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, May 16 (Xinhua) — China’s digital industry posted revenue of 8.5 trillion yuan (about 1.18 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, up 9.4 percent from a year earlier.
The growth rate of the indicator is 4.4 percentage points higher than for the same period last year, according to data released on Friday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China.
In particular, revenue from digital technologies in the manufacturing industry grew by 10.4 percent, and in the services sector by 8.2 percent.
By the end of March, the number of 5G base stations in China exceeded 4.39 million units, and the country’s 5G subscriber penetration rate reached 75.9 percent, the ministry said in April.
Key sectors of the digital economy are stable. Revenue in the software industry increased by 10.6 percent year-on-year to 3.1 trillion yuan.
China has set a goal of using digital technology to transform and upgrade its traditional industries and is now accelerating the implementation of its “AI Plus” action plan. -0-
Trade ministers from the 21 APEC member economies met in Jeju, Republic of Korea, for the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, chaired by Korean Minister of Trade Cheong Inkyo.
The meeting concluded with the issuance of a joint statement, reaffirming the commitment to addressing economic challenges facing the region and to creating a more resilient and prosperous Asia-Pacific through strengthened economic cooperation.
The joint statement underscores APEC’s recognition of the importance of the World Trade Organization (WTO), commitment to advancing digital transformation and promotion of the prosperity through sustainable trade.
Ministers emphasized the importance of APEC as the premier forum for regional economic cooperation and recognized its role in bringing economies together to address the economic challenges facing the region. They also recognized the importance of the WTO and the need for meaningful, necessary and comprehensive reform to improve all its functions.
Ministers also discussed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in trade facilitation, opportunities for deeper economic integration including through the work on Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) agenda and the importance of sustainable supply chains.
The meeting in Jeju reflects APEC’s ongoing efforts to respond to global uncertainties with practical cooperation and forward-looking policy coordination.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 16 — China has introduced an array of new measures to strengthen legal services and protections for senior citizens, according to a guideline jointly released by seven government bodies, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Supreme People’s Court.
As China’s population ages, with over 310 million people aged 60 and above, the move aims to address disputes and risks affecting the elderly while promoting an elderly-friendly social environment.
One of the key elements of the document is the enhancement of litigation services for seniors. Courts are encouraged to improve barrier-free facilities and offer tailored services such as online litigation service, and home-based case filing.
The guideline also calls for harsher penalties for crimes targeting the elderly, including fraud, theft and extortion, as well as infringement on the property rights of the elderly under the disguise of elderly care. It also places emphasis on early risk prevention in areas like inheritance disputes, elder care consumption, financial management, and health-related products.
To better protect vulnerable groups, the guideline proposes eliminating income-based restrictions for elderly individuals seeking legal aid in cases of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Furthermore, it extends the umbrella of legal aid to cover eligible elderly individuals, such as those who are of advanced age, living in solitude, incapacitated, and intellectually disabled.
Thousands more children will benefit from free breakfasts supported by the Scottish Government.
The Bright Start Breakfasts fund is now open to applications and will provide £3 million so more primary school children can have a nutritious start to the day and parents can benefit from free childcare.
Nearly half of Scotland’s schools already provide breakfast at the start of the school day. The Bright Start Breakfasts funding will support expansion of existing clubs and establishment of new ones, creating more free places for primary school children.
In addition to more breakfast clubs, the Scottish Government is expanding the Extra Time programme, which provides funding for 31 local football clubs and trusts to provide free access to before school, after school and holiday clubs for targeted primary school children from families on low incomes.
Work is also under way in 23 communities to design and deliver further childcare services for priority families.
Visiting a breakfast club at Riverside Primary School in Glasgow Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said:
“We know how important a healthy breakfast can be for children, particularly those most at risk of living in poverty, and breakfast clubs have a crucial role in our mission to eradicate child poverty.
“They help set children up for the day, supporting them to achieve their learning potential, and provide families with childcare, helping more parents to get to work in the morning.
“Applications are open and I encourage anyone who could deliver a breakfast club to contact Inspiring Scotland.”
Celia Tennant, Chief Executive at Inspiring Scotland, said:
“Inspiring Scotland is pleased to be working with Scottish Government to manage the Bright Start Breakfasts fund.
“We are committed to working together to tackle child poverty and improve family wellbeing. We are delighted to see applications starting to come in since launching the fund on Wednesday”
Inspiring Scotland invites applications from groups and organisations who deliver or want to deliver breakfast clubs, including:
Primary schools
local authorities
third-sector organisations
registered childcare providers
activity providers
parent or volunteer groups
childminding services
Work to design and deliver childcare services for priority families is taking place in 23 Early Adopter Communities across six local authority areas (Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Fife and Shetland).
ODS, the City Council wholly owned provider of essential and commercial services in Oxford and Oxfordshire, has released its 2023/24 Economic Impact Assessment.
It reveals a total contribution of £65.6 million Gross Value Added (GVA) to the local economy and the support of over 1,150 jobs.
Established in 2018, the organisation provides a wide range of statutory and commercial services, including waste management, property maintenance, highways and fleet services.
The report, commissioned from SQW, details ODS’s economic, environmental, and social contributions to Oxford and the wider region. SQW are experts in public policy and work with clients to research, implement and evaluate social and economic development. For more details please visit their website.
Key findings include:
employment and economic output: In 2023/24, ODS employed 560 people, generating £35.1m in direct GVA. The company’s operations supported a total of 1,154 jobs, including 728 in Oxford
Social value and community engagement
ODS embeds social impact through a clear commitment to inclusivity, workforce development, and local partnerships. Highlights include:
community partnerships with local schools, charities, and rehabilitation programmes, including employment support for individuals with convictions.
Environmental leadership
As a holder of ISO 14001 and PAS2030 certifications, ODS is accelerating Oxford’s low-carbon future. Key initiatives include:
maintenance of 900 acres of green spaces, and community education on sustainability through schemes like Podback, which collects and recycles Oxford residents’ coffee pods as part of their kerbside recycling and waste collections, and the Waste Education Programme.
Comment
“ODS is more than a service provider – it’s an engine for inclusive, sustainable growth in Oxford. This report shows how ODS is delivering economic value while putting social and environmental purpose at the heart of what it does.”
“ODS”s sustainability work is essential to support the ambition to make Oxford a greener city. Of course there is more to do. ODS’ Carbon Management Plan charts a path to net zero for the company through investment in clean energy, building decarbonisation, and cultural change.” Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies
“It’s great to see the excellent contribution ODS makes across a range of measures in Oxford and beyond as set out in this report by SQW. Our strap line is ODS – Doing Good – and we mean it.” Simon Howick, Managing Director, ODS
ODS is comprised of ODS Limited (ODSL) and ODS Trading Limited (ODSTL). ODSL delivers statutory services and maintains Oxford City Council’s housing stock. ODSTL offers commercial services to businesses and organisations across the Thames Valley. Together, ODS is a vital contributor to Oxford’s economic resilience, environmental goals, and inclusive community ambitions.
The Port Community System (PCS) project has been launched to drive smart port development, the Transport & Logistics Bureau announced today.
The system aims to promote digitalisation within Hong Kong’s port community, enhance cross-sector information interconnectivity, and advance smart port development, in order to consolidate and enhance the Hong Kong Port’s competitiveness and the city’s status as an international maritime centre, the bureau explained.
The PCS’ pilot data sharing platform began phased testing of specific cargo clearance processes in early 2023. After rigorous testing and optimisation, the Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) will assist the bureau in the full development of the system, with installation to be completed by the end of 2025, and implementation for industry use starting in early 2026.
The system will provide round-the-clock, real-time cargo tracking, integrate sea, land and air transport data, and offer value-added electronic services such as the One-Data-Multiple-Declarations function.
Officiating at the PCS project’s launch ceremony, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan said the PCS is a critical infrastructure for the future development of Hong Kong’s port and maritime sectors.
“Led by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and widely supported by the industry, the PCS digitally connects Hong Kong, the Mainland and the international maritime community.
“It will also help facilitate trade and capital flows, enhance Hong Kong’s resilience and influence as an international maritime centre to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex international environment, and serve our country’s strategic goal of becoming a maritime powerhouse.”
The bureau supplemented that it will also initiate a new phase of trial in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to explore leveraging cargo status data within the PCS to facilitate trade finance processes, with a view to helping financial institutions and small and medium enterprises reduce credit costs and processing time. To ensure that the system aligns with industry needs, the bureau has established a Strategic Advisory Panel and an Industry Expert Liaison Group, bringing together industry leaders to provide insights on the PCS’ development.
Additionally, during today’s launch ceremony, the Transport & Logistics Bureau signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the LSCM and Guangdong e-Port Management Company. Areas of collaboration include exploring the use of the PCS to provide a pre-filling and pre-submission function for ocean manifests for vessels entering the Mainland, so as to provide further convenience for system users.
BOSTON – A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted four Dominican nationals residing in Lawrence, Mass., on drug charges.
Juana Luduvina Aguasvivas, 66, Richard Arias-Aguasvivas, 38, Ariel Ruiz, 31, and Yonelin Baez Soto, 30, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Arias-Aguasvivas, Ruiz and Baez were also charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and/or crack cocaine. All four defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on May 29, 2025.
According to the charging documents, in April 2021, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization operating in Lawrence that was supplying fentanyl, cocaine base and cutting agents to customers. Between April 2021 and February 2025, investigators conducted controlled purchases, during which Aguasvivas, Arias-Aguasvivas, Ruiz and Baez collectively sold more than 800 grams of fentanyl, more than 80 grams of crack cocaine and copious amounts of cutting agents.
In May 2025, Baez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry and is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges on Aug. 6, 2025.
Arias-Aguasvivas, Ruiz and Baez each face at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $10 million fine. Aguasvivas faces at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $5 million fine. The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police, Essex County District Attorney’s Office, North Andover Police Department, Billerica Police Department, Lowell Police Department, Haverhill Police Department, Methuen Police Department, Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of the Criminal Division is prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Pierre, South Dakota woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on May 14, 2025.
Heather Stahlhoefer, age 38, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1000 fine, as well as a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Stahlhoefer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. She pleaded guilty on March 10, 2025.
This conviction stemmed from a drug distribution conspiracy beginning in June 2023 and continuing until September 2024. Heather Stahlhoefer and co-defendant Misty Stahlhoefer were the source of supply to several other individuals in the Pierre area. The Stahlhoefers would acquire up to 1 pound of methamphetamine per trip to be further distributed by themselves and others including Whitney Marrowbone, Wendy Mealer, Brent Larvie, and David Rinehart. The conspiracy involved between 10,000 and 30,000 kilograms of converted drug weight, including 550 grams of pure methamphetamine that was recovered during a traffic stop of Heather Stahlhoefer.
Misty Stahlhoefer is scheduled to be sentenced July 14, 2025. Marrowbone, Mealer, Larvie and Reinhart were previously sentenced on May 5, 2025. Marrowbone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison; Mealer was sentenced to six years in federal prison; Larvie was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison; and Rinehart was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Dilges.
Stahlhoefer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Delaware, OH, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Champion Safe Company, a leading manufacturer of premium safes and wholly-owned subsidiary of American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB), America’s Patriotic Brand (americanrebel.com), proudly participated in the inaugural Buckeye Blast sporting clay fundraiser, held at Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, Ohio. The event benefited The Light Foundation, a nonprofit founded by former New England Patriots offensive tackle and Ohio native Matt Light.
As a sponsor of the event, Champion Safe donated one of its top-tier safes as the grand prize for the raffle drawing, helping raise funds to support the Foundation’s mission of empowering young people to reach their highest potential.
“We’re proud to support the Light Foundation and its mission to build stronger young leaders,” said Tom Mihalek, CEO of Champion Safe Company. “It was a privilege to contribute to such a meaningful event, and we’re thrilled that one of our safes could help generate excitement and support for a great cause.”
The Buckeye Blast brought together outdoor enthusiasts, community leaders, and supporters of youth development for a day of camaraderie and competition. The funds raised will help The Light Foundation continue its impactful leadership programs, outdoor camps, and mentorship initiatives.
Matt Light, who grew up in Greenville, Ohio, expressed his gratitude: “Having Champion Safe on board as a sponsor was a huge win for us. Their donation of a safe for the grand prize raffle added excitement to the event and helped us raise critical funds. It’s always great to see Ohio-based events supported by companies that share our values.”
The event was hosted at Black Wing Shooting Center, a premier firearms and training facility and a proud American Rebel safe dealer.
For more information about Champion Safe Company, visitchampionsafe.com. To learn more about The Light Foundation, visitmattlight72.com.
Champion Safe Company has been at the forefront of safe manufacturing for over 25 years, offering a range of high-quality safes designed for ultimate security and fire protection. With a commitment to craftsmanship and innovation, Champion Safes are trusted by homeowners, gun owners, and businesses across the nation. To learn more, visit: championsafe.com
About American Rebel Holdings, Inc.
American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB) has operated primarily as a designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded safes and personal security and self-defense products and has recently transitioned into the beverage industry through the introduction of American Rebel Beer. The Company also designs and produces branded apparel and accessories. To learn more, visit americanrebel.com and americanrebelbeer.com. For investor information, visit americanrebel.com/investor-relations.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. American Rebel Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: AREB; AREBW) (the “Company,” “American Rebel,” “we,” “our” or “us”) desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “forecasts” “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include benefits of participating in the event, actual revenues for fiscal 2025, our ability to effectively execute our business plan, and the Risk Factors contained within our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Amsterdam, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At a ceremony this afternoon, Svitlana Buriak was announced as the winner of the award for her publication titled “International Taxation of Global ValueNetworks“, published by IBFDDoctoral Series.
The ongoing discussions regarding the allocation of taxing rights between countries in the digital age have primarily centered around concepts such as permanent establishments (PE) and substantive economic presence. In her book, Svitlana Buriak addresses a crucial yet often overlooked aspect: the increasing trend of ‘servicification’ in the global economy. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, the author brings into focus the role of intangibles and non-equity modes of internationalization, shedding light on the challenges associated with the division of economic rent that arises from these developments. Overall, an eminently readable and thought-provoking work.
For these reasons, the jury concluded that the publication deserved to win the award, which was personally conferred by Rosa Vanistendael, the widow of Frans Vanistendael.
About the author
Dr. Svitlana Buriak is a tax advisor specializing in transfer pricing at Loyens & Loeff (Amsterdam), assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and director of the UvA Centre for Transfer Pricing and Income Allocation. With around 10 years of experience combining practice and policy-oriented academic work, Dr. Buriak focuses on addressing complex international tax and transfer pricing challenges through innovative and practical solutions. Her approach is grounded in legal research, economics, and policy considerations, taking into account evolving economic and business realities, as well as international relations, aiming to deliver legal analyses that are both legally sound and relevant in today’s global landscape.
Applications and Nominations are welcome for the 12th IBFD Frans Vanistendael Award 2026
Submissions are accepted until 31 December 2025 at ibfd.award@ibfd.org. Competition rules for 2026 will be available on the website as of next week. The 12th Frans Vanistendael Award will be conferred at IBFD’s headquarters in Amsterdam in May 2026.
About IBFD IBFD is a leading international provider of cross-border tax expertise, with a long-standing history of supporting and contributing to tax research and academic activities. As an independent foundation, IBFD utilizes its global network of tax experts and its Knowledge Centre to serve Fortune 500 companies, governments, international consultancy firms and tax advisers.
Quarter Driven by Focus on Deploying Capital into the Refurbished Apple Products Business and Prioritizing Financial Stability for Long-Term Growth
First quarter 2025 revenue growth of 25% to $9.9mn compared to $8.0mn for the prior year quarter, due to focus on refurbished apple products sales
First quarter 2025 operating loss of $1.4mn, a reduction of 55% compared to an operating loss of $3.2mn for the prior year quarter, due to lower SG&A and absence of restructuring and severance expenses in the first quarter of 2025
Easton, PA, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OCTO) (the “Company” or “Eightco”) today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025.
Paul Vassilakos, CEO of Eightco and President of Forever 8 Fund, LLC, the Company’s primary operating subsidiary (“Forever 8”), stated “In order to improve our cost structure to deliver long-term value to shareholders, we continue to reduce operating costs and address selling and administrative expenses. Our goal is to remain on this path to further support the Company’s growth as it continues to explore funding options.”
Mr. Vassilakos continued, “Our current operations provide the infrastructure to significantly scale revenues with a relatively modest increase in expenses. I continue to witness substantial progress within Eightco and believe our accomplishments provide a strong foundation to scale revenues rapidly. The demand for our inventory capital, especially in the refurbished apple products business, continues to underscore the value we believe we can bring to clients. We have now emerged from a transformative period, where I am confident in our ability to accelerate growth and drive sustained success for Eightco and our stakeholders.”
Financial Highlights and Commentary
Reallocation of capital back into the refurbished apple products business resulted in revenue growth. This also resulted in a reduction in gross margins from 8.2% for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 17.5% in the first quarter of 2024. The Company also saw a 28% decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses this quarter compared to the prior year quarter, which helped in improving operating losses of $1.4mn compared to a $3.2mn loss in the first quarter of 2024.
First quarter 2025 revenues of $9.9mn representing a 25% improvement on the first quarter 2024 revenue of $8.0mn
First quarter 2025 gross profit of $0.8mn compared to a gross profit $1.4mn in the first quarter of 2024
First quarter 2025 gross profit margin of 8.2%, compared to 17.5% in the first quarter of 2024, due to shift in product mix back into cell phones
A 55% improvement in operating losses, down to a $1.4mn loss in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a $3.2mn loss in the first quarter of 2024
First quarter 2025 SG&A of $2.2mn, down 29% from $3.1mn in the first quarter of 2024, as a result of continued streamlining and operating costs reduction across all areas of the business
First quarter 2025 net loss of $2.5mn compared to a net income of $1.9mn in the first quarter of 2024
First quarter 2025 Adjusted EBITDA loss from continuing operations of $0.8mn, compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss from continuing operations of $1.2mn for the first quarter of 2024
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2025
2024
Revenues, net
9,913,987
7,958,697
Cost of revenues
9,100,728
6,569,687
Gross profit
813,259
1,389,010
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative expenses
2,229,425
3,127,943
Restructuring and severance
–
1,414,838
Total operating expenses
2,229,425
4,542,781
Operating loss
-1,416,166
-3,153,771
Non-operating income (expense):
Interest income (expense), net
-1,288,804
-1,198,771
Gain on forgiveness of earnout
–
6,100,000
Other income
21,898
26,677
Total non-operating income (expense)
-1,266,906
4,927,906
Net income (loss) before income tax expense
-2,683,072
1,774,135
Income tax expense (benefit)
-28,793
–
Net income (loss) from continuing operations
-2,654,279
1,774,135
Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax
105,553
166,828
Net income (loss)
-2,548,725
1,940,963
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest
–
-12
Net income (loss) attributable to Eightco Holdings Inc.
-2,548,725
1,940,975
For the Three Months Ended
March 31,
2025
2024
Net income (loss)
(2,654,279
)
1,774,135
Interest (income) expense, net
1,288,804
1,198,771
Gain on forgiveness of interest
–
–
Income tax expense
-28,793
–
Depreciation and amortization
574,642
556,299
EBITDA
(819,626
)
3,529,205
Stock-based compensation
0
0
Loss on issuance of warrants
–
–
Restructuring
1,414,838
Gain on extinguishment of liabilities
–
-6,100,000
Adjusted EBITDA
(819,626
)
(1,155,957
)
Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP performance measures. Management believes EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, in addition to operating profit, net (loss) income and other GAAP measures, are useful to investors to evaluate the Company’s results because they exclude certain items that are not directly related to the Company’s core operating performance. Investors should recognize that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA might not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies. These measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures used in this press release are included in the table below. Because GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are not accessible, and reconciling information is not available without unreasonable effort, we have not provided reconciliations for forward-looking non-GAAP measures. Items excluded to arrive at forward-looking non-GAAP measures may have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future GAAP results.
A reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measure in accordance with SEC Regulation G as above.
About Eightco
Eightco (NASDAQ: OCTO) is committed to growth of its subsidiaries, made up of Forever 8, an inventory capital and management platform for e-commerce sellers, and Ferguson Containers, Inc., a provider of complete manufacturing and logistical solutions for product and packaging needs, through strategic management and investment. In addition, the Company is actively seeking new opportunities to add to its portfolio of technology solutions focused on the e-commerce ecosystem through strategic acquisitions. Through a combination of innovative strategies and focused execution, Eightco aims to create significant value and growth for its portfolio companies and stockholders.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward looking. Words such as “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “expand,” “advance,” “develop” “believes,” “guidance,” “target,” “may,” “remain,” “project,” “outlook,” “intend,” “estimate,” “could,” “should,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: Eightco’s ability to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements; unexpected costs, charges or expenses that reduce Eightco’s capital resources; Eightco’s inability to raise adequate capital to fund its business; Eightco’s inability to innovate and attract users for Eightco’s products; future legislation and rulemaking negatively impacting digital assets; and shifting public and governmental positions on digital asset mining activity. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Eightco’s actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, see Eightco’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2025. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Eightco undertakes no duty to update this information or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.
New York, NY, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mercurity Fintech Holding Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our company,” or “MFH”) (NASDAQ: MFH), a digital fintech group, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Chaince Securities, Inc. (“Chaince Securities”), has secured a new engagement to serve as corporate advisor for a prominent Asia-Pacific healthcare company seeking strategic access to U.S. capital markets.
Growing Cross-Border Advisory Practice
Chaince Securities leverages its expertise in executing complex cross-border transactions for international companies seeking to access the U.S. capital market. This corporate advisory engagement reflects Chaince Securities’ commitment to cross-border advisory mandates.
Cross-Border Business Advisory Service Capabilities
Chaince Securities offers comprehensive cross-border business advisory services, such as:
Strategic planning and execution support for the listing process
U.S. regulatory and exchange compliance coordination
Capital market positioning and investor outreach
Coordination with legal, auditing, and underwriting teams to support a seamless listing process
“We are honored to serve as a trusted cross-border advisor in this important transaction,” said Shi Qiu, CEO of Mercurity Fintech Holding. “This mandate demonstrates the strength of our advisory platform and validates our commitment to supporting innovative companies as they expand their footprint into U.S. capital markets. Our growing track record establishes Chaince Securities as the go-to partner for Asian companies seeking strategic access to U.S. investors and capital.”
About Mercurity Fintech Holding Inc.
Mercurity Fintech Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: MFH) is a fintech group powered by blockchain infrastructure, offering technology and financial services. Through its subsidiaries including Chaince Securities, LLC, MFH aims to bridge traditional finance and digital innovation, offering services spanning digital assets, financial advisory, and capital markets solutions.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.
Solve for Tomorrow 2025: Nudging young minds to see problems as opportunities and innovation as a way of life
A quiet revolution is underway. With Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Season 4 in full swing, India’s youth is rising to the challenge with ideas that aim to transform lives, communities, and the country.
After a successful launch earlier this year, the programme has now entered a dynamic phase: Design Thinking Workshops for school students and Open House sessions for college innovators. These events are not just about learning, they are about sparking a mindset shift, nudging young minds to see problems as opportunities and innovation as a way of life.
With roadshows already underway in nine cities – New Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ranchi and Sonepat, the excitement is palpable. Thousands of students from 20 schools and colleges have participated so far. And this is just the beginning. Samsung plans to take this initiative to every corner of India, including the North East.
“Solve for Tomorrow is important because it gives students the tools and mindset to identify real problems around them and create practical, innovative solutions, something traditional classrooms often miss,” said Dr. Ashish Dwivedi, a faculty member at O.P. Jindal Global University, which recently hosted a Design Thinking Open House.
At the university, curious students spent the day immersed in the design thinking process. The energy in the room was electric. Ideas were born, problems dissected, and visions shared. The students emerged inspired, transformed, and ready to take on the world.
“It helped turn a vague idea into a clearer, actionable solution,” said Aditya Naresh, a student at O.P. Jindal Global University.
Similarly, another student, Riddhima Sharma said that she learnt how to work in a team and listen to different perspectives while solving a problem.
In schools, the Design Thinking Workshops from Samsung left an equally indelible mark.
Young minds at work during a Design Thinking Workshop at a school
“The workshop conducted by Samsung and FITT-IIT Delhi has been really insightful,” said Surbhi, a teacher at ITL Public School, Delhi. “Many students from the first batch have already approached me for help with the application process.”
At Mother’s Mary School in Delhi, the girls of Classes 9 and 10 are dreaming big.
Aanya, for instance, wants to build an AI-powered app to help design sustainable homes, while Kritika is working on an eco-friendly Kindle to replace school textbooks. Interestingly, Kriti, a Class 12 student, is exploring safer menstrual products to prevent cervical cancer, all under Solve for Tomorrow’s key themes.
The passion to solve and lead, is just about as fierce among college students.
“There are many problems in the world but very few solvers,” said R. Deepika, a Business Analytics student at University of Hyderabad. “This workshop made me want to be one of them.”
“It’s helped me figure out how to build a startup and chalk out my ideas better,” said Sawan Kesari from the BA programme at University of Hyderabad. “I want to improve diagnostic services in rural India through telemedicine.”
With roadshows already underway in nine cities, the excitement is palpable as students queue up to apply for Solve for Tomorrow 2025
The clarity and purpose with which these students are identifying community problems is nothing short of inspiring. Whether it’s Aditya’s mission to make clean drinking water accessible in rural areas, Riddhima’s drive to tackle plastic waste, Prerna’s dream of assistive devices for visually impaired students, every idea echoes the larger purpose of Solve for Tomorrow, to empower the next generation of changemakers.
“Our students are eager to connect with mentors and experts through Solve for Tomorrow to bring their ideas to life.” said Poonam Verma, Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.
The application window for the initiative will be open till June 30, 2025.
After the initial application phase, the top 100 teams will be chosen, with 25 teams selected from each of the themes. At this stage, participants will undergo online training led by thematic experts, followed by a video pitch round where 40 teams will be shortlisted – 10 teams from each theme.
With thousands of students now engaged and more joining each week, Solve for Tomorrow is no longer just a competition, it’s a national innovation movement.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex
Over three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the countries are finally meeting for direct peace talks in Istanbul. Vladimir Putin will be not be attending.
Ironically, given his no-show, it was Putin who suggested the peace talks instead of immediately agreeing to a proposed 30-day ceasefire. But like Russia’s 2024 presidential elections, from the outside the peace talks appear to be a total farce. Putin is not just stringing the international community along, he is also testing his “friendship” with the US president, Donald Trump.
Trump ran on a platform that he would he end the war in Ukraine quickly (in 24 hours), arguing that he was the only one with the gravitas and strength to handle the Russian leader. Yet Putin has repeatedly ignored Trump’s warnings.
Two days after Trump was inaugurated, the US president posted that new sanctions would be imposed on Russia if the conflict did not end quickly. Then in early and late March, Trump again threatened sanctions if there was no ceasefire. Most recently, on May 8, Trump called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, warning that violations would be met with sanctions.
Putin disregarded every threat, and Trump did nothing to follow through. The pattern seems to be repeating itself.
Now, Trump is trying to save face by claiming that peace talks are only possible if he and Putin meet in person. If that was the case, why didn’t Trump himself attend? He was only a four-hour plane flight away, making billion dollar deals in the Gulf. But as recently as Thursday, Trump floated the idea that he would only attend if “something happened”.
Given how important these peace talks should be, it’s odd that there’s so much confusion about why Putin and Trump are not attending. US special envoy Keith Kellogg stated that if Putin had attended, Trump would be there. Trump, meanwhile, has framed Putin’s snub the other way around, claiming the only reason Putin did not attend was because he was not there.
Meanwhile, Europeans had warned Putin that if he did not attend and the talks failed to produce a ceasefire, he would face tougher sanctions. But Putin was never going to attend these peace talks even as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, goaded him to do so by arriving in Ankara a few days ahead of time.
What could still happen?
Representatives from the Turkish, Ukrainian and American delegations were due to meet on the morning of May 16, followed by a session with Russia. Reportedly, Turkey is doing everything it can to get the two sides in the same room.
But hopes are not high for any breakthrough. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he has no expectations, and Zelensky believes Russia is not serious about achieving anything at these talks.
Though Putin was the one who suggested the peace talks “without preconditions”, he has sent a low-level delegation. Zelensksy promised to attend if Putin did, but has interpreted the Russian president’s absence as a sign of disrespect.
Given this backdrop, what can be achieved? Putin has sent his aide (and former minister of culture) Vladimir Medinsky, who Zelensky describes as a “theatre prop”. In Zelensky’s place, the Ukrainian delegation is led by Kyiv’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov.
Umerov has an impossible task, but will be trying to use the peace talks to take the first steps towards de-escalation. The only real winner in these talks is Turkey, which is playing a much bigger role than expected on the international stage as a power broker and mediator, since Putin didn’t come. Turkey also has good relationships with both Putin and Zelensky.
It’s certainly hard to take peace talks seriously when there is an awkward back-and-forth just about who is going to attend. And while Trump thinks peace is only possible through bilateral meetings between himself and Putin, it’s clear he can’t even influence Putin to show up to peace talks that the Russian president himself suggested.
This should give the world little confidence that Putin will agree to a 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine’s main proposal, let alone ever agree to any wider concessions. What’s not clear is what Trump is going to do about it.
Natasha Lindstaedt 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.
An attempt to make assisted dying legal in England in Wales continues to make its way through parliament, with MPs currently scheduled to have a final vote on the bill in June.
The bill has sparked both passionate support and strong opposition, raising vital questions: how would such a law work in practice? Who would deliver it? And what would it cost?
While much attention has focused mostly on the ethics of assisted dying, the government’s recently published impact assessment looks at the practical side and it deserves closer attention.
Of course, we shouldn’t base a decision about life and death solely on financial or logistical grounds. But if assisted dying is to become part of the law in England and Wales, we need to understand how it would work in reality. The report highlights a number of key challenges:
1. The medication question
The assessment draws mainly on data from 11 other jurisdictions, especially Oregon, where assisted dying has been legal for years. It found that the drugs used can lead to prolonged and unpredictable deaths, in part due to inconsistent drug availability.
However, the report doesn’t compare this to Switzerland, where assisted dying must be self-administered and is tightly regulated. There, a single barbiturate is typically used, leading to death within two to ten minutes depending on whether it’s taken orally or via injection. This raises questions about what kind of medications would be used in the UK and how reliably they would work.
2. Opt-outs: who will deliver the service?
Experience from countries like Canada shows that most doctors opt out of providing assisted dying. In Canada, over 5,000 assisted deaths were carried out by just 80 people. Similarly, in the US and New Zealand, entire institutions – especially palliative care services – have opted out.
Kim Leadbeater, the MP sponsoring the bill, has confirmed that it would not oblige hospices to participate. While this protects individual conscience, it may leave patients struggling to find willing clinicians or being discharged home to die.
3. Can the NHS cope with a new service?
The bill assumes the NHS would be responsible for delivering assisted dying. But is the system ready?
Switzerland uses volunteer doctors outside the healthcare system, which may be more sustainable. In the UK, oversight is expected to come from a panel including a senior judge or lawyer, a psychiatrist and a social worker.
However, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has raised serious concerns, both about the role psychiatrists would play and whether there are enough professionals to fulfil that role. The RCP currently opposes the bill.
4. Funding: a two-tier system?
The impact assessment suggests assisted dying would be free at the point of delivery. Yet palliative care – the alternative end-of-life support – often receives less than 40% government funding, relying heavily on charity.
Could this create a two-tier system, where assisted dying is fully funded while palliative care remains under resourced?
5. Legal costs and challenges
If passed, the bill could trigger human rights challenges, particularly around mental capacity and access. Legal experts suggest several grounds on which it might be contested and these cases would need to be defended, incurring additional costs.
Families might also seek judicial review of a panel’s decision to permit a request for assisted dying. And public protests outside clinics or hospitals offering the service could require increased policing and security – all of which have financial and social implications.
This bill tackles one of the most morally sensitive issues in society. But if it is to succeed, and be implemented safely, it must be built on more than good intentions.
The government’s impact assessment lays out the many practical hurdles: medication protocols, workforce readiness, conscientious objection, legal protections, and funding disparities. These aren’t technicalities. They’re the framework that would determine whether assisted dying is accessible, safe and ethically delivered.
As the bill progresses, the debate must move beyond principle alone. The future of this legislation – and its real world impact – will depend on how well we address these deeply human, and deeply complex, practicalities.
Suzanne Ost has previously received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy for research that she has conducted.
Nancy Preston receives funding from Horizon Europe but not for her work on assisted dying. She is affiliated with European Association of Palliative Care where she Co-Chairs the Task Force on the role of palliative care professionals in supporting patients and families considering assisted dying.
Researchers have long know that environmental factors, such as air pollution and lack of green spaces, are linked to respiratory diseases such as asthma. But the joint impact of these various environmental factors on a person’s risk of developing asthma has, until now, remained unclear.
Our study is the first to reveal the joint impact of multiple environmental factors in urban areas, known as the urban exposome, on the risk of developing asthma. We found that air pollution, lack of green space and areas built primarily from concrete and asphalt are linked with significantly greater risk of developing the condition.
To conduct our study, we analysed data from 349,037 participants from across 14 cohorts in Europe. Participants ranged in age from birth to 70 years old.
We also linked three major external environmental factors – air pollution, the built-up environment (such as the amount of green space a person had access to or the amount of artificial light they were exposed to at night) and ambient temperature – to participants’ home addresses at the beginning of the study.
Participants were then grouped based on their exposure levels to the three major environmental factors. This allowed us to examine how exposure was linked to the onset of asthma and also calculate what a person’s risk of developing asthma would be if exposed to these environmental conditions.
We also accounted for factors that might have affected the results, such as a person’s age, sex, ethnic background, weight, socioeconomic status and whether they smoked (or were exposed to smoke).
We found that adults living in areas with high levels of air pollution had a 13% higher risk of developing asthma compared to people living in low pollution areas. Children living in high pollution areas had an 18% greater risk of developing asthma.
Adults living in areas that lacked green space had a 15% greater risk of developing asthma, while children had a 38% greater risk.
But one of the most significant findings of our study was just how much joint exposure to these environmental factors contributed to new asthma cases in both children and adults.
Three aspects of urban environments have a major influence of asthma risk. Holiday62/ Shutterstock
We found that the most hazardous urban environments were those characterised by high levels of air pollution, limited access to green spaces and those that were built primarily from concrete and asphalt. This increased an adult’s risk of asthma by 27% and a child’s risk of asthma by 35%.
Even areas without high levels of air pollution, but which were built primarily from concrete and asphalt and lacked green spaces, increased asthma risk by as much as 36%.
Urban planning and asthma risk
Our findings are generally consistent with what previous studies have found on the effects of urban environments, air pollution and green space on asthma risk. However, our study is the first to look at asthma incidence in both adults and children.
It’s also the first study to cover the entire life-course and illustrate how multiple aspects of the urban exposome affect asthma incidence in all age groups.
It underscores the critical role that urban environments play in shaping respiratory health. We calculated that a significant proportion of asthma cases – almost 12% – could be directly attributed to urban environments.
Exposure to a combination of air pollution, poor urban planning and extreme temperatures are a significant driver of asthma risk across a person’s lifespan.
With more people moving to cities every year, it’s essential that we rethink how we design and manage urban spaces to prioritise health and wellbeing. Cities can help prevent asthma and improve quality of life by introducing policies that aim to reduce air pollution, expand green spaces and design infrastructure that is more resilient to extreme temperatures.
Zhebin Yu receives funding from Swedish Research Council and Swedish Research Council for Health, Well-being and Welfare.
Erik Melen receives funding from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and Region Stockholm. Melen has also received advisory board or lecture fees from ALK, AstraZeneca, Chiesi and Sanofi outside the present study.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Forno, Teaching Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and Assistant Director, UMBC Cybersecurity Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Reports that prominent American national security officials used a freely available encrypted messaging app, coupled with the rise of authoritarian policies around the world, have led to a surge in interest in encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp. These apps prevent anyone, including the government and the app companies themselves, from reading messages they intercept.
The spotlight on encrypted apps is also a reminder of the complex debate pitting government interests against individual liberties. Governments desire to monitor everyday communications for law enforcement, national security and sometimes darker purposes. On the other hand, citizens and businesses claim the right to enjoy private digital discussions in today’s online world.
The positions governments take often are framed as a “war on encryption” by technology policy experts and civil liberties advocates. As a cybersecurity researcher, I’ve followed the debate for nearly 30 years and remain convinced that this is not a fight that governments can easily win.
Understanding the ‘golden key’
Traditionally, strong encryption capabilities were considered military technologies crucial to national security and not available to the public. However, in 1991, computer scientist Phil Zimmermann released a new type of encryption software called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). It was free, open-source software available on the internet that anyone could download. PGP allowed people to exchange email and files securely, accessible only to those with the shared decryption key, in ways similar to highly secured government systems.
Following an investigation into Zimmermann, the U.S. government came to realize that technology develops faster than law and began to explore remedies. It also began to understand that once something is placed on the internet, neither laws nor policy can control its global availability.
Fearing that terrorists or criminals might use such technology to plan attacks, arrange financing or recruit members, the Clinton administration advocated a system called the Clipper Chip, based on a concept of key escrow. The idea was to give a trusted third party access to the encryption system and the government could use that access when it demonstrated a law enforcement or national security need.
End-to-end encryption and backdoor access explained.
Clipper was based on the idea of a “golden key,” namely, a way for those with good intentions – intelligence services, police – to access encrypted data, while keeping people with bad intentions – criminals, terrorists – out.
Clipper Chip devices never gained traction outside the U.S. government, in part because its encryption algorithm was classified and couldn’t be publicly peer-reviewed. However, in the years since, governments around the world have continued to embrace the golden key concept as they grapple with the constant stream of technology developments reshaping how people access and share information.
Following Edward Snowden’s disclosures about global surveillance of digital communications in 2013, Google and Apple took steps to make it virtually impossible for anyone but an authorized user to access data on a smartphone. Even a court order was ineffective, much to the chagrin of law enforcement. In Apple’s case, the company’s approach to privacy and security was tested in 2016 when the company refused to build a mechanism to help the FBI break into an encrypted iPhone owned by a suspect in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
At its core, encryption is, fundamentally, very complicated math. And while the golden key concept continues to hold allure for governments, it is mathematically difficult to achieve with an acceptable degree of trust. And even if it was viable, implementing it in practice makes the internet less safe. Security experts agree that any backdoor access, even if hidden or controlled by a trusted entity, is vulnerable to hacking.
For example, rather than embrace a technical golden key, a recent proposal in France would have provided the government the ability to add a hidden “ghost” participant to any encrypted chat for surveillance purposes. However, legislators removed this from the final proposal after civil liberties and cybersecurity experts warned that such an approach would undermine basic cybersecurity practices and trust in secure systems.
In 2025, the U.K. government secretly ordered Apple to add a backdoor to its encryption services worldwide. Rather than comply, Apple removed the ability for its iPhone and iCloud customers in the U.K. to use its Advanced Data Protection encryption features. In this case, Apple chose to defend its users’ security in the face of government mandates, which ironically now means that users in the U.K. may be less secure.
Apple pulled its advanced encryption service from the U.K. market rather than grant the U.K. government backdoor access.
In the United States, provisions removed from the 2020 EARN IT bill would have forced companies to scan online messages and photos to guard against child exploitation by creating a golden-key-type hidden backdoor. Opponents viewed this as a stealth way of bypassing end-to-end encryption. The bill did not advance to a full vote when it was last reintroduced in the 2023-2024 legislative session.
Opposing scanning for child sexual abuse material is a controversial concern when encryption is involved: Although Apple received significant public backlash over its plans to scan user devices for such material in ways that users claimed violated Apple’s privacy stance, victims of child abuse have sued the company for not better protecting children.
Even privacy-centric Switzerland and the European Union are exploring ways of dealing with digital surveillance and privacy in an encrypted world.
The laws of math and physics, not politics
Governments usually claim that weakening encryption is necessary to fight crime and protect the nation – and there is a valid concern there. However, when that argument fails to win the day, they often turn to claiming to need backdoors to protect children from exploitation.
From a cybersecurity perspective, it is nearly impossible to create a backdoor to a communications product that is only accessible for certain purposes or under certain conditions. If a passageway exists, it’s only a matter of time before it is exploited for nefarious purposes. In other words, creating what is essentially a software vulnerability to help the good guys will inevitably end up helping the bad guys, too.
Often overlooked in this debate is that if encryption is weakened to improve surveillance for governmental purposes, it will drive criminals and terrorists further underground. Using different or homegrown technologies, they will still be able to exchange information in ways that governments can’t readily access. But everyone else’s digital security will be needlessly diminished.
Encryption obeys the laws of math and physics, not politics. Once invented, it can’t be un-invented, even if it frustrates governments. Along those lines, if governments are struggling with strong encryption now, how will they contend with a world when everyone is using significantly more complex techniques like quantum cryptography?
Governments remain in an unenviable position regarding strong encryption. Ironically, one of the countermeasures the government recommended in response to China’s hacking of global telephone systems in the Salt Typhoon attacks was to use strong encryption in messaging apps such as Signal or iMessage.
Reconciling that with their ongoing quest to weaken or restrict strong encryption for their own surveillance interests will be a difficult challenge to overcome.
Richard Forno has received research funding related to cybersecurity from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the US Army during his academic career since 2010.
Eating a placenta may not give you the health benefits some people want you to believe it has, but using it as a bandage might.
The placenta is an organ created during pregnancy that provides nutrients to a growing fetus through an umbilical cord. It’s usually large and relatively flat, composed of blood vessels, stem and immune cells, and collagen. It doesn’t look particularly appetizing to most people, and those who have eaten placentas often mention an unpleasant taste or smell.
But in the early 2000s, the practice of mothers eating their placenta after childbirth, claiming health benefits and mood improvement, gained mainstream attention. This trend typically involves putting your placenta into capsules you can take as pills, and there are even companies selling custom-made and do-it-yourself products online.
While some mammals may eat their own placentas due to limited nutritional resources in the wild, the benefits people might get from eating placentas is unclear.
If boiled and dehydrated, the useful components of the placenta may be altered and reduced. If ingested raw, pathogens may remain on the surface of the placenta. In 2016, after a newborn was hospitalized multiple times from an infection potentially resulting from the mother ingesting her placenta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended mothers avoid taking placenta pills.
I can’t personally speak to the taste of placentas. However, as a bioengineer who designs materials to regenerate injured bones and other tissues, I along with my colleagues have uncovered a much clearer picture of the benefits placentas can offer as a biomaterial to repair wounds – if used properly.
Biomaterials are materials designed to interface with your body to repair damage. If you burned your skin, for example, your doctor may use a biomaterial such as a skin graft to help your body repair the damaged tissue, ideally providing nutrients to the damaged area to promote cell growth.
Researchers have been exploring recycling placentas, which are often thrown away after delivery, as a type of biomaterial to regrow wounded tissue in patients. Because the placenta is rich in nutrients and stem cells that give it antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative properties, this organ is a particularly good candidate for medical applications.
Your body normally responds to a wound with inflammation, which is an immune reaction that clears harmful stimuli and pathogens, often resulting in swelling and pain around the injury site.
Unfortunately, sometimes this inflammatory process can get out of hand and lead to chronic wounds and prevent healing. But the active biomolecules within the placenta work withyour immune system to promote repair by reducing inflammation and preventing scar formation.
For example, chronic diabetic foot ulcers are a challenging injury that sometimes never closes and leads to foot amputation. Researchers found that using biomaterials made of parts of the placenta to treat these injuries resulted in a wound closure rate 6.24 times higher than conventional treatments. Researchers have also found that placenta-based biomaterials can reduce scarring after heart injury.
I have used human placentas in my own research to study how they work in a variety of wound repair scenarios. I can take a volunteer patient’s donated placenta and remove factors that may negatively affect healing, such as all cells, blood and other components that may cause inflammation. Then I can take the material that’s left – primarily containing essential growth nutrients and the tissue foundation that cells used to live in – and use it to improvebone ortendon repair.
Moreover, placentas contain stem cells that can also be useful for medicine. These cells are able to turn into various other types of cells of your body. This can be particularly helpful for repairing organs that are difficult to directly harvest cells from, such as the heart, liver and nerves. For example, placental stem cells can be added to an injured heart and become heart cells themselves to aid in repair.
So placentas do have some clear health benefits. But why are they more useful as a biomaterial bandage than as a pill or food, taste considerations aside?
Unlike placenta products that are ingested – pills, dried jerky or raw placenta – biomaterials have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they are safe and effective. They are processed and handled in a controlled laboratory environment and often sterilized to ensure no bacteria or other pathogens can enter the patient. The Food and Drug Administration has approved several placenta-based biomaterials for use in the clinic, including to treat diabetic foot wounds, surgical wounds and tissue replacement.
In contrast, placentas and placenta products eaten at home may not receive proper treatment to kill the many harmful pathogens that may be present during transport. The processing to turn placentas into something ingestible may also damage their beneficial components, leading to increased health risks and reduced benefits. No ingested placenta products have received FDA approval to date.
Eating placentas won’t make you any healthier. But science says applying a lab-processed, placenta-based biomaterial to a recent wound might speed up healing and result in smoother, scar-free skin.
Marley Dewey receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
So far in 2025, lunar exploration has surged forward. Several notable missions have launched toward or landed on the Moon. Each has navigated the long journey through space and the even trickier descent to the Moon’s surface or into orbit with varying degrees of success. Together, these missions reflect both the promise and difficulty of returning to the Moon in this new space race defined by innovation, competition and collaboration.
Lunar exploration remains one of the most technically demanding frontiers in modern spaceflight. Choosing a landing site involves complex trade-offs between scientific interest, terrain safety and Sun exposure.
They also need to carefully plan the spacecraft’s path so that it arrives at the right angle and speed for a safe approach. Even small miscalculations early on can lead to major errors in landing location – or a missed opportunity entirely.
Once on the surface, the landers need to survive extreme swings in temperature – from highs over 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius) in daylight down to lows of -208 F (-133 C) at night – as well as dust, radiation and delayed communication with Earth. The spacecraft’s power systems, heat control, landing legs and communication links must all function perfectly. Meanwhile, these landers must avoid hazardous terrain and rely on sunlight to power their instruments and recharge their batteries.
Commercial companies face the same technical hurdles as government agencies but often with tighter budgets, smaller teams and less heritage hardware. Unlike government missions, which can draw on decades of institutional experience and infrastructure, many commercial lunar efforts are navigating these challenges for the first time.
Successful landings and hard lessons for CLPS
Several lunar missions launched this year belong to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. CLPS is an initiative that contracts private companies to deliver science and technology payloads to the Moon. Its aim is to accelerate exploration while lowering costs and encouraging commercial innovation.
An artist’s rendering of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which navigated and avoided hazards during its final descent to the surface. NASA/GSFC/Rani Gran/Wikimedia Commons
The lander survived the harsh lunar day and transmitted data for nearly two weeks before losing power during the freezing lunar night – a typical operational limit for most unheated lunar landers.
The second CLPS launch of the year, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, launched in late February. It targeted a scientifically intriguing site near the Moon’s south pole region.
An artist’s rendering of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to land near the lunar south pole for in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon. NASA/Intuitive Machines
While Athena’s tipped-over landing meant it couldn’t do all the scientific explorations it had planned, the data it returned is still valuable for understanding how future landers can avoid similar fates on the rugged polar terrain.
Not all lunar missions need to land. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, a small lunar orbiter launched in February alongside IM-2, was intended to orbit the Moon and map the form, abundance and distribution of water in the form of ice, especially in shadowed craters near the poles.
Shortly after launch, however, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft. Engineers suspect the spacecraft may have experienced a power issue, potentially leaving its batteries depleted.
NASA is continuing recovery efforts, hoping that the spacecraft’s solar panels may recharge in May and June.
An artist’s rendering of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft. If recovered, it will orbit the Moon to measure the form and distribution of water on the lunar surface. Lockheed Martin Space
The lander carried out a successful flyby of the Moon on Feb. 15, with an expected landing in early June. Although launched at the same time, Resilience took a longer trajectory than Blue Ghost to save energy. This maneuver also allowed the spacecraft to collect bonus science observations while looping around the Moon.
The Resilience lunar lander days before its launch in the payload processing facility at the U.S. Space Force station. The Resilience lander has completed its Earth orbit and a lunar flyby. It is now completing a low-energy transfer orbit and entering an orbit around the Moon. Business Wire
The rest of 2025 promises a busy lunar calendar. Intuitive Machines plans to launch IM-3 in late 2025 to test more advanced instruments and potentially deliver NASA scientific experiments to the Moon.
The European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder will establish a dedicated lunar communications satellite, making it easier for future missions, especially those operating on the far side or poles, to stay in touch with Earth.
Together, these missions represent an increasingly international and commercial approach to lunar science and exploration.
As the world turns its attention to the Moon, every mission – whether triumph or setback – brings humanity closer to a permanent return to our closest celestial neighbor.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
It is more imperative than ever that all countries maintain openness and cooperation to address global economic risks, and an open China will always be an opportunity for the world, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2025, a U.N. report released on Thursday.
The report said that heightened trade tensions, along with policy uncertainty, have significantly weakened the global economic outlook for 2025, and global economic growth and global trade growth are projected to slow to 2.4 percent and 1.6 percent respectively this year.
Lin said all countries should safeguard the multilateral trading system and international economic and trade rules, and maintain an open and cooperative international environment to achieve sustained development and common prosperity.
China has always adhered to high-level opening-up, and maintained transparent, stable and predictable policy environment, Lin said, noting that the country is committed to providing a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized for international enterprises.
“We are committed to sharing our own super-large market with the world and promoting a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization,” he said.
Got a question about Carbon Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS) and the technology involved? Experts answer some of the most common questions here.
How does CCUS work?
Olivia Powis, CEO at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, says:
Carbon Capture, Usage, and Storage (CCUS) is essential for reducing emissions from heavy industries. It can also be used to generate low-carbon power by gas power stations with carbon capture and storage as well as enabling hydrogen power. These sources of power are important for when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing.
This low carbon technology captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial facilities, compresses it, and then transports it by pipeline or ship for utilisation or safe and permanent storage deep under the seabed, preventing the CO2 from entering the atmosphere. The CO2 is stored in porous rocks – in old oil fields, gas fields, or saline formation – that act like a sponge and are covered by layers of trapping mechanisms such as impermeable ‘caprock’ – ensuring safe and permanent storage. The CO2 is then monitored to make sure that its stored securely.
Is CCUS a proven technology?
Professor Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Carbon Capture and Storage at University of Edinburgh, says:
Yes, carbon capture and storage has been operating successfully and safely since 1996 at the Sleipner storage site in the North Sea, halfway between Aberdeen and Bergen. A similar project has been developed at Snøhvit offshore in Norway. Experience gained in those operations has led to the Northern Lights project, situated north of Bergen which offers secure CO2 storage commercially to European industries.
Is CCUS safe?
Professor Niall Mac Dowell, Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at Imperial College London, says:
Yes, various technical components of the carbon capture, utilisation, transport, and storage value chain have all been extensively deployed in other contexts around the world for decades. In the UK, not only can existing Health and Safety legislation effectively regulate the safety of CCUS, but we are also fortunate to have a wealth of experience in the offshore industry, which will be used to safely store the CO2 several kilometres below the seabed, in formations similar to those that have trapped natural gas for millennia.
Does CCUS help us tackle climate change?
Chris Stark, former CEO at the Climate Change Committee and Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030 at the Department of Energy Security & Net Zero, says:
CCUS provides the lowest cost pathway to reaching net zero which is why the independent Climate Change Committee has declared it a ‘necessity, not an option.’ CCUS gives a range of options to decarbonise that would otherwise not be possible, and it minimises the climate warming emissions released to the atmosphere on our journey to net zero. It will be an important part of our industrial future.
With an increase in renewable energy, why do we need CCUS?
Louise Stott, Deputy Director for Policy at Energy UK, says:
To help secure our energy supply, we need low-carbon power that is available at all times of the day and in all weathers. Gas-fired power stations with CCUS, used alongside all other forms of low-carbon energy generation, will be able to provide flexible power on the system. Beyond power generation, CCUS will also play an important role in the decarbonisation of heavy industry. There are certain industrial processes, such as cement production, which will only be able to decarbonise through technologies like carbon capture.
Is CCUS too expensive?
Mathilde Fajardy, Energy Analyst at the International Energy Agency, says:
CCUS technologies are critical to put energy systems around the world on a sustainable path. The cost of a project depends heavily on the source of the CO2 captured, the distance and mode used to transport it, as well as where and how it is stored. The cost of CCUS also needs to be considered against alternative decarbonisation options – in some cases, CCUS may be the only option available today.
Is there enough space to safely store carbon captured by CCUS projects?
Stuart Payne, CEO at the North Sea Transition Authority, says:
The North Sea has the potential to store up to 78 GT of CO2 in a combination of depleted oil and gas reservoirs and natural saline aquifers. That could be enough capacity on the UK Continental Shelf to store centuries worth of UK emissions. In fact, we believe we have an exceptional case for the UK to become a carbon storage centre for the world.
BISHKEK – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, through the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), will provide nutritious school meals to more than 100,000 children in the Kyrgyz Republic. This marks CIDCA’s first multilateral initiative in the country and in Central Asia through its Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund.
To launch this initiative, a handover ceremony was held yesterday at the #86 School in Osh province in the south of the country, with the Ambassador of China in the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Liu Jiangping, the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh region, Ilyas Tashbaev and the WFP Representative and Country Director in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kojiro Nakai.
“As a strategic partner of the Kyrgyz Republic, China has been supporting the country through bilateral channels, improving infrastructure and other sectors,” said H.E. Liu Jiangping, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kyrgyz Republic. “The support from CIDCA aims to enhance the National School Meals Programme via multilateral channels, which will complement China’s existing large-scale assistance and set a good example for South-South cooperation initiative.”
In 2025, 1,700 metric tons of fortified wheat flour, vegetable oil, rice and lentils will be delivered to 300 schools across Osh, Jalal-Abad and Batken provinces. WFP and the Ministry of Education and Science selected these schools based on poverty levels and nutritional needs.
“WFP is grateful for this new contribution from the Government of China. This support will help address the serious micronutrient deficiencies affecting primary school children in three provinces. WFP remains committed to strengthening the school meals programme and contributing to the growth of a healthy and successful young generation,” said Kojiro Nakai, WFP Representative and Country Director.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science and supported by WFP, the National School Meals Programme has already introduced nutritious meals in 920 schools across the country, with support from various donors. Each year, WFP not only supplies food but also upgrades school kitchen infrastructure, provides catering equipment and trains cooks to ensure the safe and nutritious preparation of meals.
Together, the Ministry of Education and Science, WFP, and their partners remain committed to further improving the National School Meals Programme, nourishing children for a healthier and brighter future.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
The health sector is increasingly engaged in responding to and mitigating violence against women as a public health problem that has serious health consequences for women and their children.
Thirty years since the landmark Beijing Platform for Action on Women provided a roadmap toward equality and empowerment for women, more than 160 countries have at least one national survey on prevalence of violence against women. This allows monitoring of progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.2, to eliminate all forms of violence.
In 2016, the World Health Assembly endorsed the WHO Global Plan of Action to strengthen the health system, within a multisectoral response, in addressing interpersonal violence against women and girls and children. The plan emphasizes a public health approach, integration of violence prevention and response into essential health services, and strengthening linkages with multisectoral efforts on gender equality, human rights and sustainable development.
This plan aimed to support Member States to operationalize Resolution WHA67.15 (2014), Strengthening the role of the health system in addressing violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children, in four areas:
strengthening leadership and governance of the health sector through laws, policies and protocols;
strengthening comprehensive service delivery and capacities of the health sector;
fostering evidence-based prevention; and
improving monitoring, surveillance and evidence to end violence against women.
A newly released Violence against Women in Health Policies Database tracks progress made by countries towards commitments made in this global plan. Data from 200 countries across 48 indicators shows increasing integration of the prevention of and response to violence against women and girls in national health strategies and policies. More countries are training health workers in survivor-centred clinical care for intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence and adopting standardized protocols, while access to and quality of quality care for survivors is improving.
For example, to respond to the Ukrainian refugees experiencing sexual violence during the conflict, WHO guidance and training materials have been translated into Polish. Capacity strengthening of health professionals has been institutionalized to serve the refugee and local populations through the national chamber of nurses and midwives and WHO training integrated into the curricula of four universities. In 2024, almost 500 health workers were trained, and a task force led by a Polish feminist NGO – Feminoteka is monitoring progress on coverage and quality of clinical management of rape and intimate partner violence services.
To date in 2025, WHO and the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) have finalized and published several key resources that enhance the capacity of health systems to respond to violence in both emergency and non-emergency settings.
Caring for women subjected to violence: online facilitated training for health workers offers a virtual, interactive curriculum that equips health providers to deliver empathetic, first-line support to women experiencing violence, using the WHO-endorsed LIVES approach. Adapted from in-person trainings, it is designed for use in emergencies or low-resource settings where in-person training is not feasible, to help ensure continuity of care and survivor-centred response.
These training tools are essential to build a sustainable and integrated national health systems response that addresses violence against women as a public health issue
Avni Amin / Unit Head of Rights and Equality across the Life Course at WHO and HRP
Meanwhile, the Clinical management of rape and intimate partner violence in emergencies: a training toolkit offers tools to strengthen capacities of health workers to deliver clinical care to survivors. The toolkit addresses the unique challenges of humanitarian contexts by offering flexible, modular training aligned with WHO guidelines and the minimum initial service package for sexual and reproductive health.
“These training tools are essential to build a sustainable and integrated national health systems response that addresses violence against women as a public health issue,” says Avni Amin, Unit Head of Rights and Equality across the Life Course at WHO and HRP. “They help translate global commitments into real-world action by making frontline health services more survivor-centred and of higher quality, no matter the context.”
Research that fuels impact in country
As highlighted in the Global Plan, research is key to informing evidence-driven programming. Preliminary results from a recently completed study showed promising results from a Strengthening Women’s Agency in Pregnancy programme, an empowerment counselling intervention with pregnant Congolese women and girls attending antenatal care in a hospital in Nyarugusu refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania. The intervention showed high acceptability with 82% of women enrolled in the study returning for more than the minimum number of sessions. It also showed improved maternal mental health as a result of the intervention, with participants experiencing a 44% reduced likelihood in moderate-to-severe depression compared to the control group, 6 months after receiving the intervention.
By training over 10 000 health workers across 29 fragile and humanitarian settings, training packages operationalize WHO and HRP’s commitment to building capacity in line with SDG 5.2 as well as WHO’s commitment to ensuring universal health coverage. They ensure that care for survivors is embedded in both routine and emergency health responses, and exemplify how WHO and HRP translate global policy commitments into practice at the country level, guided by strong research.
The objective of this meeting is to build visibility for snakebite on the global health agenda
Sunday 18 May 2025 17:30−19:30
Restaurant Vieux-Bois, Avenue de la Paix 12
Shared progress: how collaborative philanthropy can accelerate country-led health goals
Host: Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity
Under the theme Shared Progress: How Collaborative Philanthropy Can Accelerate Country-led Health Goals, the reception will convene country representatives; global health leaders; philanthropic organizations; and multilaterals to discuss how countries and donors can work collaboratively to forge new pathways for global health progress.
Monday 19 May 2025 13:00−14:30
Centre d’Accueil de la Genève Internationale (CAGI), La Pastorale, Route de Ferney 106
Protecting Progress: Integration for Infectious Disease Elimination in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
Host: Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)
The global health landscape is undergoing tectonic shifts, driven largely by the recent significant changes in traditional donor priorities. This, compounded by ongoing challenges of climate change and humanitarian crises threatens to erode decades of progress in eliminating preventable infectious diseases such as malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Given this new reality, integration—both across disease programs and within broader health and development efforts—has never been more urgent.
Tuesday 20 May 2025 08:00−10:00
Hôtel Royal, Rue de Lausanne 41
Health financing : what now ? What next? Insights from malaria, dengue & NTDs
Hosts: Health Finance Coalition (HFC); Malaria No More; and the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD)
The world is witnessing major shifts in the global health landscape. Among these, the decrease in donor funding for climate-sensitive infectious and tropical diseases on the one hand, and the explosive growth of health threats such as arboviruses including dengue, as well as the persistent threat of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on communities worldwide are likely to be among the most defining factors of future health policy.
Tuesday 20 May 2025 17:00−19:00
Pavillon Gallatin, Domaine de Penthes, Route de Pregny 26
5 Billion Mectizan Treatments Donated and Counting
Hosts: Mectizan Donation Program, Task Force for Global Health
The event will celebrate the tremendous progress made towards the elimination of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, notably the 5 billion ivermectin (Mectizan) treatments that have been donated. Since 1987 MSD and the Mectizan Donation Program have provided Mectizan to eliminate onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis worldwide.
Tuesday 20 May 2025 18:00−20:00
Hôtel Président Wilson, Quai Wilson 47
Skin diseases as a global public health priority
Hosts: International Alliance of Dermatology Patient Organizations (GlobalSkin), International League of Dermatology Societies (ILDS), Anesvad Foundation, Health Diplomacy Alliance
The event will discuss the importance of addressing skin diseases as a public health problem, and will provide critical discussions on the groundbreaking WHA resolution, “Skin Diseases as a Global Health Priority”.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 08:00−09:30
Restaurant Vieux-Bois, Avenue de la Paix 12
Strengthening Strategic Partnerships to fight VBDs, NTDs, and Emerging Infectious Diseases
Hosts: Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assoc. (JPMA), Permanent Mission of Japan, IFPMA
As the field of global health undergoes significant transformation, we aim to raise global awareness of the challenges and solutions related to infectious diseases such as VBDs, NTDs, and emerging infectious diseases that have long affected LMICs. As part of this effort, we would like to overview the progress made and the challenges we face, as well as showcase strategic initiatives/contributions in this field by governments, private sector and international organizations
Wednesday 21 May 2025 09:00−13:30
Campus Biotech Innovation Park, Avenue de Sécheron 15
Economics of elimination and NTDs
Host: Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)
The event will initiate an International Economics Working Group (IEWG) dialogue, share current work, and explore collaboration on the economics of elimination and neglected tropical diseases.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 12:00−15:00
Geneva Press Club, Domaine de Penthes, Chemin de l’Impératrice 18
Accelerating NTD elimination through country-driven efforts and cross-border collaboration
Hosts: Global Onchocerciasis Network for Elimination (GONE), African Union, END Fund, DNDi
Member State Leadership: Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
The purpose of the meeting is to share progress and celebrate successes of NTD elimination milestones, share cross-border collaboration examples, celebrate the endorsement of cross-border agreements and a Call for Action which will inspire and further enhance cross-border and multi-disease collaboration to accelerate progress towards global disease elimination targets. Ministers of Health of Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda will sign a MoU to End VL in Africa. The event will stress the importance of country ownership and strategies to reach NTD public health target and to mitigate the risk of losing the gains made over the past decades, highlighting the opportunity of the implementation of the proposed resolution on skin diseases at WHA78. A signature of an MoU for Visceral Leishmaniasis in East African countries will take place during the ceremony.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:00−20:00
Hõtel Royal, Rue de Lausanne 41
Roundtable dinner: The Future of Funding for NTDs
Hosts: The END Fund, DEVEX
The event will be hosted by Kate Warren EVP and Executive Editor, Devex and Dr Solomon Zewdu, CEO, The END Fund. The roundtable dinner will bring together a select group of 10–12 senior stakeholders from the private sector, philanthropy, global health, policy and international financing organizations to engage in meaningful dialogue , enabling key decision-makers to share insights, align priorities and identify actions to accelerate progress in combating NTDs. Roundtable dinner: The Future of Funding for NTDS
Reception for countries endemic for dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) and in pre-certification Guinea
Hosts: Ministry of Health, Chad and The Carter Center
The reception will be an occasion to celebrate the tremendous progress toward eradication, rally behind the WHA Resolution being voted on, reflect on commitments made in the Abu Dhabi Declaration and N’Djamena Commitment, and look ahead to what remains to achieve Guinea worm eradication by the year 2030.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:30−20:30
The International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, Avenue de la Paix 17
“A seat at the table” – art installation
Hosts: Gilead Sciences, Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care Program in Global Primary Health Care, International Alliance of Patient Organizations (IAPO) and UNAIDS
Frontline AIDS in collaboration with the Female Genital Schistosomiasis Integration Group (FIG), Education as a Vaccine, Alliance for Public Health, and LVCT Health will contribute artwork to this important event. It will feature stories and an art installation that bring the importance of people-centered care into focus— addressing the imbalance of power in which people with lived experience of disease are too often left out of health system decision-making.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 18:30−21:00
Hôtel Mandarin Oriental, Quai Turrettini 1
Ministerial summit: REACH network
Hosts: Nigeria, REACH Network (Chairs: Minister Muhammad Ali Pate [Nigeria] and Professor Samba Sow [former Minister of Health, Mali])
The event is convened to reinforce ministerial commitment from existing REACH countries and expand the network’s impact by engaging potential new member countries. It will emphasize integrated, equitable and evidence-driven child survival strategies, particularly mass drug administration of azithromycin
Thursday 22 May 2025 08:00−10:00
Hôtel Président Wilson, Quai Wilson 47
Surveillance and innovation for dengue & arboviruses: international unity to avert future health emergencies
Host: the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases
The event will focus on updates on the progression of the arboviral threat worldwide (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Oropouche fever), will provide a platform for Member States to make statements on arboviruses experiences and collaborative surveillance strategies, will enable discussions among participants, will serve as a forum for exchange of best practices and networking among participants
Thursday 22 May 2025 12:00−14:00
Hôtel Intercontinental, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 7−9
Innovation Meets Unity: Advancing Global Health Solutions for Africa
Host: Merck KGaA, Circle Diplomatique Genève
Global health leadership discussion to discuss diminished engagement with multilateral institutions which has resulted in weakened health systems in Africa and diminished international support
This Global Report on Food Crises reflects a world dangerously off-course.
Hunger is not a crisis bound to one place or time: it’s a chronic catastrophe.
Fueled by conflict, geopolitical tensions, climate chaos, and economic upheaval – food and nutrition crises are rampant and rising.
Over 295 million people faced hunger in 2024, the sixth year in a row of rising need.
From Gaza and Sudan, to Yemen and Mali, conflict-driven hunger is shattering records.
And climate change is accelerating the crisis, wiping out harvests, livelihoods, and hope.
Weather extremes are pushing nearly 100 million people to the brink of hunger.
Just as food insecurity and malnutrition are gaining pace, our ability to respond is hitting the brakes.
The dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding is compounding the hunger crisis.
And the prospect of a trade war will only make things worse.
Ensuring a food-secure future means rallying financial resources and driving innovation.
It calls for fair, transparent trade systems that ensure food can move where it’s needed, especially during crises.
And it requires global solidarity to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems for all.
The UN Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, reignites momentum for this vital mission.
My message is clear: we must heed the dire warnings in this report.
This July, the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake – taking place in Addis Ababa – will be an opportunity for all of us to unite and boost our efforts.
The time to act is now. Let’s end hunger, together.
Headline: Around the Air Force: SECAF Confirmation, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Aerial Wildfire Suppression
In this week’s look Around the Air Force, Dr. Troy Meink is confirmed as Secretary of the Air Force, a milestone for integrating automated aircraft systems, and Air Guard units and civilian flight crews join forces for aerial wildfire suppression training.
Defendants sold thousands of counterfeit “Adderall” pills supplied by the Asian Boyz gang
BOSTON – Two members of the Asian Boyz gang have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for trafficking homemade imitations of the pharmaceutical drug, Adderall, containing methamphetamine.
Erickson Dao, a/k/a “Silent,” 32, of Lowell, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 85 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. . In January 2025, Dao pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine. Bill Phim, a/k/a “Bonez,” 37, also of Lowell, was sentenced by Judge Gorton to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In February 2025, Phim pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
A long-term investigation proved that Asian Boyz gang members and associates allegedly had access to a plentiful supply of counterfeit methamphetamine pills marketed as “Adderall.” These pills were similar in shape, size and appearance to genuine Adderall. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit “Adderall” pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000.
Dao was identified as one of Phim’s suppliers of the methamphetamine pills. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Dao delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim on at least five occasions. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao’s residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit “Adderall” pills and large quantities of cocaine.
In other drug transactions with the undercover officer, Phim admitted that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Brian Gingras, a/k/a “Cheech.” Between May 2022 and September 2022, Gingras met Phim prior to the planned deals to personally deliver the pills. Gringas pleaded guilty in January 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Superintendent Gregory C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica, Haverhill, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSN.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant in the case is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BOSTON – On May 13, 2025, a Florida-based pharmacy, OHM Pharmacy Services, aka “Benzer,” aka “Auburndale,” pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $82,000. As part of the global resolution, Benzer also agreed to pay $1,018,000 to resolve False Claims Act violations.
According to OHM’s admissions in the global resolution of criminal charges and civil claims, the pharmacy dispensed Evzio, one of several naloxone products on the market indicated for use on an emergent basis in the case of opioid overdose. Due to Evzio’s high price, insurers (including Medicare Part D plans) frequently required that health care providers submit prior authorization requests before they approved coverage. OHM completed prior authorization forms in place of prescribing physicians, and in some instances OHM personnel signed the prior authorization forms without the physician’s authorization and submitted information to insurers that made it appear as though a physician, and not OHM, was submitting the information. Moreover, OHM also submitted prior authorization requests to insurers, including Medicare Part D plans, that contained false information. For example, OHM staff filled out and submitted dozens of Evzio prior authorization request forms that falsely asserted that patients had previously tried and failed to successfully use Narcan or naloxone.
In connection with the resolution, Benzer entered into an integrity agreement (IA) with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The IA requires, among other things, that Benzer implement measures to ensure that its submission of claims for pharmaceutical products complies with applicable law relating to prior authorizations.
The civil settlement concludes the government’s resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former employee of kaleo Inc., Evzio’s manufacturer. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Socol v. Benzer Pharmacy Holding, LLC, et al., No. 18-cv-10050-RGS (D. Mass.). As part of the civil resolution, the whistleblower will receive $285,040 of the civil settlement amount.
In 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced settlements with kaléo Inc. for $12.7 million and with other pharmacies for $1 million relating to their submission of false claims for Evzio. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a $1.31 million deferred prosecution agreement and civil settlement with another pharmacy.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kim Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General made the announcement.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of the Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.
Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)
BOSTON – An Everett man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to four counts of an indictment charging him with sex trafficking four separate female victims.
Trevor Jones, 47, pleaded guilty to four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12, 2025. In May 2023, Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury. Jones was arrested on related state charges on March 23, 2023 and has remained in state custody since.
According to the charging documents, from at least 2016 until 2023, Jones ran a sex trafficking operation targeting victims who were suffering from substance use disorder. As part of his sex trafficking operation, Jones provided his victims with controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl and cocaine to intensify their drug dependance and gain their compliance, while prohibiting the victims from obtaining controlled substances from other sources. Jones demanded “loyalty” and “dedication” from his victims. He allegedly enforced his requirements by punishing victims with acts of violence, threats of violence and withholding controlled substance from drug-dependent victims. As outlined in court, Jones beat one victim with a belt causing bruising throughout her body. When confronted with the injuries he caused, Jones told the victim that she deserved the abuse. Jones was verbally abusive toward another victim, locking her out of the house, demanding to know where her “loyalty” was and berating her for not “contributing everything” she was making. Another victim experienced degradation from Jones, with him telling her that she needed to “make daddy proud” and scolding her for being “disobedient.”
The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Revere, Arlington and Boston Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit and Assistant United States Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case along with Essex County Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Strasnick and Marina Moriarty, who were sworn in as Special Assistant United States Attorneys.
NEW YORK, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virtual Investor Conferences, the leading proprietary investor conference series, today announced the agenda for the Precious Metals & Critical Minerals Hybrid Virtual Investor Conference. Individual investors, institutional investors, advisors, and analysts are invited to attend.
This in-person and virtual event will showcase live company presentations and interactive discussions featuring Precious Metals and Critical Minerals including Gold, Silver, Antimony, Copper, Lithium, Nickel, PGM, Rare Earth Elements, Uranium and Vanadium. Company executives and industry experts will present live from the OTC Markets Group headquarters at 300 Vesey Street in New York City. All presentations will be broadcast to the Virtual Investor Conferences community. For those who are interested in attending, there are two ways to register:
For individuals joining online, it is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. There is no cost to attend and schedule 1×1 meetings with management.
“OTC Markets is proud to host the Precious Metals & Critical Minerals Hybrid Investor Conference, presented in collaboration with Murdock Capital,TAA Advisory LLC, The Prospector, and Resource World,” said John Viglotti, SVP of Corporate Services, Investor Access at OTC Markets Group. “We are especially honored to welcome our distinguished keynote speakers, Jeff Christian, Managing Partner at CPM Group, and Jack Lifton, Senior Advisor at Energy Fuels, Inc., whose insights will be invaluable to this premier industry event.”
May 22nd
To facilitate investor relations scheduling and to view a complete calendar of Virtual Investor Conferences, please visit www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.
About Virtual Investor Conferences®
Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.
Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.
