Category: Business

MIL-OSI Submissions: Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place?

Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Luca Bussotti, Professor at the PhD Course in Peace, Democracy, Social Movements and Human Development, Universidade Técnica de Moçambique (UDM)

Samora Moisés Machel, the first president of independent Mozambique, was born in 1933 in Gaza province, in the south of the country. He died in an unexplained plane crash on 19 October 1986, in Mbuzini, South Africa.

Authoritarian and popular, humble and arrogant, visionary and tactical. All these words have been used to describe Machel. Despite these contradictions, there was one quality that everyone recognised in him: his charisma. At the time this gift wasn’t lacking in many political leaders of emerging countries, especially those of Marxist-Leninist inspiration. Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro above all.

Their common faith went beyond any personal or family interest. It was a faith for the progress of humanity, for the liberation of oppressed peoples from the colonial yoke, from the chains of capitalism and from traditional values and practices considered regressive.

Machel’s enlightenment programme was as fascinating as it was difficult to achieve in Mozambique in the mid-1970s. Small farmers, with all their “traditional” beliefs, made up the majority of the population. It was a political battle for social justice as well as a cultural crusade.

Machel’s speech on 25 June 1975, at the Machava Stadium in Maputo, proclaiming Mozambique’s independence from Portugal, highlighted the contradictions. The new head of state addressed the “workers”, who represented a small minority of the Mozambican people. At the same time, he called for freedom from colonial-capitalist oppression and the effective, total independence of the new country, already identifying its possible enemies: the unproductive and exploitative bourgeoisie.

The task of nation-building

Machel’s charisma recalled that of the proto-nationalist hero Gungunhana, who had tried to resist the Portuguese occupation at the end of the 19th century. Machel’s grandfather, Maguivelani, was related to the “terrible” Gungunhana, the last emperor of Gaza, who was defeated in 1895 by Mouzinho de Albuquerque after years of struggle. He was deported to Portugal, where he died in 1906.

Paradoxically, the anti-traditionalist Machel was the descendant of a great traditional chief. This heritage played a role in shaping his personality and political action.

Machel’s main task was to build a nation that only existed because of political unification under the Portuguese. The initial choices, embedded in the Cold War atmosphere, forced the nationalist Machel to opt for a rapprochement with the Soviet Union. Mozambique formally adopted a Marxist-Leninist doctrine at its Third Congress in 1977.

That approach meant political intolerance and the repression of “dissidents”, as well as the marginalisation of certain ethnic groups, above all the Amakhuwa people, who did not sympathise with Machel’s party, Frelimo.

The forces opposed to the Marxist-Leninist solution expected democratic elections to be held after the proclamation of independence from Portugal. But this opportunity never came. Portugal handed over power to Frelimo (Lusaka Accords, 1974), ignoring the existence of other political groups.

The treatment of leaders who opposed Frelimo’s vision was harsh. On their return from abroad, many were imprisoned in concentration camps in the north of the country.

They included the resistance leader Joana Simeão, along with others such as Uria Simango, former vice-president of Frelimo, his wife, Celina Simango, and Lázaro Kavandame, the former Makonde leader who left Frelimo because he didn’t agree with its political line.

They were put on arbitrary trial and executed. The dates and the method of execution are still officially unknown, despite the former president Joaquim Chissano’s public apology, in 2014, for these deaths.

About a year after independence, an armed opposition, Renamo, was formed. It was financed first by Ian Smith’s Southern Rhodesian government, and then by the South African apartheid regime.

Renamo, contrary to Machel’s expectations, had a solid popular base in central and northern Mozambique, especially among peasant populations who had expressed opposition to the policies of collectivisation and cooperation imposed by the Marxist-Leninist government.

And it was war which led Machel to a controversial agreement with the South African apartheid enemy. The Nkomati Accords, signed in 1984, provided for the end of Mozambique’s logistical support to the exiled African National Congress in Mozambique and South Africa’s military and financial support to Renamo.

This agreement did not bring peace. On the contrary, the war intensified, as the South African regime continued to finance Renamo.

Machel died in 1986, with the war still raging, unable to see the end of a conflict that had devastated Mozambique and which defeated the socialist principles.

The General Peace Accords between the Mozambican government, represented by the president, Chissano, and Renamo, represented by its leader, Afonso Dhlakama, were only signed in Rome in 1992.

End of an era

Machel took the first, important steps towards a rapprochement with the west, as demonstrated by his visit to Ronald Reagan in Washington in September 1985.

It can be said that with his death the First Mozambican Republic ended, with all its positive and negative elements. The dream of building a fair Mozambique with an equitable distribution of national wealth came to an end.

Machel had worked hard to ensure that health, education, transport, water and energy were distributed equally among Mozambicans. A poor but fair welfare state was born. But it was quickly dismantled in the years following his death. The Mozambican state had very few resources to devote to the welfare state. The rest was done by the rapid abandonment of an ideology, the socialist ideology, which by then the Frelimo elite no longer believed in.

In addition, international financial institutions entered the country, with the notorious structural adjustment policies, as early as 1987.

Corruption, which Machel sought to combat with various measures, and which he addressed at many of his rallies, spread across the country and all its institutions. The Frelimo political elite soon became the richest slice of the nation.

Several observers began to speak of a kleptocracy. The country suffered from continuous corruption scandals. One of the biggest became known as “hidden debt,” in which the political elite, including one of ex-president Armando Guebuza’s sons and former intelligence chief, Gregório Leão, were convicted of a scheme that cost the public treasury more than US$2 billion.

However, the main defeat was the fall of an inapplicable socialism.

The adoption of a capitalist, liberal and democratic model, at least formally, put an end to the arbitrary violations of human rights as in the age of the socialist state, such as “Operation Production” of 1983. The programme aimed to move “unproductive” people living in cities to the countryside to promote agricultural production.

In reality, it turned into arbitrary detentions and displacement of entire families, increasing the systematic violation of human rights by the state.

At the same time, the end of socialism meant democratic openness. Since the 1990 constitution, Mozambique has had as its fundamental principles respect for civil and political freedoms based on the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights. Still, socio-economic rights have been denied as a result of the dismantling of the welfare state.

How he’s remembered

Today, many people miss Machel’s rule. Those who were close to him, such as José Óscar Monteiro, the former interior minister, recall him as an ethical statesman, intolerant of corruption and abuses against “his” people. So do some of the international media.

Others, since the 1980s, such as Amnesty International, have denounced the serious violations of the most basic human rights by the Mozambican government and its leader.

What remains of Machel today is above all his ethical teaching. He died poor, committed to the cause of his nation, leaving his heirs moral prestige.

It is curious that his figure is associated, even in musical compositions by contemporary rappers from Mozambique, with his historical enemy, Dhlakama, who died in 2018.

This popular tribute is proof of the distance between the country’s current ruling class and a “people” who are looking to the charismatic figure of Venâncio Mondlane, the so-called “people’s president”. But that’s another story that won’t fit here.

Luca Bussotti 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. Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place? – https://theconversation.com/samora-machels-vision-for-mozambique-didnt-survive-what-has-taken-its-place-260110

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Alcohol and colonialism: the curious story of the Bulawayo beer gardens

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Maurice Hutton, Research Associate, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester

Kontuthu Ziyathunqa – Smoke Rising – was what they used to call Bulawayo when the city was the industrial powerhouse of Zimbabwe. Now, many of its factories lie dormant or derelict. The daily torrent of workers flowing eastward at dawn, and back out to the high-density western suburbs at dusk, has diminished to a trickle.

But there is an intriguing industrial-era institution that lives on in most of the older western suburbs (formerly called townships). It is the municipal beer hall or beer garden, built in the colonial days for the racially segregated African worker communities. There are dozens of these halls and garden complexes, still serving customers and emitting muffled sounds of merriment to this day.

Read more:
Mbare Art Space: a colonial beer hall in Zimbabwe has become a vibrant arts centre

Like other urban areas in Rhodesia (colonial Zimbabwe), Bulawayo was informally segregated from its inception, and more formally segregated after the second world war. Under British rule (1893-1965) and then independent white minority rule (1965-1980), municipal drinking amenities were built in the townships to maintain control of African drinking and sociality. At the same time, they raised much-needed revenue for township welfare and recreational services.

Read more:
Zimbabwe’s economy crashed – so how do citizens still cling to myths of urban and economic success?

I researched the history of these beer halls and gardens as part of my PhD project on the development of the segregated African townships in late colonial Bulawayo. As my historical account shows, they played a key role in the contested township development process.

From beer halls to beer gardens

Bulawayo’s oldest and most famous beer hall, MaKhumalo, also known as Big Bhawa, was built more than a century ago. It still stands at the heart of the historic Makokoba neighbourhood. It’s enormous, but austere, and in the early days it was oppressively managed. Drinkers would describe feeling like prisoners there.

The more picturesque beer gardens began to emerge in the 1950s, reflecting the developmental idealism of Hugh Ashton. The Lesotho-born anthropologist was educated at the Universities of Oxford, London and Cape Town, and took up the new directorship of African administration in Bulawayo in 1949.

He was tuned into new anthropological ideas about social change, as well as developmental ideas spreading through postwar colonial administrations – about “stabilising” and “detribalising” African workers to create a more passive and productive urban working class. He saw a reformed municipal beer system as a key tool for achieving these goals.

Ashton wanted to make the beer system more legitimate and the venues more community-building. He proposed constructing beer garden complexes with trees, rocks, games facilities, food stalls and events like “traditional dancing”. So the atmosphere would be convivial and respectable, but also controllable, enticing all classes and boosting profits to fund better social services. As we shall see, this strategy was full of contradictions…

Industrial beer brewing

MaKhumalo, MaMkhwananzi, MaNdlovu, MaSilela. These beer garden names, emblazoned on the beer dispensaries that stick up above the ramparts of each garden complex, referenced the role that women traditionally played in beer brewing in southern Africa. This helped authenticate the council’s “home brew”.

But the reality was that the beer was now produced in a massive industrial brewery managed by a Polish man. It was piped down from steel tanks at the tops of the dispensary buildings into the plastic mugs of thirsty punters at small bar windows below. (It was also sold in plastic calabashes and cardboard cartons.)

And the beer garden bureaucracy, which offered a rare opportunity for African men to attain higher-grade public sector jobs, became increasingly complex and strictly audited.

As the townships rapidly expanded, with beer gardens dotted about them, sales of the council’s “traditional” beer – the quality of which Ashton and his staff obsessed over – went up and up.

Extensive beer advertising in the council’s free magazine mixed symbols of tradition (beer as food) with symbols of modern middle-classness.

Beer monopoly system

The system’s success relied on the Bulawayo council having a monopoly on the sale of so-called “native beer”. This traditional brew is typically made by malting, mashing, boiling and then fermenting sorghum, millet or maize grains. Racialised Rhodesian liquor laws restricted African access to “European” beers, wines and spirits.

So, the beer hall or garden was the only public venue where Africans could legally drink (apart from a tiny elite, for whom a few exclusive “cocktail lounges” were built). The council cracked down harshly on “liquor offences” like home brewing.

This beer monopoly system was quite prevalent in southern and eastern Africa, though rarely at the scale to which it grew in Bulawayo. Nearly everywhere, the system caused resentment among African townspeople, and so it became politically charged.

In several colonies, beer halls became sites of protest, or were boycotted (most famously in South Africa). And they usually faced stiff competition from illicit drinking dens known as shebeens.

In Bulawayo, the more the city council “improved” its beer system after the Second World War, the more contradictory the system became. It actively encouraged mass consumption of “traditional” beer, so that funds could be raised for “modern” health, housing and welfare services in the townships. Ashton himself was painfully aware of the contradictions.

In his guest introduction to a 1974 ethnographic monograph on Bulawayo’s beer gardens, he wrote:

The ambivalence of my position is obvious. How can one maintain a healthy community and a healthy profit at one and the same time? I can almost hear the critical reader questioning my morality and even my sanity. And why not? I have often done so myself.

Many citizen groups – both African and European – questioned the system too. They called it illogical, if not immoral; even some government ministers said it had gone too far. And when some beer gardens were constructed close to European residential areas, to cater for African domestic workers, many Europeans reacted with fear and fury.

As Zimbabweans’ struggle for independence took off in the 1960s, African residents increasingly associated the beer halls and gardens with state neglect, repression, or pacification. They periodically boycotted or vandalised them. Nevertheless, with few alternative options, attendance rates remained high: MaKhumalo recorded 50,000 visitors on one Sunday in 1970.

After independence

After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, the township beer gardens remained in municipal hands. They continued to be popular, even though racial desegregation had finally given township residents access to other social spaces across the city.

The colonial-era municipal beers continued to be produced, with Ngwebu (“The Royal Brew”) becoming a patriotic beverage for the Ndebele – the city’s majority ethnic group.

But with the deindustrialisation of Bulawayo since the late 1990s, tens of thousands of blue collar workers have moved to greener pastures, mostly South Africa. The old drinking rhythm of the city’s workforce has changed, and for the young, the beer gardens hold little allure. Increasingly, they have been leased out to private individuals to run.

Read more:
Beer, politics and identity – the chequered history behind Namibian brewing success

Nevertheless, there is always a daily trickle of regulars to the beer gardens, where mugs and calabashes are passed around among friends or burial society members. Some punters play darts or pool. And there are always some who sit alone, ruminating – perhaps in the company of ghosts from the past.

The beer gardens of Bulawayo embody the moral and practical contradictions of late colonial development – and the ways in which such systems and infrastructures may live on, but change meaning, in the post-colony.

Maurice Hutton received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the University of Edinburgh’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences to conduct the research on which this article is based.

– ref. Alcohol and colonialism: the curious story of the Bulawayo beer gardens – https://theconversation.com/alcohol-and-colonialism-the-curious-story-of-the-bulawayo-beer-gardens-256511

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: BexBack Announces That All Traders Can Use 100x Leverage for Crypto Futures Trading with Double Deposit Bonus and NO KYC Required
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BexBack Exchange has launched an aggressive new promotion to empower both new and seasoned crypto traders: All eligible new users receive a $50 welcome bonus and a 100% deposit bouns match. As the crypto market braces for another period of high volatility, BexBack is making futures trading more accessible and profitable than ever. With up to 100x leverage, zero KYC requirements, and support for over 50 digital assets, the platform provides an ideal environment for those seeking to capitalize on market swings without large upfront capital.

Advantages of 100x Leverage Crypto Futures
1. Amplified Profits: Control large positions with a small amount of capital, capturing more profits from market fluctuations.
2. Low Capital Requirement: Participate in high-value trades with minimal investment, lowering the entry barrier.
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4. High Capital Efficiency: Leverage enables better use of your capital, expanding your investment potential.
5. Profit from Both Up and Down Markets: Adapt to any market conditions, with opportunities to profit whether the market goes up or down.
What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

Suppose the Bitcoin price is $100,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

One day later, if the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be (105,000 – 100,000) * 100 BTC / 100,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

With BexBack’s deposit bonus

BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

About BexBack?

BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform offering up to 100x leverage on futures contracts for BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and over 50 other digital assets. Headquartered in Singapore, the platform also operates offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. Like many top-tier exchanges, BexBack holds a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. The platform accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe, with zero deposit fees and 24/7 multilingual customer support, delivering a secure, efficient, and user-friendly trading experience.

Why recommend BexBack?

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Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers, Get Double Deposit Bonus and $50 Welcome Bonus Instantly

Website: www.bexback.com

Contact: business@bexback.com

Contact:
Amanda
business@bexback.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. Disclaimer: This content is provided by sponsor. 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. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

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The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: Locafy Launches AI-Driven SEO Product Suite for FY26

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Locafy’s AI Search Platform Powers Visibility Across Organic and AI Search

New Product Lineup Tailored to Local, National, and e-Commerce Businesses

AI-Powered Tools Designed to Automate Engagement and Accelerate Online Presence

PERTH, Australia, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Locafy Limited (NASDAQ: LCFY, “Locafy”), a globally recognized leader in location-based digital marketing, today unveiled its FY26 suite of AI-powered SEO products. These solutions, now commercially available following successful market testing, are designed to deliver measurable improvements across organic, AI, and marketplace search results.

Locafy initially outlined its AI-powered publishing roadmap in December 2024, promising to streamline content production and improve cost-effective online visibility for businesses.

“We are excited to announce that we’ve delivered on that promise,” said Gavin Burnett, CEO of Locafy.

All of Locafy’s publishing and SEO products are designed to drive visibility in search engines and, increasingly, AI-driven search tools and marketplaces. Recent research shows these optimizations extend across both traditional and emerging search platforms.

“We’ve evolved our technology to influence not only search engine rankings but also AI search results,” said Burnett. “Our platform helps position our clients’ websites as authoritative sources for high-value keywords, across local, national, and e-commerce campaigns.”

Burnett added, “We’ve also automated the creation of AI-search-ready landing pages, opening up a greenfield opportunity for scaled monetization. Our U.S. directory includes more than 9.68 million direct business listings, and our citation management partners publish more than 28 million business listings across our directories. Each of these represents either a direct sales opportunity or a chance to collaborate with partners using the data we already publish on their behalf.”

Locafy is focused on three primary solution categories:

Online Business Listings
Local SEO
AI-powered engagement tools

Online Business Listings
Locafy continues to assert that online business listings form the cornerstone of successful Local SEO. These listings supply structured data that fuels automated SEO product generation. Locafy currently publishes more than 9.5 million listings in the U.S. and remains focused on partnerships with citation management firms and multi-location businesses. It is also exploring acquisitions of databases, directories, and citation management assets.

The Total Addressable Market (TAM) for the Local SEO solution in their key target markets of USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK is more than 40 million businesses.

“We currently host more than 63 million business listings worldwide, of which more than 40 million are in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the UK,” said Burnett. “However, our direct sales opportunity is more than 11.4 million, plus we have more than 28 million listings that we publish on behalf of partners, who can now connect to our Platform to automate the production of our Local SEO products for their clients.”

Country	Partner Added*	Claimed*
Australia	2,145,707	652,351
Canada	1,533,479	289,274
United Kingdom	3,458,205	802,003
United States of America	33,076,154	9,684,329
TOTAL	40,213,545	11,427,957

Local SEO
The flagship solution, Localizer, integrates listing syndication, AI-search optimization, review management, and Google Map Pack enhancement.

“We haven’t seen another product that combines these capabilities—at a price point starting around $690/month,” said Burnett. “Our customers get centralized control of reviews, consistent online presence, and high rankings in local map results, often within a short timeframe. Recent automation upgrades have made this level of value possible.”

AI-powered Engagement Tools
In addition to improving search visibility, Locafy has developed a scalable, cost-effective AI Voice Concierge that can serve as a virtual receptionist, product expert, or customer service agent.

“This is our first step into AI-enabled customer engagement,” said Burnett. “Our Voice Concierge acts like a digital team member—it can take bookings, provide answers, and interact 24/7. Just feed it your business documents and it learns. We record and transcribe every interaction, giving clients full transparency.

“This kind of capability once felt like science fiction, but it’s here now—and Locafy is helping businesses adapt and thrive in an AI-powered world.”

Over the past six months, Locafy has streamlined its product suite, automated key production processes, and validated product performance through live testing. With this foundation in place, the Company is poised for commercial growth in FY2026.

While the company still offers solutions for National SEO and e-Commerce, it believes the immediate opportunity afforded by its breakthroughs in AI Search represents a larger and more scalable revenue opportunity with far greater automation already in place.

About Locafy
Locafy (Nasdaq: LCFY, LCFYW) is a globally recognized software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company specializing in local search engine marketing. Founded in 2009, Locafy’s mission is to revolutionize the US$700 billion SEO sector. The company helps businesses and brands improve search engine relevance and visibility in proximity-based search through a fast, easy, and automated platform. For more information, please visit www.locafy.com.

Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Glover
Gateway Group, Inc.
(949) 574-3860
LCFY@gateway-grp.com

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: Toobit Futures Upgrades Trading with New BBO Feature for Faster, Optimized Execution
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Toobit, the award-winning global cryptocurrency exchange, today launches its Best Bid Offer (BBO) feature for Futures traders, designed to combine the speed of market orders with the precision of limit orders, offering users faster and more effective trade execution.

In volatile markets, manual price entry for limit orders can lead to costly delays, missed trades, and unfavorable slippage. In 2023, Bitcoin, the leading digital asset, experienced an annualized volatility rate of over 80%, with average daily price swings of around 4%. For instance, a mere 0.5% slippage on a $10,000 trade can result in an immediate $50 loss, a common frustration for active traders.

Toobit Futures’ new BBO feature gives traders an edge by eliminating the need to manually enter prices. Instead, traders can place limit orders that automatically reference live market data, matching the most competitive bid or ask levels directly from the order book.

Toobit Futures BBO feature in action, showing the Counterparty 1 option selected for a BTCUSDT limit order.

“With BBO, traders don’t have to choose between speed and control,” said Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit. “This feature empowers users to act fast without compromising on price accuracy, especially during high volatility.”

Here’s how BBO works:

Toobit BBO orders allow traders to instantly place a limit order based on real-time market levels, using preset options such as:
- Counterparty 1: Matches the top of the opposing order book.
- Queue 1: Matches the top of the same side of the order book.
- Counterparty 5 / Queue 5: Reference the fifth-best bid/ask to offer additional control and strategic positioning.
To place a BBO order, users simply select their desired price level (e.g., Counterparty 1, Queue 5) and click “Open Long” or “Open Short.” This smart order placement greatly increases the chance of immediate execution, making it ideal for traders who need to move quickly in fast markets.

The BBO feature is now available for all Futures limit orders on the Toobit platform.

About Toobit

Toobit is where the future of crypto trading unfolds—an award-winning cryptocurrency derivatives exchange built for those who thrive exploring new frontiers. With deep liquidity and cutting-edge technology, Toobit empowers traders worldwide to navigate the digital asset markets with confidence. We offer a fair, secure, seamless, and transparent trading experience, ensuring every trade is an opportunity to discover what’s next.

For more information about Toobit, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Instagram

Contact: Davin C.
Email: market@toobit.com
Website: www.toobit.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by Toobit. 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. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

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.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b8677101-0e15-4e57-9931-d00d7ca48125

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e994c53f-5a58-44a8-9aea-28c55f7634ee

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Vimeo Announces Winners of First Ever Short Film Grant Program in Partnership with Nikon and RED
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vimeo, Inc. (NASDAQ: VMEO), one of the largest and most trusted private video networks in the world, today unveiled the winners of the Vimeo Short Film Grant, presented by Nikon | RED. Designed to support the next generation of filmmakers, this program offers budding creators production funds, expert mentorship, access to the latest professional video equipment from Nikon and RED, as well as distribution support on Vimeo.

“Vimeo has long been a home for the world’s most original storytellers, and supporting the next wave of bold, creative talent remains core to our mission,” said Philip Moyer, CEO of Vimeo. “In a time where algorithms shape so much of the content we’re exposed to, human-curated, intentional stories have never mattered more. We believe in the enduring power of human storytelling and are committed to guiding this new era as technology revolutionizes our relationship with video.”

The grant winners were selected based on originality, artistic merit, project execution, and overall impact by a prestigious jury of filmmakers including Vimeo Staff Picks alumni David Lowery, Charlotte Wells, Sean Wang, Savanah Leaf, and cinematographer Adam Bricker, ASC.

“What they don’t tell you about being on a jury like this one is that getting to watch the incredible work of so many filmmakers is a reward in and of itself. The completed shorts we viewed were bold, complex and formally daring; the projects we considered for the grant were rich, conscientious and so full of promise that they left us feeling inspired and invigorated,” said the jury in a statement. “Selecting just a handful for the award was a daunting task, and there wasn’t a single filmmaker whose work didn’t invoke a passionate discussion. While five filmmakers will receive the Vimeo Short Film Grant, presented by Nikon | RED, we hope that every director whose work we reviewed – indeed, every filmmaker whose work was submitted – will make their films regardless. We can’t wait to see them!”

Five talented filmmakers have each been awarded $30,000 to bring their original short film projects to life, along with one-on-one mentorship from the selection jury and Vimeo’s Curation Team. Winners will gain access to state-of-the-art equipment powered by Nikon and RED for the highest possible production quality. This includes the new Z mount V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X cinema cameras, as well as Nikon’s collection of award-winning mirrorless cameras, including the Z9, Z8 and Z6III. Additionally, recipients will receive dedicated distribution support on Vimeo.com, with their films showcased at exclusive in-person screenings in New York City and Los Angeles.

Winning submissions from the inaugural 2025 program include:
- Andrew J Rodriguez, Spaceboi: Convinced his father was taken by aliens, a Bronx boy interviews other kids with absent parents—until their stories reveal a deeper, more unsettling truth.
- Annie Ning, The Only Man to Ever Exist: Arnie goes to the hospital seeking forgiveness after an accident. He will not leave until he gets it.
- Carmen Pedrero, I remember the house was red: Paula is 28. Bruno is 55. When she was much younger, they had an affair on Facebook that led to his divorce. Now, after running into him years later, Paula sits at a barbecue with him and his new wife.
- John C Kelley, The Ineffable Hum: Five drifting vignettes spanning a lifetime—snapshots of love, loss, addiction, and memory. Each unfolds in and around cars, which—as both vessel and witness—hold motion and memory.
- Sofía Camargo, La Selva: When a stray dog follows them home, an overprotective immigrant mother and her daughters discover that healing begins with letting something in, not keeping everything out.
“The winners selected represent fresh ideas and brave storytelling,” said Naoki Onozato, President and CEO of Nikon Inc. “We are honored to play a part in helping them to deliver their creative vision to a broader audience and tell their unique stories.”

About Vimeo
Vimeo (NASDAQ: VMEO) is the world’s most innovative video experience platform. We enable anyone to create high-quality video experiences to better connect and bring ideas to life. We proudly serve our community of millions of users – from creative storytellers to globally distributed teams at the world’s largest companies – whose videos receive billions of views each month. Learn more at www.vimeo.com.

About Nikon
Nikon Inc. is a world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and technologies for photo and video capture; globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for an award-winning array of equipment that enables visual storytelling and content creation. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional Z series mirrorless cameras, digital SLR cameras, a vast array of NIKKOR and NIKKOR Z lenses, Speedlights and system accessories, Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras and Nikon software products. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers and visual storytellers to the Web’s most comprehensive learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.

About RED
RED Digital Cinema, Inc., a Nikon Group company, is a leading manufacturer of professional digital cinema cameras and accessories. In 2006, RED began a revolution with the 4K RED ONE digital cinema camera. By 2008, RED had released the DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) system that allowed the same camera to be used on award winning features, television, commercials, music videos and magazine covers like “Vogue” and “Harper’s Bazaar.” Today, RED cameras are being used on some of the most lauded movies and episodics, including award winners “Conclave,” “Mank,” “Squid Game,” “Hacks,” “Navalny,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” and “The Deepest Breath.” RED’s latest technology includes the highly advanced V-RAPTOR [X] and V-RAPTOR XL [X] systems, the flagship DSMC3 generation systems and the first available large format global shutter cinema cameras. The RED lineup also includes KOMODO-X and KOMODO, which features a global shutter sensor in a shockingly small and versatile form factor. Also available are RED Cine-Broadcast solutions and RED Connect, unlocking up to 8K 120FPS for live cinematic streaming from the V-RAPTOR line of cameras. Find additional information at RED.com.

Contact: Frank Filiatrault / frank.filiatrault@vimeo.com

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: ALL4 Mining helps cryptocurrency enthusiasts change their investment strategies: easily achieve stable daily returns
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Los Angeles, California, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With the development of blockchain technology, the problems of high cost and high energy consumption of traditional mining methods have become increasingly prominent. As the world’s top cloud mining platform, ALL4 Mining system uses clean energy and cloud computing to lower the threshold for mining. Users can easily participate in mining and earn profits by simply renting computing power contracts. The system has the advantages of flexibility, real-time monitoring, security, etc., and is suitable for individual users, small enterprises and large mining pools. Users only need to register an account to experience low-cost, high-efficiency mining services and start their journey to wealth, which will create value for more users in the future.

As an emerging mining method, the ALL4 Mining system has changed the investment rules of traditional mining by applying cloud computing technology, providing miners with a flexible and economical solution, and its daily income is also favored by the market. This article will explore in depth the working principle, advantages, application scenarios of the ALL4 Mining system and how to lead cryptocurrency investors to easily earn stable profits.

ALL4 Mining Cloud Mining System Overview
The ALL4 Mining system is a cloud computing-based mining platform that uses clean energy. Users can mine remotely through the online platform cloud computing power without having to purchase and maintain expensive mining equipment. This mode enables users to easily participate in one-click mining activities. Through ALL4 Mining remote mining, users only need to purchase the corresponding computing power contract to enjoy powerful computing power and easily mine Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies with one click.

How ALL4 Mining works
The core of the ALL4 Mining system lies in its distributed computing power. The system distributes mining tasks to multiple high-performance data centers, and users connect to the system through the ALL4 Mining network and conduct remote mining.

Computing power leasing: Users can choose the appropriate computing power contract according to their needs and only need to pay the contract fee, which is extremely flexible.

Real-time monitoring: The system provides real-time monitoring tools, and users can check the mining progress and income at any time to ensure transparent operation.

Income distribution: Mining income will be distributed according to the proportion of the user’s computing power contract price to protect the legitimate interests of each user.

ALL4 Mining platform advantages
Low threshold: The ALL4 Mining system does not require a high initial investment. Users only need to pay rent to participate, which lowers the entry threshold.

Flexibility: Users can flexibly adjust computing power leasing according to market conditions and personal needs, and it is highly adaptable.

Power advantage: The use of new energy to generate electricity comes from the gift of nature. Mining equipment is centralized in the data center, and users do not need to worry about power consumption and heat dissipation issues, thereby greatly reducing operating costs.

Security: The ALL4 Mining system uses advanced SSL security technology to ensure the security of user accounts and assets and reduce the risk of being attacked.

Professional service: Our professional customer service team provides 7×24 hours online service to answer any of your questions

ALL4 Mining application scenarios
The ALL4 Mining system is suitable for different types of users:

Individual miners: Individual users without expertise and hardware can get a simple and easy-to-use mining solution through ALL4 Mining.

Small businesses: Small businesses can use ALL4 Mining to rent computing power and diversify their income without a large capital investment.

Large mining pools: Large mining pools can quickly expand computing power and improve overall mining efficiency through ALL4 Mining.

How to start your wealth journey with ALL4 Mining

First, register an account and receive a $15 welcome bonus from the platform. Click to invest in the daily check-in contract and easily earn $0.6 per day.

Choose the trial contract, recharge $100 according to the platform process, and earn $8 in 2 days with the trial contract.

Choose the advanced contract and easily earn up to $$7050 per day according to your personal financial situation.

Contract package choice
BTC basic computing power: investment amount: $100, contract period: 2 days, daily income of $4.0, expiration income: $100 + $8
LTC [classic computing power contract]: investment amount: $600, contract period: 6 days, daily income of $7.26, expiration income: $600 + $43.56
BTC [classic computing power contract]: investment amount: $3,000, contract period: 20 days, daily income of $42.9, expiration income: $3,000 + $858
DOGE [classic computing power contract]: investment amount: $5,000, contract period: 30 days, daily income of $75, expiration income: $5,000 + $2,250
BTC [advanced computing power contract]: investment amount: $10,000, contract period: 40 days, daily income of $166, expiration income: $10,000 + $6,640
BTC [advanced computing power contract]: investment amount: 50,000 USD, contract period: 48 days, daily income: USD 910, maturity income: USD 50,000 + USD 43,680
BTC [Super Computing Power Contract]: Investment amount: USD 150,000, contract period: 50 days, daily income: USD 2,925, maturity income: USD 150,000 + USD 146,250

How to earn $7050 a day by participating in ALL4 mining
Example: Someone invests $300,000 and can purchase $300,000 worth of BTC [Super Computing Power Contract], with a contract period of 40 days and a contract daily interest rate of 2.35%.

Passive income after purchase = $300,000*2.35%=$7,050.

Principal and income after 40 days = $300,000 + $7,050*40 = $300,000 + $282,000 = $582,000

In summary
The ALL4 Mining system has set a new benchmark for the mining method in the new era with its flexibility, low threshold and high efficiency. With the continuous development of blockchain technology, the ALL4 Mining system will play a greater role in the future and create more value and opportunities for users.

For more details, please visit the ALL4 Mining official website: https://all4mining.top/ or (click to download the app)

Attachment
- all4mininggs
The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: NanoGraf Names Thomas Redd as Chief Executive Officer

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NanoGraf, the largest silicon oxide anode material producer in the United States, today announced Thomas Redd as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Francis Wang, who has led the company since 2015, will remain at NanoGraf as a technical advisor.

Redd’s appointment marks NanoGraf’s transition from R&D-driven growth to full commercial execution. He will direct the company’s expansion into new civilian markets, deepen existing defense partnerships, and oversee the ramp-up to large-scale domestic production at NanoGraf’s Chicago manufacturing facilities.

“NanoGraf combines three attributes that make scaling compelling: a defensible technology platform, an execution-tested team, and clear market momentum,” said Redd. “With a fraction of the capital raised by some peers, Francis and the team have already validated next-generation battery performance in the toughest field conditions. The task now is to manufacture at scale and meet demand.”

Redd brings more than 25 years of leadership in clean technology, advanced manufacturing, and resource-recovery businesses. As CEO of Continuus Materials, he commercialized a process that converts mixed plastic and fiber waste into composite roof-board products.

“Building and leading this team of accomplished and committed researchers and operators as CEO has been the great honor of my career,” said Wang. “We’ve made great progress getting next-gen battery technology into the hands that need it, and I’m excited to support Tom as he takes the reins. With the NanoGraf Board, I looked long and hard for the right person to lead NanoGraf in this new era of commercialization and manufacturing, and we found Tom to be the perfect fit. I’m proud of how far NanoGraf has come since I joined in 2015, and I am even more excited about where we’re going next.”

Redd joins NanoGraf following a number of recent milestones for the company. Since 2024, NanoGraf:

Wang, who joined as CEO in 2015, led the company through a period of intense technical advancement, commercialization, and recognition.

About Thomas Redd

Thomas Redd is NanoGraf’s newly appointed CEO. A seasoned executive with expertise in clean technology and advanced manufacturing, Redd previously served as CEO of Continuus Materials, where he led the scaled production of recycled plastic and fiber into composite roof cover boards. Prior, he held CEO roles in clean tech where he led commercialization and fundraising efforts. Redd holds engineering degrees from the University of Virginia and Utah State University and an MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.

About NanoGraf

NanoGraf is the largest silicon oxide anode material producer in the United States. Its patented silicon anode technology, Onyx™, improves energy density by 30% compared to synthetic graphite at cost parity on a per energy basis. NanoGraf’s silicon anode technology is in use by the military and is drop-in ready for use in any lithium-ion battery, across consumer, industrial, and defense applications. NanoGraf is a spinout of Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory. For more information, visit nanograf.com. To request samples of Onyx, contact Tim Porcelli, NanoGraf’s VP of Business Development.

Media Contact:
Rache Morrison, rachel@propllr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90e7bba4-f3f9-4e8b-9db9-b5185bfbf431

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Jobs boost as new fighter jet HQ opens in Reading in key programme milestone
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

News story

Jobs boost as new fighter jet HQ opens in Reading in key programme milestone

A flagship headquarters that will support delivery of a supersonic stealth fighter jet has opened in Reading, where hundreds of skilled personnel will be based.
Opening of Global Combat Air Programme flagship headquarters to support the delivery of a supersonic stealth fighter jet, equipped with cutting-edge technologies.

The programme already supports over 3,500 UK jobs, 1,000 additional apprenticeships, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, with more to follow as the programme develops.

New figures show defence industry jobs in the South East have increased by 4,500 in just 12 months.

The new global HQ has been opened today (7 July) in a significant milestone for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a joint initiative between the UK, Japan and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet.

The facility will host the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) and a joint venture company, called Edgewing, bringing together three industry partners – BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (Japan) – responsible for the design and development of the aircraft.

Opened by Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP today, the new multinational headquarters will help deliver the GCAP programme, bringing together the best minds from across three governments and industry to drive innovation and strengthen each country’s combat air industrial capability, supporting the vision of the Strategic Defence Review.

The opening comes on the same day as the Defence Secretary met virtually with Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani to discuss the latest progress on GCAP. The programme is already creating thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK, Japan, and Italy, including new apprentice and graduate roles, and supporting the strong relationship between industry and the Armed Forces of the three nations.

There are currently more than 3,500 people, including engineers and programmers, working on GCAP in the UK. A further 1,000 have undertaken GCAP-related apprenticeships or training schemes, supporting the Government’s Plan for Change by driving defence as an engine for economic growth. Many more will follow as the GCAP programme develops in the years ahead.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

Opening of this global HQ in Reading underlines the UK’s full commitment to GCAP and demonstrates the steps we are taking with our partners to deliver for defence.

The Strategic Defence Review captured that GCAP will deliver more than cutting-edge military capabilities. It already supports over 3,500 UK jobs, with many more to follow as the programme develops. It is also sustaining a world-leading skilled workforce for the UK’s combat air industry and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.

Through this work we are helping to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of combat air power innovation for decades to come and that defence is engine for growth across the country.

Newly published figures show 151,000 UK jobs are directly supported by the MOD’s spend with industry, an increase of 14,000 on the previous year. 4,500 of the additional jobs are in the South East, including Reading, as roles in the region jumped to a total of 38,700.

The opening of the HQ comes after the government announced a historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

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Published 7 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SEC Small Business Advisory Committee to Discuss Regulatory Framework for Finders and Continue Exploring Regulation A

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee announced that it will hold a meeting at the SEC Headquarters in Washington D.C on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 10 a.m. E.T. The meeting will be open to the public, in-person, as well as webcast on the SEC website, and will explore Regulation A and the topic of “finders,” persons who assist companies with limited capital-raising activities in private markets.

The meeting will start by finalizing discussion of potential regulatory improvements to Regulation A, building upon ideas generated during the previous committee meeting. In keeping with the committee’s efforts to promote small business capital formation, including access to capital for founders who are building businesses outside of prominent entrepreneurial hubs or without robust capital-raising networks, the committee will spend the remainder of the meeting exploring “finders” and related matters.

Staff from the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets will provide the committee with an overview of the SEC’s 2020 release, which proposed a limited, conditional exemption from broker registration for “finders.” The committee will also learn more about the role of “finders” and possible regulatory solutions from industry practitioners Gary Ross, Managing Partner at Ross Law Group, and Kelley Arena, Founder at Golden Hour Ventures. As part of this discussion, the committee will explore potential principles, frameworks, conditions, and safeguards that could permit certain “finders” to engage in limited capital-raising activities.

For more information about the committee and the full agenda for the meeting, visit the committee webpage.

The Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee provides advice and recommendations to the SEC on rules, regulations, and policy matters relating to small businesses.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Tyrell Haberkorn, Professor of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is swarmed by members of the media after a cabinet meeting at Government House on July 1, 2025. Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is currently feeling the sharp end of the country’s powerful judiciary.

On July 2, 2025, Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn from office as a result of a leaked phone conversation in which she was heard disparaging Thailand’s military and showing deference to former the prime minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, despite an ongoing border dispute between the two countries. Initially set for 14 days, many onlookers believe the court’s suspension is likely to become permanent.

Meanwhile, far from the prime minister’s office is Arnon Nampa, another Thai national whose future is at the mercy of the Thai judiciary – in this case, the Criminal Court.

Arnon, a lawyer and internationally recognized human rights defender, is one of 32 political prisoners imprisoned over “lèse majesté,” or insulting the Thai monarchy. He is currently serving a sentence of nearly 30 years for a speech questioning the monarchy during pro-democracy protests in 2020. Unless he is both acquitted in his remaining cases and his current convictions are overturned on appeal, Arnon will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

The plights of Paetongtarn and Arnon may seem distant. But as a historian of Thai politics, I see the cases as connected by a judiciary using the law and its power to diminish the prospects for democracy in Thailand and constrain the ability of its citizens to participate freely in society.

Familiar troubles

The Shinawatra family is no stranger to the reach of both the Thai military and the country’s courts.

Paetongtarn is the third of her family to be prime minister – and could become the third to be ousted. Her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, was removed in a 2006 military coup. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted prior to the May 22, 2014, coup. In common with past coups, the juntas who fomented them were shielded from the law, with none facing prosecution.

For now, it is unclear whether Paetongtarn’s suspension is the precursor to another coup, the dissolution of parliament and new elections, or a reshuffle of the cabinet. But what is clear is that the Constitutional Court’s intervention is one of several in which the nine appointed judges are playing a critical role in the future of Thai democracy.

Protecting the monarchy

The root of the judiciary’s power can be found in the way the modern Thai nation was set up nearly 100 years ago.

On June 24, 1932, Thailand transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Since then, the country has experienced 13 coups, as the country has shifted from democracy to dictatorship and back again.

But throughout, the monarchy has remained a constant presence – protected by Article 112 of the Criminal Code, which defines the crime and penalty of lese majesté: “Whoever defames, insults, or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent shall be subject to three-to-fifteen years imprisonment.”

The law is widely feared among dissidents in Thailand both because it is interpreted broadly to include any speech or action that is not laudatory and innocent verdicts are rare.

Although Article 112 has been law since 1957, it was rarely used until after the 2006 coup.

Since then, cases have risen steadily and reached record levels following a youth-led movement for democracy in 2020. At least 281 people have been, or are currently being, prosecuted for alleged violation of Article 112, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Challenging the status quo

The 2020 youth-led movement for democracy was sparked by the Constitutional Court’s dissolution of the progressive Future Forward Party at the beginning of that year, the disappearance of a Thai dissident in exile in Cambodia, and economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In protests in Bangkok and in provinces across the country, they called for a new election, a new constitution and an end to state repression of dissent.

Pro-democracy activist leader Arnon Nampa speaks to protesters.
Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On Aug. 3, 2020, Nampa added another demand: The monarchy must be openly discussed and questioned.

Without addressing such a key, unquestionable institution in the nation, Arnon argued, the struggle for democracy would inevitably fail.

This message resonated with many Thai citizens, and despite the fearsome Article 112, protests grew throughout the last months of 2020.

Students at Thammasat University, the center of student protest since the 1950s, expanded Arnon’s call into a 10-point set of demands for reform of the monarchy.

Making it clear that they did not aim to abolish the monarchy, the students’ proposal aimed to clarify the monarchy’s economic, political and military role and make it truly constitutional.

As the protests began to seem unstoppable, with tens of thousands joining, the police began cracking down on demonstrations. Many were arrested for violating anti-COVID-19 measures and other minor laws. By late November 2020, however, Article 112 charges began to be brought against Arnon and other protest leaders for their peaceful speech.

In September 2023, Arnon was convicted in his first case, and he has been behind bars since. He is joined by other political prisoners, whose numbers grow weekly as their cases move through the judicial process.

Capricious courts

Unlike Arnon, Paetongtarn Shinawatra is not facing prison.

But the Constitutional Court’s decision to suspend her from her position as prime minister because of a leaked recording of an indiscreet telephone conversation is, to many legal minds, a capricious response that has the effect of short-circuiting the democratic process.

So too, I believe, does bringing the weight of the law against Arnon and other political prisoners in Thailand who remain behind bars as the current political turmoil plays out.

Tyrell Haberkorn 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. Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts – https://theconversation.com/thailands-judiciary-is-flexing-its-muscles-but-away-from-pms-plight-dozens-of-activists-are-at-the-mercy-of-capricious-courts-260408

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jorge Heine, Outgoing Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center, flanked by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaks at the summit of Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 19, 2024. Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

In 2020, as Latin American countries were contending with the triple challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global economic shock and U.S. policy under the first Trump administration, Jorge Heine, research professor at Boston University and a former Chilean ambassador, in association with two colleagues, Carlos Fortin and Carlos Ominami, put forward the notion of “active nonalignment.”

Polity Books

Five years on, the foreign policy approach is more relevant than ever, with trends including the rise of the Global South and the fragmentation of the global order, encouraging countries around the world to reassess their relationships with both the United States and China.

It led Heine, along with Fortin and Ominami, to follow up on their original arguments in a new book, “The Non-Aligned World,” published in June 2025.

The Conversation spoke with Heine on what is behind the push toward active nonalignment, and where it may lead.

For those not familiar, what is active nonalignment?

Active nonalignment is a foreign policy approach in which countries put their own interests front and center and refuse to take sides in the great power rivalry between the U.S. and China.

It takes its cue from the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1950s and 1960s but updates it to the realities of the 21st century. Today’s rising Global South is very different from the “Third World” that made up the Non-Aligned Movement. Countries like India, Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia have greater economic heft and wherewithal. They thus have more options than in the past.

They can pick and choose policies in accordance with what is in their national interests. And because there is competition between Washington and Beijing to win over such countries’ hearts and minds, those looking to promote a nonaligned agenda have greater leverage.

Traditional international relations literature suggests that in relations between nations, you can either “balance,” meaning take a strong position against another power, or “bandwagon” – that is, go along with the wishes of that power. The notion was that weaker states couldn’t balance against the Great Powers because they don’t have the military power to do so, so they had to bandwagon.

What we are saying is that there is an intermediate approach: hedging. Countries can hedge their bets or equivocate by playing one power off the other. So, on some issues you side with the U.S., and others you side with China.

Thus, the grand strategy of active nonalignment is “playing the field,” or in other words, searching for opportunities among what is available in the international environment. This means being constantly on the lookout for potential advantages and available resources – in short, being active, rather than passive or reactive.

So active nonalignment is not so much a movement as it is a doctrine.

Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, right, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser attend the first Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It’s been five years since you first came up with the idea of active nonalignment. Why did you think it was time to revisit it now?

The notion of active nonalignment came up during the first Trump administration and in the context of a Latin America hit by the triple-whammy of U.S. pressure, a pandemic and the ensuing recession – which in Latin America translated into the biggest economic downturn in 120 years, a 6.6% drop of regional gross domestic product in 2020.

ANA was intended as a guide for Latin American countries to navigate those difficult moments, and it led us to the publication of a symposium volume with contributions by six former Latin American foreign ministers in November 2021, in which we elaborated on the concept.

Three months later, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the reaction to it by many countries in Asia and Africa, nonalignment was back with a vengeance.

Countries like India, Pakistan, South Africa and Indonesia, among others, took positions that were at odds with the West on Ukraine. Many of them, though not all, condemned Russian aggression but also wanted no part in the West’s sanctions on Moscow. These sanctions were seen as unwarranted and as an expression of Western double standards – no sanctions were applied on the U.S. for invading Iraq, of course.

And then there were the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the resulting war in the Gaza Strip. Countries across the Global South strongly condemned the Hamas attacks, but the West’s response to the subsequent deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians brought home the notion of double standards when it came to international human rights.

Why weren’t Palestinians deserving of the same compassion as Ukrainians? For many in the Global South, that question hit very hard – the idea that “human rights are limited to Europeans and people who looked like them did not go down well.”

Thus, South Africa brought a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice alleging genocide, and Brazil spearheaded ceasefire efforts at the United Nations.

A third development is the expansion of the BRICS bloc of economies from its original five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – to 10 members. Although China and Russia are not members of the Global South, those other founding members are, and the BRICS group has promoted key issues on the Global South’s agenda. The addition of countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia has meant that BRICS has increasingly taken on the guise of the Global South forum. Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leading proponent of BRICS, is keen on advancing this Global South agenda.

All three of these developments have made active nonalignment more relevant than ever before.

How are China and the US responding to active nonalignment – or are they?

I’ll give you two examples: Angola and Argentina.

In Angola, the African country that has received most Chinese cooperation to the tune of US$45 billion, you now have the U.S. financing what is known as the Lobito Corridor – a railway line that stretches from the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Angola’s Atlantic coast.

Ten years ago, the notion that the U.S. would be financing railway projects in southern Africa would have been considered unfathomable. Yet it has happened. Why? Because China has built significant railway lines in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, and the U.S. realized that it was being left behind.

For the longest time, the U.S. would condemn such Chinese-financed infrastructure projects via the “Belt and Road Initiative” as nothing but “debt-trap diplomacy” designed to saddle developing nations with “white elephants” nobody needed. But a couple of years ago, that tune changed: The U.S. and Europe realized that there is a big infrastructure deficit in Asia, Africa and Latin America that China was stepping in to reduce – and the West was nowhere to be seen in this critical area.

In short, the West changed it approach – and countries like Angola are now able to play the U.S. off against China for its own national interests.

Then take Argentina. In 2023, Javier Milei was elected president on a strong anti-China platform. He said his government would have nothing to do with Beijing. But just two years later, Milei announced in an Economist interview that he is a great admirer of Beijing.

Why? Because Argentina has a very significant foreign debt, and Milei knew that a continued anti-China stance would mean a credit line from Beijing would likely not be renewed. The Argentinian president was under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and Washington to let the credit line with China lapse, but Milei refused to do so and managed to hold his own, playing both sides against the middle.

Milei is a populist conservative; Brazil’s Lula a leftist. So is active nonalignment immune to ideological differences?

Absolutely. When people ask me what the difference is between traditional nonalignment and active nonalignment, one of the most obvious things is that the latter is nonideological – it can be used by people of the right, left and center. It is a guide to action, a compass to navigate the waters of a highly troubled world, and can be used by governments of very different ideological hues.

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentina President Javier Milei at the 66th Summit of leaders of the Mercosur trading bloc in Buenos Aires on July 3, 2025.
Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

The book talks a lot about the fragmentation of the rules-based order. Where do you see this heading?

There is little doubt that the liberal international order that framed world politics from 1945 to 2016 has come to an end. Some of its bedrock principles, like multilateralism, free trade and respect for international law and existing international treaties, have been severely undermined.

We are now in a transitional stage. The notion of the West as a geopolitical entity, as we knew it, has ceased to exist. We now have the extraordinary situation where illiberal forces in Hungary, Germany and Poland, among other places, are being supported by those in power in both Washington and Moscow.

And this decline of the West has not come about because of any economic issue – the U.S. still represents around 25% of global GDP, much as it did in 1970 – but because of the breakdown of the trans-Atlantic alliance.

So we are moving toward a very different type of world order – and one in which the Global South has the opportunity to have much more of a role, especially if it deploys active nonalignment.

How have events since Trump’s inauguration played into your argument?

The notion of active nonalignment was triggered by the first Trump administration’s pressure on Latin American countries. I would argue that the measures undertaken in Trump’s second administration – the tariffs imposed on 90 countries around the world; the U.S. leaving the Paris climate agreement, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Human Rights Council; and other “America First” policies – have only underscored the validity of active nonalignment as a foreign policy approach.

The pressures on countries across the Global South are very strong, and there is a temptation to give in to Trump and align with U.S. Yet, all indications are that simply giving in to Trump’s demands isn’t a recipe for success. Those countries that have gone down the route of giving in to Trump’s demands only see more demands after that. Countries need a different approach – and that can be found in active nonalignment.

Jorge Heine 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. Nations are increasingly ‘playing the field’ when it comes to US and China – a new book explains explains why ‘active nonalignment’ is on the march – https://theconversation.com/nations-are-increasingly-playing-the-field-when-it-comes-to-us-and-china-a-new-book-explains-explains-why-active-nonalignment-is-on-the-march-260234

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Partners across Derby unite to create a safer, more vibrant city centre

Source: City of Derby

A safer, more welcoming and vibrant night-time experience in Derby is being made possible thanks to a powerful partnership between local businesses, organisations, and community leaders. Their collective efforts are helping shape a city centre where people feel confident to visit, explore and enjoy Derby City; especially after dark.

This work has recently earned Derby the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation, a national recognition awarded by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) to places that meet high standards for managing the evening and night-time economy.

Organisations including Marketing Derby, Derby’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), the University of Derby, Derbion, Derbyshire Police, Vaillant, and Derby Museums have all played a vital role in improving safety, accessibility, and cultural appeal in the city after hours.

From student safety initiatives led by the University of Derby, to late-night shopping and events at Derbion, to visible policing and coordinated city centre management by the BIDs, the efforts are wide-ranging and deeply collaborative. Companies like Vaillant are also engaging with community initiatives, reinforcing the importance of a collective approach to civic responsibility. This collaborative work not only supports Derby’s night-time economy, but also builds a stronger, more inclusive city one where everyone can feel proud to take part in its growth.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Cabinet Member for City-Centre, Regeneration, Strategy, Policy and leader of Derby City Council, said:

The Purple Flag is a powerful symbol of what we can achieve when our city works together. From the police and universities to businesses, venues and volunteers, everyone has a part to play in making Derby safer, more welcoming and more vibrant after dark. This isn’t just about awards — it’s about people in Derby. It’s about making sure everyone, from students to families to visitors, feels proud and confident to enjoy our city centre.

We’re committed to building on this success, working with partners now and into the future to keep improving Derby’s evening experience for all; this includes the new appointment of a City Centre Manager”

You can learn more about the Purple Flag award on the ATCM website.

There is plenty going on in Derby, learn more about what’s on by visiting the Derby LIVE webpage. You can learn more about Derby Nightlife on the Visit Derby webpage.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Oportun Board of Directors Reiterates Importance of CEO Raul Vazquez’s Continued Stewardship on the Board

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Urges stockholders to vote “FOR” Mr. Vazquez and Carlos Minetti on the GREEN proxy card

SAN CARLOS, Calif., July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) (“Oportun” or the “Company”), a mission-driven financial services company, today issued a letter to stockholders ahead of its July 18 Annual Meeting.

The Board encourages all Oportun stockholders to vote “FOR” Oportun’s two nominees, CEO Raul Vazquez and Carlos Minetti, using the GREEN proxy card or GREEN voting instruction form. Additional information related to Oportun’s Annual Meeting can be found at VoteForOportun.com.

The full text of the letter to stockholders follows:

Dear Fellow Oportun Stockholders,

We write to you as Oportun’s Board of Directors with critical information ahead of this year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is scheduled for July 18, 2025. Findell Capital Management, one of our stockholders — who has recently been selling its Oportun stock — is seeking to remove our CEO, Raul Vazquez, from the Board at that meeting.

This is a highly unusual maneuver and would be greatly damaging to the functioning of the Board and the progress Oportun is making. Under Raul’s leadership, Oportun has been successfully executing a strategic plan to strengthen and reposition the business. These efforts have resulted in improved financial performance and profitability and a stock that is up more than 80% this year.

Just a few months ago, consistent with its annual practice, the Board — including the two directors previously recommended by Findell — unanimously concluded that Raul is the right leader for Oportun.

We are disappointed that Findell would ask stockholders to undermine Raul’s authority and leadership by removing him from the Board. Not only would such an arrangement be unconventional — as nearly all public company CEOs also serve on the board of the company they lead — but it would also erode the confidence of employees, customers, regulators, business partners and other key stakeholders. With our Lead Independent Director retiring this month, it is critical that our chosen executive leader has a clear mandate to direct Oportun’s affairs and speak on the Company’s behalf.

Moreover, Raul’s presence on the Board promotes clear, effective communication between management and the Board, enabling faster and better-informed decision-making. And Raul — who is a large Oportun stockholder — enhances the functioning of our Board because of his experience on two other public company boards.

Said plainly, it would be a mistake for stockholders to vote Raul off Oportun’s Board, and there would be very real consequences to doing so.

Oportun needs strong and steady leadership and disciplined execution. Removing Raul would risk destabilizing Oportun at a critical time. That is apparently not of concern to Findell. But for stockholders who intend to continue to hold their investment in Oportun for the medium- and long-term, it should be of grave concern. It is to us.

We urge stockholders to vote “FOR” Raul Vazquez by following the instructions on the GREEN proxy card or GREEN voting instruction form.

Sincerely,

The Oportun Financial Board of Directors

Vote the GREEN Proxy Card Today

To ensure Oportun’s progress continues, the Board urges stockholders to vote “FOR” both of Oportun’s nominees, and “WITHHOLD” on Findell’s candidate, using the enclosed GREEN proxy card ahead of the upcoming Annual Meeting.

If you have any questions about how to vote your shares, please call the firm assisting us with the solicitation of proxies:

INNISFREE M&A INCORPORATED
Shareholders may call:
(877) 800-5195 (toll-free from the U.S. and Canada) or
+1 (412) 232-3651 (from other countries)

About Oportun

Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) is a mission-driven financial services company that puts its members’ financial goals within reach. With intelligent borrowing, savings, and budgeting capabilities, Oportun empowers members with the confidence to build a better financial future. Since inception, Oportun has provided more than $20.3 billion in responsible and affordable credit, saved its members more than $2.4 billion in interest and fees, and helped its members set aside an average of more than $1,800 annually. For more information, visit Oportun.com.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this communication are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this communication, including statements as to our future performance and stockholder returns, are forward-looking statements. These statements can be generally identified by terms such as “expect,” “plan,” “goal,” “target,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “predict,” “project,” “outlook,” “continue,” “due,” “may,” “believe,” “seek,” or “estimate” and similar expressions or the negative versions of these words or comparable words, as well as future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “likely” and “could.” These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events, financial trends and risks and uncertainties that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These risks and uncertainties include those risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as well as our subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there is no assurance that the events or results suggested by the forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Investor Contact
Dorian Hare
(650) 590-4323
ir@oportun.com

Innisfree M&A Incorporated
Scott Winter / Gabrielle Wolf / Jonathan Kovacs
(212) 750-5833

Media Contact
FGS Global
John Christiansen / Bryan Locke
Oportun@fgsglobal.com

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety Visits Latin America to launch UN Global Road Safety Campaign

Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, will visit Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia and Brazil (23-27 June), to launch the UN global campaign #MakeASafetyStatement, in partnership with JCDecaux. During his visit, he will meet with key government officials, representatives of the international community, private and public sector leaders, and representatives of civil society to promote road safety initiatives and advocate for enhanced measures.

This mission aligns with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve road fatalities by 2030. It follows the adoption of a new UN resolution on road safety at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier this year (18-19February).

A Silent Pandemic

Road traffic crashes claimed more than 145,000 lives across the Americas in 2021, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), representing 12% of global road fatalities that year. Road crashes remain the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5 to 29 years old globally imposing a significant social and economic burden. According to the World Bank, the cost of road crashes represents between 3% and 6% of GDP in the region.

Across the Americas, deaths on the road have registered a 9.37% drop in the decade to 2021. The region’s progress is above the 5% global drop in deaths in the period but is nowhere near fast enough to meet the global goal of halving road deaths by 2030. 

Latin America is one of the most urbanized regions in the world, making road safety a crucial component of city development strategies. This underscores the urgent need to rethink mobility and invest in road safety.

Solutions exist

The good news is that solutions exist. Strengthening law enforcement, investing in education and public transport, enhancing road infrastructure and vehicle safety, developing bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways — especially around schools —and improving post-crash care are all part of a safe and efficient mobility system. Additionally, mobilizing political leadership is crucial to increase funding and action.

A 2019 report commissioned by Bloomberg Philanthropies revealed that more than 25,000 lives could be saved and over 170,000 serious injuries prevented by 2030 if United Nations (UN) vehicle safety regulations were applied by four key countries in the region—Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil.

“Every year we lose 1.19 million lives on the world’s roads, this is equivalent to the entire population of cities like Monterrey (Mexico), Guatemala or Campinas (Brazil). This is madness, because we know how to stop this carnage. With this campaign we call for urgent action to ensure safe roads for all, everywhere on the continent,” said Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety.  

Jean-Charles Decaux, Co-CEO of JCDecaux said: “At JCDecaux, we are committed to improving the quality of life for people wherever they live, work and travel, offering innovative, sustainable street furniture and services that meet cities and citizens’ expectations. This is the core of our mission and that is why we are proud to partner with the United Nations and Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, to display this road safety campaign across our global media network. Following its successful rollout in over 50 countries since September 2023, the campaign’s launch in Latin America marks a key milestone, amplifying local road safety efforts and reinforcing public awareness. With our powerful and service-driven media, we are able to relay these vital prevention messages in high-impact locations, promote safe behaviour, and engage all our stakeholders around this major cause. The campaign’s positive tone, supported by international celebrities, helps inspire a new vision for public space: one that is safer, more inclusive, and more harmonious for all.”

#MakeASafetyStatement campaign

The global #MakeASafetyStatement campaign aims to promote road safety and create secure, inclusive, and sustainable streets worldwide.

Celebrities fronting the campaign in Latin America include football icon Ousmane Dembélé, F1 driver Charles Leclerc, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, singer and musician Kylie Minogue, motorcycle racer Marc Marquez, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and actors Patrick Dempsey and Michael Fassbender.

Thanks to the support of the International Olympic Committee, Latin American 2024 Olympic champions such as Juan-Manuel Celaya (Mexico, silver medal, diving), Adriana Ruano (Guatemala, gold medal, shooting women’s trap), Atheyna Bylon (Panama, silver medal, boxing), Angel Barajas (Colombia, silver medal, gymnastics), Rebecca Andrade (Brazil, gold medal, artistic gymnastics) have joined the initiative.

National focus

Mexico

In Mexico, 15 to 16,000 people die each year in road accidents. This puts the fatality rate at 12.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, below the average for the Americas, and for countries such as the USA, Colombia or Brazil, but above Chile or Argentina. The economic cost of road accidents is estimated at approximately 1.4% of GDP.

One third of all road deaths in Mexico are among pedestrians and motorcyclists, so protecting these vulnerable road users should be an urgent priority. It should be noted, however, that road crash statistics are very incomplete.

The National Law of Mobility and Road Safety of 2022 called for the adoption of the life-saving ‘safe systems’ approach that makes safety priority in all road-related policies and planning and is laid out in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety. An exemplary amendment to Mexico’s constitution underpinned the law, making ‘mobility under the conditions of safety, accessibility, efficiency, sustainability, quality, inclusion and equality,’ a universal right for all Mexicans. 

Although the law mandated the use of certified helmets at the federal level, most Mexican states have not yet legislated mandatory use, resulting in low compliance rates.

Guatemala

Road crashes remain a significant public health issue in Guatemala, with some 2,352 deaths registered in 2024 on the country’s roads. This brings the death rate at 12.6 per 100,000 population, as per WHO estimates.

Motorcycles are involved in half of the crashes and riders represent some 60% of the victims. Road crashes happen predominantly in urban areas and among vulnerable road users.

In the recent period, Guatemala has made some progress in addressing road safety, both through institutional strengthening and the improvement of monitoring systems, legislative response, and intersectoral coordination.

Guatemala is currently a party to only 1 of the 7 core UN Road Safety legals instruments and legislation on pedestrian protection and child restraint systems remains fragmented. Helmet use is mandatory, but technical standards are not fully aligned with international best practices (e.g., UN-certified helmet standards ECE 22.05). Enforcement also remains a key challenge.

Guatemala currently participates in a project of the UN Road Safety Fund (UN RSF) Safe School Zones, which supports infrastructure improvements and awareness campaigns to protect children around schools.

Panama

Panama achieved a 45% reduction in road fatalities between 2016 and 2021, from 440 to 243 deaths. Its rate of 7.3 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants is the fourth lowest on the continent.

However, it records a very high level of people with serious injuries after a crash, with about 21 cases per death.

Panama is currently implementing 2 projects under the UN Road Safety Fund: Safe School Zones, aimed at reducing child fatalities near schools, and Strengthening Road Safety Legislation, aiming at aligning national laws with global best practices. Two legislative improvements are currently under discussion, on pedestrian protection and child restraints.

Colombia

Some 8,146 people died on Colombia’s in 2022, a 24% increase compared to the average from 2017 to 2019, driven by the rise in the number of motorcycles (+ over 100%) and cars (+58%) registered between 2010 and 2022Motorcyclists represented 60% of the victims, and pedestrians 21%. The death rate is at 16 per 100,000 population (WHO), for an economic toll estimated at some 3% of GDP.

In recent years, through ANSV (Agencia Nacional de Seguridad Vial), the government has worked with cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali to implement urban safety plans, including developing public transport (express buses and cable cars); upgrading pedestrian infrastructure; developing safer intersections and introducing speed control zones.

The new Road Safety strategy (2022-2031) adopted in 2022 officially adopted the Safe System approach.

Colombia implements three projects financed by the UNRS, focusing on: institutional strengthening and better crash data systems; Safe and Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning; and an Awareness Campaign for Road Safety and Behavior Change addressing National media and school-based outreach initiatives.

Brazil

In Brazil, the mortality rate is 15.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.  Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists—compose around 61% of all crash fatalities. The notable rise in motorcycle-related deaths observed over recent years calls for accrued efforts to enforce the use of proper helmets – aligned with UN regulations (e.g., ECE-22.05).

Road safety remains a key challenges with the economic toll of road crashes estimated at some 5% of GDP. This is one powerful reason to rethink mobility and invest in road safety.

The adoption of the National Road Safety Plan (2019–2028) , aiming for a 50% reduction in fatalities by 2028, marks a strong direction, and laws exist on helmet usage, child restraints, speed, drink & drug driving, mobile phone ban, etc. However, enforcement gaps remain—especially in speed and seatbelt compliance among rear passengers.

Mandatory inspections of vehicles exist, but several modern safety requirements (ABS, Electronic Stability Control, pedestrian protection, etc.) have not yet been made mandatory.

The UN RSF Project Improving Crash Prevention on Federal Highways in Brazil develops an interoperable system for road data collection and analysis, enabling effective countermeasures.

Photo credit: JCDecaux

MIL OSI United Nations News –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Xi inspects manufacturing company in Shanxi

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

YANGQUAN, Shanxi, July 7 — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday afternoon inspected a valve manufacturing company in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, where he learned about the province’s efforts to promote the transformation and upgrade of industries and high-quality development.

At the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi inspected the company’s production workshop and products display, and had a cordial conversation with workers at the site.

MIL OSI China News –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lisa Schirch, Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

A protester calls out Facebook for facilitating the spread of disinformation. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Every design choice that social media platforms make nudges users toward certain actions, values and emotional states.

It is a design choice to offer a news feed that combines verified news sources with conspiracy blogs – interspersed with photos of a family picnic – with no distinction between these very different types of information. It is a design choice to use algorithms that find the most emotional or outrageous content to show users, hoping it keeps them online. And it is a design choice to send bright red notifications, keeping people in a state of expectation for the next photo or juicy piece of gossip.

Platform design is a silent pilot steering human behavior.

Social media platforms are bringing massive changes to how people get their news and how they communicate and behave. For example, the “endless scroll” is a design feature that aims to keep users scrolling and never reaching the bottom of a page where they might decide to pause.

I’m a political scientist who researches aspects of technology that support democracy and social cohesion, and I’ve observed how the design of social media platforms affects them.

Democracy is in crisis globally, and technology is playing a role. Most large platforms optimize their designs for profit, not community or democracy. Increasingly, Big Tech is siding with autocrats, and the platforms’ designs help keep society under control.

There are alternatives, however. Some companies design online platforms to defend democratic values.

Optimized for profit

A handful of tech billionaires dominate the global information ecosystem. Without public accountability or oversight, they determine what news shows up on your feed and what data they collect and share.

Social media companies say they are in the business of connecting people, but they make most of their money as data brokers and advertising firms. Time spent on platforms translates to profit. The more time you spend online, the more ads you see and the more data they can collect from you.

This ad-based business model demands designs that encourage endless scrolling, social comparison and emotional engagement. Platforms routinely claim they merely reflect user behavior, yet internal documents and whistleblower accounts have shown that toxic content often gets a boost because it captures people’s attention.

Tech companies design platforms based on extensive psychological research. Examples include flashing notifications that make your phone jump and squeak, colorful rewards when others like your posts, and algorithms that push out the most emotional content to stimulate your most base emotions of anger, shame or glee.

How social media algorithms work, explained.

Optimizing designs for user engagement undermines mental health and society. Social media sites favor hype and scandal over factual accuracy, and public manipulation over designing for safety, privacy and user agency. The resulting prevalence of polarizing false and deceptive information is corrosive to democracy.

Many analysts identified these problems nearly a decade ago. But now there is a new threat: Some tech executives are looking to capture political power to advance a new era of techno-autocracy.

Optimized for political power

A techno-autocracy is a political system where an authoritarian government uses technology to control its population. Techno-autocrats spread disinformation and propaganda, using fear tactics to demonize others and distract from corruption. They leverage massive amounts of data, artificial intelligence and surveillance to censor opponents.

For example, China uses technology to monitor and surveil its population with public cameras. Chinese platforms like WeChat and Weibo automatically scan, block or delete messages and posts for sensitive words like “freedom of speech.” Russia promotes domestic platforms like VK that are closely monitored and partly owned by state-linked entities that use it to promote political propaganda.

Over a decade ago, tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and now Vice President JD Vance, began aligning with far-right political philosophers like Curtis Yarvin. They argue that democracy impedes innovation, favoring concentrated decision-making in corporate-controlled mini-states governed through surveillance. Embracing this philosophy of techno-autocracy, they moved from funding and designing the internet to reshaping government.

Techno-autocrats weaponize social media platforms as part of their plan to dismantle democratic institutions.

The political capture of both X and Meta also have consequences for global security. At Meta, Mark Zuckerberg removed barriers to right-wing propaganda and openly endorsed President Donald Trump’s agenda. Musk changed X’s algorithm to highlight right-wing content, including Russian propaganda.

Designing tech for democracy

Recognizing the power that platform design has on society, some companies are designing new civic participation platforms that support rather than undermine society’s access to verified information and places for public deliberation. These platforms offer design features that big tech companies could adopt for improving democratic engagement that can help counter techno-autocracy.

In 2014, a group of technologists founded Pol.is, an open-source technology for hosting public deliberation that leverages data science. Pol.is enables participants to propose and vote on policy ideas using what they call “computational democracy.” The Pol.is design avoids personal attacks by having no “reply” button. It offers no flashy newsfeed, and it uses algorithms that identify areas of agreement and disagreement to help people make sense of a diversity of opinions. A prompt question asks for people to offer ideas and vote up or down on other ideas. People participate anonymously, helping to keep the focus on the issues and not the people.

The civic participation platform Pol.is helps large numbers of people share their views without distractions or personal attacks.

Taiwan used the Pol.is platform to enable mass civic engagement in the 2014 democracy movement. The U.K. government’s Collective Intelligence Lab used the platform to generate public discussion and generate new policy proposals on climate and health care policies. In Finland, a public foundation called Sitra uses Pol.is in its “What do you think, Finland?” public dialogues.

Barcelona, Spain, designed a new participatory democracy platform called Decidim in 2017. Now used throughout Spain and Europe, Decidim enables citizens to collaboratively propose, debate and decide on public policies and budgets through transparent digital processes.

Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa founded Rappler Communities in 2023, a social network in the Philippines that combines journalism, community and technology. It aims to restore trust in institutions by providing safe spaces for exchanging ideas and connecting with neighbors, journalists and civil society groups. Rappler Communities offers the public data privacy and portability, meaning you can take your information – like photos, contacts or messages – from one app or platform and transfer it to another. These design features are not available on the major social media platforms.

Rappler Communities is a social network in the Philippines that combines journalism, community and technology.
Screenshot of Rappler Communities

Tech designed for improving public dialogue is possible – and can even work in the middle of a war zone. In 2024, the Alliance for Middle East Peace began using Remesh.ai, an AI-based platform, to find areas of common ground between Israelis and Palestinians in order to advance the idea of a public peace process and identify elements of a ceasefire agreement.

Platform designs are a form of social engineering to achieve some sort of goal – because they shape how people behave, think and interact – often invisibly. Designing more and better platforms to support democracy can be an antidote to the wave of global autocracy that is increasingly bolstered by tech platforms that tighten public control.

Lisa Schirch receives funding from the Ford Foundation. I know the founder of Pol.is and Remesh platforms, mentioned in this article, as well as Maria Ressa of Rappler Communities.

I will not benefit in any way from describing their work.

– ref. Social media can support or undermine democracy – it comes down to how it’s designed – https://theconversation.com/social-media-can-support-or-undermine-democracy-it-comes-down-to-how-its-designed-257103

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Turbulent research landscape imperils US brain gain − and ultimately American prosperity

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry, Connecticut College

International students have been a big part of American STEM. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images

Despite representing only 4% of the world’s population, the United States accounts for over half of science Nobel Prizes awarded since 2000, hosts seven of The Times Higher Education Top 10 science universities, and incubates firms such as Alphabet (Google), Meta and Pfizer that turn federally funded discoveries into billion-dollar markets.

The domestic STEM talent pool alone cannot sustain this research output. The U.S. is reliant on a steady and strong influx of foreign scientists – a brain gain. In 2021, foreign-born people constituted 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. They make up a significant share of America’s elite researchers: Since 2000, 37 of the 104 U.S. Nobel laureates in the hard sciences, more than a third, were born outside the country.

China, the U.S.’s largest competitor in science, technology, engineering and math endeavors, has a population that is 4.1 times larger than that of the U.S. and so has a larger pool of homegrown talent. Each year, three times as many Chinese citizens (77,000) are awarded STEM Ph.D.s as American citizens (23,000).

To remain preeminent, the U.S. will need to keep attracting exceptional foreign graduate students, budding entrepreneurs and established scientific leaders.

Funding and visa policies could flip gain to drain

This scientific brain gain is being threatened by the Trump administration, which is using federal research funding, scholarships and fellowships as leverage against universities, freezing billions of dollars in grants and contracts to force compliance with its ideological agenda. Its ad hoc approach has been described by higher education leaders as “unprecedented and deeply disturbing,” and a Reagan-appointed judge ruled that 400 National Institutes of Health grants be reinstated because their terminations were “bereft of reasoning, virtually in their entirety.”

Experts caution that these moves not only risk immediate harm to scientific progress and academic freedom but also erode the public’s trust in science and education, with long-term implications for the nation’s prosperity and security.

Citing national security concerns, the White House has also targeted visas for Harvard University’s international students and instructed embassies worldwide to halt visa interviews for all international students, citing national security and alleged institutional misconduct. Against a backdrop of court injunctions and legal appeals, the government continues its heightened “national-security” vetting, so thousands of international scholars remain in limbo.

These measures, combined with travel bans, intensified scrutiny and revocations of existing visas, have disrupted research collaborations and threaten the nation’s continued status as a global leader in science and innovation.

What US misses with fewer foreign scientists

The U.S. research brain gain starts with the 281,000 foreign STEM graduate students and 38,000 foreign STEM postdoctoral scholars who annually come to the U.S. I am one of them. After earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in South Africa, I left in 1986 to avoid the apartheid‑era military service, completed my chemistry doctorate and postdoc in the U.S., and joined the United States’ brain gain. It’s an opportunity today’s visa climate might have denied me.

Some other countries are eager to scoop up STEM talent that is unwelcome or unfunded in the U.S.
Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images

Incentives for the best and brightest foreign science students to come to the U.S. are diminishing at the same time its competitors are increasing their efforts to attract the strongest STEM researchers. For instance, the University of Hong Kong is courting stranded Harvard students with dedicated scholarships, housing and credit-transfer help. A French university program, Safe Place for Science, drew so many American job applicants that it had to shut the portal early. And a Portuguese institute reports a tenfold surge in inquiries from U.S.-based junior faculty.

Immigrants import new ways of thinking to their research labs. They come from other cultures and have learned their science in different educational systems, which place different emphases on rote learning, historical understanding and interdisciplinary research. They often bring an alternative perspective that a homogeneous scientific community cannot match.

Immigrants also help move discoveries from the lab to the marketplace. Foreign-born inventors file patents at a higher per‑capita rate than their domestic peers and are 80% more likely to launch a company. Such firms create roughly 50% more jobs than enterprises founded by native-born entrepreneurs and pay wages that are, on average, one percentage point higher.

The economic stakes are high. Growth models suggest that scientific advances now account for a majority of productivity gains in high‑income countries.

L. Rafael Reif, the former president of MIT, called international talent the “oxygen” of U.S. innovation; restricting visas chokes that supply. Ongoing cuts and uncertainties in federal funding and visa policy now jeopardize America’s scientific leadership and with it the nation’s long‑term economic growth.

Marc Zimmer received funding from NIH and NSF.

– ref. Turbulent research landscape imperils US brain gain − and ultimately American prosperity – https://theconversation.com/turbulent-research-landscape-imperils-us-brain-gain-and-ultimately-american-prosperity-258537

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: War-Torn Central America in the 1980s Comes to Life in New Historical Memoir

Source: US State of Connecticut

Some six decades ago, when Scott Wallace’s parents gifted him a Polaroid Swinger camera and leather-bound diary as a child, the seeds of journalism were planted.

No one knew back then that Wallace, now an associate professor in the UConn journalism department, would go on to become an award-winning writer, television producer, and photojournalist who’s reported from places including the front lines of war-torn Central America, jungles of South America, and post-Soviet Russia.

Similarly, no one could have foreseen the foreign policy decisions made by the U.S. during the Vietnam War, from around the same time Wallace opened that gift of a camera and journal, would have an influence on some of today’s most divisive issues.

That’s the thread woven through Wallace’s new historical memoir, “Central America in the Crosshairs of War: On the Road from Vietnam to Iraq,” which has won Gold in the Foreward INDIES Awards in the category of political and social sciences, along with a Gold IPPY from the Independent Book Publishers Association as best history book (oversized/coffee table).

He maintains the U.S. government’s decisions, denials, and deceit during Vietnam inevitably led to disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan many decades later, coming through the conflicts, civil wars, and revolutions in Central America in the 1980s.

“Our country would be less polarized,” he says of what would have happened if the U.S. behaved differently in places like El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala during those years.

“We would be dealing with a diminished immigration crisis if we had encouraged democracy in Central America and redirected the resources that we gave them for training armies and waging war,” he says. “If we instead used those same resources to build up their economies, there would have been far fewer reasons for them to leave. They’d still be there. We seriously contributed to the tearing apart of the social fabric there, and I think a lot of the people who’ve come here in the last 40 years never would have left their homes.”

Wallace sat with UConn Today recently to talk about how he got started as a journalist, his unique perspective as a firsthand witness to war, and his advice to others who want to report from the front lines.

Why have you decided to share your story now?

I was in the middle of a project in Brazil involving the struggles of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon and their efforts to defend their territories and the rainforest from predatory logging and other forms of what passes for development down there. Then, the pandemic hit, and I realized I had to move in another direction if I was to work on a monograph during that time. Even after the pandemic passed, it was near-impossible to gain entry to Indigenous communities. Even into 2021 and 2022, it was still too difficult to get into the territories where I’d been conducting my research. Part of the reason I chose the Central America project was to pivot away from Brazil, at least until it was possible to return to those sensitive Indigenous territories. Secondly, there was a lot I’d been wanting to say for a long time about my experiences as a young journalist in Central America and the abiding relevance of so many issues that have come to the fore today, including immigration and the crisis at the border. Very few people understand how much the issue of immigration from Central America has been driven by our policies from 40 years ago, when we were actively involved in supporting and fueling the military conflicts that were going on down there. It drove a lot of the immigration into the U.S. and made the conditions in those countries so difficult that people left en masse. It’s a story of unintended consequences. The third impetus for the project was the very rich trove of images I’d taken while covering those conflicts, most of which had not previously been published, along with detailed notes and compelling stories that have withstood the test of time. Those experiences formed the foundation of my career and what I’ve ended up doing as a journalist over the last 40 years.

What’s one of your ‘I-can’t-believe-I did-that’ experiences from the front lines?

We managed to get ourselves into this rural area of El Salvador in the rebel stronghold of Chalatenango Department, where there had been allegations of a massacre perpetrated by the army that the United States was arming and supporting. We managed to bluff our way past a series of roadblocks, got into rebel-controlled territory, and then got permission from the guerrillas to undertake a journey on foot down into the scene of this atrocity. After most of the day walking, we came upon a dilapidated footbridge stretching across this yawning chasm with a rushing river beneath us. The bridge was such a wreck that, out in the middle, the boards were sagging vertically to the surface of the water, and the wires on one side were basically useless. You had to pick your way across, hand over hand, with your feet on the tops of the boards. The water below was rushing at such a furious speed that the rebels advised us not to look down as we crossed because the rush of the water would make us dizzy, and we’d lose our balance and fall. Had we known what we were getting into, I’m not sure we would have gone there. But by then, we were already so far into the journey there was no going back. When we got to the scene, a horrific stench came from a good way off. It looked like a scene from a plane crash, with clothing and belongings strewn across the brush and hanging from the trees and bodies lying on the ground. It was horrific. I did my best to piece together what had happened from interviews with survivors and what we could see on the ground.

Something like that must stick with you.

I think you develop a little bit of a thick skin, and you just have to move through it. You’re there to find out what happened, and your own personal feelings are kind of secondary.

Sandinista Popular Army soldiers forcibly remove peasants to create a free-fire zone to battle Contra rebels in El Ventarrón, Nicaragua, in 1985. (Photo courtesy of Scott Wallace)

How did you get your start as a journalist?

I was thirsty for adventure and for finding out about the bigger world. I took a year off from college as an undergraduate, and, with advice from some students who were a little older than me and who had done something similar, I lined up a volunteer position in the Peruvian jungle. I went first to Mexico, studied intensive Spanish for the summer, then traveled overland through Central America, down the spine of the Andes, and out into the jungle, where I worked as a literacy instructor in an Indigenous community. During that year I discovered something new about myself. I didn’t know Spanish at all before I left, and through the process of having to put myself out there, I kind of developed a new persona as I interacted with Latin Americans and mastered the language and the culture. I loved the music, the people, and the literature. I returned to college after that, doubled up on Spanish classes, and learned how to write it and read it. I also became fascinated with what was going on in Latin America in the news. I was already a few years out of college when it dawned on me that maybe I could make a career as a journalist covering events in Latin America, since I loved writing, taking pictures, and travel. I decided to go back to school to get a master’s in journalism with the objective of going to Central America when I graduated. By this time, the early 1980s, Central America was in turmoil. The Sandinistas had taken power in Nicaragua, a civil war had erupted in El Salvador, and the Reagan Administration vowed to ‘draw the line’ against what it perceived to be communist aggression in Central America. The region was a tinderbox that seemed poised to become a new Vietnam. I knew that no news organization would send a new graduate straight into a big story. I would have to go as a freelancer, so I decided to learn as many skills as I could, because as a freelancer I knew I would have to have as many skills as possible to earn a living: write news stories, take photographs for my stories, sell my photographs to other news outlets. I also got a tip that doing radio for one of the networks was a really good way to establish yourself and bring in a steady stream of work. Just as I was about to graduate, one of my professors, who had previously been a CBS Radio correspondent, introduced me to network executives when they came to campus, and one thing led to another. They didn’t have anyone in El Salvador at that time, so I was able to land a gig as their freelance ‘stringer’ there.

What would your advice be for a journalism student or working journalist who’s hungry to do this kind of work today?

It takes a certain kind of person. You have to be passionate about the world, curious about the way the world works. You need to be an avid reader of literature as well as nonfiction, be up on current events, and follow the news closely. In all the writing classes that I teach, I require my students to accompany their stories with images, because everyone should know how to take decent pictures and how to do solid interviews. They should learn how to shoot video and record audio. Of course, now you must have a social media presence and put your stuff out there. It’s also very important to make contacts. Ply your professors or the people you meet, go to places where you’re going to meet the professionals you admire. Follow them on Instagram. See who’s excelling at the kind of work you’re interested in and reach out to them. You also should build a portfolio of writing, images, and multimedia. Persistence and patience are also important.

Compared to historians and others who’ve studied Central America and the conflicts there, do you think you have a unique perspective seeing it all firsthand?

It’s definitely a unique perspective, but sometimes I’m a little bit daunted by the intellectual capabilities and rigor of my colleagues in other departments at the University. I think my strength lies in bringing personal experiences and storytelling acumen to the narrative. In June, I was asked to do a presentation at a seminar of academics on genocide and its relationship to ‘ecocide’ – the criminal destruction of the environment – based on my work covering Indigenous struggles in jungles of the Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive reception to my presentation, in which I showed my photographs and told stories of people whose lives are impacted and threatened by deforestation, land grabbing, and the violent destruction of habitats and biodiversity. It was a way of bringing abstract concepts down to ground level. I’m not the only one who does that. All my colleagues in the journalism department similarly bring that kind of ground-truthing and storytelling to the subjects they report on.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Ambiq Micro, Inc. Announces Filing of Registration Statement For Proposed Initial Public Offering

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ambiq Micro, Inc. (“Ambiq”), a technology leader in ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions for edge AI, today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The proposed offering is subject to market and other conditions and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the proposed offering may be completed. The number of shares of common stock to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Ambiq intends to apply to have its common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “AMBQ.”

BofA Securities and UBS Investment Bank will act as joint lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. Needham & Company and Stifel will act as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering.

The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the proposed offering may be obtained by contacting: BofA Securities, NC1-022-02-25, 201 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com or UBS Securities LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, by telephone at (888) 827-7275 or by emailing ol-prospectus-request@ubs.com.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Ambiq

Ambiq’s mission is to enable intelligence (artificial intelligence (AI) and beyond) everywhere by delivering the lowest power semiconductor solutions. Ambiq enables its customers to deliver AI compute at the edge where power consumption challenges are the most profound. Ambiq’s technology innovations, built on the patented and proprietary subthreshold power optimized technology (SPOT®), fundamentally deliver a multi-fold improvement in power consumption over traditional semiconductor designs. Ambiq has powered over 270 million devices to date.

Contact:

Charlene Wan 
VP of Corporate Marketing and Investor Relations
cwan@ambiq.com  

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b4276024-7323-4f81-824e-f6013ad38336

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: insightsoftware Research Reveals Nearly Half of Finance Teams Questioning Tariff Preparedness

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RALEIGH, N.C., July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — insightsoftware, the most comprehensive provider of solutions for the Office of the CFO, today released new research showing that 43% of finance professionals are uncertain about their organization’s readiness to navigate tariff impacts. The study reveals that access to modern forecasting tools and real-time data creates a decisive advantage in navigating economic uncertainty.

Learn how to build tariff-ready finance operations at insightsoftware’s Global Tariff Management Resource Center and discover how AI-powered solutions help bridge the gap between traditional financial planning and modern, insight-driven decision making.

Among finance professionals confident in their organization’s readiness, 59% credit their success to having adequate forecasting and modeling tools. Organizations with streamlined data access perform significantly better—79% of respondents who can easily access data without IT blockers felt prepared for tariffs. The findings also reveal an untapped AI opportunity––32% of unprepared teams blame their lack of AI capabilities for their uncertainty.

“The research confirms what we see across the market—finance teams with the right technology foundation are thriving while those stuck with outdated tools are struggling,” said Josh Schauer, Chief Financial Officer at insightsoftware. “The gap between prepared and unprepared teams is widening, and it’s directly tied to the ability to quickly access, analyze, and act on financial data. This isn’t just about tariffs—it’s about building resilient and agile finance operations that can adapt to any economic challenge.”

The study found that smaller companies demonstrate superior preparedness. Companies with 500-999 employees show 65% readiness and those with 1,000-4,999 employees report 64% preparedness, compared to only 46% of companies with 10,000+ employees. This suggests organizational agility and decision-making speed provide competitive advantages during uncertain times. Millennial finance professionals show the highest readiness rates at 68%, outpacing Gen X (47%) and Baby Boomers (51%).

The results in this report are from an online survey of 439 finance professionals in firms with 500 or more employees. The survey was fielded from May 9 to June 2, 2025, by Researchscape.

About insightsoftware

insightsoftware is a global provider of comprehensive solutions for the Office of the CFO.

We believe an actionable business strategy begins and ends with accessible financial data. With solutions across financial planning and analysis (FPCA), accounting, and operations, we transform how teams operate, empowering leaders to make timely and informed decisions. With data at the heart of everything we do, insightsoftware enables automated processes, delivers trusted insights, boosts predictability, and increases productivity. Learn more at insightsoftware.com.

Media Contacts

Inkhouse for insightsoftware insightsoftware@inkhouse.com

insightsoftware PR Team PR@insightsoftware.com

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: CoreNest Capital Announces Investments in 10 Frontier Companies Including Safe Superintelligence (SSI), Neuralink, Perceptive, Orbit Fab and Ottonomy

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CoreNest Capital, the Dubai-based venture capital firm focused on foundational technologies, today announced new investments across ten companies operating at the forefront of artificial intelligence, robotics, medtech, fintech, and Web3.

The latest round includes Safe Superintelligence (SSI), Neuralink, Coverstar, Nilo, Orbit Fab, Pax Markets, Perceptive, Ottonomy, Bond, Cheddr. Each company aligns with CoreNest’s thesis of backing platforms and technologies with the potential to redefine global infrastructure.

“We’re living through a technological supercycle where yesterday’s playbooks are obsolete. This era belongs to the builders who rethink what’s possible and move fast enough to make it real. At CoreNest, we don’t chase hype. We fund the foundations. The future doesn’t just happen. It gets architected.” – Bob Ras, General Partner & Co-Founder of CoreNest Capital

CoreNest’s latest investments include:

Bond: AI Chief of Staff that summarizes, alerts, and aligns teams in real time.

Cheddr: Social sports gaming platform offering fast, fun, and rewarding experiences.

Coverstar: Safe social media platform tailored for Gen Alpha users.

Neuralink: Brain–computer interfaces enabling direct neural control of devices.

Nilo: AI-powered platform democratizing 3D world-building for immersive content creation.

Orbit Fab: In-space refueling services extending satellite missions and enabling dynamic operations.

Ottonomy: Autonomous delivery robots for airports, retail, and last-mile logistics.

Pax Markets: Hardware-accelerated ATS offering zero-fee and ultra-fast trading.

Perceptive: AI-driven dental robotics providing precise, automated dental care solutions.

Safe Superintelligence (SSI): AI lab focused solely on building safe superintelligence.

CoreNest operates with a stage-agnostic, founder-aligned model, bringing technical depth, strategic guidance, and global reach to every partnership. The firm continues to focus on companies driving large-scale shifts in how societies operate, transact, and interact with emerging technologies.

About CoreNest Capital

CoreNest Capital is a global venture capital firm based in Dubai, UAE. The firm invests in bold founders building next-generation infrastructure across AI, robotics, medtech, fintech, and Web3. With a focus on high-impact technologies and long-term value creation, CoreNest provides capital, operating expertise, and deep ecosystem access to support its portfolio at every stage of growth.

CoreNest’s existing portfolio includes category-defining companies such as OpenAI, xAI, SpaceX, and Artisan, among others. Visit www.corenest.com for more information.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0cbe15b5-37b0-47e3-947c-1b36f6514bdb

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Plantro Requisitions Shareholder Meeting of Dye & Durham, Nominates Three Highly-Qualified Individuals to Initiate Sale of Company
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nearly $1 Billion in Shareholder Value Destroyed Under Engine Led Board Since December 2024

Governance Failures: Four CEOs and Two CFOs in Six Months, an Entrenched Board Ignoring Credible Bids, Insiders Granted ~5% of the Company in Egregious $10 Stock Options, and Investors Actively Directing Management

If the Current Board and its Misguided Strategy Remain in Place, Shareholders Risk Further Losses – It is Time to Immediately Initiate a Sale Process and Unlock a Change of Control Premium for Shareholders

Today, a Financial Services Sale for ~$590 million or ~11x EBITDA Still Leaves Leverage at ~4.5x, with No Path to Sub-3x Until 2031

ST. HELIER, Jersey, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plantro Ltd. (“Plantro” or the “Concerned Shareholder”) one of the largest shareholders of Dye & Durham Limited (“Dye & Durham” or the “Company”) (DND: TSX) which owns approximately 11% of the Company, today announced that it has requisitioned a special meeting of Dye & Durham shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) and nominated three highly qualified individuals for the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”): Brian J. Bidulka, David Danziger, and Martha Vallance. The requisition also calls for the removal of Board Chair Arnaud Ajdler, and directors Tracey E. Keates, and Ritu Khanna, from the Board.

The value destruction at Dye & Durham since December of 2024 has reached crisis proportions and threatens the Company’s future. The current Board, steered by Engine Capital (“Engine”), EdgePoint Wealth Management Inc. (“EdgePoint”) and OneMove Capital Ltd. (“OneMove”) (together, the “Engine Activist Group”) has presided over the destruction of nearly $1 billion in shareholder value.

The Engine Activist Group and the Board have pursued a misguided and haphazard strategy of customer price cuts and overspending. This has led to sharp declines in Adjusted EBITDA, cash flow, and rising debt, as evidenced by the Company’s recent quarterly results and a new debt covenant being imposed. As global real estate markets recently weakened, the Board doubled down on its strategy instead of adjusting course. This has caused a liquidity crisis, forcing the Company to aggressively draw on its revolving credit facility to make its April 2025 interest payment. With no clear or credible plan in place, leverage is expected to approach 6.0x Adjusted EBITDA by September 30, 2025¹.

Remaining public is no longer a viable option. If the current Board remains unchanged, the Company will continue down the same failed path, resulting in further shareholder losses. A full sale of the Company is the only way to realize a control premium for current shareholders and restore stability in the business.

Unfortunately, the current Board and the Engine Activist Group have fought for the past nine months against the sale of the Company or even presenting an offer to shareholders to consider. Before taking control, the Engine Activist Group publicly rejected multiple all-cash offers obtained by the prior board of approximately $25 per share. After the 2024 annual general meeting, as the stock declined significantly, Plantro submitted an offer to acquire the Company for $20 a share in February 2025. This offer was similarly rejected, and Plantro was threatened with litigation for privately submitting it. Furthermore, in April 2025, according to media reports, the Board refused to engage with Advent International, a credible well-funded buyer, who formally submitted offers of approximately $20 per share. The Board has also continued to deny basic due diligence access, actively undermining the possibility of negotiating higher bids.

As outlined below, and in a presentation available at www.SellDnD.com, a sale of Dye & Durham is the only viable risk-adjusted path, free from execution risk, remaining for shareholders to preserve and maximize their value. Plantro invites its fellow shareholders to join in the push for urgent change. If elected, the Plantro nominees intend to immediately pursue a well-governed and thoughtful process to sell the Company without delay TO THE BUYER WILLING TO PAY THE HIGHEST PRICE.

Stopgap Solutions Won’t Protect Shareholders: Dye & Durham Cannot Afford to Wait Any Longer and the Company Should Be Sold.

The Engine Activist Group will try to sell you a half-baked plan — an asset sale and a plea for more time; but they are wrong. Just months ago, a sale of the Financial Services business may have been a viable path to reduce leverage, however, their misguided strategy and poor execution has damaged the business to the point where a sale of the Financial Services business would do little to reduce debt. Even if the Company sells additional assets, there are no realistic paths to reduce leverage below 4.0x any time soon.

The Engine Activist Group and Engine-led Board have no plan to deliver anywhere near a $20 per share price on a risk- or time-adjusted basis. All they will do is sell you vague and hypothetical outcomes. Shareholders need to immediately realize a sale of the entire Company for the large control premium available for the following reasons:
- It is Too Risky Not to Sell: A misguided and haphazard strategy, coupled with poor execution has led to significantly declining financial performance and excessive borrowing over the last six months. This has resulted in a new 5.8x debt covenant being imposed on the business, which sell-side analysts estimate the Company will be precariously close to breaching in the coming quarters², putting shareholder equity at real risk of further erosion.
- Divesting Financial Services Doesn’t Solve the Problem: Today, a sale of the Financial Services business at ~11x Adjusted EBITDA still leaves leverage at ~4.5x, with no path to sub-3x until 2031³. Further, speculative claims of multiple expansion following a sale of the Financial Services business are unfounded as the Company will be a smaller, declining business, with leverage too high for public market investors to tolerate.
- Generous Assumptions Point to a Lower Share Price: Waiting is not an option. Assuming the Company maintains its current 7.9x trading multiple the implied share price in Q3 FY2026 will be between $4.77 and $7.44⁴, with the low-end of the range assuming the Company misses revenue estimates by only 5%.
- There Are Still Credible Interested Buyers at the Table Right Now: Given the current negative trajectory, shareholders should pursue a full sale to capture an attractive all-cash change-of-control premium. Credible private equity buyers with the right expertise, risk appetite, and who bring the appropriate capital structure, are interested in acquiring the Company right now.
The Engine Activist Group Has Usurped the Board and Now Dye & Durham is Not Suited to Operate as a Public Company.

A revolving door of executives has destabilized the business and eradicated irreplaceable institutional memory at the worst possible time. The Company is now on its fourth CEO in six months, and its second CFO. Numerous other executives and employees at all levels have left or been terminated, with employee turnover now reportedly reaching 25%, compared to low single digits previously, creating paralysis and leaving the business rudderless. Retaining even a portion of this critical institutional knowledge would have informed better decision making and helped avoid multiple strategic blunders.

In what appears to be an act of desperation, the Board delegated the recruitment of a new CEO and CFO to the principal of OneMove and a representative of EdgePoint, and in doing so appointed an unproven first-time CEO, with no public company or capital allocation experience, and a new CFO. They then granted the pair nearly 5% of the Company in options priced at just $10 per share. The pair stand to pocket over $30 million simply for getting shareholders back to where they were in December 2024.

Plantro understands there is also ongoing infighting at the Board level that has a created a situation where management cannot operate effectively, and established governance structures are breaking down. Plantro has learned the Company was recently forced to engage an independent third party mediator to help navigate basic internal operations as a result of repeated shareholder-level interference with management. This kind of shareholder “skip-level” behaviour, where investors directly bypass a board of directors and provide instruction directly to management, is confusing and creates potential for further executive attrition. It is also virtually unheard of in a public company and raises serious concerns about accountability and proper oversight.

Plantro’s Highly Qualified Nominees Are Committed to Leading a Process to Sell Dye & Durham.

The Plantro nominees collectively bring experience in M&A, capital allocation, operations, technology, governance, public and private board service, and direct senior experience at Dye & Durham (which is necessary given excessive executive turnover under the Engine Activist Group). Together they have the right mix of skills, experience, expertise, and shareholder-centric perspective to stabilize Dye & Durham, and immediately commence a well-governed and thoughtful process to sell the Company for the highest price possible.

Each of Plantro’s highly qualified individuals is independent of Plantro and each other, and will act as true fiduciaries with a mandate to preserve and maximize shareholder value:
- Brian J. Bidulka, CPA, CA, is a corporate director and chartered accountant with extensive experience in technology, finance, and business analytics. Brian is the former Chief Financial Officer of Research in Motion. He has also served in senior executive roles at major Canadian companies including Porter Airlines, Postmedia, George Weston Limited, and Molson Coors. Currently, he is a member of the board at Andrew Peller Limited, and is also a board member and treasurer of Canada Basketball.
- David Danziger, CPA, CA, is an experienced finance leader and corporate director with an extensive background in audit, accounting, and management consulting. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President, Assurance, and the National Leader of Public Companies at MNP LLP, Canada’s fifth largest accounting firm. David continues to serve as a Senior Advisor for MNP LLP working on special projects and supporting the Public Company Audit Team nationally. David has served as a director for a range of technology, mining, and life sciences companies listed on the TSX, TSXV, CSE, and NYSE.
- Martha Vallance is a corporate director with significant experience in M&A, capital markets and technology. Most recently, Martha was the Chief Operating Officer of Dye & Durham after previously establishing and leading the company’s Corporate Development function and has deep knowledge of the company’s strategy and operations. Prior to this, Martha spent over 12 years in Investment & Corporate Banking at BMO Capital Markets, most recently holding a series of senior roles within both the Mergers & Acquisitions and Equity Capital Markets teams. In addition, Martha served as a Director on the Board of TSX-listed TMAC Resources and was also a member of the Special Committee during the sale of the company which concluded in January 2021.
Plantro proposes that shareholders support incumbent directors Hans T. Gieskes, the recently deposed independent chairman of the Board, Anthony P. Kinnear, Sid Singh, and Eric Shahinian to maintain continuity on the Board. Both Gieskes and Singh served as interim CEOs of the Company, and collectively, these individuals have relevant C-Suite, public company, and capital markets experience at other companies.

Plantro remains supportive of management and believes stability is required to execute a successful sales process and restore value to shareholders.

Shareholders Need to Make their Voices Heard

There is no debate – Dye & Durham does not have a viable long-term path as a public company and must be sold. The Board and management will claim they need more time, but the status quo for shareholders is simply intolerable. While the business drifts and headwinds build, the risks to Dye & Durham and its shareholders continue to accumulate. The time for decisive action has arrived.

Plantro has heard from many shareholders who share its contention that the Company must run a formal sale process to preserve and maximize shareholder value. Now is the time to speak up. It is imperative that shareholders communicate their views directly to the Board and urge them to call and hold the Special Meeting without delay so the Company can be sold. Alternatively, the Board can spare shareholders the cost and distraction of a proxy contest, appoint the Plantro nominees to the Board, and commence a formal sale process immediately.

Please visit www.SellDnd.com to view Plantro’s presentation to fellow shareholders and other important materials.

Other Information Concerning the Plantro Nominees

To the knowledge of Plantro, no Plantro nominee is, at the date hereof, or has been, within ten (10) years before the date hereof: (a) a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company that (i) was subject to a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation that was in effect for a period of more than thirty (30) consecutive days (each, an “order”), in each case that was issued while the Plantro nominee was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer, or (ii) was subject to an order that was issued after the Plantro nominee ceased to be a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer; (b) a director or executive officer of any company that, while such Plantro nominee was acting in that capacity, or within one (1) year of such Plantro nominee ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or (c) someone who became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or became subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of such Plantro nominee.

To the knowledge of Plantro, as at the date hereof, no Plantro nominee has been subject to: (a) any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation, or by a securities regulatory authority, or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority; or (b) any other penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a Plantro nominee.

To the knowledge of Plantro, none of the directors or officers of Plantro, or any associates or affiliates of the foregoing, or any of the Plantro nominees or their respective associates or affiliates, has: (a) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction which has materially affected or will materially affect the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (b) any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting, other than the re-constitution of the Board.

Plantro beneficially owns and controls 7,374,510 common shares representing approximately 11% of the outstanding shares of the Company. Martha Vallance beneficially owns and controls 38,600 common shares, representing approximately 0.06% of the outstanding shares of the Company. She also holds options to acquire an additional 425,433 common shares. Assuming full exercise of these options, she would beneficially own and control 464,033 common shares, representing approximately 0.69% of the then-outstanding shares of the Company, on a partially diluted basis. While the other Concerned Shareholder Nominees may purchase shares in the future, not of the other Concerned Shareholder Nominees currently hold any units of the Company.

Additional Information

The information contained in this news release does not and is not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the meaning of applicable corporate and securities laws. Although Plantro has requisitioned the Special Meeting, there is currently no record or meeting date and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of the Plantro nominees or any other matter to be acted upon at the Special Meeting. In connection with the Special Meeting, Plantro may file a dissident information circular (the “Information Circular”) in due course in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Plantro is voluntarily providing the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and has filed this news release containing disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of Engine’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. This news release is available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

This news release and any solicitation made by Plantro in advance of the Special Meeting is, or will be, as applicable, made by Plantro and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. All costs incurred for any solicitation will be borne by Plantro, provided that, subject to applicable law, Plantro may seek reimbursement from the Company of Plantro’s out-of-pocket expenses, including proxy solicitation expenses and legal fees, incurred in connection with a successful reconstitution of the Board.

Plantro is not soliciting proxies in connection with the Special Meeting at this time, and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute proxies in favour of the Plantro nominees (in respect of the Special Meeting) or any matter to be acted upon at the Special Meeting. Proxies may be solicited by Plantro pursuant to an Information Circular sent to shareholders after which solicitations may be made by or on behalf of Plantro, by mail, telephone, fax, email or other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media advertising, and in person by directors, officers and employees of Plantro, who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. Plantro may also solicit proxies in reliance upon the public broadcast exemption to the solicitation requirements under applicable Canadian corporate and securities laws, conveyed by way of public broadcast, including through press releases, speeches or publications, and by any other manner permitted under applicable corporate and securities laws. Plantro may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist in soliciting proxies on behalf of Plantro.

Plantro has retained Morrow Sodali (Canada) Ltd. (“Sodali”) as its proxy advisor to assist Plantro in soliciting shareholders should Plantro commence a formal solicitation of proxies, for which Sodali will receive a fee not to exceed $200,000 plus a per call fee and certain success fees, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses, and will be indemnified against certain liabilities and expenses, including certain liabilities under securities laws. Sodali’s responsibilities will principally include advising Plantro on governance best practices, where applicable, liaising with proxy advisory firms, developing and implementing shareholder engagement strategies, and advising with respect to meeting and proxy protocol.

Plantro is not requesting that Dye & Durham shareholders submit a proxy at this time. Once Plantro has commenced a formal solicitation of proxies in connection with the Special Meeting, proxies may be revoked by instrument in writing by the shareholder giving the proxy or by its duly authorized officer or attorney, or in any other manner permitted by law (including subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario)). None of Plantro or, to its knowledge, any of its associates or affiliates, has any material interest, direct or indirect, (i) in any transaction since the beginning of Dye & Durham’s most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or would materially affect Dye & Durham or any of its subsidiaries; or (ii) by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting, other than the election of directors to the Board.

Dye & Durham’s principal office address is 25 York St., Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2V5. A copy of this news release may be obtained on Dye & Durham’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “plans,” “continue,” or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information in this news release may include, but is not limited to, statements of Plantro regarding (i) how Plantro intends to exercise its legal rights as a shareholder of the Company, and (ii) its plans to make changes at the Board of the Company.

Although Plantro believes that the expectations reflected in any such forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, the risks that (i) the Company may use tactics to thwart the rights of Plantro as a shareholder and (ii) the actions being proposed and the changes being demanded by Plantro, may not take place for any reason whatsoever. Except as required by law, Plantro does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

About Plantro

Plantro is a privately held company, with an established track record of making successful investments in undervalued and high quality legal, financial, and information services businesses.

Media Contact

Gagnier Communications
Riyaz Lalani / Dan Gagnier
Plantro@gagnierfc.com

^{____________________________________
1}Source: CapIQ: based off of analyst consensus adjusted EBITDA estimates and Plantro’s calculations which are available within the investor presentation on www.SellDnD.com
²The Company’s Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio will be materially higher in two quarters from now when it loses the ability to offset $185 million in restricted cash it holds to repay its 2026 convertible debentures, against its senior debt. Based on sell-side consensus estimates, the Company will be much closer to breaching its Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio covenant, should it remain in place.
³Assumes 0.5% annual Adjusted EBITDA growth after the sale of financial services based off trailing 9-month results as at Q3 FY25; Further details on Plantro’s assumptions and calculations are available within the investor presentation on www.SellDnD.com
⁴Future share price applies current EV / LTM EBITDA multiple to LTM EBITDA ending March 31, 2026 based on research consensus estimates and adjusting for net debt forecasted as at March 31, 2026 with cash flow assumptions as further detailed in the presentation available at www.SellDnD.com.

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Plantro Requisitions Shareholder Meeting of Dye & Durham, Nominates Three Highly-Qualified Individuals to Initiate Sale of Company
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nearly $1 Billion in Shareholder Value Destroyed Under Engine Led Board Since December 2024

Governance Failures: Four CEOs and Two CFOs in Six Months, an Entrenched Board Ignoring Credible Bids, Insiders Granted ~5% of the Company in Egregious $10 Stock Options, and Investors Actively Directing Management

If the Current Board and its Misguided Strategy Remain in Place, Shareholders Risk Further Losses – It is Time to Immediately Initiate a Sale Process and Unlock a Change of Control Premium for Shareholders

Today, a Financial Services Sale for ~$590 million or ~11x EBITDA Still Leaves Leverage at ~4.5x, with No Path to Sub-3x Until 2031

ST. HELIER, Jersey, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plantro Ltd. (“Plantro” or the “Concerned Shareholder”) one of the largest shareholders of Dye & Durham Limited (“Dye & Durham” or the “Company”) (DND: TSX) which owns approximately 11% of the Company, today announced that it has requisitioned a special meeting of Dye & Durham shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) and nominated three highly qualified individuals for the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”): Brian J. Bidulka, David Danziger, and Martha Vallance. The requisition also calls for the removal of Board Chair Arnaud Ajdler, and directors Tracey E. Keates, and Ritu Khanna, from the Board.

The value destruction at Dye & Durham since December of 2024 has reached crisis proportions and threatens the Company’s future. The current Board, steered by Engine Capital (“Engine”), EdgePoint Wealth Management Inc. (“EdgePoint”) and OneMove Capital Ltd. (“OneMove”) (together, the “Engine Activist Group”) has presided over the destruction of nearly $1 billion in shareholder value.

The Engine Activist Group and the Board have pursued a misguided and haphazard strategy of customer price cuts and overspending. This has led to sharp declines in Adjusted EBITDA, cash flow, and rising debt, as evidenced by the Company’s recent quarterly results and a new debt covenant being imposed. As global real estate markets recently weakened, the Board doubled down on its strategy instead of adjusting course. This has caused a liquidity crisis, forcing the Company to aggressively draw on its revolving credit facility to make its April 2025 interest payment. With no clear or credible plan in place, leverage is expected to approach 6.0x Adjusted EBITDA by September 30, 2025¹.

Remaining public is no longer a viable option. If the current Board remains unchanged, the Company will continue down the same failed path, resulting in further shareholder losses. A full sale of the Company is the only way to realize a control premium for current shareholders and restore stability in the business.

Unfortunately, the current Board and the Engine Activist Group have fought for the past nine months against the sale of the Company or even presenting an offer to shareholders to consider. Before taking control, the Engine Activist Group publicly rejected multiple all-cash offers obtained by the prior board of approximately $25 per share. After the 2024 annual general meeting, as the stock declined significantly, Plantro submitted an offer to acquire the Company for $20 a share in February 2025. This offer was similarly rejected, and Plantro was threatened with litigation for privately submitting it. Furthermore, in April 2025, according to media reports, the Board refused to engage with Advent International, a credible well-funded buyer, who formally submitted offers of approximately $20 per share. The Board has also continued to deny basic due diligence access, actively undermining the possibility of negotiating higher bids.

As outlined below, and in a presentation available at www.SellDnD.com, a sale of Dye & Durham is the only viable risk-adjusted path, free from execution risk, remaining for shareholders to preserve and maximize their value. Plantro invites its fellow shareholders to join in the push for urgent change. If elected, the Plantro nominees intend to immediately pursue a well-governed and thoughtful process to sell the Company without delay TO THE BUYER WILLING TO PAY THE HIGHEST PRICE.

Stopgap Solutions Won’t Protect Shareholders: Dye & Durham Cannot Afford to Wait Any Longer and the Company Should Be Sold.

The Engine Activist Group will try to sell you a half-baked plan — an asset sale and a plea for more time; but they are wrong. Just months ago, a sale of the Financial Services business may have been a viable path to reduce leverage, however, their misguided strategy and poor execution has damaged the business to the point where a sale of the Financial Services business would do little to reduce debt. Even if the Company sells additional assets, there are no realistic paths to reduce leverage below 4.0x any time soon.

The Engine Activist Group and Engine-led Board have no plan to deliver anywhere near a $20 per share price on a risk- or time-adjusted basis. All they will do is sell you vague and hypothetical outcomes. Shareholders need to immediately realize a sale of the entire Company for the large control premium available for the following reasons:
- It is Too Risky Not to Sell: A misguided and haphazard strategy, coupled with poor execution has led to significantly declining financial performance and excessive borrowing over the last six months. This has resulted in a new 5.8x debt covenant being imposed on the business, which sell-side analysts estimate the Company will be precariously close to breaching in the coming quarters², putting shareholder equity at real risk of further erosion.
- Divesting Financial Services Doesn’t Solve the Problem: Today, a sale of the Financial Services business at ~11x Adjusted EBITDA still leaves leverage at ~4.5x, with no path to sub-3x until 2031³. Further, speculative claims of multiple expansion following a sale of the Financial Services business are unfounded as the Company will be a smaller, declining business, with leverage too high for public market investors to tolerate.
- Generous Assumptions Point to a Lower Share Price: Waiting is not an option. Assuming the Company maintains its current 7.9x trading multiple the implied share price in Q3 FY2026 will be between $4.77 and $7.44⁴, with the low-end of the range assuming the Company misses revenue estimates by only 5%.
- There Are Still Credible Interested Buyers at the Table Right Now: Given the current negative trajectory, shareholders should pursue a full sale to capture an attractive all-cash change-of-control premium. Credible private equity buyers with the right expertise, risk appetite, and who bring the appropriate capital structure, are interested in acquiring the Company right now.
The Engine Activist Group Has Usurped the Board and Now Dye & Durham is Not Suited to Operate as a Public Company.

A revolving door of executives has destabilized the business and eradicated irreplaceable institutional memory at the worst possible time. The Company is now on its fourth CEO in six months, and its second CFO. Numerous other executives and employees at all levels have left or been terminated, with employee turnover now reportedly reaching 25%, compared to low single digits previously, creating paralysis and leaving the business rudderless. Retaining even a portion of this critical institutional knowledge would have informed better decision making and helped avoid multiple strategic blunders.

In what appears to be an act of desperation, the Board delegated the recruitment of a new CEO and CFO to the principal of OneMove and a representative of EdgePoint, and in doing so appointed an unproven first-time CEO, with no public company or capital allocation experience, and a new CFO. They then granted the pair nearly 5% of the Company in options priced at just $10 per share. The pair stand to pocket over $30 million simply for getting shareholders back to where they were in December 2024.

Plantro understands there is also ongoing infighting at the Board level that has a created a situation where management cannot operate effectively, and established governance structures are breaking down. Plantro has learned the Company was recently forced to engage an independent third party mediator to help navigate basic internal operations as a result of repeated shareholder-level interference with management. This kind of shareholder “skip-level” behaviour, where investors directly bypass a board of directors and provide instruction directly to management, is confusing and creates potential for further executive attrition. It is also virtually unheard of in a public company and raises serious concerns about accountability and proper oversight.

Plantro’s Highly Qualified Nominees Are Committed to Leading a Process to Sell Dye & Durham.

The Plantro nominees collectively bring experience in M&A, capital allocation, operations, technology, governance, public and private board service, and direct senior experience at Dye & Durham (which is necessary given excessive executive turnover under the Engine Activist Group). Together they have the right mix of skills, experience, expertise, and shareholder-centric perspective to stabilize Dye & Durham, and immediately commence a well-governed and thoughtful process to sell the Company for the highest price possible.

Each of Plantro’s highly qualified individuals is independent of Plantro and each other, and will act as true fiduciaries with a mandate to preserve and maximize shareholder value:
- Brian J. Bidulka, CPA, CA, is a corporate director and chartered accountant with extensive experience in technology, finance, and business analytics. Brian is the former Chief Financial Officer of Research in Motion. He has also served in senior executive roles at major Canadian companies including Porter Airlines, Postmedia, George Weston Limited, and Molson Coors. Currently, he is a member of the board at Andrew Peller Limited, and is also a board member and treasurer of Canada Basketball.
- David Danziger, CPA, CA, is an experienced finance leader and corporate director with an extensive background in audit, accounting, and management consulting. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President, Assurance, and the National Leader of Public Companies at MNP LLP, Canada’s fifth largest accounting firm. David continues to serve as a Senior Advisor for MNP LLP working on special projects and supporting the Public Company Audit Team nationally. David has served as a director for a range of technology, mining, and life sciences companies listed on the TSX, TSXV, CSE, and NYSE.
- Martha Vallance is a corporate director with significant experience in M&A, capital markets and technology. Most recently, Martha was the Chief Operating Officer of Dye & Durham after previously establishing and leading the company’s Corporate Development function and has deep knowledge of the company’s strategy and operations. Prior to this, Martha spent over 12 years in Investment & Corporate Banking at BMO Capital Markets, most recently holding a series of senior roles within both the Mergers & Acquisitions and Equity Capital Markets teams. In addition, Martha served as a Director on the Board of TSX-listed TMAC Resources and was also a member of the Special Committee during the sale of the company which concluded in January 2021.
Plantro proposes that shareholders support incumbent directors Hans T. Gieskes, the recently deposed independent chairman of the Board, Anthony P. Kinnear, Sid Singh, and Eric Shahinian to maintain continuity on the Board. Both Gieskes and Singh served as interim CEOs of the Company, and collectively, these individuals have relevant C-Suite, public company, and capital markets experience at other companies.

Plantro remains supportive of management and believes stability is required to execute a successful sales process and restore value to shareholders.

Shareholders Need to Make their Voices Heard

There is no debate – Dye & Durham does not have a viable long-term path as a public company and must be sold. The Board and management will claim they need more time, but the status quo for shareholders is simply intolerable. While the business drifts and headwinds build, the risks to Dye & Durham and its shareholders continue to accumulate. The time for decisive action has arrived.

Plantro has heard from many shareholders who share its contention that the Company must run a formal sale process to preserve and maximize shareholder value. Now is the time to speak up. It is imperative that shareholders communicate their views directly to the Board and urge them to call and hold the Special Meeting without delay so the Company can be sold. Alternatively, the Board can spare shareholders the cost and distraction of a proxy contest, appoint the Plantro nominees to the Board, and commence a formal sale process immediately.

Please visit www.SellDnd.com to view Plantro’s presentation to fellow shareholders and other important materials.

Other Information Concerning the Plantro Nominees

To the knowledge of Plantro, no Plantro nominee is, at the date hereof, or has been, within ten (10) years before the date hereof: (a) a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company that (i) was subject to a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation that was in effect for a period of more than thirty (30) consecutive days (each, an “order”), in each case that was issued while the Plantro nominee was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer, or (ii) was subject to an order that was issued after the Plantro nominee ceased to be a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer; (b) a director or executive officer of any company that, while such Plantro nominee was acting in that capacity, or within one (1) year of such Plantro nominee ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or (c) someone who became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or became subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of such Plantro nominee.

To the knowledge of Plantro, as at the date hereof, no Plantro nominee has been subject to: (a) any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation, or by a securities regulatory authority, or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority; or (b) any other penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a Plantro nominee.

To the knowledge of Plantro, none of the directors or officers of Plantro, or any associates or affiliates of the foregoing, or any of the Plantro nominees or their respective associates or affiliates, has: (a) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction which has materially affected or will materially affect the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or (b) any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting, other than the re-constitution of the Board.

Plantro beneficially owns and controls 7,374,510 common shares representing approximately 11% of the outstanding shares of the Company. Martha Vallance beneficially owns and controls 38,600 common shares, representing approximately 0.06% of the outstanding shares of the Company. She also holds options to acquire an additional 425,433 common shares. Assuming full exercise of these options, she would beneficially own and control 464,033 common shares, representing approximately 0.69% of the then-outstanding shares of the Company, on a partially diluted basis. While the other Concerned Shareholder Nominees may purchase shares in the future, not of the other Concerned Shareholder Nominees currently hold any units of the Company.

Additional Information

The information contained in this news release does not and is not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the meaning of applicable corporate and securities laws. Although Plantro has requisitioned the Special Meeting, there is currently no record or meeting date and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of the Plantro nominees or any other matter to be acted upon at the Special Meeting. In connection with the Special Meeting, Plantro may file a dissident information circular (the “Information Circular”) in due course in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Plantro is voluntarily providing the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and has filed this news release containing disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of Engine’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. This news release is available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

This news release and any solicitation made by Plantro in advance of the Special Meeting is, or will be, as applicable, made by Plantro and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. All costs incurred for any solicitation will be borne by Plantro, provided that, subject to applicable law, Plantro may seek reimbursement from the Company of Plantro’s out-of-pocket expenses, including proxy solicitation expenses and legal fees, incurred in connection with a successful reconstitution of the Board.

Plantro is not soliciting proxies in connection with the Special Meeting at this time, and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute proxies in favour of the Plantro nominees (in respect of the Special Meeting) or any matter to be acted upon at the Special Meeting. Proxies may be solicited by Plantro pursuant to an Information Circular sent to shareholders after which solicitations may be made by or on behalf of Plantro, by mail, telephone, fax, email or other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media advertising, and in person by directors, officers and employees of Plantro, who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. Plantro may also solicit proxies in reliance upon the public broadcast exemption to the solicitation requirements under applicable Canadian corporate and securities laws, conveyed by way of public broadcast, including through press releases, speeches or publications, and by any other manner permitted under applicable corporate and securities laws. Plantro may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist in soliciting proxies on behalf of Plantro.

Plantro has retained Morrow Sodali (Canada) Ltd. (“Sodali”) as its proxy advisor to assist Plantro in soliciting shareholders should Plantro commence a formal solicitation of proxies, for which Sodali will receive a fee not to exceed $200,000 plus a per call fee and certain success fees, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses, and will be indemnified against certain liabilities and expenses, including certain liabilities under securities laws. Sodali’s responsibilities will principally include advising Plantro on governance best practices, where applicable, liaising with proxy advisory firms, developing and implementing shareholder engagement strategies, and advising with respect to meeting and proxy protocol.

Plantro is not requesting that Dye & Durham shareholders submit a proxy at this time. Once Plantro has commenced a formal solicitation of proxies in connection with the Special Meeting, proxies may be revoked by instrument in writing by the shareholder giving the proxy or by its duly authorized officer or attorney, or in any other manner permitted by law (including subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario)). None of Plantro or, to its knowledge, any of its associates or affiliates, has any material interest, direct or indirect, (i) in any transaction since the beginning of Dye & Durham’s most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or would materially affect Dye & Durham or any of its subsidiaries; or (ii) by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting, other than the election of directors to the Board.

Dye & Durham’s principal office address is 25 York St., Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2V5. A copy of this news release may be obtained on Dye & Durham’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “plans,” “continue,” or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information in this news release may include, but is not limited to, statements of Plantro regarding (i) how Plantro intends to exercise its legal rights as a shareholder of the Company, and (ii) its plans to make changes at the Board of the Company.

Although Plantro believes that the expectations reflected in any such forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, the risks that (i) the Company may use tactics to thwart the rights of Plantro as a shareholder and (ii) the actions being proposed and the changes being demanded by Plantro, may not take place for any reason whatsoever. Except as required by law, Plantro does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

About Plantro

Plantro is a privately held company, with an established track record of making successful investments in undervalued and high quality legal, financial, and information services businesses.

Media Contact

Gagnier Communications
Riyaz Lalani / Dan Gagnier
Plantro@gagnierfc.com

^{____________________________________
1}Source: CapIQ: based off of analyst consensus adjusted EBITDA estimates and Plantro’s calculations which are available within the investor presentation on www.SellDnD.com
²The Company’s Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio will be materially higher in two quarters from now when it loses the ability to offset $185 million in restricted cash it holds to repay its 2026 convertible debentures, against its senior debt. Based on sell-side consensus estimates, the Company will be much closer to breaching its Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio covenant, should it remain in place.
³Assumes 0.5% annual Adjusted EBITDA growth after the sale of financial services based off trailing 9-month results as at Q3 FY25; Further details on Plantro’s assumptions and calculations are available within the investor presentation on www.SellDnD.com
⁴Future share price applies current EV / LTM EBITDA multiple to LTM EBITDA ending March 31, 2026 based on research consensus estimates and adjusting for net debt forecasted as at March 31, 2026 with cash flow assumptions as further detailed in the presentation available at www.SellDnD.com.

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: EXL named a Leader in Everest Group Data and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EXL [NASDAQ: EXLS], a global data and AI company, has been named the top Leader in the Everest Group Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025, for the second consecutive year.

The Everest Group report examined 32 leading providers who derive more than 50% of their revenue from analytics and AI services on their ability to meet enterprise needs and deliver scalable, secure and high-impact AI and data solutions. EXL secured the top-right Leader position in the assessment for its robust generative AI capabilities, domain-led expertise and IP to accelerate client time-to-value.

“EXL has invested in advancing its data and AI capabilities, with an emphasis on domain-specific applications across insurance, healthcare, and retail,” said Vishal Gupta, partner at Everest Group. “This is reflected in solutions such as EXL Claims Assist, which leverages GenAI to streamline insurance claims processing. Its growing IP portfolio, including platforms like XTRAKTO.AI™ for intelligent document processing and EXL Code Harbor™ for AI-assisted code generation, enables faster implementation and greater operational efficiency. In addition, its collaboration with NVIDIA, leveraging platforms such as the NVIDIA NeMo™ and AI Enterprise to power offerings such as EXL Insurance LLM™ and EXL Smart Agent Assist™, strengthens its ability to build and scale high-performance AI solutions. These efforts have contributed to EXL’s positioning as a Leader in Everest Group’s Data and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.”

“Many companies have adopted AI, but only the true leaders in the space are going several steps further to integrate AI across enterprise workflows, leveraging the power of this technology to truly transform their operating models,” said Anand “Andy” Logani, chief digital and AI officer at EXL. “EXL’s consistent performance in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix is an affirmation of our efforts to not just play in the AI space, but to be the world leader in helping our clients unlock the full power of AI to improve their businesses.”

To read more about the Everest Group 2025 report, click here for the custom version of the report. For more information about EXL’s analytics and AI solutions, click here.

About EXL

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global data and AI company that offers services and solutions to reinvent client business models, drive better outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform businesses, including the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and capital markets, retail, communications and media, and energy and infrastructure, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have approximately 60,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not place undue reliance on those statements because they are subject to numerous uncertainties and factors relating to EXL’s operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond EXL’s control. Forward-looking statements include information concerning EXL’s possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of its business strategy. These statements may include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate” or similar expressions. These statements are based on assumptions that we have made in light of management’s experience in the industry as well as its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. You should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although EXL believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect EXL’s actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors, which include our ability to maintain and grow client demand, our ability to hire and retain sufficiently trained employees, and our ability to accurately estimate and/or manage costs, rising interest rates, rising inflation and recessionary economic trends, are discussed in more detail in EXL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including EXL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made herein, or elsewhere, speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and it is impossible to predict these events or how they may affect EXL. EXL has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, except as required by federal securities laws.

Contacts
Media
Keith Little
+1 703-598-0980
media.relations@exlservice.com

Investor Relations
John Kristoff
+1 212 209 4613
IR@exlservice.com

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: EXL named a Leader in Everest Group Data and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EXL [NASDAQ: EXLS], a global data and AI company, has been named the top Leader in the Everest Group Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025, for the second consecutive year.

The Everest Group report examined 32 leading providers who derive more than 50% of their revenue from analytics and AI services on their ability to meet enterprise needs and deliver scalable, secure and high-impact AI and data solutions. EXL secured the top-right Leader position in the assessment for its robust generative AI capabilities, domain-led expertise and IP to accelerate client time-to-value.

“EXL has invested in advancing its data and AI capabilities, with an emphasis on domain-specific applications across insurance, healthcare, and retail,” said Vishal Gupta, partner at Everest Group. “This is reflected in solutions such as EXL Claims Assist, which leverages GenAI to streamline insurance claims processing. Its growing IP portfolio, including platforms like XTRAKTO.AI™ for intelligent document processing and EXL Code Harbor™ for AI-assisted code generation, enables faster implementation and greater operational efficiency. In addition, its collaboration with NVIDIA, leveraging platforms such as the NVIDIA NeMo™ and AI Enterprise to power offerings such as EXL Insurance LLM™ and EXL Smart Agent Assist™, strengthens its ability to build and scale high-performance AI solutions. These efforts have contributed to EXL’s positioning as a Leader in Everest Group’s Data and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.”

“Many companies have adopted AI, but only the true leaders in the space are going several steps further to integrate AI across enterprise workflows, leveraging the power of this technology to truly transform their operating models,” said Anand “Andy” Logani, chief digital and AI officer at EXL. “EXL’s consistent performance in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix is an affirmation of our efforts to not just play in the AI space, but to be the world leader in helping our clients unlock the full power of AI to improve their businesses.”

To read more about the Everest Group 2025 report, click here for the custom version of the report. For more information about EXL’s analytics and AI solutions, click here.

About EXL

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global data and AI company that offers services and solutions to reinvent client business models, drive better outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform businesses, including the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and capital markets, retail, communications and media, and energy and infrastructure, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have approximately 60,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not place undue reliance on those statements because they are subject to numerous uncertainties and factors relating to EXL’s operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond EXL’s control. Forward-looking statements include information concerning EXL’s possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of its business strategy. These statements may include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate” or similar expressions. These statements are based on assumptions that we have made in light of management’s experience in the industry as well as its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. You should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although EXL believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect EXL’s actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors, which include our ability to maintain and grow client demand, our ability to hire and retain sufficiently trained employees, and our ability to accurately estimate and/or manage costs, rising interest rates, rising inflation and recessionary economic trends, are discussed in more detail in EXL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including EXL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made herein, or elsewhere, speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and it is impossible to predict these events or how they may affect EXL. EXL has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, except as required by federal securities laws.

Contacts
Media
Keith Little
+1 703-598-0980
media.relations@exlservice.com

Investor Relations
John Kristoff
+1 212 209 4613
IR@exlservice.com

The MIL Network –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Transfix Launches Smart Uploads and Routing Guide to Modernize End-to-End Freight Pricing and Procurement
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Transfix, a leading freight technology company, today announced the launch of two powerful features, Smart Uploads and Routing Guide, that together redefine the pricing and procurement experience for freight brokers. Built into the Transfix Solutions Console, these AI-driven tools eliminate manual bottlenecks from RFP management and carrier booking, helping brokers price smarter, respond faster, and execute more reliably in a volatile market.

“Freight brokers have long been stuck between inconsistent RFP formats on one end and fragmented carrier networks on the other,” said Jonathan Salama, CEO and Co-founder of Transfix. “With Smart Uploads and Routing Guide, we’re modernizing the entire pricing and procurement lifecycle, from ingestion to execution, by combining automation with actionable intelligence. This is a huge step toward building freight’s first Quote Management System.”

Modernizing Freight from File to Final Mile

Together, Smart Uploads and Routing Guide represent a full-stack solution for the freight industry’s most persistent pain points: messy data, manual workflows, inconsistent pricing, and unreliable carrier performance.

Smart Uploads: AI-Driven RFP Ingestion

Now available within the Transfix Solutions Console, Smart Uploads automatically converts shipper-submitted RFPs into a clean, structured format, regardless of the original spreadsheet layout. The AI identifies key fields, flags ambiguities, and preserves the original file for full traceability, saving brokers hours of formatting time and eliminating costly errors.

A future release will introduce Smart Downloads, allowing users to export pricing responses in the shipper’s original format, ensuring a seamless, round-trip RFP process.

Key Benefits of Smart Uploads include:
- Instant AI Mapping: Automatically aligns shipper RFP formats to Transfix’s proprietary pricing system
- Error Visibility: Flags problematic fields for review without halting progress
- Faster Turnaround: Slashes manual prep time so brokers can respond sooner
- Higher Accuracy: Reduces costly data entry errors
Routing Guide: Operational Intelligence for Carrier Selection

Also launched today, Routing Guide enables brokers to lock in that pricing intelligence with consistent, high-performing carrier assignments. Using historical data, brokers can build high-quality networks, automate recurring freight, and reduce fraud by surfacing only vetted, trusted partners. Brokers can also set rate-optimizing margins and preferences by day or lane, ensuring reliable service with every booking.

Key Benefits of Routing Guide include:
- Stronger Partnerships: Prioritize top-performing carriers by lane
- Faster Execution: Eliminate manual vetting for recurring loads
- Reduced Fraud: Rely on trusted partners and minimize risk
- Better KPIs: Improve delivery performance and margin outcomes
With both tools now live in the Transfix Solutions Console, freight brokers gain a strategic, end-to-end advantage in today’s competitive market. By transforming messy, error-prone spreadsheets into actionable pricing and pairing those rates with the best carriers for the job, Transfix is delivering on its vision to create the industry’s first fully-integrated Quote Management System (QMS).

To learn more about Transfix and its freight solutions, visit www.transfix.io.

About Transfix
Transfix, Inc. is a freight technology leader dedicated to empowering brokers and 3PLs with innovative AI-driven pricing and load management solutions. Our Custom Rate Prediction Suite delivers tailored, highly accurate spot and contract rate forecasts, streamlined RFP workflows, and automated bidding tools that save time and improve margins. With over a decade of brokerage expertise and a commitment to data privacy, Transfix provides real-time insights and custom models that give brokers a competitive edge while ensuring their data remains proprietary and confidential. Transform your operations with the trusted partner in freight technology.

Media Contact:
Amber Good
LeadCoverage
amber@leadcoverage.com

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Transfix Launches Smart Uploads and Routing Guide to Modernize End-to-End Freight Pricing and Procurement
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Transfix, a leading freight technology company, today announced the launch of two powerful features, Smart Uploads and Routing Guide, that together redefine the pricing and procurement experience for freight brokers. Built into the Transfix Solutions Console, these AI-driven tools eliminate manual bottlenecks from RFP management and carrier booking, helping brokers price smarter, respond faster, and execute more reliably in a volatile market.

“Freight brokers have long been stuck between inconsistent RFP formats on one end and fragmented carrier networks on the other,” said Jonathan Salama, CEO and Co-founder of Transfix. “With Smart Uploads and Routing Guide, we’re modernizing the entire pricing and procurement lifecycle, from ingestion to execution, by combining automation with actionable intelligence. This is a huge step toward building freight’s first Quote Management System.”

Modernizing Freight from File to Final Mile

Together, Smart Uploads and Routing Guide represent a full-stack solution for the freight industry’s most persistent pain points: messy data, manual workflows, inconsistent pricing, and unreliable carrier performance.

Smart Uploads: AI-Driven RFP Ingestion

Now available within the Transfix Solutions Console, Smart Uploads automatically converts shipper-submitted RFPs into a clean, structured format, regardless of the original spreadsheet layout. The AI identifies key fields, flags ambiguities, and preserves the original file for full traceability, saving brokers hours of formatting time and eliminating costly errors.

A future release will introduce Smart Downloads, allowing users to export pricing responses in the shipper’s original format, ensuring a seamless, round-trip RFP process.

Key Benefits of Smart Uploads include:
- Instant AI Mapping: Automatically aligns shipper RFP formats to Transfix’s proprietary pricing system
- Error Visibility: Flags problematic fields for review without halting progress
- Faster Turnaround: Slashes manual prep time so brokers can respond sooner
- Higher Accuracy: Reduces costly data entry errors
Routing Guide: Operational Intelligence for Carrier Selection

Also launched today, Routing Guide enables brokers to lock in that pricing intelligence with consistent, high-performing carrier assignments. Using historical data, brokers can build high-quality networks, automate recurring freight, and reduce fraud by surfacing only vetted, trusted partners. Brokers can also set rate-optimizing margins and preferences by day or lane, ensuring reliable service with every booking.

Key Benefits of Routing Guide include:
- Stronger Partnerships: Prioritize top-performing carriers by lane
- Faster Execution: Eliminate manual vetting for recurring loads
- Reduced Fraud: Rely on trusted partners and minimize risk
- Better KPIs: Improve delivery performance and margin outcomes
With both tools now live in the Transfix Solutions Console, freight brokers gain a strategic, end-to-end advantage in today’s competitive market. By transforming messy, error-prone spreadsheets into actionable pricing and pairing those rates with the best carriers for the job, Transfix is delivering on its vision to create the industry’s first fully-integrated Quote Management System (QMS).

To learn more about Transfix and its freight solutions, visit www.transfix.io.

About Transfix
Transfix, Inc. is a freight technology leader dedicated to empowering brokers and 3PLs with innovative AI-driven pricing and load management solutions. Our Custom Rate Prediction Suite delivers tailored, highly accurate spot and contract rate forecasts, streamlined RFP workflows, and automated bidding tools that save time and improve margins. With over a decade of brokerage expertise and a commitment to data privacy, Transfix provides real-time insights and custom models that give brokers a competitive edge while ensuring their data remains proprietary and confidential. Transform your operations with the trusted partner in freight technology.

Media Contact:
Amber Good
LeadCoverage
amber@leadcoverage.com

The MIL Network –
July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Misinformation lends itself to social contagion – here’s how to recognize and combat it

Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Shaon Lahiri, Assistant Professor of Public Health, College of Charleston

Misinformation on social media has the potential to manipulate millions of people. Pict Rider/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In 2019, a rare and shocking event in the Malaysian peninsula town of Ketereh grabbed international headlines. Nearly 40 girls age 12 to 18 from a religious school had been screaming inconsolably, claiming to have seen a “face of pure evil,” complete with images of blood and gore.

Experts believe that the girls suffered what is known as a mass psychogenic illness, a psychological condition that results in physical symptoms and spreads socially – much like a virus.

I’m a social and behavioral scientist within the field of public health. I study the ways in which individual behavior is influenced by prevailing social norms and social network processes, across a wide range of behaviors and contexts. Part of my work involves figuring out how to combat the spread of harmful content that can shape our behavior for the worse, such as misinformation.

Mass psychogenic illness is not misinformation, but it gives researchers like me some idea about how misinformation spreads. Social connections establish pathways of influence that can facilitate the spread of germs, mental illness and even behaviors. We can be profoundly influenced by others within our social networks, for better or for worse.

The spreading of social norms

Researchers in my field think of social norms as perceptions of how common and how approved a specific behavior is within a specific network of people who matter to us.

These perceptions may not always reflect reality, such as when people overestimate or underestimate how common their viewpoint is within a group. But they can influence our behavior nonetheless. For many, perception is reality.

Social norms and related behaviors can spread through social networks like a virus can, but with one crucial caveat. Viruses often require just one contact with a potential host to spread, whereas behaviors often require multiple contacts to spread. This phenomenon, known as complex contagion, highlights how socially learned behaviors take time to embed.

Watch the people in this video and see how you react.

Fiction spreads faster than fact

Consider a familiar scenario: the return of baggy jeans to the fashion zeitgeist.

For many millennials like me, you may react to a friend engaging in this resurrected trend by cringing and lightly teasing them. Yet, after seeing them don those denim parachutes on multiple occasions, a brazen thought may emerge: “Hmm, maybe they don’t look that bad. I could probably pull those off.” That’s complex contagion at work.

This dynamic is even more evident on social media. One of my former students expressed this succinctly. She was looking at an Instagram post about Astro Boy Boots – red, oversize boots based on those worn by a 1952 Japanese cartoon character. Her initial skepticism quickly faded upon reading the comments. As she put it, “I thought they were ugly at first, but after reading the comments, I guess they’re kind of fire.”

Moving from innocuous examples, consider the spread of misinformation on social media. Misinformation is false information that is spread unintentionally, while disinformation is false information that is intentionally disseminated to deceive or do serious harm.

Research shows that both misinformation and disinformation spread faster and farther than truth online. This means that before people can muster the resources to debunk the false information that has seeped into their social networks, they may have already lost the race. Complex contagion may have taken hold, in a malicious way, and begun spreading falsehood throughout the network at a rapid pace.

People spread false information for various reasons, such as to advance their personal agenda or narrative, which can lead to echo chambers that filter out accurate information contrary to one’s own views. Even when people do not intend to spread false information online, doing so tends to happen because of a lack of attention paid to accuracy or lower levels of digital media literacy.

Inoculation against social contagion

So how much can people do about this?

One way to combat harmful contagion is to draw on an idea first used in the 1960s called pre-bunking. The idea is to train people to practice skills to spot and resist misinformation and disinformation on a smaller scale before they’re exposed to the real thing.

The idea is akin to vaccines that build immunity through exposure to a weakened form of the disease-causing germ. The idea is for someone to be exposed to a limited amount of false information, say through the pre-bunking with Google quiz. They then learn to spot common manipulation tactics used in false information and learn how to resist their influence with evidence-based strategies to counter the falsehoods. This could also be done using a trained facilitator within classrooms, workplaces or other groups, including virtual communities.

Then, the idea is to gradually repeat the process with larger doses of false information and further counterarguments. By role-playing and practicing the counterarguments, this resistance skills training provides a sort of psychological innoculation against misinformation and disinformation, at least temporarily.

Importantly, this approach is intended for someone who has not yet been exposed to false information – hence, pre-bunking rather than debunking. If we want to engage with someone who firmly believes in their stance, particularly when it runs contrary to our own, behavioral scientists recommend leading with empathy and nonjudgmentally exchanging narratives.

Debunking is difficult work, however, and even strong debunking messages can result in the persistence of misinformation. You may not change the other person’s mind, but you may be able to engage in a civil discussion and avoid pushing them further away from your position.

Spreading facts, not fiction

When everyday people apply this with their friends and loved ones, they can train people to recognize the telltale signs of false information. This might be recognizing what’s known as a false dichotomy – for instance, “either you support this bill or you HATE our country.”

Another signal of false information is the common tactic of scapegoating: “Oil industry faces collapse due to rise in electric car ownership.” And another is the slippery slope of logical fallacy. An example is “legalization of marijuana will lead to everyone using heroin.”

All of these are examples of common tactics that spread misinformation and come from a Practical Guide to Pre-Bunking Misinformation, created by a collaborative team from the University of Cambridge, BBC Media Action and Jigsaw, an interdisciplinary think tank within Google.

This approach is not only effective in combating misinformation and disinformation, but also in delaying or preventing the onset of harmful behaviors. My own research suggests that pre-bunking can be used effectively to delay the initiation of tobacco use among adolescents. But it only works with regular “booster shots” of training, or the effect fades away in a matter of months or less.

Many researchers like me who study these social contagion dynamics don’t yet know the best way to keep these “booster shots” going in people’s lives. But there are recent studies showing that it can be done. A promising line of research also suggests that a group-based approach can be effective in maintaining the pre-bunking effects to achieve psychological herd immunity. Personally, I would bet my money on group-based approaches where you, your friends or your family can mutually reinforce each other’s capacity to resist harmful social norms entering your network.

Simply put, if multiple members of your social network have strong resistance skills, then your group has a better chance of resisting the incursion of harmful norms and behaviors into your network than if it’s just you resisting alone. Other people matter.

In the end, whether we’re empowering people to resist the insidious creep of online falsehoods or equipping adolescents to stand firm against peer pressure to smoke or use other substances, the research is clear: Resistance skills training can provide an essential weapon for safeguarding ourselves and young people from harmful behaviors.

Shaon Lahiri 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. Misinformation lends itself to social contagion – here’s how to recognize and combat it – https://theconversation.com/misinformation-lends-itself-to-social-contagion-heres-how-to-recognize-and-combat-it-254298

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: From Seattle to Atlanta, new social housing programs seek to make homes permanently affordable for a range of incomes

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Susanne Schindler, Research Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard Kennedy School

Activists in Seattle gather signatures to put a social housing initiative on the ballot. In early 2025, voters passed the measure, which implements a payroll tax on high incomes to fund the program. House Our Neighbors, CC BY-SA

Seattle astounded housing advocates around the country in February 2025, when roughly two-thirds of voters approved a ballot initiative proposing a new 5% payroll tax on salaries in excess of US$1 million.

The expected revenue – estimated to amount to $52 million dollars annually – would go toward funding a public development authority named Seattle Social Housing, which would then build and maintain permanently affordable homes.

The city has experienced record high rents and home prices over the past two decades, attributed in part to the high incomes and relatively low taxes paid by tech firms like Amazon. Prior attempts to make these companies do their part to keep the city affordable have had mixed results.

So despite nationwide, bipartisan skepticism of government and tax increases, Seattle’s voters showed that in light of a severe affordability crisis, a new role for the public sector and a new, dedicated fiscal revenue stream for housing were not only necessary, but possible.

As a trained architect and urban historian, I study how capitalist societies have embraced – or rejected – housing that’s permanently shielded from market forces and what that means for architecture and urban design.

To me, Seattle’s social housing initiative shows that the country’s traditional, “either-or” housing model – of unregulated, market-rate housing versus tightly regulated, income-restricted affordable housing – has reached its limits.

Social housing promises a different path forward.

The rise of the ‘two-tiered’ system

After World War I, amid a similarly dire housing crisis, journalist Catherine Bauer traveled to Europe and learned about the continent’s social housing programs.

She publicized her findings in the 1934 book “Modern Housing,” in which she advocated for housing that would be permanently shielded from the private real estate market. High-quality design was central to her argument. (The book was reissued in 2020, reflecting a renewed hunger for her ideas.)

Early New Deal programs supported “limited-dividend,” or nonprofit, housing sponsored by civic organizations such as labor unions. The Carl Mackley Houses in Philadelphia exemplified this approach: The government provided low-interest loans to the American Federation of Full-Fashioned Hosiery Workers, which then constructed housing for its workers with rents set at affordable rates. The complex was built with community rooms and a swimming pool for its residents.

Financed by $1.2 million in federal funds, the Carl Mackley Houses, completed in 1935, provided homes for union workers.
Alfred Kastner papers, Collection No. 7350, Box 45, Record 12, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

However, the 1937 U.S. Housing Act omitted this form of middle-income housing. Instead, the federal government chose to support public rental housing for low-income Americans and private homeownership, with little in between.

Historian Gail Radford has aptly termed this a “two-tiered system,” and it was problematic from the start.

Funding for public housing in the U.S. – as well as for its successor, private-sector-built affordable housing – has always been capped in ways that fall far short of demand, with access to the homes largely restricted to households with the lowest incomes. Private-sector-built affordable housing depends on dangling tax credits for private investors, and rent restrictions can expire.

While the U.S. promoted this two-tiered system, cities like Vienna pursued a different path.

In Austria’s culturally vibrant capital, today half of all dwellings are permanently removed from the private market. Roughly 80% of households qualify to live in them. The buildings take a range of forms, are located in all neighborhoods, and are built and operated as rental or cooperative housing either by the city or by nonprofit developers.

Rents do not rise and fall according to household income, but are instead set to cover capital and operation expenses. These are kept low thanks to long-term, low-interest loans. These loans are funded through a nationwide 1% payroll tax, split evenly between employers and employees. Renters also make a down payment, priced in relation to the size and age of the apartment, which keeps monthly rents down. To guarantee access to low-cost land, the municipality has pursued an active land acquisition policy since the 1980s.

Vienna’s Pilotengasse Housing Estate, a social housing development featuring low-rise buildings with abundant greenery, was completed in 1992 and serves a range of income groups.
Viennaslide/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images

Housing shielded from the private market

The inequities created by the two-tiered system – along with the absence of viable options for moderate- and middle-income households – are what social housing advocates in the U.S. are trying to address today.

In 2018, the think tank People’s Policy Project published what was likely the first 21st-century report advocating for social housing in the U.S., citing Vienna as a model.

Across the U.S., social housing is being used to describe a range of programs, from limited equity cooperatives and community land trusts to public housing.

They all share a few underlying principles, however.

First and foremost, social housing calls for permanently shielding homes from the private real estate market, often referred to as “permanent affordability.” This usually means public investment in housing and public ownership of it. Second, unlike the ways in which public housing has traditionally operated in the U.S., most social housing programs aim to serve households across a broader range of incomes. The goal is to create housing that is both financially sustainable and appealing to broad swaths of the electorate. Third, social housing aspires to give residents more control over the governance of their homes.

Social housing doesn’t all look the same. But thoughtful design is key to its success. It’s built to be owned and operated in the long-term, not for short-term financial gain. Construction quality matters, and developers realize it needs to be appealing to a range of tenants with different needs.

Early successes

In recent years, there have been significant wins for the social housing movement at the state and local levels.

In 2023, Atlanta created a new quasi-public entity to co-develop mixed-income housing on city-owned land. In 2024, Rhode Island voters and the Massachusetts legislature funded pilot projects to test public investment in social housing. And 2025 has seen the the passage of Chicago’s Green Social Housing ordinance.

Many of these programs were directly inspired by affordable housing initiatives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Since 2021, the county’s housing authority has used a $100 million housing fund to invest in new mixed-income developments. Through these investments, the county retains co-ownership and has been able to bring down the cost of development enough to offer 30% of homes at significantly below market rents, in perpetuity. If Vienna is the global paragon for social housing, Montgomery County has become its domestic counterpart.

In Seattle, social housing will mean homes delivered and permanently owned by Seattle Social Housing, which is funded through the payroll tax on high incomes. The initiative envisions developments featuring a range of apartment sizes to meet the needs of different family sizes, built to high energy-efficiency standards. Homes will be available to households earning up to 120% of area median income, with residents paying no more than 30% of their income on rent. In Seattle, that means that a single-person household making up to $120,000 will qualify.

Members of the New York City Council hold a rally with housing activists to promote social housing legislation in March 2023.
William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit, CC BY-SA

Ongoing debates

Despite these successes, many Americans remain skeptical of social housing.

Sign up for a webinar on the topic, and you’ll hear participants question the term itself. Isn’t it far too “socialist” to be broadly adopted in the U.S.? And isn’t this just “old wine in new bottles”?

Join a housing task force, and established nonprofits will be the ones to push back, arguing that they already know how to build and manage housing, and that all they need is money.

Some housing activists also question whether using scarce public dollars to pay for mixed-income housing will yet again shortchange those who most need governmental assistance – namely, the poor. Others point to the need to provide more ways to build intergenerational wealth, especially for racial minorities, who have historically faced barriers to homeownership.

Urban planner Jonathan Tarleton has highlighted another important issue: the danger of social housing reverting over time to private ownership, as has been the case with some cooperatives in New York City. Tarleton stresses the need for “social maintenance” – the importance of telling and retelling the story of whom social housing is meant to serve.

These debates raise important questions. Social housing may be a confusing term and an aspirational concept. But it is here to stay: It has galvanized organizers and policymakers around a new approach to the design, development and maintenance of housing.

Social housing keeps prices down through long-term public investment, ensuring that future generations will still benefit. Developers can design and provide homes that respond to how people want to live. And in an increasingly polarized country, social housing will allow people of various backgrounds, incomes and ideological persuasions to live together again, rather than apart.

Whether it’s the kind found in Seattle, in Maryland or somewhere in between, I believe social housing is needed more than ever before to address the country’s twin problems of affordability and a lack of political imagination.

This article is part of a series centered on envisioning ways to deal with the housing crisis.

Susanne Schindler receives funding from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

– ref. From Seattle to Atlanta, new social housing programs seek to make homes permanently affordable for a range of incomes – https://theconversation.com/from-seattle-to-atlanta-new-social-housing-programs-seek-to-make-homes-permanently-affordable-for-a-range-of-incomes-255097

MIL OSI –

July 8, 2025

Category: Business

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