You've got to get the job done. But man, I think there's significant growth in pitting your collective talents and skills versus big-time opponents and they're certainly that.” Will the drama out of Philly this week affect the Eagles? They certainly don't think so and neither do the oddsmakers — the Eagles are 5 1/2-point favorites, per BetMGM. “What I’ve noticed about this football team is they’re so locked in and determined to get better each day,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We don’t really want anyone else talking to us about anything other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.” Good luck with that, Coach. Maybe playing the Steelers on Sunday at home can snap the Eagles out of their offensive malaise. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022. Barkley watch Barkley leads the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards, 216 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. He is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace, and with one more game to play than Dickerson had, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is on pace for 2,122 yards, which would put him just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984. Barkley doesn’t need much of a reminder from his 2020 performance when, while playing for the New York Giants, he ran into a Pittsburgh defense that seemed reminiscent of its famed Steel Curtain. The Steelers held Barkley to 6 yards on 15 carries. Bye, George The Steelers will have to find a way forward against the NFL’s toughest defense without wide receiver George Pickens, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh survived last week against Cleveland, with Mike Williams and Scotty Miller — afterthoughts of late — coming off the bench to make an impact. While Tomlin believes “the strength of the pack is the pack,” the reality is the Steelers don’t have anyone who can stretch the field like Pickens, who leads the team in receptions (55) and yards (850) by a wide margin. It’s a challenge, but considering the way Wilson has spread the ball around — eight players caught passes against the Browns — he won’t lack for options. “Everybody in the receiver room has a different skill set, different strengths,” Calvin Austin III said. “The coaching staff knows that and they know how to put us in position to be able to show that.” Playoff preview The cross-state trip to Philadelphia, where the Steelers haven’t won in nearly 60 years, is the start of an 11-day stretch in which Pittsburgh faces three teams likely bound for the playoffs. While Tomlin is leaning into the “nameless, gray faces” mantra he uses for every opponent, his players know facing the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in such a short period is a litmus test for what’s to come in January. “That’s why I’m in the league, period,” linebacker Patrick Queen said. “When you sign up to play football, you want to play at the highest level. ... I love to play the game the right way. I think these next few games is going to show that and it starts with the Eagles.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Dan Gelston, The Associated PressFeaturing no fewer than 14 representatives of the Greek shipping community, the 2024 edition of the Lloyd’s List spotlighting the 100 most powerful players in global shipping has just been published. A number of Greek shipowners are high up on this year’s “One Hundred People” list, but Evangelos Marinakis stands out yet again, as he leaps from 22nd to 16th place in the 2024 rankings. This means he has shot up no fewer than 25 places in the last two years, the highest climb achieved by the 14 Greek shipping magnates on the list. In first place, we find Arsenio Dominguez, the “extremely effective and popular” Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization. That Yahya Sare’e, the military spokesman of the Houthis, a group that has appeared as a “significant influencer in shipping’s fortunes this year,” is in second place is indicative of the geopolitical challenges the shipping industry is facing currently. “The threat posed to global shipping lanes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels is growing dramatically, thanks to an increasingly diverse network of political alliances, military suppliers and financial support networks that now extend through multiple terrorist organizations,” the List notes. The dark fleet’s place in eighth position in the global rankings is also indicative of the challenging geopolitical context: “Numbering just over 660 ships, this fleet poses a significant risk for the rules-based shipping industry.” A shipping industry veteran with “a bold longer-term vision, who remains a pragmatic deal-maker” is how Lloyd’s of London describes Evangelos Marinakis: “Just as his English football club Nottingham Forest has risen to an exalted position in the Premier League, so mercurial Greek shipowner Evangelos Marinakis has continued ascending our rankings.” Marinakis wields influence well beyond the narrow shipping sector – in football as well as media in his native Greece. “But in our industry, the standout reason for this year’s higher place is that his Capital Group has arguably gone beyond any other Greek owner in its ambitious investment in the energy transition required to decarbonize the industry.” In addition to ordering 18 modern liquefied natural gas carriers, of which six remain on order for delivery in 2026 and 2027, the Group has invested in six midsize gas carriers that can carry ammonia and four unique handysize multi-gas carriers that can carry liquid CO2. Capital Clean Energy Carriers is poised to become the largest U.S. publicly traded company in the green transition sector. “There’s no doubt that Capital Group has outperformed every other Greek shipping concern in the ambitious investment program it has undertaken in the light of the energy transition.” The expanding fleet has been consolidated under the Nasdaq-listed company controlled by Marinakis, the former Capital Product Partners. Lloyd’s recalls that the rebranded Capital Clean Energy Carriers is on course to have the largest and youngest U.S.-listed fleet of energy-transition vessels. Capital was one of the five founder shipowner members invited by Lloyd’s Register to launch its new Shipping Emissions Reduction Center in Athens in 2024. “However, Marinakis’ success has been built on being able to see the forest and the trees. At the same times as committing to the most modern ships, he has an enviable record of profitable sale and purchase deals that keep the Group moving forward,” Lloyd’s notes. Maria Angelicoussis, head of the Angelicoussis Group, is in 12th place, as she was in 2023. She is the highest-placed of the 14 Greek shipowners on the Lloyd’s List, which notes that Maria Angelicoussis is continuing to expand and gradually mold the eponymous family shipping group for a sustainable future. 2024 saw the group diversify successfully into the shuttle tanker business, announcing the takeover of the Altera Shuttle Tankers fleet of 18 tankers in the North Sea, Brazil and off the east coast of Canada in November 2024. It was one of the biggest deals in the 75-year history of the Group. “The Group has assets of approximately $16.8 billion, of which just over $14 billion represents the book value of its fleet” Earlier in the year, the Group took its first steps in the sector when it ordered three shuttle tankers in South Korea having won a Petrobras tender. The three ships are expected to be launched in 2027 and 2028, and will likely join the Altera platform. The Group has assets of roughly $16.8 billion, with just over $14 billion representing its fleet’s book value. Three-quarterly earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation for 2024 were $1.9bn, while the total annual earnings are expected to average $1.8bn over five years. The 144 ships currently in the Group’s fleet consist of roughly equal numbers of tankers, bulk carriers, and LNG carriers. In addition, there are 23 vessels on order, half of which are LNG carriers. Decarbonization and energy efficiency are top horizontal priorities for the Group. The Delphic Maritime Training Center is one of the most state-of-the-art in-house training facilities belonging to any shipping company. George Prokopiou is ranked 20th on the list, one place lower than in 2023. Lloyd’s List’s introduction focuses on the Greek shipowner’s involvement in real estate investments. Prokopiou recently acquired a $160m stake in Vouliagmeni’s iconic Astir Palace resort and is investing a further $500m into a sperate real estate development on the Athens Riviera at Ellinikon, Lloyd’s List reports. One need only consider his order book for new builds to banish any speculation that Prokopiou might be moving away from shipping. As of November 2024, the shipowner has orders for just short of 100 vessels. At the time of writing, contracts have been signed with Dynacom Tankers for 56 tankers and with dry arm Sea Traders for 32 bulkers. Eight 200,000 cubic meter LNG carriers are also under construction from a total order of 14. Dynagas, the Group’s LNG shipping arm, has already taken delivery of the first one. Other recent orders include four suezmax tankers, whose construction will be undertaken by China’s PaxOcean Zhoushan shipyard. “Compared with the vessels Prokopiou was building twenty years ago, today’s ships clearly belong to a new and far more efficient generation, although all the tankers and bulkers will run on conventional fuel.” We should note that Prokopiou was quick to realize the potential Northern Sea Route transits would have for LNG carriers, entering the sector many years ago with the construction of sturdy winterized and ice-class LNG carriers. Dynagas was also first off the mark to commission floating storage and regasification units from Chinese yards—the first they ever built. Lloyd’s List ends its profile by commenting on Prokopiou’s acquisition of Hellenic Shipyards (Skaramangas), noting that he proceeded with an extensive renovation of the facility which has had an extremely busy first year back in operation. Angeliki Frangou is in 24th place, three places lower than in 2023. This year saw the US-listed Navios consolidate its tanker, dry bulk and container vessels into a single diversified fleet which had enabled Frangou to exploit market dynamics to the fullest. In addition, 2024 was the 70th anniversary of Navios, as well as the 20th anniversary of the listing of International Shipping Enterprises (ISE)—Frangou’s first publicly listed company—on Nasdaq. “As of November 2024, the listed entity Navios Maritime Partners operates 179 vessels that are owned or under purchase option” Just weeks later, ISE put in the winning bid for Navios, the US Steel Corporation’s historic shipping subsidiary. Navios was mainly a dry cargo-operating business at the time of its acquisition, when its fleet consisted of just six handymax bulk carriers, with others under long-term charter. Fast-forward twenty years to November 2024 and Navios Maritime Partners operates a total of 179 vessels which it owns or are under purchase option. With a book value of $5.7 billion, the fleet has 75 dry bulk carriers, 48 containerships and 56 tankers. Navios decision to consolidate its fleet under a single roof, that of Navios Partners, brought a major diversified shipping company into being which Frangou considers to a better match for today’s shipping cycles and periods of greater than usual volatility such as the present. As she sees it, a diversified fleet is better able to exploit market dynamics as they manifest themselves, meaning the shipowner no longer has to rely on predictions about the future. Frangou is also of the opinion that diversity enables creativity, but with less risk. No one could work harder than Frangou, who has successfully guided Navios through an especially turbulent period for the markets, and done so employing traditional shipping stocks, despite being publicly listed. As Lloyd’s List notes, that is a claim few if any companies can make. Melina Travlos, president of the Union of Greek Shipowners, is ranked 26th, down from 25th in 2023. As Lloyd’s List notes, the president of the Union of Greek Shipowners, which was established in 1916 and is now the largest shipowning association in the world, clearly warrants a position of prominence in its annual listing. As she nears the end of her first three-year term, Melina Travlos has kept her promise to serve as an ambassador for the entire shipping industry and not just for Greek shipping. That Travlos was asked to deliver the prestigious keynote speech at the International Chamber of Shipping’s net zero event at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023 sheds light on the respect with which she is held by other industry leaders. “Travlos considers shipping a vital builder of bridges and thus as an engine for global growth and prosperity. As such, the industry is our purpose, our duty, our commitment” Travlos then seized the opportunity afforded by her influential slot to convey a message of unity. “If we can work together to achieve our shared goals, the prize will be greater than the greening of our industry; it will be the greening of all industries,” she told her audience. Travlos considers shipping a vital builder of bridges and thus as an engine for global growth and prosperity. As such, the industry is “our purpose, our duty, our commitment.” As UGS President, she has built on the work started under her predecessor Theodore Veniamis and proved extremely effective at forming and conserving coalitions. Travlos is often a vocal proponent of brining Greece’s powerful national shipping industry to the nation at large, Lloyd’s List notes. And though her position on the list primarily reflects her UGS role, Lloyd’s List notes that Travlos’s own shipping company is “a paradigm in its own right.” Indeed, Neptune Lines is Greek shipping’s leading liner operation. As Lloyd’s List notes: “Owning and operating a fleet of 21 pure car and truck carriers which cover an extensive network of routes, it has few if any peers in a country focused mainly on tramp shipping and providing tonnage to charterers.” The Travlos Group also includes sister companies involved in dry bulk shipping and in onshore logistics. As for the other nine Greek entries in the Lloyd’s List 100, these are: Το 1,3 δισ. ευρώ έφτασαν τα ληξιπρόθεσμα χρέη των νοσοκομείων (δημόσιων και στρατιωτικών) σε προμηθευτές με την Κομισιόν να προσφεύγει στο Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο κατά της Ελλάδας.
PHILIPPE Clement has revealed how giving the Rangers players cooking lessons has helped the Ibrox club to come to the boil ahead of their Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic at Hampden on Sunday. Clement’s side performed superbly in their Europa League league phase match against Spurs in Govan this evening and were unlucky to only draw 1-1 with their Premier League rivals at the end of the 90 minutes. The Belgian was delighted with how his charges, who will defend the League Cup they won last year against their city rivals this weekend, played against Ange Postecoglou’s men. He was particularly impressed with how his Nicolas Raskin acquitted himself in midfield and revealed how addressing his eating habits with the catering staff at Auchenhowie had helped his countryman to rediscover his best form. “The biggest difference with Nico is that physically he's taking really good steps,” he said. “He has spoken himself about his diet. That's also a thing which the club is helping with. “So the chef in the club helps Nico with his food. But it's not only with him. We're giving cooking lessons to all of the guys who don't have a wife or are single so they learn also now. “You can laugh with it. But those are important details, that they learn what the good food is, what they need to eat, not the wrong things. They learn something out of it that will help them also in the future if they have a relationship with somebody. “I know I never was good in that. So I get some stick about that with my wife. So it's good lessons from my side also. No, to stay serious, Nico, tactically is taking really big steps about what to do in which moment. And he's still a young player. “He didn't play this role so much, and for sure not at this level. But he's taking really good lessons and all staff is helping in that way. After every game, we are showing images of what was good and what can be better. “With a squad like that, you need to get all the details right because football is a game with a lot of details that you need to take control of, the things you can control. And Nico is learning really fast. “Same as with Dio [Mohamed Diomande], same with Conor Barron. All young midfielders, all exciting talents. It's about in the midfield, it's the engine of the team. “It's important to do the right things, the right moments, and like this, controlling the games really well. To take out transitions, to have good positioning, but also to be available and knowing where to play, where to play the balls. So, yeah, I'm really happy with the evolution of Nico, but not only him.” Rangers centre half John Souttar limped off in the first half and was replaced by Leon Balogun and Hamza Igamane, who scored at the start of the second half, also appeared to pull up with cramp before making way for Cyriel Dessers. Clement was unsure if the duo will be available to face Celtic at Hampden on Sunday when he spoke after the Spurs draw. “I cannot say anything for the moment,” he said. “I wish I could because that would ease my mind also towards tomorrow, but it's not the case. So we will see in the next two days how it is with them. “About freshness? We're not going to think about that. We're going to recover as fast as possible and we're going to throw all our energy into that game at Hampden. We want to give our fans again the good feeling that they had last season in this League Cup. “And this performance means that players can have a lot of belief in what they are doing individually and also together in the next couple of days and play a really good game against Celtic.”Lindsey Vonn takes another step in comeback at age 40, competes in a pair of downhills
Michigan upsets No. 2 Ohio State 13-10
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:21 p.m. ESTLazio are guaranteed a place in at least the Europa League play-offs as they are , while Roma boost their chances of getting into the top 24. The Biancocelesti put in a dominant performance in Amsterdam to with goals from Loum Tchaouna, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and veteran Pedro. It puts them on 16 points from six games in the Europa League, joint top with Athletic Club, but ahead on a superior goal difference of +11. This guarantees them a place in the top 24 places, which is worth a spot in at least the play-offs, although the top eight is what allows teams to go directly into the Round of 16. at the Stadio Olimpico to bolster their position to 14 on nine points. As things stand, it would still be enough to qualify the Giallorossi for a seeded spot in the play-offs draw. The top eight go directly into the Round of 16, teams from 9-16 are seeded in the play-offs, facing a side from 17-24. The sides from 25 place onwards are eliminated from Europe altogether when this phase concludes in January.
Michigan upsets No. 2 Ohio State 13-10Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has been ruled out for the second half of Saturday's SEC Championship Game against Texas after being injured on the final play of the first half. Texas' Trey Moore forced a fumble on Beck's pass attempt, appearing to injure the Georgia quarterback's throwing arm. Beck remained motionless on the field for a short time before joining the team in the locker room. Coach Kirby Smart told ESPN at halftime that Beck was done for the day. During the third quarter, Beck was seen with ice on his right elbow. Beck completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards and was sacked once before exiting. Georgia backup Gunner Stockton entered and led Georgia on a 10-play, 75-yard opening second-half drive, giving the Bulldogs their first lead at 10-6. Bulldogs punter Brett Thorson injured his left knee in the third quarter and was ruled out of the contest. He was taken off on a cart. --Field Level MediaWASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman's Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union's executive vice president. “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump posted. “The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products.” “To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November's election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. Instead, Trump said that ports and shipping companies should eschew “machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced.” “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries,” Trump posted. “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KYTX) (“Kyverna” or the “Company”) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Company’s registration statement issued in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”) held on February 8, 2024. The Kyverna lawsuit charges the Company, certain of its current and former senior executives and directors, and the underwriters of Kyverna’s IPO with violations of the federal securities laws (collectively, “Defendants”). Kyverna investors have until February 7, 2025 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Kyverna class action lawsuit. If you purchased or acquired Kyverna common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Company’s registration statement issued in connection with its IPO on February 8, 2024, and suffered substantial losses , and you wish to obtain additional information or serve as lead plaintiff in this lawsuit, you may submit your information and contact us here: https://dicellolevitt.com/securities/kyverna/ . You can also contact DiCello Levitt attorneys Brian O’Mara or Ruben Peña by calling (888) 287-9005 or emailing investors@dicellolevitt.com . Those who inquire by email are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. Case Allegations Kyverna is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cell therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. During its IPO, Kyverna offered 14.5 million shares of common stock at $22.00 per share, resulting in the Company receiving approximately $296 million in net proceeds. The Kyverna lawsuit alleges that the IPO’s registration statement contained false and misleading statements and/or concealed material adverse facts, including that: (i) Kyverna did not disclose negative information about one of its clinical trials; (ii) the undisclosed negative information was likely to, and eventually did, substantially and negatively affect Kyverna’s main product, making the information and trends disclosed in the registration statement, false, misleading, and not indicative of Kyverna’s business prospects; (iii) Kyverna’s statements about risk factors did not to adequately disclose the risk posed by Kyverna’s nondisclosure of adverse information about one of its clinical trials, that other adverse results and trends had already manifested or the probable materially negative effects on Kyverna’s future results, share price, and prospects. The truth began to emerge on June 14, 2024, when Kyverna published an investor presentation that revealed adverse data about one of its clinical trials. The Kyverna lawsuit alleges the Company’s shares plummeted after this data was disclosed. In fact, by the filing of the Kyverna lawsuit, the Company’s stock had traded as low as $3.92 per share, a decline of more than 82% from the IPO’s price per share. About DiCello Levitt At DiCello Levitt, we are dedicated to achieving justice for our clients through class action, business-to-business, public client, whistleblower, personal injury, civil and human rights, and mass tort litigation. Our lawyers are highly respected for their ability to litigate and win cases – whether by trial, settlement, or otherwise – for people who have suffered harm, global corporations that have sustained significant economic losses, and public clients seeking to protect their citizens’ rights and interests. Every day, we put our reputations – and our capital – on the line for our clients. DiCello Levitt has achieved top recognition as Plaintiffs Firm of the Year and Trial Innovation Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal , in addition to its top-tier Chambers and Benchmark ratings. The New York Law Journal also recently recognized DiCello Levitt as a Distinguished Leader in trial innovation. For more information about the Firm, including recent trial victories and case resolutions, please visit www.dicellolevitt.com . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Media Contact Amy Coker 4747 Executive Drive, Suite 240 San Diego, CA 92121 619-963-2426 investors@dicellolevitt.com