Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI: American Rebel (NASDAQ: AREB) to Host Strategic Board Meeting and Exclusive Dinner for Investors at Mar-A-Lago Following Unprecedented Successful Sponsorship at the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    American Rebel Light Beer was featured at the NHRA event, where thousands of attendees and a national television audience were exposed to America’s Fastest Growing Beer.

    Nashville, TN, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB) (“American Rebel” or the “Company”), creator of American Rebel Light Beer (americanrebelbeer.com) and a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of branded safes, personal security and self-defense products and apparel (americanrebel.com), will be holding an exclusive dinner at Mar-A-Lago tonight for its board of directors and a major investor group. This will be the second round of meetings this month at Mar-a-Lago, aka the “Winter White House,” where America’s Patriotic Beer brand has established a strong footprint among supporters of President Trump and those who love our great nation.

    Quote from CEO Andy Ross:

    “Hosting our esteemed Board of Directors, investment bankers, and key strategic investors at Mar-A-Lago in Florida is an honor and a pivotal opportunity for American Rebel Holdings, Inc. As we convene at the Winter White House, we are eager to discuss the strategic growth of American Rebel Light Beer. This event, following several preliminary planning meetings, presents a unique chance to accelerate and enhance our existing strategic plan to expand our distribution footprint and target customer base, particularly among NHRA fans. Our distribution expansion in 2025 continues to surpass expectations, setting the stage for sustained revenue growth and market share gains over the coming months and years.”

    This weekend’s American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (charlottemotorspeedway.com) was broadcast nationally through FOX Broadcasting’s FS1. The event provided viewers with the experience of drag racing and additional exposure for American Rebel Light Beer. The NHRA’s partnership with FOX Sports ensures expanded coverage, bringing drag racing, and this weekend American Rebel Light Beer, to homes across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.

    American Rebel Light Beer – America’s Patriotic, God Fearing, Constitution Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer was proud to be featured at this iconic event. Fans attending the race enjoyed cold American Rebel Light Beer while experiencing the unique four-lane racing format and pit access included with every ticket. For those watching from home, the FS1 broadcast showcased the adrenaline-pumping action, making it a weekend to remember.

    Continued Quote from CEO Andy Ross:

    “We are honored to have Tony Stewart Racing’s (tsrnitro.com) Matt Hagan, driver of the American Rebel Light Funny Car, give his insights to the group in Florida to continue to capture the momentum of American Rebel Light Beer within the NHRA (nhra.com). TSR Racing with Tony, Matt, and Leah combined with American Rebel Light Beer is a winning combination with the fans that we believe is creating long-term customers. We are thoroughly evaluating additional sponsorship and growth opportunities for American Rebel Light Beer, ensuring its continued success as America’s Patriotic Beer.”

    About American Rebel Light Beer

    Produced in partnership with AlcSource, American Rebel Light Beer (americanrebelbeer.com) is a premium domestic light lager celebrated for its exceptional quality and patriotic values. It stands out as America’s Patriotic, God Fearing, Constitution Loving, National Anthem Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.

    American Rebel Light is a Premium Domestic Light Lager Beer – All Natural, Crisp, Clean and Bold Taste with a Lighter Feel. With approximately 100 calories, 3.2 carbohydrates, and 4.3% alcoholic content per 12 oz serving, American Rebel Light Beer delivers a lighter option for those who love great beer but prefer a more balanced lifestyle. It’s all natural with no added supplements and importantly does not use corn, rice, or other sweeteners typically found in mass produced beers. For more information follow American Rebel Beer on all social media platforms (@americanrebelbeer).

    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 Light Beer. The Company also designs and produces branded apparel and accessories. To learn more, visit americanrebel.com and americanrebelbeer.com. For investor information, visit americanrebelbeer.com/investor-relations.

    American Rebel Holdings, Inc.
    info@americanrebel.com
    ir@americanrebel.com

    American Rebel Beverages, LLC
    Todd Porter, President
    tporter@americanrebelbeer.com

    Media Contact:
    Matt Sheldon
    Matt@PrecisionPR.co

    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 our strategic planning, marketing outreach efforts, actual placement timing and availability of American Rebel Beer, success and availability of the promotional activities, 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, 2024. 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.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor speech at Innovate Finance Global Summit 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    Chancellor speech at Innovate Finance Global Summit 2025

    The Chancellor delivered the keynote speech at the Innovate Finance Global Summit 2025 on 29 April.

    Thank you Janine, and good afternoon everyone.

    It’s a pleasure to be here today to mark the 11th year of UK FinTech Week …

    … brought together once again by Innovate Finance…

    …who continue to champion tirelessly our FinTech sector.

    As Chancellor, I’ve always said it’s my job to back the builders…

    … back the wealth creators…

    …and the job creators.

    So my job is to back all of you in this room.

    After all, it’s thanks to your work that the UK is a world leader in FinTech.

    When I was working at the Bank of England 20 years ago…

    …FinTech was in its infancy…

    …an offshoot of financial services…

    …and there was certainly no such thing as FinTech week.

    But times have changed, the industry has changed.

    Last year, the UK’s FinTech sector attracted $3.6 billion of investment – more than any other country bar the US.

    Almost half of Europe’s FinTech unicorns are based here in Britain…

    …and roughly a third of all UK unicorns are FinTechs – a higher share than anywhere else.

    Companies like Allica Bank and Zilch, who were both recently named among the fastest growing companies in Europe by the Financial Times …

    …Or Zopa, for whom 2024 marked another year of extraordinary economic growth.

    Last week when I was in Washington for the IMF Spring Meetings…

    … I spoke to industry, legislators, and policymakers…

    …as well as US firms already operating here in the UK.

    I set out our strengths as an open trading nation with trade links around the world…

    …and as a nation that can provide political and financial stability and certainty to businesses…

    …in an uncertain world.

    The UK has a long history of breaking new ground in Financial Services.

    We were the first country to develop uniform Open Banking standards…

    …and we were one of the first countries to establish a system for near-instant digital payments with the Faster payments system in 2008.

    In my Mansion House speech last year, I published the National Payments Vision…

    … setting out the government’s ambition for seamless account-to-account payments…

    …and demonstrating our commitment to a regulatory environment that cares about managing the burden we put on businesses.

    Something that we will build in with the consolidation of the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA.

    The UK is Europe’s leading hub for investment…

    …raising more equity capital than the next three European exchanges combined last year.

    I am committed to building on these strong foundations…

    …with an ambitious programme of reforms.

    Last September I chose to extend the UK’s generous venture capital schemes…

    … the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme…

    …which – alongside the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme – offer generous tax reliefs…

    …in return for investing in British business.

    And we will soon publish the final Pension Investment Review, ahead of the introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill…

    …where we will legislate to unlock up to £80 billion of investment into companies like yours…

    start-up, scale-up, and fast growing businesses.

    …delivering a major consolidation of the Defined Contribution market and the Local Government Pension Scheme…

    …so that pension funds have sufficient scale to invest in growing industries like FinTech.

    I am determined to make sure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for FinTechs to start-up, scale-up and to list…

    …benefitting from our stable and liquid markets.

    Last July, the FCA implemented a fundamental rewrite of the UK’s Listing Rules, the biggest reforms in a generation.

    These new rules now put the UK in line – or in many cases ahead – of other global markets in giving companies the flexibility to pursue their growth ambitions…

    …backing their aspiration…

    …and allowing them to raise large amounts of capital more easily.

    And for those companies who want to remain private for longer, we are developing the new Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System – or PISCES…

    …which we will legislate for next month.

    This is a brand new type of stock exchange for trading private company shares…

    …supporting private companies to scale and grow…

    …and providing a steppingstone to IPO.

    Finally, we’ve reformed the rules to allow greater investment research to be produced on UK listed companies…

    …and reducing the burdens imposed on public companies through the UK’s Corporate Governance Code.

    I want the UK to be a place where you can take risks…

    …innovate and experiment…

    …and find new ways to deliver for your customers.

    When I met with senior leaders from across the FinTech sector last month…

    …you told me about the importance of getting the balance of regulation right…

    …especially on digital assets.

    I agree.

    While the UK will always be committed to high international standards…

    …I am determined that our regulatory framework supports economic growth.

    That’s why I’m delighted that we are today publishing draft legislation for the UK’s comprehensive regulatory regime for cryptoassets…

    …engaging with all of you to ensure that the final legislation – planned for later this year – delivers for government and most importantly for the industry…

    …and makes the UK a great place for digital asset companies to invest and innovate.

    For the UK to be a world-leader in digital assets…

    …international cooperation is vital.

    Which is why I discussed continued U.S. and UK engagement with Secretary Bessent last week…

    …including further dialogue at the upcoming UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group in June…

    …to support the use and responsible growth of digital assets…

    …maintaining the deep historic relationship between the world’s two largest financial centres through this period of significant technological change.

    Regulation must support business, not hold it back.

    Our regulators were among the first to embrace and develop sandboxes…

    …including the Digital Securities Sandbox, where I’m delighted that we already have a broad range of firms all looking at different proposals for tokenising our financial markets.

    Last November, I announced that this government will issue a Digital Gilt Instrument…

    …an entirely new debt instrument…

    …using distributed ledger technology…

    this will enable us to experience first-hand the benefits of digital technologies in debt issuance.

    And I know that there is appetite to go further.

    Last week, Secretary Bessent and I also discussed how our officials could explore opportunities to support industry to innovate cross-border…

    …in line with proposals put forward by US Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce about a transatlantic sandbox for digital securities…

    …potentially allowing greater digital collaboration between capital markets in New York and London.

    I’ve talked about what we’ve already done, and some ideas for the future.

    Financial services is one of the key growth-driving sectors in the UK’s modern industrial strategy…

    ….with FinTech as a priority growth opportunity…

    …and I look forward to publishing the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy at my upcoming Mansion House address…

    …which I can today confirm will take place on the 15th July.

    At Mansion House last year I set out my vision on economic growth…

    …and the new approach required to build sustainable growth…

    …on a platform of stability.

    At Mansion House this year I’ll talk about how we can go further and faster in realising that growth.

    By publishing the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy…

    …I will set out our strategy for the rest of this parliament and beyond…

    …building on our strengths in areas including capital markets, insurance and asset management…

    … supporting firms to innovate by ensuring they can access and develop the talent they need…

     …and promoting the UK as a great place to do business globally.

    Backing the builders in FinTech means improving outcomes for businesses and consumers…

    …revolutionising how we invest and trade…

    And driving growth and prosperity, here in the UK.

    It’s incredible how far Fintech has come in the past decade…

    And I’m enormously optimistic about the future.

    From the huge growth of the sector that has already taken place…

    …to the passion, drive and commitment I see from all of you to make FinTech a huge UK success story…

    …it is clear that our job in government is to back you, back the builders, back the change makers all the way.

    And I am ready to do just that.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Dialogue, negotiations, disarmament: the Church’s path to peace according to Pope Francis

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 29 April 2025

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Fides Agency) – Three chairs, which soon became two, placed in front of the baptistery in St. Peter’s Basilica. Facing each other, Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky – for a quarter of an hour and on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral- engaged in intense dialogue on the possibilities for ending the bloody conflict in Ukraine. It was an image that in its own way recalled the criteria that have inspired the Holy See’s contribution to attempts to resolve wars, conflicts, and international crises during the pontificate of Pope Francis. Fragments of what the Argentine pontiff himself had called the “world war in pieces.”The paths of dialogue, negotiation, and disarmament are those that the last bishop of Rome, with the help of Vatican diplomacy, repeatedly encouraged, describing them as the only viable ways to find solutions for everyone in ongoing conflicts.Starting with “tormented Syria,” which has always been close to the Argentine Pope’s heart. The Pontiff gave voice to refugees and displaced persons fleeing the violence of a war that, as the Pope himself said, has risked turning into “brutal persecution” for those who profess other religions. Appeals for Syria, which have become a constant feature of the Easter Urbi et Orbi blessings, have been made during several Angelus and Regina Coeli prayers, as well as at the end of Wednesday’s general audiences. Only a few years later, the same would happen with war-torn Ukraine.“How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must still be endured before a political solution to the crisis can be found?” the Pope asked repeatedly, always calling for ‘courage’ and ‘determination’ to embark on the path of negotiations. He did so by proclaiming September 7, 2013, a day of prayer and penance for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, because, as he said during the Angelus prayer in which he announced this initiative, “Humanity needs to see gestures of peace and hear words of hope and peace!”The gestures were followed by further words, including letters to heads of state, and finally by his physical presence: in spring 2016, he told Syrian refugees housed in the Moria camp in Lesbos: “I want to tell you that you are not alone.” When he returned to Rome, he took three Syrian families with him.And that’s not all. During his apostolic journey to the Holy Land in May 2014, the Pope paused to pray in front of the separation wall built by Israel near Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was born. A few weeks later, the Pope brought together the then Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican to pray together for peace in the Middle East. On this occasion, an olive tree was planted in the Vatican Gardens in the presence of Patriarch Bartholomew I and a delegation of Christians, Jews, and Muslims from the Holy Land as a symbol of peace.“Yes to keeping agreements and no to provocation; this requires courage,” said the Bishop of Rome in June 2024 before saying the closing prayer: “Many times and over many years, we have tried to resolve our conflicts with our own strength and even with our weapons; so many moments of hostility and darkness; so much blood shed; so many lives broken; so many hopes buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, help us! Grant us peace, teach us peace, lead us to peace! Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!” … And may these words—division, hatred, war—be banished from the hearts of every human being! Lord, disarm our tongues and our hands, renew our hearts and minds, so that the word we use to address one another may always be “brother,” and our lives may be expressed in “Shalom, Peace, Salam!” Amen.Last year, on the tenth anniversary of this historic meeting, Pope Francis wanted to gather the entire diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See around this olive tree, which has since grown, to commemorate the embrace between the two presidents. The ambassadors of Israel and Palestine to the Holy See sat next to the Pope.“Instead of pretending that war can solve problems and lead to peace, we must therefore be critical and vigilant toward an ideology that unfortunately prevails today, according to which ‘conflict, violence, and divisions are part of the normal functioning of society.’ It is always about power struggles between different social groups, about particular economic interests and about international political considerations that aim at an apparent peace and run away from the real problems. Instead, in a time marked by tragic conflicts, we need a new commitment to building a peaceful world. To all believers and people of good will, I say: Let us not cease to dream of peace and to build peaceful relationships!” These were the words spoken by the Pope in the early summer of 2024.A similar initiative was launched in spring 2019, when the Pope invited the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan to a two-day spiritual retreat in the Vatican. Contrary to protocol, Pope Francis knelt before them and kissed the shoes of the South Sudanese leaders:“I implore that the fire of war may be extinguished once and for all.” Peace, according to the Bishop of Rome,“is the first gift that the Lord has given us, and it is the first duty that the leaders of nations must fulfill: peace is the fundamental condition for the respect of the rights of every human being and for the integral development of all peoples.” “Dear brothers and sisters, let us not forget that God has entrusted us, the political and religious leaders, with the task of guiding his people: he has entrusted much to us, and for this very reason he will demand all the more from us! He will ask us to give an account of our service and our office, of our commitment to peace and to the good we have done for the members of our communities, especially the poorest and most marginalised. In other words, he will ask us to give an account of our lives, but also of the lives of others.”“Peace is possible,” it is ‘a great gift from God,’ but it also requires a commitment from people “in dialogue, in negotiation, and in forgiveness.” After his words to the Sudanese leadership, Pope Francis said something similar in an interview regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine: “Stronger is the one who thinks of the people, who has the courage to raise the white flag,” and “when you see that things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate,” which does not mean surrender, “negotiating is never surrender.” In Gaza, too, he added on that occasion, there is a conflict that “is involves two, not one. The irresponsible ones are these two who are waging war. Today, with the help of the international powers, we can negotiate. The word negotiate is courageous. We need not be ashamed to negotiate before the situation gets worse.”Parallel to the path of dialogue runs the path of disarmament, from the demand for a ban on nuclear weapons to the condemnation of the arms race, the words of Pope Francis are in perfect continuity with those of his predecessors, from Benedict XV to Benedict XVI. The latter also advocated an end to the arms trade: “I would also say that the importation of arms must finally cease, because without the importation of arms, war could not continue. Instead of importing weapons, which is a grave sin, we should import ideas of peace and creativity; seek solutions that accept everyone in their otherness. We must therefore make visible in the world respect for religions, respect for human beings as creatures of God, and charity as fundamental to all religions.”Pope Francis took up this concept again in 2019 when he received participants at a meeting of relief organizations of the Eastern Churches and said: “Those who have nothing to eat, who have no medical care, who have no school, the orphans, the wounded and the widows raise their voices to heaven. Even if people’s hearts are insensitive, this is certainly not true of God’s heart, which is wounded by the hatred and violence that can erupt among his creatures, and which is always touched and concerned with the tenderness and strength of a protective and guiding father. But sometimes I also think of the wrath of God that will be unleashed on those responsible in countries that talk about peace and sell weapons to wage these wars. This hypocrisy is a sin.”Back in 2014, the Argentine pope had already said in his apostolic letter Evangelii gaudium: “There are economic systems that need to wage war to survive.” He repeated several times that the most profitable investments today are made in arms factories. On several occasions, especially in his Urbi et Orbi messages at Christmas and Easter, he called for weapons to be silenced and proposed the establishment of a world fund against hunger, to be financed with the money earmarked for arms. During the pandemic, while praying the Rosary in St. Peter’s Basilica, he proposed the creation of another fund, this time for research and studies: “Holy Mary, stir consciences so that the enormous sums spent on increasing and perfecting weapons may instead be used to promote adequate studies to prevent similar disasters in the future.”According to the latest figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for 2023, global military spending will reach a record high of $2.44 trillion, representing an increase of 6.8% over the previous year.The US spent the most on weapons: $880 billion, followed by China ($309 billion) and Russia ($126 billion). If the military budget is divided by the number of inhabitants, the US spent an average of $2,694 per inhabitant. By comparison, Israel spent $29 billion in 2023, but achieved the highest per capita expenditure in the world: $2,997 per inhabitant.Pope Francis’ words on this subject are illuminating: “Certain decisions are not neutral: spending a large part of the budget on weapons means taking it away from something else, once again taking it away from those who lack the necessities. And that is a scandal. How much is spent on weapons is terrible. We must raise awareness that continuing to spend on weapons defiles the soul, the heart, humanity. What good is it if we all solemnly commit ourselves at the international level to campaigns against poverty, against hunger, against the destruction of the planet, if we then fall back into the old vice of war, into the old strategy of the power of arms, which sets everything and everyone back? War always leads to regression, always. We are going backwards.” (FB) (Fides Agency 29/4/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI USA: 100 DAYS OF INVESTMENT: $5+ Trillion in New Investment Fuels America’s Future

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump has secured over $5 trillion in new U.S.-based investments in his first 100 days, which will create more than 451,000 new jobs as he sets the stage for a new era of American prosperity. From advanced manufacturing to cutting-edge artificial intelligence infrastructure, these historic investments — spurred by President Trump’s unwavering commitment to revitalizing American industry — will reinforce the U.S. as the global leader in innovation and economic growth.
    The announcements keep coming. In recent days:
    IBM announced a $150 billion investment over the next five years in its U.S.-based growth and manufacturing operations.
    Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it will invest an additional $2 billion over the next four years to enhance and expand its U.S. manufacturing operations and strengthen its innovation efforts.
    Corning announced it is expanding its Michigan manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion, adding 400 new, high-paying, advanced manufacturing jobs.
    Merck & Co. announced a $1 billion investment to build a new state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Delaware, which will create at least 500 new jobs — part of the company’s commitment to invest more than $9 billion over the next four years.
    “Since the advent of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Merck has allocated more than $12 billion to enhance our domestic manufacturing and research capabilities, with additional planned investments of more than $9 billion over the next four years.”

    Amgen announced a $900 million investment in its Ohio-based manufacturing operation.
    The company credited President Trump’s landmark 2017 tax cuts for enabling its rapid expansion: “Pro-growth policies like the @POTUS @WhiteHouse 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped make investments like this possible. Since enactment, Amgen has invested ~$5B in capital expenditures. This amounts to an additional downstream output to the U.S. economy of approximately $12B.”

    The Bel Group announced a $350 million investment to expand its U.S.-based production, including at its South Dakota, Idaho and Wisconsin facilities — which will create 250 new jobs.
    Here is the non-exhaustive list of investments secured in President Trump’s second term:
    Project Stargate, led by Japan-based Softbank and U.S.-based OpenAI and Oracle, announced a $500 billion private investment in U.S.-based artificial intelligence infrastructure.
    Apple announced a $500 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing and training.
    NVIDIA, a global chipmaking giant, announced it will invest $500 billion in U.S.-based AI infrastructure over the next four years amid its pledge to manufacture AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time.
    IBM announced a $150 billion investment over the next five years in its U.S.-based growth and manufacturing operations.
    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced a $100 billion investment in U.S.-based chips manufacturing.
    Johnson & Johnson announced a $55 billion investment over the next four years in manufacturing, research and development, and technology.
    Roche, a Swiss drug and diagnostics company, announced a $50 billion investment in U.S.-based manufacturing and research and development, which is expected to create more than 1,000 full-time jobs.
    Eli Lilly and Company announced a $27 billion investment to more than double its domestic manufacturing capacity.
    United Arab Emirates-based ADQ and U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners announced a $25 billion investment in U.S. data centers and energy infrastructure.
    Novartis, a Swiss drugmaker, announced a $23 billion investment to build or expand ten manufacturing facilities across the U.S., which will create 4,000 new jobs.
    Hyundaiannounced a $21 billion U.S.-based investment — including $5.8 billion for a new steel plant in Louisiana, which will create nearly 1,500 jobs.
    Hyundai also secured an equity investment and agreement from Posco Holdings, South Korea’s top steel maker.

    United Arab Emirates-based DAMAC Properties announced a $20 billion investment in new U.S.-based data centers.
    France-based CMA CGM, a global shipping giant, announced a $20 billion investment in U.S. shipping and logistics, creating 10,000 new jobs.
    Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it will invest an additional $2 billion over the next four years to enhance and expand its U.S. manufacturing operations and strengthen its innovation efforts.
    Merck & Co. announced it will invest a total of $9 billion in the U.S. over the next several years after opening a new $1 billion North Carolina manufacturing facility — including in a new state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Delaware, which will create at least 500 new jobs.
    Clarios announced a $6 billion plan to expand its domestic manufacturing operations.
    Stellantis announced a $5 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing network, including re-opening its Belvidere, Illinois, manufacturing plant.
    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in biotechnology, announced a $3 billion agreement with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies to produce drugs at its North Carolina manufacturing facility.
    NorthMark Strategies, a multi-strategy investment firm, announced a $2.8 billion investment to build a supercomputing facility in South Carolina.
    Corning announced it is expanding its Michigan manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion, adding 400 new high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs for a total of 1,500 new jobs.
    Chobani, a Greek yogurt giant, announced a $1.2 billion investment to build its third U.S. dairy processing plant in New York, which is expected to create more than 1,000 new full-time jobs — adding to the company’s earlier announcement that it will invest $500 million to expand its Idaho manufacturing plant.
    GE Aerospace announced a $1 billion investment in manufacturing across 16 states — creating 5,000 new jobs.
    Amgen announced a $900 million investment in its Ohio-based manufacturing operation.
    Schneider Electric announced it will invest $700 million over the next four years in U.S. energy infrastructure.
    GE Vernova announced it will invest nearly $600 million in U.S. manufacturing over the next two years, which will create more than 1,500 new jobs.
    Abbott Laboratories announced a $500 million investment in its Illinois and Texas facilities.
    AIP Management, a European infrastructure investor, announced a $500 million investment to solar developer Silicon Ranch.
    London-based Diageo announced a $415 million investment in a new Alabama manufacturing facility.
    Dublin-based Eaton Corporation announced a $340 million investment in a new South Carolina-based manufacturing facility for its three-phase transformers.
    Germany-based Siemens announced a $285 million investment in U.S. manufacturing and AI data centers, which will create more than 900 new skilled manufacturing jobs.
    The Bel Group announced a $350 million investment to expand its U.S.-based production, including at its South Dakota, Idaho and Wisconsin facilities — which will create 250 new jobs.
    Clasen Quality Chocolate announced a $230 million investment to build a new production facility in Virginia, which will create 250 new jobs.
    Fiserv, Inc., a financial technology provider, announced a $175 million investment to open a new strategic fintech hub in Kansas, which is expected to create 2,000 new, high-paying jobs.
    Paris Baguette announced a $160 million investment to construct a manufacturing plant in Texas.
    TS Conductor announced a $134 million investment to build an advanced conductor manufacturing facility in South Carolina, which will create nearly 500 new jobs.
    Switzerland-based ABB announced a $120 million investment to expand production of its low-voltage electrification products in Tennessee and Mississippi.
    Saica Group, a Spain-based corrugated packaging maker, announced plans to build a $110 million new manufacturing facility in Anderson, Indiana.
    Charms, LLC, a subsidiary of candymaker Tootsie Roll Industries, announced a $97.7 million investment to expand its production plant and distribution center in Tennessee.
    Toyota Motor Corporation announced an $88 million investment to boost hybrid vehicle production at its West Virginia factory, securing employment for the 2,000 workers at the factory.
    AeroVironment, a defense contractor, announced a $42.3 million investment to build a new manufacturing facility in Utah.
    Paris-based Saint-Gobain announced a new $40 million NorPro manufacturing facility in Wheatfield, New York.
    India-based Sygene International announced a $36.5 million acquisition of a Baltimore biologics manufacturing facility.
    Asahi Group Holdings, one of the largest Japanese beverage makers, announced a $35 million investment to boost production at its Wisconsin plant.
    Cyclic Materials, a Canadian advanced recycling company for rare earth elements, announced a $20 million investment in its first U.S.-based commercial facility, located in Mesa, Arizona.
    Guardian Bikes announced a $19 million investment to build the first U.S.-based large-scale bicycle frame manufacturing operation in Indiana.
    Amsterdam-based AMG Critical Minerals announced a $15 million investment to build a chrome manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania.
    NOVONIX Limited, an Australia-based battery technology company, announced a $4.6 million investment to build a synthetic graphite manufacturing facility in Tennessee.
    LGM Pharma announced a $6 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Rosenberg, Texas.
    ViDARR Inc., a defense optical equipment manufacturer, announced a $2.69 million investment to open a new facility in Virginia.
    That doesn’t even include the U.S. investments pledged by foreign countries:
    United Arab Emirates announced a $1.4 trillion investment in the U.S. over the next decade.
    Saudi Arabia announced it intends to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years.
    Japan announced a $1 trillion investment in the U.S.
    Taiwan announced a pledge to boost its U.S.-based investment.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Exceptional hardship scheme opens: how to apply

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    A new exceptional hardship scheme has opened offering one-off payments for Portsmouth residents who need help to pay for food, bills and other essentials.

    The Portsmouth City Council-run scheme offers individual payments to families and individuals in extreme hardship. The amount awarded is based on individual circumstances.

    It’s open to Portsmouth households based on income levels who meet other criteria, and who have not received an exceptional hardship payment within the last six months. Full details and how to apply: www.portsmouth.gov.uk/household-support-fund

    People can apply for payments towards groceries and energy costs, as well as essential household purchases like a fridge, freezer and white goods, beds, furniture, vehicle repairs and children’s clothing.

    The first application window is open until 12 noon on Thursday 12 June 2025. The scheme will then reopen for a second window in July.

    Residents are encouraged to check online if they’re eligible, and if they need help to apply to call the council’s cost of living helpline: 023 9284 1047.

    It’s the first of a number of local support schemes to open, funded by the latest Household Support Fund (HSF) from the UK Government. Portsmouth has been given a total of £3,327,922 to use until 31 March 2026.

    At an extraordinary cabinet meeting, councillors were updated on the other HSF schemes coming in stages which will further support those in hardship, including:

    • Living cost payments for targeted groups including pensioners, carers, care leavers, people with disabilities
    • Supermarket food vouchers for children who get free school meals (FSM), and a voucher scheme for low-income families who don’t quality for FSM
    • Extending the successful HAF Fun Pompey holiday activities to low-income families who don’t qualify for FSM
    • Grants for local foodbanks, community meals, larders/pantries so they can continue supporting people
    • Funding to continue the cost of living hub website and helpline, offering free advice and help to apply for benefits and payments for those who need it

    Details of all these application-based schemes will be added to the HSF webpage and promoted before they open.

    Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said:

    “People have just seen a huge hike in many of their bills at a time when prices aren’t getting cheaper. There’s evidence that many local people are in more financial hardship than ever, so it’s essential that we allocate this funding to those who most need it.

    “I strongly encourage people to check if they qualify for payment schemes when they open, as well as other benefits, and to contact our cost of living hub for any help.”

    Nearly three-quarters of Portsmouth residents (72%) are finding it quite or very difficult to manage financially, from those who completed a cost of living survey in September 2024. Just over half of respondents have a household income of less than £10,000, and a further 38% earn between £10,000 and £20,000.

    With thousands of Portsmouth residents still not receiving benefit payments like Pension Credit despite being eligible, the council continues to support people to apply through the helpline.

    • Visit the cost of living hub website or call the free helpline 023 9284 1047, open weekdays 9am-5pm (closes 4.30pm Fridays)
    • Find out how to lower your energy bills at Switched on Portsmouth and check if you qualify for a free home energy visit

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The role of family in modern society was discussed at the State University of Management

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On April 29, the 2nd International Scientific Conference “Family in Modern Russian Society” was held at the State University of Management, organized by the Research Institute of Public Policy and Management of Industrial Economics of the State University of Management together with the university institutes.

    Today, family issues are given special attention at all levels. Thus, 2024 in Russia was held under the auspices of the Year of the Family and became fruitful in terms of long-term legislative, economic and social initiatives aimed at supporting Russian families.

    More than 50 students, postgraduates, applicants, scientists and teachers presented papers on the role of the family in Russian society, issues of family policy and traditional family values. Students and teachers of Russian universities, experts, representatives of government bodies and the clergy took part in the work of the sections. The Chairman of the Program Committee was Oleg Sudorgin, Director of the Research Institute of Public Policy and Management of Industrial Economy of the State University of Management.

    The conference included five sections.

    The section “Family and Marriage Values in the Minds of Modern Youth” was led by Deputy Director of the Institute of Personnel Management, Social and Business Communications for Research Galina Mokhova. Participants presented research on the specifics of family relationships and youth education, discussed the problems of trust in family relationships, and the perception of family and marriage by young people. Considerable attention was paid to the preservation and strengthening of intergenerational relationships and traditional family values.

    The Family Economy section, chaired by Galina Sorokina, Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance, discussed the specifics and issues of family economics and family budget in modern society. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church also took part in the work: the rector of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Pronsky Monastery in the Ryazan Diocese, Abbot Luka (Stepanov), the rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky on Volzhsky, Priest Kirill (Kraev), and the priest of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity near Saltykov Bridge, Priest Grigory (Falin). GUU expresses its deep appreciation and gratitude to the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church for their participation in the conference.

    Within the framework of the section “Formation and development of modern state family policy in Russia”, headed by the head of the department of state and municipal administration, adviser to the rector’s office Sergey Chuev, current national and federal projects, strategies in the field of family and demographic policy, issues and prospects for state support for young families were discussed.

    Under the guidance of Irina Goncharova, leading researcher at the Research Institute of Public Policy and Management of Industrial Economics, in the section “The Institute of Family in the Era of Change: from Historical Mission to Modern Challenges,” the speakers examined aspects of the institution of family in the context of modern demographic challenges and the impact of digitalization, the role of the family in fostering patriotism and the formation of a positive image of the family in the media.

    The conference included a special thematic section dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War — “The Contribution of Families to Achieving Victory in World War II.” The section was chaired by Fanis Sharipov, Director of the Center for Socio-Economic and Political Research of China at the Research Institute of Public Policy and Management of Industrial Economy. The speakers presented stories related to their ancestors who fought during the Great Patriotic War, and shared memories of the courage and dedication of their relatives. The key issues of the section were the importance of preserving historical memory and the contribution of young people to preserving the memory of the war. Nikita Stepanov, Senior Researcher at the Center for Socio-Economic Development Institutes at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Ivan Arkhipov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society and President of the I.V. Arkhipov Foundation, took part in the section.

    For the second time, the conference became a platform for professional and extensive consideration of the vectors of development of the Russian family, key foundations for preserving the continuity of traditions and family values. Participants unanimously noted the importance of discussing and forming new ideas for developing the institution of the family, and also emphasized that the regular nature of such events promotes dialogue between generations, preservation and popularization of traditions and family values in modern Russian society.

    Let us recall that in 2024, the first International Scientific Conference “Family in Modern Russian Society” was held at the State University of Management, dedicated to the Year of the Family, declared by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/29/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: U.S. Energy Storage Industry Commits $100 Billion Investment in American-Made Grid Batteries

    Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)

    Headline: U.S. Energy Storage Industry Commits $100 Billion Investment in American-Made Grid Batteries

    WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2025 – Today the American Clean Power Association (ACP), on behalf of the U.S. energy storage industry, announced a historic commitment to invest $100 billion into building and buying American-made grid batteries. This investment is expected to fuel the creation of 350,000 jobs across the battery energy storage industry and transform the United States into a global battery manufacturing leader.  
    This announcement aligns with actions taken by the Trump Administration to unleash American energy and develop critical minerals in the United States. The industry’s investment will advance a manufacturing expansion in the United States with the aim of enabling American-made batteries to meet 100% of domestic energy storage project demand.
    “The energy storage industry is providing essential power when needed most while boosting domestic manufacturing and creating jobs across the country,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of ACP. “Today’s historic commitment will invest billions of dollars into American communities and position the United States as a manufacturing leader in battery technology that is critical to national and grid security.”   
    Building a Pathway to 100% American-Made Grid Batteries 
    The U.S. energy storage industry is committed to investing $100 billion in American grid batteries, including both capital for building new battery manufacturing facilities and procurement of American-made batteries for U.S. energy storage projects. Through this commitment, the industry will advance American battery manufacturing leadership, enhance U.S. energy security, provide energy affordability and reliability, and drive international competitiveness.  
    This investment represents a clear pathway to supplying 100% of U.S. energy storage projects with American-made batteries by 2030. A pro-business environment, supported by stable tax and trade policy and streamlined permitting, is essential to the industry fulfilling this commitment. 
    Booming U.S. Energy Storage Deployments Fuel Manufacturing Resurgence 
    Battery energy storage is now a leading energy resource boosting electric grid reliability and keeping energy costs low for families and businesses across America. Since FERC Order 841 was issued in 2018, energy storage deployment has grown 25x. The ongoing growth in energy storage deployment is driving investment in American battery manufacturing facilities.  
    The energy storage industry is making significant progress in laying the groundwork for a domestic battery energy storage supply chain, building or expanding more than 25 manufacturing facilities for grid-scale energy storage. With today’s investment commitment, the industry has announced plans to rapidly expand ongoing efforts.  
    The Role of Battery Storage in Unleashing American Energy Dominance 
    As communities across the country grapple with skyrocketing energy demand, aging grid infrastructure, and concerns over reliability, battery energy storage is providing a ready-to-deploy solution to these challenges.  
    Energy storage optimizes all existing power generation, lowering energy bills and hardening the grid against extreme weather events like blizzards and heat waves. As the economy grows, energy storage provides important peaking capacity, freeing up more gas generation to serve as base load and enabling more energy production.  
    Energy storage has also been critical for supporting American industrial and technological might, from metals manufacturing in West Virginia to new data centers and AI infrastructure in Texas and Arizona. The need for energy storage resources continues to be strong across the country, as 31 states currently have energy storage projects under construction. 
    “Form Energy is proud to be ramping up manufacturing at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, West Virginia, advancing our mission to strengthen the U.S. electric grid with domestically produced, multi-day energy storage. Situated on the historic site of the former Weirton Steel mill—a cornerstone of America’s industrial past—the newly built Form Factory 1 is proving that America’s greatest manufacturing epoch isn’t behind us; it’s unfolding now.” Mateo Jaramillo, Co-founder & CEO of Form Energy, noted, “This investment in American manufacturing not only supports the creation of high-quality jobs in West Virginia but also ensures that the U.S. remains a leader in energy innovation. As the energy storage industry commits to investing $100 billion in American-made grid batteries by 2030, Form Energy is excited to play a key role in building a more reliable, resilient, and secure energy future for our country.” 
    “Fluence investments in American battery cell, module, enclosure, thermal management, and controls manufacturing are delivering domestic energy storage products starting this year and will help power U.S. economic growth for decades to come,” said John Zahurancik, Fluence President, Americas. “Our manufacturing facilities in Utah, Texas, Tennessee, and Arizona support more reliable and cost-effective energy production while creating a resilient U.S. supply chain that advances American innovation, jobs, and energy security. These investments are about building the future of energy—right here in the United States.” 
    “LG Energy Solution is fully committed to expanding US energy storage manufacturing, with our fist factory lines expected to begin production in 2025 in Holland, Michigan, where we will adapt existing lines to provide 16.5GWh of ESS batteries, with an additional11GWh of capacity planned for the beginning of 2026.” Said Jaehong Park, CEO, LG Energy Solution Vertech. “We have expanded our investment in US manufacturing to meet rising demand; we have currently committed $1.4 billion to our production plan in Holland, MI, with additional investments and capacity expansion to come.” 
    “Battery energy storage is keeping the lights on and costs low for consumers across the county. Developers are committed to sourcing batteries made in America to deploy this essential energy resource to more Americans for energy stability and cost savings in the face of increasing demand,” said Stephanie Smith COO, Eolian. “As manufacturers begin ramping up domestic supply, streamlining federal and state policies and permitting processes will make the difference in getting this industry moving quickly and competitively.” 
    “Battery energy storage is key to meeting America’s rapidly expanding electricity needs,” said Craig Cornelius, President and CEO of Clearway Energy Group. “As we deploy energy storage at record pace, this investment reflects the industry’s commitment to building these critical grid infrastructure projects with American-made batteries.”

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Introduces Legislation to Continue Safe Exports of Iowa Agricultural Products in Event of Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the Safe American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would codify USDA’s role in negotiating regionalization agreements that allow livestock, poultry, and other animal products from unaffected areas of the country to continue to be safely exported in the event of an animal disease outbreak. Although USDA already works with the United States Trade Representative to develop these agreements, this legislation explicitly expresses congressional support for establishing regionalization agreements and promoting robust agricultural trade policies before any animal disease impacts our nation.

    This bill also establishes a notification system within the Import and Export Library to prevent our producers from being impacted by changes in trade status of agricultural commodities and alert the proper agencies, organizations, and State Departments of Agriculture that there have been changes in import or export status.

    “Iowa farmers are the backbone of our economy and the breadbasket of our country and the world. However, an animal disease outbreak can be devastating for our producers, majorly disrupt trade with foreign countries, and close important export markets that our farmers depend on,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Understanding the dire financial and animal health consequences of a disease outbreak, I introduced the Safe American Food Exports Act so that we can negotiate comprehensive agreements with our trading partners and ensure that a disease outbreak in one part of the country does not impact Iowa’s ability to produce and export our agricultural goods. By working proactively on regionalization agreements and prioritizing farm biosecurity, we can safely ship our agricultural commodities around the globe, prevent massive trade disruptions, and mitigate the negative impacts of animal disease on our farmers, producers, and rural communities.”

    “Mississippi’s poultry exporters and producers have suffered during the bird flu. Animal diseases often cause trade disruptions, and the government should help protect American agriculture exports in these situations,” said Sen. Wicker. “The Safe American Food Exports Act would help do that. The bill would give the USDA authority to negotiate regionalization agreements to ensure America’s agricultural producers are not shut off from the global market.” 

    “Outbreaks of animal disease, even when limited to a specific region, can upend access to global markets for producers across the country,” said Rep. Panetta.  “That’s why I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan, bicameral effort that would codify USDA’s role in proactively negotiating regionalization agreements.  By reducing unnecessary trade disruptions, we can ensure that disease-free producers remain competitive abroad, meet global food demands, and uphold the high food safety standards that American consumers expect.”

    “Animal disease outbreaks pose a significant threat to not just American food security, but the livelihoods of our hardworking farmers and producers. This legislation would help secure global trade exports in the event of such an outbreak,” said Sen. Britt. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to support American agricultural producers and ensure sustainable markets.”

    “Congressman Feenstra’s district is full of egg producers who welcome this proactive bill to have USDA work with our trading partners to prevent trade impacts from HPAI,” said Chad Gregory, CEO of the United Egg Producers.

    “The North Central Poultry Association appreciates Congressman Feenstra’s keen awareness of challenges facing the poultry industry and his leadership on the House Agriculture Committee to support Iowa’s poultry and egg producers,” said Kevin Stiles, CEO and Executive Director of the North Central Poultry Association. “His efforts to help farmers protect their flocks and herds in Iowa, Minnesota, and across the country should prove expedient as we work together to proactively mitigate the impact of animal diseases. We strongly support the SAFE Act and encourage Congress to swiftly pass this vital legislation to protect animal health, bolster egg and poultry exports, and maintain America’s status as the breadbasket to our country and the world.”

    “Ensuring turkey is available to consumers is essential to the success of Iowa’s turkey farmers.  When a devastating disease, like highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infect a turkey flock, trade is disrupted, leading to financial losses to the turkey industry,” said Gretta Irwin, Executive Director of the Iowa Turkey Federation. “Preemptively negotiating regionalization agreements for known animal diseases, like HPAI, makes sense. This bill takes a critical step to ensure turkey products can effortlessly be exported during a disease disruption and reduce financial strain to the turkey industry.”

    “State departments of agriculture play a critical role on the frontlines of foreign animal disease prevention, mitigation and recovery, and we appreciate this bipartisan effort to enable farmers and ranchers to more easily export safe food products to our trading partners,” said Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. “More collaboration and communication among federal partners enables state agriculture departments and U.S. farmers to better prepare and respond in the case of an outbreak and ultimately leads to stronger animal health and welfare across the U.S. NASDA thanks Congressmen Feenstra and Panetta for their leadership on this important issue.”

    “Ensuring America’s turkey producers are not unnecessarily restricted in the global market is a common-sense step that would help the turkey industry persevere through the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak,” said Leslee Oden, President and CEO at the National Turkey Federation. “NTF commends Rep. Feenstra (IA-04) for reintroducing the SAFE Act to aid in updating valuable regionalization agreements with key trading partners as members of the turkey industry simultaneously battle export market disruption and animal health challenges.”

    “NARA supports the SAFE Act for its proactive approach to animal disease preparedness. We commend Reps. Feenstra and Panetta for advancing regionalization agreements that help prevent unnecessary export disruptions and keep markets open,” said Kent Swisher, President and CEO of the North American Renderers Association.

    “We thank Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) for championing legislative efforts to secure U.S. export markets for animal-based feed and pet food products in the face of foreign animal disease threats. These products are a critical, yet often overlooked, component of the food supply chain. The AFIA strongly backs the SAFE Act and our members are committed to working alongside the U.S. government to implement proactive measures to help shield our economy from future risks,” said Constance Cullman, President and CEO of the American Feed Industry Association.

    Full legislative text can be found HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Colorado Ranks #3 Nationally for Preschool Enrollment, Driven by Free Universal Preschool Program

    Source: US State of Colorado

    Landmark Initiative Propels State from 27th to 3rd in First Program Year

    DENVER —The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released a report today ranking Colorado third in the nation for the number of four-year-olds enrolled in preschool. In the 2023-24 school year, nearly 70% of all eligible four-year-olds enrolled in Colorado Universal Preschool. This program boosted Colorado from 27th in the nation to third. Colorado served a total of 52,617 three and four year olds, an increase of 31,277 from the prior year under the former Colorado Preschool Program (CPP). 

    “Colorado is proud to be breaking down barriers to help increase access to early childhood education and save families thousands of dollars per year. We look forward to building on the success of free preschool, and helping even more children and families enroll and access the benefits,” said Governor Jared Polis.

    “The experiences children have in their first few years of life lay the foundation for their future,” said Dr. Lisa Roy, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). “That’s why Colorado created the Universal Preschool program—so that every child, no matter their background, can have the best possible start. This ranking is an inspiring testament to the hard work of many people and our vision for a brighter future for Colorado children.”

    Since its launch in 2023, Colorado Universal Preschool has transformed access to early childhood education.

    • Lowering Families’ Costs: The program saves families an average of $6,100 annually on preschool expenses for four-year-olds, providing critical financial relief.
    • Expanding Family Choice: With nearly 2,000 annual participating providers statewide, families have the flexibility to choose from a variety of early education models and community-based, school-based, and home-based settings to best meet their unique needs.
    • Serving Diverse Needs: In the first year, nearly 50% of participating 4-year-olds came from low-income households, with many children also classified as being English-language learners, experiencing homelessness, or having a disability.
    • Strengthening the Sector: The program distributed $239.4 million to providers of four year olds in the first year, enhancing sustainability and incentivizing sector growth.
    • Read more about the historic success of the program’s inaugural first year in the recently published Colorado Universal Preschool Annual Report.

    “We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited about where we’re headed,” said Dawn Odean, Director of Universal Preschool. “Our commitment to continuous improvement is rooted in partnership—with educators, providers, families, and local communities—and a shared vision that puts Colorado children’s outcomes at the center. Together, we’re creating the conditions for every child to thrive not just in preschool, but well beyond.”

    Proposition EE, passed in November 2020, and subsequent laws like HB22-1295 in 2022, paved the way for the CDEC and the Colorado Universal Preschool program. The statewide Universal Preschool program, launched on July 1, 2023, is managed by the CDEC using a mixed-delivery model in partnership with Local Coordinating Organizations (LCOs).

    Visit NIEER.org to see the report. 
     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Launches New $55 Million Grant Program to Support Small Business Recovery in Western North Carolina

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Launches New $55 Million Grant Program to Support Small Business Recovery in Western North Carolina

    Governor Stein Launches New $55 Million Grant Program to Support Small Business Recovery in Western North Carolina
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein announced that local governments in western North Carolina can apply for grants from a new $55 million state infrastructure program designed to help small businesses in the region recover from Hurricane Helene. The Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program, offered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and its Rural Economic Development Division, will fund individual grants to a local government up to $1 million to rebuild the public infrastructure that small businesses rely on to operate and thrive.

    “Western North Carolina’s economy is dependent on its vibrant downtowns and small businesses, and helping them recover is critically important,” said Governor Stein. “This new grant program will reinvigorate the infrastructure that small businesses depend on, and I appreciate the General Assembly appropriating these funds.”

    The Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program (SmBIZ) will utilize state funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in the recently passed Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 Part 1, which Governor Stein signed on March 19. The program will offer grants to local governments, and the related infrastructure projects will target and support small businesses that employ 150 or fewer employees. Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Grants awarded under this program must be used by local governments to address qualifying infrastructure needs that the Department of Commerce, in consultation with applicant local governments and related small businesses, determines are the result of Hurricane Helene’s impact and have adversely affected access to, or operations of, the identified small businesses. The infrastructure cannot be owned by the small business, nor can it be such that the small business is responsible for maintaining it. Infrastructure may include but will not be limited to water, sewer, gas, telecommunications, high-speed broadband, electrical utility, sidewalk and curb infrastructure, and other repairs that remove barriers and restore or increase access to impacted small businesses.

    “Successful recovery from disasters of Helene’s magnitude requires everyone to pull together and marshal support from many different sources, both state and federal,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “I’m grateful that the North Carolina General Assembly has quickly provided funds for this vital new infrastructure recovery program.”

    An application portal and more information about the Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program can also be found online at commerce.nc.gov/SmBIZ.  

    Apr 29, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Wearable Devices Ltd. Announces a Warrant Inducement Transaction for $1.2 Million in Gross Proceeds

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Yokneam Illit, Israel, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wearable Devices Ltd. (the “Company” or “Wearable Devices”) (Nasdaq: WLDS, WLDSW), an award-winning pioneer in artificial intelligence (“AI”)-based wearable gesture control technology, today announced its entry into a warrant inducement agreement with an existing institutional investor of the Company for the immediate exercise of warrants to purchase up to 625,000 of its ordinary shares (the “January Warrants”), and warrants to purchase up to 205,500 of its ordinary shares (the “November Warrants”, and together with the January Warrants the “Existing Warrants”), at a reduced exercise price of $1.45 per ordinary share, for gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.2 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other transaction expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the warrant inducement transaction for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

    In consideration for the immediate exercise in full of the Existing Warrants, the investor will receive, in a private placement (the “Concurrent Private Placement”), new unregistered warrants to purchase up to 1,661,000 of its ordinary shares (the “New Warrants”). The New Warrants will have an exercise price of $1.45 per ordinary share, will be exercisable on the date of issuance and will expire five years following the date of issuance. The closing of the warrant inducement transaction is expected to occur on or about April 30, 2025, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

    The private placement of the New Warrants and the ordinary shares underlying the New Warrants offered to the institutional investor will be made in reliance on an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Regulation D promulgated thereunder. Accordingly, the securities issued in the Concurrent Private Placement may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in this Offering, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

    About Wearable Devices Ltd.

    Wearable Devices Ltd. is a pioneering growth company revolutionizing human-computer interaction through its AI-powered neural input technology for both consumer and business markets. Leveraging proprietary sensors, software, and advanced AI algorithms, the Company’s innovative products, including the Mudra Band for iOS and Mudra Link for Android, enable seamless, touch-free interaction by transforming subtle finger and wrist movements into intuitive controls. These groundbreaking solutions enhance gaming, and the rapidly expanding AR/VR/XR landscapes. The Company offers a dual-channel business model: direct-to-consumer sales and enterprise licensing. Its flagship Mudra Band integrates functional and stylish design with cutting-edge AI to empower consumers, while its enterprise solutions provide businesses with the tools to deliver immersive and interactive experiences. By setting the input standard for the XR market, Wearable Devices is redefining user experiences and driving innovation in one of the fastest-growing tech sectors. Wearable Devices’ ordinary shares and warrants trade on the Nasdaq under the symbols “WLDS” and “WLDSW,” respectively.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “will” or other comparable terms. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss the expected closing date of the warrant inducement transaction, the use of proceeds, and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: the trading of our ordinary shares or warrants and the development of a liquid trading market; our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed on March 20, 2025 and our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    Investor Relations Contact

    Michal Efraty
    IR@wearabledevices.co.il

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: BTCC Exchange Pioneers Bitcoin Donations at Successful Legends Golf Day Charity Event Hosted by Red Eagle Foundation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    VILNIUS, Lithuania, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, the world’s longest-serving crypto exchange, has redefined charitable giving at the Red Eagle Foundation’s Legends Golf Day by enabling, for the first time in the foundation’s history, Bitcoin donations that bypassed traditional financial constraints while raising substantial funds for disadvantaged children.

    The event, held on April 24, 2025 at The Shire London, marked a historic milestone as BTCC enabled the first-ever Bitcoin donation option for the Red Eagle Foundation, revolutionizing how attendees could contribute to charitable causes. Participants could easily donate Bitcoin through QR codes available throughout the venue, transcending traditional banking limitations.

    The event featured an impressive lineup of ten Tottenham Hotspur legends, including Glenn Hoddle, Teddy Sheringham, Ossie Ardiles, Pat Jennings, Paul Miller, Michael Hazard, John Pratt, David Howells, John Lacey, and Mark Falco. Professional golfer Lucy Robson challenged participants as the “Beat the Pro”, and Team Barrington James took home the championship.

    A highlight included Glenn Hoddle sharing stories from his illustrious career and offering insights on the current Tottenham Hotspur team in a Q&A session hosted by former Chelsea player and sports television pundit Scott Minto.

    “BTCC brings a whole new donation method to traditional charity events, allowing more people in need to benefit from the power of cryptocurrency,” said Aaryn, Head of Branding at BTCC Exchange.

    “As pioneers in the cryptocurrency space, we believe it’s our responsibility to use innovative technology to create positive social impact. We’re happy to provide continuous support to our partner Red Eagle Foundation and look forward to launching more CSR initiatives as our exchange grows,” Aaryn added.

    The successful introduction of cryptocurrency donations represents just the beginning of BTCC’s expanded commitment to social responsibility. The exchange plans to leverage blockchain technology to address various social challenges while continuing to support organizations like the Red Eagle Foundation that make a meaningful difference in society.

    As a token of appreciation for its loyal community, BTCC will also be launching a giveaway featuring a signed shirt by Glenn Hoddle. Supporters are encouraged to stay tuned for more details on the exchange’s X (Twitter).

    About BTCC Exchange

    Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the most established cryptocurrency exchanges, providing secure and reliable crypto trading services. The exchange continues to innovate its services for its 7.04 million traders worldwide while maintaining a strong commitment to community service and corporate social responsibility.

    Official website: https://www.btcc.com/en-US

    X: https://x.com/BTCCexchange

    Media Contact: press@btcc.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Huntress Debuts Industry-Disrupting Managed SIEM to Democratize Cybersecurity for Businesses of All Sizes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COLUMBIA, Md. and SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Huntress announced the general availability of its modern Managed Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution at the RSA Conference, introducing enhanced integrations for log sources and expanded compliance capabilities. Fully managed by Huntress’ 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC), Huntress Managed SIEM removes the complexity, meaningless noise, and unpredictable costs that traditional SIEM products bring, turning the old model on its head and delivering much more than compliance.

    Huntress Managed SIEM enables customers to spot and neutralize threats earlier in the attack chain than they would with an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution alone. Another benefit – Managed SIEM customers experience a fast time to value after deployment, thanks to expert eyes on their environment from day one. For example, threat hunting performed by the Huntress SOC discovered an RDP brute force attack less than 15 hours after the customer deployed Huntress.

    Advancing its mission to make enterprise-grade cybersecurity accessible beyond the Fortune 1000, Huntress unveiled the general availability of its Managed SIEM with new and expanded functionality, including:

    • Enhanced log ingestion with 20+ new integrations, encompassing firewall, password management, and identity data sources, like 1Password, Keeper Security, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, pfSense, SonicWall, Sophos, Ubiquiti, WatchGuard, Barracuda Networks, LastPass, BitWarden, Duo, DNSFilter, and CloudGen.
    • 24/7 detection, response, and threat hunting for specific tradecraft led by Huntress’ elite SOC team to detect and neutralize noisy but effective threats like RDP brute force attempts that often go unnoticed.
    • Expanded detection rules, rapid data rehydration capabilities, and enhanced search speed up investigations and enable the Huntress SOC to remediate risks quickly.
    • Extended data retention up to 7 years for region-specific compliance, financial auditing, PCI-DSS mandates, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Essential Eight.
    • Predictable, stable, and industry-disruptive pricing based on Huntress’ ability to store only the necessary data for threat hunting, investigation, and compliance.

    “Security incidents can happen in minutes, and protection shouldn’t be reserved only for companies with big budgets and teams. SIEM providers talk a big game with promises of a single pane of glass, actionable visibility, and improved compliance and security posture, but the reality is complexity, noise, and soaring storage costs. We dropped the big data-lake mentality and built our SIEM to store only the data required for threat hunting and compliance, which earned us a spot on Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies list. We are ready to unshackle security teams from lengthy integrations, customizing rules, and sifting through massive amounts of data looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Chris Bisnett, CTO and Co-founder of Huntress.

    Because the elite Huntress SOC already monitors threats 24/7 for millions of endpoints and identities, its Managed SIEM gives fast and effective herd immunity from emerging threat actor tradecraft. Anything caught for one organization helps Huntress’ SOC shut it down faster for the next.

    “Huntress Managed SIEM is incredibly beneficial as it seamlessly integrates information from firewalls, endpoints, and antivirus solutions, allowing us to see an incident’s full scope, rather than just isolated parts. We have been able to get our clients up and running quickly and provide detailed assessments and actionable remediation steps. Ultimately, Huntress Managed SIEM is an invaluable tool for our business. I’d confidently recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their cybersecurity capabilities, ensure thorough incident analysis, and support rapid recovery efforts,” said Dan Paquette, President of Key Methods.

    Additional Resources:

    About Huntress
    Huntress is the enterprise-grade, people-powered cybersecurity solution for all businesses, not just the 1%. With fully owned technology developed by and for its industry-defining team of security analysts, engineers, and researchers, Huntress elevates underresourced tech teams, whether they work within outsourced IT environments or in-house IT and security teams.

    The 24/7 industry-leading Huntress Security Operations Center (SOC) covers cyber threats for outsourced IT and in-house teams through remediation with a false-positive rate of less than 1%. With a mission to break down barriers to enterprise-level security and always give back more than it takes, Huntress is often the first to respond to major hacks and threats while protecting its partners and shares tradecraft analysis and threat advisories with the community as they happen.

    As long as hackers keep hacking, Huntress keeps hunting. Join the hunt at www.huntress.com and follow us on XInstagramFacebook, and LinkedIn.

    Huntress Contact:
    press@huntresslabs.com

    A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/315a5cde-01b3-4aa5-9eac-f9cc2ff39442

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: VSORA Raises $46 Million to Bring World’s Most Powerful AI Inference Chip to Market

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Europe’s only provider of more powerful, energy-efficient and cost-effective AI Chips than other solutions from global market leaders
    • Funding will enable VSORA to produce its cutting-edge AI chip in 2025

    PARIS, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VSORA, a French innovator and the only European provider of ultra-high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) inference chips, today announced that it has successfully raised $46 million in a new fundraising round.

    The investment was led by Otium and a French family office with additional participation from Omnes Capital, Adélie Capital and co-financing from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund.

    In citing their reasons for investing in VSORA, all recognize that VSORA is poised to establish itself as a global leader in AI chips by redefining cost-effective, high-performance AI inference deployment at scale with a purpose-built architecture that overcomes inherent GPU limitations.

    “This funding marks a pivotal moment for VSORA as we accelerate our mission to revolutionize AI chips and ensure Europe’s technological sovereignty in AI computing,” says Khaled Maalej, VSORA Founder and CEO. “It will drive the finalization of our technology and the launch of our production, enabling VSORA to play a crucial role as the sole alternative to non-European chip designers. We are grateful for our investors’ trust and look forward to continuing our collaboration with industry leaders to bring our chip to market.”

    The new funding will support the production stage of VSORA’s Jotunn8 (J8) chip targeted for silicon in 2025. VSORA has forged partnerships with global semiconductor industry leaders, ensuring access to cutting-edge technologies and production capabilities that meet the highest standards of quality and performance.

    In parallel, VSORA continues to move forward with strategic stakeholders to prepare for the industrialization phase, paving the way for the emergence of a key global European player in AI chip innovation.

    “In a market dominated by global giants like Nvidia, VSORA is a unique opportunity for France and Europe, home to world-class engineering talent,” comments Gaspard de Veyrac, Principal at Otium. “Otium is proud to provide them with the means to realize their ambitions. With this funding, VSORA has the necessary tools to reshape the future of AI computation and secure a significant position in the global AI chip market.”

    VSORA and Jotunn8
    Founded in France, VSORA is working to reshape the future of AI inference by revolutionizing AI processing with its unique chip engineered for superior performance and efficiency and set to redefine AI inference processing. It is designed for key applications such as generative AI—ChatGPT, for instance—in data centers, autonomous driving, robotics and edge AI.

    The explosive growth of AI and generative AI applications has ignited an urgent demand for high-performance, cost-effective inference solutions. AI inference—the process of deploying trained AI models to generate real-time insights and predictions—is projected to grow at a 16% CAGR from $124 billion in 2025 to $255 billion in 2030.

    The Jotunn8 (J8) chip shatters performance barriers of conventional GPUs, delivering concrete performance that surpasses today’s AI chips from global-leading industry players. Specifically, J8 delivers more than three times the performance of existing solutions while consuming less than half the power. This significant leap in efficiency addresses the critical challenges of deployment cost, cost per query and energy consumption in large-scale AI deployment.

    Offering 3,200 teraflops of compute power, the J8 chip shatters the performance barriers of conventional GPUs, delivering real-world performance that surpasses today’s AI accelerators.

    Unlike traditional accelerators optimized for training, VSORA’s technology focuses on inference making it ideal for latency-sensitive applications. It increases throughput and reduces the processing cost and cost per query.

    About VSORA
    VSORA provides high-performance silicon solutions for AI data center inference, autonomous driving, robotics and edge AI applications. Founded in 2015 by a team of DSP experts, AI scientists and engineers with a long history of successes, VSORA has offices in France and Taiwan.

    Connect with VSORA:
    Website: www.vsora.com
    Email: info@vsora.com
    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vsora/

    About Otium
    Otium is a long-term investment holding company founded in 2009 by Pierre Edouard Sterin. With €1.6 billion ($1,892 billion) in assets as of December 31, 2024, spread across more than 1,310 investments—including the Smartbox group and stakes in French unicorns PayFit and Owkin—Otium invests amounts ranging from a few hundred thousand euros to several tens of millions of euros. Companies are funded at every stage of their development, from seed funding to growth capital, and Otium takes either majority or minority stakes with no holding period constraints. Otium pursues a diversification strategy by financing projects in tech, industrials, leisure, healthcare, hospitality and real estate. Otium invested €255 million in 2024. www.otiumcapital.com

    About Omnes Capital
    Omnes is a leading private equity firm dedicated to energy transition. With over €6.7 billion ($7,580 billion) in assets under management, our teams support long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs through our four core businesses: renewable energy, sustainable cities, deep tech and co-investment. For over 20 years, Omnes has been applying its expertise to help businesses grow in more than 15 countries, with a particular focus on sustainable development. As part of its approach as a responsible investor, the company has created the Omnes Foundation to support non-profit organizations working for children and young people in the fields of education, health, social and economic integration. www.omnescapital.com

    About EIC Fund
    The European Innovation Council Fund from the European Commission is an agnostic Fund: it invests across all technologies and verticals, and all EU countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe. It provides the investment component of the EIC Accelerator blended finance. The European Investment Bank acts as investment adviser to the EIC Fund.

    The EIC Fund aims to fill a critical financing gap and its main purpose is to support companies in the development and commercialisation of disruptive technologies, bridging with and crowding in market players, and further sharing risk by building a large network of capital providers and strategic partners suitable for co-investments and follow-on funding.

    The Fund pays particular attention to the empowerment and support of female founders as well as the ambition to reduce the innovation divide among EU countries.
    https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-fund_en

    For more information, contact:
    Nanette Collins
    Public Relations for VSORA
    nanette@nvc.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa aims for greater influence in global economic policies at G20

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    South Africa’s Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) has been a significant milestone for African representation in global economic decision-making. 

    This is according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who underscored Africa’s strategic vision to reshape global economic frameworks and assert the continent’s interests on the world stage.

    Delivering a keynote address at the T20 Africa High-Level Policy Dialogue in Pretoria, he emphasised both the continent’s potential and its challenges.

    “This gathering emphasises the need for Africa to address the persistent challenges of economic development, political instability, and governance weaknesses. 

    “It calls for a critical evaluation of current interventions aimed at strengthening Africa’s priorities, including economic growth, sustainable development, and global governance reforms. Africa is ours, and we must create the Africa we want,” the hold the attendees. 

    The T20, or Think 20, produces, discusses, consolidates and presents ideas on how to face current and emerging challenges that may be addressed by the G20. 

    Key themes included leveraging the continent’s young population, promoting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and addressing systemic challenges such as unemployment, especially youth joblessness, infrastructure gaps, and economic marginalisation. 

    WATCH | T20 Africa High-Level Policy Dialogue

    The country’s second-in-command stressed the importance of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies as critical tools for African development.

    According to the Deputy President, South Africa’s representative underscored the significance of the African Union’s new permanent membership in the G20, calling it a “transformational moment in global governance”.

    He said South Africa’s Presidency’s theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability” aims to reimagine multilateralism and prioritise the needs of the Global South.

    Critical priorities include mobilising finance for a Just Energy Transition, ensuring debt sustainability for developing economies, and creating strategic approaches to critical mineral development that prioritise local value addition.

    Mashatile believes that the dialogue represents a crucial step in positioning Africa as an active participant in global economic discussions, rather than a passive recipient of international policies.

    He said Africa currently stands at a crucial juncture in its development journey, with a growing population and vast natural resources, yet it remains underdeveloped.

    The Deputy President is of the view that the presence of a youthful population offers a range of possibilities for the development of the continent.

    He also touched on the challenges facing multilateralism, which have been apparent for an extended period. 

    “Therefore, we should take a dim view and strongly discourage the erosion of multilateralism, as it poses a potential threat to global growth and stability. A fair, transparent, equitable, and inclusive international order is essential for economic stability and sustained growth.” 

    He warned that the ongoing trade tensions may result in a rising cost of living due to increased prices, particularly for manufactured goods, potentially exacerbating the sluggish economic growth across our continent. 

    “It is necessary that we respond collectively and decisively as Africans, while increasing capacity and capability to reduce dependency.“

    According to the Deputy President, a fair, inclusive global order is possible, but it requires leadership grounded in equity, responsibility, and cooperation. 

    “The G20 should form part of this as we seek to unite as country states and develop policies that are progressive for the interest of all. We intend to work with like-minded countries and progressive institutions to establish a more equitable, representative, and just international order.” 

    While the G20 is not a substitute for existing international institutions, he said it must complement and accelerate progress on already agreed global commitments.

    “Let us remember that the strength of the G20 lies in its diversity and inclusivity. Strengthening African agency within this framework not only empowers African States but also increases the credibility and efficacy of global governance. 

    “South Africa’s G20 Presidency will remain accountable to the continent and to its people.” – SAnews.gov.za 

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: US-China trade war could hurt Nigerian entrepreneurs: why, and how they should prepare

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tolu Olarewaju, Economist and Lecturer in Management, Keele University

    As China and the United States lock horns in a trade war, slamming tariffs on each other, entrepreneurs in Nigeria are vulnerable to the fallout. In 2024, 27.8% of imports into Nigeria came from China. In the same year, US exports to Nigeria reached US$4.2 billion. Economist and entrepreneurship researcher Tolu Olarewaju unpacks what could happen if Chinese products destined for the American market were diverted to developing economies, including Nigeria.

    What dangers do the tariff tensions pose to Nigeria’s entrepreneurs?

    China is the world’s biggest manufacturing nation, producing far more than its population consumes domestically. It is already running an almost US$1 trillion goods surplus, meaning it exports more goods than it imports.

    China is often producing those goods at below the true cost of production due to domestic subsidies and state financial support, like cheap loans for favoured firms.

    If the goods it currently exports are unable to enter the US because tariffs have made them too expensive, Chinese firms could seek to divert them to other countries. This could be beneficial for some consumers. But it could undercut entrepreneurs who make competing products in these countries and threaten jobs and wages.

    Looking at the past profile of Chinese exports to Nigeria, these are some Nigerian goods that could be replaced by cheaper goods from China:

    Textiles and garments: Nigeria is the largest producer of textiles in west Africa. The Nigerian textile, apparel, and footwear sector contributed 2.97% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2023 and contracted by 1.75% in the first quarter of 2024. Locally made fabrics, garments and leather goods can easily be replaced by Chinese products, especially in the low-cost and mass-market segment. This is because China is one of the sector’s largest producers globally and can export at low cost.

    In 2024, the US was the top destination for China’s textiles exports.

    Furniture and home décor: Nigerian artisans are skilled at producing wooden furniture, home décor items, and other interior products. However, China is a global leader in furniture manufacturing. It offers mass-produced, inexpensive items. The wide variety and affordability could displace Nigerian furniture makers. The furniture market in Nigeria is expected to generate revenue of US$5.11 billion in 2025 and experience an annual growth rate of 2.93% between 2025 and 2029.

    Footwear: The Nigerian footwear market is valued at US$2.57 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow annually by 9.83%. The Nigerian footwear industry produces around 50 million pairs of shoes annually and employs over 500,000 people. China is one of the largest producers of footwear. In the US, 61.9% of all shoes are imported from China. Nigerian shoe manufacturers may find it difficult to compete with the flood of affordable Chinese-made footwear.

    Beauty, cosmetic, and skincare products: The Nigerian soap market is growing. It generated revenue of US$660.5 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$1.07 billion by 2030. With a population of over 200 million, the demand for soap products is increasing. China is a major supplier of inexpensive, mass-produced beauty products.

    What are the biggest challenges holding back Nigerian entrepreneurs?

    Weak infrastructure: Frequent power outages make it difficult for businesses to operate and distribute their products. This is a significant barrier, especially in the age of digital technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Poor road conditions also make it difficult to transport goods.

    High inflation: Nigeria’s headline inflation rate on a year-on-year basis stood at 24.48% in January 2025, and 29.90% in January 2024. High inflation raises the cost of raw materials, fuel, utilities and transport.

    Inflation also means a reduction in the purchasing power of consumers. While inflation should make Nigeria a less attractive market, Chinese goods are typically cheaper than local or western alternatives, even when inflation affects import costs.

    Interest rates for business loans are high in Nigeria. This reduces profit margins and makes it harder to maintain affordable prices for consumers.

    A poor business environment: Nigeria’s unpredictable political and economic landscape, characterised by shifting policies, and inconsistent regulations, makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to plan. They need to be able to forecast expenses, set pricing strategies or invest in long-term projects.

    Corruption also increases the costs of doing business and makes the business environment more uncertain.

    While it might seem logical for the government to protect the domestic business environment with blanket tariffs as suggested by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a more strategic approach is needed, one that focuses on targeted tariffs and investing in sectors with strong growth potential.

    Limited access to finance and high interest rates: Access to finance is a major barrier due to high interest rates and unreasonable collateral requirements for business credit.

    Currency depreciation and exchange rate volatility: The Nigerian naira has depreciated against foreign currencies in recent years. Entrepreneurs who rely on imports for raw materials or equipment have been hit hard by fluctuating exchange rates. Rising import costs can lead to even higher production costs. For businesses looking to export, this volatility can reduce the profitability of foreign sales, discouraging expansion into international markets.

    What should Nigeria’s entrepreneurs do to prepare for any potential fallout from the China-US trade war?

    Identify niche market needs: They should identify a market need that is not being met or that is under-served and cannot easily be met by Chinese goods.

    Focus on customer service: This way, entrepreneurs can build customer loyalty and reputation despite the influx of cheap goods.

    Embrace innovation: Nigerian entrepreneurs should be open to new ideas and technologies that can help them create new products and services, increase efficiency and reduce costs.

    Diversify supply chains: Relying heavily on imports from one country, especially raw materials, machinery, or electronics, can lead to shortages and price hikes if trade tensions escalate. Businesses should identify alternative suppliers, explore local sourcing options, and build stockpiles of essential inputs.

    Explore new export markets: Nigerian entrepreneurs should exploit regional trade agreements like the African Continental Free Trade Area for easier access to African markets.

    Adaptability and value creation: Businesses that focus on value creation are best positioned not just to survive but to thrive amid global shifts. Raw material exporters (for example, cashew and cocoa) may be vulnerable to price shocks. Value-added products offer better margins and greater market protection. Entrepreneurs should consider investing in light manufacturing or local processing, such as turning cocoa into chocolate.

    – US-China trade war could hurt Nigerian entrepreneurs: why, and how they should prepare
    – https://theconversation.com/us-china-trade-war-could-hurt-nigerian-entrepreneurs-why-and-how-they-should-prepare-254840

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cyberattacks: how companies can communicate effectively after being hit

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Paolo Antonetti, Professeur, EDHEC Business School

    In its latest annual publication, insurance group Hiscox surveyed more than 2,000 cybersecurity managers in eight countries including France. Two thirds of the companies in the survey reported having been the victim of a cyberattack between mid-August 2023 and September 2024, a 15% increase over the previous period. In terms of potential financial losses, Statista estimated that cyberattacks cost France up to €122 billion in 2024, compared to €89 in 2023 – a 37% rise.


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

    The main forms of cyberattacks on French businesses, the recommendations for how companies can protect themselves, and the technical and legal responses they can adopt are well documented.

    However, much less is known about appropriate communications and public relations responses to cyberattacks. The issues at stake are critical. When a company is the target of a cyberattack, should it systematically accept responsibility, or can it instead claim to be a victim to protect its reputation? A wrong answer can aggravate the situation and undermine the confidence of customers and investors.

    Positioning as a victim

    Our recent research questions the assumption that accepting causal responsibility should be the norm after a cyberattack: we show that positioning oneself as a victim can be more effective in limiting damage to one’s image – provided claims of victimhood are deployed intelligently.

    There is evidence that firms need a strategy to present themselves effectively as victims of cybercriminals. Some firms, such as T-Mobile and Equifax, have in the past paid compensation to consumers while refusing to accept any responsibility, essentially presenting themselves as victims.

    Similarly, the large French telecommunications operator Free presented itself as a victim when communicating about the large-scale cyberattack that affected its operations last October, which may have had an impact on its image. The UK’s TalkTalk initially framed itself as a victim of a cybercrime but was later criticized for its inadequate security measures.

    Victimhood and sympathy

    Clumsily declaring itself as the sole entity to blame or the sole victim of a cyberattack – which is what interests us here – can be risky and backfire on a company, damaging its credibility rather than protecting its reputation.

    When companies present themselves as victims of cybercrime, they can elicit sympathy from stakeholders. People tend to be more compassionate toward businesses that depict themselves as wronged rather than those that deny responsibility or shift blame. In essence, this strategy frames the organization as a target of external forces beyond its control, rather than as negligent or incompetent. It leverages a fundamental social norm – people’s instinctive tendency to support those they see as victims.

    But claims of victimhood must align with public expectations and the specific context of the breach. They should not be about shirking responsibility, but about acknowledging harm in a way that fosters understanding and trust. The following approaches and choices can help.

    • align with public perception

    The reactions of stakeholders often depend on their understanding of the situation. If the attack is perceived as an external and malicious act, it is crucial for a company to adopt a consistent stance by emphasizing that it itself has been a victim. But if internal negligence is proven, claiming victim status could be counterproductive. The swiftness of a company’s response, the level of transparency and the relative stance taken are all part of a good strategy.

    • express support for stakeholders

    Adopting a position of victimhood does not mean denying all responsibility or minimizing the consequences of an attack. The company must show that it takes the situation seriously by expressing empathy and commitment to affected stakeholders. It must pay particular attention to those affected inside the organization: a claim of victimhood should be part of an apology or a message expressing concern. An effective message must be sincere and oriented toward concrete solutions.

    • consider reputation

    We find that it is easier for companies to claim victimhood persuasively if they are perceived as virtuous. This reputation can be due to a positive track record in terms of corporate social responsibility or because they are a not-for-profit institution (e.g. a library, a university or a hospital). Virtuous victims generate sympathy and empathy, and this is also reflected after a cyberattack.

    • highlight the harmfulness and sophistication of the attack

    The results of our study also show that public acceptance of victim status is more effective when the cyberattack is perceived to be the work of highly competent malicious actors. It is also important for a company to persuade the public that the attack harmed the company, while keeping the main focus of the response on the public.

    • don’t complain

    It is essential to distinguish between legitimate claims of victim status and communication that could be perceived as an attempt to exonerate oneself. An overly plaintive tone could undermine a company’s credibility. The approach should be factual and constructive, focusing on the measures taken to overcome the crisis.

    • test reactions before communicating widely

    Companies’ responses to a cyberattack can vary depending on the context and the public. It is best to assess different approaches before embarking on large-scale communication. This can be done through internal tests, focus groups or targeted surveys. Subtle differences in the situation can cause important shifts in how the public perceives the breach and what the best response might be.

    Our study sheds light on a shift in public expectations about crisis management: in the age of ubiquitous cybercrime, responsibilities are often shared. Poorly managed communication after a cyberattack can lead to a lasting loss of trust and expose a company to increased legal risks. Claiming victim status effectively, with an empathetic and transparent approach, can help mitigate the impact of the crisis and preserve the organization’s reputation.


    This article was written with Ilaria Baghi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia).

    Paolo Antonetti ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    ref. Cyberattacks: how companies can communicate effectively after being hit – https://theconversation.com/cyberattacks-how-companies-can-communicate-effectively-after-being-hit-255061

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: US-China trade war could hurt Nigerian entrepreneurs: why, and how they should prepare

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tolu Olarewaju, Economist and Lecturer in Management, Keele University

    As China and the United States lock horns in a trade war, slamming tariffs on each other, entrepreneurs in Nigeria are vulnerable to the fallout. In 2024, 27.8% of imports into Nigeria came from China. In the same year, US exports to Nigeria reached US$4.2 billion. Economist and entrepreneurship researcher Tolu Olarewaju unpacks what could happen if Chinese products destined for the American market were diverted to developing economies, including Nigeria.

    What dangers do the tariff tensions pose to Nigeria’s entrepreneurs?

    China is the world’s biggest manufacturing nation, producing far more than its population consumes domestically. It is already running an almost US$1 trillion goods surplus, meaning it exports more goods than it imports.

    China is often producing those goods at below the true cost of production due to domestic subsidies and state financial support, like cheap loans for favoured firms.

    If the goods it currently exports are unable to enter the US because tariffs have made them too expensive, Chinese firms could seek to divert them to other countries. This could be beneficial for some consumers. But it could undercut entrepreneurs who make competing products in these countries and threaten jobs and wages.

    Looking at the past profile of Chinese exports to Nigeria, these are some Nigerian goods that could be replaced by cheaper goods from China:

    Textiles and garments: Nigeria is the largest producer of textiles in west Africa. The Nigerian textile, apparel, and footwear sector contributed 2.97% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2023 and contracted by 1.75% in the first quarter of 2024. Locally made fabrics, garments and leather goods can easily be replaced by Chinese products, especially in the low-cost and mass-market segment. This is because China is one of the sector’s largest producers globally and can export at low cost.

    In 2024, the US was the top destination for China’s textiles exports.

    Furniture and home décor: Nigerian artisans are skilled at producing wooden furniture, home décor items, and other interior products. However, China is a global leader in furniture manufacturing. It offers mass-produced, inexpensive items. The wide variety and affordability could displace Nigerian furniture makers. The furniture market in Nigeria is expected to generate revenue of US$5.11 billion in 2025 and experience an annual growth rate of 2.93% between 2025 and 2029.

    Footwear: The Nigerian footwear market is valued at US$2.57 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow annually by 9.83%. The Nigerian footwear industry produces around 50 million pairs of shoes annually and employs over 500,000 people. China is one of the largest producers of footwear. In the US, 61.9% of all shoes are imported from China. Nigerian shoe manufacturers may find it difficult to compete with the flood of affordable Chinese-made footwear.

    Beauty, cosmetic, and skincare products: The Nigerian soap market is growing. It generated revenue of US$660.5 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$1.07 billion by 2030. With a population of over 200 million, the demand for soap products is increasing. China is a major supplier of inexpensive, mass-produced beauty products.

    What are the biggest challenges holding back Nigerian entrepreneurs?

    Weak infrastructure: Frequent power outages make it difficult for businesses to operate and distribute their products. This is a significant barrier, especially in the age of digital technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Poor road conditions also make it difficult to transport goods.

    High inflation: Nigeria’s headline inflation rate on a year-on-year basis stood at 24.48% in January 2025, and 29.90% in January 2024. High inflation raises the cost of raw materials, fuel, utilities and transport.

    Inflation also means a reduction in the purchasing power of consumers. While inflation should make Nigeria a less attractive market, Chinese goods are typically cheaper than local or western alternatives, even when inflation affects import costs.

    Interest rates for business loans are high in Nigeria. This reduces profit margins and makes it harder to maintain affordable prices for consumers.

    A poor business environment: Nigeria’s unpredictable political and economic landscape, characterised by shifting policies, and inconsistent regulations, makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to plan. They need to be able to forecast expenses, set pricing strategies or invest in long-term projects.

    Corruption also increases the costs of doing business and makes the business environment more uncertain.

    While it might seem logical for the government to protect the domestic business environment with blanket tariffs as suggested by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a more strategic approach is needed, one that focuses on targeted tariffs and investing in sectors with strong growth potential.

    Limited access to finance and high interest rates: Access to finance is a major barrier due to high interest rates and unreasonable collateral requirements for business credit.

    Currency depreciation and exchange rate volatility: The Nigerian naira has depreciated against foreign currencies in recent years. Entrepreneurs who rely on imports for raw materials or equipment have been hit hard by fluctuating exchange rates. Rising import costs can lead to even higher production costs. For businesses looking to export, this volatility can reduce the profitability of foreign sales, discouraging expansion into international markets.

    What should Nigeria’s entrepreneurs do to prepare for any potential fallout from the China-US trade war?

    Identify niche market needs: They should identify a market need that is not being met or that is under-served and cannot easily be met by Chinese goods.

    Focus on customer service: This way, entrepreneurs can build customer loyalty and reputation despite the influx of cheap goods.

    Embrace innovation: Nigerian entrepreneurs should be open to new ideas and technologies that can help them create new products and services, increase efficiency and reduce costs.

    Diversify supply chains: Relying heavily on imports from one country, especially raw materials, machinery, or electronics, can lead to shortages and price hikes if trade tensions escalate. Businesses should identify alternative suppliers, explore local sourcing options, and build stockpiles of essential inputs.

    Explore new export markets: Nigerian entrepreneurs should exploit regional trade agreements like the African Continental Free Trade Area for easier access to African markets.

    Adaptability and value creation: Businesses that focus on value creation are best positioned not just to survive but to thrive amid global shifts. Raw material exporters (for example, cashew and cocoa) may be vulnerable to price shocks. Value-added products offer better margins and greater market protection. Entrepreneurs should consider investing in light manufacturing or local processing, such as turning cocoa into chocolate.

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

    ref. US-China trade war could hurt Nigerian entrepreneurs: why, and how they should prepare – https://theconversation.com/us-china-trade-war-could-hurt-nigerian-entrepreneurs-why-and-how-they-should-prepare-254840

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on the Middle East [as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Je remercie la présidence française d’organiser cette réunion au niveau ministériel sur le Moyen-Orient, y compris la question palestinienne.

    La région traverse des bouleversements fondamentaux, marqués par la violence et la volatilité, mais également porteurs d’opportunités et de potentiel.

    Au Liban, le cessez-le-feu et l’intégrité territoriale doivent être respectés et tous les engagements doivent être mis en œuvre.

    En Syrie, nous devons poursuivre nos efforts pour accompagner le pays sur la voie d’une transition politique inclusive de toutes les composantes de la population syrienne – une transition qui garantisse la reddition de comptes, favorise la réconciliation nationale, et jette les bases du redressement à long terme de la Syrie ainsi que de son intégration future au sein de la communauté internationale. 

    Cela inclut la situation dans le Golan syrien occupé, qui demeure précaire en raison de violations majeures de l’Accord de désengagement des forces de 1974 – notamment la présence continue des Forces de défense israéliennes dans la zone de séparation, ainsi que leurs multiples frappes contre des sites au-delà de la ligne de cessez-le-feu.

    À travers le Moyen-Orient, les populations réclament et méritent un avenir meilleur – et non des conflits et des souffrances sans fin.

    Nous devons agir ensemble pour faire en sorte que cette période de turbulences et de transition réponde à ces aspirations – et qu’elle apporte justice, dignité, droits, sécurité, et une paix durable.

    Cela commence par la reconnaissance de deux faits fondamentaux : 

    Premièrement, la région se trouve à un moment charnière de son histoire. 

    Et, deuxièmement, que toute paix vraiment durable au Moyen-Orient dépend d’une question centrale.

    Un élément essentiel que ce Conseil de sécurité a affirmé et réaffirmé, année après année, décennie après décennie : une solution à deux États, Israël et la Palestine, vivant côte-à-côte dans la paix et la sécurité, avec Jérusalem comme capitale des deux États.

    Mr. President,

    Today, the promise of a two-State solution is at risk of dwindling to the point of disappearance. 

    The political commitment to this long-standing goal is farther than it has ever been.

    As a result, the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live and peace and security have been undermined – and the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinians have been denied – while they endure Israel’s continued presence that the International Court of Justice has found unlawful. 

    And since the horrific 7 October terror attacks by Hamas, it has gotten worse on every front.

    First, the unrelenting conflict and devastation in Gaza – including the utterly inhumane conditions of life imposed on its people who are repeatedly coming under attack, confined to smaller and smaller spaces, and deprived of lifesaving relief. 

    In line with international law, the Security Council has rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce its territory. 

    Gaza is — and must remain — an integral part of a future Palestinian state.

    Second, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli military operations and the use of heavy weaponry in residential areas, forcible displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, and settlement expansion are dramatically altering demographic and geographic realities. 

    Palestinians are being contained and coerced.  Contained in areas that are subject to increasing military operations and where the Palestinian Authority is under growing pressure – and coerced out of areas where settlements are expanding. 

    Third, settler violence continues at alarmingly high levels in a climate of impunity, with entire Palestinian communities facing repeated assaults and destruction, sometimes abetted by Israeli soldiers.

    Palestinian attacks against Israelis in both Israel and the occupied West Bank also continue.

    Mr. President,

    The world cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear. 

    Political leaders face clear choices — the choice to be silent, the choice to acquiesce, or the choice to act.

    Mr. President,

    In Gaza, there is no end in sight to the killing and misery.

    The ceasefire had brought a glimmer of hope – the long-sought release of hostages and delivery of lifesaving humanitarian relief.

    But those embers of opportunity were cruelly extinguished with the shattering of the ceasefire on 18 March. 

    Since then, almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes and military operations – including women, children, journalists, and humanitarians.

    Hamas also continues to fire rockets towards Israel indiscriminately – while the hostages continue to be held in appalling conditions. 

    The humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip has gone from bad … to worse … to beyond imagination.   

    For nearly two full months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and commercial supplies, depriving more than two million people of lifesaving relief. 

    All while the world watches.

    I am alarmed by statements by Israeli government officials about the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for military pressure.

    Aid is non-negotiable. 

    Israel must protect civilians and must agree to relief schemes and facilitate them.

    I salute the women and men of the United Nations and all other humanitarian workers – especially our Palestinian colleagues — who continue to work under fire and in incomprehensibly difficult conditions.

    And I mourn all of the women and men of the United Nations who were killed – including some with their families.

    The entry of assistance must be restored immediately — the safety of UN personnel and humanitarian partners must be guaranteed – and UN agencies must be allowed to work in full respect of humanitarian principles:  humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

    There must be no hindrance in humanitarian aid – including through the vital work of UNRWA.

    We need the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

    And we need a permanent ceasefire.

    It’s time to stop the repeated displacement of the Gaza population – along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza.

    And the trampling of international law must end.

    I call on Member States to use their leverage to ensure that international law is respected and impunity does not prevail.

    This includes for the 19 March incident for which Israel has now acknowledged responsibility in firing on a UN guesthouse, killing one colleague and injuring six others … the 23 March killing of paramedics and other rescue workers in Rafah … as well as many other cases.

    There must be accountability across the board.

    Mr. President,

    Advisory proceedings are ongoing at the International Court of Justice on the obligations of Israel, as an occupying Power and a Member of the United Nations, in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    In February, the United Nations Legal Counsel submitted a written statement to the Court – and yesterday, she made an oral statement before the Court – both of which on my behalf.

    The statement to the Court includes points that I have made on a number of occasions.

    Specifically, that all parties to conflict must comply with all their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

    That Israel, as an occupying Power, is under an obligation to ensure food and medical supplies of the population.

    That Israel has an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    That humanitarian, medical and United Nations personnel must be respected and protected.

    And I emphasize the obligation under international law to respect the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including the absolute inviolability of United Nations premises, property and assets – and the immunity from legal process of the United Nations. 

    Such immunity applies to all UN entities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – including UNRWA – a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.
    I call on Member States to fully support all of these efforts. 

    Mr. President,

    In this period of turmoil and transition for the region, Member States must spell out how they will realize the commitment and promise of a two-State solution.

    This is not a time for ritualistically expressing support, ticking a box, and moving on.

    We are past the stage of ticking boxes – the clock is ticking.

    The two-State solution is near a point of no return. 

    The international community has a responsibility to prevent perpetual occupation and violence.

    My call to Member States is clear and urgent:

    Take irreversible action towards implementing a two-State solution.

    Do not let extremists on any side undermine what remains of the peace process.

    The High-Level Conference in June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is an important opportunity to revitalize international support.

    I encourage Member States to go beyond affirmations, and to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-State solution before it is too late.

    At the same time, the Palestinian Authority needs stepped-up and sustained support – politically and financially.  This is crucial to ensure the continued viability of Palestinian institutions, consolidate ongoing reforms, and enable the PA to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza.

    Mr. President,

    At this hinge point of history for the people of the Middle East – and on this issue on which so much hinges – leaders must stand and deliver. 

    Show the political courage and exercise the political will to make good on this central question for peace for Palestinians, Israelis, the region and humanity.

    Thank you.

    ***
    [all-English]

    Mr. President, Excellencies,

    I thank the French presidency for convening this ministerial-level meeting on the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

    The region is undergoing fundamental shifts, marked by violence and volatility but also opportunity and potential.

    In Lebanon, the ceasefire and territorial integrity must be respected and all commitments implemented.

    In Syria, we must keep working to support the country’s path towards a political transition that is inclusive of all segments of the Syrian population – one that ensures accountability, fosters national healing, and lays the foundation for Syria’s long-term recovery and further integration into the international community. 

    This includes the situation in the occupied Syrian Golan — which remains precarious with significant violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, with the continued presence of the Israel Defense Forces into the area of separation and their several strikes targeting locations across the ceasefire line.

    Across the Middle East, people demand and deserve a better future, not endless conflict and suffering.

    We must collectively work to ensure that this turbulent and transitional period meets those aspirations — and delivers justice, dignity, rights, security and lasting peace.

    It starts by recognizing two fundamental facts: 

    First, that the region is at a hinge-point in history. 

    And, second, that truly sustainable Middle East peace hinges on one central question.

    On a core issue that this Security Council has affirmed and re-affirmed decade after decade, year after year:  a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.

    Mr. President,

    Today, the promise of a two-State solution is at risk of dwindling to the point of disappearance. 

    The political commitment to this long-standing goal is farther than it has ever been.

    As a result, the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live and peace and security have been undermined – and the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinians have been denied – while they endure Israel’s continued presence that the International Court of Justice has found unlawful. 

    And since the horrific 7 October terror attacks by Hamas, it has gotten worse on every front.

    First, the unrelenting conflict and devastation in Gaza – including the utterly inhumane conditions of life imposed on its people who are repeatedly coming under attack, confined to smaller and smaller spaces, and deprived of lifesaving relief. 

    In line with international law, the Security Council has rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce its territory. 

    Gaza is — and must remain — an integral part of a future Palestinian state.

    Second, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli military operations and the use of heavy weaponry in residential areas, forcible displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, and settlement expansion are dramatically altering demographic and geographic realities. 

    Palestinians are being contained and coerced.  Contained in areas that are subject to increasing military operations and where the Palestinian Authority is under growing pressure – and coerced out of areas where settlements are expanding. 

    Third, settler violence continues at alarmingly high levels in a climate of impunity, with entire Palestinian communities facing repeated assaults and destruction, sometimes abetted by Israeli soldiers.

    Palestinian attacks against Israelis in both Israel and the occupied West Bank also continue.

    Mr. President,

    The world cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear. 

    Political leaders face clear choices — the choice to be silent, the choice to acquiesce, or the choice to act.

    Mr. President,

    In Gaza, there is no end in sight to the killing and misery.

    The ceasefire had brought a glimmer of hope – the long-sought release of hostages and delivery of lifesaving humanitarian relief.

    But those embers of opportunity were cruelly extinguished with the shattering of the ceasefire on 18 March. 

    Since then, almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes and military operations – including women, children, journalists, and humanitarians.

    Hamas also continues to fire rockets towards Israel indiscriminately – while the hostages continue to be held in appalling conditions. 

    The humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip has gone from bad … to worse … to beyond imagination.   

    For nearly two full months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and commercial supplies, depriving more than two million people of lifesaving relief. 

    All while the world watches.

    I am alarmed by statements by Israeli government officials about the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for military pressure.

    Aid is non-negotiable. 

    Israel must protect civilians and must agree to relief schemes and facilitate them.

    I salute the women and men of the United Nations and all other humanitarian workers – especially our Palestinian colleagues — who continue to work under fire and in incomprehensibly difficult conditions.

    And I mourn all of the women and men of the United Nations who were killed – including some with their families.

    The entry of assistance must be restored immediately — the safety of UN personnel and humanitarian partners must be guaranteed – and UN agencies must be allowed to work in full respect of humanitarian principles:  humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

    There must be no hindrance in humanitarian aid – including through the vital work of UNRWA.

    We need the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

    And we need a permanent ceasefire.

    It’s time to stop the repeated displacement of the Gaza population – along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza.

    And the trampling of international law must end.

    I call on Member States to use their leverage to ensure that international law is respected and impunity does not prevail.

    This includes for the 19 March incident for which Israel has now acknowledged responsibility in firing on a UN guesthouse, killing one colleague and injuring six others … the 23 March killing of paramedics and other rescue workers in Rafah … as well as many other cases.

    There must be accountability across the board.

    Mr. President,

    Advisory proceedings are ongoing at the International Court of Justice on the obligations of Israel, as an occupying Power and a Member of the United Nations, in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    In February, the United Nations Legal Counsel submitted a written statement to the Court – and yesterday, she made an oral statement before the Court – both of which on my behalf.

    The statement to the Court includes points that I have made on a number of occasions.

    Specifically, that all parties to conflict must comply with all their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

    That Israel, as an occupying Power, is under an obligation to ensure food and medical supplies of the population.

    That Israel has an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    That humanitarian, medical and United Nations personnel must be respected and protected.

    And I emphasize the obligation under international law to respect the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including the absolute inviolability of United Nations premises, property and assets – and the immunity from legal process of the United Nations. 

    Such immunity applies to all UN entities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – including UNRWA – a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.

    I call on Member States to fully support all of these efforts. 

    Mr. President,

    In this period of turmoil and transition for the region, Member States must spell out how they will realize the commitment and promise of a two-State solution.

    This is not a time for ritualistically expressing support, ticking a box, and moving on.

    We are past the stage of ticking boxes – the clock is ticking.

    The two-State solution is near a point of no return. 

    The international community has a responsibility to prevent perpetual occupation and violence.

    My call to Member States is clear and urgent:

    Take irreversible action towards implementing a two-State solution.

    Do not let extremists on any side undermine what remains of the peace process.

    The High-Level Conference in June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is an important opportunity to revitalize international support.

    I encourage Member States to go beyond affirmations, and to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-State solution before it is too late.

    At the same time, the Palestinian Authority needs stepped-up and sustained support – politically and financially.  This is crucial to ensure the continued viability of Palestinian institutions, consolidate ongoing reforms, and enable the PA to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza.

    Mr. President,

    At this hinge point of history for the people of the Middle East – and on this issue on which so much hinges – leaders must stand and deliver. 

    Show the political courage and exercise the political will to make good on this central question for peace for Palestinians, Israelis, the region and humanity.

    Thank you.

    ***
    [all-French]

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Je remercie la présidence française d’organiser cette réunion au niveau ministériel sur le Moyen-Orient, y compris la question palestinienne.

    La région traverse des bouleversements fondamentaux, marqués par la violence et la volatilité, mais également porteurs d’opportunités et de potentiel.

    Au Liban, le cessez-le-feu et l’intégrité territoriale doivent être respectés et tous les engagements doivent être mis en œuvre.

    En Syrie, nous devons poursuivre nos efforts pour accompagner le pays sur la voie d’une transition politique inclusive de toutes les composantes de la population syrienne – une transition qui garantisse la reddition de comptes, favorise la réconciliation nationale, et jette les bases du redressement à long terme de la Syrie ainsi que de son intégration future au sein de la communauté internationale. 

    Cela inclut la situation dans le Golan syrien occupé, qui demeure précaire en raison de violations majeures de l’Accord de désengagement des forces de 1974 – notamment la présence continue des Forces de défense israéliennes dans la zone de séparation, ainsi que leurs multiples frappes contre des sites au-delà de la ligne de cessez-le-feu.

    À travers le Moyen-Orient, les populations réclament et méritent un avenir meilleur – et non des conflits et des souffrances sans fin.

    Nous devons agir ensemble pour faire en sorte que cette période de turbulences et de transition réponde à ces aspirations – et qu’elle apporte justice, dignité, droits, sécurité, et une paix durable.

    Cela commence par la reconnaissance de deux faits fondamentaux : 

    Premièrement, la région se trouve à un moment charnière de son histoire. 
    Et, deuxièmement, que toute paix vraiment durable au Moyen-Orient dépend d’une question centrale.

    Un élément essentiel que ce Conseil de sécurité a affirmé et réaffirmé, année après année, décennie après décennie : une solution à deux États, Israël et la Palestine, vivant côte-à-côte dans la paix et la sécurité, avec Jérusalem comme capitale des deux États.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Aujourd’hui, la promesse de la solution des deux États court le risque de s’effilocher au point de disparaître.

    L’engagement politique en faveur de cet objectif de longue date n’a jamais été aussi ténu.

    De ce fait, les droits des Israéliens et des Palestiniens de vivre en paix et sécurité ont été mis à mal – et les aspirations nationales légitimes des Palestiniens ont été niées – alors qu’ils continuent de subir une présence israélienne que la Cour internationale de justice a jugée illicite.

    Depuis les effroyables attaques terroristes perpétrées par le Hamas le 7 octobre, la situation s’est aggravée sur tous les fronts.

    Premièrement, avec le conflit incessant et la dévastation que subit la bande de Gaza : les conditions de vie sont absolument inhumaines, les habitants sont la cible d’attaques à répétition et sont confinés dans des espaces de plus en plus réduits et privés d’une aide vitale.

    S’appuyant sur le droit international, le Conseil de sécurité a rejeté toute tentative de changement démographique ou territorial dans la bande de Gaza, y compris tout acte visant à réduire le territoire.

    Gaza fait partie intégrante d’un futur État palestinien et doit le rester.

    Deuxièmement, en Cisjordanie occupée, y compris Jérusalem-Est, les opérations militaires israéliennes et l’emploi d’armes lourdes dans des zones résidentielles, les déplacements forcés, les démolitions, les restrictions de circulation et l’expansion des colonies transforment radicalement les réalités démographiques et géographiques.

    Les Palestiniens sont cantonnés dans certains endroits et contraints d’en quitter d’autres. Ils sont cantonnés dans des zones où les opérations militaires se multiplient et où l’Autorité palestinienne est soumise à des pressions croissantes, et contraints de quitter les zones où les colons étendent leur emprise.

    Troisièmement, la violence exercée par les colons se poursuit dans un climat d’impunité, parfois avec la complicité de soldats israéliens, et atteint des niveaux alarmants : des communautés palestiniennes tout entières sont agressées et victimes de destructions à répétition.

    Les attaques menées par des Palestiniens contre des Israéliens en Israël et en Cisjordanie occupée se poursuivent également.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Le monde ne peut pas se permettre de voir la solution des deux États s’évanouir.

    Les dirigeants politiques ont le choix : se taire, acquiescer ou agir.

    Monsieur le Président,

    À Gaza, rien ne laisse entrevoir la fin de la tuerie et des souffrances.

    Le cessez-le-feu avait apporté une lueur d’espoir : la libération des otages, tant attendue, et l’acheminement d’une aide humanitaire vitale.
    Hélas, cette lueur d’espoir s’est éteinte avec la rupture du cessez-le-feu le 18 mars.

    Depuis, les frappes et les opérations militaires israéliennes ont fait près de 2000 morts parmi les Palestiniens dans la bande de Gaza, y compris des femmes, des enfants, des journalistes et du personnel humanitaire.

    Le Hamas continue également de tirer des roquettes sur Israël sans discernement – tandis que les otages sont toujours détenus dans des conditions épouvantables.

    Déjà mauvaise, la situation humanitaire dans la bande de Gaza n’a fait qu’empirer et dépasse aujourd’hui l’entendement.

    Depuis près de deux mois, Israël bloque les livraisons de nourriture, de carburant, de médicaments et de marchandises, privant ainsi plus de deux millions de personnes d’une aide vitale.

    Et ce, au vu et au su du monde entier.

    Je suis alarmé par les déclarations de représentants d’Israël concernant l’utilisation de l’aide humanitaire comme moyen de pression militaire.

    L’aide humanitaire n’est pas négociable.

    Israël est tenu de protéger les civils ; il doit accepter les programmes d’aide et en faciliter l’exécution.

    Je rends hommage au personnel des Nations Unies, femmes et hommes, ainsi qu’à tous les autres agents humanitaires, en particulier à nos collègues palestiniens, qui continuent à travailler malgré les frappes et dans des conditions inouïes.

    Et je pleure toutes les femmes et tous les hommes des Nations Unies qui ont été tués – y compris certains avec leurs familles.

    L’acheminement de l’aide doit être rétabli immédiatement, la sécurité du personnel des Nations Unies et des partenaires humanitaires doit être garantie et les entités des Nations Unies doivent pouvoir travailler dans le plein respect des principes humanitaires : humanité, impartialité, neutralité et indépendance.

    Il ne doit y avoir aucune entrave à l’aide humanitaire, notamment au travail vital que fait l’UNRWA.

    Il faut que tous les otages soient libérés immédiatement et sans conditions.

    Et il faut un cessez-le-feu permanent.

    Il est temps de mettre un terme aux déplacements répétés de la population de Gaza, ainsi qu’à la question des déplacements forcés en dehors de Gaza.

    Et il faut cesser de bafouer le droit international.

    J’engage tous les États Membres à user de leur influence pour que le droit international soit respecté et que l’impunité ne l’emporte pas.

    Je veux parler notamment de la frappe du 19 mars contre une résidence des Nations Unies, qui a fait un mort et six blessés parmi nos collègues et pour laquelle Israël a désormais reconnu sa responsabilité … de l’attaque du 23 mars, dans laquelle du personnel paramédical et d’autres secouristes ont trouvé la mort à Rafah … et de bien d’autres encore.

    Aucun acte ne saurait rester impuni.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Une procédure consultative a été engagée à la Cour internationale de Justice sur les obligations d’Israël, Puissance occupante et membre de l’ONU, en ce qui concerne la présence et les activités des entités des Nations Unies dans le Territoire palestinien occupé et en lien avec celui-ci.

    En février, la Conseillère juridique de l’ONU a soumis en mon nom une déclaration écrite à la Cour, et hier, elle a fait une déclaration orale devant la Cour, également en mon nom.

    Cette déclaration reprend des points que j’ai soulevés à plusieurs reprises.

    En particulier, le fait que toutes les parties au conflit sont tenues de s’acquitter des obligations que leur impose le droit international, y compris le droit international humanitaire et le droit international des droits humains.

    Qu’Israël, Puissance occupante, est tenu d’assurer l’approvisionnement de la population en produits alimentaires et fournitures médicales.

    Qu’il est tenu d’accepter les programmes d’aide et d’en faciliter l’exécution dans le Territoire palestinien occupé.

    Que le personnel humanitaire et médical, ainsi que le personnel des Nations Unies, doit être respecté et protégé.

    Je tiens à insister sur l’obligation faite en droit international de respecter les privilèges et immunités des Nations Unies et de leur personnel, y compris l’inviolabilité absolue des locaux, des biens et des avoirs des Nations Unies, ainsi que l’immunité de juridiction des Nations Unies.

    Cette immunité s’applique à toutes les entités des Nations Unies dans le Territoire palestinien occupé, y compris l’UNRWA, organe subsidiaire de l’Assemblée générale.

    J’engage les États Membres à soutenir tous ces efforts.

    Monsieur le Président,

    En cette période de tourmente et de transition pour la région, les États Membres doivent énoncer clairement comment ils concrétiseront l’engagement qu’ils ont pris et la promesse qu’ils ont faite quant à la solution des deux États.

    Ce n’est pas le moment d’exprimer rituellement son soutien, de cocher une case et de passer à autre chose.

    Nous avons dépassé le stade des cases à cocher : le temps presse.

    Pour la solution des deux États, le glas a presque sonné.

    La communauté internationale a la responsabilité d’empêcher l’occupation et la violence perpétuelles.

    L’appel que je leur lance est urgent et sans équivoque :

    Prenez des mesures irréversibles pour concrétiser la solution des deux États.

    Ne laissez pas les extrémistes de tout bord saper ce qu’il reste du processus de paix.

    La Conférence de haut niveau qui se tiendra en juin, co-présidée par la France et le Royaume d’Arabie saoudite, est une véritable occasion de revitaliser le soutien international.

    J’encourage les États membres à aller au-delà des affirmations et à réfléchir de manière créative aux mesures concrètes qu’ils prendront pour soutenir une solution viable à deux États avant qu’il ne soit trop tard.

    J’encourage les États Membres à traduire les paroles en actes et à réfléchir de manière créative pour déterminer les mesures concrètes qu’ils prendront pour soutenir une solution viable de deux États – avant qu’il ne soit trop tard.

    Parallèlement, l’Autorité palestinienne a besoin d’un soutien accru et durable, tant sur le plan politique que financièrement parlant. C’est une condition essentielle pour garantir la viabilité des institutions palestiniennes, asseoir les réformes engagées et permettre à l’Autorité palestinienne d’exercer de nouveau toutes ses responsabilités dans la bande de Gaza.

    Monsieur le Président,

    À ce moment charnière de l’histoire pour les peuples du Moyen-Orient – et vis-à-vis de cette question dont dépendent tant de choses – les dirigeants doivent concrétiser leur promesse.

    Faites preuve de courage et de volonté politiques, tenez vos engagements vis-à-vis de cette question centrale pour la paix : pour les Palestiniens, les Israéliens, la région et l’humanité tout entière.

    Je vous remercie.

    MIL OSI United Nations News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Vice President and Controller of Publicly Traded Consumer Goods Company Sentenced to 13 Months for $1.6M Insider Trading Scheme

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A Florida man was sentenced yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to 13 months’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine for his role in an insider trading scheme that netted over $1.6 million in profits. He was also ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution and over $1.6 million in forfeiture.

    According to court documents, from November 2018 to April 2023, Stephen George, 54, of Parkland, was a member of the Finance Department and held roles including controller and vice president at a consumer-packaged goods company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida (Company A). The company was the maker of a fitness drink whose securities were publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. At Company A, George received material non-public information (MNPI) regarding the company’s financial performance.

    On his final day at Company A on April 7, 2023, George created a consolidated income statement showing its financial performance for the first quarter of 2023, which George knew contained MNPI. The income statement showed that the company’s first quarter results had greatly exceeded expectations. George then emailed the document to himself using two personal email accounts.

    On April 10, 2023, the first trading day after his last day of employment, and continuing through May 8, 2023, George purchased Company A securities based on MNPI – specifically, 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts. On May 9, 2023, after the market close, Company A publicly reported better-than-expected earnings and sales for the first quarter of 2023, including an all-time quarterly record in revenue. After the public announcement, its stock price increased significantly. During the next trading day, George sold all 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts, resulting in over $1.6 million in personal profits.

    In February 2025, George pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.

    Trial Attorneys Matthew F. Sullivan and Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli S. Rubin and Elizabeth Young for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled asset forfeiture.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Prolific Fraudster Sentenced to 10 Years for Series of Schemes Costing Victims Millions

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    HOUSTON – A 39-year-old Manvel resident who used his veteran status to perpetuate several financial crimes has been ordered to federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Antonio Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty Feb. 4.

    U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has now ordered Jackson to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered Jackson to pay a total of $1,974,145.63 in restitution to four different victims.     

    At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the various methods Jackson used to exploit his victims, including creating fake companies, submitting bogus tax records and even faking signatures of government officials and copying official government seals and emblems. In handing down the sentence, Judge Rosenthal highlighted Jackson’s wide-ranging criminal conduct and his ongoing commitment to defrauding both public and private victims. The court also noted that Jackson exploited his brief stint in the U.S. Army, which ended in a court-martial, as a way to deceive others under the guise of service.  

    From July 2020 to May 2021, Jackson submitted four false Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. He claimed his business earned millions in revenue and paid hundreds of thousands in wages to more than 20 employees. In reality, Jackson fabricated tax returns, bank statements and other business records to support his false claims. The scheme resulted in losses of approximately $480,000.

    While awaiting trial, authorities uncovered three additional schemes Jackson committed. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to defrauding a Washington D.C.-based federal credit union through a series of scam home improvement loans. Jackson also made false statements to obtain a Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA)-backed loan. In addition, he defrauded Brazoria County taxpayers by falsely claiming disabled veteran status to receive property tax relief on his Manvel residence.

    He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    The Small Business Administration and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs- Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with the assistance of several local police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Swartz and Thomas Carter prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Vice President and Controller of Publicly Traded Consumer Goods Company Sentenced to 13 Months for $1.6M Insider Trading Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    A Florida man was sentenced yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to 13 months’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine for his role in an insider trading scheme that netted over $1.6 million in profits. He was also ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution and over $1.6 million in forfeiture.

    According to court documents, from November 2018 to April 2023, Stephen George, 54, of Parkland, was a member of the Finance Department and held roles including controller and vice president at a consumer-packaged goods company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida (Company A). The company was the maker of a fitness drink whose securities were publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. At Company A, George received material non-public information (MNPI) regarding the company’s financial performance.

    On his final day at Company A on April 7, 2023, George created a consolidated income statement showing its financial performance for the first quarter of 2023, which George knew contained MNPI. The income statement showed that the company’s first quarter results had greatly exceeded expectations. George then emailed the document to himself using two personal email accounts.

    On April 10, 2023, the first trading day after his last day of employment, and continuing through May 8, 2023, George purchased Company A securities based on MNPI – specifically, 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts. On May 9, 2023, after the market close, Company A publicly reported better-than-expected earnings and sales for the first quarter of 2023, including an all-time quarterly record in revenue. After the public announcement, its stock price increased significantly. During the next trading day, George sold all 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts, resulting in over $1.6 million in personal profits.

    In February 2025, George pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.

    Trial Attorneys Matthew F. Sullivan and Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli S. Rubin and Elizabeth Young for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled asset forfeiture.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI: BloFin Surpasses Top Exchange Standards in Performance, Liquidity, and Broker Integration

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BloFin, a futures-focused trading platform and Title Sponsor of TOKEN2049 Dubai 2025, is accelerating the next generation of trading infrastructure.

    According to its April 2025 technical performance report, BloFin’s trading system outperforms many top-tier global exchanges in key areas, including speed, stability, efficiency, and automation. From ultra-low-latency execution to industry-leading memory and CPU optimization, and the highest level of broker integration and API openness, BloFin is building an infrastructure designed for professional traders and institutions.

    Low-Latency Performance Across Devices: BloFin Delivers Seamless Trading on Both Web and Mobile with Institutional-Grade Speed and Stability

    BloFin Outperforms Top Exchanges with Best-in-Class Homepage, Spot, and Futures Trading Performance. According to real-user data and Google PageSpeed testing, BloFin’s homepage scored 86, outperforming OKX (79), Binance (71), Bitget (60), and Bybit (54), which deliver faster loading, smoother interaction, and a superior first impression for users.

    On the trading side, BloFin’s spot page achieved a score of 66, and its futures page reached 63, both surpassing major competitors.

    These results highlight BloFin’s commitment to offering traders a consistently faster, more stable, and more reliable experience, even under heavy trading loads.

    – Data Source: Google PageSpeed Insights – Core Web Vitals (CWV) performance data

    Ranking Top 3: BloFin Among the Best-in-Class Exchanges for Mobile App Efficiency

    BloFin also continues to lead in mobile performance, ranking among the top three exchanges for app speed and efficiency. With a startup time of just 1.57 seconds, BloFin outperforms BingX, Bybit, and Bitget, allowing traders to access the platform quickly without delay. BloFin also maintains a low stutter rate (68 times), closely following Binance and significantly outperforming Bybit, Bitget, and OKX for a smoother and more stable experience.

    In addition, it demonstrates industry-leading memory efficiency, using only 354 MB compared to Binance (732 MB) and Bitget (832 MB), and achieves the lowest CPU usage at just 17%, which minimizes device strain and maximizes battery life during trading.

    BloFin leads top-tier exchanges in broker integrations, with over 30 external partners, far ahead of Bybit, BingX, MEXC, and others.

    Additionally, BloFin leads the industry with 30 broker integrations, far surpassing other exchanges. Major partners include CCXT, CoinStats, Tuleep Trade, Alertatron, and Crypto OS, giving users unparalleled access to external trading tools and ecosystems. BloFin stands out with clear, verifiable partnerships with top broker platforms.

    The platform currently supports full public API access for futures trading, including copy trading strategies. More than 30 external brokers, including CCXT, CoinStat, and Compendium, are already integrated, making it easy for institutional traders, quants, and strategy providers to connect and operate at scale.

    Additionally, BloFin has introduced direct support for high-frequency bots and automated strategy deployment, allowing users to execute, optimize, and scale their trading operations seamlessly. This infrastructure not only boosts platform liquidity but also promotes organic, strategy-driven growth.

    As BloFin continues to scale its infrastructure and expand its global presence, the platform is setting a new benchmark for speed, strategy, and institutional-grade trading.

    With a commitment to technical excellence and continuous innovation, BloFin is shaping the future of professional crypto trading — staying true to its mission of being Where Whales Are Made.

    Follow BloFin X(Twitter)|TelegramInstagramYouTube

    About BloFin

    ​BloFin is a top-tier cryptocurrency exchange that specializes in futures trading. The platform offers 480+ USDT-M perpetual pairs, spot trading, copy trading, API access, unified account management, and advanced sub-account solutions. Committed to security and compliance, BloFin integrates Fireblocks and Chainalysis to ensure robust asset protection. By partnering with top affiliates, BloFin delivers scalable trading solutions, efficient fund management, and enhanced flexibility for professional traders. ​As the constant sponsor of TOKEN2049, BloFin continues to expand its global presence, reinforcing its position as the place “WHERE WHALES ARE MADE.” For more information, visit BloFin’s official website at https://www.blofin.com.

    Contact:
    Annio W.
    annio@blofin.io

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by BloFin. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.

    Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

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

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e0e64264-68ce-464a-a4c8-4a0d541f1cb6

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d004181-f257-4e19-9c20-f50ef6939963

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b9592f38-8f63-458a-9489-e5b534ec4bdd

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f68c4b0e-83da-4f4d-afc2-33b1780fa42d

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Eagle Bancorp Montana Earns $3.2 Million, or $0.41 per Diluted Share, in the First Quarter of 2025; Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.1425 Per Share and Renews Stock Repurchase Plan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HELENA, Mont., April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBMT), (the “Company,” “Eagle”), the holding company of Opportunity Bank of Montana (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $3.2 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $3.4 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, in the preceding quarter, and $1.9 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2024.

    Eagle’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1425 per share on April 24, 2025. The dividend will be payable June 6, 2025, to shareholders of record May 16, 2025. The current dividend represents an annualized yield of 3.43% based on recent market prices.

    “We produced solid first quarter 2025 operating results, reflecting quarterly deposit growth, a reduction in operating expenses and net interest margin expansion,” said Laura F. Clark, President and CEO. “We are making progress in building our community bank franchise across the state of Montana, highlighted by a steady core deposit base and a well-balanced loan portfolio. We are one of only three publicly traded financial institutions based in Montana, and while market volatility and interest rate cycles continue to impact the overall economy, we remain well positioned in our markets to continue to grow.”

    First Quarter 2025 Highlights (at or for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025, except where noted):

    • Net income was $3.2 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $3.4 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, in the preceding quarter, and increased 70.7% compared to $1.9 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the first quarter a year ago.
    • Net interest margin (“NIM”) was 3.74% in the first quarter of 2025, a 15-basis point increase compared to 3.59% in the preceding quarter and a 41-basis point increase compared to the first quarter a year ago.
    • Net interest income, before the provision for credit losses, increased 0.7% to $16.9 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $16.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, and increased 11.1% compared to $15.2 million in the first quarter of 2024.
    • Revenues (net interest income before the provision for credit losses, plus noninterest income) decreased 2.1% to $20.9 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $21.4 million in the preceding quarter and increased 9.1% compared to $19.2 million in the first quarter a year ago.
    • Total loans increased 1.7% to $1.52 billion, at March 31, 2025, compared to $1.50 billion a year earlier, and remained unchanged compared to $1.52 billion at December 31, 2024.
    • Total deposits increased $54.4 million or 3.3% to $1.69 billion at March 31, 2025, compared to a year earlier, and increased $8.7 million or 0.5%, compared to December 31, 2024.
    • The allowance for credit losses represented 1.10% of portfolio loans and 313.1% of nonperforming loans at March 31, 2025, compared to 1.10% of total portfolio loans and 227.6% of nonperforming loans at March 31, 2024.
    • The Company paid a quarterly cash dividend in the first quarter of $0.1425 per share on March 7, 2025, to shareholders of record February 14, 2025.
    • The Company’s available borrowing capacity was approximately $437.4 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $404.0 million at December 31, 2024.
      March 31, 2025 December 31, 2024
    (Dollars in thousands) Borrowings Outstanding Remaining Borrowing Capacity Borrowings Outstanding Remaining Borrowing Capacity
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances $ 124,952 $ 310,857 $ 140,930 $ 276,664
    Federal Reserve Bank discount window     26,509     27,349
    Correspondent bank lines of credit     100,000     100,000
    Total $ 124,952 $ 437,366 $ 140,930 $ 404,013
                     

    Balance Sheet Results

    Total assets were $2.09 billion at March 31, 2025, compared to $2.08 billion a year ago, and $2.10 billion three months earlier. The investment securities portfolio totaled $291.7 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $311.2 million a year ago, and $292.6 million at December 31, 2024.

    Eagle originated $43.2 million in new residential mortgages during the quarter and sold $42.8 million in residential mortgages, with an average gross margin on sale of mortgage loans of approximately 3.15%. This production compares to residential mortgage originations of $68.1 million in the preceding quarter with sales of $64.0 million and an average gross margin on sale of mortgage loans of approximately 3.18%. Mortgage volumes remain low as rates have continued to be elevated relative to rates on existing mortgages.

    Total loans increased $26.1 million, or 1.7%, compared to a year ago, and increased $2.9 million, or 0.2%, from three months earlier. Commercial real estate loans increased 5.3% to $666.3 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $632.5 million a year earlier. Commercial real estate loans were comprised of 71.9% non-owner occupied and 28.1% owner occupied at March 31, 2025. Agricultural and farmland loans increased 10.7% to $284.6 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $257.0 million a year earlier. Residential mortgage loans decreased 4.9% to $149.7 million, compared to $157.4 million a year earlier. Commercial loans increased 1.5% to $139.7 million, compared to $137.6 million a year ago. Commercial construction and development loans decreased 25.5% to $110.1 million, compared to $147.7 million a year ago. Home equity loans increased 11.3% to $100.7 million, residential construction loans increased 1.1% to $45.5 million, and consumer loans decreased 9.1% to $27.0 million, compared to a year ago.

    “Our deposit mix has shifted over the last several quarters towards higher yielding deposits due to the higher interest rate environment, a trend that has affected most community banks. However, we have started to experience an ease in deposit pricing following the Fed rate cuts in the second half of 2024, and we anticipate this will continue as CDs continue to reprice,” said Miranda Spaulding, CFO.

    Total deposits increased to $1.69 billion at March 31, 2025, compared to $1.64 billion at March 31, 2024, and $1.68 billion at December 31, 2024. Noninterest-bearing checking accounts represented 24.3%, interest-bearing checking accounts represented 12.5%, savings accounts represented 12.6%, money market accounts comprised 23.5% and time certificates of deposit made up 27.1% of the total deposit portfolio at March 31, 2025. Time certificates on deposits include $6.2 million in brokered certificates at March 31, 2025, compared to $50.0 million at March 31, 2024 and no brokered certificates at December 31, 2024. The average cost of total deposits was 1.67% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 1.71% in the preceding quarter and 1.62% in the first quarter of 2024. The estimated amount of uninsured deposits was approximately $309.0 million, or 18% of total deposits, at March 31, 2025, compared to $323.0 million, or 19% of total deposits, at December 31, 2024.

    FHLB advances and other borrowings decreased to $125.0 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $177.5 million at March 31, 2024, and $140.9 million at December 31, 2024. The average cost of FHLB advances and other borrowings was 4.75% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 5.02% in the preceding quarter and 5.53% in the first quarter of 2024.
    Shareholders’ equity was $177.6 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $168.9 million a year earlier and $174.8 million three months earlier. Book value per share increased to $22.26 at March 31, 2025, compared to $21.07 a year earlier and $21.77 three months earlier. Tangible book value per share, a non-GAAP financial measure calculated by dividing shareholders’ equity, less goodwill and core deposit intangible, by common shares outstanding, increased to $17.38 at March 31, 2025, compared to $16.05 a year earlier and $16.88 three months earlier.

    Operating Results

    “As anticipated, the higher yields on interest earning assets combined with a lower cost of funds contributed to our 15-basis point NIM expansion during the quarter, compared to the preceding quarter,” said Spaulding. “We anticipate continued improvement in our cost of funds based on current Fed rates.”

    Eagle’s NIM was 3.74% in the first quarter of 2025, a 15-basis point increase compared to 3.59% in the preceding quarter and a 41-basis point improvement compared to the first quarter a year ago. The interest accretion on acquired loans totaled $172,000 and resulted in a four basis-point increase in the NIM during the first quarter of 2025, compared to $161,000 and a four basis-point increase in the NIM during the preceding quarter. Average yields on interest earning assets for the first quarter of 2025 increased to 5.76%, compared to 5.70% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 5.47% in the first quarter a year ago. Funding costs for the first quarter of 2025 were 2.54%, compared to 2.69% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 2.67% in the first quarter of 2024.

    Net interest income, before the provision for credit losses, increased 0.7% to $16.9 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $16.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, and increased 11.1% compared to $15.2 million in the first quarter of 2024.

    Total noninterest income decreased 12.2% to $4.0 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $4.6 million in the preceding quarter, and unchanged compared to $4.0 million in the first quarter a year ago. Net mortgage banking income, the largest component of noninterest income, totaled $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $2.8 million in the preceding quarter and $2.2 million in the first quarter a year ago. This decrease compared to the preceding quarter was largely driven by a decline in net gain on sale of mortgage loans, which was impacted by lower mortgage loan volumes.

    Eagle’s first quarter noninterest expense was $17.0 million, a decrease of 3.9% compared to $17.7 million in the preceding quarter and unchanged compared to $17.0 million in the first quarter a year ago. Contract changes led to lower data processing expense, which contributed to the quarter-over-quarter decrease.

    For the first quarter of 2025, the Company recorded income tax expense of $631,000. This compared to income tax expense of $269,000 in the preceding quarter and $370,000 in the first quarter of 2024. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2025 was 16.3%, which was unchanged compared to 16.3% for the first quarter of 2024. The preceding quarter’s effective tax rate was 7.3%. The effective tax rate has been impacted by an increase in the proportion of tax-exempt income compared to pretax earnings, as well as tax credits from investments in low-income housing tax credit projects.  

    Credit Quality

    During the first quarter of 2025, Eagle recorded a $42,000 provision for credit losses. This compared to a $36,000 recapture in the provision for credit losses in the preceding quarter and a $135,000 recapture in the provision for credit losses in the first quarter a year ago. The allowance for credit losses represented 313.1% of nonperforming loans at March 31, 2025, compared to 437.7% three months earlier and 227.6% a year earlier. Nonperforming loans were $5.3 million at March 31, 2025, $3.9 million at December 31, 2024, and $7.2 million a year earlier. Net loan charge-offs totaled $2,000 in the first quarter of 2025, compared to net loan charge-offs of $44,000 in the preceding quarter and net loan recoveries of $65,000 in the first quarter a year ago. The allowance for credit losses was $16.7 million, or 1.10% of total loans, at March 31, 2025, compared to $16.9 million, or 1.11% of total loans, at December 31, 2024, and $16.4 million, or 1.10% of total loans, a year ago.

    Capital Management

    The ratio of tangible common shareholders’ equity (shareholders’ equity, less goodwill and core deposit intangible) to tangible assets (total assets, less goodwill and core deposit intangible) was 6.77% at March 31, 2025, up from 6.32% a year ago and 6.57% three months earlier. This ratio is a non-GAAP financial measure. For the most comparable GAAP financial measure, see “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below. As of March 31, 2025, the Bank’s regulatory capital was in excess of all applicable regulatory requirements and is deemed well capitalized. The Bank’s Tier 1 capital to adjusted total average assets was 10.29% as of March 31, 2025.

    Stock Repurchase Authority

    Eagle announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 400,000 shares of its common stock beginning May 1, 2025, representing approximately 5.0% of outstanding shares. Under the plan, shares may be purchased by the Company on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The extent to which the Company repurchases its shares and the timing of such repurchase will depend upon market conditions and other corporate considerations. The plan is expected to be in place for approximately 12 months, but may be suspended, terminated or modified by the Company’s Board of Directors at any time. The plan does not obligate the Company to purchase any particular number of shares.

    About the Company

    Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Helena, Montana, and is the holding company of Opportunity Bank of Montana, a community bank established in 1922 that serves consumers and small businesses in Montana through 30 banking offices. Additional information is available on the Bank’s website at www.opportunitybank.com. The shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “EBMT.”

    Forward Looking Statements

    This release may contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and may be identified by the use of such words as “believe,” “will” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “estimated,” and “potential.” These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements of our goals, intentions, expectations and anticipations; statements regarding our business plans, prospects, mergers, growth and operating strategies; statements regarding the asset quality of our loan and investment portfolios; and estimates of our risks and future costs and benefits. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in laws or government regulations or policies affecting financial institutions, including changes in regulatory fees and capital requirements; general economic conditions and political events, either nationally or in our market areas, that are worse than expected; the emergence or continuation of widespread health emergencies or pandemics, including but not limited to vaccine efficacy and immunization rates, new variants, steps taken by governmental and other authorities to contain, mitigate and combat the pandemic, adverse effects on our employees, customers and third-party service providers, the increase in cyberattacks in the current work-from-home environment; the impact of volatility in the U.S. banking industry, including the associated impact of any regulatory changes or other mitigation efforts taken by governmental agencies in response thereto; the impact of any new regulatory, policy or enforcement developments resulting from the change in U.S. presidential administration, including the implantation of tariffs and other protectionist trade policies; the possibility that future credit losses may be higher than currently expected due to changes in economic assumptions, customer behavior, adverse developments with respect to U.S. economic conditions and other uncertainties, including the impact of supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures and labor shortages on economic conditions and our business; an inability to access capital markets or maintain deposits or borrowing costs; competition among banks, financial holding companies and other traditional and non-traditional financial service providers; loan demand or residential and commercial real estate values in Montana; the concentration of our business in Montana; our ability to continue to increase and manage our commercial real estate, commercial business and agricultural loans; the costs and effects of legal, compliance and regulatory actions, changes and developments, including the initiation and resolution of legal proceedings (including any securities, bank operations, consumer or employee litigation); inflation and changes in the interest rate environment that reduce our margins or reduce the fair value of financial instruments; adverse changes in the securities markets that lead to impairment in the value of our investment securities and goodwill; other economic, governmental, competitive, regulatory and technological factors that may affect our operations; our ability to implement new technologies and maintain secure and reliable technology systems including those that involve the Bank’s third-party vendors and service providers; cyber incidents, or theft or loss of Company or customer data or money; the effects of any U.S. federal government shutdown, or closures or significant staff reductions in agencies regulating our business; our ability to navigate differing social, environmental, and sustainability concerns among governmental administrations, our stakeholders and other activists that may arise from our business activities; the effect of our recent or future acquisitions, including the failure to achieve expected revenue growth and/or expense savings, the failure to effectively integrate their operations, the outcome of any legal proceedings and the diversion of management time on issues related to the integration.

    Because of these and other uncertainties, our actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements. All information set forth in this press release is current as of the date of this release and the company undertakes no duty or obligation to update this information.

    Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    In addition to results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles utilized in the United States, or GAAP, in this release, including the Financial Ratios and Other Data contains non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures include: 1) core efficiency ratio, 2) tangible book value per share and 3) tangible common equity to tangible assets. The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company’s operational performance, performance trends and financial condition, and to enhance investors’ overall understanding of such financial performance. In particular, the use of tangible book value per share and tangible common equity to tangible assets is prevalent among banking regulators, investors and analysts.

    The numerator for the core efficiency ratio is calculated by subtracting acquisition costs and intangible asset amortization from noninterest expense. Tangible assets and tangible common shareholders’ equity are calculated by excluding intangible assets from assets and shareholders’ equity, respectively. For these financial measures, our intangible assets consist of goodwill and core deposit intangible. Tangible book value per share is calculated by dividing tangible common shareholders’ equity by the number of common shares outstanding. We believe that this measure is consistent with the capital treatment by our bank regulatory agencies, which exclude intangible assets from the calculation of risk-based capital ratios and present this measure to facilitate the comparison of the quality and composition of our capital over time and in comparison, to our competitors.

    Non-GAAP financial measures have inherent limitations, are not required to be uniformly applied, and are not audited. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. Further, the non-GAAP financial measure of tangible book value per share should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for book value per share or total shareholders’ equity determined in accordance with GAAP, and may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure reported by other companies. Eagle strongly encourages investors to review its consolidated financial statements in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Reconciliation of the GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures are presented below.

    Balance Sheet          
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)     (Unaudited)  
            March 31, December 31, March 31,
            2025 2024 2024
                 
    Assets:        
      Cash and due from banks   $ 21,360   $ 29,824   $ 19,479  
      Interest bearing deposits in banks     1,445     1,735     1,438  
        Total cash and cash equivalents     22,805     31,559     20,917  
      Securities available-for-sale, at fair value     291,661     292,590     311,227  
      Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) stock     7,101     7,778     8,449  
      Federal Reserve Bank (“FRB”) stock     4,131     4,131     4,131  
      Mortgage loans held-for-sale, at fair value     6,223     13,368     9,612  
      Loans:        
      Real estate loans:        
      Residential 1-4 family     149,699     153,721     157,414  
      Residential 1-4 family construction     45,508     45,701     45,026  
      Commercial real estate     666,265     645,962     632,452  
      Commercial construction and development     110,107     124,211     147,740  
      Farmland     153,456     146,610     140,246  
      Other loans:        
      Home equity     100,665     97,543     90,418  
      Consumer     26,978     28,513     29,677  
      Commercial     139,668     144,039     137,640  
      Agricultural     131,162     134,346     116,775  
        Total loans     1,523,508     1,520,646     1,497,388  
      Allowance for credit losses     (16,720 )   (16,850 )   (16,410 )
        Net loans     1,506,788     1,503,796     1,480,978  
      Accrued interest and dividends receivable     13,271     12,890     12,038  
      Mortgage servicing rights, net     15,282     15,376     15,738  
      Assets held-for-sale, at cost     960     960      
      Premises and equipment, net     101,759     101,540     97,643  
      Cash surrender value of life insurance, net     53,573     53,232     48,218  
      Goodwill     34,740     34,740     34,740  
      Core deposit intangible, net     4,181     4,499     5,514  
      Other assets     25,941     26,631     26,869  
        Total assets   $ 2,088,416   $ 2,103,090   $ 2,076,074  
                 
    Liabilities:        
      Deposit accounts:        
      Noninterest bearing   $ 411,272   $ 419,211   $ 408,781  
      Interest bearing     1,278,694     1,262,017     1,226,818  
        Total deposits     1,689,966     1,681,228     1,635,599  
      Accrued expenses and other liabilities     36,739     47,018     34,950  
      FHLB advances and other borrowings     124,952     140,930     177,540  
      Other long-term debt, net     59,186     59,149     59,037  
        Total liabilities     1,910,843     1,928,325     1,907,126  
                 
    Shareholders’ Equity:        
      Preferred stock (par value $0.01 per share; 1,000,000 shares      
      authorized; no shares issued or outstanding)              
      Common stock (par value $0.01; 20,000,000 shares authorized;      
      8,507,429 shares issued; 7,977,177, 8,027,177 and 8,016,784      
      shares outstanding at March 31, 2025, December 31, 2024, and      
      March 31, 2024, respectively     85     85     85  
      Additional paid-in capital     108,451     108,334     108,893  
      Unallocated common stock held by Employee Stock Ownership Plan   (3,867 )   (4,011 )   (4,440 )
      Treasury stock, at cost (530,252, 480,252 and 490,645 shares at      
      March 31, 2025, December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2024, respectively)   (11,517 )   (10,761 )   (11,124 )
      Retained earnings     103,366     101,264     96,797  
      Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax     (18,945 )   (20,146 )   (21,263 )
        Total shareholders’ equity     177,573     174,765     168,948  
        Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 2,088,416   $ 2,103,090   $ 2,076,074  
                 
    Income Statement     (Unaudited)  
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)   Three Months Ended
            March 31, December 31, March 31,
            2025 2024 2024
    Interest and dividend income:        
      Interest and fees on loans   $ 23,320 $ 23,756   $ 21,942  
      Securities available-for-sale     2,451   2,475     2,724  
      FRB and FHLB dividends     260   308     247  
      Other interest income     38   148     29  
        Total interest and dividend income     26,069   26,687     24,942  
    Interest expense:        
      Interest expense on deposits     6,871   7,216     6,548  
      FHLB advances and other borrowings     1,626   2,005     2,497  
      Other long-term debt     670   676     683  
        Total interest expense     9,167   9,897     9,728  
    Net interest income     16,902   16,790     15,214  
    Provision (recapture) for credit losses     42   (36 )   (135 )
        Net interest income after provision for credit losses     16,860   16,826     15,349  
                 
    Noninterest income:        
      Service charges on deposit accounts     389   387     400  
      Mortgage banking, net     2,125   2,818     2,177  
      Interchange and ATM fees     593   675     563  
      Appreciation in cash surrender value of life insurance     350   408     288  
      Net loss on sale of available-for-sale securities       (141 )    
      Other noninterest income     559   425     524  
        Total noninterest income     4,016   4,572     3,952  
                 
    Noninterest expense:        
      Salaries and employee benefits     9,664   9,830     9,718  
      Occupancy and equipment expense     2,302   2,194     2,099  
      Data processing     1,330   1,715     1,525  
      Software subscriptions     658   576     528  
      Advertising     232   466     253  
      Amortization     320   337     369  
      Loan costs     372   372     398  
      FDIC insurance premiums     231   287     299  
      Professional and examination fees     520   596     484  
      Other noninterest expense     1,377   1,323     1,360  
        Total noninterest expense     17,006   17,696     17,033  
                 
    Income before provision for income taxes     3,870   3,702     2,268  
    Provision for income taxes     631   269     370  
    Net income   $ 3,239 $ 3,433   $ 1,898  
                 
    Basic earnings per common share   $ 0.41 $ 0.44   $ 0.24  
    Diluted earnings per common share   $ 0.41 $ 0.44   $ 0.24  
                 
    Basic weighted average shares outstanding     7,812,248   7,862,279     7,824,928  
                 
    Diluted weighted average shares outstanding     7,823,636   7,868,507     7,835,304  
                 
    ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION   (Unaudited)  
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended or Years Ended
          March 31, December 31, March 31
           2025  2024  2024
               
    Mortgage Banking Activity (For the quarter):      
      Net gain on sale of mortgage loans $ 1,349   $ 2,036   $ 1,414  
      Net change in fair value of loans held-for-sale and derivatives   (115 )   (3 )   (173 )
      Mortgage servicing income, net   891     785     936  
        Mortgage banking, net $ 2,125   $ 2,818   $ 2,177  
               
    Performance Ratios (For the quarter):      
      Return on average assets   0.62 %   0.65 %   0.37 %
      Return on average equity   7.66 %   8.12 %   4.67 %
      Yield on average interest earning assets   5.76 %   5.70 %   5.47 %
      Cost of funds   2.54 %   2.69 %   2.67 %
      Net interest margin   3.74 %   3.59 %   3.33 %
      Core efficiency ratio*   79.77 %   81.26 %   86.95 %
               
    Asset Quality Ratios and Data: As of or for the Three Months Ended
          March 31, December 31, March 31,
           2025  2024  2024
               
      Nonaccrual loans $ 2,701   $ 3,227   $ 5,231  
      Loans 90 days past due and still accruing   2,638     623     1,979  
        Total nonperforming loans   5,339     3,850     7,210  
      Other real estate owned and other repossessed assets   46     45      
        Total nonperforming assets $ 5,385   $ 3,895   $ 7,210  
               
      Nonperforming loans / portfolio loans   0.35 %   0.25 %   0.48 %
      Nonperforming assets / assets   0.26 %   0.19 %   0.35 %
      Allowance for credit losses / portfolio loans   1.10 %   1.11 %   1.10 %
      Allowance for credit losses/ nonperforming loans   313.17 %   437.66 %   227.60 %
      Gross loan charge-offs for the quarter $ 6   $ 51   $ 1  
      Gross loan recoveries for the quarter $ 4   $ 7   $ 66  
      Net loan charge-offs (recoveries) for the quarter $ 2   $ 44   $ (65 )
               
               
          March 31, December 31, March 31,
           2025  2024  2024
    Capital Data (At quarter end):      
      Common shareholders’ equity (book value) per share $ 22.26   $ 21.77   $ 21.07  
      Tangible book value per share** $ 17.38   $ 16.88   $ 16.05  
      Shares outstanding   7,977,177     8,027,177     8,016,784  
      Tangible common equity to tangible assets***   6.77 %   6.57 %   6.32 %
               
    Other Information:      
      Average investment securities for the quarter $ 293,273   $ 300,088   $ 314,129  
      Average investment securities year-to-date $ 293,273   $ 306,538   $ 314,129  
      Average loans for the quarter **** $ 1,526,774   $ 1,533,686   $ 1,499,293  
      Average loans year-to-date **** $ 1,526,774   $ 1,523,384   $ 1,499,293  
      Average earning assets for the quarter $ 1,835,210   $ 1,858,078   $ 1,830,316  
      Average earning assets year-to-date $ 1,835,210   $ 1,850,120   $ 1,830,316  
      Average total assets for the quarter $ 2,079,142   $ 2,107,357   $ 2,066,579  
      Average total assets year-to-date $ 2,079,142   $ 2,092,051   $ 2,066,579  
      Average deposits for the quarter $ 1,671,349   $ 1,671,653   $ 1,625,770  
      Average deposits year-to-date $ 1,671,349   $ 1,636,390   $ 1,625,770  
      Average equity for the quarter $ 169,088   $ 169,054   $ 162,637  
      Average equity year-to-date $ 169,088   $ 164,591   $ 162,637  
               
    * The core efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP ratio that is calculated by dividing non-interest expense, exclusive of acquisition
    costs and intangible asset amortization, by the sum of net interest income and non-interest income.
    ** The tangible book value per share is a non-GAAP ratio that is calculated by dividing shareholders’ equity,
    less goodwill and core deposit intangible, by common shares outstanding.
    *** The tangible common equity to tangible assets is a non-GAAP ratio that is calculated by dividing shareholders’
    equity, less goodwill and core deposit intangible, by total assets, less goodwill and core deposit intangible.
    **** Includes loans held for sale
               
    Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures      
               
    Core Efficiency Ratio (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands) Three Months Ended
          March 31, December 31, March 31,
          2025 2024 2024
    Calculation of Efficiency Ratio:      
      Noninterest expense – efficiency ratio numerator $ 17,006   $ 17,696   $ 17,033  
               
      Net interest income   16,902     16,790     15,214  
      Noninterest income   4,016     4,572     3,952  
        Efficiency ratio denominator   20,918     21,362     19,166  
               
      Efficiency ratio (GAAP)   81.30 %   82.84 %   88.87 %
               
    Calculation of Core Efficiency Ratio:      
      Noninterest expense $ 17,006   $ 17,696   $ 17,033  
      Intangible asset amortization   (320 )   (337 )   (369 )
        Core efficiency ratio numerator   16,686     17,359     16,664  
               
      Net interest income   16,902     16,790     15,214  
      Noninterest income   4,016     4,572     3,952  
        Core efficiency ratio denominator   20,918     21,362     19,166  
               
      Core efficiency ratio (non-GAAP)   79.77 %   81.26 %   86.95 %
               
    Tangible Book Value and Tangible Assets (Unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data) March 31, December 31, March 31,
          2025 2024 2024
    Tangible Book Value:      
      Shareholders’ equity $ 177,573   $ 174,765   $ 168,948  
      Goodwill and core deposit intangible, net   (38,921 )   (39,239 ) $ (40,254 )
        Tangible common shareholders’ equity (non-GAAP) $ 138,652   $ 135,526   $ 128,694  
               
      Common shares outstanding at end of period   7,977,177     8,027,177     8,016,784  
               
      Common shareholders’ equity (book value) per share (GAAP) $ 22.26   $ 21.77   $ 21.07  
               
      Tangible common shareholders’ equity (tangible book value)      
        per share (non-GAAP) $ 17.38   $ 16.88   $ 16.05  
               
    Tangible Assets:      
      Total assets $ 2,088,416   $ 2,103,090   $ 2,076,074  
      Goodwill and core deposit intangible, net   (38,921 )   (39,239 )   (40,254 )
        Tangible assets (non-GAAP) $ 2,049,495   $ 2,063,851   $ 2,035,820  
               
      Tangible common shareholders’ equity to tangible assets      
        (non-GAAP)   6.77 %   6.57 %   6.32 %
               
    Contacts: Laura F. Clark, President and CEO
    (406) 457-4007
    Miranda J. Spaulding, SVP and CFO
    (406) 441-5010

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Growers Edge Raises $25M to Build First Full-Service Fintech Platform for Agriculture

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JOHNSTON, Iowa, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Growers Edge, which provides modern financial products and data-driven tools for agricultural retailers, manufacturers, and lenders, today announced a first close of a new financing round. The round was co-led by S2G Investments, Cibus Capital, and Lowercarbon Capital, with additional participation by Otter Creek, iSelect, and Jeff Ubben, founder of ValueAct Capital.

    The new funding will enable Growers Edge to scale its financial solutions and expand its reach with more ag retailers and lenders, while driving greater adoption of climate-smart agricultural products and practices across the U.S.

    “This milestone is a testament to the creativity and tenacity of our incredible team,” said Matt Hansen, CEO of Growers Edge. “They’re the true innovators who continue to transform complex challenges into real-world solutions for growers, retailers, and lenders.”

    Growers Edge offers a suite of financial products that reduce risk and promote ag innovation, including its Crop Plan Warranty Program, land and climate intelligence solutions, digital mortgage lending products, and input lending tools. As a full-service fintech platform, Growers Edge delivers data-backed products that help agricultural businesses reduce risk and drive growth.

    “Growers Edge is tackling one of the most critical barriers to agricultural innovation – financial risk,” said Ubben. “Their solutions provide ag retailers, lenders, and growers with the critical tools they need to embrace sustainability at scale, creating a clear path to profitability and innovation.”

    The company partners directly with manufacturers, retailers, and industry groups to help growers adopt innovative practices with confidence, and has worked with five of the top ten largest ag retailers and leading organizations, including Nutrien, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Helena Agri-Enterprises, and The Nature Conservancy.

    “Cibus is excited to invest in Growers Edge, who are leading the financial digital disruption of US agriculture with a focus on enabling sustainable farming practices,” said Alastair Cooper, Partner and Head of Venture at Cibus Capital.

    “Farmers want what’s best for their land. But too often, the risk of trying something new means sticking with business as usual,” said Eric Helfgott, Principal at Lowercarbon Capital, known for investing in “better, faster, and cheaper” technologies that also significantly reduce carbon emissions. “By enabling new, sustainable ag practices without the financial risk, Growers Edge is helping climate-smart farming take root.”

    The investment follows several recent milestones for Growers Edge, including acquiring AQUAOSO Technologies, expanding its farmland valuation tool to over 144 million acres, and surpassing one million acres protected through its Crop Plan Warranty program.

    For more information, visit www.growersedge.com.

    About Growers Edge

    Growers Edge provides modern financial products and data-driven tools that help forward-thinking agriculture retailers, manufacturers, and lenders reduce their growers’ risks and costs when adopting newer innovative solutions and practices. The company’s crop plan warranty and input financing solutions are trusted by dozens of retailers and manufacturers to assist hundreds of growers affordably purchase their products and guarantee yields on over one million acres of cropland. For more information, visit growersedge.com.

    John Strackhouse, Vice Chairman of Caldwell, led the recruitment for the CEO of Growers Edge.

    About S2G Investments

    S2G is a multi-stage investment firm focused on venture and growth-stage businesses across food & agriculture, oceans, and energy. The firm provides capital and value-added resources to companies and leadership teams pursuing market-based solutions designed to deliver greater value, improved outcomes, and enhanced performance over traditional alternatives. With a commitment to creating long-term, measurable outcomes, S2G structures flexible capital solutions that can range from venture funding through growth equity to debt and infrastructure financing. For more information about S2G, visit s2ginvestments.com.

    About Cibus Capital LLP

    Cibus Capital LLP is the London-based investment advisor to the Cibus funds. The Cibus funds partner with food and agriculture companies that provide investors with a risk-adjusted return on capital and a sustainable competitive advantage. Cibus has raised over USD 1bn to invest in two strategies: mid-market growth/buyout investments in food production and processing businesses and late-stage agrifood technology companies. For more information, visit cibusfund.com.

    About Lowercarbon Capital

    Lowercarbon Capital is a multibillion-dollar venture capital firm founded by Chris and Crystal Sacca that backs kickass companies making real money slashing CO2 emissions, sucking carbon out of the sky, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. For more information, visit www.lowercarboncapital.com.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: DePoly to launch 500-tonne-per-year showcase plant to give yesterday’s plastics a new purpose, as it secures $23M

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Zurich, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Every year, millions of tons of PET and polyester waste end up in landfills or are incinerated, yet sustainable recycling solutions remain limited. Today, DePoly – the leading sustainable PET-to-raw-material recycling company – announces the upcoming launch of a 500-tonne-per-year showcase plant in Monthey, Switzerland this summer, representing a critical step in the company’s journey from laboratory breakthrough to industrial-scale implementation.

    The facility will demonstrate DePoly’s proprietary process that converts PET and polyester waste into virgin-quality raw materials without fossil fuels. Imagine a world where discarded items – from polyester shirts to water bottles – are not wasted anymore but resources transformed back into the building blocks for new products. After all, revolutionizing an industry isn’t just about creating new technology – it’s about proving it works at scale.

    DePoly co-founders (L to R) Christopher Ireland, Samantha Anderson and Bardiya Valizadeh.

    DePoly’s technology has already demonstrated its commercial impact through collaborations with some of the world’s leading companies—not only in fashion, like Odlo, but also in cosmetics and the broader consumer goods industry, including innovators such as PTI. Through these partnerships, DePoly has validated the quality of its recycled monomers by transforming PET waste into new bottles, high-performance textile fibers, and cosmetic packaging. This proves that DePoly’s recycled materials can meet, and even exceed, the highest standards of purity and performance across a wide range of industries.

    By delivering oil-equivalent monomers, DePoly’s technology sets a new benchmark for circularity, offering a genuine alternative to virgin materials. “The upcoming showcase plant validates our roadmap to creating a truly circular plastics market. Following our pilot and showcase plant, our next goal is to scale our operations to industrial size with a first of a kind commercial plant based on our technology,” said Samantha Anderson, Co-founder & CEO of DePoly.

    DePoly is ramping up with world-class innovators, bold thinkers and cutting-edge know-how—taking their pilot victory to industrial scale demands nothing less than unstoppable ambition.The company is planning to build a commercial plant in 2027 that will process significantly larger volumes of PET and polyester waste – a major leap in redefining recycling and advancing the circular economy, as DePoly strives to become the global leader in sustainable, circular plastics.

    Shredded PET samples.

    To further accelerate this expansion, DePoly has secured a total of $23 million in seed funding with MassMutual Ventures joining a second closing of its round. The expanded investor base positions DePoly as one of the biggest recycling technology companies in Europe, with more than $30 million raised across two rounds and grants. MassMutual Ventures joins existing investors, including Founderful, ACE & Company, Angel Invest, Zürcher Kantonalbank, BASF Venture Capital, Beiersdorf Venture Capital, and Syensqo.

    “DePoly’s proven technology is a game changer addressing a crucial industrial and societal challenge. This raise and the showcase plant opening are advancing DePoly’s position as a leader in plastics recycling,” said Alix Brunet, Europe Lead at MassMutual Ventures.

    David Hanf, who joined DePoly in 2024 as CFO, brings extensive experience from European scale-ups including Smava and Thermondo—Germany’s largest B2C heat service company. Both an entrepreneur and an executive, he adds: “We are convinced our technology is one of the fastest to scale and will allow us to compete with virgin pricing at scale, a key factor for success. We are happy to have expanded our investor base to the US with MassMutual Ventures as we want to build a global champion.”

    By transforming discarded plastics into high-quality raw materials, DePoly reduces reliance on fossil resources, minimizes waste, and paves the way for a circular materials industry. Recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and a winner of the 2024 Top 100 Swiss Startup Award, DePoly proves that sustainable innovation is not only possible – it’s happening now.

    Ends

    Media images can be found here

    About DePoly
    DePoly is a cleantech company transforming polyester and PET waste into valuable raw materials. Using patented technology, DePoly breaks down plastic and textile waste into the building blocks for new, high-quality PET and polyester—reducing waste, cutting reliance on fossil fuels, and advancing circularity across multiple industries. DePoly was named a 2024 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and won the Top 100 Swiss Startup Award in 2024. Learn more at www.depoly.co.

    About MassMutual Ventures 
    MassMutual Ventures (MMV) is a multistage global venture capital firm investing in climate technology, financial technology, enterprise SaaS, healthtech and cybersecurity companies. With teams based in London, Singapore, and Boston, MMV manages over $1 billion in investment capital across the globe. We help accelerate the growth of the companies we partner with by providing capital, connections, and advice. With our deep expertise and extensive network, MMV helps entrepreneurs build compelling and scalable companies of value. For more information, visit www.massmutualventures.com/

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Economics: STATEMENT: CanREA congratulates the Liberal Party of Canada for their re-election  

    Source: – Press Release/Statement:

    Headline: STATEMENT: CanREA congratulates the Liberal Party of Canada for their re-election  

    CanREA eager to resume positive work with the federal government to advance wind energy, solar energy and energy storage initiatives nationwide. 

    Ottawa, Ontario, April 29, 2025—The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) congratulates Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberal Party of Canada for their election today, forming a minority government. At press time, votes were still being counted with many ridings too close to call. 

    “CanREA looks forward to strengthening our collaboration with the Canadian government to advance clean-energy initiatives nationwide. Expanding investments in wind, solar, and energy storage technologies is essential for safeguarding Canada’s economic sovereignty while delivering affordable, reliable and clean energy solutions. The urgency to act has never been greater,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO. 

    During the campaign, Mr. Carney and the Liberal Party committed to a suite of proposals that support the rapid deployment of clean energy. These include: 

    Finalizing the Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits (ITCs), policies that have already galvanized private sector investment in Canada’s renewable energy and energy storage industry. Getting the remaining ITCs passed into law, particularly the Clean Electricity ITC, will secure Canada’s position as a competitive and safe place for the private sector to invest. These will also help lower the cost of electricity to Canadian ratepayers. 
    Reducing the barriers that Indigenous companies and communities face when it comes to accessing capital, by expanding the kinds of projects the Canada Infrastructure Bank can support to be more in line with First Nation, Inuit and Métis priorities. The Liberals also committed to exploring options for an Indigenous Infrastructure Bank to further address this gap. 
    Offering support for Canadians entering the trades, while also helping to reduce barriers that these skilled workers face when working in another province. 
    Creating a new First and Last Mile Fund that will move more electricity and goods from where they are produced to where they are needed, creating a more integrated and accessible Canadian economy. 
    Signing new Cooperation and Substitution Agreements with all willing provinces, territories, and Indigenous Governing Bodies within six months, ensuring that projects go through only one review that upholds environmental standards and Indigenous consultation. 
    Cementing the signal for electrification by maintaining the industrial carbon price. During his leadership campaign, Mr. Carney even promised to set a pricing schedule out to 2035—this would be a strong signal upon which Canada’s renewable energy and energy storage industry could rely. 
    “We are ready to work with all 343 MPs to deliver on legislation that will accelerate the development of the new renewable energy and energy storage projects Canada needs to meet its economic and environmental goals,” said Fernando Melo, CanREA’s Federal Director.  

    “CanREA will continue to champion the speedy introduction of legislation that will enable the Clean Electricity ITC and other tools to improve Indigenous communities’ and companies’ access to capital. We are also committed to working with the new Liberal government to secure Canada’s clean-energy supply chains during this period of uncertainty,” said Melo.  

    Quotes  

    “CanREA looks forward to strengthening our collaboration with the Canadian government to advance clean-energy initiatives nationwide. Expanding investments in wind, solar, and energy storage technologies is essential for safeguarding Canada’s economic sovereignty while delivering affordable, reliable and clean energy solutions. The urgency to act has never been greater.”   

    —Vittoria Bellissimo, President and CEO, Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) 

    “We are ready to work with all 343 MPs to deliver on legislation that will accelerate the development of the new renewable energy and energy storage projects Canada needs to meet its economic and environmental goals. CanREA will continue to champion the speedy introduction of legislation that will enable the Clean Electricity ITC and other tools to improve Indigenous communities’ and companies’ access to capital. We are also committed to working with the new Liberal government to secure Canada’s clean-energy supply chains during this period of uncertainty.” 

    —Fernando Melo, Federal Director, Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) 

    For media interview opportunities, please contact:

    Bridget Wayland, Senior Director of CommunicationsCanadian Renewable Energy Associationcommunications@renewablesassociation.ca

    About CanREA

    The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is the voice for wind energy, solar energy and energy storage solutions that will power Canada’s energy future. We work to create the conditions for a modern energy system through stakeholder advocacy and public engagement. Our diverse members are uniquely positioned to deliver clean, low-cost, reliable, flexible and scalable solutions for Canada’s energy needs. For more information on how Canada can use wind energy, solar energy and energy storage to help achieve its net-zero commitments, consult “Powering Canada’s Journey to Net-Zero: CanREA’s 2050 Vision.” Follow us on X and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Become a member here. Learn more at renewablesassociation.ca.
    The post STATEMENT: CanREA congratulates the Liberal Party of Canada for their re-election   appeared first on Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-Evening Report: 50 years after the ‘fall’ of Saigon – from triumph to Trump

    30 April 1975. Saigon Fell, Vietnam Rose. The story of Vietnam after the US fled the country is not a fairy tale, it is not a one-dimensional parable of resurrection, of liberation from oppression, of joy for all — but there is a great deal to celebrate.

    After over a century of brutal colonial oppression by the French, the Japanese, and the Americans and their various minions, the people of Vietnam won victory in one of the great liberation struggles of history.

    It became a source of inspiration and of hope for millions of people oppressed by imperial powers in Central & South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

    Civil war – a war among several
    The civil war in Vietnam, coterminous with the war against the Western powers, pitted communists and anti-communists in a long and pitiless struggle.

    Within that were various strands — North versus South, southern communists and nationalists against pro-Western forces, and so on. As various political economists have pointed out, all wars are in some way class wars too — pitting the elites against ordinary people.

    As has happened repeatedly throughout history, once one or more great power becomes involved in a civil war it is subsumed within that colonial war. The South’s President Ngô Đình Diệm, for example, was assassinated on orders of the Americans.

    By 1969, US aid accounted for 80 percent of South Vietnam’s government budget; they effectively owned the South and literally called the shots.

    Donald Trump declared April 2 “Liberation Day” and imposed some of the heaviest tariffs on Vietnam because they didn’t buy enough U.S. goods! Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    US punishes its victims
    This month, 50 years after the Vietnamese achieved independence from their colonial overlords, US President Donald Trump declared April 2 “Liberation Day” and imposed some of the heaviest tariffs on Vietnam because they didn’t buy enough US goods!

    As economist Joseph Stiglitz pointed out, they don’t yet have enough aggregate demand for the kind of goods the US produces. That might have something to do with the decades it has taken to rebuild their lives and economy from the Armageddon inflicted on them by the US, Australia, New Zealand and other unindicted war criminals.

    Straight after they fled, the US declared themselves the victims of the Vietnamese and imposed punitive sanctions on liberated Vietnam for decades — punishing their victims.

    Under Gerald Ford (1974–1977), Jimmy Carter (1977–1981), Ronald Reagan (1981–1989), George H.W. Bush (1989–1993) right up to Bill Clinton (1993–2001), the US enforced the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA) of 1917.

    The US froze the assets of Vietnam at the very time it was trying to recover from the wholesale devastation of the country.

    Tens of millions of much-needed dollars were captured in US banks, enforced by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The US also took advantage of its muscle to veto IMF and World Bank loans to Vietnam.

    Countries like Australia and New Zealand, to their eternal shame, took part in both the war, the war crimes, and imposing sanctions and other punitive measures subsequently.

    The ‘Boat People’ refugee crisis
    While millions celebrated the victory in 1975, millions of others were fearful. The period of national unification and economic recovery was painful, typically repressive — when one militarised regime replaces another.

    This triggered flight: firstly among urban elites — military officers, government workers, and professionals who were most closely-linked to the US-run regime.

    You can blame the Commies for the ensuing refugee crisis but by strangling the Vietnamese economy, refusing to return Vietnamese assets held in the US, imposing an effective blockade on the economy via sanctions, the US deepened the crisis, which saw over two million flee the country between 1975 and the 1980s.

    More than 250,000 desperate people died at sea.

    Đổi Mới: the move to a socialist-market economy
    In 1986, to energise the economy, the government moved away from a command economy and launched the đổi mới reforms which created a hybrid socialist-market economy.

    They had taken a leaf out of the Chinese playbook, which under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping (1978 –1989), had moved towards a market economy through its “Reform and Opening Up” policies.  Vietnam saw the “economic miracle” of its near neighbour and its leaders sought something similar.

    Vietnam’s economy boomed and GDP grew from $18.1 billion in 1984 to $469 billion by 2024, with a per capita GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) of $15,470 (up from about $300 per capita in the 1970s).

    After a sluggish start, literacy rates soared to 96.1 percent by 2023, and life expectancy reached 73.7 years, only a few short of the USA.  GDP growth is around 7 percent, according to the OECD.

    An unequal society
    Persistent inequality suggests the socialist vision has partially faded. A rural-urban divide and a rich-poor divide underlines ongoing injustices around quality of life and access to services but Vietnam’s Gini coefficient — a measure of income inequality — puts it only slightly more “unequal” as a society than New Zealand or Germany.

    Corruption is also an issue in the country.

    Press controls and political repression
    As in China, political power resides with the Party. Freedom of expression — highlighted by press repression — is severely limited in Vietnam and nothing to celebrate.

    Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rates Vietnam as 174th out of 180 countries for press freedom and regularly excoriates its strongmen as press “predators”.  In its country profile, RSF says of Vietnam: “Independent reporters and bloggers are often jailed, making Vietnam the world’s third largest jailer of journalists”.

    Vietnam is forging its own destiny
    What is well worth celebrating, however, is that Vietnam successfully got the imperial powers off its back and out of its country. It is well-placed to play an increasingly prosperous and positive role in the emerging multipolar world.

    It is part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the ASEAN network, and borders China, giving Vietnam the opportunity to weather any storms coming from the continent of America.

    Vietnam today is united and free and millions of ordinary people have achieved security, health, education and prosperity vastly better than their parents and grandparents’ generations were able to.

    In the end the honour and glory go to the Vietnamese people.

    Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the Vietnamese people who reached out to the United States, and sought alliance not conflict. Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    I’ll give the last word to Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the Vietnamese people who reached out to the United States, and sought alliance not conflict. He was rebuffed by the super-power which had a different agenda.

    On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh square:

    “‘All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.’

    “This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.

    “… A people who have courageously opposed French domination for more than eight years, a people who have fought side by side with the Allies against the Fascists during these last years, such a people must be free and independent.

    “For these reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly declare to the world that Vietnam has the right to be a free and independent country — and in fact is so already. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilise all their physical and mental strength, to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty.”

    And, my god, they did.

    To conclude, a short poem attributed to Ho Chi Minh:

    “After the rain, good weather.

    “In the wink of an eye,

    the universe throws off its muddy clothes.”

    Eugene Doyle is a community organiser and activist in Wellington, New Zealand. He received an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian award in 2023 for community service. His first demonstration was at the age of 12 against the Vietnam War. This article was first published at his public policy website Solidarity and is republished here with permission.

    Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor speech at Global Innovate Summit 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Chancellor speech at Global Innovate Summit 2025

    The Chancellor delivered the keynote speech at the Global Innovate Summit 2025 on 29 April.

    Thank you Janine, and good afternoon everyone.

    It’s a pleasure to be here today to mark the 11th year of UK FinTech Week …

    … brought together once again by Innovate Finance…

    …who continue to champion tirelessly our FinTech sector.

    As Chancellor, I’ve always said it’s my job to back the builders…

    … back the wealth creators…

    …and the job creators.

    So my job is to back all of you in this room.

    After all, it’s thanks to your work that the UK is a world leader in FinTech.

    When I was working at the Bank of England 20 years ago…

    …FinTech was in its infancy…

    …an offshoot of financial services…

    …and there was certainly no such thing as FinTech week.

    But times have changed, the industry has changed.

    Last year, the UK’s FinTech sector attracted $3.6 billion of investment – more than any other country bar the US.

    Almost half of Europe’s FinTech unicorns are based here in Britain…

    …and roughly a third of all UK unicorns are FinTechs – a higher share than anywhere else.

    Companies like Allica Bank and Zilch, who were both recently named among the fastest growing companies in Europe by the Financial Times …

    …Or Zopa, for whom 2024 marked another year of extraordinary economic growth.

    Last week when I was in Washington for the IMF Spring Meetings…

    … I spoke to industry, legislators, and policymakers…

    …as well as US firms already operating here in the UK.

    I set out our strengths as an open trading nation with trade links around the world…

    …and as a nation that can provide political and financial stability and certainty to businesses…

    …in an uncertain world.

    The UK has a long history of breaking new ground in Financial Services.

    We were the first country to develop uniform Open Banking standards…

    …and we were one of the first countries to establish a system for near-instant digital payments with the Faster payments system in 2008.

    In my Mansion House speech last year, I published the National Payments Vision…

    … setting out the government’s ambition for seamless account-to-account payments…

    …and demonstrating our commitment to a regulatory environment that cares about managing the burden we put on businesses.

    Something that we will build in with the consolidation of the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA.

    The UK is Europe’s leading hub for investment…

    …raising more equity capital than the next three European exchanges combined last year.

    I am committed to building on these strong foundations…

    …with an ambitious programme of reforms.

    Last September I chose to extend the UK’s generous venture capital schemes…

    … the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme…

    …which – alongside the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme – offer generous tax reliefs…

    …in return for investing in British business.

    And we will soon publish the final Pension Investment Review, ahead of the introduction of the Pension Schemes Bill…

    …where we will legislate to unlock up to £80 billion of investment into companies like yours…

    start-up, scale-up, and fast growing businesses.

    …delivering a major consolidation of the Defined Contribution market and the Local Government Pension Scheme…

    …so that pension funds have sufficient scale to invest in growing industries like FinTech.

    I am determined to make sure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for FinTechs to start-up, scale-up and to list…

    …benefitting from our stable and liquid markets.

    Last July, the FCA implemented a fundamental rewrite of the UK’s Listing Rules, the biggest reforms in a generation.

    These new rules now put the UK in line – or in many cases ahead – of other global markets in giving companies the flexibility to pursue their growth ambitions…

    …backing their aspiration…

    …and allowing them to raise large amounts of capital more easily.

    And for those companies who want to remain private for longer, we are developing the new Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System – or PISCES…

    …which we will legislate for next month.

    This is a brand new type of stock exchange for trading private company shares…

    …supporting private companies to scale and grow…

    …and providing a steppingstone to IPO.

    Finally, we’ve reformed the rules to allow greater investment research to be produced on UK listed companies…

    …and reducing the burdens imposed on public companies through the UK’s Corporate Governance Code.

    I want the UK to be a place where you can take risks…

    …innovate and experiment…

    …and find new ways to deliver for your customers.

    When I met with senior leaders from across the FinTech sector last month…

    …you told me about the importance of getting the balance of regulation right…

    …especially on digital assets.

    I agree.

    While the UK will always be committed to high international standards…

    …I am determined that our regulatory framework supports economic growth.

    That’s why I’m delighted that we are today publishing draft legislation for the UK’s comprehensive regulatory regime for cryptoassets…

    …engaging with all of you to ensure that the final legislation – planned for later this year – delivers for government and most importantly for the industry…

    …and makes the UK a great place for digital asset companies to invest and innovate.

    For the UK to be a world-leader in digital assets…

    …international cooperation is vital.

    Which is why I discussed continued U.S. and UK engagement with Secretary Bessent last week…

    …including further dialogue at the upcoming UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group in June…

    …to support the use and responsible growth of digital assets…

    …maintaining the deep historic relationship between the world’s two largest financial centres through this period of significant technological change.

    Regulation must support business, not hold it back.

    Our regulators were among the first to embrace and develop sandboxes…

    …including the Digital Securities Sandbox, where I’m delighted that we already have a broad range of firms all looking at different proposals for tokenising our financial markets.

    Last November, I announced that this government will issue a Digital Gilt Instrument…

    …an entirely new debt instrument…

    …using distributed ledger technology…

    this will enable us to experience first-hand the benefits of digital technologies in debt issuance.

    And I know that there is appetite to go further.

    Last week, Secretary Bessent and I also discussed how our officials could explore opportunities to support industry to innovate cross-border…

    …in line with proposals put forward by US Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce about a transatlantic sandbox for digital securities…

    …potentially allowing greater digital collaboration between capital markets in New York and London.

    I’ve talked about what we’ve already done, and some ideas for the future.

    Financial services is one of the key growth-driving sectors in the UK’s modern industrial strategy…

    ….with FinTech as a priority growth opportunity…

    …and I look forward to publishing the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy at my upcoming Mansion House address…

    …which I can today confirm will take place on the 15th July.

    At Mansion House last year I set out my vision on economic growth…

    …and the new approach required to build sustainable growth…

    …on a platform of stability.

    At Mansion House this year I’ll talk about how we can go further and faster in realising that growth.

    By publishing the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy…

    …I will set out our strategy for the rest of this parliament and beyond…

    …building on our strengths in areas including capital markets, insurance and asset management…

    … supporting firms to innovate by ensuring they can access and develop the talent they need…

     …and promoting the UK as a great place to do business globally.

    Backing the builders in FinTech means improving outcomes for businesses and consumers…

    …revolutionising how we invest and trade…

    And driving growth and prosperity, here in the UK.

    It’s incredible how far Fintech has come in the past decade…

    And I’m enormously optimistic about the future.

    From the huge growth of the sector that has already taken place…

    …to the passion, drive and commitment I see from all of you to make FinTech a huge UK success story…

    …it is clear that our job in government is to back you, back the builders, back the change makers all the way.

    And I am ready to do just that.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI: TAB Bank Kicks Off 2025 with $67 Million Loans for More Than 230 Companies in Q1

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OGDEN, Utah, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TAB Bank kicked off 2025 building value for over 230 companies by closing more than $67 million in financing in Q1. Businesses in the transportation, beauty, specialty finance and real estate industries, along with 70 small businesses, chose TAB Bank to help fund their growth. Types of financing included factoring, asset-based and equipment loans, small business lines of credit and real estate loans.

    Highlights of the largest Q1 2025 deals include:

    • $13 million—Capital Foundry, a Pittsburgh-based specialty finance lender providing various debt and credit products to small and middle-market companies.
    • $12 million—Commercial real estate loan for a Kentucky-based behavioral health hospital.
    • $6.5 million— HydroEdge Solutions of Pennsylvania, a leading water transfer and fluid management services provider for the energy industry.
    • $5 million—An agriculture finance company in Nevada specializing in factoring financing for farmers, agricultural businesses and fresh produce exporters in Mexico.
    • $4 million—A California company involved in the formulation, product development and manufacturing of beauty products.

    In addition, TAB Bank provided 17 companies, primarily in the transportation industry, term loans and lines of credit ranging from $40,000 to $500,000. In 1998, TAB Bank started its business financing over-the-road truckers and the broader transportation industry to help create consistent operational cash flow.

    “Companies from various industries trust TAB Bank to build value for their business,” said Justin Hatch, Chief Lending Officer at TAB Bank. “From straightforward lending to unique financing structures, we learn about each individual business to ensure their experience with TAB Bank is excellent and helps them grow their business.”

    The bank’s services include working capital, equipment financing, term loans, lines of credit and commercial real estate loans. TAB Bank’s specialists ensure each client is matched with the right financial product for their industry and growth stage. The bank supports businesses with stellar credit and those without, requiring alternative assessments. To determine creditworthiness, the bank considers various factors, such as income and operational history.

    For more information on TAB Bank’s capital financing and credit solutions, visit TABBank.com.

    About TAB Bank
    At TAB Bank, our mission is to unlock dreams with bold financial solutions that empower individuals and businesses nationwide. We are committed to making financial success accessible to everyone through our innovative banking products. Our dedication drives us to continuously improve, ensuring that we meet the evolving needs of our clients with excellence and agility. For over 25 years, we have remained steadfast in offering tailored, technology-enabled solutions designed to simplify and enhance the banking experience.

    For more information about how we can help you achieve your financial dreams, visit www.TABBank.com.

    Contact Information:
    Trevor Morris
    Director of Marketing
    801-710-6318
    trevor.morris@tabbank.com

    The MIL Network