Latest news with #MEI
Edmonton Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: We need less politicking and more approvals for major energy projects
Canadians increasingly agree that our country's full economic potential and energy independence will be unleashed only if more nation-building projects are approved — and quickly. Article content This includes pipelines, which a majority of Canadians in every province — including Quebec — now support. A February SOM-La Presse poll showed support for Energy East in Quebec at 59 per cent (with 22 per cent against). MEI polling done before the trade conflict with the U.S. showed 49 per cent support in Quebec (with 28 per cent against) for building new pipelines to tidewater on either coast. Article content Article content Article content Canada is long overdue for a project approval process that is swift by default. Importantly, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, stipulates that major projects in the national interest will be approved in less than two years. The 20 projects currently languishing in the federal environmental approvals process have, on average, taken much longer than that. Article content Article content Bill C-5 can potentially override or limit the application of the federal Impact Assessment Act, formerly Bill C-69 (the 'no more pipelines bill'), and for good reason: it was ruled unconstitutional in 2023 by the Supreme Court of Canada, which agreed with the Alberta Court of Appeal that the act took a 'wrecking ball' to exclusive provincial jurisdiction over natural resources, guaranteed under the Constitution. However, it's important to note that the IAA — which ironically was also once promoted as a 'one-stop shop' to 'speed up the approval of major projects' — has not been repealed, along with other harmful, anti-investment federal regulations, including the Clean Electricity regulations and the oil and gas emissions cap. Article content Article content Adding to the uncertainty, provinces (and Indigenous rights holders) appear to have a veto under Bill C-5. Initially, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested that he and certain ministers have the 'authority' to unilaterally designate major project approvals and set development conditions. Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said cabinet will not discuss what projects are being fast-tracked until they are 'finalized.' Article content However, when a reporter recently asked Carney, 'If there's a pipeline project you believe is in the national interest, but Quebec or British Columbia don't want it, are you going to push it through?' Carney answered, 'No, we need to have consensus from all provinces and Indigenous peoples.' Article content Last week, Carney said it was 'highly likely' that a pipeline would make its way onto his government's to-do list of nation-building projects. However, he added that he couldn't guarantee it, given that proposals must come from the private sector.
Calgary Herald
23-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
We need less politicking and more approvals for major energy projects
Article content Canadians increasingly agree that our country's full economic potential and energy independence will be unleashed only if more nation-building projects are approved — and quickly. Article content This includes pipelines, which a majority of Canadians in every province — including Quebec — now support. A February SOM-La Presse poll showed support for Energy East in Quebec at 59 per cent (with 22 per cent against). MEI polling done before the trade conflict with the U.S. showed 49 per cent support in Quebec (with 28 per cent against) for building new pipelines to tidewater on either coast. Article content Article content Article content Canada is long overdue for a project approval process that is swift by default. Importantly, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, stipulates that major projects in the national interest will be approved in less than two years. The 20 projects currently languishing in the federal environmental approvals process have, on average, taken much longer than that. Article content Article content Bill C-5 can potentially override or limit the application of the federal Impact Assessment Act, formerly Bill C-69 (the 'no more pipelines bill'), and for good reason: it was ruled unconstitutional in 2023 by the Supreme Court of Canada, which agreed with the Alberta Court of Appeal that the act took a 'wrecking ball' to exclusive provincial jurisdiction over natural resources, guaranteed under the Constitution. However, it's important to note that the IAA — which ironically was also once promoted as a 'one-stop shop' to 'speed up the approval of major projects' — has not been repealed, along with other harmful, anti-investment federal regulations, including the Clean Electricity regulations and the oil and gas emissions cap. Article content Adding to the uncertainty, provinces (and Indigenous rights holders) appear to have a veto under Bill C-5. Initially, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested that he and certain ministers have the 'authority' to unilaterally designate major project approvals and set development conditions. Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said cabinet will not discuss what projects are being fast-tracked until they are 'finalized.' Article content However, when a reporter recently asked Carney, 'If there's a pipeline project you believe is in the national interest, but Quebec or British Columbia don't want it, are you going to push it through?' Carney answered, 'No, we need to have consensus from all provinces and Indigenous peoples.' Article content Last week, Carney said it was 'highly likely' that a pipeline would make its way onto his government's to-do list of nation-building projects. However, he added that he couldn't guarantee it, given that proposals must come from the private sector.
Dubai Eye
23-07-2025
- Business
- Dubai Eye
UAE official to be honoured with global leadership award
The Middle East Institute (MEI) announced that Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, will receive the 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award at the think tank's annual gala next March. The award recognises Dr. Al Jaber's visionary leadership and transformative contributions in energy, advancing technology and socioeconomic growth, promoting international collaboration, and investing in youth talent development. Among his key contributions, Dr. Sultan has been a driving force behind the adoption of a pragmatic approach to the global energy landscape to meet rapidly expanding energy demand driven by the rise of emerging markets and exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI). He has championed robust industry leading corporate governance standards that enhance integrity and compliance to mitigate risks and enable sustainable growth. For over 20 years, Dr. Al Jaber has combined public service with global business leadership, applying strategic vision and practical action to some of the world's most complex challenges, including advancing a comprehensive approach that embraces diverse energy options to meet increasing energy demand. 'As the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr. Al Jaber has been a driving force behind industrial growth and economic diversification,' said MEI President Ambassador (ret.) Stuart E. Jones, 'and as Group CEO of ADNOC, he has consistently delivered a pro-growth, pro-investment, and pro-people framework to address the rising energy needs of markets and communities. His leadership reflects a bold, inclusive vision for addressing the defining challenges of our time. MEI is delighted to be associated with Dr. Al Jaber through this distinguished award.' In his role as the Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, he has led the company's transformation into an advanced and progressive international energy company at the forefront of deploying AI and advanced technologies. He also serves as Executive Chairman of XRG, ADNOC's international energy investment company, designed to meet the surging demand for energy in an AI-enabled world. As the founding CEO and current Chairman of Masdar, a global renewable energy leader, Dr. Al Jaber has played a central role in positioning the UAE as a hub for energy, sustainability and technology diplomacy. Dr. Al Jaber said, 'It is an honour and privilege to be awarded the Distinguished Global Leadership Award by the Middle East Institute, and I am humbled to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the UAE leadership and the many teams that I work with on a daily basis. Since 1946, MEI has worked to strengthen understanding of the Middle East, and I want to thank them for their dedication and commitment to promoting positive relations between the Middle East and the U.S. Throughout my career, I have advocated that energy is a solution rather than a problem. That is why we need a pro-growth world, with pro-investment policies and concrete actions that include an 'and-and' approach, which embraces diverse energy options to meet the rapid growth in energy demand and unlock value creation opportunities in the energy-AI nexus.' As COP28 President in 2023, Dr. Al Jaber led nearly 200 countries to adopt the historic UAE Consensus, a market-based climate agreement that injected energy realism into policy discussions to drive practical solutions. Dr Al Jaber has continued to act as a cross-sectoral convenor to achieve tangible progress. He brought together energy, technology and finance leaders at the ENACT Majlis in Abu Dhabi and Washington DC to address the growing energy needs of AI, while unlocking its potential to transform energy systems. In addition to his ministerial and corporate roles, Dr. Al Jaber leads multiple institutions advancing frontier technologies and economic opportunity. His decades of service have earned worldwide recognition for aligning energy security with climate stewardship. Among his many honours, Dr. Al Jaber has received the U.N.'s Champion of the Earth award, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, and received the Order of the Union from the President of the UAE. In 2024, he was recognised with the CERAWeek Leadership Award for building consensus toward a more sustainable energy future. Dr. Al Jaber holds a in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Coventry University. The 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award will be presented at MEI's 78th Annual Gala, held at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., in March 2026. The evening will bring together senior U.S. government officials, diplomats, business leaders, and members of the international policy community to celebrate Dr. Al Jaber's extraordinary achievements and enduring legacy.
Business Wire
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
MEI Pharma Announces Closing of $100,000,000 Private Placement to Initiate Litecoin Treasury Strategy, Becoming First and Only Publicly Traded LTC Holder on a National Exchange
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) (the 'Company' or 'MEI') today announced that it has closed its previously announced private placement for the purchase and sale of 29,239,767 shares of common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) at a price of $3.42 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $100 million. In connection with the closing of the transaction, MEI has appointed Charlie Lee to its Board of Directors (at which time current member Taheer Datoo will resign) and GSR as its digital asset and treasury management advisor to oversee the implementation of its Litecoin Treasury Strategy. Charlie Lee and GSR acted as lead investors, alongside participation from the Litecoin Foundation as well as prominent crypto venture capital firms and infrastructure providers including MOZAYYX, ParaFi, Hivemind, Primitive, RLH Capital & Delta Blockchain, among others. This transaction marks a significant milestone in MEI's long-term strategic plan and establishes MEI as the first and only publicly traded company to adopt Litecoin as a treasury reserve asset. Litecoin (LTC) is a leading peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was created by Charlie Lee in October 2011. It is often referred to as the "silver to Bitcoin's gold" due to its similarities to Bitcoin. As one of the longest-running blockchains with 100% uptime since its inception, Litecoin has demonstrated a proven track record of growth and reliability with significant enterprise-grade use cases. By integrating Litecoin into its treasury operations, MEI gains access to a decentralized monetary asset that complements its cash management framework. 'Litecoin was designed to be fast, secure, and decentralized – and it's exciting to see those principles now being embraced by a public company like MEI,' said Charlie Lee, Creator of Litecoin. 'This milestone not only reflects growing institutional confidence in LTC but also sets the stage for broader adoption in traditional capital markets.' 'We're thrilled to partner with MEI in building a thoughtful LTC-focused treasury strategy,' said Josh Riezman, US Chief Strategy Officer of GSR. 'Our goal is to help institutions unlock the long-term potential of digital assets while managing risk and maintaining flexibility. This treasury strategy is centered around a completely fair and fully decentralized digital asset with a nearly unparalleled track record as a store of value and means of payment.' 'MEI is pleased to pioneer this innovative public company treasury strategy with GSR and Charlie Lee, the first to our knowledge in the biotech sector,' said Frederick W. Driscoll, Chairman of the Board of MEI. The Company intends to use the funds to acquire the native cryptocurrency of the Litecoin blockchain commonly referred to as 'LTC', which will serve as the Company's primary treasury reserve asset. Titan Partners Group, a division of American Capital Partners, acted as the sole placement agent in connection with the PIPE. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as counsel to the Company and Lucosky Brookman LLP acted as counsel to the placement agent. The offer and sale of the foregoing securities is being made in a private placement in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act'), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder, and applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the securities offered in the private placement may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws. Concurrently with the execution of the securities purchase agreements, the Company and the investors entered into a registration rights agreement pursuant to which the Company has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') registering the resale of the shares of common stock. Any offering of the Company's Common Stock under the resale registration statement will only be made by means of a prospectus. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The private placement was conducted in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules and was priced to satisfy the "Minimum Price" requirement (as defined in the Nasdaq rules). About MEI Pharma MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a pharmaceutical company with a portfolio of several drug candidates that may offer novel and differentiated therapies. The drug candidate pipeline includes voruciclib, an oral cyclin-dependent kinase 9 inhibitor. For more information, please visit Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @MEI_Pharma and on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this press release that are not historical in nature are 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, without limitation, statements regarding our future actions, prospective products, future performance or results, including the success of the PIPE transaction and Litecoin strategy, the amount of proceeds to be received by MEI Pharma and the intended use of proceeds from the PIPE transaction, and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risk relating to maintaining our current listing on Nasdaq, our ability to retain and attract senior management and other key employees, fluctuations in the market price of LTC and any associated impairment charges that we may incur as a result of a decrease in the market price of LTC below the value at which LTC is carried on our balance sheet, changes in the accounting treatment relating to our LTC holdings, our ability to achieve profitable operations, government regulation of cryptocurrencies and online betting, changes in securities laws or regulations, customer acceptance of new products and services including our LTC treasury strategy, the demand for our products and our customers' economic condition, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the lengthy sales cycle, our proprietary rights, general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in our annual report and other filings with the SEC. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.
TAG 91.1
22-07-2025
- Business
- TAG 91.1
UAE official to be honoured with global leadership award
The Middle East Institute (MEI) announced that Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, will receive the 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award at the think tank's annual gala next March. The award recognises Dr. Al Jaber's visionary leadership and transformative contributions in energy, advancing technology and socioeconomic growth, promoting international collaboration, and investing in youth talent development. Among his key contributions, Dr. Sultan has been a driving force behind the adoption of a pragmatic approach to the global energy landscape to meet rapidly expanding energy demand driven by the rise of emerging markets and exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI). He has championed robust industry leading corporate governance standards that enhance integrity and compliance to mitigate risks and enable sustainable growth. For over 20 years, Dr. Al Jaber has combined public service with global business leadership, applying strategic vision and practical action to some of the world's most complex challenges, including advancing a comprehensive approach that embraces diverse energy options to meet increasing energy demand. 'As the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr. Al Jaber has been a driving force behind industrial growth and economic diversification,' said MEI President Ambassador (ret.) Stuart E. Jones, 'and as Group CEO of ADNOC, he has consistently delivered a pro-growth, pro-investment, and pro-people framework to address the rising energy needs of markets and communities. His leadership reflects a bold, inclusive vision for addressing the defining challenges of our time. MEI is delighted to be associated with Dr. Al Jaber through this distinguished award.' In his role as the Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, he has led the company's transformation into an advanced and progressive international energy company at the forefront of deploying AI and advanced technologies. He also serves as Executive Chairman of XRG, ADNOC's international energy investment company, designed to meet the surging demand for energy in an AI-enabled world. As the founding CEO and current Chairman of Masdar, a global renewable energy leader, Dr. Al Jaber has played a central role in positioning the UAE as a hub for energy, sustainability and technology diplomacy. Dr. Al Jaber said, 'It is an honour and privilege to be awarded the Distinguished Global Leadership Award by the Middle East Institute, and I am humbled to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the UAE leadership and the many teams that I work with on a daily basis. Since 1946, MEI has worked to strengthen understanding of the Middle East, and I want to thank them for their dedication and commitment to promoting positive relations between the Middle East and the U.S. Throughout my career, I have advocated that energy is a solution rather than a problem. That is why we need a pro-growth world, with pro-investment policies and concrete actions that include an 'and-and' approach, which embraces diverse energy options to meet the rapid growth in energy demand and unlock value creation opportunities in the energy-AI nexus.' As COP28 President in 2023, Dr. Al Jaber led nearly 200 countries to adopt the historic UAE Consensus, a market-based climate agreement that injected energy realism into policy discussions to drive practical solutions. Dr Al Jaber has continued to act as a cross-sectoral convenor to achieve tangible progress. He brought together energy, technology and finance leaders at the ENACT Majlis in Abu Dhabi and Washington DC to address the growing energy needs of AI, while unlocking its potential to transform energy systems. In addition to his ministerial and corporate roles, Dr. Al Jaber leads multiple institutions advancing frontier technologies and economic opportunity. His decades of service have earned worldwide recognition for aligning energy security with climate stewardship. Among his many honours, Dr. Al Jaber has received the U.N.'s Champion of the Earth award, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, and received the Order of the Union from the President of the UAE. In 2024, he was recognised with the CERAWeek Leadership Award for building consensus toward a more sustainable energy future. Dr. Al Jaber holds a in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Coventry University. The 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award will be presented at MEI's 78th Annual Gala, held at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., in March 2026. The evening will bring together senior U.S. government officials, diplomats, business leaders, and members of the international policy community to celebrate Dr. Al Jaber's extraordinary achievements and enduring legacy.
