NewzIntel.com

Category: Business

  • MIL-OSI: e360 Named Citrix’s 2024 North America Technical Partner of the Year

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    IRVINE, Calif., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — e360, an award-winning enterprise technology partner committed to providing solutions that empower the modern enterprise, is proud to announce that it has been recognized by Citrix®, a business unit of the Cloud Software Group, as its North America Technical Partner of the Year for 2024. This marks the ninth time in e360’s partnership with Citrix that the company has received top honors in the Partner of the Year awards program.

    “This recognition highlights the expertise and dedication of Al Solorzano, our Vice President of Digital Workplace, and his talented team. Their in-depth technical knowledge and innovative approach consistently set a high standard for excellence in the industry,” said Mike Strohl, CEO, e360. “We are also grateful to Citrix and our valued clients and partners for their continued collaboration and the trust they place in our team. Together, we are fostering technology relationships through innovation, exceptional people, and unique services.”

    For more than 30 years, e360 has applied Citrix solutions, including digital workspace, app delivery, and security, as part of its advanced IT infrastructure portfolio. “This accolade recognizes our team’s commitment to delivering exceptional digital workplace solutions that revolutionize how businesses leverage technology to succeed,” said Al Solorzano, Vice President, Digital Workplace, e360.

    Rob Schaeffer, President and Chief Revenue Officer, e360, added, “We are proud to add this accolade to our achievements, and remain steadfast in our commitment to focusing on what matters most: creating strategic partnerships that drive meaningful outcomes for our clients. This award reinforces our commitment to providing specialized technology solutions that address the complex challenges facing global and national enterprises.”

    “e360 plays an instrumental role in delivering outstanding customer experiences and driving success for our mutual customers,” said Ethan Fitzsimons, SVP of Partnerships and Commercial Sales. “We greatly value our partnerships and are proud to recognize those who have gone the extra mile in 2024 through our Partner of the Year Awards program.”

    The e360 team holds more than 100 Citrix certifications. To learn more about e360’s Citrix offerings, visit: https://www.e360.com/partners/citrix.

    About e360
    e360 is an award-winning technology partner committed to providing solutions that empower the modern workforce and improve the human experience. For more than three decades, e360 has served as a trusted advisor to prominent healthcare, financial services, entertainment, education, and public sector organizations among many across the U.S., helping them meet their business goals through the delivery of critical technology, services, and solutions that support a thriving modern workforce and drive better business outcomes.

    Among the many distinctions e360 holds are Premier Partner for Google Cloud in the Sell Engagement Model, Citrix Platinum Plus Partner, Cisco Gold Partner, Microsoft Solutions Partner with Specializations as part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, VMware by Broadcom Principal Partner, HPE Platinum Partner, NetApp Preferred Partner, Omnissa Partner, AWS Advanced, and Azure Managed Account Gold.

    The e360 corporate headquarters is in Irvine, Calif., with its public sector division located in Sacramento, Calif. e360 also has regional offices in Concord, Calif., San Diego, Calif., and Phoenix, Ariz. For more information, visit www.e360.com or call 1-877-368-4797 (877-ENTISYS).

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7eb7305-8828-4596-bbef-018fc3d55c06

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dialogue between Chinese and Russian experts: complementarity of economic structures of China and Russia opens up huge prospects for cooperation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) — The 17th Mingde Strategic Dialogue, organized by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Research of Renmin University of China, was held in the Chinese capital on June 6.

    The discussion on “New Opportunities for Cooperation between Chinese and Russian Enterprises” was attended by Wang Wen, Dean of the Chongyang Institute and Dean of the College of Global Leadership at Renmin University of China, and Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE, Russia), the Zhongguo Qingnianbao newspaper reported.

    Wang Wen noted that economic cooperation between China and Russia has developed slowly over the past decade, but has shown rapid growth over the past three years, increasing by more than 30 percent annually, with trade turnover rising from $190 billion to $240 billion.

    He stressed that the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries is limitless, citing as an example significant opportunities in Russia’s agricultural sector, where most land resources remain undeveloped. In his opinion, investment cooperation between China and Russia in agriculture is extremely promising, as is the development of bilateral partnership in energy, high technology and e-commerce.

    A. Likhacheva agreed with this assessment, pointing to the complementarity of the economic structures of China and Russia, which creates the basis for expanding regional cooperation in various areas. In general, A. Likhacheva noted, Chinese companies are not yet sufficiently familiar with the Russian market, and the key task for stimulating Chinese investment in Russia is to find qualified personnel and reliable partners to identify common ground in cooperation.

    A. Likhacheva added that as China’s rise accelerates, more and more Russian economists and international experts are paying attention to China’s experience of rapid development. Studying Chinese in Russian educational institutions is becoming a fashionable trend. More and more Russian students are showing interest in the Chinese legal system and other aspects of Chinese reality.

    Wang Wen, for his part, expressed the opinion that Chinese students should consider Russia as an attractive destination for education, not limited to world university rankings or choosing exclusively Western countries, and called on the younger generation of the two countries to more actively show mutual interest. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Alleged QLD money laundering organisation dismantled, 4 charged

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Four people allegedly involved in an elaborate Queensland-based money laundering scheme that smuggled cash around the country and washed millions of dollars of criminal proceeds have been charged following an 18-month, multi-agency investigation.

    The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) has also restrained assets across Queensland and NSW suspected of being the proceeds of crime, which have a combined value of about $21 million and include 17 properties, bank accounts and vehicles.

    More than 70 members from the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF), comprised of the AFP, Queensland Police Service, Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and Australian Taxation Office, executed 14 search warrants at homes and businesses across Brisbane and the Gold Coast on 5 and 6 June 2025.  

    AUSTRAC and the ATO also provided analytical expertise and support during the investigation, which was centred on Southeast Queensland but also monitored cash dead drops in multiple cities around Australia.

    A Brisbane man, 32, from Heathwood, who was allegedly a major client of the money laundering operation and washed $9.5 million in 15 months, was charged on Thursday (5 June) with money laundering and failing to provide the password to a mobile phone. He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to face Brisbane Magistrates’ Court today (9 June).

    In December 2023, the QJOCTF began investigating suspicious financial transactions. The investigation linked the Heathwood man to a company that had received millions of dollars transferred by suspicious third-party transactions.  

    Investigators following the money trail allegedly identified the man was a customer of a sophisticated money laundering operation allegedly being run through the armoured transport unit of a security company that transferred $190 million cash into cryptocurrency.    

    Investigations into the source of the $190 million converted into cryptocurrency by the security company remain ongoing.

    A Gold Coast man, 48, and woman, 35, who were the director and general manager respectively of the security business, were each charged on Friday (6 June) with a money laundering offence. The couple, from Maudsland, was granted watchhouse bail and is scheduled to face Southport Magistrates Court on 21 July 2025.

    Another Brisbane man, 58, from West End, who allegedly funnelled laundered money through a business account to a separate business account controlled by the Heathwood man, was also charged on Friday with two money laundering offences. He was granted watchhouse bail and is scheduled to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on 1 August 2025.

    The QJOCTF alleges the Gold Coast-based security company used a complex network of bank accounts, businesses, couriers and cryptocurrency accounts to launder millions of dollars of illicit funds over 18 months.

    The security company, which transferred cash between businesses and banks, allegedly mixed cash from its legitimate business arm with illicit funds deposited by suspected criminals.

    To further obfuscate the source of the funds from law enforcement, the security company allegedly channelled the money through a web of transactions including through a sales promotion company, a classic car dealership and cryptocurrency exchange services.

    The organisation then paid out the funds to beneficiaries using cryptocurrency or those third-party companies.

    The Heathwood man allegedly controlled the sales promotion company and received about $9.5 million in cash and cryptocurrency originating from the security company over 15 months.  

    The QJOCTF will allege the Heathwood man attempted to distance himself from the money laundering scheme by setting his wife up as a ‘straw director’ of the promotions company, while he maintained effective control.

    The QJOCTF alleges the West End man was the director of a classic car dealership that received about $6.4 million from the security company and laundered it through his business over a 17-month period.  

    The director allegedly opened at least seven bank accounts with different banks to conceal the source of the money as he moved it around. The illicit money was then allegedly mixed with legitimate money from the car dealership before being transferred to the sales promotions business.

    It is alleged the security company was also the front for the movement of millions of dollars of illicit cash from other states to Southeast Queensland for laundering.

    The cash, which was allegedly generated by organised criminal ventures, was left at dead drop locations around the country and collected by a network of couriers who sent it as domestic cargo on flights to Queensland. It was then collected by the security company’s couriers in Southeast Queensland.

    During search warrants last week, investigators seized crypto wallets containing about $170,000 in cryptocurrency, $30,000 cash, encrypted devices, along with business records and documents related to the alleged money laundering scheme.

    The Maudsland man, 48, the director of the security company, was charged with one count of dealing with the proceeds of general crime, worth $10 million or more, contrary to section 400.2B(6) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.

    His wife, 35, who was the general manager of the business, was charged with one count of dealing with the proceeds of general crime, worth $10 million or more, contrary to section 400.2B(3) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for life.

    The Heathwood man, 32, allegedly linked to the sales promotion company, was charged with:

    • one count of dealing with proceeds of crime, worth $1 million or more, contrary to section 400.3(2B) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years’ imprisonment, and
    • one count of failure to comply with a 3LA Order, contrary to section 3LA(5) of the Crimes Act (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years’ imprisonment.

    The West End man, 58, who was the director of the classic car company, was charged with:

    • two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime, money or property worth $1 million or more, contrary to section 400.3(2B) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years’ imprisonment
    • one count of uttering a forged document, contrary to section 488(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (QLD). The maximum penalty for this offence is three years’ imprisonment, and
    • one count of dealing with identification information to commit or facilitate an indictable offence, contrary to section 408D of the Criminal Code (Qld). The maximum penalty for this offence is 5 years’ imprisonment.

    Investigations are ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.

    AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said money laundering undermined Australia’s national security, the economy and social security system.

    ‘Many Australians are feeling the financial pinch but remain law-abiding and honest citizens,’ Det Supt Telfer said.

    ‘Criminals always choose greed over decency and will constantly find opportunities to increase their wealth at the expense of others.’  

    ‘We allege this organisation intentionally concealed and disguised the source, value and nature of their illicit money, and distanced themselves from the funds to try to avoid getting caught by authorities.’

    ‘This plot was elaborate and calculated, and it demonstrates the lengths criminals will go to make money.’

    ‘Money laundering investigations are incredibly challenging due to the complex web of deception used by criminals, and this crime cannot be tackled by one agency alone.’

    ‘This result is a testament to the great work done by the investigators, forensic accountants in the QJOCTF, the CACT, and our Taskforce Avarus partners.’  

    Queensland Police Service Crime and Intelligence Command, Detective Acting Superintendent David Briese, from the Drug and Serious Crime Group, said money laundering was far from a victimless crime.

    ‘Criminal networks use money laundering to legitimise their profits and exploit legitimate businesses, harming communities and economies. It fuels serious organised crime, enabling everything from drug trafficking and exploitation to fraud and violence,’ Det a/Supt Briese said.

    ‘This case demonstrates both the complexity of money laundering operations, and the extreme lengths criminals will go to conceal their illicit gains.’

    ‘The result reflects the strength of our collaboration across law enforcement, intelligence, and regulatory bodies, and our shared commitment to protecting the public from the harms of serious and organised crime.’

    ABF Acting Commander Troy Sokoloff praised the efforts of ABF officers working alongside partner agencies in the QJOCTF.  

    ‘Today’s outcome sends a formidable message to those who seek to engage in criminal money laundering. This act is illegal and unacceptable, and all branches of law enforcement can and will work together to bring such crimes to justice,’ a/Commander Sokoloff said.

    ‘I would like to acknowledge the dedication of our highly trained investigator who was engaged as a co-case officer for the entirety of this investigation.  He has worked tirelessly with his colleagues to achieve this outcome, drawing upon ABF digital intelligence sharing and observations which were critical to the success we see today.’

    ‘This type of illegal activity is insidious – and the ABF will continue to work hand in hand with its partners to detect and deter such schemes.’

    ATO Deputy Commissioner John Ford reinforced the ATO was assisting partner agencies in disrupting, investigating and penalising the perpetrators of organised crime.  

    ‘Serious and organised crime harms our community, economy, government and way of life, and robs the community of funding for essential services such as health and education,’ Mr Ford said.

    ‘This week’s action is a strong reminder to those involved in money laundering – while you may think you can wash away the evidence, this is simply not the case. We will continue to work together with our partner agencies to disrupt these criminals and hold them to account.’

    AUSTRAC National Coordinator, Law Enforcement, Markus Erikson said AUSTRAC intelligence was pivotal in putting a stop to these crimes.

    ‘The intelligence AUSTRAC provided to law enforcement painted a vivid trail of criminal activity being undertaken by disparate individuals,’ Mr Erikson said.

    ‘I would like to recognise the businesses who report to AUSTRAC for their commitment to protecting the financial system from harm. Without their reporting, this disruption would not have been possible, and the offending may have continued undetected.’

    ‘I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work of our partner agencies in this matter. Operations like this take significant resources, hard work, and personal sacrifice to accomplish.’

    ‘This outcome is a testament to the dedication of everyone involved in Taskforce AVARUS as well as the Queensland Police Service and Australian Taxation Office.’

    ACIC National Manager Boyd Doherty emphasised the critical role of the QJOCTF.  

    ‘The ACIC works closely with partners to disrupt the highest threat criminal networks. Serious and organised crime groups thrive off money made from criminal activities,’ Mr Doherty said.  

    ‘We are committed to disrupting the operations of these groups, denying them the ability to profit and making Australia a hostile environment for them to operate in.’

    The QJOCTF is a multi-agency team focused on targeting and dismantling transnational serious organised crime networks in Queensland.

    Taskforce Avarus was established in 2022 to target the highest priority money laundering threats facing Australia. The Taskforce comprises the AFP, AUSTRAC, ACIC and ABF who work in partnership to uncover methods criminals use to conceal their illegal funds.

    The CACT – which brings together the resources and expertise of the AFP, ABF, Australian Taxation Office, ACIC and AUSTRAC – was permanently established in 2012 as a proactive and innovative approach to trace, restrain and ultimately confiscate criminal assets. 

    Images

    Images available via HightailExternal Link

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China releases historical files exposing Japan’s war crimes in northeast 2025-06-09 21:41:03 More than 1,200 historical files related to Japan’s invasion during World War II were released by the provincial archives of Liaoning on Monday, International Archives Day, shedding new light on Japan’s invasion and occupation of China more than 80 years ago.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      SHENYANG, June 9 (Xinhua) — More than 1,200 historical files related to Japan’s invasion during World War II were released by the provincial archives of Liaoning on Monday, International Archives Day, shedding new light on Japan’s invasion and occupation of China more than 80 years ago.

      The files are archival catalogs of the South Manchuria Railways Co., which was founded in 1906 and ended in 1945. The colonial enterprise was believed to have bankrolled Japan’s militarist ambitions during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression between 1931 and 1945.

      Among the disclosed files are tables of the compensation for families of soldiers who died and were injured in the Mukden Incident on Sept. 18, 1931. The incident occurred when Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for attack. They bombarded Chinese barracks near Shenyang the same evening, beginning a large-scale invasion of northeast China.

      Other files are related to events like the Lugou Bridge Incident and the Nanjing Massacre. “The files showed that the South Manchuria Railways Co. played a significant role in the Japanese invasion in China by gathering intelligence, supporting pro-Japanese forces, funding the war, participating in military activities and glorifying the aggression,” said Cong Longhai with the Liaoning provincial archives.

      According to Cong, during its operation in China, the company has controlled the economic lifeline of northeast China, plundered mineral resources, and collected various intelligence.

      “The files recorded the evidence of Japan’s invasion of China and are also unbreakable evidence written by the Japanese invaders themselves, which are of significant historical value,” he said.

      This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and in the World Anti-Fascist War. By releasing the historical files, Cong hopes that they could further help uncover the inside story of Japan’s long-planned invasion of China, and tell the heroic deeds of the Chinese nation during that war, he added.

    loading…

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fisheries and Seafood Scheme reopens with around £6 million of investment

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Fisheries and Seafood Scheme reopens with around £6 million of investment

    The latest round of the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) in now open, supporting projects that strengthen England’s seafood sector and support economic growth while enhancing nature recovery.

    Administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of Defra, around £6 million in funding is open to seafood and marine businesses, recreational sector, charities and other organisations. 

    The latest round of funding is available to support projects in the 2025/2026 financial year which focus on the following priorities: 

    • Creating a sustainable and resilient seafood sector 

    • Reduce emissions and waste from the seafood sector 

    • Clean up rivers, lakes, seas and support nature recovery 

    • Boost regional and economic growth within the seafood sector 

    Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner said: 

    I’m thrilled to further invest in our exceptional seafood industry, demonstrating our steadfast support for England’s coastal communities alongside our substantial £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund. 

    This is on top of our new agreement with the EU, which will boost exports by making it easier for producers to sell their high-quality products to our largest trading partner. 

    “This government is committed to creating a sustainable seafood sector that grows local economies while safeguarding our precious marine habitats, all central to our Plan for Change.

    Paul Errington, Acting Director of Finance and Resources at MMO, said: 

    We’re proud to facilitate the delivery of continued financial support through FaSS, which has already had a real impact across England’s fishing communities and coast. 

    This new round of funding will deliver investment to safeguard the long-term sustainability, resilience and prosperity of England catching, aquaculture and processing sectors as well as continue efforts to protect our precious marine environment. 

    This round of FaSS builds on four successful years of the scheme, which has seen more than £35 million committed and over 1700 projects approved, ranging from marine litter removal and funding for vital processing equipment to promoting careers within the industry. 

    Fishing and coastal communities are also set to benefit from £360 million investment to drive growth and boost the sector for the future as the Government launches its Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, a major investment to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities as part of the Government’s Plan for Change. 

    A new agreement with the EU will also cut red tape for seafood exporters and reopen certain markets for British shellfish, making it easier to sell our fish to our biggest trading partner. 

    Applicants can find out more about FaSS, access scheme guidance and submit their application online.

    Additional information

    • Learn more about the legacy of FaSS through MMOs selected case studies. 

    • £1 million from the total fund has been set aside specifically to support the seafood processing sector and to help businesses get their products from the sea to the consumer.  

    • Applications with a total project cost of £150,000 or more must be considered by the FaSS panel, which is responsible for reviewing and recommending projects in line with the overall objectives of the scheme. Projects over £150,000 must be submitted by 21 July 2025. The panel is expected to meet to consider these during the week commencing 8 September 2025. 

    • MMO is also on hand to provide expert advice to those considering applying. Telephone 0208 026 5539 or email FaSS.queries@marinemanagement.org.uk 

    • Fishing and coastal communities are also set to benefit from £360 million investment to drive growth and boost the sector for the future as the Government launches its Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DTEP funding for SCI the CHERI on the cake

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    DTEP funding for SCI the CHERI on the cake

    Cambridge-based SCI Semiconductors secure funding through the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme

    • Cambridge-based SCI Semiconductors are the latest SME to be awarded a DTEP grant
    • They are collaborating with an experienced higher-tier partner on a project to resolve a number of long standing cyber security challenges
    • The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) boosts security and defence innovation while supporting the technology supply chain

    SCI Semiconductors, a leading cyber security company based in Cambridge, are the latest SME to be awarded DTEP funding for their innovative approach to tackling the escalating problem of compromised computer integrity within military systems.

    SCI are collaborating with Ultra, a higher-tier supplier who specialise in mission focused technological innovations, who will provide mentoring for the duration of the project. SCI will receive a government grant worth 50% of the project value with the aim of developing innovative new solutions that meet UK defence and security challenges.

    The DTEP programme, which seeks to improve the competitiveness of the UK defence supply chain, is sponsored by the MOD’s Directorate of Industrial Strategy and Exports (DISE) and delivered through a number of partners including the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and Innovate UK.

    Congratulations to SCI Semiconductors

    The UK has invested heavily in Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions (CHERI) systems to manage cyber defences, however gaps still exist in getting this crucial technology into real world applications (e.g. autonomous drone platforms). Through their DTEP project, SCI are working to resolve these gaps by developing high integrity, isolated hardware and software structures for a broad array of applications. This means that vital military control systems can be much safer from the risk of cyber attack.

    Haydn Povey, Chief Executive of SCI Semiconductors said:

    The UK government are keen to act on Security by Design and this project will leverage CHERI technology, a key technology to delivering this capability. With over 70% of critical vulnerabilities and exploits (CVE’s) directly linked to software Memory Safety issues, which form the vast majority of cyber-attacks on critical systems, there is a clear need to address this systemic weakness. This project is directly focused on ensuring communication systems and active control systems are more robust, higher integrity, and are inherently secured again broad-based cyber-attacks.

    DTEP’s funding for SCI Semiconductors highlights the MOD’s commitment to fostering innovation and strengthening the UK defence and security supply chain through strategic SME partnerships.

    Learn more about DASA’s funding opportunities here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Woman invented business to claim Covid loan then sent money to Poland

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Woman invented business to claim Covid loan then sent money to Poland

    Jagoda Rubaszko guilty of fraud after inventing a business to apply for a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan which she then sent to bank accounts in Poland

    • Rubaszko invented a business to get a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan – which was paid out to five bank accounts in Poland 

    • She told Insolvency Service investigators a man called Daniel told her how to apply for the loan – but provided no evidence he exists 

    • Sentenced to six-month curfew and 18-month suspended sentence 

    A woman who pretended to run a business to secure a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan has been sentenced for fraud following an investigation by the Insolvency Service. 

    Jagoda Rubaszko, 37, of Old Ruislip Road, Northolt, invented an administrative service business which she falsely claimed had a turnover of £210,000. 

    In reality, she had no business – and the £50,000 loan she received was sent to five separate bank accounts in Poland.  

    Rubaszko told investigators she had been contacted by a man called Daniel who told her how to apply for the loan, and to declare herself bankrupt to avoid having to repay it. 

    Rubaszko was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for 21 months, for fraud by misrepresentation at Isleworth Crown Court on 5 June 2025.  

    She will be tagged and under curfew between 7.30pm and 6am every day for six months, and must complete 175 hours of unpaid work.  

    The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. 

    Mark Stephens, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Jagoda Rubaszko claimed to be a business director, but she had no business at all. She invented a turnover of £210,000 even though her bank accounts showed no business dealings.  

    She invented a man called Daniel, who she has blamed for her actions, claiming he had told her to apply for the loan, and she believed she’d get away with this by declaring herself bankrupt. 

    What is definitely real, is that she took money which was meant to help businesses during a difficult period, and sent that funding off to the bank accounts of five men in Poland. 

    As a result, reality has now caught up with her.

    Rubaszko applied to a bank for a Covid Bounce Back Loan on 26 April 2021, which was approved on 28 April 2021 and paid into her bank account. 

    In the application, she claimed she had been operating a business since 1 March 2020 and had a turnover of £210,000. But investigations into Rubaszko’s finances showed her tax returns were no higher than £15,100 each year between 2019 and 2021. 

    In a prepared statement, Rubaszko claimed to have been contacted by a man called Daniel, who told her how to apply for the loan, and to declare herself bankrupt to avoid repaying it. 

    But Rubaszko admitted she had never met Daniel, even though she said she paid him a £17,500 commission for his ‘help’ after receiving the £50,000. 

    Her bank records showed no such payment was made – instead, 22 smaller payments up to £11,690 were made to five individual bank accounts in Poland over a two-month period.  

    After declaring herself bankrupt, Rubaszko was subject to a 10-year Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) on 12 May 2023. The BRU prevents her from managing a limited company until 2033.  

    Further information 

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: $TOCKHOLDER ALERT: The M&A Class Action Firm Encourages Shareholders of SVT, SSBK, LNSR, iCAD to Act

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating:

    • Servotronics, Inc. (NYSE: SVT), relating to the proposed merger with TransDigm Group Incorporated. Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of TransDigm will commence a tender offer to acquire all the outstanding shares of Servotronics for $38.50 per share in cash.

    ACT NOW. Tender Offer expires for June 30, 2025.

    Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/servotronics-inc-svt/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    • Southern States Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSBK), relating to the proposed merger with FB Financial Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Southern States’ shareholders will receive 0.800 shares of FB Financial common stock for each share of Southern States stock.

    ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for June 26, 2025.

    Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/southern-states-bancshares-inc-ssbk/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    • LENSAR, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNSR), relating to the proposed merger with Alcon. Under the terms of the agreement, LENSAR shareholders will receive $14.00 per share, with an additional non-tradeable contingent value right offering up to $2.75 per share in cash conditioned on the achievement of certain milestones.

    ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for July 2, 2025.

    Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/lensar-inc-lnsr/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    • iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD), relating to the proposed merger with RadNet, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, iCAD stockholders will receive 0.0677 shares of RadNet common stock for each share of iCAD common stock held at the closing of the merger.

    ACT NOW. The Shareholder Vote is scheduled for July 14, 2025.

    Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/icad-inc-icad/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

    1. Do you file class actions and go to Court?
    2. When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
    3. What cases did you recover money in and how much?

    About Monteverde & Associates PC

    Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

    No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in any of the above listed companies and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

    Contact:
    Juan Monteverde, Esq.
    MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
    The Empire State Building
    350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
    New York, NY 10118
    United States of America
    jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
    Tel: (212) 971-1341

    Attorney Advertising. (C) 2025 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: $HAREHOLDER ALERT: Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde Investigates the Merger of Signing Day Sports, Inc. (NYSE: SGN)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. The firm is headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and is investigating Signing Day Sports, Inc. (NYSE: SGN) related to its merger with One Blockchain LLC. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, Signing Day shareholders are expected to own approximately 8.5% of the combined company.

    Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/signing-day-sports-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE EQUAL. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

    1. Do you file class actions and go to Court?
    2. When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
    3. What cases did you recover money in and how much?

    About Monteverde & Associates PC

    Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

    No one is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

    Contact:
    Juan Monteverde, Esq.
    MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
    The Empire State Building
    350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
    New York, NY 10118
    United States of America
    jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
    Tel: (212) 971-1341

    Attorney Advertising. (C) 2025 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com).  Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Colchester, Vermont Man Sentenced to 49 Months for Bank Robbery

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 30, 2025, Samuel Blatt, 33, of Colchester, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 49 additional months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Blatt has been detained in the custody of the State of Vermont since his arrest on March 15, 2024. Judge Reiss also ordered that Blatt pay $14,100 in restitution. Blatt previously pleaded guilty to the March 5, 2024, robbery of the Union Bank in Johnson, Vermont.

    According to court records, between February 28, 2024, and March 14, 2024, Blatt committed the robberies of four banks in Vermont, and attempted the robbery of a fifth bank. On February 28, 2024, Blatt entered the M&T Bank in Essex, Vermont and handed the teller a note demanding money, stating that he wanted $100 bills with “No dye packs,” “No bait money,” and “Fast.” Blatt obtained approximately $1000 from M&T Bank. On March 5, 2024, Blatt entered the Union Bank in Johnson, Vermont and handed the teller a note which stated, “Give me all $100’s, $50’s, $20 bills fast, no dye packs.” During the robbery, Blatt stated to bank employees in effect, “This is not a joke, you know what to do, give me all your money.” Blatt obtained approximately $5,300 from Union Bank. On March 13, 2024, Blatt entered a Community Bank in Burlington, Vermont, stated that he was robbing the bank and handed a bank employee a note that stated, “Give me all $100-, $50-, and $20-bills, no dye packs.  Fast.” Community Bank employees did not comply with Blatt’s demands, and he left the bank. On March 13, 2024, Blatt entered the TD Bank in Winooski, Vermont, and displayed a note to the teller that stated in effect that he wanted $20’s, $50’s and $100’s but no dye packs. Blatt obtained approximately $600 from TD Bank. On March 14, 2024, Blatt entered the North Country Federal Credit Union in Alburgh, Vermont. Blatt asked a teller, “Can I cash a check if I don’t have an account here?” When the teller told Blatt no, he handed the teller a note and asked “What about this one?” The note stated, “Give me all the 100’s, 30’s and 20’s you have!!!” Blatt obtained approximately $7200 from NCFCU.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Essex Police Department, the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, the Winooski Police Department, the Burlington Police Department, the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department, the Williston Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Owyang and Jason Turner. Blatt was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Sara Puls.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: $HAREHOLDER ALERT: Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde Investigates the Merger of Sitio Royalties Corp. (NYSE: STR)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. The firm is headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and is investigating Sitio Royalties Corp. (NYSE: STR) related to its sale to Viper Energy, Inc. The merger consideration will consist of 0.4855 shares of Class A common stock of a new holding company (“New Viper”) for each share of Sitio Class A common stock, 0.4855 units of Viper’s operating subsidiary, Viper Energy Partners LLC, for each unit of Sitio’s operating subsidiary, and 0.4855 units of Class B common stock of pro forma Viper for each share of Sitio Class C common stock.

    Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/sitio-royalties-corp/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE EQUAL. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

    1. Do you file class actions and go to Court?
    2. When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
    3. What cases did you recover money in and how much?

    About Monteverde & Associates PC

    Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

    No one is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

    Contact:
    Juan Monteverde, Esq.
    MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
    The Empire State Building
    350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
    New York, NY 10118
    United States of America
    jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
    Tel: (212) 971-1341

    Attorney Advertising. (C) 2025 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com).  Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Antalpha to Report First Quarter 2025 Financial Results on June 17, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Antalpha Platform Holding Company (NASDAQ: ANTA) (“Antalpha” or the “Company”), a leading fintech platform serving the Bitcoin mining ecosystem, today announced that it will report its financial results for the first quarter of 2025, before the U.S. market opens on June 17, 2025. The Company’s management team will hold a conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on June 17, 2025 (or 8:00 P.M. Singapore Time on June 17, 2025) to discuss the financial results.

    Please register in advance of the conference call using the link provided below. It will automatically direct you to the registration page of “Q1 2025 Antalpha Earnings Conference Call”. Please follow the steps to enter your registration details, then click “Register”. Upon registration, you will be provided with the dial-in number, the passcode, and your unique access PIN. This information will also be emailed to you in a calendar invite.

    For registration, please click:
    https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI0bcb89f8f5d548dd9cbb0600510464f1

    All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call.

    A live webcast of the conference call can be assessed at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/8zqoeq2s. Following the call, a replay of the call will be available on Antalpha’s investor relations website at ir.antalpha.com.

    About Antalpha
    Antalpha is a leading fintech company specializing in providing financing, technology, and risk management solutions to institutions in the digital asset industry. As the primary lending partner of Bitmain, Antalpha offers Bitcoin supply chain and margin loans through the Antalpha Prime technology platform, which allows customers to originate and manage their digital assets loans, as well as monitor collateral positions with near real-time data.

    Contact
    Investor Relations: ir@antalpha.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Turtle Beach Corporation Adopts Limited Duration Stockholder Rights Plan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Turtle Beach Corporation (Nasdaq: TBCH, the “Company”), a leading gaming accessories brand, today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has approved the adoption of a limited duration stockholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”) and declared a dividend distribution of one right (“Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock. The record date for such dividend distribution is June 23, 2025.

    The adoption of the Rights Plan is intended to enable all stockholders to realize the full potential value of their investment in the Company and protect the Company and its stockholders from the actions of third parties that the Board determines are not in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. In addition, the Rights Plan provides the Board with time to make informed, deliberate decisions that are in the best long-term interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Rights Plan will expire, without any further action being required to be taken by the Board, on June 9, 2026.

    The Rights Plan is similar to stockholder rights plans adopted by other publicly-held companies. Under the Rights Plan, the Rights generally would become exercisable only if a person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the Company’s common stock in a transaction not approved by the Board. In that situation, each holder of a Right (other than the acquiring person or group, whose Rights will become void and will not be exercisable) will be able to purchase, upon payment of the then-current exercise price, a number of shares of the Company’s common stock having a market value of twice such price. In addition, if the Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination after an acquiring person acquires 10% or more of the Company’s common stock, each holder of the Right would thereafter be able to purchase, upon payment of the then-current exercise price, a number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company having a market value of twice such price. The acquiring person or group would not be entitled to exercise these Rights.

    The Rights Plan includes a qualifying offer clause, which provides stockholders with the potential ability to call a special meeting for purposes of exempting a pending offer that meets certain qualifying criteria.

    The Rights Plan has not been adopted in response to any specific takeover bid or other proposal to acquire control of the Company and is not intended to deter offers that are fair and otherwise in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

    Stockholders who currently beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock will not trigger any penalties under the Rights Plan so long as they do not acquire beneficial ownership of any additional shares of common stock on a cumulative basis, subject to certain exceptions as described in the Rights Plan.

    Further details of the Rights Plan will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K and in a Registration Statement on Form 8-A that the Company will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These filings will be available on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge at the Investor Relations section of the Company’s corporate website at corp.turtlebeach.com.

    About Turtle Beach

    Turtle Beach Corporation (the “Company”) (corp.turtlebeach.com) is one of the world’s leading gaming accessory providers. The Company’s namesake Turtle Beach brand (www.turtlebeach.com) is known for designing best-selling gaming headsets, top-rated game controllers, award-winning PC gaming peripherals, and groundbreaking gaming simulation accessories. Innovation, first-to-market features, a broad range of products for all types of gamers, and top-rated customer support have made Turtle Beach a fan-favorite brand and the market leader in console gaming audio for over a decade. Turtle Beach Corporation acquired Performance Designed Products LLC (www.pdp.com) in 2024. Turtle Beach’s shares are traded on the Nasdaq Exchange under the symbol: TBCH.

    Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release includes forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Except for historical information contained in this release, statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions, or beliefs about future events. Statements containing the words “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “goal,” “project,” “intend” and similar expressions, or the negatives thereof, constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the statements regarding the anticipated benefits and expected consequences of the Rights Plan that the Company has adopted. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. The inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company, or any person, that the objectives of the Company will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management.

    While the Company believes that its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurances that its goals and strategy will be realized. Numerous factors, including risks and uncertainties, may affect actual results and may cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the effectiveness of the Rights Plan in (i) preventing a third party from taking advantage of the onset of adverse market conditions or recent and potential short-term declines in the Company’s share price to acquire actual or effective control, in the open market or otherwise, of the Company’s common stock without paying a price that reflects the Company’s intrinsic value or long-term prospects, or (ii) providing the Board with an increased period of time to evaluate the adequacy of an acquisition offer, investigate alternatives, solicit competitive proposals, or take other steps necessary to maximize value for the benefit of all the Company’s stockholders, and other factors discussed in our public filings, including the risk factors included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company’s other periodic reports filed with the SEC. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, the Company is under no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement after the date of this release whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    CONTACTS 

    Investor Information 
    ICR 
    646.277.1285 
    TBCH@icrinc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CarGurus Launches AI-Powered Car Shopping Experience

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Intelligent search integration unlocks a more personalized and intuitive experience for drivers to discover their best deal with greater confidence

    BOSTON, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG), the No. 1 visited digital auto platform for shopping, buying, and selling new and used vehicles1, today announced the release of its AI-powered search experience. This innovation delivers a more personalized and intuitive car shopping experience, embedded directly into the CarGurus website. Buyers can now harness conversational search, paired with expert auto intelligence and real-time vehicle data, to research, compare, and shop the largest selection of new and used cars in the U.S.2

    “For nearly two decades, CarGurus has supported drivers through one of the biggest purchase decisions of their lives. This update aims to advance that mission even further, enabling them to shop in ways that weren’t possible before by having an open dialogue right on our site,” said Ben Kasdon, Vice President, Product at CarGurus. “No matter what phase of the journey they’re in, shoppers can now search on their own terms to uncover their best match more efficiently and with greater confidence. Early pilot users have shown strong engagement, with AI search users spending more time on site compared to typical site traffic.”

    The AI-powered shopping experience allows consumers to use conversational language to find the best options for their needs, compare models, and refine listing results based on their location and preferences. The experience is designed to help buyers at any stage of their journey, from early research to final selection. As a shopper’s search journey evolves, they can also revisit their unique URL to continue the conversation.

    Shoppers can discover their ideal car using intuitive prompts, such as the following examples:

    • “I have three kids under 3. Help me find a car with high safety and reliability ratings.”
    • “Show me the best cars with plenty of space for tall drivers.”
    • “Show me reliable SUVs with blind spot monitoring under $30,000.”
    • “Compare the best all-wheel drive vehicles for any terrain.”

    This release is the latest chapter in CarGurus’ long history of leveraging AI and machine learning to bring more trust, transparency, and efficiency to car buying and selling. AI and machine learning underpin the platform’s vehicle recommendation engine, its Instant Market Value tool, and on-site merchandising. For dealers, CarGurus provides actionable insights and predictive analytics that enable more informed decision-making across workflows, from pricing and merchandising to inventory acquisition.

    To see the AI shopping experience in action, visit: www.cargurus.com/discover or watch a demo here: https://cargur.us/1dB1cP.

    About CarGurus, Inc.

    CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG) is a multinational, online automotive platform for buying and selling vehicles that is building upon its industry-leading listings marketplace with both digital retail solutions and the CarOffer online wholesale platform. The CarGurus platform gives consumers the confidence to purchase and/or sell a vehicle either online or in-person, and it gives dealerships the power to accurately price, effectively market, instantly acquire, and quickly sell vehicles, all with a nationwide reach. The company uses proprietary technology, search algorithms, and data analytics to bring trust, transparency, and competitive pricing to the automotive shopping experience. CarGurus is the most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S. 1

    CarGurus also operates online marketplaces under the CarGurus brand in Canada and the U.K. In the U.S. and the U.K., CarGurus also operates the Autolist and PistonHeads online marketplaces, respectively, as independent brands.

    To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.com, and for more information about CarOffer, visit www.caroffer.com.

    CarGurus® is a registered trademark of CarGurus, Inc., and CarOffer® is a registered trademark of CarOffer, LLC. All other product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    1Similarweb: Traffic Report [Cars.com, Autotrader, TrueCar, CARFAX Listings (defined as CARFAX Total visits minus Vehicle History Reports traffic)], Q1 2025, U.S.
    2Compared to Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com (YipitData as of December 31, 2024), and CarFax (Joreca as of December 31, 2024)

    Media Contact:
    Maggie Meluzio
    Director, Public Relations & External Communications
    pr@cargurus.com

    Investor Contact:
    Kirndeep Singh
    Vice President, Head of Investor Relations
    investors@cargurus.com

    A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/de81b41e-d38e-4f9b-8aa7-09e4fe2655d7

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Maxim Group LLC Expands Equity Sales and Trading with Strategic Hires Erik Killough and Ryan Loader

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maxim Group LLC, a leading full-service investment banking, securities, and wealth management firm, is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its Equity Sales and Trading division with the addition of two seasoned professionals, Erik Killough and Ryan Loader. This strategic growth also includes a broadening of institutional services through the firm’s Connecticut and Boston branch offices.

    Erik Killough brings 28 years of experience in equity trading, including 23 years specializing in Asia-Pacific markets during live trading hours. His knowledge of international market dynamics brings enhanced execution capabilities to clients with global investment strategies. Prior to joining Maxim, Mr. Killough served as Vice President at Guzman & Company. His extensive career also includes senior positions at GMO, The Boston Company, and Standish, Ayer & Wood. 

    Ryan Loader brings 25 years of sales and trading experience, featuring a strong background in industrial sector equities and a robust track record of servicing institutional investors across the U.S. and Canada. In addition to developing his hedge fund relationships within the U.S., Ryan will expand the firm’s reach north of the border, bringing Maxim’s full suite of broker-dealer services to Canadian institutions and corporate clients. Prior to joining Maxim, Mr. Loader served as Director of Global Equity Sales & Trading at Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Erik and Ryan to our team as Maxim’s equity trading platform continues to expand,” said Michael A. Cerussi, Head of Institutional Sales and Trading at Maxim Group. “Erik brings a wealth of experience in global markets, while Ryan offers extensive cross-border institutional reach. Together they enhance our pool of talent and will open new avenues to business opportunities, bolstering Maxim’s offerings for current and future clients across diverse regions and markets.”

    About Maxim Group LLC
    Maxim Group LLC is a full-service investment banking, securities and wealth management firm headquartered in New York. The independent and employee-owned firm provides a full array of financial services including investment banking; private wealth management; and global institutional equity, fixed-income and derivatives sales & trading, equity research and prime brokerage services. Maxim Group LLC is a registered broker-dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) and is a member of FINRA SIPC, and NASDAQ. To learn more about Maxim Group LLC, visit maximgrp.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CBAK Energy Announces $11.6 Million Order from Africa’s largest EV player

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DALIAN, China, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CBAK Energy Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAT) (“CBAK Energy,” or the “Company”), a leading lithium-ion battery manufacturer and electric energy solution provider in China, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nanjing CBAK New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nanjing CBAK”), has received a sizeable order from Africa’s largest EV player with the fastest energy distribution network aided by battery swapping.

    The order, valued at approximately US$11.6 million, primarily comprises CBAK Energy’s advanced Model 32140 large LFP cylindrical batteries. Looking ahead, the Company anticipates follow-on orders from this customer totaling up to US$55 million. As part of this strategic partnership, CBAK Energy will continue to supply its high-performance Model 32140 batteries for integration into the customer’s rapidly expanding fleet of electric motorcycles across the African continent. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to accelerating the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions in emerging markets.

    This customer is Africa’s leading electric vehicle (EV) company, revolutionizing the continent’s transportation sector. Renowned for its groundbreaking battery-swapping technology and electric motorcycles specifically designed for African roads and riders, the customer is driving a transformative shift away from imported, fossil fuel-based transport. By delivering affordable, accessible, and locally manufactured electric mobility solutions—made in Africa, by Africans, for Africa and the world—it is redefining sustainable transportation across the region.

    “We are excited to partner with this customer to support their mission of promoting electric mobility in Africa,” said Zhiguang Hu, Chief Executive Officer of CBAK Energy. “This significant order not only highlights the growing demand for our high-quality battery solutions but also reinforces our strategic focus on expanding our market presence in emerging regions. We look forward to contributing to the sustainable development of the electric mobility sector in Africa and beyond.”

    About CBAK Energy

    CBAK Energy Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAT) is a leading high-tech enterprise in China engaged in the development, manufacturing, and sales of new energy high power lithium batteries and raw materials for use in manufacturing high power lithium batteries. The applications of the Company’s products and solutions include electric vehicles, light electric vehicles, electric tools, energy storage, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and other high power applications. In January 2006, CBAK Energy became the first lithium battery manufacturer in China listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. CBAK Energy has multiple operating subsidiaries in Dalian, Nanjing and Shaoxing, as well as a large-scale R&D and production base in Dalian.

    For more information, please visit ir.cbak.com.cn.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, strategy and plans, and our expectations for future operations, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Our actual results may differ materially or perhaps significantly from those discussed herein, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

    The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

    For further inquiries, please contact:

    In China:

    CBAK Energy Technology, Inc.
    Investor Relations Department
    Email: ir@cbak.com.cn

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Poppulo Unveils AI-Enabled Modern Designer and First AI Agent, Ushering in the Next Era of Intelligent Digital Signage

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DENVER, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Poppulo, the leading provider of enterprise digital signage and employee communications solutions, has unveiled its most advanced platform experience to date—introducing Poppulo Designer and the first in a powerful new suite of AI Agents: Analyze.

    Together, these innovations mark a pivotal shift in how organizations create, manage, and scale communications across digital signage networks—empowering marketing, communications, and IT teams to move faster, act smarter, and deliver content with ease and consistency.

    “Digital signage is one of the most impactful communication channels available to organizations today, but managing it has remained far too manual,” said John Schweikert, General Manager, Digital Signage at Poppulo. “With the introduction of AI Agents and Poppulo Designer, we’re bringing automation, intelligence, and creativity into a single, seamless experience—one that empowers teams to do more in less time, with greater agility and control.” 

    Introducing Poppulo Designer: Smart, Streamlined, Web-Based Creation 

    Also launching today, Poppulo Designer brings an entirely new, modern way to create signage content directly in the browser. With drag-and-drop editing, dynamic layout templates, and built-in AI capabilities, Designer empowers teams of all skill levels to build beautiful, brand-consistent content in minutes. 

    Poppulo Designer enables a truly intelligent authoring experience—automating layout generation, enhancing visual design, and even suggesting data-driven content adjustments based on screen context and performance history. 

    The Agentic Future for Digital Signage 

    Building on the success of its agents for employee communications, Poppulo is ushering in a new era of agentic AI, where intelligent, task-driven agents work autonomously and collaboratively to manage the complexities of digital signage. At the core is the Analyze Agent—a foundational capability that continuously interprets real-time data from screens and content performance. 

    This data isn’t just for reporting—it fuels the entire agent ecosystem. Analyze lays the groundwork for a broader suite of intelligent agents designed to reduce manual effort, improve agility, and enhance performance across the signage ecosystem. 

    Smarter Signage Starts Now 

    These innovations are launching at a time when the pressure to deliver timely, personalized content is higher than ever. Organizations across industries—from hospitality and higher education to manufacturing and offices—need smarter tools to keep up. 

    Poppulo Designer is currently being introduced to select customers, with broader access and continued enhancements expected later this year. The new Analyze Agent will be made available in Q4 2025. 

    Visit Poppulo at InfoComm Booth #4780 to see these innovations in action and explore how AI can transform your signage strategy.

    About Poppulo

    Poppulo is the leading provider of enterprise digital signage solutions, empowering organizations to deliver impactful, real-time communications across a variety of industries. Formerly known as Four Winds Interactive (FWI), Poppulo’s customer base is representative of the world’s most successful companies, including more than 40 of the Fortune 100. With over 10,000 customers and nearly 600,000 screens worldwide across their digital signage portfolio, Poppulo helps businesses drive engagement, improve customer experience, and enhance operational efficiency. 

    For more information, visit www.poppulo.com/digital-signage or follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Altus Group Celebrates Winners of the 2025 ARGUS University Challenge

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altus Group Limited (ʺAltus Group”) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of commercial real estate (“CRE”) intelligence, today announced the winners of its 16th annual ARGUS University Challenge – a milestone that reflects both the longevity of the program and Altus Group’s continued leadership in the CRE sector during its 20th year as a public company.

    The ARGUS University Challenge is an annual global competition organized by Altus Group to immerse university students in the complexities of CRE investment analysis. Students apply ARGUS software to tackle complex CRE investment cases, where they model financial projections, assess risk, and develop investment strategies for hypothetical CRE portfolios. Winners qualify for a scholarship and gain valuable industry exposure, along with the opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers.

    The 2025 winners were selected from more than 124 students representing 24 universities globally. The teams demonstrated their ability to identify and present compelling investment opportunities using industry-leading ARGUS Enterprise, now part of ARGUS Intelligence – which brings together data and advanced analytics for more powerful decision-making.

    Each team was challenged to analyze a hypothetical real estate scenario and present a comprehensive investment case. Submissions were evaluated by a panel of industry experts on how effectively students applied ARGUS’ valuation modelling, discounted cash flow analysis, and performance forecasting capabilities – tools that shaped CRE performance analysis for over 30 years and are taught at more than 200 academic institutions worldwide.

    “We’re proud to provide students with the opportunity to develop the real-world skills they’ll need as they enter the industry,” said Rich Sarkis, President of ARGUS Software and Data at Altus Group. “This year’s participants demonstrated how quality data and analytics are critical to effective investment decision-making. Our new ARGUS Intelligence platform was built with their generation in mind – designed for a new era of data-savvy professionals who demand deeper insights, faster workflows, and smarter decisions.”

    The 2025 ARGUS University Challenge winners are:

    1st place: IREBS, University of Regensburg

    • Team: Lea Lott, Leon Mayer, Maximilian von Berger, Moritz Kluge, Viola Schadde
    • Professor: Wolfgang Schaefers

    2nd place: University of San Diego

    • Team: Jackson Gebhardt, Jason Santos, Rodrigo Soler, Ryan Groleau, Tom Sears
    • Professor: Charles Tu

    3rd place: NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate

    • Team: Valeria Burga-Cisneros Vega, Lana Alexander, Colin Dallas-Wu, Sam Wimpfheimer, Thomas Jordan
    • Professor: Hillman Lam

    4th place: London School of Economics and Political Science

    • Team: Stuart Teng, Eryu Ma, Jiani Zhang
    • Professor: Rebecca Campbell

    The ARGUS University Challenge is part of Altus Group’s broader commitment to cultivating future CRE leaders. Through its academic program, Altus Group provides software and training to over 200 institutions globally, equipping students with the technical expertise and analytical mindset to thrive in a data-driven market.

    For more information on the ARGUS University Challenge, please visit: https://www.altusgroup.com/education/argus-university-challenge/

    About Altus Group

    Altus connects data, analytics, applications, and expertise to deliver the intelligence necessary to drive optimal CRE performance. The industry’s top leaders rely on our market-leading solutions and expertise to power performance and mitigate risk. Our global team of ~2,000 experts are making a lasting impact on an industry undergoing unprecedented change – helping shape the cities where we live, work, and build thriving communities. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit www.altusgroup.com.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    Elizabeth Lambe
    Director, Global Communications, Altus Group
    (416) 641-9787
    Elizabeth.Lambe@altusgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SMX Welcomes Scott Barr as Chief Operating Officer to Accelerate Next Phase of Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HERNDON, Va., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SMX®, a leader in technology and mission focused solutions, today announced the appointment of Scott Barr as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, Barr will join the Executive Leadership Team working closely with the CEO on strategic initiatives focused on accelerating growth and enhancing operational and execution excellence.

    A veteran of the federal contracting industry, Barr brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across operations, strategy, and technology-driven transformation. He joins SMX most recently from Maximus, where he led the Technology Consulting Services division, and previously served in senior roles at Sierra7 and Booz Allen Hamilton. His background spans both defense and civilian sectors, giving him a unique perspective on client mission needs and enterprise modernization. He is also a recognized leader in talent development, change management, and operational excellence.

    As COO, Barr will focus on optimizing operational performance, scaling delivery capabilities, and ensuring mission-focused outcomes for customers across SMX portfolios.

    “Scott brings a rare combination of mission insight, organizational leadership, and hands-on experience across both defense and federal civilian sectors,” said SMX CEO Peter LaMontagne. “As SMX continues to scale, it’s critically important to preserve and enhance the client- and employee-focused approach to solution delivery that has established SMX as a market leader. Scott is a great fit to ensure continued success.”

    “I’m excited to join SMX at such a pivotal moment in its growth,” said Scott Barr, Chief Operating Officer at SMX. “The company has built a strong reputation for delivering mission-focused solutions with speed and agility. I look forward to working alongside the team to scale our capabilities, drive operational excellence, and enhance our go-to-market strategy-especially through innovative programs like SMX Elevate that are helping customers achieve rapid impact.”

    This appointment reinforces SMX’s commitment to evolving its leadership to help clients accelerate mission success in an increasingly dynamic federal landscape.

    About SMX
    SMX is an industry leading provider of product focused solutions for mission-oriented clients, operating across the United States and around the globe. SMX delivers scalable and secure solutions combined with the mission expertise needed to accelerate outcomes for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Public Sector, Fortune 1000, and other public and private sector clients. For more information on our solutions, please visit https://www.smxtech.com/. 

    For inquiries about this press release, please contact us at communications@smxtech.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Upexi Joins Webull Corporate Connect Service Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Enables Upexi to build a community and foster relationships with Webull’s 24 million registered users

    Connect with the Company on Webull here

    TAMPA, Fla., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Upexi, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPXI), a brand owner specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of consumer products with diversification into the cryptocurrency space, today announced joining the Webull Corporate Connect Service (CCS) platform to increase engagement and transparency with investors.

    Upexi’s portal on the Webull Corporate Connect Service provides a direct communication channel for shareholders and potential investors, reinforcing the Company’s commitment to engaging with the investment community. Through Webull, Upexi will share timely updates, including company news, earnings reports, presentations, and other key announcements.

    “At Upexi, transparent and consistent communication with our shareholders and prospective investors is a top priority. As we continue to execute on key initiatives and drive growth across the business, we recognize the importance of increasing visibility, market awareness, and community,” said Allan Marshall, CEO of Upexi. “Adding the Webull platform to our investor communications strategy allows us to meet retail investors where they are, providing real-time updates and engagement through a platform they actively use.”

    To stay up to date on Upexi’s recent developments on the Webull Corporate Connect Service platform, current Webull users can follow UPXI from the app on their smartphone or tablet device. To download the app and register for your free Webull account, visit www.webull.com/trading-platforms.

    About Upexi, Inc.
    Upexi is a brand owner specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of consumer products. The Company has entered the cryptocurrency industry and cash management of assets through a cryptocurrency portfolio. For more information on Upexi’s treasury strategy and future developments, visit www.upexi.com.

    Follow Upexi on X – https://twitter.com/upexitreasury
    Follow CEO, Allan Marshall, on X – https://x.com/marshall_a22015
    Follow CSO, Brian Rudick, on X – https://x.com/thetinyant

    About Webull Financial
    Webull Corporation owns and operates Webull, a leading digital investment platform built on next-generation global infrastructure. Through its global network of licensed brokerages, Webull offers investment services in 14 markets across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Webull serves more than 24 million registered users globally, providing retail investors with 24/7 access to global financial markets. Users can put investment strategies to work by trading global stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and fractional shares through Webull’s trading platform, which seamlessly integrates market data and information, its user community, and investor education resources. Learn more at www.webullcorp.com.

    Forward Looking Statements
    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. For example, the Company is using forward looking statements when it discusses the anticipated use of proceeds. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with business strategy, potential acquisitions, revenue guidance, product development, integration, and synergies of acquiring companies and personnel. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward- looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Company Contact
    Brian Rudick, Chief Strategy Officer
    Email:Brian.Rudick@upexi.com
    Phone: (216) 347-0473

    Investor Relations Contact
    KCSA Strategic Communications
    Valter Pinto, Managing Director
    Email: Upexi@KCSA.com
    Phone: (212) 896-1254

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: MicroAlgo Inc. Integrates Quantum Image LSQb Algorithm with Quantum Encryption Technology to Build a More Secure Quantum Information Hiding and Transmission System

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    shenzhen, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MicroAlgo Inc. Integrates Quantum Image LSQb Algorithm with Quantum Encryption Technology to Build a More Secure Quantum Information Hiding and Transmission System

    Shenzhen, Jun. 09, 2025––MicroAlgo Inc. (the “Company” or “MicroAlgo”) (NASDAQ: MLGO), today announced that by integrating the quantum image LSQb algorithm with quantum encryption technology, they have proposed a brand-new information hiding and transmission scheme, aiming to build a more secure and efficient data protection mechanism.
    The LSQb algorithm, namely the Least Significant Quantum Bit algorithm for quantum images, is an innovative quantum image processing technology. It achieves secure information hiding by embedding secret information into the least significant quantum bits of a quantum image. Building on this foundation, MicroAlgo further integrates relevant theories from quantum information theory and cryptography, comprehensively expanding the application scope and functionality of the LSQb algorithm. This integration not only enhances the security of information hiding but also improves the efficiency and reliability of information transmission in quantum networks.
    The core of MicroAlgo’s technological innovation lies in utilizing the Least Significant Quantum Bit (LSQb) algorithm for efficient information encoding and decoding, combined with quantum encryption technologies such as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to ensure data security during transmission. The LSQb algorithm can identify and select key quantum bits critical to image representation, reducing the number of quantum gate operations by optimizing the embedding and extraction processes, thereby lowering algorithm complexity. Meanwhile, quantum encryption technology provides unconditional security for information transmission, ensuring that information leakage is prevented even in a quantum computing environment.
    Original Image Preprocessing: First, the original image undergoes compressed sensing and sparse representation to extract key features and convert them into quantum bit form. Further analysis is conducted using machine learning or deep learning models to ensure the retention of important visual elements of the image, reduce the amount of encoded information, and lower algorithm complexity.
    Quantum Bit Selection and Embedding: An improved Least Significant Quantum Bit (LSQb) algorithm is employed to embed selected key quantum bits into quantum states. Each quantum bit generates a corresponding quantum state and is embedded into a larger quantum state structure through quantum gate operations. Quantum error correction codes and quantum entanglement properties are introduced to enhance the system’s robustness and stability, reducing unnecessary quantum gate operations.
    Quantum Key Distribution and Encryption: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology is utilized to generate a shared key, ensuring the security of data transmission. The sender and receiver exchange correlated quantum states to generate the key, and any attempt to read the states will alter them and be detected, preventing information leakage.
    Information Transmission and Protection: The encrypted quantum state information is transmitted through a quantum channel, and even if eavesdropping occurs, attackers cannot obtain useful information. By combining protocols such as quantum teleportation, the system’s security and flexibility are further enhanced.
    Information Decryption and Recovery: The receiver uses the shared key to decrypt the quantum state information and applies inverse quantum gate operations to restore the original quantum bit sequence. Key feature information is extracted through a decoding algorithm and reassembled into a complete image, with error correction mechanisms introduced to ensure high-fidelity recovery. The entire process validates the effectiveness and accuracy of information hiding and transmission, establishing an efficient and secure quantum information processing system.
    MicroAlgo integrates the Least Significant Quantum Bit (LSQb) algorithm for quantum images with other related theories, such as quantum information theory and cryptography, to further expand its application scope and functionality. Combined with quantum encryption technology, it constructs a more secure quantum information hiding and transmission system, ensuring the secure transmission of information in quantum networks. On one hand, it significantly reduces the demand for quantum resources, minimizing the involvement of unnecessary quantum bits and the number of quantum gate operations, thereby increasing the algorithm’s execution speed. On the other hand, leveraging the unconditional security provided by quantum encryption technology ensures a high level of confidentiality for data during transmission. This not only enhances the efficiency of information processing but also greatly improves the system’s resilience to interference, maintaining high information fidelity even in noisy environments. Additionally, by simplifying quantum circuit design, it reduces the cost and technical complexity of hardware implementation, making large-scale commercial applications feasible.
    In practical applications, MicroAlgo’s novel information hiding and transmission system has already been applied in multiple fields. For example, in medical image encryption, patient privacy data receives a higher level of protection; in financial transaction systems, customers’ sensitive financial information is similarly safeguarded effectively. Through this approach, not only is information security enhanced, but processing efficiency is also improved, meeting the modern society’s demand for high-speed and efficient data processing.
    In the future, with continuous advancements in quantum computing and quantum encryption technologies, MicroAlgo’s novel information hiding and transmission system is expected to expand beyond its current application scenarios to more emerging fields, such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis. For instance, in the field of artificial intelligence, leveraging the advantages of quantum computing can accelerate the training process of machine learning models; in big data analysis, quantum image processing technology can help extract valuable information from massive datasets more quickly. Through ongoing exploration and practice, quantum image processing technology will become more mature and refined, contributing to the construction of a more secure and efficient information society.

    About MicroAlgo Inc.

    MicroAlgo Inc. (the “MicroAlgo”), a Cayman Islands exempted company, is dedicated to the development and application of bespoke central processing algorithms. MicroAlgo provides comprehensive solutions to customers by integrating central processing algorithms with software or hardware, or both, thereby helping them to increase the number of customers, improve end-user satisfaction, achieve direct cost savings, reduce power consumption, and achieve technical goals. The range of MicroAlgo’s services includes algorithm optimization, accelerating computing power without the need for hardware upgrades, lightweight data processing, and data intelligence services. MicroAlgo’s ability to efficiently deliver software and hardware optimization to customers through bespoke central processing algorithms serves as a driving force for MicroAlgo’s long-term development.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of MicroAlgo, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of MicroAlgo’s periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 8-K filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, MicroAlgo’s expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the business transaction.

    MicroAlgo undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as may be required by law.

    Contact

    MicroAlgo Inc.

    Investor Relations

    Email: ir@microalgor.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Natrion awarded $250,000 in NSF Energy Storage Engine grants to advance safe and reliable lithium-ion batteries

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BINGHAMTON, N.Y., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natrion, a leader in advanced battery technology, has been awarded a $150,000 R&D grant and a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. The funding will accelerate the commercialization of Natrion’s LISIC solid-state electrolyte separator technology, a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery safety, reliability, and thermal stability for electric mobility, grid storage, and aerospace applications.

    Natrion’s proprietary LISIC solid electrolyte separator technology mitigates risks associated with thermal runaway, addressing one of the most significant safety challenges in lithium-ion batteries. By replacing porous separators containing flammable liquid electrolytes with its advanced non-porous solid-state separator, Natrion enhances battery safety while maintaining high energy density and stability. This transformative solution also integrates seamlessly with existing manufacturing processes, enabling cost-effective scaling.

    “The energy storage industry has long sought safer, high-performance alternatives to conventional lithium-ion technology,” said Alex Kosyakov, CEO of Natrion. “This support from the NSF Energy Storage Engine is a game-changer for us, allowing us to accelerate the commercialization of our LISIC separator technology and bring it to real-world applications. By leveraging the world-class testing facilities at Rochester Institute of Technology, we are optimizing our platform for electric vehicles, aerospace, and beyond.”

    The R&D grant will focus on enhancing the LISIC platform’s performance, cost-effectiveness, and manufacturability, while the SuperBoost grant will support rapid prototyping, quality control, and production automation efforts. Natrion will collaborate with RIT’s Battery Development Center, using its state-of-the-art facilities to validate the technology for cylindrical batteries, widely used in electric mobility, electronics, and grid applications.

    The SuperBoost program, a core initiative of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, is designed to accelerate commercialization timelines — reducing the traditional five-plus-year development cycle to under two years. The program provides direct funding, strategic partnerships, and infrastructure access, helping early-stage companies bridge the gap between technological innovation and market deployment.

    Fernando Gómez-Baquero, director of the Translation Pillar at the Energy Storage Engine, highlighted the critical role of Natrion’s advancements in battery safety: “Battery safety is paramount as the world moves toward widespread electrification. Natrion’s LISIC technology directly addresses one of the industry’s greatest challenges — thermal runaway — while enhancing energy density and manufacturability. SuperBoost isn’t just about funding; it’s about ensuring that companies like Natrion have the right ecosystem support to scale and succeed.”

    The NSF Energy Storage Engine is at the forefront of creating a national energy storage ecosystem, leveraging its extensive network of testbeds, infrastructure, and research collaborations to help startups accelerate their path to market.

    Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, emphasized the Engine’s role in strengthening the U.S. energy supply chain: “The Engine is committed to fostering technology translation and commercialization through strategic investments like SuperBoost. By leveraging upstate New York’s unparalleled network of testbeds, manufacturing capabilities, and industry partnerships, we are strengthening the energy storage supply chain and positioning the region as a leader in battery innovation. Natrion’s advancements exemplify our mission to accelerate solutions that will drive U.S. energy independence and economic growth.”

    Through the support of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, Natrion is well-positioned to accelerate its technology toward commercial deployment. By leveraging the Engine’s regional resources — including collaborations with RIT’s Battery Development Center and other key partners — the company is advancing its battery technology toward full-scale production. This
    initiative aligns with the Engine’s broader mission to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital, fostering economic growth, national energy security, and technological leadership in next-generation energy storage.

    About Natrion
    Natrion develops advanced battery technologies to deliver safe, scalable, and high-performance energy storage solutions for EVs, aviation, grid storage, and beyond. With a focus on innovation, cost-efficiency, and seamless integration into existing manufacturing, Natrion is redefining the future of energy storage.

    For more information, visit https://www.natrion.co

    Contact:
    Alex Kosyakov
    CEO & Co-Founder akosyakov@natrion.com

    About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
    The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.

    For more information on the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/.

    Contact:
    Fernando Gómez-Baquero, Ph.D.

    Translation Pillar Director
    NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
    fernando@cornell.edu

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BEST LAYER 1 Kaanch Network Crosses $2 Million Raised in Presale — Momentum Builds Ahead of June Listing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kaanch Network, a new Layer 1 blockchain project focused on real-time finance, on-chain identity, and decentralized governance, has officially crossed $2 million in presale funding a major milestone as it prepares for its public exchange listing later this month.

    This puts Kaanch in a rare category of presale projects: one that combines technical depth with verified traction, all before going live.

    What’s Driving the Surge?

    Unlike hype-driven meme tokens or unfinished Layer 1 promises, Kaanch is already offering:

    • Live staking, with up to 30% APY for early participants
    • 3,600 validators onboarding during presale
    • .knch domains a built-in identity layer
    • 1.4 million TPS throughput with 0.8 second finality
    • Cross-chain compatibility with Ethereum, Solana, and BNB
    • A fixed token supply of 58 million, with no inflation model

    The project is now in Stage 6 of its presale, with tokens priced at $0.32. The next stage will double the price to $0.64, increasing urgency for investors looking to enter before listing.

    Join the presale now

    A Different Kind of Layer 1

    While many Layer 1s are still outlining whitepapers, Kaanch is already executing. Its staking and governance systems are live, identity infrastructure is functional, and validator participation is growing daily.

    The network’s focus on real-world usability — including tools for institutional asset issuance and transparent DAO frameworks — has caught the attention of both crypto-native investors and traditional players exploring tokenized finance.

    What’s Next for $KNCH?

    • Exchange listing is planned for late June
    • Staking rewards will continue post-TGE
    • Community governance will begin at launch
    • Developer tools, DAO frameworks, and the identity system will expand after listing

    Kaanch isn’t just another presale. It’s a working system with funding, momentum, and community participation growing ahead of schedule.

    Final Thought

    Crossing $2M in funding puts Kaanch Network firmly on the radar of serious investors looking beyond speculative pumps. With a hard cap, working infrastructure, and a clear listing date, $KNCH is being recognized as one of the best cryptos to buy now and a presale that’s delivering more than just promises.

    Get early access before the next stage hits

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the best crypto to buy right now?

    Many investors are looking for structured projects with real-world utility and limited supply. Kaanch Network ($KNCH) stands out as one of the best cryptos to buy now offering live staking, on-chain identity, and a hard supply cap of just 58 million tokens.

    What are the top altcoins to watch in 2025?

    Projects like Kaanch Network, Sui, and Avalanche are gaining traction due to strong fundamentals. Among them, Kaanch is still in presale, offering early access to a high-utility Layer 1 with live infrastructure.

    Which crypto has the highest potential return in presale?

    $KNCH, the native token of Kaanch Network, is still priced at $0.32 in Stage 6 of its presale. With a planned exchange listing in June and ongoing validator integration, it’s seen as a moonshot opportunity by early participants.

    What is the best crypto presale to join right now?

    Kaanch Network is widely considered one of the best crypto presales live now, thanks to its technical readiness, capped supply, and staking rewards already active. The project has raised over $2 million and is on track for a June exchange launch.

    What’s the best Layer 1 blockchain launching in 2025?

    Kaanch Network is being recognized as a top new Layer 1 for its combination of high throughput (1.4M TPS), .knch domain-based identity, and smart DAO governance all live before token listing.

    Is there a high-potential crypto under $1?

    Yes. $KNCH is still trading under $1 at $0.32, with staking, validator onboarding, and identity tools already functional. It’s one of the best cryptos under $1 offering real infrastructure.

    What makes Kaanch different from other presales?

    Unlike many projects that rely on whitepaper promises, Kaanch Network has already delivered key components like staking and identity tools. It’s a presale built around usability not just hype.

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Kaanch Network. 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.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d712fce7-0b2d-4ca7-8793-c3c44550bf8f

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: $HAREHOLDER ALERT: Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde Investigates the Merger of Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRM)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. The firm is headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and is investigating Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRM) relating to its sale to MDaudit for $5.34 per share.

    Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/streamline-health-solutions-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

    NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE EQUAL. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

    1. Do you file class actions and go to Court?
    2. When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
    3. What cases did you recover money in and how much?

    About Monteverde & Associates PC

    Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

    No one is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

    Contact:
    Juan Monteverde, Esq.
    MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
    The Empire State Building
    350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
    New York, NY 10118
    United States of America
    jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
    Tel: (212) 971-1341

    Attorney Advertising. (C) 2025 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com).  Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Kweku Conduah, PhD Candidate, University of Ghana

    Ghana’s national agenda often focuses on the country’s large number of young people. In fact a less noticed demographic transformation is reshaping society: the country’s older population is growing rapidly. According to Ghana Statistical Service estimates,
    people aged 60 and above are projected to make up over 12% of the total population by 2050, more than doubling the 2021 estimate of 6.8%.

    And more of these older adults are ageing alone.

    That’s because of Ghana’s transition from extended to nuclear family systems, coupled with rural–urban and international migration. Traditionally, older Ghanaians aged within multi-generational households, with care provided by children and extended family. But today, migration patterns have intensified, with over 50% of the population living in urban areas, leaving many elders behind in rural communities or isolated in city slums.

    I recently conducted a study across six Ghanaian communities (urban and rural). Drawing from 52 interviews, I explored the emotional, social and economic implications of ageing alone.

    The participants in the study echoed a common theme: the erosion of intergenerational family structures, leaving the elderly socially and emotionally isolated.

    As a 73-year-old widow participant who lives in a city put it:

    My daughter is in Canada. My son lives in Kumasi, but he rarely visits. I live alone, and if I fall sick, I just wait. Sometimes, I pray someone will notice.

    Such stories are no longer anecdotal outliers. Nationally representative data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey and WHO SAGE Ghana Wave 2 also reveal an uptick in solitary living among older adults, particularly widowed women and those without formal pensions. Over 22% of older respondents in urban Ghana reported living alone, a sharp contrast to previous decades, where co-residence with adult children was the norm. Many older Ghanaians don’t have reliable caregivers.

    As a PhD candidate in population studies at the University of Ghana, I focus on health-related quality of life among older adults. This article draws from my doctoral fieldwork in urban and rural Ghana, using qualitative interviews to uncover the lived realities of ageing alone.

    The study highlights a gap in Ghana’s ageing policies: they overlook solitary elders who live without daily family support.

    The paper calls for integrated social protection for older adults living alone. That would include subsidised healthcare, community outreach services, emergency care networks, and community-based mental health interventions.

    What old people had to say

    Focus group discussions revealed that older adults struggle with emotional loneliness, financial anxiety and health system constraints. Despite the presence of pension associations, many older adults feel forgotten. Spiritual activities and reading offer moments of solace, but limited National Health Insurance Scheme coverage, rising living costs, and declining family support deepen the hardship.

    Focus groups revealed that older women were particularly vulnerable due to widowhood, land insecurity and declining support from children. Men, while respected, felt idle and underutilised. Participants spoke of finding strength in farming, faith and fellowship, but felt forgotten in national development planning.

    Ghana’s National Ageing Policy (2010) promises integrated care, but older adults, especially women, are slipping into the cracks of urban anonymity.

    Ageing here is not just biological, it is physical, psychological and economic. My broader research affirms that the majority of older adults in Ghana worked in the informal sector. They therefore have no access to formal pensions or post-retirement income security.

    Participants in my most recent research shared how they felt:

    I was a seamstress all my life. Now my eyes are failing. No pension, no money. I survive on cassava and prayer. – 66-year-old retired woman

    Ageing in Ghana is like walking into a forest — you disappear quietly. No one sees you. — 69-year-old woman

    This statement underscores the gendered experience of ageing, where women often face greater economic and emotional vulnerability due to widowhood, longer life expectancy, and social neglect.

    We are not dying yet. We want to matter again. – 70-year-old man

    We have houses, but not homes anymore. – 75-year-old man

    What next

    The implications of this neglect are staggering. According to the World Health Organization, loneliness and social isolation among the elderly are associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia, depression and premature death. In Ghana, there are added challenges of inaccessible health facilities and cultural stigma about ageing. Yet most people aren’t talking about it.

    Ghana introduced the National Ageing Policy in 2010 to promote the health, security and participation of older people in national development. But many elderly people still live without affordable healthcare, age-friendly infrastructure or a regular income.

    What Ghana needs now is not another grand policy document. It needs practical, community-rooted and state-supported action.

    Decentralised community geriatric care: Train district-level health volunteers in geriatric care, and equip them with basic tools to support older people in their homes.

    Pension and informal sector integration: Extend Ghana’s pension framework to informal sector workers.

    Public awareness campaigns: Reframe ageing in national media not as decline but as contribution, highlighting elder wisdom, resilience, and ongoing social relevance.

    Urban planning for ageing: Incorporate age-friendly elements like ramps, benches, toilets and signage into development plans.

    None of this is charity. It is a strategic investment. In 2021, Ghana spent less than 0.5% of its national health budget on elderly-specific care. That is fiscally short-sighted. Healthier, engaged older adults reduce family burdens, boost social capital, and can even contribute economically by training and mentoring others.

    In the communities I visited, I encountered grassroots interventions worth scaling up: church youth groups providing weekly food support, pensioners’ associations checking in on members, and intergenerational community storytelling sessions that rebuild emotional bonds.

    In Ghana’s Akan tradition, elders are considered living libraries. Their absence from the communal space is not just a social loss, it is a cultural erasure.

    If the elderly are neglected, anyone may wake up on the wrong side of the demographic line one day, wondering if they too will be forgotten.

    Andrew Kweku Conduah 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. Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-older-people-feel-left-behind-and-ignored-how-to-care-for-them-better-257951

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Philip Harrison, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand

    South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met senior leaders of Johannesburg and Gauteng, the province it’s located in, in March 2025 to discuss ways to arrest the steep decline in South Africa’s largest city.

    Ramaphosa announced a two-year-long presidential intervention to tackle some of the city’s most pressing issues. It is to be led by the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group with eight cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder workstreams.

    Johannesburg was established 130 years ago, where the world’s largest-ever gold deposits were discovered. It grew rapidly in the early 20th century and became the country’s economic heartland and largest population centre. Like all South African cities, it was deeply scarred by apartheid policies. People were divided by racially defined groups. Good services and a strong economy benefited a minority, and a black majority were pushed into impoverished ghettos.

    But, for about the first two decades of post-apartheid rule from 1994, Johannesburg led the country with innovation and progressive change. It pioneered the new local government system, institutional reforms, new practice on city strategy and planning, pro-poor service delivery, and modern transport infrastructure.

    Today, however, the city is in a dire state. Over the past decade, roughly coinciding with the arrival of messy coalition governance in 2016, sound political leadership, administrative stability and financial management have crumbled. Underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance has led to collapsing services. Public trust is deteriorating among increasingly frustrated communities. This was evident in local election results. It also shows up in recent data released by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory on public trust in local government.

    The local economy has stagnated. The city’s official unemployment rate of 34.3% is higher than the national average of 32.9%. Mounting joblessness and dwindling incomes have intertwined with depleted trust to knock levels of payment for property rates and service charges. In turn this has deepened the financial and service maintenance crisis.

    Corruption in many parts of the city is an endemic complicating factor.

    The presidential intervention is designed to address this complex interplay between embedded legacies and failings post-apartheid. The workstreams involving city officials and concerned stakeholders are generating ideas for priority actions. There is also a new energy in the city government, with the executive mayor and members of his mayoral committee making turnaround promises.

    This long overdue attention is heartening. But some caution is called for. While some “quick wins” are needed, there will be no easy turnaround. The best prospect is likely to be a process of recovery that will require patience and methodical attention over the long term. A city cannot be repaired in the way an automobile can. A city has a trillion moving parts and is in a constant state of makeover, as dynamics of economy, technology, demography, environment, society, politics, and more, interact and produce change.

    The question is not whether a city is fixed – it can never finally be – but rather what trajectory it is on. For Johannesburg, the question is how to exit the downward spiral and begin the process of reconstruction.

    We are a group who previously worked in the City of Johannesburg as officials, who are now academics with decades of experience observing local governance trends and dynamics, or scholars engaged in civil society coalitions or communities mobilising around the crisis. Some of us have been involved in the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group over the last few months.

    Our view is that there are four areas needing urgent but sustained attention.

    Focus areas

    The first is the need for a joint effort across national, provincial and municipal government to resolve the crisis. We are pleased that this has begun. The political leadership in the city (and of the province) failed to grasp the opportunity provided by the post-2024 election national compromises to put together a broad-based government of local unity to lead reconstruction. There is no option now but to pursue an inter-governmental initiative led by national government with the committed involvement of the other spheres.

    Only genuine collaboration will succeed.

    In this respect, the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group holds promise. But what will be needed is careful, concerted work focused first on short-term priorities. Then, over years, on key structural challenges facing the city.

    Second, the city needs civil society in all its forms to hold a careful balance between keeping up the pressure on municipal government, constantly holding it accountable to its residents, and working with government to help it solve problems. The Joburg Crisis Alliance, Jozi-my-Jozi, WaterCAN and similar initiatives are claiming well-recognised and respected voice in the affairs of the municipality.

    Johannesburg needs a city government that is open to this scrutiny, accepting the need for transparency, and open to the help that civil society can offer.

    To raise the level of accountability and collaboration, a clear programme of restoration has to be communicated openly to the public. Milestones and expenditure requirements need to be set that allow for constant monitoring. There must be open council meetings, and regular online and in-person briefings.

    Also required are new mechanisms for citizen-based monitoring. These may include trained citizen monitors reporting on service delivery. Alternatively, the establishment of a sort of “Citizen’s Council” which meets regularly to receive reports from these monitors and the city administration.

    International examples include the Bürgerrat model. This is now fully institutionalised in parts of Germany and Austria to strengthen local democracy and accountability. In this model, citizens are randomly selected to sit on a council which monitors performance of local government and provides new ideas.

    Another approach could be for civil society organisations to be invited to a Citizen’s Council that would act in support of the oversight processes of the elected Municipal Council.

    Third, there has to be a solution to unstable coalition governments. These seem to be structured to facilitate separate political fiefdoms where spoils can be divided in the allocation of portfolios. At minimum, the presidential intervention must provide for a check and balance on processes where bureaucratic appointments and budgetary allocations may serve the interests of cronyism. For example, there should be transparency and rigour in appointments to the boards of Johannesburg’s municipally owned companies.

    Regulatory reforms are required in the political arena. This should include rules for the distribution of seats on the municipal executive and the election of mayors. Between January 2023 and August 2024 a tiny minority party held the mayoralty because the larger parties could not agree on a mayoral selection or, more cynically, to ensure that the executive mayor could not call large parties to account.

    More importantly, though, there has to be a change in political culture. This is a longer-term process.

    Fourth, the problems run far deeper than what bureaucratic reorganisation can achieve.

    The longer-term project is to build a capable administration with clear political direction and oversight but insulated from personal agendas and factional battles. The administration became confused and demoralised because of the political instability over an extended period. There are, however, still many capable and committed public servants in the city bureaucracy. The focus should be on working with them to rebuild the administration, making it a place where talent and initiative are recognised and rewarded.

    Restored political leadership and a rejuvenated administration is needed for a long term process, extending far beyond the quick wins. This process will involve refurbishing the decaying network infrastructure, restoring financial stability, reestablishing social trust and returning confidence to the city’s economy.

    2025 marks 30 years since the first democratic local elections. National government is looking seriously at sweeping municipal reforms. And the next municipal election – likely to be held at the end of 2026 – is an opportunity to make a deep transformation effort. Citizens can ensure that parties contesting the election place Johannesburg’s recovery at the heart of their agenda.

    Philip Harrison has received funding from South Africa’s National Research Foundation in support of the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning.

    The Gauteng City-Region Observatory receives core grant funding from the Gauteng Provincial Government.

    Lorena Nunez Carrasco received funding from the National Research Foundation in support of research on the South African response on COVID-19

    Rashid Seedat receives funding from Gauteng Provincial Government for the Gauteng City-Region Observatory. He is affiliated with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees.

    – ref. Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-problems-can-be-solved-but-its-a-long-journey-to-fix-south-africas-economic-powerhouse-256013

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alex Ezeh, Dornsife Endowed Professor of Global Health, Drexel University

    The Lancet has released its second global commission report on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Adolescents are defined as 10- to 24-year-olds. The report builds on the first one, done in 2016. The latest report presents substantial original research that supports actions it recommends to be taken across sectors as well as at global, regional, country and local level. The co-chairs of the commission, Sarah Baird, Alex Ezeh and Russell Viner, together with the youth commissioners lead, Shakira Choonara, give a guide to the report’s findings.

    What were the key findings?

    The report noted significant improvements in some aspects of adolescent health and wellbeing since the 2016 report. These include reductions in:

    • communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, particularly among female adolescents

    • the burden of disease from injuries

    • substance use, specifically tobacco and alcohol

    • teenage pregnancy.

    It also found that there had been an increase in age at first marriage and in education, especially for young women.

    Despite this progress, adolescent health and wellbeing is said to be at a tipping point. Continued progress is being undermined by rapidly escalating rates of
    non-communicable diseases and mental disorders, accompanied by threats from compounding and intersecting megatrends. These include climate change and environmental degradation, the growing power of commercial influences on health, rising conflict and displacement, rapid urbanisation, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    These megatrends are outpacing responses from national governments and the international community.

    What’s unique about today’s cohort of adolescents?

    Born between 2000 and 2014, this is the first cohort of humans who will live their entire life in a time when the average annual global temperature has consistently been 0.5°C or higher above pre-industrial levels.

    At roughly 2 billion adolescents, they are the largest cohort of adolescents in the history of humanity. And this number will not be surpassed as populations age and fertility rates fall in even the poorest countries.

    They are the first generation of global digital natives. They live in a world of immense resources and opportunities, with unprecedented connectedness made possible by the rapid expansion of digital technologies. This is true even in the hardest-to-reach places.

    Growing participation in secondary and tertiary education is equipping adolescents of all genders with new economic opportunities and providing pathways out of poverty.

    These opportunities, however, are not being realised for most adolescents. Increasing numbers continue to grow up in settings with limited opportunities. In addition, investments in adolescent health and wellbeing continue to lag relative to their population share or their share of the global burden of disease.

    Investments in adolescents accounted for only 2.4% of the total development assistance for health in 2016-2021. This was despite the fact that adolescents accounted for 25.2% of the global population in that period and 9.1% of the total burden of disease. We use development assistance as a measure because, while governments also invest in adolescents, it’s difficult to account for how much this is. For example, when a government supports a health facility, it serves the entire population.

    Yet, the report provides evidence to show that the return on investments in adolescent health and wellbeing is highly cost-effective and at par with investments in children.

    What’s the news for adolescents in Africa?

    The report recognises the special place of Africa in the global future of adolescents. It notes that, by the end of this century, nearly half of all adolescents will live in Africa.

    Currently, adolescents in Africa experience higher burdens of communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, at more than double the global average for both male and female adolescents. They also have a higher prevalence of anaemia, adolescent childbearing, early marriage and HIV infection. They are much less likely to complete 12 years of schooling and more likely to not be in education, employment, or training.

    Female adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest adolescent fertility rate at 99.4 births per 1,000 female adolescents aged 15-19 (the global average is 41.8). They have also experienced the slowest decline between 2016 and 2022.

    Globally, there was progress in reducing child marriage between 2016 and 2022. But in eight countries in 2022, at least one in three female adolescents aged 15–19 years was married. All but one of these eight countries were in sub-Saharan Africa. Niger (50.2%) and Mali (40.6%) had the highest proportion of married female adolescents.

    The practice of child marriage is declining in south Asia and becoming more concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. As the report notes:

    it continues because of cultural norms, fuelled by economic hardships, insurgency, conflict, ambiguous legal provisions, and lack of political will to enforce legal provisions.

    What should be Africa’s focus areas?

    Beyond adolescent sexual and reproductive health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, obesity is increasing fastest in the region. This illustrates the vulnerability of adolescents to the power of commercial interests.

    Since 1990, obesity and overweight has increased by 89% in prevalence among adolescents aged 15–19 years in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the largest regional increase.

    The absence of data on adolescents is a problem. Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are absent in many data systems. For example, data on adolescent mental health in sub-Saharan Africa is virtually absent.

    Stronger data systems are needed to understand and track progress on the complex set of determinants of adolescent health and wellbeing.

    Another area of concern is the massive inequities within countries, often gendered or by geography. While female adolescents in Kenya are experiencing substantial declines in the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, adolescent males are experiencing increasing burdens. In South Africa, years of healthy life lost to maternal disorders show more than 10-fold differences between the Western Cape and North West provinces.

    Where there’s been strong political leadership, remarkable changes have been seen. Take the case of Benin Republic. The adolescent fertility rate in the country declined from 26% in 1996 to 20% in 2018 and child marriage from 39% to 31% over the same period. Strong political leadership has also led to substantial reductions in female genital mutilation or cutting. This fell from 12% of girls in Benin in 2001 to 2% in 2011–12 among 15–19-year-old girls in Benin Republic. Political leadership also facilitated the expansion, by the national parliament in 2021, of the grounds under which women, girls, and their families could access safe and legal abortion.

    But for every country that takes positive steps to protect the health and wellbeing of adolescents, several others regress.

    The last decade has witnessed regression in several countries. In 2024, The Gambia attempted to repeal a 2015 law criminalising all acts of female genital mutilation or cutting. In 2022, Nigeria’s federal government ordered the removal of sex education from the basic education curriculum.

    What are the recommended courses of action?

    The report calls for a multisectoral approach across multiple national ministries and agencies, including the office of the head of state, and within the UN system.

    Coordination and accountability mechanisms for adolescent health and wellbeing also need to be strengthened.

    Laws and policies are needed to protect the health and rights of adolescents, reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health, and promote healthy use of digital and social media spaces and platforms.

    Strong political leadership at local, national, and global levels is essential.

    The report also calls for prioritised investments, the creation of enabling environments to transform adolescent health and wellbeing, and the development of innovative approaches to address complex and emerging health threats.

    It calls for meaningful engagement of adolescents in policy, research, interventions and accountability mechanisms that affect them.

    Without these concerted actions, we risk failing our young people and losing out on the investments being made in childhood at this second critical period in their development.

    The current adverse international aid climate is particularly affecting adolescents as much development assistance relates to gender and sexual and reproductive health. Concerted action in addressing adolescent health and wellbeing is an urgent imperative for sub-Saharan Africa.

    Alex Ezeh is a fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Stias).

    Russell Viner and Sarah Baird do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends – https://theconversation.com/a-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-are-adolescents-major-report-sets-out-health-and-wellbeing-trends-257282

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Westland Insurance acquires British Columbia-based Dave Dale Insurance Agencies Ltd.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Surrey, BC/Territories of the Coast Salish (Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen First Nations), June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westland Insurance, one of Canada’s largest insurance brokerages, today announced that it has acquired Dave Dale Insurance Agencies Ltd., effective June 1. This strategic acquisition is a part of Westland’s ongoing expansion across Canada, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to providing insurance solutions that meet the diverse needs of clients within their communities.  

    Dave Dale Insurance, a trusted provider of quality insurance services, proudly celebrates over 50 years of dedicated service to the Grand Forks community. The team of professional advisors provides a wide range of insurance services – including risk management solutions for automobile, residential, small business, and travel insurance – while also serving as the community’s driver licensing centre. 

    “We’re very pleased to welcome Dave Dale Insurance to the Westland team and growth story,” says Jamie Lyons, Westland’s President & CEO. “As we expand our network of insurers across Canada, we’re always looking to partner with organizations that have an excellent track-record of serving their communities. Dave Dale Insurance has not only provided personalized insurance solutions to the Great Forks community since 1967 but has also invested in impact with their support of local organizations. Their outlook strongly aligns with Westland’s commitment to being an authentic and invested community member and we’re very excited to have them on board.” 

    Westland continues to invest in and grow its business in Canada, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.  

    – 30 –   

    About Westland Insurance Group   

    Westland Insurance Group is one of the largest and fastest-growing independent insurance brokers in Canada. Trading over $4 billion of premium, Westland continues to expand coast to coast. Westland’s brokers provide expertise and advisory-based services across commercial, personal, employee benefits, farm, and specialty insurance segments. The company’s mission is to protect individuals, businesses, and communities across Canada with trusted advice and tailored insurance solutions. As a Canadian-based company, Westland is proud to support local communities, Canadian jobs, and a strong economy. For more information, please visit westlandinsurance.ca.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Harrison, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand

    South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met senior leaders of Johannesburg and Gauteng, the province it’s located in, in March 2025 to discuss ways to arrest the steep decline in South Africa’s largest city.

    Ramaphosa announced a two-year-long presidential intervention to tackle some of the city’s most pressing issues. It is to be led by the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group with eight cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder workstreams.

    Johannesburg was established 130 years ago, where the world’s largest-ever gold deposits were discovered. It grew rapidly in the early 20th century and became the country’s economic heartland and largest population centre. Like all South African cities, it was deeply scarred by apartheid policies. People were divided by racially defined groups. Good services and a strong economy benefited a minority, and a black majority were pushed into impoverished ghettos.

    But, for about the first two decades of post-apartheid rule from 1994, Johannesburg led the country with innovation and progressive change. It pioneered the new local government system, institutional reforms, new practice on city strategy and planning, pro-poor service delivery, and modern transport infrastructure.

    Today, however, the city is in a dire state. Over the past decade, roughly coinciding with the arrival of messy coalition governance in 2016, sound political leadership, administrative stability and financial management have crumbled. Underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance has led to collapsing services. Public trust is deteriorating among increasingly frustrated communities. This was evident in local election results. It also shows up in recent data released by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory on public trust in local government.

    The local economy has stagnated. The city’s official unemployment rate of 34.3% is higher than the national average of 32.9%. Mounting joblessness and dwindling incomes have intertwined with depleted trust to knock levels of payment for property rates and service charges. In turn this has deepened the financial and service maintenance crisis.

    Corruption in many parts of the city is an endemic complicating factor.

    The presidential intervention is designed to address this complex interplay between embedded legacies and failings post-apartheid. The workstreams involving city officials and concerned stakeholders are generating ideas for priority actions. There is also a new energy in the city government, with the executive mayor and members of his mayoral committee making turnaround promises.

    This long overdue attention is heartening. But some caution is called for. While some “quick wins” are needed, there will be no easy turnaround. The best prospect is likely to be a process of recovery that will require patience and methodical attention over the long term. A city cannot be repaired in the way an automobile can. A city has a trillion moving parts and is in a constant state of makeover, as dynamics of economy, technology, demography, environment, society, politics, and more, interact and produce change.

    The question is not whether a city is fixed – it can never finally be – but rather what trajectory it is on. For Johannesburg, the question is how to exit the downward spiral and begin the process of reconstruction.

    We are a group who previously worked in the City of Johannesburg as officials, who are now academics with decades of experience observing local governance trends and dynamics, or scholars engaged in civil society coalitions or communities mobilising around the crisis. Some of us have been involved in the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group over the last few months.

    Our view is that there are four areas needing urgent but sustained attention.

    Focus areas

    The first is the need for a joint effort across national, provincial and municipal government to resolve the crisis. We are pleased that this has begun. The political leadership in the city (and of the province) failed to grasp the opportunity provided by the post-2024 election national compromises to put together a broad-based government of local unity to lead reconstruction. There is no option now but to pursue an inter-governmental initiative led by national government with the committed involvement of the other spheres.

    Only genuine collaboration will succeed.

    In this respect, the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group holds promise. But what will be needed is careful, concerted work focused first on short-term priorities. Then, over years, on key structural challenges facing the city.

    Second, the city needs civil society in all its forms to hold a careful balance between keeping up the pressure on municipal government, constantly holding it accountable to its residents, and working with government to help it solve problems. The Joburg Crisis Alliance, Jozi-my-Jozi, WaterCAN and similar initiatives are claiming well-recognised and respected voice in the affairs of the municipality.

    Johannesburg needs a city government that is open to this scrutiny, accepting the need for transparency, and open to the help that civil society can offer.

    To raise the level of accountability and collaboration, a clear programme of restoration has to be communicated openly to the public. Milestones and expenditure requirements need to be set that allow for constant monitoring. There must be open council meetings, and regular online and in-person briefings.

    Also required are new mechanisms for citizen-based monitoring. These may include trained citizen monitors reporting on service delivery. Alternatively, the establishment of a sort of “Citizen’s Council” which meets regularly to receive reports from these monitors and the city administration.

    International examples include the Bürgerrat model. This is now fully institutionalised in parts of Germany and Austria to strengthen local democracy and accountability. In this model, citizens are randomly selected to sit on a council which monitors performance of local government and provides new ideas.

    Another approach could be for civil society organisations to be invited to a Citizen’s Council that would act in support of the oversight processes of the elected Municipal Council.

    Third, there has to be a solution to unstable coalition governments. These seem to be structured to facilitate separate political fiefdoms where spoils can be divided in the allocation of portfolios. At minimum, the presidential intervention must provide for a check and balance on processes where bureaucratic appointments and budgetary allocations may serve the interests of cronyism. For example, there should be transparency and rigour in appointments to the boards of Johannesburg’s municipally owned companies.

    Regulatory reforms are required in the political arena. This should include rules for the distribution of seats on the municipal executive and the election of mayors. Between January 2023 and August 2024 a tiny minority party held the mayoralty because the larger parties could not agree on a mayoral selection or, more cynically, to ensure that the executive mayor could not call large parties to account.

    More importantly, though, there has to be a change in political culture. This is a longer-term process.

    Fourth, the problems run far deeper than what bureaucratic reorganisation can achieve.

    The longer-term project is to build a capable administration with clear political direction and oversight but insulated from personal agendas and factional battles. The administration became confused and demoralised because of the political instability over an extended period. There are, however, still many capable and committed public servants in the city bureaucracy. The focus should be on working with them to rebuild the administration, making it a place where talent and initiative are recognised and rewarded.

    Restored political leadership and a rejuvenated administration is needed for a long term process, extending far beyond the quick wins. This process will involve refurbishing the decaying network infrastructure, restoring financial stability, reestablishing social trust and returning confidence to the city’s economy.

    2025 marks 30 years since the first democratic local elections. National government is looking seriously at sweeping municipal reforms. And the next municipal election – likely to be held at the end of 2026 – is an opportunity to make a deep transformation effort. Citizens can ensure that parties contesting the election place Johannesburg’s recovery at the heart of their agenda.

    Philip Harrison has received funding from South Africa’s National Research Foundation in support of the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning.

    The Gauteng City-Region Observatory receives core grant funding from the Gauteng Provincial Government.

    Lorena Nunez Carrasco received funding from the National Research Foundation in support of research on the South African response on COVID-19

    Rashid Seedat receives funding from Gauteng Provincial Government for the Gauteng City-Region Observatory. He is affiliated with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees.

    – ref. Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-problems-can-be-solved-but-its-a-long-journey-to-fix-south-africas-economic-powerhouse-256013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese says the government’s focus on delivering commitments is essential to reinforce faith in democracy

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his second term government is “focused on delivery” of its commitments, declaring this is important not only for the economy but also for Australians’ faith in our democracy.

    In a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, partially released ahead of delivery, Albanese warns that the present era of global uncertainty reaches beyond just economic uncertainty.

    “It is the more corrosive proposition that politics and government and democratic institutions, including a free media, are incapable of meeting the demands of this moment.

    “Some simply dismiss such sentiment. Others cynically seek to harvest it. Our responsibility is to disprove it.

    “To recognise that some of this frustration is drawn from people’s real experience with government – be it failures of service delivery, or falling through the cracks of a particular system.

    “And to counter this, we have to offer the practical and positive alternative.To prove that a good, focused, reforming Labor government can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

    Albanese’s speech comes ahead of his departure later this week for the G7 summit in Canada, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines.

    Their talks are set to cover, in particular, the Albanese government’s bid for relief from the Trump tariffs and the president’s desire for Australia to significantly boost its spending on defence.

    Australia is subject to both the general US 10% tariff and the separate tariff on steel and aluminium, which the president has just increased to 50%.

    Australia will put on the table a proposal for arrangements on access to our critical minerals and rare earths, that will favour the US. The government has also been examining a way to give access to US beef, which currently faces an effective ban on biosecurity grounds.

    Albanese has stressed that any change would not compromise Australian biosecurity.

    The Trump administration has flagged it would like to see Australia boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. Albanese has said Australia makes its own defence decisions and that spending should be based on capability needs rather than a set percentage.

    Albanese’s stress, in his speech, on “delivery” of commitments is partly to manage expectations in the wake of the government’s massive majority.

    The unexpected election result has led to some pressures on the government to use its position to undertake a more radical agenda than the one it put at the election.

    Albanese says: “Our government’s vision and ambition for Australia’s future was never dependent on the size of our majority.

    “But you can only build for that future vision if you build confidence that you can deliver on urgent necessities.

    “How you do that is important too – ensuring that the actions of today, anticipate and create conditions for further reform tomorrow.”

    He says the government’s second-term agenda has been shaped by Australians’ lives, priorities and values.

    “It is the mission and the measure of a Labor government to give those enduring ideals of fairness, aspiration and opportunity renewed and deeper meaning, for more Australians.

    “To deliver reforms that hold no-one back – and drive progress that leaves no-one behind.

    “This is no small task. It demands we aim high and requires us to build big.”

    He points to the government’s promised big investment in Medicare as well as its commitments on housing and the energy transition.

    “Our vision is for a society that is a microcosm for the world – where all are respected and valued and our diversity is recognised as a strength.

    “Where our international relationships in the fastest growing region of the world in human history benefit us, but also provide a platform for us to play a stabilising global role in uncertain times.”

    Michelle Grattan 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. Albanese says the government’s focus on delivering commitments is essential to reinforce faith in democracy – https://theconversation.com/albanese-says-the-governments-focus-on-delivering-commitments-is-essential-to-reinforce-faith-in-democracy-257331

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –