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Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.No. 22 Xavier unbeaten but looking for more effort vs. South Carolina
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Lopetegui came into the game under pressure following some poor displays from the Hammers in recent weeks but they earned a hard-fought victory to end the Magpies’ three-game winning spell. Despite a promising opening from the hosts, Tomas Soucek headed West Ham in front before Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s first goal for the club after the break wrapped up victory. Lopetegui was pleased with his side’s display following a “tough match”. He said: “I am happy for the three points and am very happy against a good team like Newcastle, who have good players and a fantastic coach. “I think today was a tough match and we were able to compete as a team. “I think we deserved to win. Today they had many moments in the first half, but I think the second half we deserved to win and we are happy because you have to do these kind of matches against this type of team if you want to overcome them.” Newcastle started brightly and had plenty of chances in the first half especially, but the visitors responded after the break by retaining possession well. The win eases the pressure on Lopetegui, whose West Ham side face Arsenal on Saturday, and he believes the victory is an important feeling for his players. He said: “I think the only thing that is under our control is to play football, to improve, to defend well, to convince the players we are able to do better. “Today we did, but I think the only thing we can do is to do the things that are under our control, not today but every day. “So we had to keep with this mentality, but above all let me say we are happy for the players because they need this kind of feeling as a team to believe that we are able to do well as a team, to put the best for each player of the team.” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted defeat was a missed opportunity for his side. The Magpies missed a series of chances in the first half, including efforts from Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff, before Alexander Isak blasted a chance off target. Anthony Gordon also rolled an effort just wide of the post after the break and Isak headed wide of goal. Three points could have seen Newcastle move into the top six and Howe admitted his side need to learn from the match. “Yes, massive because the league is so tight that a couple of wins and the whole picture looks very different,” Howe said. “We’ll kick ourselves tonight because we knew the opportunity we had, a home game, Monday night, a great moment for us potentially in our season, so we have to learn from that and come back stronger.”
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Woodward, Inc. WWD today reported financial results for its fiscal year 2024 and fourth quarter ending September 30, 2024. All amounts are presented on an as reported (U.S. GAAP) basis unless otherwise indicated. All per share amounts are presented on a fully diluted basis. All comparisons are made to the same period of the prior year unless otherwise stated. All references to years are references to the Company's fiscal year unless otherwise stated. Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Overview Fourth Quarter 2024 Fiscal Year 2024 Net sales $855M, +10% $3.3B, +14% Earnings per share (EPS) $1.36, +2% $6.01, +59% Adjusted EPS 1 $1.41, +6% $6.11, +45% Cash from operations $142M, -7% $439M, +42% Free cash flow 1 $118M, -12% $343M, +48% "We delivered record sales in fiscal 2024 with Woodward revenue exceeding $3 billion for the first time. Robust end market demand along with contributions from operational excellence fueled significant sales growth and earnings expansion," said Chip Blankenship, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "In Aerospace, both commercial and defense OEM sales increased due to capacity improvements to meet customer demand, and commercial and defense aftermarket sales increased due to continued high aircraft utilization. Our Industrial business benefitted from increased sales in power generation and transportation. Our performance over the last year reflects the hard work and dedication of Woodward members to deliver on our value proposition and fulfill our purpose. We enter fiscal 2025 with strong momentum. In Aerospace, we anticipate increasing revenue and margin expansion driven by continued strength in commercial markets and increased defense activity. In Industrial, we expect broad-based market strength in power generation and marine transportation, offset by a significant decline in sales related to China on-highway natural gas trucks. We remain focused on growth, operational excellence and innovation to drive shareholder value." Fiscal 2024 Key Highlights Completed $55 million, multi-year transformation of Aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Loves Park, Illinois, to prepare for aftermarket growth Signed three MRO agreements: To continue servicing Woodward-manufactured components for Lufthansa Technik To be exclusive Thrust Reverser Actuation System (TRAS) MRO contractor for CF34-10E powered fleet for Australia-based Alliance Airlines For Turkish Technic to join Woodward's global licensed asset management provider network, in support of the growing LEAP fleet Expanded participation in next generation aircraft development and demonstrator projects: Selected as rotary actuation technology provider for the NASA and Boeing Transonic Truss-braced Wing X-66A aircraft demonstrator Selected to provide Trim Control Module for JetZero Blended Wing Body Demonstrator Broke ground on Glatten, Germany, expansion to add capacity to support power generation and transportation growth Continued progress in automation and operational excellence through the installation of additional industrial robots and cobots Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Company Results Total Company Results Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, Dollars in millions, except per share amounts 2024 2023 Year over Year 2024 2023 Year over Year Income Statement Total Sales $ 855 $ 777 10 % $ 3,324 $ 2,915 14 % Net Earnings 83 83 1 % 373 232 61 % Adjusted Net Earnings 1 86 83 5 % 379 259 47 % EPS $ 1.36 $ 1.33 2 % $ 6.01 $ 3.78 59 % Adjusted EPS 1 $ 1.41 $ 1.33 6 % $ 6.11 $ 4.21 45 % EBIT 1 113 108 4 % 495 321 54 % Adjusted EBIT 1 117 108 8 % 504 356 42 % Effective Tax Rate 18.0 % 15.7 % 230 bps 17.8 % 15.7 % 210 bps Adjusted Effective Tax Rate 1 18.4 % 15.7 % 270 bps 18.0 % 16.8 % 120 bps Cash Flow and Financial Position Cash from operating activities $ 142 $ 153 -7 % $ 439 $ 309 42 % Free cash flow 118 134 -12 % 343 232 48 % Adjusted free cash flow 1 118 135 -13 % 348 238 46 % Dividends Paid 15 13 12 % 58 51 14 % Share Repurchases 86 100 -14 391 126 209 % Total Debt 872 722 21 % Debt to EBITDA 1 Leverage 1.4x 1.5x Segment Results Aerospace Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, Dollars in millions 2024 2023 Year over Year 2024 2023 Year over Year Commercial OEM $ 194 $ 167 16 % $ 738 $ 651 13 % Commercial Aftermarket 174 142 22 % 641 548 17 % Defense OEM 126 90 40 % 407 369 10 % Defense Aftermarket 59 56 7 % 243 201 21 % Revenue 553 455 22 % 2,029 1,768 15 % Segment Earnings 106 78 35 % 385 290 33 % Segment Margin % 19.2 % 17.2 % 200 bps 19.0 % 16.4 % 260 bps The increase in segment earnings in the fourth quarter was primarily a result of price realization and higher volume, partially offset by inflation. The increase in segment earnings for the year was a result of price realization and higher volume, partially offset by inflation. Industrial Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, Dollars in millions 2024 2023 Year over Year 2024 2023 Year over Year Transportation $ 131 $ 162 -19 % $ 642 $ 527 22 % Power generation 109 106 4 % 424 383 11 % Oil and gas 62 55 12 % 230 236 -3 % Revenue 302 322 -6 % 1,296 1,146 13 % Segment Earnings 38 54 -30 % 230 162 42 % Segment Margin % 12.6 % 16.9 % -430 bps 17.7 % 14.1 % 360 bps The decrease in segment earnings in the fourth quarter was primarily a result of lower volume and unfavorable mix, partially offset by price realization. The increase in segment earnings for the year was a result of price realization and higher volume, partially offset by unfavorable mix. Nonsegment Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, Dollars in millions 2024 2023 Year over Year 2024 2023 Year over Year Nonsegment Expenses $ (31 ) $ (24 ) 28 % $ (120 ) $ (131 ) -8 % Adjusted Nonsegment Expenses (27 ) (24 ) 10 % (112 ) (96 ) 16 % Fiscal Year 2025 Guidance Woodward's fiscal 2025 guidance includes a continued strong demand environment and improving operational performance throughout the year. The Aerospace segment guidance includes increasing revenue and margin expansion driven by continued strength in commercial markets and increased defense activity. The Industrial segment guidance includes broad-based market strength in power generation and marine transportation, offset by a significant decline in sales related to China on-highway natural gas trucks. Our fiscal year 2025 guidance includes $40 million in sales related to China on-highway natural gas trucks, which would be a year-over-year decline of approximately $175 million. Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries Total Company Sales $3.30 billion - $3.50 billion Effective Tax Rate ~20% Capital Expenditures ~$115 million EPS $5.75 - $6.25 Free Cash Flow $350 million - $400 million Diluted shares outstanding ~61.5 million Segment Data Aerospace Sales up 6% - 13% Segment Earnings (% of Sales) 20% - 21% Industrial Sales down 7% - 11% Segment Earnings (% of Sales) 13% - 14% Conference Call Woodward will hold an investor conference call at 5:00 p.m. EST, November 25, 2024, to provide an overview of the financial performance for its fiscal year 2024 and fourth quarter ending September 30, 2024, business highlights, and outlook for fiscal 2025. You are invited to listen to the live webcast of our conference call, or a recording, and view or download accompanying presentation slides at our website, www.woodward.com 2 . You may also listen to the call by dialing 1-800-715-9871 (domestic) or 1-646-307-1963 (international). Participants should call prior to the start time to allow for registration; the Conference ID is 4675940. The call and presentation will be available on the website by selecting "Investors/Events & Presentations" from the menu and will remain accessible on the company's website for one year. About Woodward, Inc. Woodward is the global leader in the design, manufacture, and service of energy conversion and control solutions for the aerospace and industrial equipment markets. Our purpose is to design and deliver energy control solutions our partners count on to power a clean future. Our innovative fluid, combustion, electrical, propulsion and motion control systems perform in some of the world's harshest environments. Woodward is a global company headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Visit our website at www.woodward.com . Cautionary Statement Information in this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, anticipated continued strong demand, continued improvements in our operational performance, the results of our ongoing focus on growth, operational excellence and innovation, including whether such focus ultimately leads to long-term term success and enhanced shareholder value, and statements regarding our business and guidance for fiscal year 2025, including our guidance for sales, segment sales as compared to the prior fiscal year, earnings per share, segment earnings margin, effective tax rate, free cash flow, capital expenditures, and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, as well as our assumptions regarding our guidance, anticipated trends in our business and markets, including increased revenue and margin expansion in our Aerospace segment, strength in commercial aerospace markets, defense activity in our Aerospace segment, broad-based market strength in power generation and marine transportation in our Industrial segment, anticipated weakness in the China on-highway natural gas truck market, including our assumptions regarding sales and demand in fiscal 2025. Factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (1) global economic uncertainty and instability, including in the financial markets that affect Woodward, its customers, and its supply chain; (2) risks related to constraints and disruptions in the global supply chain and labor markets; (3) Woodward's long sales cycle; (4) risks related to Woodward's concentration of revenue among a relatively small number of customers; (5) Woodward's ability to implement and realize the intended effects of any restructuring efforts; (6) Woodward's ability to successfully manage competitive factors including expenses and fluctuations in sales; (7) changes and consolidations in the aerospace market; (8) Woodward's financial obligations including debt obligations and tax expenses and exposures; (9) risks related to Woodward's U.S. government contracting activities including potential changes in government spending patterns; (10) Woodward's ability to protect its intellectual property rights and avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of others; (11) changes in the estimates of fair value of reporting units or of long-lived assets; (12) environmental risks; (13) Woodward's continued access to a stable workforce and favorable labor relations with its employees; (14) Woodward's ability to manage various regulatory and legal matters; (15) risks from operating internationally; (16) cybersecurity and other technological risks; and other risk factors and risks described in Woodward's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, any subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2024, which we expect to file shortly, and other risks described in Woodward's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Woodward assumes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by applicable law. Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (Unaudited - in thousands except per share amounts) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 854,488 $ 777,070 $ 3,324,249 $ 2,914,566 Costs and expenses: Cost of goods sold 646,733 587,510 2,447,770 2,236,983 Selling, general and administrative expenses 77,729 65,944 307,499 269,692 Research and development costs 34,689 32,061 140,676 132,095 Restructuring charges - - - 5,172 Interest expense 13,477 11,736 47,959 47,898 Interest income (1,964 ) (1,361 ) (6,458 ) (2,751 ) Other (income) expense, net (17,707 ) (16,860 ) (67,168 ) (50,291 ) Total costs and expenses 752,957 679,030 2,870,278 2,638,798 Earnings before income taxes 101,531 98,040 453,971 275,768 Income taxes 18,235 15,388 81,000 43,400 Net earnings $ 83,296 $ 82,652 $ 372,971 $ 232,368 Earnings per share amounts: Basic earnings per share $ 1.40 $ 1.38 $ 6.21 $ 3.88 Diluted earnings per share $ 1.36 $ 1.33 $ 6.01 $ 3.78 Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic 59,437 60,103 60,076 59,908 Diluted 61,385 62,039 62,084 61,482 Cash dividends paid per share $ 0.2500 $ 0.2200 $ 0.9700 $ 0.8500 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited - in thousands) September 30, September 30, 2024 2023 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 282,270 $ 137,447 Accounts receivable 770,066 749,859 Inventories 609,092 517,843 Income taxes receivable 22,016 14,120 Other current assets 60,167 50,183 Total current assets 1,743,611 1,469,452 Property, plant, and equipment, net 940,715 913,094 Goodwill 806,643 791,468 Intangible assets, net 440,419 452,363 Deferred income tax assets 84,392 58,550 Other assets 353,135 325,276 Total assets $ 4,368,915 $ 4,010,203 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities: Short term borrowings 217,000 - Current portion of long term debt 85,719 75,817 Accounts payable 287,457 234,328 Income taxes payable 40,692 44,435 Accrued liabilities 292,642 262,616 Total current liabilities 923,510 617,196 Long-term debt, less current portion 569,751 645,709 Deferred income tax liabilities 121,858 132,819 Other liabilities 577,380 543,490 Total liabilities 2,192,499 1,939,214 Stockholders' equity 2,176,416 2,070,989 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 4,368,915 $ 4,010,203 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited - in thousands) For the Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 439,089 $ 308,543 Cash flows from investing activities: Payments for purchase of property, plant, and equipment (96,280 ) (76,500 ) Proceeds from sale of assets 2,292 488 Proceeds from business divestiture 1,800 - Payments for business acquisition, net of cash acquired - 878 Proceeds from sales of short-term investments 9,738 7,692 Payments for purchases of short-term investments (6,767 ) (6,109 ) Net cash used in investing activities (89,217 ) (73,551 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Cash dividends paid (58,286 ) (51,027 ) Proceeds from sales of treasury stock 89,875 50,749 Payments for repurchases of common stock (390,819 ) (126,380 ) Borrowings on revolving lines of credit and short-term borrowings 2,962,800 2,323,500 Payments on revolving lines of credit and short-term borrowings (2,745,800 ) (2,390,300 ) Payments of debt financing costs - (2,236 ) Payments of long-term debt and finance lease obligations (75,817 ) (779 ) Net cash used in financing activities (218,047 ) (196,473 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 12,998 (8,916 ) Net change in cash and cash equivalents 144,823 29,603 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 137,447 107,844 Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $ 282,270 $ 137,447 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries SEGMENT NET SALES AND EARNINGS (Unaudited - in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales: Aerospace $ 552,790 $ 454,870 $ 2,028,618 $ 1,768,103 Industrial 301,698 322,200 1,295,631 1,146,463 Total consolidated net sales $ 854,488 $ 777,070 $ 3,324,249 $ 2,914,566 Segment earnings*: Aerospace $ 106,065 $ 78,281 $ 385,360 $ 290,104 As a percent of segment net sales 19.2 % 17.2 % 19.0 % 16.4 % Industrial 38,015 54,451 229,857 161,622 As a percent of segment net sales 12.6 % 16.9 % 17.7 % 14.1 % Total segment earnings 144,080 132,732 615,217 451,726 Nonsegment expenses (31,036 ) (24,317 ) (119,745 ) (130,811 ) EBIT 113,044 108,415 495,472 320,915 Interest expense, net (11,513 ) (10,375 ) (41,501 ) (45,147 ) Consolidated earnings before income taxes $ 101,531 $ 98,040 $ 453,971 $ 275,768 *This schedule reconciles segment earnings, which exclude certain costs, to consolidated earnings before taxes. Payments for property, plant and equipment $ 24,087 $ 19,358 $ 96,280 $ 76,500 Depreciation expense $ 21,084 $ 20,942 $ 82,578 $ 82,154 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS TO ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS 1 (Unaudited - in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 Three Months Ended September 30, 2023 Before Income Tax Net of Income Tax Per Share, Net of Income Tax Before Income Tax Net of Income Tax Per Share, Net of Income Tax Net Earnings (U.S. GAAP) $ 101,531 $ 83,296 $ 1.36 $ 98,040 $ 82,652 $ 1.33 Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments: Non-recurring gain related to a previous acquisition - - - - - - Business development activities - - - - - - Non-recurring charge related to a previous acquisition 4,378 3,129 0.05 - - - Certain non-restructuring separation costs - - - - - - Specific charge for excess and obsolete inventory - - - - - - Product rationalization - - - - - - Non-recurring charge related to customer collections - - - - - - Restructuring charges - - - - - - Total non-U.S. GAAP adjustments 4,378 3,129 0.05 - - - Adjusted net earnings (Non-U.S. GAAP) $ 105,909 $ 86,425 $ 1.41 $ 98,040 $ 82,652 $ 1.33 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS TO ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS 1 (Unaudited - in thousands, except per share amounts) Year Ended September 30, 2024 Year Ended September 30, 2023 Before Income Tax Net of Income Tax Per Share, Net of Income Tax Before Income Tax Net of Income Tax Per Share, Net of Income Tax Net Earnings (U.S. GAAP) $ 453,971 $ 372,971 $ 6.01 $ 275,768 $ 232,368 $ 3.78 Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments: Non-recurring gain related to a previous acquisition (4,803 ) (3,433 ) (0.06 ) - - - Business development activities 5,902 4,456 0.07 - - - Non-recurring charge related to a previous acquisition 4,378 3,129 0.05 - - - Certain non-restructuring separation costs 2,666 2,013 0.04 2,208 1,661 0.03 Specific charge for excess and obsolete inventory - - - 11,995 9,016 0.15 Product rationalization - - - 10,504 7,896 0.13 Non-recurring charge related to customer collections - - - 4,997 3,761 0.06 Restructuring charges - - - 5,172 3,874 0.06 Total non-U.S. GAAP adjustments 8,143 6,165 0.10 34,876 26,208 0.43 Adjusted net earnings (Non-U.S. GAAP) $ 462,114 $ 379,136 $ 6.11 $ 310,644 $ 258,576 $ 4.21 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILIATION OF NET EARNINGS TO EBIT 1 AND ADJUSTED EBIT 1 (Unaudited - in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net earnings (U.S. GAAP) $ 83,296 $ 82,652 $ 372,971 $ 232,368 Income taxes 18,235 15,388 81,000 43,400 Interest expense 13,477 11,736 47,959 47,898 Interest income (1,964 ) (1,361 ) (6,458 ) (2,751 ) EBIT (Non-U.S. GAAP) 113,044 108,415 495,472 320,915 Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments* 4,378 - 8,143 34,876 Adjusted EBIT (Non-U.S. GAAP) $ 117,422 $ 108,415 $ 503,615 $ 355,791 *See Reconciliation of Net Earnings to Adjusted Net Earnings 1 tables above for the list of Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments made in the applicable periods. Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILIATION OF NET EARNINGS TO EBITDA 1 AND ADJUSTED EBITDA 1 (Unaudited - in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net earnings (U.S. GAAP) $ 83,296 $ 82,652 $ 372,971 $ 232,368 Income taxes 18,235 15,388 81,000 43,400 Interest expense 13,477 11,736 47,959 47,898 Interest income (1,964 ) (1,361 ) (6,458 ) (2,751 ) Amortization of intangible assets 8,244 9,500 33,592 37,589 Depreciation expense 21,084 20,942 82,578 82,154 EBITDA (Non-U.S. GAAP) 142,372 138,857 611,642 440,658 Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments* 4,378 - 8,143 34,876 Adjusted EBITDA (Non-U.S. GAAP) $ 146,750 $ 138,857 $ 619,785 $ 475,534 *See Reconciliation of Net Earnings to Adjusted Net Earnings 1 tables above for the list of Non-U.S. GAAP adjustments made in the applicable periods. Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILIATION OF NONSEGMENT EXPENSES TO ADJUSTED NONSEGMENT EXPENSES 1 (Unaudited - in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Nonsegment expenses (U.S. GAAP) $ 31,036 $ 24,317 $ 119,745 $ 130,811 Non-recurring gain related to a previous acquisition - - 4,803 - Business development activities - - (5,902 ) - Non-recurring charge related to a previous acquisition (4,378 ) - (4,378 ) - Certain non-restructuring separation costs - - (2,666 ) (2,208 ) Specific charge for excess and obsolete inventory - - - (11,995 ) Product rationalization - - - (10,504 ) Restructuring charges - - - (5,172 ) Non-recurring charge related to customer collections - - - (4,997 ) Adjusted nonsegment expenses (Non-U.S. GAAP) $ 26,658 $ 24,317 $ 111,602 $ 95,935 Woodward, Inc. and Subsidiaries RECONCILATION OF CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW 1 AND ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW 1 (Unaudited - in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Year Ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net cash provided by operating activities (U.S. GAAP) $ 141,760 $ 152,913 $ 439,089 $ 308,543 Payments for property, plant and equipment (24,087 ) (19,358 ) (96,280 ) (76,500 ) Free cash flow (Non-U.S. GAAP) 117,673 133,555 342,809 232,043 Cash received for a non-recurring matter related to a previous acquisition - - (4,803 ) - Cash paid for business development activities - - 5,902 - Cash paid for non-recurring matter unrelated to the ongoing operations of the businesses - - 2,725 - Cash paid for certain non-restructuring separation costs - - 985 977 Cash paid for restructuring charges - 1,613 - 5,207 Adjusted free cash flow (Non-U.S. GAAP) 117,673 135,168 347,618 238,227 1 Adjusted and Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures : Adjusted net earnings, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted effective tax rate, and adjusted nonsegment expenses exclude, as applicable, (i) a non-recurring gain related to a previous acquisition, (ii) costs related to business development activities, (iii) non-recurring charge related to a previous acquisition, (iv) certain non-restructuring separation costs, (v) a specific charge for excess and obsolete inventory, (vi) product rationalization, (vii) a non-recurring charge related to customer collections, and (viii) restructuring charges. The product rationalization adjustment pertains to a non-recurring write-off of inventory and assets related to the elimination of certain product lines. The specific charge for excess and obsolete inventory pertains to a non-recurring process change that resulted in the identification and write down of certain excess inventory unrelated to product rationalization. The non-recurring charge related to customer collections pertains to a discrete process issue that was identified and corrected. The Company believes that these excluded items are short‐term in nature, not directly related to the ongoing operations of the business, and therefore, the exclusion of them illustrates more clearly how the underlying business of Woodward is performing. Adjusted free cash flow is free cash flow (defined below) minus cash received for a non-recurring matter related to a previous acquisition, plus cash paid for (i) business development activities, (ii) a non-recurring matter unrelated to the ongoing operations of the business, (iii) certain non-restructuring separation costs and (iv) restructuring charges. Management believes these adjustments to free cash flow better portray Woodward's operating performance. EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes), EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), free cash flow, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted net earnings, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted effective tax rate, and adjusted nonsegment expenses are financial measures not prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). Management uses EBIT and adjusted EBIT to evaluate Woodward's operating performance without the impacts of financing and tax related considerations. Management uses EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA in evaluating Woodward's operating performance, making business decisions, including developing budgets, managing expenditures, forecasting future periods, and evaluating capital structure impacts of various strategic scenarios. Management also uses free cash flow, which is derived from net cash provided by or used in operating activities less payments for property, plant, and equipment, as well as adjusted free cash flow (as described above), in reviewing the financial performance of Woodward's various business segments and evaluating cash generation levels. Securities analysts, investors, and others frequently use EBIT, EBITDA and free cash flow in their evaluation of companies, particularly those with significant property, plant, and equipment, and intangible assets that are subject to amortization. The use of any of these non-U.S. GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation of, or as a substitute for, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because adjusted net earnings, adjusted earnings per share, EBIT, EBITDA, adjusted EBIT, and adjusted EBITDA exclude certain financial information compared with net earnings, the most comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, users of this financial information should consider the information that is excluded. Free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow do not necessarily represent funds available for discretionary use and is not necessarily a measure of our ability to fund our cash needs. Woodward's calculations of EBIT, EBITDA, adjusted net earnings, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted nonsegment expenses, free cash flow, and adjusted free cash flow may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. 2 Website, Facebook, X : Woodward has used, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website, LinkedIn page, Facebook page, and X handle as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Contact: Dan Provaznik Director, Investor Relations 970-498-3849 Dan.Provaznik@woodward.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs might be more of a political negotiating tactic than a set-in-stone policy, but the outcome is sure to have huge impacts on American consumers. Trump said on social media Monday that he’s prepared to impose 25% tariffs on imports from our North American neighbors, Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Trump’s tariffs would be met with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump on the phone Monday and plans to meet with concerned officials in his country. Canada, Mexico and China are the top three destinations for U.S. exports. International trade accounts for about 10% of U.S. economic activity, according to James Knightley, ING’s chief international economist. The U.S. runs a trade deficit with Canada and Mexico, so Knightley said our neighbors theoretically would lose more in a trade war. “But we always regard this as a lose-lose situation,” he said. A tariff is something that is paid for by the importing company, which then must either absorb the extra cost or pass it along to consumers. Knightley said the U.S. imported $3.1 trillion of goods in 2023. Applying a 60% tariff to Chinese imports, which Trump has floated as an option, and 20% to imports from all other countries would add up to nearly $800 billion in extra costs for American importers that might then be passed onto customers, according to Knightley. Those higher tariffs would cost about $2,400 for every American, he said. There will be some substitutions made by American businesses and consumers to soften the blow. “But America just doesn’t have the manufacturing base to fulfill that full $3.1 trillion of stuff that we all keep buying,” Knightley said. “So, there’s inevitably going to be a cost-of-living erosion here or, a cost-of-living hit, spending power erosion.” Colin Grabow, an expert in trade policy at the Cato Institute, said most imports from Mexico and Canada are currently duty-free because of the free-trade agreements that have been in place for 30 years, first the North American Free Trade Agreement and then the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. There are exceptions, he said. For example, we have what are called countervailing duties on Canadian exports of lumber, and we have restrictions on imports of sugar from Mexico. But slapping a 25% tariff on everything crossing the border would be a big change for American consumers and businesses. “A lot of people think of imports as stuff on the store shelf. Well, roughly half of all U.S. imports are inputs,” Grabow said. “These are goods used by manufacturers and other businesses to produce goods.” Businesses have organized around the expectation of free trade and heavily integrated supply chains among all three countries, Grabow said. Both men said retaliatory tariffs would be sure to come if Trump imposed new and higher tariffs on our trade partners. Trump has considerable latitude to implement tariffs, and the courts nor the Republican-controlled Congress is likely to stand in his way, Grabow said. “I wouldn’t count on legal authorities to be a huge obstacle to this,” he said. Both men, however, said they think Monday’s threat of tariffs could be primarily a negotiating tactic for Trump. Knightley mentioned that Trump’s pick for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has talked about tariffs as a negotiation tool. Grabow said the fact that Trump made the announcement two months before he takes office is a signal that he’s trying to get concessions with the threat of tariffs. The fairly muted reaction from the markets to Trump’s announcement seems to indicate that they also believe this is a negotiating tactic rather than a realistic expectation of what can be expected on Trump’s first day in office, Grabow said. “I think this is a negotiating ploy, but I’m also skeptical that we get away scot-free,” he said. Have a news tip? Contact Cory Smith at corysmith@sbgtv.com or at x.com/ Cory _L_ Smith . Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items of grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury. The tsunami warning was in effect for roughly an hour. It was issued shortly after the temblor struck and covered nearly 500 miles (805 km) of coastline, from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay north into Oregon. “It was a strong quake, our building shook, we’re fine but I have a mess to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale. “We lost a lot of stuff. It’s probably worse than two years ago. I have to go, I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it’s going to be a tough year,” Kreitzer said before hanging up. The region — known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the three-county Emerald Triangle’s legendary marijuana crop — was struck by a 6.4 magnitude quake in 2022 that left thousands of people without power and water. The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state since it’s where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky. Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California buzzed with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.” South of San Francisco in Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Numerous cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution, including Eureka. “I thought my axles had fallen apart,” said Valerie Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor representing Crescent City, a town of fewer than 6,000 about 66 miles (106 km) north of Eureka. “That’s what I was feeling ... ‘My axles are broken now.’ I did not realize it was an earthquake.” Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has signed off on a state of emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to impacted areas along the coast. State officials were concerned about damages in the northern part of the state, Newsom said. Crews in Eureka, the biggest city in the region, were assessing if there was any major damage from the quake, Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. Bergel, who works as a resource aid at a middle school, said lights were swaying and everyone got under desks. “The kids were so great and terrified. It seemed to go back and forth for quite a long time,” she said. Some children asked, “Can I call my mom?" The students were later sent home. In nearby Arcata, students and faculty were urged to shelter in place at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The campus in was not in the tsunami hazard zone and after inspections, “all utilities and building systems are normal and operational,” the university said in a statement. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced some cracks in their homes’ foundations, as well as broken glass and windows, but nothing severe. There also have been no major infrastructure problems, building collapses or roadway issues, and no major injuries or deaths have been reported, he said. Honsal said he was in his office in the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake. “We’re used to it. It is known as ‘earthquake country’ up here,” he said. “It wasn’t a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant.” Michael Luna, owner of a Grocery Outlet in Eureka, said that besides a few items falling off shelves, the store on Commercial Street was unscathed by the earthquake. “We didn’t have any issues but a couple of deodorants fall off.... I think the way the earthquake rumbled this time, it was a good thing for our store because the last earthquake was a huge mess," he said. They evacuated customers and closed their doors temporarily until officials lifted the tsunami warning, he said, rushing off the phone to attend to a growing line of customers at check-out. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator for the Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said the computer models indicated that this was the type of earthquake that was unlikely to cause a tsunami and gauges that monitor waves then confirmed it, so forecasters canceled the warning. This quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, unlike the more vertical types, said National Weather Service tsunami program manager Corina Allen in Washington state. The California Geological Survey says the state’s shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and while most were minor, some have been destructive and deadly. On March 28, 1964, a tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska smashed into Crescent City hours later. Much of the business district was leveled and a dozen people were killed. More recently, a tsunami from a 2011 earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast, much of it in Crescent City. Dazio reported from Los Angeles. AP writers Chris Weber and Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles; Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California; Sophie Austin and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, California and Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.
A a day has become the secret to for one of Australia's oldest people. or signup to continue reading Bridget Grocke, who turned on November 18, 2024, has had a can of Emu Export beer every day for more than 60 years. "If there was a bunch of , I would choose that one; I'd always choose that one," Mrs Grocke said. Her one vice, she swears by the daily ritual, which has become her secret to a long life. But she also credits her longevity to the strong bonds she has with family. Mrs Grocke's daughter, Jan Robertson, said her mother's strength and independence have been constants throughout her life. "Her daily Emu Export is just a part of who she is, and it's heartwarming to see her reaching this milestone with the same joy and routine she's had for decades," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke was the second oldest of seven children. Born in the Perth suburb of Leederville in 1914, she spent time in Kalgoorlie and went across Western Australia as the family followed her father's work as an engine driver. She helped her mother Eva Jennings - who only had one arm - with meals, organising clothing, peeling potatoes, making pastries and doing the washing with a copper and washing dolly. Mrs Grocke worked as a cashier at Montgomery Brothers' Store in Kalgoorlie, and it was her job to count the money, tally it up and present a balance sheet. "Her diligent work earned her respect and recognition from her employees," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke also worked at David Jones in Perth, plus went off travelling to New Zealand, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. She married Jim at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Subiaco in 1942. "Their relationship was deeply loving, they did everything together and raised four kids together," Mrs Robertson said. During World War II, Bridget and her friends didn't focus on the hardships; they kept active and social, enjoying outdoor games and tennis. Mrs Grocke said her four children are her proudest achievement. She lived independently at home in Doubleview until aged 109, when she moved into Bethanie Subiaco. There, she enjoys physical activities like darts and staying engaged with her surroundings. "She's not one for puzzles or books but thrives on movement and staying physically active," Mrs Robertson said. Mrs Grocke uses a a walker for stability - but can do without one. Things she wants younger generations to know about life and/or growing older are to be nice to people - "they will be nice to you back", and always be honest. "Mum always talked about respect, manners and boundaries and to cherish family moments," Mrs Robertson said. "Simple things like sitting together at the table for dinner every single night with no distractions or external factors - something we have continued for generations to enjoy good old family discussions." While she has experienced loss - her husband Jim who passed in 1985, and two of her children - she still has her youngest sibling, plus one daughter (Mrs Robertson) and a son. Today, Bridget has 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Ken Weeks, Australia's oldest person, turned 111 in October 2024. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
TikTok star A.J. Befumo may have , but he didn't escape his match with QT Marshall completely unscathed. Befumo, 48, who wrestled as Big Boom A.J. to close out the Zero Hour portion of AEW's annual pay-per-view, suffered from a broken foot in the match but was able to finish and pick up the victory in his first professional wrestling contest in nearly 20 years. Befumo announced on social media that he believed the injury happened sometime around his top-rope flying clothesline. "Yes, the story is out there, I did break my foot in the ring Saturday night," Befumo said. "I think it happened somewhere right around the flying clothesline, but the adrenaline was kicking, everyone at the Prudential Center was bringing the boom, I had Big Justice in my corner, The Rizzler right there, of course Ashley and Mama Justice, our family. The adrenaline kicked in and I was able to finish the match. I'm very grateful for that." Thank You!!️ — A.J. & Big Justice (@ajbefumo) While bringing the BOOM! against on this past Saturday's Zero Hour, Big BOOM! suffered a broken foot but managed to fight valiantly and earn the victory in his debut in front of his son, , friend , more than 10,000... — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) Befumo and his son, known on TikTok as Big Justice, rose to prominence on the social media platform for their "Costco Guys" schtick and have amassed more than 2.3 million followers. His debut match with Marshall had been weeks in the making, drawing heightened attention — and criticism — for its presence on one of AEW's biggest events of the year. Although it wasn't a technical masterpiece, Befumo looked like a natural in the ring despite his nearly two-decade layoff. One of the unexpected highlights of the match came when Befumo delivered a superplex to Marshall. Big Justice drew one of the loudest pops of the night when he speared Marshall to help set his father up for his PowerBoom finisher. Aside from the newly revealed broken foot, the match was a major success and electrified the crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., . SUPERPLEX FROM BIG BOOM AJ! Order on PPV right now! | | — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) SPEAR BY BIG JUSTICE! Order on PPV right now! | | — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) In addition to Befumo and Big Justice, viral star The Rizzler was involved in the match as the special guest timekeeper. He was accompanied to the ring by Paul Wight of WWE "Big Show" fame and even played a small role in the match itself, drawing trash talk from Marshall — who performed his role as a "Doom"-worthy heel to perfection. At ZERO HOUR, Social media sensations , & were looking to bring the BOOM to ! Watch the ZERO HOUR right here: ▶️ — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) Shortly after news of Befumo's injury broke on Monday, he took to social media to thank everyone for the support and revealed that he has a six-to-eight week recovery timetable, but would be returning to the ring and working the AEW again. "I have been in touch with Tony Khan today and the other executives at AEW and I will be coming back," Befumo said. I will be back in the ring again, do not worry about that. I will be doing a few things with AEW during [the recovery], so stay tuned. We've got some real fun stuff coming your way. "What I really wanted to do, one time, is thank everyone out there, everyone at AEW that have welcomed me in just like family right from the very start. I know this was a crazy idea to bring someone who hasn't been in the ring for 20 years, that is a social media creator and give him an opportunity like this. I am forever grateful. As always, A.J. and Big Justice, we are All Elite."None
Justice Department drops legal pursuits against Donald Trump over election subversion and classified documents casesWhat is the Federal Reserve for, exactly, besides bailouts?
In October 2023, the starry-eyed boys of As1One boarded a plane in Tel Aviv bound for Los Angeles, buzzing and ready to record their first full album as the world's only Palestinian-Israeli boy band. The next day, their phones lit up with the news: Hamas and other militants had attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,000 people and taking more than 250 hostages. In the year since, it's not just As1One who has watched the retaliation unfold on their phones, over social media and WhatsApp. It's the whole world. And throughout the US — the biggest supplier of arms to the Israeli military — the movement to divest has gained unprecedented support, as the Israeli military continues to carry out what some human rights advocates are calling a genocide in Gaza. With two singles out this year and a long-awaited Paramount+ docuseries dropping Dec. 3 that captures the band's formation and journey thus far, As1One has remained intact, even as multiple members have lost loved ones and the future of their homeland grows more uncertain by the day. But despite the band's proximity to the conflict — four members are Israeli Jewish, one is Palestinian Christian, and another is Palestinian Muslim — their official stance is that they are apolitical. Instead, perhaps backed into a corner by global geopolitics that they were hoping to avoid, trailers for their docuseries have pushed a message we've all heard before: it's the music that will " bring people together ." As Palestinian rapper and As1One member Aseel Farah told Billboard last year : "We don't want to be political, we just want to be humanitarian." But many online are wondering how a group made up of people from opposing sides of the world's most-observed war zone could simply replicate the same blueprint we've seen time and again from boy bands — how this group could be anything but political, even if they claim to be otherwise. Maria Sherman is a journalist, music writer, culture critic, and author of "Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS." Jim Cullen is a cultural historian, writer, teacher, and author of several books on pop culture, including "Bridge and Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century." As1One's first single is a good example. It's titled " All Eyes on Us ," which some observers, like YouTube host Benedict Townsend , have pointed out is uncomfortably close to " All Eyes on Rafah ," a controversial rallying cry from this past year bringing awareness to human rights abuses committed in Palestine. The upbeat song — studded with standard boy-band lyrics like "dance like the whole world's watching" and riffs from celebrated guitarist Nile Rodgers — has nothing to do with the war, at least not overtly. And it has people all over the internet raising their proverbial eyebrows. "It all comes across a bit naïve" and very "'Eurovision'-coded," Townsend said in a September episode of his show "Scroll Deep." He wondered if As1One is "the musical equivalent of greenwashing" — if they are, in other words, "taking something very dark and complicated and trying to just smooth it over into something simplistic." While the YouTube comments on As1One's music videos seem mostly positive, reactions on X and Reddit expose a more widespread mistrust of the band and its aims. On Reddit , someone wrote, "As a MENA person, I don't know what to make of the idea of an Israeli/Palestinian boyband debuting right now." Meanwhile, X users mocked the band. "'Hey world, ignore the genocide and expanding war, come look at us Israeli and Palestinians standing united #as1one' barf," one wrote . "Societally, there has been a value placed on being apolitical, because if you're not appealing to a specific identity, then the thinking is you appeal to everybody." Historically, though, the biggest boy bands have always flaunted similar messaging. Journalist and culture critic Maria Sherman says that since the '90s, when the modern pop-group formula first began to see immense success, boy bands have embraced a sort of "all-American, boy-next-door" vibe. They're meant to be exciting to an audience of mostly young girls and their moms, and tend to be marketed with an air of innocence, with just the faintest whiff of rebellion and sex appeal. As1One, made up of six conventionally attractive 20-somethings with puppy dog eyes and white smiles, hits all those marks. "Boy bands have always been wholly apolitical, and societally, there has been a value placed on being apolitical, because if you're not appealing to a specific identity, then the thinking is you appeal to everybody," Sherman says. "Politics are considered bad business in the pop music space because it could isolate, it could divide. There's this idea that by speaking out politically on a cause or taking a stance you're limiting who will enjoy, buy into, and consume your music." Still, Sherman says, what we understood to be "apolitical" or "neutral" in the past would today register as pretty transparently political, even conservative. In their heyday, she remembers NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys talking openly about God and patriotism; the Jonas Brothers wore promise rings and made religious conservatism a part of their image early on. "The purity and innocence was appealing to a lot of people, but now that would have registered as a conservative political idea," Sherman says. "Historically boy bands have always tried to veer away from political posturing or beliefs, but looking back, there were perhaps opinions or ideologies that they were participating in." James Diener and Ken Levitan, the American music executives who formed As1One in 2021, couldn't have known about the forthcoming war. But even if the Oct. 7 attack hadn't happened, assembling a band of Israelis and Palestinians has inherent political undertones. To pretend otherwise, critics say, is disingenuous. (Paramount+ and the band's record label, Thirty Tigers, did not respond to PS's requests for comment.) Cultural historian Jim Cullen agrees with Sherman that boy bands generally claim to be separate from politics. And he admits the members of As1One are, "in a certain sense, prisoners of history," having come to the US where "suddenly world politics rains on their parade." "But when they do proceed, [they do] what boy bands have always done," he adds, which is to double down on their proclaimed neutrality. The public, though, seems to have caught on, he says, and is less pleased with the dynamic than they may have been in years past. Cullen says the mega-hit boy bands of the late '90s and early 2000s flourished under the glossy "NAFTA mentality" of the time, referring to President Clinton's North American Free Trade Agreement that transformed the US economy. At the turn of the 21st century, there was a great deal of confidence in capitalism, he says. "That manifests itself in an embrace of the market, and that has important cultural consequences" — one being a higher tolerance for the commodification of pop music and its ties to the "establishment." Just as the '80s swung to what Cullen calls a "capitalistic, self-commodifying" era after the countercultural '70s, pop music of the early 2000s reflected a renewed belief in the capitalism that repelled the grunge artists of the '90s. The era we're in now is still wrestling with its identity, but between cynicism and optimism, few would argue the latter is the pervading sentiment. It's harder, Cullen says, for pop artists of any kind, but especially boy bands — "where the commodification is foregrounded and packaged from the outset" — to pull off the innocent, naïve, cheery shtick in our hyper-online, "postliberal world," because there are fewer places to hide. Social media, for all its flaws, has exposed the inner workings of the pop music marketing machine and made it much harder to ignore the role that boy bands play in upholding the status quo. That may help explain why, for some, As1One feels so "cringely out of touch with the moment," Cullen says. Surely, some people resonate with the band's message that unity is possible through pop music. As1One's critics, meanwhile, feel the band is untrustworthy because it's non-committal, Sherman says. But committing to anything goes against the boy band business model. In recent years, fans have pushed BTS to donate to Black Lives Matter , and more generally in the world of pop, Taylor Swift fans have pressured her to make direct political statements and endorsements . But bold gestures from pop artists will likely always feel somewhat inauthentic. "When you see political action happening in music, it's typically music on the margins, alternative in musical style, or coming from marginalized performers, less so status quo mainstream pop music," Sherman says. As1One's message itself is not bad. Music is healing, and uplifting musical artists from war-torn regions may very well have positive consequences — if indirect — for people who are suffering. But as a boy band, As1One is hamstrung by its duty to be commercially viable. And the likelihood that it will produce anything truly revolutionary is low because of it. "The boy band's job is to create joyful music and make people happy," Sherman says, "but politics don't always make people happy." Chappell Roan Allowed Me to Embrace My Inner Stan Emma Glassman-Hughes (she/her) is the associate editor at PS Balance. In her seven years as a reporter, her beats have spanned the lifestyle spectrum; she's covered arts and culture for The Boston Globe, sex and relationships for Cosmopolitan, and food, climate, and farming for Ambrook Research.Redefining the Future of Shopping: Jingo Gains Silicon Valley's Backing
Women must be given adequate space in politics and the freedom to express their opinions without falling victim to rumours or mob justice on social media, speakers said at an event yesterday. The event, titled "Unmasking Violence: Combating Misinformation, Disinformation, and Cyberbullying", was jointly organised by USAID and Dhaka Tribune as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign at the capital's Krishibid Institution Bangladesh Auditorium. Umama Fatema, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement, talked about the online harassment faced by female students and mothers who were at the forefront of recent mass protests. "They have been subjected to derogatory comments about their clothing, behaviour, and speech on social media. The political space is already underserved for women, and the politics of misinformation and rumours has made the situation worse," she said. Barrister Mitin Sanjana, a Supreme Court lawyer and researcher, criticised the inadequacies in Bangladesh's cyber security laws. "Girls are particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying, yet only one in 100 victims seek legal help. Often, police dismiss these cases as minor, while instances of victim-blaming and character assassination remain rampant, with no legal protection against such actions. The laws require urgent reform," she said. Sirazum Munira, former lead member of the Grassroot Network of the Youth Policy Forum, said 89 percent of cyberbullying victims in Bangladesh are aged between 18 and 30, with 73.4 percent not seeking legal action. She identified deepfake and generative AI technologies, lack of digital literacy, and insufficient fact-checking infrastructure as significant challenges. "Pornography, offensive messages, and derogatory statements dominate crimes against women," she added. Maliha Tabassum, faculty member of Bangladesh University of Professionals, pointed out that while urban youth are aware of AI, teens at the grassroot level lack digital literacy and often overlook online harassment, enabling perpetrators. "We need to raise awareness at the personal level," she urged. Poet and activist Ferdous Ara Rumi linked social media misuse to child marriage. "In villages, the threat of 'making it viral' is commonly used. Families, fearing social disgrace, often resort to child marriage to protect their reputation," she said. Troy Beckman, USAID's director of communications, said the youth should play a major role in addressing digital harassment. "Young people are the driving force for change in Bangladesh and must take action against this issue," he said. Reaz Ahmed, executive editor of Dhaka Tribune, said national progress depends on addressing the issues faced by women. "Following the July Revolution, tackling violence against women, particularly through combatting misinformation and disinformation, is essential," he said. The event called for stronger legislation, enhanced digital literacy, and collective action to ensure safer spaces for women both online and offline.Vasquez shot 8 for 19 (2 for 9 from 3-point range) and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line for the Blazers (4-4). Yaxel Lendeborg added 20 points while shooting 9 for 12, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc while he also had six rebounds. Christian Coleman had 16 points and shot 7 of 13 from the field. Mostapha El Moutaouakkil led the way for the Ragin' Cajuns (1-6) with 19 points. Christian Wright added 15 points and six assists for Louisiana. Koron Davis also put up 14 points. Coleman scored 10 points in the first half and UAB went into the break trailing 44-42. Vasquez scored 17 points in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada’s premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Eby says the premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about using their political diversity and connections to approach politicians and business leaders in the United States, as talks over Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico ramp up. He says it has been discussed that Conservative premiers Danielle Smith in Alberta, Doug Ford in Ontario and Nova Scotia’s John Houston are well-placed to lobby their contacts with Republican governors and business leaders. In a year-end interview, Eby says as a New Democrat leader he will likely have more in common speaking with Democrat governors and business leaders from the West Coast states. He says Canada’s diversity of representation, ranging from the right and left sides of the political spectrum, can bring leverage and advantages in tariff talks. Eby also says — if it is deemed helpful — he is prepared to appear on American’s right-leaning Fox News TV network as did premiers Ford and Smith. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
NoneMISSOULA — The Montana women's basketball team ran into a buzzsaw Sunday in defensive-minded Big Ten foe Minnesota. The Golden Gophers held the Lady Griz to a season-low seven points in the first quarter in racing to a 22-point lead. From there unbeaten Minnesota cruised to an 84-45 win at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Montana had a two-game win streak snapped in falling to 3-3. Minnesota, who held UMass-Lowell and Oregon State in the 30s in wins earlier this season, improved to 7-0. The Gophers are coached by former South Dakota skipper Dawn Plitzuweit, whose emphasis on defense has been well-received. Minnesota finished 20-16 in her first season and is off to an impressive start this year. Not only did Montana lose the game, the team may have lost redshirt freshman guard Macy Donarski for a while. She left the game in the first quarter with what looked to be a significant left leg injury. Donarski did not play last season due to a knee injury. Montana was befuddled from the start by the Gophers' defense. Minnesota stresses team defense with active rotations and an emphasis on forcing turnovers. The Lady Griz had 16 turnovers in the game Montana hit just 3 of 12 shots in the first quarter in spotting the hosts a gaudy 29-7 lead. Minnesota was 9 for 19 with two triples. The Gophers stretched their lead to 52-22 by halftime. The Lady Griz were 7 for 23 from the floor. Mack Konig and Adria Lincoln were bright spots with nine points apiece in the first 20 minutes. Minnesota continued to add to its lead in the second half. The Gophers led by as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter before settling for their 39-point victory. Montana's seven points in first quarter were a season low. The Lady Griz had the same total in the fourth frame. Bill Speltz is Missoulian sports editor. Contact him at bill.speltz@406mtsports.com or on Twitter @billspeltz Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sports Editor {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
True Corporation has utilised technology to address human-elephant conflict in collaboration with Kui Buri National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The telecom operator plans to expand the Kui Buri model to cover forests across the country where there are human-elephant conflicts. The True Smart Early Warning System (TSEWS) used in Kui Buri National Park aims to reduce damage caused by elephants by up to 100%. Chief executive Manat Manavutiveth said the company partnered with the Department of National Parks and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand since 2018 to pilot the project in the national park. The initiative uses 5G high-speed internet, 4G wireless broadband and Internet of Things (IoT) systems. The TSEWS is a prime example of True's "Tech for Good" initiative, showcasing how technology can drive tangible, positive social change by addressing human-elephant conflict, said Mr Manat. As forest areas are hewn down to create agricultural areas, diminishing food sources for wild elephants, the animals often wander into human communities, causing damage to lives and property. According to data from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, human-elephant conflict led to the deaths of around 200 wild elephants per year in Sri Lanka, 100 wild elephants per year in India, and 120 wild elephants per year in Kenya. Human fatalities are also significant, with around 400 human fatalities per year recorded in India and around 200 human fatalities recorded in Kenya between 2010 and 2017. In Thailand, the wild elephant population is 4,013 to 4,422, distributed across 16 forest complexes and 94 protected areas nationwide. While the elephant population is increasing, the size of protected forest areas remains unchanged, causing elephants to venture outside forest zones in search of food. From 2021 to 2023, wild elephants left forest areas more than 37,000 times, causing in excess of 3,800 incidents of property and crop damage. Of particular concern is over the past 12 years, 227 people have died and 198 have been injured from wild elephant intrusions. These figures highlight the urgent need to find sustainable coexistence solutions for humans and elephants, according to True. Mr Manat said the main challenge in areas affected by wild elephant intrusions is the inability to quickly identify the animals' locations or predict their movements. This often leads to significant damage to lives and property. "Our TSEWS combines real-time monitoring capacity with high-speed internet and camera traps equipped with advanced image analysis. This ensures precise location tracking and enables timely interventions," he said. The model can serve as a framework for other countries facing similar challenges, Mr Manat said. The TSEWS is monitoring more than 400 wild elephants in Kui Buri National Park. The system integrates 4G and 5G smart networks with artificial intelligence technology and IoT devices to develop a proactive system. Camera traps equipped with SIM cards are connected to these communications networks to identify locations and send real-time alerts. When the cameras detect elephants leaving the forest area, the system transmits images and GPS coordinates to the cloud system for immediate analysis. The control centre notifies field officers and deploys drones to verify the situation. Officers work to safely move the elephants back into the forest, reducing risks and minimising damage. Veera Kunchairuk, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the warning system supports the work of field officers by enabling swift monitoring and efficiently guiding elephants back to the forest. The TSEWS has proven to be highly effective in supporting wildlife management teams. In 2023, although 1,104 incidents of wild elephants entering the Kui Buri National Park area were reported, crop damage occurred in only four cases, or 0.36%. This is a significant improvement from 2017, when crop damage before the system's implementation occurred in 74.5% of intrusions. The system has enabled authorities to guide elephants back into the forest while preventing losses, according to the department.Article content Polyphony Digital has announced the release of a free-to-play version of its renowned Gran Turismo video games. Titled My First Gran Turismo , the streamlined racing game will launch on December 6 at midnight local time. It will be available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, with PS5 users accessing full VR2 (virtual-reality) support. The announcement aligns with PlayStation’s 30th anniversary celebrations, which began December 3. Designed to be a little more approachable than the usual hard-core racing simulators from the franchise, My First Gran Turismo should appeal to players of all ages and skill levels. Polyphony Digital has developed the game with accessibility in mind, emphasizing its suitability for beginners while retaining the immersive elements that define Gran Turismo . According to the developer, the game encourages players to master essential racing techniques through various challenges. The free-to-play version features nine activities, including three Race Events, Time Trials, and Music Rally stages. Players can also access a full License test suite to help refine their driving skills. My First Gran Turismo includes 18 vehicles, among them the MK.7 Volkswagen Golf GTI; an FD Mazda RX-7; an AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno; and a legendary E30 BMW M3 Evolution. Players can race on three tracks: Kyoto Driving Park, Deep Forest Raceway, and Trial Mountain Circuit. The release of My First Gran Turismo continues the franchise’s legacy, which first debuted in 1997 on the original PlayStation. Polyphony Digital has referred to the new iteration as “approachable and immersive,” meaning new and experienced players can enjoy the game. Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram , Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.This Strategy Just Beat the Market 5 Months in a Row
