Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)
President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on a working visit to participate at the Joint SADC-EAC Heads of State and Government Summit on the security situation in DRC.
Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
In light of the upcoming Global AI Action Summit organised by France, we, the undersigned members countries of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse emphasize the critical need to address human rights and gender equality issues in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
With the rapid digital transformation of our societies, AI offers a new set of opportunities to advance the human rights of women, young women and girls in all their diversity and LGBTQI+ persons, and promote gender equality. AI can help all women and girls fully realize their human rights, including their right to education, their right to freedom of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly, to access information and to participate in cultural life and relevant decision-making processes. However, it also introduces a distinct set of challenges and risks, mirroring and amplifying existing gender biases and inequalities. While we recognise the critical role of AI as a driver of innovation and progress, we strongly affirm that these advances can only achieve their full potential if AI is designed, developed, evaluated, tested, deployed and used by applying a human rights-based approach, with gender equality at its core.
Currently, only 22% of AI professionals are women. This significant underrepresentation, particularly affecting global majority countries, increases the risk of AI systems perpetuating gender stereotypes and biases, and other forms of biases, discriminatory social norms and harmful outcomes. AI models, often trained on historically biased and discriminatory datasets, reproduce and amplify discrimination and stereotypes with lasting and tangible consequences, ranging from discriminatory recruitment practices to highly inadequate medical treatment for women. Moreover, the lack of “safety-by-design” measures in AI models further exacerbates risks of technology facilitated gender-based violence , with significant consequences for women and girls’ mental and physical health and safety, as well as economic and political participation. Available evidence suggests that the majority of deepfakes available online are pornographic and disproportionately target women. As such, the rapid weaponisation of AI may first impact a few, but then extends to many. When the human rights of women and girls and LGBTQI+ persons are at risk, all human rights are threatened. Whether in the daily use of AI models and systems or in multilateral fora and AI governance, the gendered impacts of AI have long been overlooked and led to existing online and offline threats disproportionately affecting women and girls in all their diversity.
Against this background, multilateral cooperation at the intersection of AI and gender has become essential. Since 2022, the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse has brought together countries to prioritise, understand, prevent, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including in the era of AI, in multilateral fora. Complementary, the Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online was established to unite states, international organisations, private platforms, and civil society organisations in cooperating and developing transnational technical solutions to combat online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The Generation Equality’s Action Coalition for Technology and Innovation has also adopted a similar multi-stakeholder approach, playing a key role in addressing TFGBV on the multilateral scale.
In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first resolution on AI, Seizing the opportunities of safe secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development (A/RES/78/265) and its first Resolution on Eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in the digital environment (A/C.3/79/L.17) driven by France and the Netherlands. Additionally, the adoption of the GA Resolution 78/213 Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the context of digital technologies (2023), the UN Agreed Conclusions from the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (2023), as well as the Global Digital Compact (2024)–the first global text on the governance of digital technologies–and the UN Convention against Cybercrime (2024), the first international criminal justice treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation for combating crimes committed by means of ICT systems, marked a significant step in addressing, protecting and defending human rights, including gender equality and the rights of women and girls in the digital environment.
Building on the recent progress and joint efforts to ensure effective international AI governance and accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs, we propose increased action to prioritise the rights of all women and girls in the digital environment at the upcoming AI Action Summit. First organised by the UK and later by South Korea, the next Summit will take place in France.
As part of the upcoming AI Action Summit, we, the undersigned countries of this declaration, call on states to recognise the gendered impact of AI on all women and girls and LGBTQI+ persons in all aspects of the digital world, recognising the continuity and interrelation between offline and online gender-based violence and the increase in technology-facilitated gender-based violence. We call on States to implement and uphold safeguards to protect the human rights of women and girls in all their diversity in the digital environment, including the online/offline continuum. We also urge the digital technology and AI sector to adopt safety-by-design principles throughout the lifecycle of AI systems, from design to development and deployment. We urge both States and the digital technology and AI sector to promote AI literacy for all, especially for all women and girls, in order to bridge the gender digital divide and to equip women, in particular those in vulnerable situations, with the knowledge to critically engage with AI by the means of promotion of equitable access and participation in the digital sphere and the empowerment of individuals to identify, mitigate, prevent and eradicate gender biases, stereotypes, discriminations, and violence.
We, the undersigned countries of this declaration, members of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, reaffirm our shared determination and commitment to building a digital future grounded in human rights, fully integrating women’s rights and gender considerations at the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris, February 2025.
Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, India, presented by Bishop Clement Tirkey.The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fabian Toppo, of the clergy of the same diocese, until now professor and spiritual director of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta, as bishop of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, India.The Reverend Fabian Toppo was born on 21 December 1960 in Darupisa in the diocse of Jashpur, Chhattisgarh. He studied philosophy at the Papal Seminary in Pune, and theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, and was awarded a master’s degree in English from the University of North Bengal and a doctorate in biblical theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome, as well as a diploma in administrative canon law.He was ordained a priest on 3 December 1994 for the diocese of Jalpaiguri.Since ordination, he has held the following roles: director of the Candidates’ House and for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue in Jalpaiguri (1994-1998), parish priest of Shanti Rani in Mongradagni (1998-2001), and professor (2002-2007) and administrator (2020-2021) of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta.Since 2016 he has served as professor of biblical theology and spiritual director of the Morning Star Regional Seminary and College in Calcutta. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Udumala Bala Showreddy of Warangal as archbishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, India.Archbishop-elect Udumala Bala Showreddy was born on 18 June 1954 in Gudur.He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Warangal on 20 February 1979, and appointed bishop of the same diocese on 13 April 2013, receiving episcopal consecration the following 23 May.From September 2022 to 9 April 2024 he served as apostolic administrator of Khammam. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Selvarajan Dasan, of the clergy of Neyyattinkara, India, until now judicial vicar and parish priest of Saint Francis Xavier in Thirupuram, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese of Neyyattinkara, India.Msgr. Selvarajan Dasan was born on 27 January 1962 in Valiyavila, diocese of Neyyattinkara. He studied philosophy and theology at Saint Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary in Alwaye and was awarded a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Université Catholique de Louvain.He was ordained a priest on 23 December 1987 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Trivandrum of the Latins.After priestly ordination, he held the offices of parish priest of Saint Albert in Muthiyavila (1988-1994), director of catechesis of the metropolitan archdiocese of Trivandrum of the Latins (1991-1995), parish priest of Saint Jude in Chinnathurai (1994-1995), parish priest of Saint Theresa in Manikkapuram (1995), defender of the bond of the Court of Trivandrum and pastoral director (2001-2003), parish priest of Saint Paul in Maranelloor and director of schools (2001-2008), defender of the bond in the Court of Neyyattinkara (2001-2011), member of the College of Consultors and the diocesan Council for Economic Affairs (since 2007), chancellor and parish priest of Immaculate Conception Cathedral (2008-2014), parish priest of Sacred Heart and director of the Logos Pastoral Centre (2014-2019).Since 2011 he has served as judicial vicar of Neyyattinkara and, since 2019, parish priest of Saint Francis Xavier in Thirupuram. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Saturday, 8 February 2025
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Bernard Laloo, of the clergy of Shillong, India, until now chancellor and parish priest of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Laitumkhrah, as auxiliary bishop of the same metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong, India, assigning him the titular see of Trofimiana.Msgr. Bernard Laloo was born on 16 June 1976 in Laitlyngkot, Meghalaya, in the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong. He studied philosophy at Christ College in Shillong and theology at the Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Pune.He was ordained a priest on 30 April 2006 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong.Since priestly ordination, he has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Saint Paul in Upper Shillong (2006-2007), administrator of Christ College in Shillong (2007-2009), dean, with responsibility for studies, at Saint Paul’s Seminary in Shillong (2009-2015), head of the Divine Saviour Hr. Secondary School in Laitumkhrah (2015-2016), and director of the Social Service Centre in Shillong (2017-2021).Since 2022 he has served as chancellor of the metropolitan archdiocese of Shillong and parish priest of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Laitumkhrah. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Silsilah
Zamboanga City (Agenzia Fides) – Christians and Muslims in the south of the Philippines joined the World Interfaith Harmony Week (February 1-7) organized by the United Nations, which was celebrated in Catholic parishes, schools, universities, cultural centers and, above all, in numerous cities on the island of Mindanao, where most of the six million devout Filipino Muslims live in the “Autonomous Region of Bangsamoro in Muslim Mindanao” (BARMM). The BARMM currently consists of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi (the inclusion of the province of Sulu Islands is currently being discussed) and is the result of the peace agreement between the government and the “Moro Islamic Liberation” Front.Among the main actors and promoters of the marches, public rallies, seminars and prayer meetings were the Catholic communities and institutions dedicated to dialogue, including the Islamic-Christian “Silsilah” movement, founded more than 40 years ago in the city of Zamboanga by Father Sebastiano D’Ambra, an Italian missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). But civil institutions are also participating in the week of interreligious dialogue, which is celebrated worldwide. For example, the mayor of the city of Zamboanga, Maria Isabel Climaco Salazar, organized and participated in an interreligious congress in her city, which is characterized by a pluralistic society, to convey to the population a message of coexistence and cooperation for the common good. At the civil society level, former Philippine President Benigno Aquini Jr. had already officially called on civil institutions in 2013 to join and pay utmost attention to the initiative, which aims to raise awareness and create social harmony in the country. Among the various initiatives held on the island of Mindanao was a meeting on February 4 at the Western Mindanao State University, a public university in Zamboanga, which brought together Christian and Muslim students, teachers and citizens who discussed together on the theme of building harmony and peace. Joselito Madroñal, vice president of the university, emphasized the university’s role as a “beacon of peace” in the region, in culture and in the education of young people. “Our university is more than just an educational institution. We are a force for change, a catalyst for peace and a solid partner in the search for harmony,” he stressed. Among the speakers present were Father Sebastian D’Ambra, founder of the Silsilah movement, Sheikh Mahir Gustaham, a Muslim representative and coordinator of the “Interreligious Solidarity for Peace” forum, and Father Guilrey Anthony Andal (SJ), who wanted to share their experiences and encourage young people to continue on the path of peaceful coexistence. Following the interreligious celebration, the University officially inaugurated the “Month of the Arts”, identifying art as a privileged language and a fertile ground for interreligious dialogue. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2025)
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Source: City of Portsmouth
A duo of degree apprentices in children’s social care at Portsmouth City Council are fulfilling lifelong ambitions to support families in their community.
Victoria Nash, a family support worker and Sonja Renfrew, a newly qualified social worker have shared their stories during National Apprenticeship Week 2025.
National Apprenticeship Week (10 – 16 February 2025) is a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals and organisations.
Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said:
“Portsmouth is fortunate to have a dedicated and loyal workforce of social care practitioners who support families every day. Apprenticeships enable colleagues to upskill within children’s social care to become social workers.
“This helps us address some of the challenges around social work recruitment. Portsmouth is not immune to these challenges and is taking steps to strengthen its teams with employment programmes that develop staff internally who may wish to progress in their careers.”
For those who already work in children’s social care, practitioners without a degree have the option to undertake a social work apprenticeship.
Sonja began her career in London before moving to Portsmouth to support a local charity. She joined the council in 2017 as a family mentor progressing to become an education and early help worker. Sonja said:
“I moved to Portsmouth and worked with a local charity called the EC Roberts Centre. This experience inspired me to consider the apprenticeship route as the best fit for me. It is a continuation of my work with the most vulnerable members of our society.
“A standout moment for me was when I was at university on my apprenticeship during my third year. I volunteered to play the social worker being cross examined for a court skills session. The solicitor cross examined me and didn’t hold back. However, I remained calm, collected, and even managed to correct him at one point!
“I got some amazing feedback from the university staff involved as well as my fellow degree apprentices. Certainly, a memorable moment!”
Sonja completed her degree apprenticeship and has started her first year in employment as a newly qualified social worker this year.
By providing accessible, work-based routes into social work for existing staff members, apprenticeships help expand the talent pipeline while equipping future social workers with vital skills and experience.
Victoria started a social work diploma at university when she was 19 years old but did not complete the qualification as she felt she lacked life experience. As a family support officer working with families up to tier three, Victoria wanted to revisit a social work qualification. Victoria said:
“I have worked for Portsmouth City Council for many years in different roles that support families. I wanted to explore my options that would allow me to work on tier four assessments. This required a formal social work qualification.
“The apprenticeship was the best route for me. I have had to carefully balance my work, life and family commitments but I have loved every moment.
“During my training, I have found the cohort of students I work with to be very supportive, as well as my university lecturers. It has also been insightful to link my current practice to the theory.
“If you work for an internal service and want to progress by doing an apprenticeship, take the leap. I haven’t looked back since!”
Social work degree apprenticeships aren’t advertised externally at Portsmouth City Council. However, it remains a valid training route for existing staff wanting to become social workers.
External options including the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme and Step Up to Social Work scheme are available for those who have compatible level six qualifications (degree or equivalent). Each programme has its own entry criteria.
For more information on social work degree apprenticeships, visit www.strongerfutures.co.uk/national-apprenticeship-week
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SHANGHAI, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intchains Group Limited (Nasdaq: ICG) (“we,” or the “Company”), a provider of integrated solutions consisting of efficient mining products for altcoins, and on acquiring and holding ETH-based cryptocurrencies as its long-term asset reserve to support its Web3 industry development initiatives including actively developing Web3-based applications, today announced it will release its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024 ended December 31, 2024.
Conference Call Information
The Company’s management team will host an earnings conference call to discuss its financial results at 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on February 27, 2025 (9:00 AM Beijing Time on February 28, 2025). Details for the conference call are as follows:
All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers and a personal access PIN, which will be used to join the conference call.
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company’s website at https://intchains.com/.
About Intchains Group Limited
Intchains Group Limited is an innovative altcoins development company that primarily focuses on providing integrated solutions consisting of mining products for altcoins, and on acquiring and holding ETH-based cryptocurrencies as its long-term asset reserve to support its Web3 industry development initiatives including actively developing Web3-based applications. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at: https://intchains.com/.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Intchains Group Limited
Investor relations
Email: ir@intchains.com
Redhill
Belinda Chan
Tel: +852-9379-3045
Email: belinda.chan@creativegp.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LEAP 2025, Saudi Arabia’s award-winning global tech event, announced a record-breaking US$14.9 billion in new Artificial Intelligence (AI) investments that further cement the Kingdom’s status as a world-leading AI hub.
Revealed on the opening day of this year’s four-day event, which is being held at the Riyadh International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Malham, the new announcements increase the total amount of technology-related infrastructure investments in Saudi Arabia to more than US$42.4bn since LEAP debuted in 2022.
The new investments in the Kingdom included an announcement between Groq and Aramco Digital confirming a US$1.5bn plan to expand AI-powered inference infrastructure and cloud computing; ALAT and Lenovo committing US$2bn to establish an advanced manufacturing and technology centre integrating AI and robotics; Google introducing new AI-driven digital infrastructure and the launch of a powerful computing cluster to meet regional and global demand; Qualcomm confirming the availability of its ALLAM language model on Qualcomm AI Cloud; and Alibaba Cloud launching the AI Enablement Programme comprising collaborations with Tuwaiq Academy and STC Academy to train national talent.
Other announcements included Databricks investing US$300 million in integrated PaaS (Platform as a Service) solutions to empower application developers with cutting-edge AI tools; SambaNova committing US$140m to build advanced AI infrastructure; Global private equity firm KKR, in partnership with Gulf Data Hub, revealing a strategic investment in the development of data centres with a total capacity of up to 300 megawatts; Saudi Arabia’s Salesforce investing US$500m to develop Hyperforce and enhance cloud capabilities for regional customers; and Tencent Cloud allocating US$150m to establish the Middle East’s first AI-powered cloud region.
Delivering a keynote address to formally open LEAP 2025, His Excellency Eng Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), insisted the new wave of investments brings one step closer His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision of the Kingdom’s tech sector becoming a global beacon for innovation and advancement.
“LEAP 2025 is a defining moment because when the Kingdom works, the region works, and the whole world works,” said Alswaha. “LEAP has evolved from a movement to a multiplier effect – but now is our defining moment. Technology has catalysed Saudi Arabia as the biggest success story in youth and female empowerment in the 21st Century, and we are laser-focused on continuing that success story. The intelligence age is here and, in partnership with you, we are going to take that leap together.”
Michael Champion, CEO of Tahaluf, which co-organises LEAP with the Saudi Ministry for Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP), added: “The massive volume of new investments announced on day one builds on the progress made at LEAP and across the Kingdom in previous years, reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s undisputed status as the primary digital accelerator in the Middle East and North Africa.”
IBM’s Arvind Kirshna Predicts Quantum Computing Breakthrough now only “Three to Five Years Away”
Eleven months after announcing IBM’s plans to invest US$250 million into a global software development centre in the Kingdom, Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO of IBM, joined HE Alswaha on the LEAP Main Stage to discuss his experiences identifying “early signals” to stay ahead of emerging industry trends.
The trend that dominated the duo’s conversation was quantum computing – a type of computing that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to solve problems that would take classical computers millions of years to complete – with Kirishna adamant the technology is getting ever closer.
“A breakthrough I think is only about three-to-five years in the future is quantum computing – I think we will see something amazing,” said Krishna. “We’re very excited to already be working on it with some partners in the Kingdom, but I believe quantum computing will open up areas that, for the Kingdom, will be very exciting. It will all be about materials, energy, oil and gas, possibly pharmaceuticals – all areas that are critical to the Kingdom and very much part of Vision 2030.”
From Virtual Boxing to Futuristic Couture, Inaugural Tech Arena Opens Window to the Future
LEAP’s newly-added Tech Arena kicked off with a series of future-focused, interactive sessions highlighting some of the latest technological advancements shaping the technology of tomorrow.
With groundbreaking prototypes in robotics, AI, fashion tech, and mixed reality all being explored, live demonstrations were conducted by global tech influencers alongside BBC Click presenters Lara Lewington and Spencer Kelly.
US-based Engine VR showcased Golden Gloves VR, a platform that uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive, gamified boxing experience for fitness enthusiasts, professional athletes, and entertainment seekers.
With professional boxer David Perez delivering a live demonstration to watching crowds, Aaron Sloan, the platform’s Founder, said: “ I used to work as a cardiac nurse, but the only two things I ever really cared about were boxing and technology. So, I quit my nursing job and opened up my own boxing gym; it burned down within a month. It made me realise that building a business in a brick-and-mortar facility was going to be really hard. It just so happened that, around this time, the Quest One headset came out. Not only was it powerful, it was also wireless, which is so crucial for our system to work,” said Sloan.
“In order for us to get the traction we needed, we had to replicate as best we could what trainers and boxers were doing in the gym. After a number of different variations, we now have a platform that is being used by sporting bodies across the world, including the Olympics. The system also allows people of determination to take part, making the sport far more inclusive.”
Elsewhere, TJ Rhodes, the Senior Research Scientist and Engineer on Adobe’s Project Primrose, talked audiences through the Middle East debut of its latest wearable technology. First premiered at Adobe Max in 2023, the Project Primrose dress uses non-emissive textiles and can change the way we merge fashion and technology.
“It has so many use cases beyond the catwalk; it can be a canvas for new designs or even a low-power billboard that can flash text-based advertisements,” said Rhodes. “It is also a non-emissive material that can be cut to any shape and dynamically diffuses light. Most special effects can only be experienced on the big screen, but what Project Primrose allows us to do is transform it from the big screen to reality. Imagine if Elsa from Frozen was able to transform her dress to match her actions in a live performance. We’re still discovering the possibilities of what this technology can do.”
More than 1,800 tech brands and 680 start-ups are exhibiting at LEAP 2025 this week, alongside a stellar lineup of 1,000-plus expert speakers across 15 stages, highlighting the tech that is shaping tomorrow.
For more information on the event and ticket options, visit onegiantleap.com
About LEAP:
Saudi Arabia’s desire to shoot for something beyond the realms of the possible presents the ultimate backdrop for LEAP.
LEAP showcases the Kingdom’s technology ambition on a global stage as it continues to grow as a hub connecting three continents. The figures speak from themselves as LEAP 2024 had an attendance of over 215,000, making it the most attended tech event in the world. LEAP features the inspiring tech of tomorrow across all major sectors including health, finance, energy, education, digital entertainment, transport, smart cities and more. The event is also led by a speaker faculty of globally celebrated technology innovators, focussing on the most innovative tech case studies from around the world.
LEAP is not like any other tech event, from the ground up the community, stakeholders and project team are challenged every day to do something wildly creative and bold, something that reflects the seismic advances in tech adoption being seen in Saudi Arabia.
About Tahaluf:
Headquartered in Riyadh, Tahaluf brings together strategically important commercial communities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the wider Gulf region, and from around the world to a portfolio of world-class exhibitions and digital platforms.
Tahaluf is a joint venture partnership between Informa PLC, the world’s largest trade show organiser, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Events Investment Fund (EIF). Sela, the Saudi-owned event production company renowned for its creation of spectacular event experiences, intends to join the joint venture in the near future.
In 2024 Tahaluf was responsible for the award-winning tech events LEAP & DeepFest, as well as 24 Fintech, the Global Health Exhibition, Cityscape Global, Black Hat MEA and CPHI.
For more information about Tahaluf, visit https://tahaluf.com
Contact:
pragati.m@actionprgroup.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5fa649e4-de08-4d36-ac05-cacaaa343ac7
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0034895-f10e-4f41-af0e-31a59b2c65d3
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6a4c9a61-18b0-4288-9f32-90fe4ad7748e
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5351de8d-badd-4734-bf1a-4899d40bc9b4
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Source: Government of Italy (English)
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8 Febbraio 2025
The Foiba of Basovizza is a sacred place, a national monument, to be honoured with silence and prayer. Dishonouring Basovizza, and what’s more, with repugnant graffiti evoking dramatic events in our history, does not only mean trampling on the memory of the martyrs of the Foibe massacres, but also means dishonouring the nation as a whole. This was an act of unprecedented gravity, which cannot go unpunished.
[Courtesy translation]
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
New records reveal the government is utilising AI and technology to enhance public services, including streamlining MOT inspections and speeding up planning with satellite habitat mapping.
How AI is improving public services and new AI Playbook will drive public sector use.
AI and satellite images are being used to predict how natural habitats are changing across the country, so more current data can be used to accelerate planning proposals and stop NIMBYism getting in the way of growth and the Plan for Change.
Satellite images and machine learning – a type of AI – are being used by Natural England to build a detailed map of “Living England”, showing the current extent of habitats across the country. Rather than the manual surveys of the past, changes to English habitats will now be tracked more efficiently and across the country – speeding up decisions around planning and land use while better protecting nature.
Details of the project are being released today alongside 13 other examples of how AI and algorithmic tools are used to speed up decision making and improve public services – spanning examples including how AI is being used to better predict the weather and keep standards high at MOT testing centres.
A new AI Playbook, published today, gives public sector technical experts top tips and guiding principles on how to replicate this work and build AI to help their organisations fix services for citizens – ultimately delivering on the government’s ambition to transform public services with AI.
Civil servants are guided on how to buy and manage the development of AI technology in their departments and encouraged to work with AI companies closely so the technology can be put to work more quickly.
Today’s announcement comes as world leaders gather for the AI Action Summit in Paris, and follow’s the publication of the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which has put the UK on course to revolutionise public services and become an AI superpower – already attracting over £14 billion in investment since launching just last month.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
Every corner of the public sector can be using technology to save money, speed things up, and crucially, improve public services for people across the UK, driving our Plan for Change forward.
The publication of our AI Playbook today comes with a call to arms for tech specialists across the public sector – use the guidance we are sharing to put AI to work in your organisations at whiplash speed, so we can repair our broken public services together.
Natural England’s Chief Scientist, Professor Sallie Bailey said:
Nature restoration, development and economic growth are not opposing forces – they can and must work together to create a sustainable future for both people and wildlife.
Our Living England project is harnessing the power of AI to inform and support planning decisions far more efficiently. This means we can make the biggest impact for Nature recovery, while helping to deliver the new homes and infrastructure the country needs.
The AI Playbook, published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, outlines ten principles civil servants building AI should follow, making sure they:
Have meaningful human control at the right stages, so any decisions recommended by technology can be monitored properly, and changed rapidly if needed.
Choose the right tool for the right job and avoid using AI where more basic technology can fulfil the same task.
Work with teams responsible for buying technology right from the start, to make sure agreements struck with private sector companies can be utilised to maximum potential in this rapidly evolving market.
The Playbook also insists that public servants working with AI do so openly and collaboratively, making sure the public know how technology is being used and allowing other public sector organisations to benefit from work that has already taken place.
Other records being released today detail how the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses AI to prioritise which of the 23,000 active MOT testing garages should receive an inspection next.
Producing a traffic light rating for every garage, the AI tool takes in data from MOT tests to spot anomalies and identify which garages should be checked first, so inspectors can confirm they are working to crucial safety standards. Previously, inspections were based only on the amount of time that had passed since the last check.
Today’s release follows the Technology Secretary publishing the blueprint for a modern digital government, setting out how his department will use AI and technology to help the public sector improve their services and target £45 billion in potential efficiency savings every year. This is as well as announcing a bundle of tools to be known as “Humphrey” and set to be made available to all civil servants soon.
Among other things, the tools will help civil servants assess responses to consultations, take minutes at meetings and analyse decades of debate from the Houses of Parliament.
The full list of Algorithmic Transparency Records being published today is as follows.
Weather and climate forecasting: A combination of multiple different algorithmic tools used to produce weather forecasts.
Living England map: Habitat mapping for the whole of England using satellite imagery, targeted field survey and machine learning.
MOT Risk Rating: An algorithmic to identify potential non-compliance in MOT testing, and prioritise visits to MOT garages.
Data Cleaning Tool: Enables compliance with The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by identifying and automatically cleaning personal data from the Wilton Park customer database.
Interest Calculator: Assists small business owners to calculate the amount of interest due on an overdue invoice.
Highways webchat: provides customers with an additional communication channel to get immediate answers to their questions using publicly available information (such as traffic information).
The search engine for GOV.UK. It enables users to search for information and services on GOV.UK by entering a search query to view results that are relevant to their query.
Residency Checker for EHIC/GHIC/PRC: A process to support confirmation of UK residency for entitlement to healthcare in an European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.
Employment and Support Allowance Online Medical Matching: A tool which helps Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) officials process claims more quickly.
Budget Planner: A free online tool that helps users track and categorize their spending, provides a detailed breakdown of their finances, and offers personalized tips to improve their money management.
Redundancy Pay Calculator: Online tool designed to help individuals who have been or are at risk of being made redundant understand their legal rights, calculate their potential redundancy pay, assess their financial situation, and explore available benefits and support.
The Effective Proposal Framework: Used by Probation Practitioners at pre-sentence stage and as part of pre-release planning to identify requirements, licence conditions and interventions for individuals based on their risk and need profile.
Proportionate Review Toolkit: A toolkit to help Research Ethics Committee applicants determine whether their project would be eligible for proportionate review.
Logo Detection and Classification Toolkit: A tool to detect unauthorised uses of HMRC’s logo.
DSIT media enquiries
Email press@dsit.gov.uk
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 300
Published 10 February 2025
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
China released a set of regulations that note the do’s and don’ts for disseminating military-related information on the internet.
The regulations, jointly issued by 10 departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, were published on Saturday and will take effect on March 1.
The regulations consist of 30 articles and focus on setting guidelines for the dissemination of military-related information on the internet, the establishment of military-themed websites and platforms, and the management of online programs and accounts focusing on military content.
They categorize military-related information into three types: one type is encouraged and supported for dissemination, while the other two types are prohibited to be disseminated online.
The rules encourage providers and users of military information to “produce, reproduce, publish and disseminate” information that publicizes the decisions and deployments of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the CMC, as well as information that promotes the “glorious history and fine traditions and conduct” of the military.
Information reflecting achievements in the modernization of national defense and the military, and the positive contributions of the Chinese military to world peace is also supported for widespread dissemination.
In addition, information that promotes the legitimacy and justice of military operations, and the heroic and self-sacrificing deeds of the armed forces, is encouraged for dissemination.
However, the regulations also specify which types of military-related information are prohibited from being disseminated.
These include information that endangers national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, or defames the absolute leadership of the CPC over the military and the CMC chairperson responsibility system.
Information that distorts, defames or denies the history of the People’s Liberation Army, the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs, or that sows discord between the military and the government or the military and the people, is also prohibited.
Furthermore, information that denies or attacks China’s defense policies and strategies, and misinterprets international military exchanges and cooperation is also targeted, according to the regulations, which also ban spreading information that misinterprets non-war military actions, such as the evacuation of Chinese nationals overseas, international peacekeeping and rescue operations, military exercises and disaster relief.
The regulations also require military information providers and users to strictly safeguard classified matters related to national defense construction and the activities of the armed forces, and prohibit the dissemination of information containing military secrets, defense technology industry secrets, or unpublished information.
This includes information about military deployments, troop movements, operations and training.
It also includes information about the development, production, testing, transportation and deployment of weapons and equipment, their tactical and technical performance, and support capabilities.
In addition, regarding emergencies involving the military, relevant departments and internet military information service providers should “release and repost authoritative information” and manage “illegal and harmful information” in accordance with the regulations.
The Cyberspace Administration of China said in a news release on Saturday that the regulations are an important measure to promote the rule of law in cyberspace and have significant practical significance for addressing issues such as false military information and the leaking of military secrets on the internet.
Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian noted in a news release on Saturday that the military and relevant local government departments will strengthen coordination and cooperation to jointly implement the regulations.
He said that the regulations will standardize the online dissemination of military information from an institutional level, create a positive online environment related to the military, and provide “strong online public opinion support” for achieving the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027.
Source: China State Council Information Office
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is “committed to buying and owning Gaza”, and that the United States may let other nations in the Middle East rebuild the war-torn enclave.
“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One en route to New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend the National Football League Super Bowl championship.
Last week at the White House alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump proposed “long-term ownership” of Gaza by the United States.
His proposal has stirred widespread criticism and is opposed by several Arab nations as well as U.S. allies in Europe.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China is experiencing a surge in job fairs following the Spring Festival holiday, aimed at helping urban and rural workers and college graduates secure employment.
On Wednesday, a large-scale recruitment event was held in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone in Henan province. BYD, a leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, announced plans to hire 20,000 workers in a single recruitment drive, drawing a massive crowd of applicants. BYD’s Zhengzhou base is offering various positions with salaries ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 yuan ($686 to $1,234) per month.
“Our company is part of the manufacturing sector, and those who join us will gain exposure to automotive manufacturing equipment, processes and skill standards. We also hope to contribute to Henan’s development,” said a manager at Zhengzhou BYD Auto Co who requested anonymity.
Wei Wei, head of the talent service center at the personnel department of the Party working committee in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, said: “This job fair not only ensures the resumption of work and production for enterprises, but also provides more opportunities for job seekers. It plays a role in boosting the local economy.”
On Thursday, in Jingzhou, Hubei province, 150 companies offered nearly 5,000 positions at the first job fair after Spring Festival. The available jobs spanned various fields, including services and commerce.
“I’m not planning to look for work elsewhere this year; I want to see if there are suitable jobs available locally,” said Yao, a job seeker who gave only his surname.
After reviewing the job requirements and benefits from a local biotechnology company, he learned that the salary could exceed 5,000 yuan per month, which he said was “very attractive”.
Jingzhou has organized over 200 job fairs, with an estimated 400 expected by March.
Many migrant workers are considering returning to their hometowns for employment this year.
On Wednesday, at a job fair in Hanchuan, Hubei, job seeker Li Xiaolin said: “I had moved to Guangdong province and was looking for a job as an electrician. However, I visited several companies at the fair and found promising opportunities here. If I find a suitable position, I might stay and work in Hanchuan.”
On the first day of job fair activities in Hanchuan, approximately 8,600 people attended, with livestream viewers reaching 55,000.
During Spring Festival, Jiangxi province also hosted numerous large-scale job fairs, both online and in person. One of them, held in Gao’an city, was a three-day fair aimed at assisting key groups such as college graduates and retired military personnel in finding employment or starting businesses.
At the Gao’an fair, more than 100 companies offered over 6,000 job positions, and more than 1,200 people expressed interest in employment on-site. The Gao’an city employment and entrepreneurship service center said it will continue post-holiday employment support efforts, matching job seekers with companies and providing online and offline job services to guide local workers to opportunities and attract migrant workers to return to the city.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Rescuers make all-out efforts to find survivors after landslide in SW China
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China accelerates reform of renewable power pricing to promote sustainable development
BEIJING, Feb. 10 — China is accelerating the market-oriented reform of its renewable power pricing system in a bid to build a new power system and promote the sustainable development of renewable energy generation.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) recently issued a joint notice on deepening the pricing reform for electricity generated from renewable energy.
The reform focuses on three key aspects: allowing market forces to determine renewable power pricing, establishing a pricing and settlement mechanism that supports the long-term sustainability, and adopting differentiated policies for existing and new projects.
“This new pricing policy will significantly accelerate the construction of a modern power system and ensure the sustainable development of renewable energy,” said Zhang Dayong, deputy secretary-general of the China Association for the Promotion of Industrial Development.
Industry experts believe this reform is essential as China enters a new stage of renewable energy development.
China highly values the new energy sector, such as wind and solar power, rolling out an array of favorable policies spanning pricing, finance and industry. The supportive measures, including a fixed pricing mechanism, have led to exponential growth in renewable energy capacity.
At the end of 2024, the country’s total installed renewable power capacity reached 1.41 billion kilowatts, accounting for over 40 percent of its total electricity capacity and surpassing coal-fired power installations.
Despite this rapid expansion, the existing fixed-pricing mechanism for renewable power has struggled to reflect real market supply and demand dynamics.
Conditions are now ripe to shift to market-based pricing, analysts said, citing falling power generation costs and an evolving market and predicting that the reform will enhance industry efficiency and ensure sustainable high-quality growth.
The costs of wind and solar power generation in China have dropped significantly compared to early development stages, now ranging between 0.2 yuan (about 3 U.S. cents) and 0.3 yuan per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, local electricity markets have matured, with improved regulations facilitating broader participation.
Song Hongkun, deputy head of the NEA, has highlighted the increasing role of market forces in power distribution. From January to October 2024, China’s market-based electricity transactions reached 5.08 trillion kilowatt-hours, with the share of market-traded electricity rising from 17 percent in 2016 to 62 percent. Notably, nearly half of all renewable power generation was traded in the market.
“China’s renewable energy sector has taken a lead in the world, but to ensure long-term strength and healthy development, it must be tested in a competitive market environment,” said Liu Manping, an economist of the NDRC, stressing that market-based electricity pricing is at the heart of this reform.
Experts predict that the market-oriented push will drive technological advancements in wind and solar power and further reduce costs.
At the same time, it could lead to lower returns for some projects, steering social capital toward non-electric renewable energy applications, which will help foster the growth of China’s broader renewable energy ecosystem, Zhang said.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IP Fabric, the Automated Network Assurance Platform, today announced the release of Version 7.0, designed to simplify compliance with regulations and security frameworks and strengthen operational resiliency across multicloud environments.
Global enterprises require an end-to-end view of complex cloud and edge environments. Legacy solutions only provide a technology- or domain-specific view, which doesn’t meet the mandate of boards, CISOs and IT leaders, who must balance security, stability, compliance and risk with the pursuit of strategic transformation.
IP Fabric 7.0 addresses this with a comprehensive view of infrastructure and intelligent analytics, creating the security and operational posture for innovation (e.g., automation, AI, cloud migration, SD-WAN). This lets teams deliver secure services, ensure business continuity, plan and manage budgets, and optimize processes across domains.
“The release of IP Fabric 7.0 represents another step in empowering all IT teams to achieve panoramic network visibility, efficiency and collaboration,” said Pavel Bykov, CEO and co-founder of IP Fabric. “New features let organizations streamline workflows and proactively address infrastructure and security challenges like never before.”
Key features in IP Fabric 7.0
For a complete list of features included in IP Fabric 7.0 visit the company blog.
About IP Fabric
IP Fabric is the industry’s leading Automated Network Assurance Platform, offering a continuously validated view of cloud, network and security infrastructure to improve stability, security and spend. Within minutes, the platform creates a unified view of devices, state, configurations and interdependencies, normalizing multi-vendor data and revealing operational truth through automated compliance checks.
By uncovering risks and providing actionable insights, IP Fabric enables enterprises to accelerate IT and business transformation while reducing costs. Trusted by industry leaders like Red Hat, Major League Baseball and Air France, IP Fabric delivers the foundation for a secure and modern network.
Learn more at www.ipfabric.io and follow the company on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Liesse Jayalath
ipfabric@lookleftmarketing.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Municipality Finance Plc
Stock exchange release
10 February 2025 at 10:00 am (EET)
Municipality Finance issues EUR 10 million notes under its MTN programme
Municipality Finance Plc issues EUR 10 million notes on 11 February 2025. The maturity date of the notes is 11 February 2035. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.819% per annum.
The notes are issued under MuniFin’s EUR 50 billion programme for the issuance of debt instruments. The offering circular, the supplemental offering circular and the final terms of the notes are available in English on the company’s website at https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/for-investors.
MuniFin has applied for the notes to be admitted to trading on the Helsinki Stock Exchange maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki. The public trading is expected to commence on 11 February 2025.
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. plc acts as the dealer for the issue of the notes.
MUNICIPALITY FINANCE PLC
Further information:
Joakim Holmström
Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and Sustainability
tel. +358 50 444 3638
MuniFin (Municipality Finance Plc) is one of Finland’s largest credit institutions. The company is owned by Finnish municipalities, the public sector pension fund Keva and the Republic of Finland.
The Group’s balance sheet totals over EUR 50 billion.
MuniFin builds a better and more sustainable future with its customers. MuniFin’s customers include municipalities, joint municipal authorities, wellbeing services counties, corporate entities under their control, and non-profit organisations nominated by the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). Lending is used for environmentally and socially responsible investment targets such as public transportation, sustainable buildings, hospitals and healthcare centres, schools and day care centres, and homes for people with special needs.
MuniFin’s customers are domestic but the company operates in a completely global business environment. The company is an active Finnish bond issuer in international capital markets and the first Finnish green and social bond issuer. The funding is exclusively guaranteed by the Municipal Guarantee Board.
Read more: https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/
Important Information
The information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into any such country or jurisdiction or otherwise in such circumstances in which the release, publication or distribution would be unlawful. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, any securities or other financial instruments in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This communication does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or under the applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Press contact:
Mollie Mellows
Tel.: + 44 (0) 7342 709384
E-mail: mollie.mellows@capgemini.com
Capgemini reveals gen AI-driven breakthrough to accelerate the bioeconomy
New methodology reduces the data requirements for protein engineering by 99% so organizations can unlock innovation even in resource-constrained environments
Paris, February 10, 2025 – Capgemini today announced a new generative AI-driven methodology for protein engineering that uses a specialized protein large language model (pLLM) to predict the most effective protein variants. With a patent pending,1this novel approach will help accelerate the advancement of the global bioeconomy2and drive critical scientific breakthroughs across industries including healthcare, agriculture, and environmental science. By reducing the datapoints required to design protein sequences by over 99%, the new methodology harnesses the power of generative AI (gen AI) to drastically reduce the time and resources needed for research and development (R&D). Using this approach, Capgemini can help clients reduce the development cost of biosolutions and unlock business cases that were not previously viable.
Breakthrough solves the data bottleneck challenge
Advancements in engineering biology3 are expected to disrupt all industries, with half of business leaders predicting this transformation will happen within the next five years.4 However, data can be a critical bottleneck in research timelines. This new methodology makes scientific breakthroughs possible with significantly smaller data sets, enabling organizations to innovate even in resource-constrained environments. Using this novel approach, Capgemini is exceptionally positioned to help clients find and develop innovative solutions to global challenges such as disease, food security, and climate concerns.
The methodology was created in the bespoke gen AI-driven biotechnology lab of Cambridge Consultants, the deep tech powerhouse of the Capgemini Group. The methodology was applied to several critical use cases to demonstrate how it could drive a step-change in innovation. Examples that can be readily translated to other applications include:
“Capgemini’s proprietary generative AI-driven approach means we are uniquely placed to enable clients to significantly accelerate their bio-journey in previously untapped areas and, crucially, contribute to helping solve many of humanity’s most pressing challenges,” said Roshan Gya, CEO of Capgemini Invent and member of the Group Executive Board. “Our new methodology is faster, more cost-effective, and opens the door to new opportunities for clients to develop innovative bio-based solutions. The Capgemini Group delivers end-to-end engineering biology and scale-up capabilities so that our clients can derive significant business value and develop proprietary IP, moving away from traditional carbon-based approaches and fueling growth in the bioeconomy.”
Prof. Stephen Wallace, Professor of Chemical Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, stated: “Capgemini’s generative AI-driven approach represents a significant leap in protein engineering. By drastically reducing data requirements, Capgemini has fundamentally transformed the innovation timeline in bioengineering. This breakthrough reflects a clear vision for the future of engineering biology, leveraging the design and engineering of new biocatalysts to enable more sustainable and scalable industrial processes. With its expertise and adaptability, Capgemini is well-positioned to drive technological advances in this exciting and rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field.”
Building on 10 years of pioneering engineering biology and AI development, the bespoke AI-driven biotechnology lab at Cambridge Consultants has been created at its UK headquarters, home to an unrivalled combination of multidisciplinary experts in biology, chemistry, gen AI, digital twins, electronics, software, sustainability and more.
About Capgemini
Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2023 global revenues of €22.5 billion.
Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com
1 A priority patent application has been submitted in GB – patent pending
2 The bioeconomy refers to economic activity that relies on biological resources and processes (animals, plants, microorganisms, and biomass)
3 Engineering biology is also known as synthetic biology
4“Unlocking the power of engineering biology: The time is now”, Capgemini Research Institute, July 2024
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Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, the world’s leading cryptocurrency trading platform, announced the launch of the Solayer (LAYER) on February 11, accompanied by Airdrop+ rewards.
Empowering Users through Solayer’s Decentralized Re-Staking Innovation
As a pioneer in the cryptocurrency industry, MEXC continues to drive innovation and support emerging blockchain ecosystems.
The listing of LAYER highlights MEXC’s first-mover advantage in offering users access to advanced blockchain projects. By adding LAYER to its platform, MEXC reinforces its commitment to providing seamless access to decentralized solutions, empowering users within the Solana ecosystem and beyond.
About Solayer (LAYER)
Solayer is a re-staking protocol within the Solana ecosystem, enhancing network security and efficiency. It allows users to re-stake assets like SOL, mSOL, and JitoSOL, supporting decentralized applications (dApps) and the Solana network. Learn more about Solayer pre-market trading activity in MEXC.
Celebrate the LAYER Launch with a prize pool of 201,000 LAYER & 50,000 USDT
To celebrate the launch of Solayer (LAYER), MEXC is introducing five exclusive activities with generous rewards, commencing on February 8, 2025, at 04:00 (UTC). These activities offer participants the chance to win LAYER tokens, USDT bonuses, and other exciting benefits, tailored for both new and experienced users.
These activities include:
Deposit at least 120 LAYER or 100 USDT to qualify.
Trade LAYER ($100) or trade LAYER perpetual Futures ($500) to earn 20 LAYER each, on a first-come, first-served basis.
The top 2,000 users with trading volumes over 20,000 USDT will share the pool, with rewards ranging from 10 USDT to 5,000 USDT.
Your Easiest Way to Trending Crypto
MEXC aims to become the go-to platform offering the widest range of valuable crypto assets. The platform has grown its user base to 300 million by providing a diverse selection of tokens, high-frequency airdrops, and simple participation processes. In 2024, MEXC launched a total of 2,376 new tokens, including 1,716 initial listings and 605 memecoins, with total airdrop rewards exceeding $136 million.
MEXC, known for quickly listing trending tokens, expands its offerings with Solayer (LAYER). The LAYER/USDT trading market officially launched in the Innovation Zone on February 11, 2025, followed by the introduction of the LAYER USDT perpetual futures, offering adjustable leverage from 1x to 50x with both cross and isolated margin modes. MEXC also will launch Solayer Foundation (LAYER) on Convert on February 12, 2025.
About MEXC
Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto”. Serving over 30 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, frequent airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.
MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC
Contact:
Lucia Hu
PR Manager
lucia.hu@mexc.com
Disclaimer: This content is provided by MEXC. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b1f7c5d-d7a3-434d-8410-500971fc2341
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Company announcement no 5-2025
Søborg, February 10, 2025
Notification of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them in Konsolidator A/S
In accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation article 19, Konsolidator must notify Finanstilsynet and publicly disclose transactions made by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them on trading of Konsolidator shares.
Konsolidator A/S hereby notify and submit the attached transactions of shares in Konsolidator.
Contacts
Certified Adviser
About Konsolidator
Konsolidator A/S is a financial consolidation software company whose primary objective is to make Group CFOs around the world better through automated financial consolidation and reporting in the cloud. Created by CFOs and auditors and powered by innovative technology, Konsolidator removes the complexity of financial consolidation and enables the CFO to save time and gain actionable insights based on key performance data to become a vital part of strategic decision-making. Konsolidator was listed at Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark in 2019. Ticker Code: KONSOL
Attachment
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
OMA SAVINGS BANK PLC, STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 10 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 9.15 A.M. EET, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS RELEASE
Oma Savings Bank Plc’s Financial Statements Release 1 January – 31 December 2024: The year ended with a fourth quarter in line with expectations – comparable profit before taxes was strong for 2024
This release is a summary of Oma Savings Bank’s (OmaSp) January-December 2024 Financial Statements Release, which can be read from the pdf file attached to this stock exchange release and on the Company’s web pages www.omasp.fi
CEO Sarianna Liiri:
“The year 2024 has been very exceptional in the history of OmaSp. Both main sources of income developed in line with expectations and the year ended with a good quarter. Significant investments in the development of risk management processes and the implementation of an extensive action plan continued. The acquisition of Handelsbanken AB’s Finnish SME business and the expansion of the distribution network strengthened OmaSp’s market position towards the end of the year and provide a good starting point for the year beginning.
The comparable profit before taxes was EUR 27.9 million for the fourth quarter and the comparable return on equity was 15.6 percent.
As expected, changes in market interest rates were reflected in the development of net interest income, and in the last quarter net interest income fell by 11 percent from the comparison period. The net interest income increased by 8 percent for the whole year. Our customers value our personal and easily accessible service model. This is reflected in the development of the number of customers, which remained despite an exceptional year at a good level. With Handelsbanken’s business acquisition, OmaSp gained approximately 10,000 new customers in the autumn, and in addition to this, approximately 1,000 new customer relationships were organically created every month. In particular, fee and commission income and expenses net were increased by card and payment fees, which increased by 16 percent from the previous year. Fee and commission income and expenses net increased by 8 percent in the last quarter and by 7 percent for the full year. At the end of the year, the business focus has been especially on the reception of customers who have transferred from Handelsbanken and the start of operations in three new branches. With the expanded distribution network OmaSp now has excellent coverage in all of Finland’s key growth and provincial centers.
OmaSp’s loan portfolio and deposit base were boosted by volumes transferred from Handelsbanken. The portfolio of housing loans grew by 5 percent, corporate loan portfolio by 8 percent and deposits by 6 percent from a year ago.
Accumulation of impairment losses on financial assets was significantly affected by non-compliance with the guidelines and related additional allowances. In 2024, credit losses amounted to approximately EUR 84 million, of which approximately EUR 64 million were related to non-compliance with the guidelines. In the last quarter, the credit loss level remained at last year’s level.
The Company has continued to make significant investments in risk management and the implementation of the action plan launched in the summer. As a result, the cost level remained high in the last quarter of the year. An additional EUR 5.4 million was invested in risk management processes in October–December and comparable costs increased by 44 percent during the fourth quarter. Expenses were also increased by the increased number of personnel. During the financial year, the Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) carried out audits of the Company. Based on the audits, the observations raised by the supervisor and the development targets already identified by the Company itself support each other. The measures to develop the processes are proceeding well on schedule and the goal is to complete the development measures planned during 2024 in the first half of 2025.
The comparable cost/income ratio remains at a good level despite significant investments and was 47.7 percent in the last quarter.
Customer and personnel satisfaction at the center of everything
OmaSp’s competitive advantage has been and will continue to be built on excellent customer experience. According to research, customer and personnel satisfaction have remained at an excellent level as in previous years, despite the exceptional year. Our personnel are our most essential resource, so committed and motivated personnel play a vitally important role for OmaSp’s future success. The renewed board of the Company started its work in December, and we have got five experienced board experts to strengthen the bank’s operations. In addition, the Company’s new CEO, Karri Alameri, will start his work in April at the latest.
OmaSp’s financial position is stable, and the Company’s solvency and liquidity position is at a good level. The total capital (TC) ratio was 15.6 percent at the end of the year and the accumulation of equity is nearly EUR 580 million.
After the changes implemented in 2024, we will now be able to focus on our core business and strengthen the customer experience of our existing and new customers. OmaSp’s ambition is to enable and solve the needs of households and small and medium-sized enterprises in all areas of the bank’s operations. In February, the history of OmaSp stretches back 150 years. From these strong starting points, we will continue in 2025 with confidence.
Warm thanks to all customers and owners, and especially to OmaSp’s personnel for 2024!”
January-December 2024
• Oma Savings Bank Plc’s Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 10 December 2024. The Extraordinary General Meeting confirmed on the remuneration, number and composition of the members of the Board of Directors. The number of members of the Board of Directors was confirmed to be eight, i.e. the number of members increased by one. Aki Jaskari, Jaakko Ossa and Jaana Sandström were re-elected as Board members and Juhana Brotherus, Irma Gillberg-Hjelt, Carl Pettersson, Kati Riikonen and Juha Volotinen were elected as new members.
• The Company’s Board of Directors appointed Karri Alameri, B.Sc. (Econ.), CEFA as the Company’s new CEO on 30 September 2024. Alameri will start his position no later than 1 April 2025.
• On 1 September 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of Svenska Handelsbanken AB’s SME business in Finland as planned. The deposit portfolio transferred to the Company was approximately EUR 440 million and the loan portfolio approximately EUR 500 million. A goodwill of EUR 15.3 million was recognised from the acquisition. Approximately 10,000 customers transferred to the Company in the acquisition, and at the same time 30 people transferred to the Company as old employees.
• During the second quarter, the Company launched an extensive risk management action plan (the “Noste”), which has been implemented according to plan.
• In January–December, net interest income grew 8.1% compared with the same period last year. Net interest income totalled EUR 213.1 (197.0) million. In the last quarter, net interest income decreased by 10.5% compared to the comparison period.
• Home mortgage portfolio increased by 5.0% during the previous 12 months. Corporate loan portfolio increased by 8.0% during the previous 12 months.
• Deposit base increased by 5.5% over the past 12 months.
• In January-December, fee and commission income and expenses (net) increased due to volume growth by 7.0%. In the last quarter, fee and commission income and expenses (net) increased by 7.5% compared to the comparison period.
• In January–December, total operating income grew by 9.3% compared to the comparison period. In the last quarter, comparable total operating income remained at the same level compared to the last quarter and was EUR 68.2 (69.4) million.
• In January-December, total operating expenses grew in total by 22.6%. The growth is mainly explained by expenses arising from business arrangements as well as from extensive risk management development projects and investigation costs related to non-compliance with the guidelines. In addition, the number of personnel increased during the year due to the business arrangements, the opening of new branches and the strengthening of risk management processes. Other operating expenses were in total EUR 69.3 (52.5) million, of which the development costs of the risk management action plan and investigation costs related to non-compliance with the guidelines amounted to EUR 11.8 million.
• Comparable total operating expenses grew by 44.0% in the last quarter and were EUR 32.4 (22.5) million. Of this the risk management action plan (the ”Noste”) amounted to EUR 5.4 million.
• For January-December, the impairment losses on financial assets were in total EUR -83.4 (-17.1) million. A total of EUR 64.4 million in impairment losses on financial assets were recorded in relation to non-compliance with the guidelines, of which EUR 4.9 million was final impairment losses on financial assets. Impairment losses on financial assets amounted to EUR 7.6 (7.3) million in the last quarter.
• For January-December, profit before taxes was EUR 74.6 (138.0) million. For the last quarter, profit before taxes was EUR 22.6 (35.5) million.
• In January-December, comparable profit before taxes was EUR 86.7 (143.6) million. For the last quarter, comparable profit before taxes was EUR 27.9 (38.8) million.
• In January-December, cost/income ratio was 41.3 (36.9)%. In the last quarter, cost/income ratio was 52.9 (35.4)%. In January-December, comparable cost/income ratio was 37.8 (35.1)%. In the last quarter, comparable cost/income ratio was 47.7 (32.8)%.
• In January-December, comparable return on equity (ROE) was 12.4 (25.3)%. For the last quarter, comparable return on equity (ROE) was 15.6 (23.5)%.
• Total capital (TC) ratio was 15.6 (16.5)%.
| The Group’s key figures (1,000 euros) | 1–12/2024 | 1–12/2023 | Δ% | 2024 Q4 | 2023 Q4 | Δ% |
| Net interest income | 213,097 | 197,045 | 8% | 50,913 | 56,907 | -11% |
| Fee and commission income and expenses, net | 50,745 | 47,421 | 7% | 13,105 | 12,188 | 8% |
| Total operating income | 270,068 | 247,067 | 9% | 64,381 | 67,190 | -4% |
| Total operating expenses | -111,004 | -90,550 | 23% | -33,917 | -23,483 | 44% |
| Impairment losses on financial assets, net | -83,379 | -17,126 | 387% | -7,572 | -7,269 | 4% |
| Profit before taxes | 74,589 | 138,048 | -46% | 22,582 | 35,546 | -36% |
| Cost/income ratio, % | 41.3% | 36.9% | 12% | 52.9% | 35.4% | 49% |
| Balance sheet total | 7,709,090 | 7,642,906 | 1% | 7,709,090 | 7,642,906 | 1% |
| Equity | 576,143 | 541,052 | 6% | 576,143 | 541,052 | 6% |
| Return on assets (ROA) % | 0.8% | 1.6% | -52% | 0.9% | 1.5% | -40% |
| Return on equity (ROE) % | 10.7% | 24.3% | -56% | 12.6% | 21.5% | -41% |
| Earnings per share (EPS), EUR | 1.80 | 3.49 | -48% | 0.54 | 0.85 | -36% |
| Total capital (TC) ratio % | 15.6% | 16.5% | -6% | 15.6% | 16.5% | -6% |
| Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio % | 14.4% | 14.9% | -3% | 14.4% | 14.9% | -3% |
| Comparable profit before taxes | 86,656 | 143,609 | -40% | 27,945 | 38,790 | -28% |
| Comparable cost/income ratio, % | 37.8% | 35.1% | 8% | 47.7% | 32.8% | 45% |
| Comparable return on equity (ROE) % | 12.4% | 25.3% | -51% | 15.6% | 23.5% | -34% |
Outlook for the financial year 2025:
The Company’s business outlook for the financial year 2025 will be affected by lower market interest rates and the continued high cost level due to IT investments and system improvements required by risk management and quality processes. In addition, the Company continues to invest in customer experience on different channels. The uncertainty of the operating environment and economic situation affects the development of balance sheet items and comparable profit for the financial year 2025.
Oma Savings Bank Plc provides earnings guidance on comparable profit before taxes for 2025. Earnings guidance is based on the forecast for the entire year, which takes into account the current market and business situation. Forecasts are based on the management’s insight into the Group’s business development.
We estimate the Group’s comparable profit before taxes to be EUR 65-80 million for the financial year 2025 (comparable profit before taxes was EUR 86.7 million in the financial year 2024).
Board of Directors’ proposal for the distribution of profit to AGM
The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting a dividend in accordance with the dividend policy, at least 20% of the Company’s net profit. The proposal for the distribution of profit aims to increase capital buffers and maintain strong liquidity. The Board of Directors proposes that, on the basis of the Financial Statements to be adopted for 2024, a dividend of EUR 0.36 be paid from the Parent Company’s distributable profits for each share entitled to a dividend for 2024.
The proposed record date for dividends would be 10 April 2025 and the payment date 17 April 2025.
No material changes have taken place in the Company’s financial position after the financial year. The Company’s liquidity is good, and the proposed profit distribution does not compromise the Company’s liquidity according to the Board of Directors’ insight.
General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting is scheduled to be held on 8 April 2024. The Company’s Board of Directors will convene the Annual General Meeting separately at a later date.
Oma Savings Bank Plc
Additional information:
Sarianna Liiri, CEO, puh. +358 40 835 6712, sarianna.liiri@omasp.fi
Minna Sillanpää, CCO, tel. +358 50 66592, minna.sillanpaa@omasp.fi
DISTRIBUTION
Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
Major media
www.omasp.fi
OmaSp is a solvent and profitable Finnish bank. About 500 professionals provide nationwide services through OmaSp’s 48 branch offices and digital service channels to over 200,000 private and corporate customers. OmaSp focuses primarily on retail banking operations and provides its clients with a broad range of banking services both through its own balance sheet as well as by acting as an intermediary for its partners’ products. The intermediated products include credit, investment and loan insurance products. OmaSp is also engaged in mortgage banking operations.
OmaSp core idea is to provide personal service and to be local and close to its customers, both in digital and traditional channels. OmaSp strives to offer premium level customer experience through personal service and easy accessibility. In addition, the development of the operations and services is customer-oriented. The personnel is committed and OmaSp seeks to support their career development with versatile tasks and continuous development. A substantial part of the personnel also own shares in OmaSp.
Attachment
Source: Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association
Headline: Media Release: NT gas industry welcomes crackdown on activist lawfare – Australian Energy Producers
The NT gas industry says the Territory Government’s moves to clamp down on lawfare will boost investment and energy security.
Australian Energy Producers NT Director David Slama welcomed the Petroleum, Planning and Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, set to be introduced in Parliament this week, as an important step in stopping activist groups from vexatiously using the legal system to delay critical gas projects in the Territory.
“We commend the Territory Government for moving decisively to stamp out activist lawfare putting at risk economic and energy security for Territorians,” Mr Slama said.
“At a time when Australians are facing cost-of-living pressures, the Territory Government has recognised the need to remove barriers to new gas supply so Territorians continue to have reliable and affordable energy.
“It is not in the public interest for activist lawyers to damage the Territory’s attractiveness as a place to do business and to invest, undermining our economic and energy security.”
Mr Slama said activists exploiting the Merits Review process had deterred much-needed investment in the Territory.
“A long list of vexatious cases has exposed the extreme tactics of activists who are more interested in delaying projects than genuinely representing the interests of Territory communities,” he said.
“Removing the Merits Review process is a significant step towards streamlining approval processes to enable new gas supply to be brought online sooner.
“We need to expedite project delivery, improve environmental outcomes, and attract the investment in new gas supply that will be essential to the NT’s long-term energy security and economic prosperity.”
Source: Asia Development Bank
Twenty years ago, ADB issued its first local currency bond. The Indian rupee bond represented about $110 million equivalent at the time. Over the following three years, ADB raised funding from onshore bond issues in Malaysian ringgit, Thai baht, Chinese renminbi and Philippine peso – acting as an “icebreaker” to open these markets to foreign issuers.
Such borrowing exercises introduced a new funding stream for ADB’s development assistance, allowing borrowers to mitigate potential currency risks associated with borrowing in foreign currencies.
Fast forward to today, and local currency finance has gone mainstream. Development partners are no longer surprised when ADB issues bonds denominated in currencies as diverse as the Azerbaijan manat, the Indonesian rupiah or the Mongolian togrog and they recognize the invaluable role that local currency finance plays in crowding in foreign investment to developing countries.
About a third of ADB’s private sector loans are currently delivered in local currencies, with the Thai baht, Indian rupee, Chinese renminbi, Kazakhstan tenge, and Georgian lari featuring prominently. ADB’s aggregate local currency portfolio reached more than $3.75 billion equivalent as of 31 October 2024 across more than 15 local currencies with local currency loans expected to reach 50% of private sector lending over the next years.
Over the last 20 years, local capital markets have evolved and developed significantly across Asia and the Pacific. These developments were driven by the experience of the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, which was at least partially caused by excessive foreign currency exposures.
Since then, regulators, banks, and investors have made significant strides to develop local currency bond markets and improve the local currency capital market infrastructure.
Over the last 20 years, local capital markets have evolved and developed significantly across Asia and the Pacific.
ADB can reach certain target borrowers more effectively when it offers loans in their own currencies rather than in dollars, euros, or yen. For many of the projects that ADB supports, foreign currency denominated loans would not be feasible: a dairy business owner in Mongolia has no understanding of the risks involved in borrowing a foreign currency. Equally, a female worker in rural Kazakhstan would not begin to consider borrowing a home loan in a foreign currency. For both of these projects, ADB was able to provide suitable local currency financing solutions to meet borrower needs and avoid foreign currency mismatches.
Importantly, the rapid development of derivative markets in the region, which include the availability of both interest rate and cross-currency swaps in several markets, has facilitated the management of liquidity by decoupling funding and disbursement transactions, while also allowing for tailored back-to-back funding transactions.
The availability of longer-tenor financing solutions has also improved significantly in a number of the more developed Asian markets: for example, ADB was able to derive a 20-year Thai baht funding solution through the cross-currency swap market to finance a project in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, which delivered a perfect hedge for the borrower.
Similar liquidity of varying tenors is now available in swap and bond markets in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Another important innovation has also improved the availability of local currency financing: the so-called “currency-linked bond” has been a game changer for development finance. In essence, this is a debt security denominated in a local currency but settled in US dollars.
It relies on international documentation usually under English law, settlement occurs in international central securities depositaries, and the bonds are listed on major international stock exchanges. The impact of such structures is to crowd in international investors into local currencies by providing an easily accessible trading infrastructure.
ADB issued its first Indian rupee currency-linked bond in 2014 and since then has issued such instruments in Armenian dram, Azerbaijan manat, Georgian lari, Indonesian rupiah, Kazakhstan tenge, Kyrgyz sum, Mongolian togrog, Pakistan rupees and Philippine pesos. In Indian rupees alone, ADB has raised more than one billion US dollars equivalent to finance private sector projects.
In countries such as Georgia and Kazakhstan where the environment is enabled, ADB has issued multiple domestic bonds including fixed rate, floating rate and even inflation-linked. Furthermore, ADB auctioned the first green (2020) and gender (2021) bonds on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, delivering a new asset class to the local market.
In Georgia, ADB was the first organization to issue its domestic bonds through the Georgian Securities Settlement System (GSSS) in 2015, which operates delivery versus payment Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS) with central bank money through the National Bank of Georgia.
In Kazakhstan, ADB settled its domestically issued bonds through the Kazakhstan Securities Depositary, which crucially has an operational “bridge” with Clearstream in Luxembourg.
These innovations have fostered knowledge sharing and the shift of local currency issuance infrastructure towards international best practices.
Liquidity pools are commonly used to warehouse the proceeds of bond issues in mainstream currencies until project disbursements happen. ADB has developed liquidity pools in Chinese renminbi and Indian rupees, which have played an important role in shepherding in high levels of local currency development finance by providing continuous availability of funding, decoupling such availability from any specific funding transactions Further liquidity pools are in the making, as ADB’s pipelines in local currency grow and evolve.
Working closely with national regulators and market participants, ADB’s engagement in local currency markets over the last 20 years has made significant progress.
Local currency finance is already well established as a financing source for ADB’s private sector loans, but it has been deployed much less in the sovereign context, which for ADB represents the largest share of lending activity. A number of sovereign borrowers have recently started to avail local currency solutions from ADB, including a recently completed $1.45 billion sovereign local currency loan conversion.
Working closely with national regulators and market participants, ADB’s engagement in local currency markets over the last 20 years has made significant progress: ADB is now able to offer funding solutions in more than 15 local currencies in Asia and the Pacific. As local currency markets will further develop, the future of local currency financing in the Asia-Pacific region looks bright.
Authors: Roberta Casali, ADB Vice-President for Finance and Risk; Tobias Hoschka, ADB Treasurer; Jonathan Grosvenor, former ADB Assistant Treasurer
Source: GlobalData
Early-stage VC funding rounds volume declines significantly in 2024 globally, reveals GlobalData
Posted in Business Fundamentals
A total of 10,384 venture capital (VC) funding deals with disclosed funding rounds were announced globally during 2024, which is a decline of 11.9% compared to the 11,786 VC deals announced during the previous year. Among all VC funding rounds, early-stage funding rounds* witnessed a significant decline in their volume last year compared to 2023, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Even though most of the funding rounds experienced a decrease in volume, the majority of the overall decline is driven by double-digit fall in the number of early-stage funding rounds during 2024 compared to 2023.”
An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that the total number of early-stage funding rounds declined by 14.2% in 2024 compared to 2023. A total of 8,086 early-stage funding rounds (comprising 4,457 Seed rounds and 3,629 Series A funding rounds) were announced globally during 2024 compared to the previous year’s announcement of 9,424 early-stage funding rounds that included 5,359 Seed rounds and 4,065 Series A funding rounds.
However, despite the decline, early-stage funding rounds continued to dominate the global VC funding landscape in 2024. These accounted for a 77.9% share of the total number of VC deals with disclosed funding rounds announced globally during 2024.
Meanwhile, the number of growth, expansion and late-stage funding rounds** declined by 2.7% from 2,362 VC deals in 2023 to 2,298 VC deals in 2024. Growth, expansion and late-stage funding rounds collectively accounted for a 22.1% share of the total number of VC deals with disclosed funding rounds announced globally during 2024.
*Comprising Seed and Series A funding rounds
**Series B onwards
Source: GlobalData
AI advancements to accelerate China digital health sector, says GlobalData
Posted in Medical Devices
China’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), underscored by the recent launch of Qwen2.5-Max, Kimi k1.5, and DeepSeek v3, are sparking excitement among AI professionals. This progress is expected to have a considerable impact on multiple industries, including healthcare. Consequently, the Chinese digital health market is likely to see further developments, provided the data security is safeguarded, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s research reveals that in 2024, China represented around 20% of the digital health market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, reflecting the increasing demand for innovations such as DeepSeek within the healthcare sector.
Pratibha Thammanabhatla, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The recent launch of Qwen2.5-Max, Kimi k1.5, and Deepseek highlights China’s increasing presence in the AI sector and its dedication to achieving technological self-sufficiency. The advanced AI features they assert, including huge efficiency gains, better reasoning, and accessibility, may have considerable potential to provide enhanced diagnostic abilities, personalized recommendations, and improved communication between patients and healthcare professionals.”
Alibaba Cloud claims that its latest Qwen2.5-Max demonstrated significant advantages over other AI models such as Llama-3.1-405B, DeepSeek V3 and Qwen2.5-72B when evaluated using benchmark tools such as Arena-Hard, LiveBench, LiveCodeBench, and GPQA-Diamond and they are expecting that advancements in post-training techniques will elevate the next version of Qwen2.5-Max to new heights.
Thammanabhatla concludes: “Although AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by improving efficiency and patient outcomes, challenges such as data privacy, doctor-patient relationship, and lack of sufficient trained personnel must be addressed to ensure its successful implementation. A collaborative approach involving stakeholders from various countries and sectors, including healthcare professionals, regulators, and data privacy experts, is essential for overcoming these challenges, which would result in wider adoption.”
Source: Peoples Bank of China
Announcement on Open Market Operations No.25 [2025]
(Open Market Operations Office, February 10, 2025)
In order to keep liquidity adequate in the banking system, the People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB215 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on February 10, 2025.
Details of the Reverse Repo Operations
|
Maturity |
Volume |
Rate |
|
7 days |
RMB215 billion |
1.50% |
Date of last update Nov. 29 2018
2025年02月10日
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
The Chinese American community in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Sunday held a Lantern Festival parade for the second year as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
The parade in Chinatown had hundreds of participants from many walks of life and thousands of revelers from Chinese communities and other areas.
The hours-long parade featured multiple floats, God Pageant Ceremony, dragon and lion dances, big mascots, as well as traditional Chinese art and costume performances.
In particular, the 8th Avenue in Brooklyn was filled with people setting off fireworks, firecrackers and party poppers.
Organized by the Asian American Community Empowerment, an Asian American advocacy group, the parade also had the presence of a number of elected officials or their representatives.
Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator of New York and the Senate minority leader, greeted Chinese Americans in Mandarin and commended their traditional values of respect for family, love of children, law-abiding, peace and hard-working.
Schumer vowed to fight for the community and to keep the neighborhood safe.
“It may be a cold day, but not here in Brooklyn, Chinese American community. It is a warm and beautiful day,” added Schumer.
“It’s important to celebrate our heritage and culture,” said Lester Chang, a Republican, representing the 49th district in the New York State Assembly.
Chang expressed his hope that the Lunar New Year could become a holiday for all people in New York State by building on the declaration of the Lunar New Year as a public school holiday in the state in September 2023.
Chinese Consul General in New York Chen Li called on people on the spot to light up the lanterns of auspiciousness to express good wishes for a bright future of China-U.S. relations.
The Chinatown in Lower Manhattan also celebrated the Lantern Festival on Saturday afternoon.
The Museum of Chinese in America is also scheduled to celebrate the Lantern Festival on Wednesday.
Symbolizing family reunion, the Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year and wraps up celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival.