Category: Americas

MIL-OSI Global: Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Reed Frederick Noss, Conservation Science Coordinator, University of Florida

In the longleaf pine savannas of the southeastern U.S., most of the biodiversity is found in the ground cover and depends on frequent fires. Reed Noss

In an old-growth longleaf pine savanna, the absurdly long pine needles sing in the wind. Once considered forests, these landscapes in the southeastern U.S. coastal plain are open-canopied and sunny, more grassland than forest, with underbrush kept clear by frequent fires.

Longleaf pines – their needles can be up to 18 inches long – are among the longest-lived trees in eastern North America, surpassing 500 years if they are lucky enough to escape lightning strikes from the region’s frequent thunderstorms. Almost more fascinating is the ground cover, with up to 50 species per square meter, including some plants that are thousands of years old, with the vast majority of their biomass below ground. Picture an underground forest.

In the American West, there are other types of old-growth forest. Dry ponderosa pine woodlands are similarly open in structure and contain trees up to nearly 1,000 years old. But perhaps the most familiar old-growth forests are the complex, wet old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, which stretch from northwestern California to southeastern Alaska.

These forests, which contain Douglas fir, coast redwood, western hemlock, western red cedar, Sitka spruce and many other tree species, have been compared to cathedrals, providing an otherworldly experience of gigantic, ancient trees festooned with mosses and lichens and with fallen trees strewn like buses across the forest floor.

A view of the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington’s Olympic National Park.
Thomas O’Neill/NurPhoto via Getty Images

I’m fortunate to have lived among and studied both southeastern pine savannas and Pacific Northwest conifer forests. The contrast between them could not be greater. And there are many other old-growth forests across the continent – including northeastern spruce fir and northern hardwoods forests, Great Lakes red pine and jack pine woodlands, southern Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests, and Great Basin bristlecone pines reaching nearly 5,000 years old. Each of these forests has a unique ecology, but all are under threat from human activity and climate change.

I recently co-authored a research paper with two colleagues and my collaborator, Carlos Carroll, who is a conservation biologist at the Klamath Center for Conservation Research. In it, we explain that there are some key reasons it’s so difficult to conserve the nation’s varied old-growth landscapes.

In general, the challenge is that it’s possible to conceive of all these areas as a single group – old growth landscapes – where large, old trees dominate the canopy but where small-scale disturbances such as treefall gaps create a mosaic of age classes. Foresters often call this an “uneven-age forest.”

But they really constitute a wide range of landscapes with different, often unique needs for protection, restoration and management. For example, in some old-growth forests, the trees live thousands of years, whereas in others the maximum lifespan of the dominant tree species is much less, sometimes only around 200 years. And some old-growth forests have abundant deadwood, both standing and on the ground, whereas others are kept largely clear of deadwood by frequent fires.

Widely different local conditions

Large, old trees can be removed quickly but require hundreds of years to be replaced. When seeking to balance conservation goals with other priorities, including local economic needs, some foresters use a method called “thinning,” in which wooded areas aren’t clear-cut completely. Instead, only some trees are cut down. This can involve cutting smaller, younger trees while protecting older trees from logging – but at times it has included logging older trees as well. Even if it spares old trees, though, thinning can still harm biodiversity and old-growth ecosystems.

But it isn’t always clear how old a tree must be to protect it from logging. Some conservationists argue that the rules should protect some or all forests that are considered mature – say, 80 or so years old – but not yet old growth. As those stands of trees age, they will become old growth, taking the place of trees logged in the past.

A northern spotted owl sits on a branch in Muir Woods in California.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images

However, a rule as simple as sparing trees above a certain age is not necessarily best for every old-growth region. In longleaf pine savannas, for instance, the standard practice of rapidly extinguishing wildfires has meant hardwood trees typically associated with denser, moister forests have grown up amid the pines. Some threatened species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, has adapted to survive only in areas that are extensive open-canopy, old-growth pine savannas with few hardwoods.

Restoration of those forests may require cutting down the invading hardwoods, even if they are decades old, as well as using fire to manage the resulting pine-dominated landscape. In some other types of old-growth forests, careful use of fire may be enough to restore the ecosystem without cutting any trees.

Long-term and short-term at the same time

A key challenge for protecting old-growth areas is the importance of balancing immediate risks with long-term needs, considering how ecosystems change as trees age and die, and across larger areas such as watersheds.

Old-growth forests are rare – less than 7% of the area of U.S. forests today – and are still often logged. To recover forest ecosystems across the U.S., it will not be enough to protect just old-growth areas.

Especially valuable for biodiversity are areas of regenerating forests that grow after fires or other disturbances such as windstorms, in places where live and dead trees in the disturbed forests have not been cut. These disturbed forests provide habitats for species associated with more open conditions. Many woodpeckers, epitomized by the black-backed woodpecker in western North America, depend on conditions created by severe fires.

Populations of the threatened red-cockaded woodpecker in the southeastern U.S. depend on large areas of scattered, old-growth longleaf pines for their survival.
Reed Noss

Observing the broader value

Beyond trees, there are many species of plants and animals that depend on old-growth landscapes. Perhaps most famous among them are the red-cockaded woodpecker of the southeastern U.S. and the northern spotted owl of the Pacific Northwest.

Those plants’ and animals’ needs can give conservationists and ecologists insights into what territory is most useful to preserve, not just for the trees but for the larger ecosystem. That includes finding ways to connect conservation areas across the landscape so life can grow and spread.

Efforts to preserve old-growth landscapes protect more than just the trees. These forests also store carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it drives climate change. They help provide clean water for people and aquatic ecosystems, along with space for recreation, reflection and other cultural activities.

Ecological science cannot resolve the debates about how to prioritize and preserve old-growth forest. But it can help inform the public about the rising costs of doing nothing, and of the wide benefits of maintaining, recovering and restoring functioning old-growth ecosystems.

Carlos Carroll, a conservation biologist at the Klamath Center for Conservation Research, also contributed to this article.

Reed Frederick Noss receives funding from the University of Florida and the Southeastern Grasslands Institute.

– ref. Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge – https://theconversation.com/wide-variety-of-old-growth-ecosystems-across-the-us-makes-their-conservation-a-complex-challenge-253004

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Miami researchers are testing a textured seawall designed to hold back water and create a home for marine organisms

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sara Pezeshk, Postdoctoral Fellow in Architecture, Florida International University

A rendering of BIOCAP tiles installed along a seawall at Morningside Park in Miami.
Sara Pezeshk, CC BY-SA

Morningside Park, a beloved neighborhood park in Miami with sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, will soon pilot an innovative approach to coastal resilience.

BIOCAP tiles, a 3D-printed modular system designed to support marine life and reduce wave impact along urban seawalls, will be installed on the existing seawall there in spring 2025. BIOCAP stands for Biodiversity Improvement by Optimizing Coastal Adaptation and Performance.

Developed by our team of architects and marine biologists at Florida International University, the uniquely textured prototype tiles are designed to test a new approach for helping cities such as Miami adapt to rising sea levels while simultaneously restoring ecological balance along their shorelines.

The project receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ecological costs of traditional seawalls

Seawalls have long served as a primary defense against coastal erosion and storm surges. Typically constructed of concrete and ranging from 6 to 10 feet in height, they are built along shorelines to block waves from eroding the land and flooding nearby urban areas.

However, they often come at an ecological cost. Seawalls disrupt natural shoreline dynamics and can [wipe out the complex habitat zones] that marine life relies on.

Marine organisms are crucial in maintaining coastal water quality by filtering excess nutrients, pollutants and suspended particles. A single adult oyster can filter 20-50 gallons of water daily, removing nitrogen, phosphorus and solids that would otherwise fuel harmful algal blooms. These blooms deplete oxygen levels and damage marine ecosystems.

Filter-feeding organisms also reduce turbidity, which is the cloudiness of water caused by suspended sediment and particles. Less water turbidity means more light can penetrate, which benefits seagrasses that require sunlight for photosynthesis. These seagrasses convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy-rich sugars while providing essential food and habitat for diverse marine species.

A robotic 3D printer extrudes concrete in layered, intricate channels.
Sara Pezeshk, CC BY-SA

Swirling shapes, shaded grooves

Unlike the flat, lifeless surfaces of typical concrete seawalls, each BIOCAP tile is designed with shaded grooves, crevices and small, water-holding pockets. These textured features mimic natural shoreline conditions and create tiny homes for barnacles, oysters, sponges and other marine organisms that filter and improve water quality.

The tile’s swirling surface patterns increase the overall surface area, offering more space for colonization. The shaded recesses are intended to help regulate temperature by providing cooler, more stable microenvironments. This thermal buffering can support marine life in the face of rising water temperatures and more frequent heat events driven by climate change.

Another potential benefit of the tiles is reducing the impact of waves.

When waves hit a natural shoreline, their energy is gradually absorbed by irregular surfaces, tide pools and vegetation. In contrast, when waves strike vertical concrete seawalls, the energy is reflected back into the water rather than absorbed. This wave reflection – the bouncing back of wave energy – can amplify wave action, increase erosion at the base of the wall and create more hazardous conditions during storms.

The textured surfaces of the BIOCAP tiles are designed to help diffuse wave energy by mimicking the natural dissipation found on undisturbed shorelines.

The design of BIOCAP takes cues from nature. The tile shapes are based on how water interacts with different surfaces at high tide and low tide. Concave tiles, which curve inward, and convex tiles, which curve outward, are installed at different levels along the seawall. The goal is to deflect waves away from the seawall, reduce direct impact and help minimize erosion and turbulence around the wall’s foundation.

A collection of 3D-printed concrete BIOCAP tiles.
Sara Pezeshk, CC BY-SA

How we will measure success

After the BIOCAP tiles are installed, we plan to assess how the seawall redesign enhances biodiversity, improves water quality and reduces wave energy. This two-year pilot phase will help assess the long-term value of ecologically designed infrastructure.

To evaluate biodiversity, we will use underwater cameras to capture time-lapse imagery of the marine life that colonizes the tile surfaces. These observations will aid in documenting species diversity and habitat use over time.

To assess water quality, we have developed a specialized prototype tile with sensors that can measure pH, dissolved oxygen levels, salinity, turbidity and temperature in real time. This data will provide insight into how the tiles affect local water conditions.

Finally, to measure wave attenuation and the reduction of wave force, we will mount pressure sensors on both the BIOCAP tiles and the adjacent traditional seawall sections. This comparison will allow us to quantify differences in wave energy across varying tidal conditions and storm events.

As coastal cities confront the dual challenges of increasing threats from climate change and environmental degradation, the BIOCAP project offers what we hope will be an example of a resilient, nature-based solution that benefits both humans and the environment.

In the coming year, we’ll be watching with hope as the new BIOCAP tiles begin to welcome marine life, offering a glimpse into how nature might reclaim and thrive along our urban shorelines.

Read more of our stories about South Florida.

Shahin Vassigh receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency

Sara Pezeshk does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Miami researchers are testing a textured seawall designed to hold back water and create a home for marine organisms – https://theconversation.com/miami-researchers-are-testing-a-textured-seawall-designed-to-hold-back-water-and-create-a-home-for-marine-organisms-252488

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Railways were essential to carrying out the Holocaust – decades later, corporate reckoning continues

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sarah Federman, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution, Kroc School of Peace Studies, University of San Diego

Liliane Lelaidier-Marton stands in front of the kind of car her parents were forced into in Drancy, France, when deported to their deaths. Sarah Federman

The Holocaust could not have happened without the railways.

Preeminent Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg underscored that almost everyone murdered at a camp arrived by train, including Jews, political prisoners and other “undesirables.” Since the 1990s, groups of survivors have asked European railway companies to acknowledge and atone for their critical role – a reminder that war, genocide and other atrocities cannot occur without corporate participation.

One long-running attempt met a setback on Feb. 21, 2025, when the U.S. Supreme Court threw out an appeals court ruling in favor of survivors seeking atonement from Hungary’s state railways. The lower court held that plaintiffs could sue the company over looting during the deportation of 440,000 Jews, most of whom were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Supreme Court disagreed, however, saying the case did not warrant an exception to law protecting foreign governments from being sued in U.S. courts.

SS personnel select Hungarian Jews for life or death after their arrival at Auschwitz.
Bernhard Walter/Yad Vashem via Wikimedia Commons

Even without legal rulings, however, survivors have sometimes mobilized enough public support to force rail companies to confront their complicity.

I wrote a book about one such case: the French national railways’ multiple roles in World War II, and the company’s 30-year struggle to make amends. I dug through archives and legal documents and spoke to over 120 experts – including historians, legislators, executives and more than 90 Holocaust survivors – about what obligations, if any, they believe railways have today.

The French national railways’ wartime activities and slow roll to accountability helped me better understand and articulate productive ways that companies can respond to demands for atonement decades or more after the events.

The author stands with Daniel Urbejtel, one of the youngest people who survived deportation to Auschwitz.
Sarah Federman

Multiple wartime roles

The French railway company, known as the SNCF, played more than one role during the war. Depending on which facts you focus on, you can see the company as a victim, hero or perpetrator.

With roughly 500,000 employees at the time, the company found itself in the crosshairs of the Nazi occupation. When France capitulated to Germany on June 22, 1940, the country was divided into occupied and free zones, and the French national railways were put under German command.

Unlike companies such as Hugo Boss, which made Nazi uniforms, the SNCF did not financially profit from the occupation. To the contrary, Germans rarely paid the rail company the full amounts due. Machines were destroyed, an estimated 24,000 railway workers were sent to forced labor, and 2,229 railway workers were murdered.

After the war, the acts of the brave railway workers came to light. Some slowed trains so deportees could jump off; some found other ways to facilitate escapes. Near the city of Lille, some SNCF workers helped save dozens of Jewish children. Most importantly, some workers coordinated with the French Resistance on D-Day, sabotaging trains to prevent German armaments from reaching the Normandy beaches and fighting off the Allies.

After the war, the SNCF amplified heroic stories with the help of the French government, using a film, pamphlets and other means.

‘La Bataille du Rail,’ a 1946 film about French railway workers during the war.

These stories are true – even if those workers made up less than 1% of the workforce. Surely, some stories were never told. But even if we double or triple the number, such resistance was an exception, not the rule.

Senior executives reported on acts of sabotage and did little to save their own Jewish colleagues. In fact, Vichy France – the wartime collaborationist government – put the head of the SNCF, Pierre-Eugene Fournier, in charge of liquidating Jewish businesses. He did so efficiently and complained only about German interference.

French Jews are forced into a train during deportations in Marseille in January 1943.
Wolfgang Vennemann/German Federal Archives via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The SNCF transported approximately 76,000 Jewish deportees in merchandise cars to the German border, where a Nazi train driver carried them on to their deaths. While it’s possible the company didn’t understand the mass murder occurring at Auschwitz or other camps, drivers knew they carried unwilling passengers crammed together with little food, water or air in extreme weather without stopping. The deportation trains continued for two months after D-Day.

Push for justice

Yet SNCF’S image as part of the Resistance lived on in France until the 1990s, when survivors first approached the company for atonement. SNCF escaped legal liability, but public pressure forced the company to respond. Though it never financially compensated victims directly, the SNCF did commission an independent study, opened its archive to the public, made statements of regret and contributed to Holocaust commemoration and education.

A couple married for over 50 years discovered that their fathers were deported on the same train.
Sarah Federman

The conversation then moved beyond French borders. In 2014, after Holocaust survivors protested the SNCF’s bids for contracts in the U.S., French and American ambassadors hammered out a US$60 million fund to compensate survivors who were not covered by other programs.

The SNCF’s journey toward accountability encouraged debates involving rail companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Hungary, which had also transported hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths.

In 2019, Holocaust survivor Salo Muller successfully lobbied the Dutch state-owned railways for an apology and compensation for deportees. The company gave €15,000 – about $16,500 – to each survivor who had been forced to pay for their own ticket to be transported in horrific conditions to death camps. In the case of deceased survivors, the railway offered half that amount to heirs.

Not about the money

Liliane Lelaidier-Marton in front of a memorial at Drancy, France, where her father was deported.
Sarah Federman

In 2012, historian Michael Marrus invited me to join him at Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations, a conference at the University of Tel Aviv. There, he slapped his hands on the table and all but shouted to his senior colleagues, “It’s not about the money!”

Judicial rulings and financial payouts make headlines and create important precedents. But my interviews with survivors confirmed the spirit of Marrus’ words: “People want to set the record straight, to tell the story, and to have their history constitute a warning.”

Liliane Lelaidier-Marton took me to the Shoah Memorial in Drancy, France, where her parents had been interned before deportation. She appreciated the memorials and visitor center, which acknowledge her loss and their suffering. Renée Fauguet-Zejgman and I went to a ceremony in Paris together so she could read her murdered father’s name – an opportunity sponsored, in part, by the SNCF. Daniel Urbejtel, one of the youngest to survive Auschwitz, didn’t hold on to special anger against the railways. But when I told him about their statement of regret and funding of memorial sites, he said, “I’m glad that they did that.”

Renée Fauguet-Zejgman points to her father’s name on a memorial in Paris.
Sarah Federman

Leo Bretholz, who jumped out of an SNCF train bound for Auschwitz, wanted a verbal acknowledgment of the harm and an apology along with compensation. Stanley Kalmanovitz, who received over $200,000 from the 2014 settlement for his deportation to Auschwitz, told me, “The money came at a good time in my life … but this is not a settlement of conscience.” He knew the railway company was trying to win U.S. contracts and saw the money as a way to get survivors out of the way.

Motivations aside, Kalmanovitz wondered what people today expect from the SNCF workers during the war. He said, “What was the French railroad supposed to do? Someone has a gun at your head, what do you do? You take the bullet? Then, if everyone takes a bullet, who’s left?”

Historians only know of one French train driver who defied orders to drive his train. Léon Bronchart refused to drive a train filled with either German soldiers or political prisoners. He lost his bonus and title, but not his life.

While a number of survivors I spoke with wanted SNCF to atone, others expressed misgivings about holding today’s company accountable for the actions of its predecessors.

Thousands of Jews around Paris were arrested in July 1942, including more than 4,000 children. Most were later deported to Auschwitz.
Antoine Gyori/Sygma via Getty Images

Restoring dignity

Today, some companies are trying to address their connections to mass atrocities: not only the Holocaust, but also other genocides, the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism and even ecological destruction.

I encourage companies, institutions and ambassadors to focus on addressing harm, rather than on calculating their institution’s percentage of guilt or complicity. These difficult – if not impossible – calculations distract institutions from supporting the innocent people grappling with the aftermath and from preventing future harm.

While money matters, people also want their dignity restored and suffering acknowledged – and companies can do this work without lawsuits prompting them. When they do it on their own, stakeholders see their efforts as evidence of a moral conscience rather than an economic necessity.

This look back encourages stakeholders to consider how today’s corporate actions may be judged in the years ahead. Will future generations celebrate or condone their use of natural resources, labor practices or any participation in the deportations of their day?

Sarah Federman received funding from the Fondation pour la Memorial de la Shoah to conduct research on the SNCF in France. During her time as a doctoral student, George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution awarded Federman the Presidential Scholarship in support of this research.

– ref. Railways were essential to carrying out the Holocaust – decades later, corporate reckoning continues – https://theconversation.com/railways-were-essential-to-carrying-out-the-holocaust-decades-later-corporate-reckoning-continues-250008

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Dark energy may have once been ‘springier’ than it is today − DESI cosmologists explain what their collaboration’s new measurement says about the universe’s history

Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Weinberg, Professor of Astronomy, The Ohio State University

The Mayall 4-meter Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory houses the DESI instrument. KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld

Gravity pulls us to earth, a lesson you learn viscerally the first time you fall. Isaac Newton described gravity as a universal attractive force, one that holds the Moon in orbit around the Earth, the planets in orbit around the Sun, and the Sun in orbit around the center of our galaxy.

In the 1990s, astronomers made the astonishing discovery that the expansion of the universe has sped up over the past 5 billion years, which implies that gravity can push as well as pull.

Einstein’s theory of general relativity explains gravity as a consequence of curved space-time, where it allows for both attraction and repulsion. However, producing gravitational repulsion requires a new form of energy with exotic physical properties, often referred to as “dark energy.”

New results from a large survey of the universe, announced in March 2025, are challenging the conventional picture of dark energy.

Dark energy and cosmic expansion

The simplest explanation for cosmic acceleration assumes a form of energy that fills apparently empty space and stays constant over time, instead of diluting as the universe expands.

In fact, quantum mechanics predicts that “empty” space is filled with particles that flare briefly into and out of existence. At first glance, it seems like this effect could explain a constant dark energy, but no simple estimates of the effect’s magnitude line up with actual observations. Nonetheless, constant dark energy is a simple assumption that has proven successful in explaining many cosmological measurements.

Today’s standard cosmological model incorporates this kind of constant dark energy. It also incorporates atoms and dark matter, which exert the attractive gravity that resists dark energy’s repulsion.

New dark energy measurements

The new measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, collaboration, which we are affiliated with, pose the sharpest challenge yet to this standard model.

Relative to the constant dark energy predictions, the new DESI measurements suggest that the universe was expanding slightly faster a few billion years ago – by 1% to 3% – before relaxing to the expansion rate predicted today. One explanation for this temporary speed up is that the “springiness” of dark energy – a combination of energy and pressure that determines its repulsive effect – was higher in the past. The springiness then declined as the universe expanded further.

Astronomers can measure the history of the universe from our vantage point in the present because light travels at a finite speed. So, we see distant objects as they were in the past. Cosmic expansion stretches the wavelength of light – a phenomenon known as redshift. A precise measurement of an object’s light can reveal the size of the universe at the time the light was emitted.

The new DESI results are based on measuring the redshifts of more than 14 million galaxies, creating a three-dimensional map that spans 12 billion years of cosmic history. To determine the distances light traveled across this map, DESI measured a subtle feature imprinted on the clustering of these galaxies by acoustic waves that traveled through the early universe.

An exciting result

DESI’s evidence for evolving dark energy comes from combining its own distance and redshift measurements with other measurements of the average density of matter in the universe. The higher the density of matter, the more strongly it can pull against dark energy’s expansive push. The matter density measurements come from the European-led Planck space mission, which mapped structure in the cosmic microwave background.

The combination of DESI and Planck data favors evolving dark energy, instead of constant dark energy, with a statistical significance of 3.1 standard deviations. This result has only a 1 in 500 chance of occurring randomly.

Despite the long odds, physicists consider such a finding to be solid but not overwhelming evidence, in part because even the most careful experimenters may underestimate uncertainties in their measurements.

To strengthen the statistical case, DESI scientists added measurements of cosmic distances made by the Dark Energy Survey collaboration, which applied a different measurement technique based on the brightness of light from supernova explosions.

The combination of DESI, Planck and Dark Energy Survey supernovae favors the evolving dark energy model by odds of 40,000 to 1. However, other supernova surveys give results that agree more with constant dark energy, so most cosmologists aren’t yet ready to abandon the standard cosmological model.

Even if DESI’s findings hold up, they still can’t say what dark energy is. But they can provide much stronger clues than cosmologists had before.

The DESI-based model implies that dark energy changed its properties surprisingly quickly. Dark energy began to lose its repulsive strength at about the same time it became the dominant form of energy in the cosmos.

Extrapolating to the past, this model also implies that dark energy once had an extraordinary springiness, at a level that no simple theory of a dark energy field can explain. As future data sharpens these measurements, the findings could point us in a weird new direction – perhaps even challenging Einstein’s theory of gravity itself.

In the model that fits the DESI data, the density of dark energy goes up and then declines, shown as a blue curve, instead of staying constant as assumed in the standard cosmological model, indicated by the horizontal dotted line. In either case, the density of atoms and dark matter dilutes as the universe expands, shown as a red curve, and today it is only about half that of dark energy. The repulsive effect of dark energy began to exceed the attractive effect of matter when the universe was about 8 billion years old, marked as ‘acceleration begins.’
David Weinberg

An ambitious experiment

DESI is an extremely ambitious undertaking and an example of “big science” at its best. The instrument itself is mounted on the 4-meter Mayall Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. It uses 5,000 optical fibers mounted on tiny robotic positioners that guide the light from individual galaxies to scientific instruments that dissect that light and record the data for measuring redshifts.

Every 15 minutes, the telescope shifts to a new area of the sky, and the robots move the fibers to point to 5,000 new galaxy locations. After five years of design and construction, DESI has operated continuously since 2021.

A close-up of the DESI focal plane showing a few of the 5,000 fiber positioners. The white spots inside the bluish circles are the optical fibers that guide the light collected from distant galaxies to the spectrographs about 40 meters away.
Dr. Claire Poppett, DESI Collaboration

Led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, DESI is a collaboration of over 900 scientists at 70 institutions around the world. At our university alone, more than 20 faculty, students, postdocs and research staff have worked on DESI over the past decade.

This work includes contributions to building and installing spectrographs, which measure the properties of light, as well as writing software to record data, leading instrument operations, observing and troubleshooting at the telescope, designing galaxy and quasar surveys, creating catalogs for statistical analysis, testing measurement techniques with computer simulations, interpreting results and writing papers – all in tight communication with our collaborators.

If the evidence for evolving dark energy holds up — and despite our instinctive caution, we think it has a good chance of doing so — it will join a list of remarkable 21st-century discoveries achieved with large U.S. national investments.

These discoveries include the first detection of gravitational waves by the National Science Foundation-funded Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, and the spectacular measurements of galaxies and exoplanet atmospheres by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

These achievements show what the support of science by U.S. taxpayers and dedicated, creative researchers across the globe can accomplish.

David Weinberg receives funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA that supports his dark energy research.

Ashley Ross receives funding from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to support his work on DESI and NASA to support work on related experiments.

Klaus Honscheid receives funding from Department of Energy.

Paul Martini receives funding from the Department of Energy.

– ref. Dark energy may have once been ‘springier’ than it is today − DESI cosmologists explain what their collaboration’s new measurement says about the universe’s history – https://theconversation.com/dark-energy-may-have-once-been-springier-than-it-is-today-desi-cosmologists-explain-what-their-collaborations-new-measurement-says-about-the-universes-history-253067

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Export bars placed on two paintings by 18th century artist Agostino Brunias
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Export bars placed on two paintings by 18th century artist Agostino Brunias

Temporary export bars have been placed on two paintings by 18th century Italian artist Agostino Brunias
Export bars have been placed on the paintings to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire them

Export bars have been placed on two paintings of the island of St Vincent by 18th century artist Agostino Brunias.

Both paintings depict the island through the lens of the British Empire, with one showing the signing of a treaty and the other a representation of Indigenous life.

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.

The Committee found that ‘Sir William Young Conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent’ met the first and third Waverley criteria for its connection with our history and national life. In addition, the Committee found that ‘A family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent’ met the third Waverley criterion for its significance to the study of the history of slavery and colonialism.

The decision on the export licence applications for both paintings will be deferred for a period ending on 15 July 2025 inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase one or both the paintings.

Sir William Young Conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent is set at the recommended price of £240,000 (plus VAT of £8,000). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

A family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent is set at the recommended price of £180,000 (plus VAT of £6,000). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

Notes to editors

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing one or both the paintings should contact the RCEWA on 02072680534 or rcewa@artscouncil.org.uk.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.

Details: A family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent

Details of the ITEM are as follows: A family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent, c.1773, oil on canvas, by Agostino Brunias (c.1730 – 2 April 1796), 56 x 61 cm.; 22 x 24 in.

Provenance: Commissioned by Sir William Young, 1st Bt (1725–1788), Governor of Dominica; By descent to his son, Sir William Young, F.R.S. (1749–1815), Governor of Tobago; Anonymous sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 9 March 1951, lot 74 (as one of a pair); Private collection, France; Anonymous sale, Christie’s, London, 25 September 2003, lot 424; Where acquired by the mother of the present owners.

Details: Sir William Young Conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent

Details of the ITEM are as follows: Sir William Young Conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent, 1773, oil on canvas, by Agostino Brunias (c.1730 – 2 April 1796), 56 x 61 cm.; 22 x 24 in.

Provenance: Commissioned by Sir William Young, 1st Bt (1725–1788), Governor of Dominica; By descent to his son, Sir William Young, F.R.S. (1749–1815), Governor of Tobago; Anonymous sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 9 March 1951, lot 74 (as one of a pair); Private collection, France; Anonymous sale, London, Christie’s, 25 September 2003, lot 425 (where titled ‘Pacification of the Maroon Negros in the Island of Jamaica’); Where acquired by the mother of the present owners.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 16 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. energy consumption growth decreases in the near term in the latest AEO

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

April 15, 2025

U.S. energy consumption decreases in the next several years before increasing again in the early 2040s through 2050, according to our recently published Annual Energy Outlook 2025 (AEO2025). U.S. energy consumption in 2050 is lower than in 2024 in most of the scenarios we explore in AEO2025, but the range of outcomes varies significantly based on the underlying assumptions.

For AEO2025, we made significant updates to the model that underpins the results, adding a hydrogen market module; a carbon capture, allocation, transportation, and sequestration module; and an enhanced upstream oil and natural gas resources module. We also enhanced many existing modules to better reflect market dynamics and emerging technologies.

Our policy assumptions are central to understanding our AEO2025 projections. In most of the cases we modeled, we only considered laws and regulations implemented as of December 2024. Legislation, regulations, executive actions, and court rulings after that date are not included.

You can view and chart the full results on the AEO2025 web page.

In addition to our usual Reference case and eight side cases, we have included two alternative policy cases this year to examine the effects of electricity and transportation sector policies implemented since our last AEO.

Principal contributors: Office of Energy Analysis staff

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. crude oil production rose by 2% in 2024

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

April 16, 2025

U.S. crude oil production grew by 270,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2024 to average 13.2 million b/d, according to our Petroleum Supply Monthly. Almost all the production growth came from the Permian region.

Our Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) breaks out U.S. Lower 48 (L48) crude oil production data for the Appalachia, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, and Permian regions, in addition to reporting Alaska and Gulf of America production data. For crude oil production, the Permian, Eagle Ford, and Bakken are the most prolific production regions, accounting for almost two-thirds of total U.S. production.

In 2024, the Permian region in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico produced more crude oil than any other region, accounting for 48% of total U.S. crude oil production. Permian region production also accounted for almost all the growth in 2024, rising by 370,000 b/d compared with 2023 to average 6.3 million b/d. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices averaged $77 per barrel (b) in 2024, high enough to support oil-directed drilling in the Permian region. The average breakeven price was $62/b in the Permian Midland Basin and $64/b in the Permian Delaware Basin, the two largest basins in the Permian, according to data from a Dallas Fed Energy survey.

The Permian region averaged 308 active drilling rigs in 2024, accounting for more than half of the rigs in operation last year but 26 fewer rigs than in 2023. Even with the lower rig count in 2024, Permian production grew because well productivity improved. Producers used technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, electronic hydraulic fracturing technology, and automated drilling processes to optimize operations.

Although the Eagle Ford and Bakken regions each contributed 9% of the total U.S. crude oil production in 2024, production in these regions remained mostly flat. Both Eagle Ford and Bakken production showed similar growth, rising by 13,000 b/d to 1.2 million b/d. The rig count in the Eagle Ford fell by 9 rigs in 2024 to average 54 rigs, while the rig count in the Bakken fell by 2 rigs to average 34 rigs in 2024.

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, April 2025
Note: GOA=Gulf of America; AK=Alaska; L48=Lower 48 U.S. states

Principal contributor: Naser Ameen

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Athene Enhances Flagship Annuity Products, Expands Innovative Preset Allocation Feature

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Athene, the leading retirement services company and subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO), today announced new features on two of its flagship annuity products, designed to simplify the user experience.

The Athene Accumulator^SM Fixed Indexed Annuity products now include Preset Allocations, a simplified allocation feature designed to make sophisticated diversification strategies easier to implement. In addition, the Athene Protector^SM Fixed Indexed Annuity products now include a streamlined index lineup and new interest crediting strategies and rider options to help clients more easily navigate the product and focus on its protection features. Both products are designed to provide protected accumulation.

“Athene is on a mission to make annuity products simpler to understand and easier to use,” said Mike Downing, Athene Chief Operating Officer. “These enhancements are about providing the best possible experience to financial professionals so that they can help their clients retire with certainty.”

These enhancements are part of Athene’s ongoing efforts to simplify the user experience for annuity products. Earlier this year, Athene and Jackson National Life Insurance Company became the first carriers to complete a paperless transaction for replacement annuity business as part of the Insured Retirement Institute’s (IRI) Digital First Initiative.

“Athene’s leadership is transforming the annuity experience for consumers and financial professionals,” said Downing. “Paperless replacements help reduce the processing time from 2-4 weeks to 48-72 hours. Now product-level enhancements like these can save financial professionals even more time as they set their clients up for success.”

About Athene
Athene is the leading retirement services company with over $360 billion of total assets as of December 31, 2024, and operations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Japan. Athene is focused on providing financial security to individuals by offering an attractive suite of retirement income and savings products and also serves as a solutions provider to corporations. For more information, please visit www.athene.com.

Contact:
Alyssa Castelli
Director, External Relations
+1 (646) 768-7304
Alyssa.castelli@athene.com

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Global AI Diagnostics Market to Reach $8.54 Billion By 2033 as Industry Sees Increasing R&D and Strategic Collaborations

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PALM BEACH, Fla., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Artificial intelligence (AI) is being utilized for disease detection in the global markets. In today’s AI-driven world, the use of deep learning algorithms and AI tools in diagnostics can improve the accuracy, speed and efficiency for diagnosing patients with minimal errors. The introduction of AI tools in diagnostics has revolutionized the healthcare industry with supporting the doctors in advanced disease diagnosis and providing personalized treatments to patients with better judgements and quick results. According to Precedence Research, the global artificial intelligence in diagnostics market size was exhibited at USD 1.61 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit around USD 8.54 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 20.37% during the forecast period 2024 to 2033. The report said: “The advances in digital biomarkers technology which uses real-time monitoring systems for early disease diagnosis and prediction has also enhanced the AI in diagnostics market growth. The application of AI tools in diagnostics has led to analyzing medical images for assessing disease progression, predicting patient outcomes, processing and storing of patient data which includes electronic health records (EHRs), identifying patterns and anomalies in patient data and symptom checkers for providing potential diagnosis.”   Active healthcare/tech companies active in the markets include: Avant Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: AVAI), Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: TEM), Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), Spectral AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDAI).

The report continued: “Moreover, the rising prevalence of chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is fueling the market growth of AI in diagnostics as the demand for advanced and digital healthcare solutions is increasing worldwide. The rapid developments in cutting-edge AI tools in diagnostics and the surging investments in R&D of industries in enhancing diagnostic proficiency for improved patient outcomes is driving the market. North America dominated the AI in diagnostics market in 2024. With the presence of key market players and cutting-edge advancements in technologies integrated with AI-powered tools has expanded the market growth in this region. The rise in investments in R&D, support from government initiatives and increased fundings from private and public organizations for producing AI-enhanced diagnostic tools is strengthening the industries in the region.”

Avant Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AVAI) and JV Partner, Ainnova, Accelerate Expansion Across Latin America Following Key Role at Healthcare Innovation Summit – Avant Technologies, Inc. (“Avant” or the “Company”) and its partner, Ainnova Tech, Inc., (Ainnova), a leading healthcare technology company focused on revolutionizing early disease detection using artificial intelligence (AI), today announced that following Ainnova’s sponsorship and its CEO’s key role at the 2025 Healthcare Innovation Summit in Mexico City, both Avant and Ainnova, through their joint venture, Ai-nova Acquisition Corp. (AAC), are building on Ainnova’s strong presence in Mexico by expanding its footprint across Latin America.

Ainnova has initiated its first commercial pilots in both Chile and the Dominican Republic to work directly with prestigious hospitals that cover the full spectrum of care—from primary to highly specialized services. These pilot programs aim to demonstrate, (i) cost reduction in preventive diagnostics; (ii) increased efficiency in medical resource allocation and patient flow; (iii) enhanced institutional reputation driven by technological innovation; and (iv) improved profitability for participating healthcare centers through optimized patient referrals.

The pilot programs leverage Ainnova’s proprietary Vision AI platform to identify health risks in real time, which enable seamless referrals for specialty care or further diagnostic tests when a positive risk is detected. The broader vision for the joint venture involves deploying an automated, low-cost retinal imaging device integrated with its AI-driven platform to deliver comprehensive preventive risk screening. From just two retinal images, blood pressure and some lab test information, the system will assess risks for: cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, liver fibrosis, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The message that Ainnova’s CEO, Vinicio Vargas, continues to convey to audiences around the world is that this accessible, fast, and scalable solution is designed to support early intervention and targeted treatment strategies, with the ambition of reaching millions of patients globally in the coming years.

Avant has partnered with Ainnova to form AAC so the two companies can advance and commercialize Ainnova’s technology portfolio worldwide. AAC has the global licensing rights for the portfolio, including its Vision AI platform and its versatile retinal cameras.

Avant and Ainnova have identified Brazil and the United States as key strategic markets. Ainnova is currently addressing regulatory pathways in Brazil with the support of its MDSAP certification to meet ANVISA requirements, paving the way for rapid market entry. CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Avant Technologies at:   https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-avai/

In other developments and happenings in the markets recently include:

Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, recently announced late-breaking data on five-year outcomes from the Evolut Low Risk Trial. Data shows, versus surgery, the Evolut™ transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system delivers a numerically lower rate of all-cause mortality or disabling stroke at five years, strong valve performance and durable clinical outcomes. The findings were presented as late-breaking clinical science at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session & Expo and simultaneously published in the JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The Evolut Low Risk Trial was a randomized, multicenter, international study assessing the safety and efficacy of the Evolut TAVR system versus surgery in low-risk patients. These patients had a predicted 30-day mortality risk <3%, as assessed by a local heart team. 1,414 patients were randomized, with 730 receiving TAVR with either a Medtronic Evolut R, PRO, or CoreValve™ and 684 undergoing surgery.

Spectral AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDAI), a leading developer of the AI-driven DeepView^® System, which uses multi-spectral imaging and AI algorithms to predict burn healing potential, recently announced the successful completion of a debt financing agreement of up to $15.0 million in funding from Avenue Venture Opportunities Fund II, L.P., a fund of Avenue Capital Group, with an initial draw down of $8.5 million. In connection with this debt financing, the Company also raised $2.7 million of equity financing from institutional as well as existing investors. With total cash on hand now of over $14 million and potential access to additional debt of $6.5 million, Spectral AI is able to accelerate its product commercialization efforts, including the upcoming U.S. launch of its DeepView System.

The term of the financing agreement is for three years, with an interest-only payment period of no less than 15 months, which can be extended to 24 months upon achieving the milestones laid out in the second financing tranche. The second financing tranche, which is contingent upon FDA clearance of the DeepView System, includes an additional $6.5 million in debt financing and a $7.0 million equity raise to be completed by the Company. The financing also includes warrant coverage equal to 8.5% of the total funding commitment from Avenue Capital Group, with an exercise price of $1.80 per share.   As part of the financing, the Company has agreed to a market standstill with no additional stock sales by the Company for a period of at least six months. SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP acted as the sole placement agent for the participation of existing UK investors. Dominari Securities LLC acted as the sole placement agent for U.S. investors.

Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) and Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: TEM) recently announced a collaboration to accelerate clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing tests through novel evidence generation. The collaboration will combine leading Illumina AI technologies with Tempus’s comprehensive multimodal data platform to train genomic algorithms and ultimately accelerate clinical adoption of molecular testing for patients.

“In the era of true precision medicine, every patient who is battling complex disease should be routed to the optimal therapy based on molecular insights,” said Everett Cunningham, chief commercial officer of Illumina. “We envision a world where the full range of molecular profiling is available as part of the standard of care—not just in cancer, but in cardiology, neurology, immunology, and every other category of disease.”

Today, patients frequently miss the benefit of precision medicine because molecular profiling is not yet standard across disease areas and regions. This collaboration will leverage Tempus multimodal data to further improve Illumina’s AI-driven molecular analysis technologies and generate new insights supporting the clinical value of sequencing. These insights will be used to build evidence packages needed to standardize use of comprehensive genomic profiling and other molecular testing across all major diseases.

“By expanding our collaboration with Illumina, we are combining our strengths in technology and data analytics with their strengths in developing new sequencing technologies to drive forward innovation and advance precision medicine,” said Terron Bruner, chief commercial officer of Tempus.

The program builds on a long-standing collaboration between the companies, which has focused on developing tools and assays to address gaps in testing needs from preemptive screening through therapy selection, health economics, and bioinformatics pipelines to improve patient outcomes and research.

About FN Media Group:

At FN Media Group, via our top-rated online news portal at www.financialnewsmedia.com, we are one of the very few select firms providing top tier one syndicated news distribution, targeted ticker tag press releases and stock market news coverage for today’s emerging companies. #tickertagpressreleases #pressreleases

Follow us on Facebook to receive the latest news updates: https://www.facebook.com/financialnewsmedia

Follow us on Twitter for real time Market News: https://twitter.com/FNMgroup

Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/financialnewsmedia/

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM was compensated forty nine hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Avant Technologies, Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected”, “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Contact Information:

Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com – +1(561)325-8757

SOURCE: FN Media Group

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Varonis and Concentrix Forge Partnership to Deliver Data Security for the AI Revolution

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIAMI, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Varonis Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRNS) announced a strategic partnership with Concentrix Corporation (NASDAQ: CNXC) to deliver end-to-end solutions to help large enterprises implement and harness AI safely and effectively while protecting what matters most — data.

The partnership brings together two global security leaders. Concentrix is a Fortune 500 company serving 155+ Fortune Global 500 clients. Varonis is the leader and customer favorite in data security trusted by thousands of organizations to protect data wherever it lives.

The companies will provide technology and services to help organizations reduce sensitive data exposure from AI agents, chatbots, and LLMs, and address AI-driven cyber threats. Varonis’ Data Security Platform will integrate with Concentrix, offering automated data classification, remediation, alerting, and AI readiness monitoring while providing customers with 24/7 Managed Data Detection and Response service.

“AI is transforming business performance, but it’s also introducing new vulnerabilities and placing critical data at risk,” said Ryan Peterson, Chief Product Officer at Concentrix. “Our partnership with Varonis enables us to bring to market a robust, turnkey solution that leverages best-in-class automated data security to stop threats before they start. Whether it’s threat detection, vulnerability management, or compliance assurance, we provide our clients with unparalleled security, efficiency, and operational excellence.”

“AI, LLMs, and agentic AI increase data vulnerability,” stated Varonis Vice Chairman of Sales Jim O’Boyle. “Endpoint security, MFA, and other technologies are important but don’t prevent data breaches. Partial solutions that discover issues or sample data are inadequate. Only automated, end-to-end data security backed by a dedicated team can protect data in the AI era — and that’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with Concentrix.”

Additional Resources

About Concentrix: Powering a World That Works
Concentrix Corporation (NASDAQ: CNXC), a Fortune 500^® company, is the global technology and services leader that powers the world’s best brands, today and into the future. We’re solution-focused, tech-powered, intelligence-fueled. Every day, we design, build, and run fully integrated, end-to-end solutions at speed and scale across the entire enterprise, helping over 2,000 clients solve their toughest business challenges. With unique data and insights, deep industry expertise, and advanced technology solutions, we’re the intelligent transformation partner that powers a world that works, helping companies become refreshingly simple to work, interact, and transact with. Delivering outcomes unimagined across every major vertical in 70+ markets. Virtually everywhere. Visit concentrix.com to learn more.

About Varonis
Varonis (Nasdaq: VRNS) is the leader in data security, fighting a different battle than conventional cybersecurity companies. Our cloud-native Data Security Platform continuously discovers and classifies critical data, removes exposures, and detects advanced threats with AI-powered automation.

Thousands of organizations worldwide trust Varonis to defend their data wherever it lives — across SaaS, IaaS, and hybrid cloud environments. Customers use Varonis to automate a wide range of security outcomes, including data security posture management (DSPM), data classification, data access governance (DAG), data detection and response (DDR), data loss prevention (DLP), AI security, and insider risk management.

Varonis protects data first, not last. Learn more at www.varonis.com.

Varonis Investor Relations Contact:
Tim Perz
Varonis Systems, Inc.
646-640-2112
investors@varonis.com

Varonis News Media Contact:
Rachel Hunt
Varonis Systems, Inc.
877-292-8767 (ext. 1598)
pr@varonis.com

Concentrix Public Relations Contact:
Concentrix Media
media@concentrix.com

From Fortune ©2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune 500 are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse the products or services of, Concentrix.

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portsmouth nurtures trade partnerships with Canada

Source: City of Portsmouth

The city of Portsmouth recently hosted a significant visit from Jason Guidry, Director of Trade and International Partnerships from Halifax Partnership Canada, along with a large delegation of Canadian businesses. This four-day event, held from 7 to 10 April aimed to foster new business relationships and explore collaborative opportunities between Portsmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The visit commenced with an event hosted by Maritime UK Solent at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, bringing together over 70 Solent-based and Canadian businesses. This gathering provided a platform for sharing maritime business opportunities.

Following on from the first day, Jason Guidry then had personal meetings with 14 Portsmouth businesses across the city who were interested in diversifying their supply chain by finding trading partners and new markets and customers in Canada.

The discussions focused on expanding opportunities in data and digital services, life sciences, satellite applications and maritime. Additionally, both sister cities are keen to explore partnerships between naval bases and ports, visitor economy links, and best practices in clean technology and sustainability.

Jason Guidry, Director of Trade and International Partnerships at Halifax Partnership said:

“Strengthening ties between Portsmouth and Halifax opens the door to new and expanded business, trade, investment, and supply chain opportunities and partnerships that will accelerate business and economic growth in both our regions.”

Councillor Steve Pitt Leader of Portsmouth City Council with responsibilities for Economic Development commented on the visit, saying:

“In a changing world, international cooperation is vital. We are seizing every opportunity to help our businesses grow and strengthen our local economy.

Welcoming the Canadians highlighted a real potential to further develop significant partnerships for our businesses and visitor economy.”

The business who took advantage of the opportunity included Visitor Chat Ltd, Sirius Analysis, Red Penquin, Metaverse VR, SI Digital, Mary Rose, Exposure Analytics Ltd, Nova Systems, CTS Europe Ltd (recent winner of Global Business of the Year at the Portsmouth Business Awards), Solent Sky Services, Velocetec, Houlder, Space South Central and Qinetiq. These meetings were held at various locations across the city, including Lakeside North Harbour, Portsdown Technology Park, and Dunsbury Park.

This visit marks a notable step in the ongoing partnership between Portsmouth and Halifax Nova Scotia which became sister cities in 2023. The formal agreement signed between the two cities aims to expand opportunities for businesses and foster economic growth through international collaboration.

For more information about Portsmouth businesses visit investportsmouth.co.uk

Image: From L to R: Jason Guidry with Ella Vandenberghe and Abbie-Rose Smith from Visitor Chat Ltd

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Deepwater Horizon oil spill: 15 years of recovery, research, and restoration

Source: US National Ocean Service News

dot gov icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

https icon

Secure websites use HTTPS
A small lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to a .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: UConn Seniors Win Awards for Landscape Architecture Projects

Source: US State of Connecticut

Two students in the UConn landscape architecture program won awards from the Connecticut chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (CTASLA) for their community-centered ideas.

Brendan Pugmire ‘25 (CAHNR) and Matthew Bacon ‘25 (CAHNR) were the winners of the 2025 CTASLA Honor Award and Merit Award, respectively.

“It’s very special,” Pugmire says. “It’s very validating to all of the hard work I put into this project to have it recognized at a professional level by my peers.”

Both Pugmire and Bacon developed their projects as part of their junior-year coursework.

“We’re excited and proud of them for achieving these awards, for being recognized,” Jill Desimini, director and associate professor of landscape architecture, says. “We have a growing collaboration with the Connecticut Chapter of the ASLA, and it just highlights the caliber of student work, of teaching, and the types of projects we’ve been able to achieve.”

The landscape architecture program is part of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.

Pugmire’s project titled “Rooted in Time” introduces features to the 180-year-old Brookside Farm in East Lyme to revitalize the site, developed as part of his Design III course with Mariana Fragomeni, assistant professor of landscape architecture.

“The thing about historic restoration is that most projects were not made with modern-day technology and features,” Pugmire says. “So, for me it was about trying to find the happy medium between historic preservation and the modern functionality we see with newer landscapes.”

Pugmire’s design includes an orchard that would revive the farm’s history of growing apples.

It also develops the Brookside Barn into a historical attraction with exhibits of antique farming equipment and other artifacts.

The third element of “Rooted in Time” is a tea garden and kitchen where visitors would pick edible plants like hibiscus, beebalm, and lavender to make fresh teas.

“All of these plants are either native or cultivated,” Pugmire says. “So, they still add to the local ecology.”

Developed as part of his Design III course with Mariana Fragomeni, assistant professor of landscape architecture, Brendan Pugmire ’25 (CAHNR) revitalizes an 180-year-old farm in East Lyme, CT. (Contributed photo)

The plan for the garden includes plants that would bloom in multiple seasons and trees to offer year-round appeal.

Bacon’s project “Pollinator Pathways” presents a plan to use part of the Northeast Science Quad on the UConn Storrs campus as a biodiverse native pollinator garden.

“I wanted to create something that looked very natural and attracted pollinators,” Bacon says.

This project was completed as part of his Planting Design class with Sohyun Park, associate professor of landscape architecture.

Given that there is a laboratory less than a foot below the ground, this limited what plants Bacon could use in his design. The site is also largely in the shade, leading Bacon to choose native plants that could tolerate both less-than-ideal conditions like indigo, ferns, poppies, and grasses.

Bacon chose specific plants to attract pollinators as well, like milkweed for monarchs, and other plants for hummingbirds, bees, and beetles.

“This is the first project that I’ve done that is this style of planting and really going super in-depth with plant species, so it was cool to get recognition for that,” Bacon says.

The site plan also includes bird houses and “pollinator hotels” for bees, benches, and a rain garden.

Any student or first-year graduate attending UConn or living in Connecticut is eligible to enter the contest. UConn students have won these awards in the past, Desimini says. Developing plans for real-world projects in the community is a cornerstone of the nationally accredited landscape architecture program. It provides students with unique experience that helps them hit the ground running in the job market.

Students can also enter their projects for national awards.

“We hope that this will build the confidence of our students and that more students will apply for awards and recognition in the future,” Desimini says. “We feel really good about their projects and the curriculum.”

This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface.

Follow UConn CAHNR on social media

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: New Online Dashboard Offers Look at Violent Deaths in Connecticut – When, Where, and How

Source: US State of Connecticut

A new online tool from the UConn ARMS Center aims to help policymakers and frontline workers in their efforts to reduce the number of violent deaths in Connecticut, demonstrating that over time, violent death is a statewide phenomenon.

The Violent Mortality Dashboard, which was launched in mid-March, shows that between 2020 and 2024 hundreds of violent deaths, classified as homicides and suicides, were recorded in Connecticut – with a high of 205 and 204 in New Haven and Hartford, respectively, and a low of two in places like Franklin, Norfolk, and Somers.

“We have a tendency to say violent death is something that happens over there in a different community, but we can see that over time most of our state experiences some kind of violent death,” says Kerri Raissian, director of UConn ARMS and an associate professor in the UConn School of Public Policy. “Hopefully this dashboard will help providers figure out where and how they can provide their services most effectively.”

Years in the making, the dashboard allows users to manipulate the data for their purposes, whether that means looking at things like gun-related vs. non-gun-related violent deaths, number of cases vs. rate per 100,000, veteran vs. civilian status, even the number of hometown deaths vs. deaths happening elsewhere.

Raissian says that information on when, where, and how much violent death is in Connecticut has been hard to come by until now. Previously, users would have had to access the Connecticut Violent Death Reporting System, which offers details on trends but doesn’t always break information into smaller bites like the new dashboard – though data may be available by request from the state Department of Public Health.

And while UConn ARMS (Advancing Research, Methods, and Scholarship in Gun Injury Prevention) focuses its work on gun-related deaths and injuries, Raissian says she and her team recognized the importance of the dashboard providing a full picture of violent deaths, whether gun-related or not.

After all, the needs of each dashboard user are just as unique as the needs of each Connecticut community.

“We might define frontline workers as doctors, social workers, mental health providers, colleges and schools,” Raissian says. “Whoever they are, this dashboard can help them see violence is a statewide problem that we all have an interest in solving and reducing.”

UConn ARMS used the state Department of Public Health’s Data Request Form for Non-Confidential Data to access the information from the State Office of Vital Records, she explains. Using details from death certificates and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, researchers were able to discern demographics and filter out nonviolent deaths caused by things like car accidents and natural causes.

The dashboard, funded solely by UConn ARMS, will be updated twice a year.

Raissian notes the dashboard does not include accidental gun deaths, like the death of Ethan Song in Guilford in 2018 which admittedly happened two years before the capture period.

That was intentional, she says, for two reasons: 1. These deaths are rare in Connecticut, and 2. They most often involve children. So, to protect a young person’s confidentiality, the team agreed to keep them off the dashboard.

Their omission is in no way meant to signal that these deaths do not deserve careful policy intervention, Raissian says, underscoring that Connecticut’s secure storage laws are a model for the nation.

Nonetheless, the dashboard provides some interesting facts about violent deaths in Connecticut. For instance, homicide deaths went down in 2024, but suicide deaths went up sharply, and this seems to be driven by changes in gun homicides and gun suicides.

“I don’t think we understand why,” Raissian says. “That’s a new finding and that’s one of the benefits of this dashboard – we’ll be able to get data into the hands of policymakers that much sooner. But in order to understand something, we must first discover it.”

In addition to frontline workers, UConn ARMS hopes legislators will use the dashboard in their deliberations. It’s been distributed to all members of the Public Health, Judiciary, and Health and Human Services committees.

Raissian says that according to the dashboard there appears to be more gun-related homicide victims dying at the hospital as opposed to dying at a crime scene. That could mean people are getting to the hospital quicker, which might equate to there being more opportunities to intervene.

“Guns only account for about 30% of suicides in Connecticut,” she says, giving another example of novel stats from the dashboard. “That’s a nontrivial chunk of suicides, but most are perpetrated by something other than guns in Connecticut. I don’t yet know how getting that information to more people – as certainly suicide prevention providers already know that – can be used, but I hope it will.”

She continues, “While violent deaths may not happen in every community every year, when we look at the cumulative effects, we can see it touches all of us. The actual goal of all this is to not have these violent deaths at all. Maybe one day these maps can fade away.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: UConn Journalism’s Smith Receives Carnegie Fellowship

Source: US State of Connecticut

Steven G. Smith, an award-winning multimedia storyteller and professor in the Department of Journalism, has been named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow for 2025, joining just 25 other scholars nationally in receiving the prestigious honor for researchers in the humanities and social sciences.

Each fellow will receive $200,000 for research focusing on subjects related to political polarization, with the aim of eventually producing a book or other major study, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced Wednesday.

“Receiving the Carnegie Fellowship is an honor, and I’m excited to continue working on ‘These United States,’ my long-term documentary photo essay exploring American identity in the 21st century,” says Smith, who won a Pulitzer Prize for photography as part of the Rocky Mountain News photo essay team that was honored in 2003. “The fellowship will provide invaluable time and resources to develop the project further and share stories from across the country. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the support provided by the Carnegie Foundation and the University of Connecticut.”

(Courtesy of Steven G. Smith)

Smith, whose previous work includes the award-winning documentary films “The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Journey” and “One World, One People,” has already been working on his current project for a year and a half, traveling the U.S. and documenting its people in photography.

“My perspective as a visual journalist is to see what our country looks like right now,” Smith says. “It’s a portrait of America at the time of its 250^th birthday.”

Visual media like photography and film offer a chance to examine complicated and emotionally charged subjects with unique nuance, Smith says, which is partly what drew him to the project.

“I’m a big believer in a wide variety of approaches,” he says. “Human beings are complex, and photography and visual communication can bring these subtleties and details to the surface that might otherwise be overlooked.”

Smith is just the second UConn faculty member to receive a Carnegie fellowship; Yonatan Morse, associate professor of political science, became the first in 2020.

Under the leadership of Carnegie president Dame Louise Richardson, the 2025 class marks the second year of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program’s focus on building a body of research focused on political polarization. Carnegie will commit up to $18 million to this effort over the three-year period.

The winning proposals approach polarization through a wide array of disciplines and methods. Projects include analyzing the causes of the increasing political divides between men and women; assessing where Americans find common ground when it comes to their health; and understanding how partisan media, consultants, and entertainment industries are driving polarization for short-term profits, among other areas of research.

“Through these fellowships Carnegie is harnessing the unrivaled brainpower of our universities to help us to understand how our society has become so polarized,” says Richardson. “Our future grantmaking will be informed by what we learn from these scholars as we seek to mitigate the pernicious effects of political polarization.”

The focus on political polarization attracted more than 300 applications for the fellowship. A panel of jurors, chaired by Richardson and comprised of current and former leaders from some of the nation’s preeminent institutions, made the final selections. They prioritized proposals based on the originality and promise of the research, its potential impact on the field, and the applicants’ plans for communicating the findings to a broad audience.

Smith says the final shape of his project is still to be determined, but envisions possibilities like a book and exhibition of the work.

“I’d like to see this project be less overtly political and more a celebration of who we are,” Smith says. “Sometimes, when you’re out taking the pulse of the country, it can be a little frightening. But as I get out and shake hands and meet people and learn about their lives, I see a lot of kindness. That’s been very healing, to meet all these wonderful people and try to get just a little bit of their story.”

Founded in 2015, the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program provides the most generous stipend of its kind for research in the humanities and social sciences. To date, Carnegie has named almost 300 fellows, representing a philanthropic investment of more than $59 million. Congressional testimony by past fellows has addressed topics such as social media and privacy protections, transnational crime, governmental responses to pandemics, and college affordability. Fellows have received honors including the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: CRH to Expand Metro Atlanta Footprint

Source: US State of Georgia

ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that CRH, the leading provider of building materials solutions, plans to create more than 300 new jobs in metro Atlanta and invest $1.7 million in a new Finance & Accounting Shared Services Center (SSC) in Fulton County. The new SSC will support CRH’s Americas Materials Solutions business that is also headquartered in Atlanta.

“CRH’s latest investment in Georgia is more proof that our state’s collaborative approach to economic development works for both prospective job creators and those already operating in our state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “As we continue to foster a business-friendly environment, these investments create high-quality jobs for hardworking Georgians. We look forward to CRH’s continued success in the No. 1 state for business.”

CRH’s Americas Materials Solutions business provides aggregates, asphalt, paving, ready mixed concrete, and construction services and is the leading integrated building materials solutions provider in North America.

“It is an exciting time for CRH’s Americas Materials Solutions business as we support our ongoing growth by establishing a world-class Finance & Accounting Shared Services Center in metro Atlanta. The new SSC will enable further integration of our finance and accounting operations, creating additional efficiencies that will help CRH deliver better for our customers across North America,” said Rob Dinkins, Chief Financial Officer, CRH Americas Materials Solutions. “Access to leading talent, infrastructure, and support from the State and local community made it clear that this location would be a key enabler for the project’s success.”

The new Shared Services Center (SSC) will be located at 1120 Sanctuary Parkway in Roswell. Hiring for roles is currently underway, including in finance and accounting, with plans for the facility to be fully staffed by 2029. To learn more about CRH, including where interested individuals can apply for jobs, visit www.crhamericas.com/careers.

“Roswell provides an ideal environment for companies like CRH to flourish, and their decision to expand their operations here is a testament to the strength of our community and our dedication to economic growth,” said Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson. “Our city is not only a prime destination for businesses but also a thriving home for families, thanks to our top-tier schools, safe neighborhoods, scenic parks, and strong sense of community. We are proud to welcome CRH to Roswell and look forward to all of the opportunities they will bring to our city.”

“We’re excited to welcome CRH’s expansion in Fulton County,” said Chairman Robb Pitts, Fulton County Board of Commissioners. “This multimillion-dollar investment, creating more than 300 jobs, highlights our skilled workforce and innovation-driven ecosystem, cementing Fulton County as a top destination for tech leaders.”

“CRH has chosen a great location to make a significant investment,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Many global businesses find success with shared service hubs in metro Atlanta, thanks in part to our large and growing talent pool in finance and technology. With operations in 28 countries, CRH’s presence in Metro Atlanta underscores our region’s international diversity and strong global appeal.”

Assistant Director of Statewide Projects Elizabeth McLean represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the City of Roswell, Select Fulton, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Georgia Power.

“Once the new Shared Services Center is at full operations, CRH will employ more than 1,400 people in Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Wilson. “Georgia’s universities and colleges, along with metro Atlanta’s appeal to young talent, gives companies a leg up in hiring for long-term jobs. Congratulations to CRH for its continued investment in Georgia, and thank you to the partners who have built a community where talent wants to live and work.”

About CRH

CRH is the leading provider of building materials solutions that build, connect, and improve our world. Employing c.79,800 people at c.3,816 operating locations in 28 countries, CRH has market leadership positions in both North America and Europe. As the essential partner for transportation and critical utility infrastructure projects, complex non-residential construction, and outdoor living solutions, CRH’s unique offering of materials, products, and value-added services helps to deliver a more resilient and sustainable built environment. The company is ranked among sector leaders by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating agencies. A Fortune 500 company, CRH’s shares are listed on the NYSE and LSE. For more information visit: www.crh.com.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: NANO Nuclear Energy Launches Recruitment Drive to Build Full-Scale KRONOS MMR Reactors
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NANO Nuclear Aims to Expand Engineering and Project Development Team to Support U.S. and Canadian KRONOS MMR Energy System Reactor Construction and Licensing Efforts

New York, N.Y., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or the “Company”) is launching a recruitment initiative focused on the Midwest region to support its ambitious plans to construct, demonstrate and gain regulatory approval for full-scale KRONOS MMR Energy Systems in both the United States and Canada.

NANO Nuclear’s plans to extend its technical and project execution team are critical in the Company’s transition from design to ultimate commercial deployment of the proprietary, stationary KRONOS microreactor. In tandem with upcoming geological characterization work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) site, this workforce build-out will consolidate the expertise and provide the personnel necessary to complete the construction permit application and begin construction of the first KRONOS prototype on the UIUC campus shortly thereafter.

Rendering of the KRONOS MMR^TMEnergy System

“As we prepare to break ground on the KRONOS reactor prototype at UIUC, it’s time to scale our team to match our vision,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear. “This is a call to the best and brightest in nuclear and energy innovation in the Midwest region—we’re building a reactor, and we need you on the team.”

Now Hiring Across All Core Disciplines

NANO Nuclear is actively recruiting top talent across a variety of critical disciplines for the KRONOS MMR project. Open positions include:
- Nuclear Engineers – Fuel & materials, reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, safety, and licensing
- Mechanical Engineers – design, structural, CAD, balance of plant
- Electrical Engineers – Instrumentation & control (I&C), power electronics, transmission
- Civil Engineers & Geotechnical Experts – Site layout, structural foundations, drilling operations
- Project Managers & Construction Specialists – Full-cycle oversight from permitting through commissioning
- QA/QC Professionals – Nuclear-grade standards, documentation, and supplier oversight
- Licensing & Regulatory Affairs Experts – NRC and CNSC compliance and filings
- Skilled Technicians – Fabrication, assembly, testing, and field support
Applicants with previous experience in nuclear R&D, DOE national labs, SMR or MMR programs, or international reactor development are especially encouraged to apply.

“Our collaboration with UIUC will be a critical operations hub for our KRONOS reactor development effort,” said Jay Yu, Founder, Chairman and President of NANO Nuclear. “It will house the growing team that’s building not only our U.S. research reactor, but also laying the foundation for our demonstration reactor deployment in Canada, which will open the path for eventual commercial rollout in both the U.S. and Canada.”

Canadian Reactor Construction Also in Focus

In parallel with the UIUC research reactor, Nano Nuclear is actively preparing to construct a KRONOS demonstration reactor in Canada, where it will enter the licensing process under Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) oversight. The effort will establish a second fully licensed KRONOS unit, positioning NANO Nuclear to efficiently move its microreactor technology through construction, demonstration, regulatory licensing and eventual commercialization across North America.

“Canada represents an incredible opportunity for clean, reliable microreactor deployment,” added Florent Heidet, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Reactor Development of NANO Nuclear. “By expanding our team and bringing additional talents onboard, we ensure we have the capacity to deliver simultaneous full-scale projects in two countries, each with independent regulatory pathways and future market potential.”

Join the Team Shaping the Future of Nuclear Energy

NANO Nuclear is a company that doesn’t just imagine the future—it’s engineering it, constructing it and moving towards regulatory licensing for it. With multiple microreactor project in progress, fuel qualification methodology already accepted by the NRC, and strategic partnerships underway, NANO Nuclear is one of the most active and ambitious advanced nuclear developers in the world.

“This recruitment drive is about finding those who want to be part of history,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear. “If you want to help build the next generation of nuclear reactors from the ground up—this is your chance.”

How to Apply

Interested candidates can view open positions, including details regarding salary ranges and benefit offerings, and apply directly at:

https://nanonuclearenergy.com/careers

For inquiries, please contact:
Email: careers@nanonuclearenergy.com
Business Tel: (212) 634-9206

About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.

Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s reactor products in development include patented KRONOS MMR^™Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is in construction permit pre-application engagement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.), “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR^™, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.

HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR^™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.

For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

For further NANO Nuclear information, please contact:

Email: IR@NANONuclearEnergy.com
Business Tel: (212) 634-9206

PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HERE:

NANO Nuclear Energy LINKEDIN
NANO Nuclear Energy YOUTUBE
NANO Nuclear Energy X PLATFORM

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. In this press release, forward-looking statement relate to the NANO Nuclear’s recruitment drive and its development, demonstration, licensing and commercial plans, each as described herein. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) or related state or non-U.S. nuclear fuel licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complimentary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the DOE, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating an early stage business a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

Attachment
- NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.
The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: CUSIP Request Volumes for New Corporate Debt and Equity Instruments Increase in March

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NORWALK, Conn., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CUSIP Global Services (CGS) today announced the release of its CUSIP Issuance Trends Report for March 2025. The report, which tracks the issuance of new security identifiers as an early indicator of debt and capital markets activity over the next quarter, found a monthly increase in request volume for new corporate debt and equity identifiers, while monthly request volume for new municipal identifiers was slightly lower.

North American corporate CUSIP requests totaled 8,447 in March, which is up 4.2% on a monthly basis. On an annualized basis, North American corporate requests were down 16.9% over March 2024 totals. The monthly increase was driven by a 2.4% rise in request volume for U.S. corporate debt identifiers and a 5.5% increase in request volume for U.S. corporate equity identifiers.

The aggregate total of identifier requests for new municipal securities – including municipal bonds, long-term and short-term notes, and commercial paper – fell 1.1% versus February totals. On a year-over-year basis, overall municipal volumes were up 11.4% through the end of March. Texas led state-level municipal request volume with a total of 106 new CUSIP requests in March, followed by California (104) and New York (81).

“We are seeing a steady volume of new corporate debt and equity issuance throughout the first quarter,” said Gerard Faulkner, Director of Operations for CGS. “As interest rates fluctuate and uncertainty around the future of the U.S. economy continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if that pace continues.”

Requests for international equity CUSIPs rose 2.6% in March and international debt CUSIP requests fell 5.9%. On an annualized basis, international equity CUSIP requests were up 9.0% and international debt CUSIP requests were up 20.5%.

To view the full CUSIP Issuance Trends report for March, please click here.

Following is a breakdown of new CUSIP Identifier requests by asset class year-to-date through March 2025:

Asset Class	2025 YTD	2024 YTD	YOY Change
Long-Term Municipal Notes	100	63	58.7%
Private Placement Securities	1,123	912	23.1%
International Debt	1,793	1,488	20.5%
U.S. Corporate Debt	8,518	7,285	16.9%
Municipal Bonds	2,258	1,979	14.1%
International Equity	434	398	9.0%
U.S. Corporate Equity	3,115	2,939	6.0%
Syndicated Loans	700	702	-0.3%
Canada Corporate Debt & Equity	1,693	1,861	-9.0%
Short-Term Municipal Notes	192	246	-22.0%
CDs < 1-year Maturity	2,216	2,880	-23.1%
CDs > 1-year Maturity	1,803	2,530	-28.7%

About CUSIP Global Services

CUSIP Global Services (CGS) is the global leader in securities identification. The financial services industry relies on CGS’ unrivaled experience in uniquely identifying instruments and entities to support efficient global capital markets. Its extensive focus on standardization over the past 50 plus years has helped CGS earn its reputation as the industry standard provider of reliable, timely reference data. CGS is also a founding member of the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) and co-operates ANNA’s hub of ISIN data, the ANNA Service Bureau. CGS is managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association (ABA) by FactSet Research Systems Inc., with a Board of Trustees that represents the voices of leading financial institutions. For more information, visit www.cusip.com.

About The American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $24.2 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ approximately 2.1 million people, safeguard $19.1 trillion in deposits and extend $12.6 trillion in loans.

For More Information:

John Roderick
john@jroderick.com
+1 (631) 584.2200

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: ICE lodges immigration detainer against Mexican national arrested on allegations of kidnapping, rape of minor

Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

RALEIGH, N.C. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged an immigration detainer against Victor Villalba-Bustamante, a 41-year-old Mexican illegal alien, following his arrest by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Sanford Police Department April 9. Villalba-Bustamante’s arrest stems from an incident in which he was found in a hotel room with a 14-year-old female victim who was reported missing.

He has been criminally charged with two counts of statutory rape, abduction of a child, felony conspiracy to commit abduction, second-degree kidnapping, and solicitation of a minor by computer. The victim had been reported missing after failing to return home from school.

Villalba-Bustamante has no prior criminal history however, due to the nature and severity of the criminal charges, ICE Homeland Security Investigations immediately lodged a detainer to ensure he remains in custody.

“The safety and protection of children is one of our top priorities,” said ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Charlotte Cardell T. Morant, who also oversees North and South Carolina. “HSI and our law enforcement partners are working diligently to determine the full scope of this case, including any indicators of human trafficking or exploitation. We remain committed to holding accountable those who prey on vulnerable populations.”

ICE HSI Raleigh along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Sanford Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and other state and local partners are looking into other potential crimes.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details will be released at this time.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Springdale — Off-duty RCMP officer comes upon single-vehicle crash, teenaged driver arrested for impaired operation and refusing breath test

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A teenaged novice driver was arrested by Springdale RCMP for impaired operation after crashing a vehicle on Route 410, near the Trans-Canada Highway.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., while off-duty, a police officer with Baie Verte RCMP came upon the scene of a crash and called 911. A vehicle was resting on its roof in a ditch and was heavily damaged. The driver, who held a beginner’s permit, was located at the scene and showed signs of alcohol impairment. On-duty RCMP officers from Springdale and Baie Verte detachments arrived at the scene. The driver was transported to Springdale hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

At the hospital, the driver was arrested for impaired operation and refused to provide blood samples. She was released from custody and is set to appear in court at a later date to face charges of impaired operation and refusing to comply with a blood demand. The driver received a licence suspension and the vehicle was seized and impounded.

RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

MIL Security OSI –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Intermex to Release First Quarter 2025 Earnings
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIAMI, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — International Money Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMXI), also known as Intermex, will release its First Quarter 2025 earnings before the start of trading on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The Intermex management team will be hosting a conference call on the same day at 9:00 am ET.

Interested parties are invited to join the discussion and gain firsthand knowledge about Intermex’s financial performance and operational achievements through the following channels:
- A live broadcast of the conference call may be accessed via the Investor Relations section of Intermex’s website at https://investors.intermexonline.com/.
- To participate in the live conference call via telephone, please register HERE. Upon registering, a dial-in number and unique PIN will be provided to join the conference call.
- Following the conference call, an archived webcast of the call will be available for one year on Intermex’s website at https://investors.intermexonline.com/.
About International Money Express, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Intermex applies proprietary technology, enabling consumers to send money from the United States, Canada, and Europe to more than 60 countries. The Company provides the digital movement of money through a network of agent retailers in the United States, Canada, and Europe; Company-operated stores; our mobile app; and the Company’s websites. Transactions are fulfilled and paid through thousands of retail and bank locations around the world. Intermex is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with international offices in Puebla, Mexico, Guatemala City, Guatemala, London, England, and Madrid, Spain. For more information about Intermex, please visit www.intermexonline.com.

Investor Relations:
Alex Sadowski
Investor Relations Coordinator
Tel: 305-671-8000
IR@intermexusa.com

The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Dayforce to Announce First Quarter 2025 Financial Results on May 7th and Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MINNEAPOLIS and TORONTO, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dayforce, Inc. (NYSE:DAY) (TSX:DAY), a global human capital management (HCM) leader that makes work life better, announced today the date for the release of its first quarter 2025 earnings and its participation at upcoming investor conferences.

First Quarter 2025 Earnings Date

Dayforce will release first quarter 2025 financial results before the open of regular market trading on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

The company will host a live webcast and conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on May 7, 2025 to discuss the aforementioned financial results. Those wishing to participate via the webcast should access the call through the Investor Relations section of the Dayforce website. Those wishing to participate via the telephone may dial in at 877-497-9071 (USA) or 201-689-8727 (International). The webcast replay will be available through the Investor Relations section of the Dayforce website.

Upcoming Investor Conferences

Members of Dayforce management will participate in the following investor conferences:
- The J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference at the Westin Boston Seaport District Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
- The Baird Global Consumer, Technology and Services Conference at the InterContinental New York Barclay in New York City on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
- The BMO Virtual Software Conference on Monday, June 9, 2025.
- The Mizuho Technology Conference at the Conrad New York Downtown in New York City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
A live webcast and replay of the presentations will be available through the Dayforce Investor Relations website. Management will also be available for one-on-one and small group meetings with investors.

About Dayforce

Dayforce makes work life better. Everything we do as a global leader in HCM technology is focused on improving work for thousands of customers and millions of employees around the world. Our single, global people platform for HR, Pay, Time, Talent, and Analytics equips Dayforce customers to unlock their full workforce potential and operate with confidence. To learn how Dayforce helps create quantifiable value for organizations of all sizes and industries, visit dayforce.com.

Source: Dayforce, Inc.

For more information, contact:

David Niederman
Investor Relations
1-844-829-9499
investors@dayforce.com

The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: Questor Announces December 31, 2024 Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CALGARY, Alberta, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questor Technology Inc. (“Questor” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: QST) announced today its financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024.

Questor’s audited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 are available on the Company’s website at www.questortech.com/quarterly-reports and at www.sedarplus.ca.

Unless otherwise noted, all financial figures are presented in Canadian dollars, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and are unaudited for the three months ended December 31, 2024.

FOURTH QUARTER AND 2024 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS

	Three months ended December 31,		Twelve months ended December 31,
For the	2024	2023	2024	2023
(Stated in CDN $)
Revenue	1,775,892	1,445,128	4,520,580	7,190,871
Gross profit	595,405	738,031	1,233,410	2,730,907
Adjusted EBITA⁽¹⁾	5,246	152,543	(1,450,452)	488,787
Loss for the period	(1,041,393)	(891,982)	(3,233,997)	(4,806,412)
Loss per share – basic and diluted	(0.04)	(0.03)	(0.12)	(0.17)

As at			December 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
(Stated in CDN $)
Working capital⁽²⁾			7,570,934	11,844,178
Total assets			24,090,332	27,125,820
Total equity			21,110,076	24,357,652

⁽¹⁾Non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section at the end of this MD&A.
⁽²⁾Working capital is defined as total current assets less total current liabilities.

Revenue for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was $1.8 million and $4.5 million compared to $1.4 million and $7.2 million for the same periods in 2023. The reduction was mainly attributed to a strategic shift in Questor’s business focus towards the international market. Questor’s USA sales team was hired in the second half of 2024 with a focus on rebuilding rental and sales revenue lost primarily due to merger and acquisition activity combined with regulatory changes in the space over the past few years. The revenue focus is primarily in the Permian basin, Colorado, North Dakota, New Mexico and Wyoming. The company is exploring potential rental opportunities in Mexico, with rental activities set to begin in Q1 2025. While short-term results were impacted by the change in our client base combined with regulatory changes, our refreshed focus on global markets with opportunities to eliminate methane and VOC emissions will position the Company for stronger, more diversified and ultimately more sustainable growth in the long term. As at the date of this press release, the Company has secured $4.5 million of committed equipment sales revenue, expected to be fulfilled in the first half of 2025.

Gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was 34 percent and 27 percent compared to 51 percent and 38 percent for the same periods in 2023. The reduction for the twelve and three months ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior periods is mainly due to a lower revenue, where the Company continues to incur fixed costs and due to the revenue and sales mix. Additionally, 2024 cost of sales expense benefited from the absence of a $0.2 million valuation allowance for slow-moving inventory, which was recognized in 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was nil and negative $1.5 million, compared to positive $0.2 million and $0.5 million for the same periods in 2023. The reduction in Adjusted EBITDA is mainly due to lower revenue, where the Company continues to incur operational and administrative fixed costs.

The Company continues to have a strong financial position at December 31, 2024 including cash and cash equivalents of $5.3 million, $1.7 million of highly liquid short-term investments, and working capital of $7.6 million.

2024 HIGHLIGHTS AND SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Questor received the final payment of $1,393,246 for the milestone one of the Waste Heat to Power project from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (“SDTC”).

The construction of the 1500kW waste heat to power prototype neared completion in Q4, with final testing underway in Q1 2025. Commissioning is scheduled to begin in Q2 2025. Meanwhile, Questor has advanced negotiations and preparations for the prototype’s field demonstration, with the field deployment expected in the second half of 2025.

On February 9, 2024, Questor commenced Normal Course Issuer Bid (“NCIB”) allowing Questor to purchase a maximum of 1,400,000 common shares over the 12-month period for cancellation. NCIB is effective until the earliest of (i) February 7, 2025, (ii) the Company purchasing the maximum of 1,400,000 Shares, and (iii) the Company terminating the NCIB. In connection with the current NCIB, Questor entered into an automatic share purchase plan (“ASPP”) with its designated broker to enable the purchase of shares during blackout periods during which the Company would not ordinarily be permitted to purchase shares. Purchases under the ASPP during those periods are determined by the designated broker in its sole discretion based on the purchasing parameters set by Questor in accordance with the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange, applicable securities laws and the terms of the ASPP. Outside of the periods noted above, purchases under the current NCIB are completed at Questor’s discretion. As of December 31, 2024 under the current NCIB and the instructions in place with the broker, Questor purchased for cancellation of 671,500 shares for the weighted average of $0.48. Subsequent to the year-end, the Company’s NCIB expired and was formally concluded on February 7, 2025. As a result of the NCIB, which was active from February 9, 2024 to February 7, 2025, the Company repurchased and cancelled a total of 731,500 shares at a weighted average price of $0.47 per share.

In the first quarter of 2025, Questor announced a $0.9 million purchase order to supply clean combustion solutions for managing railcar vapours at Caltrax Inc.’s Calgary facility. During the same period, the company also secured a $2.4 million contract in Iraq, marking the second unit supplied in the MENA region for a leading global exploration and production company focused on reducing flaring and methane emissions.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The global regulatory landscape for emissions is rapidly evolving, with increasing pressure from regulators, courts, investors, and the public to reduce flaring and venting in industrial operations. As a result, Questor is seeing significant global interest in our technology solutions to help address these critical challenges.

Flaring and venting not only waste valuable resources but also contribute significantly to air pollution. This practice releases methane, hydrocarbons, fine particulates (PM2.5), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde into the atmosphere. These harmful pollutants have been directly linked to higher cancer rates, respiratory diseases, and other chronic health conditions. Methane, in particular, is a climate “super pollutant” with 86 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over 20 years. It is responsible for 30% of observed global warming to date, making it a key target for climate change mitigation.

At Questor, we offer proven solutions to combat these challenges. Our ISO 14034-certified thermal oxidizer achieves a 99.99% combustion efficiency, ensuring that our clients can demonstrate compliance with emissions standards and eliminate the release of harmful pollutants. This clean combustion technology significantly reduces health risks in surrounding communities, including respiratory illnesses and cancers. Additionally, our organic Rankine cycle (ORC) repurposes heat from methane combustion, creating a revenue stream that offsets the costs of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Many major oil and gas producers have pledged to reduce flaring, venting, and methane emissions while working toward net-zero goals. Questor’s innovative combination of clean combustion and waste heat-to-power technology enables our clients to meet these all these commitments at a net-zero cost.

Questor’s multi-year strategy to intentionally diversify revenue streams globally has focussed on those jurisdictions that have created favorable conditions that have considered the environmental and social impacts of energy production and want to grow their future production in a sustainable manner. As an example, the Iraq contract awarded early 2025 in partnership with OilSERV was for TotalEnergies EP Ratawi Hub, as a part of the multi-energy Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) operated by TotalEnergies. The GGIP is designed to enhance the development of Iraq’s natural resources to improve the country’s electricity supply. This 4-in-1 project comprises the recovery of gas that is currently flared at three oil fields in southern Iraq to supply electric power plants, the redevelopment of the Ratawi oil field, the construction of a 1 GWac (1.25GWp) solar farm and of a seawater treatment plant. The Questor Q5000 Unit will initially treat 2.1 MMSCFD of associated gas during the pilot phase. Subsequently, the unit will treat an additional 1.2 to 2 MMSCFD of low-pressure gas, maximizing the Q5000’s potential and reducing site GHG emissions in the frame of AGUP Phase 1 development. This is the second unit that TotalEnergies has purchased in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. TotalEnergies exemplifies the ideal partner for Questor’s solutions, utilizing our thermal oxidizer to reduce methane and VOC emissions, and the future potential of utilizing waste-heat in the GGIP and converting it to power with our 1.5MW Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC) generator.

To accelerate global adoption, we have partnered with key industry leaders. In Iraq, we collaborate with OilSERV, a top-tier integrated oilfield services provider in the Middle East. In Nigeria, we are represented by Ar-Rahman Technical Services Nig. Limited. In Latin America, our partnership with Hoerbiger, an established multinational company with over 120 locations in 50 countries, further expands our reach. In Mexico, we work with JHJ and GSM Carso, leading service providers supplying units to Pemex. Over the past three years, we have built strong relationships with these partners, educating them on our technology and supporting them in client engagements. With a 25-year track record of eliminating flaring and venting, we are confident that Questor can set the standard for best practices in these regions.

As global incentives for methane and VOC reduction continue to grow, Questor is uniquely positioned to help clients improve environmental performance while strengthening their community relations. We anticipate that both new and existing clients will view Questor as the ideal partner to accelerate the attainment of their environmental pledges—reducing emissions while simultaneously cutting costs and generating revenue.

Finally, we acknowledge the evolving political and economic landscape and its potential impact on our operations. We have assessed the risks associated with tariffs and remain confident in our ability to adapt. With strategically positioned inventory in Canada and the United States and established supply chains across North America, Questor is well-prepared to navigate uncertainties. Our global partnerships further diversify our revenue streams, ensuring continued resilience and growth.

As we move forward, Questor remains committed to driving innovation, sustainability, and global leadership in emissions reduction.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “seek”, “propose”, “estimate”, “expect”, and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. This news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company’s public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

ABOUT QUESTOR TECHNOLOGY INC.

Questor Technology Inc., incorporated in Canada under the Business Companies Act (Alberta) is an environmental emissions reduction technology company founded in 1994, with global operations. The Company is focused on clean air technologies that safely and cost effectively improve air quality, support energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions. The Company designs, manufactures and services high efficiency clean combustion systems that destroy harmful pollutants, including Methane, Hydrogen Sulfide gas, Volatile Organic Hydrocarbons, Hazardous Air Pollutants and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene) gases within waste gas streams at >99.99 percent efficiency per its ISO 14034 Certification. This enables its clients to meet emission regulations, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address community concerns and improve safety at industrial sites.

The Company also has proprietary heat to power generation technology and is currently targeting new markets including landfill biogas, syngas, waste engine exhaust, geothermal and solar, cement plant waste heat in addition to a wide variety of oil and gas projects. The combination of Questor’s clean combustion and power generation technologies can help clients achieve net zero emission targets for minimal cost. The Company is also doing research and development on data solutions to deliver an integrated system that amalgamates all the emission detection data available to demonstrate a clear picture of the site’s emission profile.

The Company’s common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “QST”. The address of the Company’s corporate and registered office is 1920, 707 – 8^th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 1H5.

QUESTOR TRADES ON THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE UNDER THE SYMBOL ‘QST’

Investor Relations Contact

Aly Sumar – Chief Financial Officer

investor@questortech.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This document is not intended for dissemination or distribution in the United States.

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: Aviva’s Charged for Change Program to Power Up another 10 Canadian Communities with EV Charging Stations
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aviva Canada is thrilled to announce that an additional 10 communities across Canada will soon be equipped with Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations thanks to its Charged for Change program, presented in partnership with Earth Day Canada. This year also marks the first time the program will fund EV infrastructure projects on First Nations territory.

The recipients are:
- We’koqma’q First Nation, NS
- qathet Regional District, BC
- Municipality of Neguac, NB
- Village of Arcadia, NB
- Municipality of Thames Centre, ON
- Town of Essex, ON
- Town of Fort Erie, ON
- Town of Otterburn Park, QC
- Town of Gravelbourg, SK
- Town of Radisson, SK
Charged for Change is an initiative aimed at addressing barriers to EV adoption in communities that lack adequate access to public charging infrastructure. Since 2021, this $3 million partnership has enabled municipalities and Indigenous communities to apply for funding to install Level 2 EV charging stations. In its first two years, the program successfully provided funding for public charging stations to 15 municipalities across Canada.

“We’re grateful for the enthusiastic response from municipalities to our Charged for Change initiative, and pleased that Aviva has made a positive difference in multiple communities across the country,” stated Pascal Dessureault, Aviva Canada’s Chief Public Affairs, Marketing and Communications Officer. “While this marks the final year of the program, we know there’s still so much more to be done to support the climate transition and we’re eager to explore those opportunities.”

Valérie Mallamo, Executive Director of Earth Day Canada, added, “For three years, Charged for Change and our partnership with Aviva Canada has supported small, rural communities across Canada in making their EV public infrastructure projects a reality. We’re very excited for this final cohort of communities to benefit from the program and to see them support EV adoption for their residents.”

Testimonials from year three Charged for Change recipients:

“The addition of new EV charging stations reflects Fort Erie’s ongoing commitment to building a greener future. This grant allows us to expand our efforts to combat climate change. It’s encouraging to see our community take tangible steps towards continued sustainability, such as welcoming our first EV and enhancing local charging infrastructure.”
— Wayne Redekop, Mayor, Town of Fort Erie

“We’koqma’q First Nation applied for Charged for Change funding because we are committed to building a greener, more sustainable future for our community. With the climate challenges we face, including rising water levels and increased flooding, we know the importance of taking action now. This funding allows us to invest in cleaner transportation and infrastructure, helping us reduce emissions and move towards energy independence. Receiving this support is a huge step forward for our community, and we are excited about the positive impact it will have for generations to come.”
– Jordan Keeling, Director of Public Works, We’koqma’q First Nation

“The qathet Regional District is proud to have been selected for the Charged for Change program, which will help bring much-needed public EV charging infrastructure to our rural, remote, and island communities, including Texada Island. By expanding access to EV charging in underserved areas, we are supporting sustainable transportation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fostering tourism, and strengthening local and regional economies. This funding is a crucial step in advancing our climate action goals and ensuring a more connected and resilient future for our communities.”
– Mikhael Drosdovech, Manager of Assets and Capital Projects, qathet Regional District

About Aviva Canada

Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.5 million customers coast to coast. A subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, we have the financial strength, scale and are a trusted insurance provider globally for more than 325 years.

For more information, visit aviva.ca or Aviva Canada’s blog, LinkedIn and Instagram pages.

The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: RWA Inc. Appoints Fintech Executive and Entrepreneur Shaunt Sarkissian to Its Board of Directors

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RWA Inc., a leading company providing infrastructure for the tokenization of real-world assets, announces the appointment of fintech executive and entrepreneur Shaunt Sarkissian to its Board of Directors. Sarkissian brings more than 20 years of experience leading innovation in payments, digital identity, and financial technology, with a track record that spans founding, scaling, and advising high-impact ventures across regulated markets.

He is the Founder and CEO of Innovian Ventures, a venture firm focused on emerging technologies, and Executive Chairman of X Co, a U.S.-based startup accelerator supporting early-stage tech companies. Previously, Sarkissian served as Chief Markets Officer at The Bank of London Group and as Head of Payments at Uphold, Inc., following their acquisition of Cortex MCP, a company he founded and led as CEO.

His background also includes leadership roles at ROAM Data, where he secured strategic partnerships with major players like PayPal, Google, and Groupon, and at CyberSource and FEI Company. Sarkissian is the inventor of multiple U.S. and international patents in payments and digital identity, and has consistently delivered innovative solutions in regulated markets.

Kevin Yunai, CEO of RWA Inc., said:
“Shaunt brings a rare combination of vision, product expertise, and operational experience. His understanding of financial infrastructure and regulation is a perfect fit for our next phase of growth. We are excited to welcome him to the Board.”

RWA Inc. is currently listed on KuCoin, Gate.io, and MEXC, and has built a network of more than 50 strategic partners. RWA Inc. is focused on building secure, transparent, and scalable access to tokenized assets for businesses.

Shaunt Sarkissian said:
“RWA Inc. is building real infrastructure for one of the most important shifts in digital finance. The team has already executed critical steps toward delivering compliant and scalable tokenization solutions. I’m looking forward to helping the company grow its platform and expand its impact globally.”

About RWA Inc

RWA Inc offers the infrastructure for end-to-end real-world asset (RWA) tokenization through a cutting-edge multi-asset platform that includes tokenization as-a service, a launchpad, and a network of investors. With a short-term focus on startup utility tokens for our go-to-market strategy, our primary aim is to strategically and compliantly expand into startup equity tokens, real estate, collectibles, and other asset classes via registered security tokens. As an innovator in the RWA niche, we help tech startups and established companies successfully launch utility tokens and thrive in the Web3 market. Our approach addresses the need for extensive tokenization support for Web2 startups, fostering their dynamic growth potential. Our versatile solution aims to unlock opportunities across diverse asset classes, enhance liquidity, broaden market reach, support business development, and unlock asset value, effectively meeting market demands as technologies and laws continue to develop.

RWA Inc Links – X | Telegram | TG Announcements | LinkedIn | Medium | Website

Contact:
Mike Storm
Mike@rwa.inc

Disclaimer: This press release is provided by the RWA Inc. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.
Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.
Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/632abdb8-765e-4423-85c9-96f958d5848a

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church
Source: The Conversation – France – By Bernard Laurent, Professeur, EM Lyon Business School

In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis called for a radical break with consumerist lifestyles. Ricardo Perna/Shutterstock

On May 24, 2015, Pope Francis signed his encyclical Laudato Si’ – “Praise be to you” in medieval Italian. This letter to Roman Catholic bishops was no half measure: it took many Catholics by surprise with its uncompromising conclusions and call for an in-depth transformation of our lifestyles. In France, it managed to bring together both conservative currents – such as the Courant pour un écologie humaine (Movement for a Human Ecology), created in 2013 – and more open-minded Catholic intellectuals such as Gaël Giraud, a Jesuit and author of Produire plus, polluer moins: l’impossible découplage? (Produce more, Pollute Less: the Impossible Decoupling?).

The Pope was taking a cue from his predecessors. Benedict XVI, John Paul II and Paul VI had also expressed concern about the dramatic effects of an abusive exploitation of nature on humanity:

“Man is suddenly becoming aware that by an ill-considered exploitation of nature he risks destroying it and becoming in his turn the victim of this degradation.”

What does Pope Francis’s encyclical teach us? And how does it reflect the Catholic Church’s vision, and his own?

A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

The “green” pope

In the text, Pope Francis describes a situation in which the environment is deteriorating rapidly:

“There is […] pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in general.” (§-20)

The “green” pope published Laudato Si’ on June 18, 2015, a few months prior to the Paris climate conference. The aim was to raise public awareness around the challenges of global warming by creating a relational approach that included God, human beings and the Earth. It was the first time an encyclical had been devoted wholly to ecology.

In it, the Pope voiced his concern about the effects of global warming:

“Warming has effects on the carbon cycle. It creates a vicious circle which aggravates the situation even more, affecting the availability of essential resources like drinking water, energy and agricultural production in warmer regions, and leading to the extinction of part of the planet’s biodiversity.” (§-24)

Criticizing a “technocratic paradigm”

Since Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the various social encyclicals have consistently rejected the liberal idea of a society solely regulated by the smooth functioning of the market. The French sociologist of religion Émile Poulat summed up the Church’s position perfectly in 1977 in his book Église contre bourgeoisie. Introduction au devenir du catholicisme actuel, in which he writes that the Church “never agreed to abandon the running of the world to the blind laws of economics”.

In 2015, Pope Francis rejected technical solutions that would not truly be useful, as well as the belief in the redeeming virtues of a self-regulating market. He accused “the technocratic paradigm” of dominating humankind by subordinating the economic and political spheres to its logic (§-101). His comments are reminiscent of the unjustly forgotten French Protestant philosopher Jacques Ellul and his idea of a limitless “self-propulsion” of technology, which has become the alpha and omega of our societies.

For Jacques Ellul, technology is anything but neutral since it represents genuine power driven by its own movement.
Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

The pope’s charge against the supposed virtues of the market was spectacular. Among others, he criticized the following:
- overconsumption in developed countries:
“Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products, people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending.” (§-203);
- the glorification of profit and a self-regulating market:
“Some circles maintain that current economics and technology will solve all environmental problems.” (§-109);
- the hypertrophy of speculative finance:
“Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy.” (§-189);
- the unequal distribution of wealth in the world:
“In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: […] the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.” (§-48);
- the unequal levels of development between countries, leading Francis to speak of an “ecological debt” owed by rich countries to the least developed ones. (§-51)
Social justice and shrinking growth

In Francis’s words, the goals of saving the planet and social justice go hand in hand. His approach is in keeping with the work of the [economist Louis-Joseph Lebret, a Dominican, who in 1941 founded the association Économie et humanisme. Father Lebret wanted to put the economy back at the service of humankind, and work with the least economically advanced countries by championing an approach based on the virtues of local communities and regional planning.

Pope Francis, for his part, is calling for a radical break with the consumerist lifestyles of rich countries, while focusing on the development of the poorest nations. (§-93). In Laudato Si’, he also wrote that developed countries’ responses seemed insufficient because of the economic interests at stake (§-54).

This brings us back to the principle of the universal destination of goods – the organizing principle of property defended by the Catholic Church’s social doctrine, which demands that goods be distributed in such a way as to enable every human being to live in dignity.

In addition to encouraging the necessary technical adjustments and sober individual practices, Pope Francis is urging citizens in developed countries not to be content with half measures deemed largely insufficient. Instead, he is calling for people to make lifestyle changes in line with the logic of slowing growth. The aim is to enable developing countries to emerge from poverty, while sparing the environment.

“Given the insatiable and irresponsible growth produced over many decades, we need also to think of containing growth by setting some reasonable limits and even retracing our steps before it is too late. […] That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.” (§ -193)

Nearly 10 years on, Laudato Si’ resonates fully with our concerns. In the United States, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who both identify as Catholic, would be well advised to read it anew.

Bernard Laurent is a member of the CFTC and of the IRES Scientific Council

– ref. Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-and-laudato-si-an-ecological-turning-point-for-the-catholic-church-253977
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker – noteworthy retrospective of an artist as ambitious as he was audacious

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Hylton, Lecturer in Contemporary Art, SOAS, University of London

Donald Rodney’s art (1961-98) has been familiar to me for many years. But only rarely has it been possible to experience, at close quarters, anything approximating the sheer range and depth of his practice. In his first retrospective exhibition in over a decade and a half, Rodney’s remarkable work is given the platform it deserves.

Spanning painting, drawing, oil pastels, photography, sculptural assemblages, installation and computer-generated art, Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker at London’s Whitechapel Gallery reveals an artist who was ambitious and prolific, audacious and innovative. An anathema to today’s market-driven art world.

Invention was central to Rodney’s inimitable practice, but it was also integral to his life and upbringing. Growing up in what was often a racially and socially fractured Britain became central to his artistic concerns.

Born in West Bromwich in 1961, Rodney was the youngest child of Harold and Iris, Jamaican immigrants, who settled in Britain in the late 1950s. They, like many postwar Caribbean arrivals, had to invent a new way of living and of surviving.

Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

Rodney was brought up in Smethwick, a district on the outskirts of Birmingham. During the 1964 general election it became notorious for an anti-immigrant campaign led and won by Conservative MP Peter Griffiths. He helped set the stage for later, more extreme acts of racism – including new immigration laws meant to limit Black immigration, Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech, and the rise of the far-right National Front.

However, by the 1970s and early 1980s, as Black children were becoming adults, new forms of British political and cultural identity were being fomented. This included an outpouring of artistic expression in Britain.

With the likes of fellow art student Keith Piper, Rodney became part of the first generation of British-born Black students to attend art school in the UK, heralding a new chapter in British art.

The painting How the West Was Won (1982) is named after John Ford’s epic western from 1962. It’s the earliest example of Rodney’s fledgling ability to sample and incorporate a wide variety of sources in his work – from Hollywood film and childhood memories of “cowboys and Indians”, to reimagining the cover of post-punk band Gang of Four’s influential debut album Entertainment (1979).

Rodney’s composition used child-like mark-markings, vivid colours and crude portraiture, typifying a certain irreverence towards “proper” painting.

While at Slade School of Fine Art between 1985-87, Rodney began making works using discarded X-rays.

Visually alluring, these anonymous X-rays became his canvas. The House That Jack Built (1987), included in this exhibition, involved meticulous scalpel incisions of words and elaborate prose. X-ray was used as a metaphor for looking beneath the surface of images and society to better understand the workings of inequality and racism.

The sculptural work Doublethink (1992), remade for this retrospective, comprises over 100 cheap sporting trophies, each emblazoned with shocking racial insults. These are intended to explore the paradoxes and pathologies of race-based discrimination.

Rodney took his title from George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which the language of Newspeak produces “doublethink”, a process in which two opposing ideas are truths, such as “ignorance is strength”. This, once again, demonstrates his capacity for invention.

Self-portrait as social critique

Nothing typified that capacity for invention more than Rodney’s approach to self-portraiture, which was often a conduit for wider social and political commentary.

Rodney suffered from the hereditary blood disorder sickle cell anaemia. The relationship between his illness and art has routinely misunderstood to the detriment of his artistic ingenuity. Being X-rayed, having regular blood transfusions and invasive surgery were Rodney’s personal experiences. Transfigured into art, such medical predicaments became conduits for reinterpreting history and contemporary society.

Visceral Canker (1990) is a circulatory blood pumping system overlaid on fabricated heraldic shields of Elizabeth I and slave trader Sir John Hawkins. It explored the intertwined relationships between Rodney’s Black British identity, slavery and British history.

The photographic light-box Self Portrait: Black Men, Public Enemy (1990) and the analogue slide projection Cataract (1991) sought to question the perpetual representation of Black men in British society as criminal and deviant. Psalms (1997) is a poignant and affecting self-portrait in which an unoccupied and computer-powered wheelchair moves eerily in response to the gallery visitor.

Rodney’s art-making process was resourceful. For example, the production of his important large oil pastel drawings on X-rays, including Britannia Hospital 2 (1988), were made in sections. This enabled Rodney to work at scale at a desk at home or in hospital.

The photographic work In the House of My Father (1997), depicting a minuscule house made of the artist’s skin, was shot in King’s College hospital, London. Rodney was also a master at enlisting the active support from family, friends and associates to realise the production of entire exhibitions, including 9 Night in Eldorado (1997).

The Whitechapel Gallery show is the final leg of a three-gallery tour which began in 2024. It was first presented at Spike Island, Bristol, the city in which Rodney first exhibited in 1982, followed by Nottingham Contemporary where he studied fine art as an undergraduate at Trent Polytechnic between 1981-85.

London was where Rodney lived for most of his 16-year career. This retrospective brings together nearly all of the artist’s surviving works. However, about two-thirds of Rodney’s artistic output work has either been lost or destroyed. This does not diminish the retrospective but imbues archival material held by his estate and public collections with particular significance.

The prominent role assigned to sketchbooks, working drawings and the screening of Three Songs on Pain, Light and Time (1995), directed by the Black Audio Film Collective, play an important supplementary role in narrating Rodney’s singular practice.

Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker is at the Whitechapel Gallery until May 4.

Richard Hylton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker – noteworthy retrospective of an artist as ambitious as he was audacious – https://theconversation.com/donald-rodney-visceral-canker-noteworthy-retrospective-of-an-artist-as-ambitious-as-he-was-audacious-254535

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 16 April 2025 Departmental update Global momentum builds: World Health Organization (WHO) convenes second Global Clinical Trials Forum to drive efficiency and impact, accelerate clinical trials
Source: World Health Organisation

A future where clinical trials are faster, more inclusive and directly embedded in health systems came closer to reality as over 100 global stakeholders gathered at WHO headquarters in Geneva for the second Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF). This was a pivotal event accelerating the implementation of WHO’s Guidance for Best Practices for Clinical Trials and the vision of World Health Assembly Resolution WHA75.8.

Themed “Action for Impact,” this year’s Forum marked a significant step in translating global standards into national reforms and institutional workplans. Participants included national health research governance agencies, clinical trial regulators and ethics bodies, funders, civil society organizations, academic institutions and industry leaders.

Turning guidance into action

The Forum came at a crucial moment, just months after the launch of WHO’s Guidance for Best Practices for Clinical Trials in September 2024, and amid final preparations for the release of the Global Action Plan for Clinical Trial Ecosystem Strengthening (GAP-CTS). This action plan, built on stakeholder consultations between 2022 and 2025, outlines tangible, measurable steps to strengthen trial governance, infrastructure, workforce and inclusion across diverse settings.

Centring people and ethics in research

A major theme of the Forum was putting people at the centre of clinical research. With new WHO guidance aligned to the revised Declaration of Helsinki, the Forum spotlighted patient involvement, diversity, and equity – not as add-ons but as cornerstones of good science.

Inclusion is not optional. It’s central to generating reliable, actionable evidence that serves all populations.

From global commitments to national action

The Forum featured powerful examples of national reform. Case studies from Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa showcased how countries are adopting WHO guidance to transform their clinical research ecosystems. This includes removing unnecessary bureaucracy, digitizing submission systems, setting up single research ethics committee models, embedding patient involvement and community engagement structures, and providing one-stop shops for sponsors to discuss how to navigate clinical trial systems. These case studies illustrated how countries are localizing global guidance to fit their contexts, demonstrating that change is possible and already underway.

Participants engaged in a series of technical sessions and breakout groups to co-develop 12–18-month workplans aligned to the nine pillars of the GAP-CTS, including:
- strengthening national ecosystems and leadership
- expanding inclusive training initiatives
- addressing barriers faced by underrepresented populations
- embedding trials into health systems
- scaling up digital solutions and registry transparency
- enabling adoption of innovative trial designs
- advancing international collaboration.
Looking ahead

WHO will continue to support countries and partners that are prioritizing clinical research strengthening as part of their health systems strengthening and public health preparedness. Translation of WHO Guidance into WHO official languages is underway, and regional workplans will be developed in partnership with WHO regional offices.

As countries and organizations move from commitments to concrete actions, the GCTF provides a powerful platform for collaboration, peer learning and collective impact, ensuring that clinical trials are ethical, inclusive, scientifically sound and built for real-world relevance, and benefiting all people, everywhere.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Purpose Investments Debuts World’s First Spot Solana ETF That Will Be Staked – Continuing Its Leadership in Global Crypto Innovation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”), the firm behind the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF and spot Ether ETF, is expanding its digital asset suite with the launch of the Purpose Solana ETF (ticker: SOLL). SOLL is the first ETF worldwide to provide direct physical exposure to Solana, a high-performance blockchain platform. The Purpose Solana ETF is uniquely coupled with native staking yield powered by Purpose’s proprietary in-house staking infrastructure – a feature designed to deliver the highest staking rewards currently available to investors.

Trading today on the TSX, the Purpose Solana ETF reinforces Purpose’s position as a global leader in digital asset ETF innovation and Canada’s largest digital asset ETF manager. Backed by deep expertise and a proven track record, Purpose continues to make digital assets safer and easier for investors to access.

Canada’s Crypto Leader Setting the Standard for Global Innovation

“Solana is pushing the boundaries of blockchain innovation from speed and scalability to real-world decentralized applications,” said Vlad Tasevski, Chief Innovation Officer. “With the Purpose Solana ETF, we’re giving investors efficient, regulated access to this rapidly growing digital ecosystem, with the added benefit of native staking. As the only fund manager operating key aspects of the fund in-house through our technology infrastructure, we’re able to deliver a secure and seamless investment experience, along with more efficient returns and higher yields. This launch builds on the broadest suite of crypto ETFs in the country – and our mission to lead digital asset investing both here in Canada and globally with thoughtful, purpose-built solutions that meet investors where they are and help them move forward with confidence.”

Purpose Solana ETF Key Benefits
- Direct Exposure to Solana: Gain direct exposure to SOL, the native asset of a high-performance platform known for its speed, scalability, and growing developer ecosystem.
- Native Staking Yield: Capture Solana’s staking yield through a regulated ETF structure – without the complexity of setting up wallets or managing on-chain assets.
- Crypto-Native Advantage: Purpose’s in-house validator infrastructure and deep involvement in the Solana ecosystem will help to reduce cost and improve investor staking yield – offering one of the most efficient Solana staking programs on the market.
- Secure, Portfolio-Ready Structure: Held in cold storage with institutional-grade custodians, the ETF trades on the TSX and can be held in registered accounts like RRSPs and TFSAs – no wallets, keys, or crypto exchanges required.
- Uniquely Available With Three Currency Exposures: The ETF is available in CAD hedged units (ticker: SOLL), CAD non-hedged units (ticker: SOLL.B), and USD non-hedged units (ticker: SOLL.U).
“The Purpose Solana ETF provides direct access to Solana’s high-throughput network, with staking integrated through our proprietary validator infrastructure,” said Paul Pincente, VP of Digital Assets. “By internalizing key operational components – including staking and reward management – we reduce counterparty risk, improve net yield capture, and create a more efficient, institutional-grade investment structure. This level of control helps us support a more consistent and streamlined investment experience as the digital asset space continues to evolve.”

Leading Crypto-Native Capability and Unmatched In-House Staking Expertise

At the core of its platform is true crypto-native capability, supported by Purpose Unlimited’s in-house staking infrastructure. Having deep control over the technology will enable greater operational efficiency and the ability to deliver higher yields to investors. This integrated approach is designed to enhance performance and security and positions Purpose as a leader in bringing institutional-grade crypto ETF solutions.

The Broadest Suite of Crypto ETFs in Canada

Purpose offers the most comprehensive suite of digital asset ETFs in Canada, designed to meet the needs of every investor profile, from active traders to long-term allocators and income-focused investors.

Purpose Digital Assets lineup includes:
- Purpose Bitcoin ETF (BTCC) and Purpose Ether ETF (ETHH): The world’s first spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, offering regulated access, high liquidity, and a strong track record – backed by advanced features for active traders and tactical allocators.
- Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF (BTCY) and Purpose Ether Yield ETF (ETHY): Yield-generating ETFs that use covered call strategies to help investors earn income from their Bitcoin and Ether holdings.
- Purpose Ether Staking Corp. ETF (ETHC.B): A staking-focused Ether ETF, giving investors access to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake rewards in a regulated structure.
- Purpose Solana ETF (SOLL): The world’s first spot Solana ETF, unlocking direct exposure to a high-speed, low-fee blockchain known for its lightning-fast transactions, developer momentum, and real-world potential.
With the launch of the Purpose Solana ETF, Purpose Investments continues to expand its industry-leading digital asset lineup, providing investors with secure and simple access to blockchain innovation. This new ETF complements Purpose’s existing crypto suite, which includes the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF and first Ether ETF, offering investors a comprehensive range of digital asset solutions. As blockchain technology transforms financial markets, Purpose remains committed to bridging traditional finance with the future of decentralized and emerging financial technology, helping investors navigate the evolving digital economy with confidence.

To explore the full suite of crypto ETFs, visit the Purpose Digital Assets Suite.

About Purpose Investments

Purpose Investments Inc. is an asset management company with over $22 billion in assets under management, focused on client-centric innovation across ETFs and investment funds. Purpose Investments is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent financial technology company led by entrepreneur Som Seif.

For further information, please email us at info@purposeinvest.com.

Media inquiries:
Keera Hart
keera.hart@kaiserpartners.com
905-580-1257

The content of this document is for informational purposes only and is not being provided in the context of an offering of any securities described herein, nor is it a recommendation or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security. Information contained in this document is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, an offering memorandum, prospectus, advertisement or public offering of securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority has reviewed this information, and any representation to the contrary is an offence. The information contained in this document is believed to be accurate and reliable; however, we cannot guarantee that it is complete or current at all times. The information provided is subject to change without notice.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Crypto assets can be extremely volatile, and there can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Fund distribution levels and frequencies are not guaranteed and may vary at Purpose Investments’ sole discretion.

Certain statements in this document may be forward-looking. Forward-looking statements (“FLS”) are statements that are predictive in nature, depend on or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” or other similar expressions. Statements that look forward in time or include anything other than historical information are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results, actions or events could differ materially from those set forth in the FLS. FLS are not guarantees of future performance and are, by their nature, based on numerous assumptions. Although the FLS contained in this document are based upon what Purpose Investments believes to be reasonable assumptions, Purpose Investments cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these FLS. The reader is cautioned to consider the FLS carefully and not to place undue reliance on the FLS. Unless required by applicable law, it is not undertaken, and specifically disclaimed, that there is any intention or obligation to update or revise FLS, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The MIL Network –
April 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: South Bow Safely Restarts Keystone Pipeline

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CALGARY, Alberta, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — South Bow Corp. (TSX & NYSE: SOBO) (South Bow or the Company) has safely restarted the Keystone Pipeline (Keystone) after receiving regulatory approval from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), following South Bow’s response to an oil release at Milepost 171 (MP-171) of Keystone on April 8, 2025, near Fort Ransom, North Dakota.

South Bow is actively progressing its response and recovery efforts, having repaired and replaced the impacted pipe, and recovered substantially most of the estimated release volume of 3,500 barrels of oil, working now to remediate the impacted soil. South Bow’s primary focus remains the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating risks to the environment and the community surrounding Fort Ransom. South Bow will continue its clean-up activities until the site has been fully remediated, with continuous air quality monitoring steadily showing no indication of adverse health or public concerns. South Bow will continue working closely with regulators, local officials, landowners, and the community.

Corrective Action Order

On April 11, 2025, PHMSA issued a Corrective Action Order (CAO), requiring South Bow to undertake certain corrective actions in response to the MP-171 incident. As part of the CAO, South Bow developed a restart plan that was subsequently approved by PHMSA, authorizing Keystone’s return to service under certain operating pressure restrictions. South Bow is committed to the safe operation of Keystone and has notified the Canada Energy Regulator that the Company is also implementing certain operating pressure restrictions on the Canadian sections of the pipeline. The pipeline was operating within its design and regulatory approval requirements at the time of the incident. In addition to working closely with regulators, South Bow will work closely with customers during Keystone’s return to service.

South Bow will continue providing timely updates as information becomes available on its website at www.southbow.com/incident-response.

Forward-looking information and statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements), including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of applicable securities legislation, that are based on South Bow’s current expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. All statements other than statements of historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as, “anticipate”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “potential”, “future”, “outlook”, “strategy”, “maintain”, “ongoing”, “intend”, and similar expressions suggesting future events or future performance. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to response, recovery and clean-up efforts; notification and forthcoming updates regarding the oil release; and regulatory, landowner, community, and customer engagement.

The forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that South Bow has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release regarding, among other things: oil and gas industry development activity levels and the geographic region of such activity; that favourable market conditions exist and that South Bow has and will have available capital to fund its capital expenditures and other planned spending; prevailing commodity prices, interest rates, inflation levels, carbon prices, tax rates, and exchange rates; the ability of South Bow to maintain current credit ratings; the availability of capital to fund future capital requirements; future operating costs; asset integrity costs; that all required regulatory and environmental approvals can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; and prevailing regulatory, tax, and environmental laws and regulations.

Although South Bow believes the assumptions and other factors reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, there can be no assurance that these assumptions and factors will prove to be correct and, as such, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the regulatory environment and related decisions and requirements; the impact of competitive entities and pricing; reliance on third parties to successfully operate and maintain certain assets; the strength and operations of the energy industry; weakness or volatility in commodity prices; non-performance or default by counterparties; actions taken by governmental or regulatory authorities; the ability of South Bow to acquire or develop and maintain necessary infrastructure; fluctuations in operating results; adverse general economic and market conditions; the ability to access various sources of debt and equity capital on acceptable terms; and adverse changes in credit. The foregoing list of assumptions and risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. For additional information on the assumptions made, and the risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from the results implied by forward-looking statements, refer to South Bow’s annual information form dated March 5, 2025, available under South Bow’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and, from time to time, in South Bow’s public disclosure documents, available at www.sedarplus.ca, www.sec.gov, and on South Bow’s website at www.southbow.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof. South Bow does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information contained herein, except as required by applicable laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Contact information

Investor Relations
Martha Wilmot
investor.relations@southbow.com Media Relations & Community Enquiries
Solomiya Lyaskovska
communications@southbow.com

The MIL Network –

April 17, 2025

Category: Americas

Widely different local conditions

Long-term and short-term at the same time

Observing the broader value

Ecological costs of traditional seawalls

Swirling shapes, shaded grooves

How we will measure success

Multiple wartime roles

Push for justice

Not about the money

Restoring dignity

Dark energy and cosmic expansion

New dark energy measurements

An exciting result

An ambitious experiment

Export bars placed on two paintings by 18th century artist Agostino Brunias

Notes to editors

Details: A family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent

Details: Sir William Young Conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent

Share this page

Updates to this page

The “green” pope

Criticizing a “technocratic paradigm”

Social justice and shrinking growth

Self-portrait as social critique

Turning guidance into action

Centring people and ethics in research

From global commitments to national action

Looking ahead