Category: Entertainment

  • MIL-OSI USA: RIDOH Launches Campaign to Spotlight Men’s Mental Health

    Source: US State of Rhode Island

    In recognition of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has launched You Good, Man?, a statewide campaign to raise awareness and prevent suicide among working-age men�a population experiencing suicide at nearly twice the rate of the general public in Rhode Island.

    “Society often focuses on the physical health of men � be it fitness, or annual checkups, or heart health. But mental health and well-being is just as important,” said Director of Health Dr. Jerry Larkin. “This campaign is about creating a culture where men and boys feel comfortable reaching out and checking in on their friends and coworkers. No one should struggle in silence.”

    The You Good, Man? campaign features a powerful, locally produced video and a three-month media buy across social media, digital and streaming platforms, local movie theaters, and gas stations. As part of the campaign, YouGoodMan.org was created as a resource hub offering mental health tips, warning signs, conversation guides, and local support services.

    The goal is to normalize conversations about mental health, empower friends, coworkers, and loved ones to check in, and encourage men to accept help when it’s offered.

    According to the 2023 Rhode Island Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, 11% of men said they usually or always feel lonely. Suicide death rates in Rhode Island are highest among working-age males (25-64 years old). The death rate for this group is more than twice as high as Rhode Island’s overall suicide death rate. Working-aged men reported not having inadequate social support in comparison to females in the same age group. According to 2024 Rhode Island fatal overdose data, the majority of individuals who died from a drug overdose � 70 percent- were male.

    In addition to their impacts on mental health, loneliness and social isolation significantly impact physical health. They are associated with increased risk for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and type 2 diabetes.

    Reach Consulting, in partnership with RIDOH, developed the campaign following months of research and interviews with Rhode Island men. Their input helped shape the campaign’s tone, messaging, and creative direction. One clear message emerged: many men struggle in silence, and even a simple check-in can make a difference.

    Produced by Pawtucket-based media company HAUS, the spot was created by a team of local professionals and features lead actors from Rhode Island. Their performances bring authenticity and urgency to the message: It’s not only okay to talk about mental health�it’s vital.

    This campaign represents one of many efforts throughout State government to support mental and emotional health.

    – In October, Rhode Island’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) launched. A CCBHC is an outpatient clinic that offers expanded behavioral health services. CCBHCs serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of age, diagnosis, or insurance status.?At a CCBHC, a team of trained health professionals can: provide mental health support to you or a loved one, help you or a loved one with a substance use condition, and/or provide 24/7 crisis support. Six CCBHCs are currently operating throughout Rhode Island. ?Each clinic has a trained Veteran Service Officer.

    – The Staff Sergeant Gordon Fox Case management program provides wrap-around services to veterans, service members, and their families. More information can be found at health.ri.gov/helpforvets.

    – RIDOH’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Grant team has been partnering with the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide materials and resources at select DMV locations during Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

    – The Governor’s Overdose Task Force is a statewide coalition of professionals, community members, state agency staff, and state health leadership with the goal of preventing overdoses and saving lives. The work of the Task Force helped contribute to a 25% decrease in overdose deaths since 2022.

    Resources for people who may need help:

    – 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline � If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide; experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis; or are in emotional distress, you can call or text 988 or chat with 988 at 988lifeline.org. Trained crisis counselors are available 24/7.??

    – Yougoodman.org � Learn how to check in on the men in your life, read about what Rhode Island men say about mental health and supporting each other, and watch the You Good, Man? spot

    – PreventSuicideRI.org � Visit the website for additional state and national resources, training opportunities, and suicide data.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: RIDOH Launches Campaign to Spotlight Men’s Mental Health

    Source: US State of Rhode Island

    In recognition of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has launched You Good, Man?, a statewide campaign to raise awareness and prevent suicide among working-age men�a population experiencing suicide at nearly twice the rate of the general public in Rhode Island.

    “Society often focuses on the physical health of men � be it fitness, or annual checkups, or heart health. But mental health and well-being is just as important,” said Director of Health Dr. Jerry Larkin. “This campaign is about creating a culture where men and boys feel comfortable reaching out and checking in on their friends and coworkers. No one should struggle in silence.”

    The You Good, Man? campaign features a powerful, locally produced video and a three-month media buy across social media, digital and streaming platforms, local movie theaters, and gas stations. As part of the campaign, YouGoodMan.org was created as a resource hub offering mental health tips, warning signs, conversation guides, and local support services.

    The goal is to normalize conversations about mental health, empower friends, coworkers, and loved ones to check in, and encourage men to accept help when it’s offered.

    According to the 2023 Rhode Island Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, 11% of men said they usually or always feel lonely. Suicide death rates in Rhode Island are highest among working-age males (25-64 years old). The death rate for this group is more than twice as high as Rhode Island’s overall suicide death rate. Working-aged men reported not having inadequate social support in comparison to females in the same age group. According to 2024 Rhode Island fatal overdose data, the majority of individuals who died from a drug overdose � 70 percent- were male.

    In addition to their impacts on mental health, loneliness and social isolation significantly impact physical health. They are associated with increased risk for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and type 2 diabetes.

    Reach Consulting, in partnership with RIDOH, developed the campaign following months of research and interviews with Rhode Island men. Their input helped shape the campaign’s tone, messaging, and creative direction. One clear message emerged: many men struggle in silence, and even a simple check-in can make a difference.

    Produced by Pawtucket-based media company HAUS, the spot was created by a team of local professionals and features lead actors from Rhode Island. Their performances bring authenticity and urgency to the message: It’s not only okay to talk about mental health�it’s vital.

    This campaign represents one of many efforts throughout State government to support mental and emotional health.

    – In October, Rhode Island’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) launched. A CCBHC is an outpatient clinic that offers expanded behavioral health services. CCBHCs serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of age, diagnosis, or insurance status.?At a CCBHC, a team of trained health professionals can: provide mental health support to you or a loved one, help you or a loved one with a substance use condition, and/or provide 24/7 crisis support. Six CCBHCs are currently operating throughout Rhode Island. ?Each clinic has a trained Veteran Service Officer.

    – The Staff Sergeant Gordon Fox Case management program provides wrap-around services to veterans, service members, and their families. More information can be found at health.ri.gov/helpforvets.

    – RIDOH’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Grant team has been partnering with the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide materials and resources at select DMV locations during Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

    – The Governor’s Overdose Task Force is a statewide coalition of professionals, community members, state agency staff, and state health leadership with the goal of preventing overdoses and saving lives. The work of the Task Force helped contribute to a 25% decrease in overdose deaths since 2022.

    Resources for people who may need help:

    – 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline � If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide; experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis; or are in emotional distress, you can call or text 988 or chat with 988 at 988lifeline.org. Trained crisis counselors are available 24/7.??

    – Yougoodman.org � Learn how to check in on the men in your life, read about what Rhode Island men say about mental health and supporting each other, and watch the You Good, Man? spot

    – PreventSuicideRI.org � Visit the website for additional state and national resources, training opportunities, and suicide data.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Global: The critical response to Miley Cyrus’s Something Beautiful exposes pop’s gender double standards

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester

    With her latest album Something Beautiful debuting at number four in the Billboard 200 and in contention to reach the top of the UK album charts, Miley Cyrus’s commercial appeal appears as strong as ever.

    Something Beautiful is Cyrus’s 9th studio album, described by the singer-songwriter as an attempt to bring the divine into the day to day. It’s an ambitious, sprawling record, but, despite its commercial success, its eclecticism has led to a polarised reaction among critics.

    Negative reviews are, of course, not uncommon, and we need look no further than The New York Times’ 1969 review of Abbey Road to see that even the most celebrated and acclaimed artists aren’t immune to the critic’s poison pen. But, while some degree of criticism is inevitable for all artists, when it comes to discussing experimentation and musical identity, female and male artists seem to be treated differently.


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    During her Billboard Music Awards woman of the year speech in 2016, Madonna commented that “there are no rules – if you’re a boy. If you’re a girl, you have to play the game.” In the same year Björk observed that female artists are criticised if they sing about anything other than their boyfriends. She might have been exaggerating a little, but Björk’s and Madonna’s points are clear: if you’re a woman in music, you should stay in your proverbial box.

    Most of the negative reviews that Something Beautiful received were along these lines. Pitchfork, for example, criticised Cyrus’s “nonsensical lyrics” (translation: stick to writing about relationships). The i Paper claimed her weird and experimental choices created a distance from her listeners (translation: don’t do anything your fans won’t like). They also condemned the lack of accessible, radio-friendly pop (translation: be one-dimensional). And the Guardian said that it fell short of the hits that made her a star (translation: as Beach Boy Mike Love allegedly said, “don’t fuck with the formula”).

    The music video for Something Beautiful by Miley Cyrus.

    For two of Cyrus’s male contemporaries, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles (both around one year her junior), it’s a very different story. While the Guardian also notes the absence of “hits” on Bieber’s 2020 album Changes, instead of presenting it as a negative as it did with Cyrus, it’s seen as a sign of maturity on a fitfully lovely album by a pop star who no longer wants chart domination.

    In the case of Styles’ 2019 album Fine Line, artistic innovation was praised by the Guardian, which observed that the most endearing moments occur when he experiments. And where Pitchfork lambasted Something Beautiful’s genre-hopping eclecticism for being tonally confused, Fine Line is praised for the “incredible” sound produced due to its “flock of influences”.

    Identity politics

    Cyrus has been told by critics that she must choose between being an accessible pop star or an unconventional artist and “can’t have it both ways”.

    Even if she did decide to plump for one camp or the other rather than ably straddling both, it’d still be debatable as to whether the ever-fickle critics would be satisfied.

    Pitchfork’s 2020 review of Cyrus’s album Plastic Heart suggests it’d be a “no” in their case, at least. Complaining that the heavier songs on the album sounded like “canned, Muzak versions of rock songs”, the publication proposed that Cyrus might sound like an actual rock star if paired with someone like producer Jonathan Rado.

    Madonna’s 2016 woman of the year speech.

    When Cyrus and Rado did collaborate on Something Beautiful, however, they remained unimpressed. You just can’t please some people. Thankfully, Cyrus is either oblivious to such noise or chooses to ignore it, and recently teased that Something Beautiful is merely “the appetizer” for a “an extremely experimental” upcoming album.

    In an era where formulaic pop music dominates the charts and AI-generated content threatens to make things even more generic, we should be encouraging the idiosyncrasies of our female artists, not labelling them as having identity problems when they are brave enough to be different.

    In her woman of the year’ speech, Madonna also noted that, as a female artist, “to age is a sin: you will be criticised, you will be vilified, and you will definitely not be played on the radio”. Perhaps, then, Cyrus’s biggest offence isn’t her refusal to become a stereotype or her desire to experiment and make music that she likes. It’s daring to grow up.

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

    ref. The critical response to Miley Cyrus’s Something Beautiful exposes pop’s gender double standards – https://theconversation.com/the-critical-response-to-miley-cyruss-something-beautiful-exposes-pops-gender-double-standards-258940

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI: Abuse Deterrent Formulations Market Exploding While Estimated to Reach $39 Million In 2025 and $54 Million By 2030

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The market for abuse-deterrent opioids is still developing, but it’s estimated that replacing extended-release opioids with abuse-deterrent formulations could lead to significant cost savings and a reduction in abuse-related medical events. While specific revenue figures for the abuse-deterrent opioid market are not readily available, the potential impact on the broader opioid market is substantial. One such report from Roots Analysis, however, did project revenues, saying: “The abuse deterrent formulations market is estimated to grow from USD 25.7 million in 2024 to reach USD 39.8 million in 2025 and USD 54.8 million by 2030, representing a higher CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. Although the healthcare industry relies on patient to take medications responsibly, in 2017, close to 18 million individuals were reported to have misused prescription drugs, in the US. In fact, data from a National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in the same year, showed that an estimated 2 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers for the first time in the previous year. Moreover, the same study reported 1.5 million people abusing tranquilizers, over 1 million abusing prescription stimulants and more than 270,000 abusing sedatives, for the first time, in the same time period. Owing to a rapid onset of medicinal effect, which offers immediate relief (with high efficacy), opioids are still considered to be one of the most widely used pharmacological interventions for pain management. However, these drugs are known to induce a euphoric state upon consumption, often causing patients to abuse them; increased recreational use of opioids is known to lead to addiction. Moreover, over-prescription of such medicinal products, which promotes their misuse, is considered as one of the root causes of the opioid crisis (increasing number of deaths involving misuse and addiction to opioids), in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 72,000 overdose-related deaths were reported in 2017, of which close to 50,000 involved the use of an opioid.”   Active healthcare/tech companies active in the markets include: Nutriband Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRB) (NASDAQ: NTRBW), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ: COLL), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA), Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS).

    Moreover, opioid abuse was estimated to have been responsible for an economic deficit of over USD 500 billion, related to loss of productivity and healthcare costs, in the US. Other drug classes that are prone to abuse include antidepressants and central nervous system (CNS) stimulants such as fentanyl and klonopin. In 2017, close to 17,000 deaths were reported to have been the result of an overdose of prescription antidepressants. Most of these deaths (~11,500) involved the misuse of benzodiazepines, such as VALIUM® (diazepam) and XANAX® (alprazolam). CNS stimulants are usually indicated for the treatment of patients suffering from attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Among the various overdose-related deaths which took place in 2017, it is worth highlighting that over 12% involved the use of psychostimulants. Prescription drug abuse has prompted pharmaceutical developers to devise various strategies to prevent misuse. Some of the commonly used approaches to abuse deterrence include limiting use of opioids post-surgery, implementing stringent medicine prescribing guidelines and conducting prescription drug monitoring programs, and creating abuse deterrent formulations (ADFs) of drugs that are likely to be misused. Drug formulations that are designed to prevent an active pharmacological substance from being abused have been identified as a viable and sustainable alternative to limiting recreational / off-prescription use of the abovementioned drug classes and its consequences.”

    NUTRIBAND INC. (NASDAQ: NTRB) AND KINDEVA COMPLETE COMMERCIAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS SCALE-UP FOR AVERSA™ FENTANYL ABUSE DETERRENT FENTANYL PATCH

    • Nutriband and Kindeva have completed commercial manufacturing process scale-up for its lead product Aversa™ Fentanyl, an abuse-deterrent fentanyl patch
    • Nutriband is partnering with Kindeva to develop Aversa™ Fentanyl which combines Nutriband’s Aversa™ abuse-deterrent technology with Kindeva’s FDA-approved fentanyl patch

    Nutriband Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRB) (NASDAQ:NTRBW), a company engaged in the development of prescription transdermal pharmaceutical products, today announced that it has completed commercial manufacturing process scale-up for its lead product, Aversa™ Fentanyl, with Kindeva, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on drug-device combination products.

    Nutriband is partnering with Kindeva to develop Aversa™ Fentanyl which combines Nutriband’s Aversa™ abuse-deterrent technology with Kindeva’s FDA-approved fentanyl patch. Aversa Fentanyl is manufactured at Kindeva’s state-of-the-art transdermal manufacturing facility located in the United States. The next step is to manufacture clinical supplies and file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA to initiate a human abuse liability clinical study.

    “We are excited to achieve this commercial development milestone with our partner, Kindeva. Completing the commercial manufacturing scale-up is an important step towards development of a commercially viable product and eventual NDA filing. This achievement demonstrates the compatibility of the Aversa™ abuse deterrent platform technology with established transdermal patch manufacturing processes. Aversa Fentanyl has the potential to be the first abuse deterrent pain patch on the market,” said Gareth Sheridan, CEO, Nutriband.

    Nutriband’s AVERSA™ abuse-deterrent technology can be utilized to incorporate aversive agents into transdermal patches to prevent the abuse, diversion, misuse, and accidental exposure of drugs with abuse potential including opioids and stimulants. The AVERSA™ abuse-deterrent technology has the potential to improve the safety profile of transdermal drugs susceptible to abuse, such as fentanyl, while making sure that these drugs remain accessible to those patients who really need them.

    AVERSA Fentanyl has the potential to be the world’s first abuse-deterrent opioid patch designed to deter the abuse and misuse and reduce the risk of accidental exposure of transdermal fentanyl patches. CONTINUED Read this full press release and more news for NTRB at:   https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-ntrb  

    In other developments and happenings in the biotech market recently include:

    Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced involvement in the Abuse Deterrent Market stating that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved an updated label for EMBEDA® (morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride) extended-release (ER) capsules, for oral use, CII, to include abuse-deterrence studies. The updated label states that EMBEDA has properties that are expected to reduce abuse via the oral and intranasal (i.e., snorting) routes when crushed. However, abuse of EMBEDA by these routes is still possible. The updated label also includes data from a human abuse potential study of intravenous (IV) morphine and naltrexone to simulate crushed EMBEDA. However, it is unknown whether the results with simulated crushed EMBEDA predict a reduction in abuse by the IV route until additional postmarketing data are available. EMBEDA is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. Pfizer expects EMBEDA will be available in the U.S. in early 2015.

    “Prescription opioids are an important treatment option for people with chronic pain. However, misuse and abuse of opioids in the U.S. is a serious societal concern, which is why the development of abuse-deterrent formulations of these medicines is a high priority,” said Bob Twillman, Ph.D., Director of Policy and Advocacy, American Academy of Pain Management. “All opioid medications, including morphine products, have the potential for abuse. We believe that anything that can be done to reduce this risk is a significant development for healthcare providers and their patients.”

    Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLL) also announced involvement in the Abuse Deterrent Market by stating that U.S. Patent No. 9,044,398 was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent application entitled, “Abuse-deterrent Pharmaceutical Compositions of Opioids and Other Drugs”. The issued patent covers the DETERx technology platform and Collegium’s lead product candidate, Xtampza ER (oxycodone extended-release capsules). The claims provide additional coverage for multiple opioid molecules, as well as non-opioid drugs prone to abuse that are developed with the DETERx technology platform. This is the seventh issued U.S. patent related to the DETERx technology platform.

    “This newly issued patent expands our patent coverage for our lead product candidate, Xtampza ER, and the DETERx technology platform. We have a number of additional patent applications currently undergoing the patent prosecution process that, if issued, would continue to protect Xtampza ER, the DETERx technology platform, and additional product candidates in the U.S. and internationally,” said Michael Heffernan, Chairman and CEO of Collegium.

    Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved VANTRELATM ER (hydrocodone bitartrate) extended-release tablets [CII] formulated with Teva’s proprietary abuse deterrence technology. VANTRELA ER is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. The product’s approval is supported by a clinical program that evaluated the safety and efficacy of VANTRELA ER, as well as its abuse potential in laboratory-based in vitro manipulation and extraction studies, pharmacokinetic studies, and clinical abuse potential (CAP) studies.

    “Teva understands the risk of prescription drug abuse is a challenge healthcare professionals face when treating millions of Americans affected by chronic pain,” said Rob Koremans, MD, President and CEO of Global Specialty Medicines at Teva. “Abuse-deterrent treatments provide options for prescribers that may help deter or mitigate abuse while still preserving access to pain medications for the patients that need them most.”

    Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) is teaming up with Victoria’s Voice Foundation to rally Americans to help save lives from the opioid epidemic on National Naloxone Awareness Day, which honors the late Victoria Siegel and others who have succumbed to overdose. As part of the effort, Victoria’s Voice has launched the “Shine. Wear. Share. Care” campaign to raise awareness and provide educational resources to individuals, organizations and businesses that includes a purple light bulb (Shine), a wearable promotional item (Wear), a QR code encouraging participation in the #sharenaloxone social media campaign (Share) and a box of NARCAN® Nasal Spray (Care) provided by Emergent.

    “It’s been 10 years since our Victoria lost her life to an accidental opioid overdose and we remain fiercely committed to honoring her memory and the memory of others who have succumbed to this same tragedy by fostering open dialogue about the dangers of opioids and precautionary safety measures, so other families don’t have to experience the same tragedy,” said Jackie Siegel, of Victoria’s Voice Foundation. “We’re pleased that Emergent is our sponsor for this year’s National Naloxone Awareness Day to further our shared mission of saving as many lives as possible through naloxone education and distribution.”

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    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aspiring young performers invited to panto auditions

    Source: City of Derby

    Are you looking for a fantastic opportunity for a talented youngster? The search is on for energetic and charismatic children to join the Junior Ensemble in this year’s Derby panto, Dick Whittington, at Derby Arena.

    Little Wolf Entertainment is seeking young performers, bursting with personality, to share the stage with professional actors, including the acclaimed panto dame Morgan Brind.

    This year’s production, another collaboration between Derby LIVE and Little Wolf, follows the massive success of previous pantomimes like 2024’s Cinderella, which received two nominations at the UK Pantomime Association Awards.

    Auditions are open to boys and girls aged 9-16 who can act, sing, and dance. While previous theatre experience isn’t required, a passion for performing is a must! Please note that 16-year-olds must still be in compulsory full-time education (Year 11) at the time of the show.

    If you know a young star who loves to sing and dance, this is their chance to shine on a big stage. Being part of the Junior Ensemble involves lots of hard work and commitment, but is fantastic opportunity to be part of a sensational production – and lots of fun! 

    To join the Junior Ensemble, you will need to be free for rehearsals on weekday evenings and all day at weekends from 13 November until the show opens, as well as performances from 5 – 31 December 2025.

    Auditions will be held at Derby Arena on Sunday 20 July. Applications are open now via the Little Wolf website. Once you register, full details about the audition session for your child’s age group will be sent to you. 

    There’s no need to prepare anything in advance – it will be a fun, dance workshop-style audition. Each session is expected to last approximately three hours. 

    Morgan Brind and Alan Bowles from Derby-based Little Wolf Entertainment said:

    Every year, we really look forward to these auditions. We’re consistently blown away by the sheer volume of young talent in Derby. If you’d like to be part of the team, be sure to apply soon – we can’t wait to meet you!

    Dick Whittington is at Derby Arena from Friday 5 – Wednesday 31 December. Tickets are now on sale with ticket prices ranging from £22 to £37. Concessions and family ticket savings are available. Tickets can be purchased on the Derby LIVE website, at the Sales and Information Centre,19 Chapel Street, Derby, DE1 3GU, or by calling 01332 255 800.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI: Progress Software CEO Yogesh Gupta Named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 New England Award Winner

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Visionary CEO recognized for bold leadership, strategic growth, accelerated AI innovation and long-term stakeholder value creation

    BURLINGTON, Mass., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS), the trusted provider of AI-powered digital experience and infrastructure software, today announced that CEO Yogesh Gupta has been named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 New England Award winner by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). The prestigious program recognizes visionary leaders of companies who are driving innovation, accelerating growth and creating lasting impact for future generations.

    Since joining Progress in 2016, Gupta has driven significant growth and transformation at the company. Under his leadership, Progress has more than doubled in size, completed five strategic acquisitions—including the landmark 2024 purchase of ShareFile, the company’s largest acquisition to date—and successfully executed its Total Growth Strategy, focusing on innovation, disciplined mergers and acquisitions, and customer retention. Gupta’s foresight in navigating market shifts, especially in AI, has positioned Progress ahead of the curve, consistently delivering value to a global client base that includes over 75% of the Fortune 500.

    “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from EY,” said Gupta. “Entrepreneurship is about more than building a business—it’s about building a future. I’m proud to lead a company that innovates not only in technology but also invests in people, communities and purpose.”

    Gupta’s entrepreneurial approach is shaped by a personal journey defined by resilience, ambition and a deep belief in innovation’s power. Since becoming CEO, he has cultivated a culture of agility, strategic risk-taking and operational excellence across the organization. Progress has achieved record revenues and doubled its global workforce from 1,500 to 3,000 employees during his tenure. Renowned for his sharp business insight and people-centric leadership, Gupta actively mentors employees and engages with teams worldwide, fostering a culture grounded in excellence, teamwork, respect and sustainable value creation.

    Gupta was chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. Judges assessed candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment and significant growth and impact.

    As a New England award winner, he is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 National Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November 2025.

    About Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally. The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

    About Progress Software
    Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS) empowers organizations to achieve transformational success in the face of disruptive change. Our software enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and digital experiences with agility and ease. Customers get a trusted provider in Progress, with the products, expertise and vision they need to succeed. Over 4 million developers and technologists at hundreds of thousands of enterprises depend on Progress. Learn more at www.progress.com.

    Progress is a trademark or registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Any other names contained herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Press Contacts:
    Kim Baker
    Progress Software
    +1-800-477-6473
    pr@progress.com

    A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7fd7178e-98af-40f6-8027-c19233524eee

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Progress Software CEO Yogesh Gupta Named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 New England Award Winner

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Visionary CEO recognized for bold leadership, strategic growth, accelerated AI innovation and long-term stakeholder value creation

    BURLINGTON, Mass., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS), the trusted provider of AI-powered digital experience and infrastructure software, today announced that CEO Yogesh Gupta has been named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 New England Award winner by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). The prestigious program recognizes visionary leaders of companies who are driving innovation, accelerating growth and creating lasting impact for future generations.

    Since joining Progress in 2016, Gupta has driven significant growth and transformation at the company. Under his leadership, Progress has more than doubled in size, completed five strategic acquisitions—including the landmark 2024 purchase of ShareFile, the company’s largest acquisition to date—and successfully executed its Total Growth Strategy, focusing on innovation, disciplined mergers and acquisitions, and customer retention. Gupta’s foresight in navigating market shifts, especially in AI, has positioned Progress ahead of the curve, consistently delivering value to a global client base that includes over 75% of the Fortune 500.

    “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from EY,” said Gupta. “Entrepreneurship is about more than building a business—it’s about building a future. I’m proud to lead a company that innovates not only in technology but also invests in people, communities and purpose.”

    Gupta’s entrepreneurial approach is shaped by a personal journey defined by resilience, ambition and a deep belief in innovation’s power. Since becoming CEO, he has cultivated a culture of agility, strategic risk-taking and operational excellence across the organization. Progress has achieved record revenues and doubled its global workforce from 1,500 to 3,000 employees during his tenure. Renowned for his sharp business insight and people-centric leadership, Gupta actively mentors employees and engages with teams worldwide, fostering a culture grounded in excellence, teamwork, respect and sustainable value creation.

    Gupta was chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. Judges assessed candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment and significant growth and impact.

    As a New England award winner, he is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 National Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November 2025.

    About Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally. The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

    About Progress Software
    Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS) empowers organizations to achieve transformational success in the face of disruptive change. Our software enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and digital experiences with agility and ease. Customers get a trusted provider in Progress, with the products, expertise and vision they need to succeed. Over 4 million developers and technologists at hundreds of thousands of enterprises depend on Progress. Learn more at www.progress.com.

    Progress is a trademark or registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Any other names contained herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Press Contacts:
    Kim Baker
    Progress Software
    +1-800-477-6473
    pr@progress.com

    A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7fd7178e-98af-40f6-8027-c19233524eee

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Moomoo Gears Up to Celebrate New York Mets’ 50th Victory with a $20,000 Fan Giveaway, Announces 25th Win Prize Recipient with $10,000

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Moomoo, a global investment and trading platform, is getting ready to celebrate with New York Mets fans with a $20,000 giveaway as the Mets approach the exciting 50th win of the 2025 MLB season. Moomoo also congratulates the Mets on achieving their 25th win by giving $10,000 to the sweepstakes winner – H Smith from Queens, New York. This milestone also activated the first major prize in moomoo’s season-long fan engagement campaign.

    As part of the strategic partnership with the Mets, moomoo pledged to contribute $10,000 to a special prize fund for every team victory. With the Mets reaching 25 wins, H Smith becomes the first moomoo user to win the first prize of this ongoing sweepstakes. As the season progresses, subsequent milestone achievements including 50, 75, and 100 wins will lead to increased prizes for each milestone and a potential $1 million grand prize for a lucky moomoo investor.

    At this time, fans are encouraged to create their moomoo account and make a qualifying deposit soon for a chance to win the $20,000 prize after the team records its 50th win.

    “We’re excited to officially kickoff the prize portion of this special partnership with the Mets, and reward Mets fans and moomoo users by creating special experiences like this,” said Neil McDonald, moomoo US’s CEO. “Our partnership with the Mets aims at creating memorable experiences for fans and investors alike and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the season will bring.”

    In addition to the cash awards, moomoo will host Moomoo Mondays at Mets games: every Monday home game during the 2025 regular season moomoo will be giving away up to 500 free tickets to fans. To be eligible, fans will simply show the moomoo Monday Mets ticket offer on their moomoo app at the Mets Box Office at the ballpark. Each Monday, fans can expect prizes and surprises during their Citi Field experience, including free promotional items.

    About moomoo
    Moomoo is a leading global investment and trading platform dedicated to empowering investors with user-friendly tools, data, and insights. Our platform is designed to provide essential information and technology, enabling users to make more-informed investment decisions. With advanced charting tools, pro-level analytical features, moomoo evolves alongside our users, fostering a dynamic community where investors can share, learn, and grow together.
    Founded in the U.S., moomoo operates globally, serving investors in countries such as the US, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Canada and Malaysia. As a subsidiary of a Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings (FUTU), we take pride in our role as a global strategic partner of the Nasdaq, earning numerous international accolades from renowned industry leaders such as Benzinga and Fintech Breakthrough. Moomoo has also received multiple awards in the US, Singapore, and Australia for its innovative, inclusive approach to investing.

    For more information, please visit moomoo’s official website at www.moomoo.com or feel free to email us: pr@us.moomoo.com.

    Purchase will not improve chances of winning. Void where prohibited. 18+. Open to permanent legal U.S. residents residing in NY, NJ, CT, or PA. Starts 4/4/2025. Various deadlines may apply. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm ET on 9/28/2025 or earlier if the Mets win 100 games. Enter for free at Free entry link. Prize restrictions apply. For details/Official Rules visit bit.ly/moomoomillion_Rules

    The Mets are not affiliated with moomoo or its affiliates. Moomoo is a financial information and trading app offered by Moomoo Technologies Inc. Securities offered through Moomoo Financial Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Investing is risky.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3d63025a-3e11-40b6-9a13-20cfa71d5a5e

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Unframe Launches Synergy: The AI-Native Command Center for Enterprise IT Ops to Automate and Optimize Existing Tech Stacks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CUPERTINO, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Unframe announces the launch and general availability of Synergy, the AI-native command center for enterprise IT operations. Purpose-built to help IT teams reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR), eliminate alert fatigue, and boost operational resilience, Synergy layers generative AI across the tools organizations already rely on, including ServiceNow, Splunk, Jira, New Relic, Confluence, and more. Synergy automates manual tasks and enables natural language Q&A to resolve issues more quickly, allowing teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.

    “Synergy turns noise into insight,” says Shay Levi, CEO of Unframe. “IT Ops teams are drowning in alerts, switching between tools, and losing time on manual triage. Synergy uses AI to connect the dots, so they can focus on strategic impact instead of scattered signals.”

    Synergy solves the gap in IT Ops efficiency by integrating with existing platforms to enable unprecedented clarity, speed, and unification. By filtering operational noise to deliver clear actions, Synergy transitions teams to smarter, easier, and more productive IT Ops workflows in days.

    The Urgent Need for AI in IT Ops: Alert Fatigue and Inefficiency

    Synergy’s launch comes as IT Ops emerges as the most impactful enterprise AI use case, according to Unframe’s 2025 Enterprise AI Trends Report. The research highlights that 63% of enterprise leaders cite operational efficiency as a top driver for AI adoption. They want to streamline the complex web of existing tools, without adding or needing to rip-and-replace – 90% cite integration with existing stacks as essential.

    In today’s enterprise tech stacks, IT leaders, managers, and teams face:

    • Tools that collect mountains of data – but don’t talk to each other
    • Dashboards that overload and confuse instead of surfacing insights
    • Manual triaging and root cause analysis that slow down resolutions
    • Upcoming and critical incidents that aren’t noticed until they cause big problems
    • Low visibility into full-stack performance and efficiency

    Every minute of downtime and inefficiency translates to real financial and reputational cost. Yet 48% of enterprise leaders are still held back by budget and ROI concerns, citing high implementation costs as a barrier. That’s where Synergy comes in with the power to understand, not just notify, and deliver real efficiencies immediately after implementation.

    Unify IT Ops with an AI-Native Command Center

    Synergy’s AI-native command center unites the existing IT Ops tech stack with a smart layer of automated management across monitoring, ticketing, logging, and knowledge systems. By streamlining simple tasks, surfacing clear insights, and quickly explaining root causes, Synergy delivers natural language reports and recommends next steps – not just alerts.

    “With Synergy, your team no longer has to dig through 10 tools to understand an incident. It’s like having an AI operations analyst on call 24/7,” says Alissa Gilbert, Solutions Engineer at Unframe.

    Synergy already helps IT teams across industries including financial services, telecom, healthcare, and manufacturing maximize tech stack value and optimization. Smashing silos between tools and teams, Synergy easily integrates the entire stack for connected, explainable, and actionable insights that get smarter with every incident. Synergy’s AI-driven powers include:

    • Real-Time Correlation between every tool to streamline alerts, incidents, runbooks, logs, and knowledge base content across your stack, automatically
    • AI-Powered Root Cause Analysis to quickly analyze patterns, surface similar past incidents, and generate natural language summaries
    • Natural Language Queries: Ask questions about incident reports and RCAs and get accurate answers instantly
    • Proactive Monitoring that surfaces risks and anomalies before they escalate for preventive action, not reactive triage
    • Smart Incident Workflows that don’t just automate, but recommend next steps (e.g., runbook, incident, ticket), while flagging delays or ownership gaps
    • AI-Unified Reporting for a single view into live incidents, system performance, and operational KPIs to meet SLAs consistently

    Synergy’s full-stack coverage comes with Unframe’s complete security and compliance alignment, fully compliant with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR and deployable on-prem, in cloud, or hybrid. Outcome-based pricing means enterprises don’t lock in their subscription until they’ve experienced Synergy in action – automating their actual IT Ops environments with immediate impact.

    Synergy solves the urgent need for AI-native streamlining in IT Ops so enterprises can enact faster resolutions, achieve full-stack observability, and focus on strategic impact, not manual efforts.

    AI-Managed IT Ops for Rapid Enterprise Transformation

    Synergy, powered by Unframe, is now generally available to enterprises globally. Following quick custom integration with existing tech stacks, it delivers action and results – transforming IT Ops – just days after implementation.

    Learn more at www.unframe.ai/synergy

    About Unframe

    Unframe is the Managed AI Delivery Platform that delivers AI solutions tailored to your business in days. With Unframe, organizations can turn high-value AI use cases into real outcomes. With its modular building blocks and custom Blueprints, Unframe integrates with entire tech stacks to serve the varied needs of enterprise teams. Unframe is headquartered in Cupertino, California, with a global presence in Tel Aviv and Berlin. Explore Unframe at www.unframe.ai.

    Contact:
    Cassandra Leonard
    press@unframe.ai

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Unframe Launches Synergy: The AI-Native Command Center for Enterprise IT Ops to Automate and Optimize Existing Tech Stacks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CUPERTINO, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Unframe announces the launch and general availability of Synergy, the AI-native command center for enterprise IT operations. Purpose-built to help IT teams reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR), eliminate alert fatigue, and boost operational resilience, Synergy layers generative AI across the tools organizations already rely on, including ServiceNow, Splunk, Jira, New Relic, Confluence, and more. Synergy automates manual tasks and enables natural language Q&A to resolve issues more quickly, allowing teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.

    “Synergy turns noise into insight,” says Shay Levi, CEO of Unframe. “IT Ops teams are drowning in alerts, switching between tools, and losing time on manual triage. Synergy uses AI to connect the dots, so they can focus on strategic impact instead of scattered signals.”

    Synergy solves the gap in IT Ops efficiency by integrating with existing platforms to enable unprecedented clarity, speed, and unification. By filtering operational noise to deliver clear actions, Synergy transitions teams to smarter, easier, and more productive IT Ops workflows in days.

    The Urgent Need for AI in IT Ops: Alert Fatigue and Inefficiency

    Synergy’s launch comes as IT Ops emerges as the most impactful enterprise AI use case, according to Unframe’s 2025 Enterprise AI Trends Report. The research highlights that 63% of enterprise leaders cite operational efficiency as a top driver for AI adoption. They want to streamline the complex web of existing tools, without adding or needing to rip-and-replace – 90% cite integration with existing stacks as essential.

    In today’s enterprise tech stacks, IT leaders, managers, and teams face:

    • Tools that collect mountains of data – but don’t talk to each other
    • Dashboards that overload and confuse instead of surfacing insights
    • Manual triaging and root cause analysis that slow down resolutions
    • Upcoming and critical incidents that aren’t noticed until they cause big problems
    • Low visibility into full-stack performance and efficiency

    Every minute of downtime and inefficiency translates to real financial and reputational cost. Yet 48% of enterprise leaders are still held back by budget and ROI concerns, citing high implementation costs as a barrier. That’s where Synergy comes in with the power to understand, not just notify, and deliver real efficiencies immediately after implementation.

    Unify IT Ops with an AI-Native Command Center

    Synergy’s AI-native command center unites the existing IT Ops tech stack with a smart layer of automated management across monitoring, ticketing, logging, and knowledge systems. By streamlining simple tasks, surfacing clear insights, and quickly explaining root causes, Synergy delivers natural language reports and recommends next steps – not just alerts.

    “With Synergy, your team no longer has to dig through 10 tools to understand an incident. It’s like having an AI operations analyst on call 24/7,” says Alissa Gilbert, Solutions Engineer at Unframe.

    Synergy already helps IT teams across industries including financial services, telecom, healthcare, and manufacturing maximize tech stack value and optimization. Smashing silos between tools and teams, Synergy easily integrates the entire stack for connected, explainable, and actionable insights that get smarter with every incident. Synergy’s AI-driven powers include:

    • Real-Time Correlation between every tool to streamline alerts, incidents, runbooks, logs, and knowledge base content across your stack, automatically
    • AI-Powered Root Cause Analysis to quickly analyze patterns, surface similar past incidents, and generate natural language summaries
    • Natural Language Queries: Ask questions about incident reports and RCAs and get accurate answers instantly
    • Proactive Monitoring that surfaces risks and anomalies before they escalate for preventive action, not reactive triage
    • Smart Incident Workflows that don’t just automate, but recommend next steps (e.g., runbook, incident, ticket), while flagging delays or ownership gaps
    • AI-Unified Reporting for a single view into live incidents, system performance, and operational KPIs to meet SLAs consistently

    Synergy’s full-stack coverage comes with Unframe’s complete security and compliance alignment, fully compliant with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR and deployable on-prem, in cloud, or hybrid. Outcome-based pricing means enterprises don’t lock in their subscription until they’ve experienced Synergy in action – automating their actual IT Ops environments with immediate impact.

    Synergy solves the urgent need for AI-native streamlining in IT Ops so enterprises can enact faster resolutions, achieve full-stack observability, and focus on strategic impact, not manual efforts.

    AI-Managed IT Ops for Rapid Enterprise Transformation

    Synergy, powered by Unframe, is now generally available to enterprises globally. Following quick custom integration with existing tech stacks, it delivers action and results – transforming IT Ops – just days after implementation.

    Learn more at www.unframe.ai/synergy

    About Unframe

    Unframe is the Managed AI Delivery Platform that delivers AI solutions tailored to your business in days. With Unframe, organizations can turn high-value AI use cases into real outcomes. With its modular building blocks and custom Blueprints, Unframe integrates with entire tech stacks to serve the varied needs of enterprise teams. Unframe is headquartered in Cupertino, California, with a global presence in Tel Aviv and Berlin. Explore Unframe at www.unframe.ai.

    Contact:
    Cassandra Leonard
    press@unframe.ai

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Valour Launches Four New ETPs on Spotlight Stock Market: Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUT)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Valour Expands Nordic Footprint with Four New Listings: Valour, a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies, has launched SEK-denominated ETPs for Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUt) on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market, broadening investor access to diversified digital asset exposure.
    • Exposure to Emerging Protocols and Tokenized Gold: These new ETPs provide regulated access to a range of assets—from tokenized gold to real-world asset protocols—serving growing investor demand for both traditional and next-generation blockchain applications.
    • On Track Toward 100 ETPs by Year-End: With these additions, Valour now offers over 70 digital asset ETPs across leading European exchanges, reinforcing its leadership in the market and accelerating progress toward its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025.

    TORONTO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DeFi Technologies Inc. (the “Company” or “DeFi Technologies”) (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B), a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Valour Inc., and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour“), a leading issuer of exchange traded products (“ETPs“) has launched four new SEK-denominated ETPs on the Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden:

    • Valour Mantra (OM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679908
    • Valour Tron (TRX) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679916
    • Valour Stellar (XLM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679973
    • Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679981

    These new listings further broaden Valour’s presence in the Nordics and strengthen its mission to deliver secure, transparent, and regulated access to a diverse range of digital assets through traditional brokerage platforms.

    About the Newly Listed ETPs

    Valour Mantra (OM) ETP
    Mantra is a leading protocol focused on real-world asset tokenization and compliant DeFi infrastructure. As institutional interest in tokenized financial products grows, OM plays a critical role in bridging traditional finance with on-chain applications.

    Valour Tron (TRX) ETP
    Tron is a high-performance, layer-1 blockchain known for its high throughput, low fees, and strong presence in DeFi and entertainment-focused applications. With billions of daily transactions and one of the largest stablecoin networks, Tron remains a top digital asset by market capitalization.

    Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP
    Stellar is a blockchain optimized for global payments and remittances. Its consensus protocol and low-cost transactions make it ideal for cross-border financial infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets and institutional settlement use cases.

    Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP
    Tether Gold (XAUt) is a token backed by physical gold, offering the security of a hard asset with the accessibility of a digital token. The ETP provides investors with exposure to tokenized gold via a regulated, exchange-listed product, appealing to those seeking a hedge against inflation and fiat currency risk.

    Each product can be purchased and sold through standard brokerage platforms, offering streamlined access for both retail and institutional investors. The management fee is 1.9% for OM, TRX, and XLM, while Tether Gold (XAUt) features a fee of 0.45%.

    Executive Commentary

    Johanna Belitz, Head of Nordics at Valour, commented:
    “The launch of these four new products reflects our continued commitment to Nordic investors. We’re seeing increased demand for diversified exposure—not only to large-cap crypto assets but also to gold-backed tokens and emerging protocols like Mantra. With the world’s first ETP on Tether Gold, we’re bridging traditional gold investment with the transparency and efficiency of blockchain. Our goal is to deliver that access in a simple, familiar, and fully regulated format.”

    Elaine Buehler, Head of Products at Valour, added:
    “These new ETPs represent a major leap forward, not only offering access to leading digital assets like Tron and Stellar but also bridging real-world financial systems with next-gen blockchain protocols. What makes them extraordinary is their ability to unlock new markets—Mantra’s tokenized real-world asset focus is revolutionizing compliance in DeFi, while Tether Gold offers a digital-native solution for investors seeking the stability of gold as a hedge against inflation.”

    With these new listings, Valour has now surpassed 70 digital asset ETPs—offering the most comprehensive lineup in Europe—and remains on pace to reach its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025. These products are currently listed on major European exchanges including Spotlight (Sweden), Börse Frankfurt (Germany), and Euronext (Paris and Amsterdam), with continued expansion planned in additional global markets.

    About DeFi Technologies
    DeFi Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B) is a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”). As the first Nasdaq-listed digital asset manager of its kind, DeFi Technologies offers equity investors diversified exposure to the broader decentralized economy through its integrated and scalable business model. This includes Valour, which offers access to over sixty-five of the world’s most innovative digital assets via regulated ETPs; Stillman Digital, a digital asset prime brokerage focused on institutional-grade execution and custody; Reflexivity Research, which provides leading research into the digital asset space; Neuronomics, which develops quantitative trading strategies and infrastructure; and DeFi Alpha, the company’s internal arbitrage and trading business line. With deep expertise across capital markets and emerging technologies, DeFi Technologies is building the institutional gateway to the future of finance. Follow DeFi Technologies on LinkedIn and X/Twitter, and for more details, visit https://defi.tech/  

    DeFi Technologies Subsidiaries

    About Valour
    Valour Inc. and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour”) issues exchange traded products (“ETPs”) that enable retail and institutional investors to access digital assets in a simple and secure way via their traditional bank account. Valour is part of the asset management business line of DeFi Technologies. For more information about Valour, to subscribe, or to receive updates, visit valour.com.

    About Reflexivity Research
    Reflexivity Research LLC is a leading research firm specializing in the creation of high-quality, in-depth research reports for the bitcoin and digital asset industry, empowering investors with valuable insights. For more information please visit https://www.reflexivityresearch.com/

    About Stillman Digital
    Stillman Digital is a leading digital asset liquidity provider that offers limitless liquidity solutions for businesses, focusing on industry-leading trade execution, settlement, and technology. For more information, please visit https://www.stillmandigital.com

    About Neuronomics AG
    Neuronomics AG is a Swiss asset management firm specializing in AI-powered quantitative trading strategies. By integrating artificial intelligence, computational neuroscience and quantitative finance, Neuronomics delivers cutting-edge solutions that drive superior risk-adjusted performance in financial markets. For more information please visit https://www.neuronomics.com/

    Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information:
    This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the the listing of Valour Mantra (OM) ETP, Valour Tron (TRX) ETP, Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP and Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP; the development of the Mantra protocol, Tron blockchain, Stellar blockchain and Tether Gold token; development of additional ETPs and the number of ETPs anticipated by end of 2025; investor confidence in Valour’s ETPs; investor interest and confidence in digital assets; the regulatory environment with respect to the growth and adoption of decentralized finance; the pursuit by the Company and its subsidiaries of business opportunities; and the merits or potential returns of any such opportunities. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but is not limited the acceptance of Valour ETPs by exchanges; growth and development of decentralised finance and cryptocurrency sector; rules and regulations with respect to decentralised finance and cryptocurrency; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    THE CBOE CANADA EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

    For further information, please contact:

    Olivier Roussy Newton
    Chief Executive Officer
    ir@defi.tech
    (323) 537-7681

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Valour Launches Four New ETPs on Spotlight Stock Market: Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUT)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Valour Expands Nordic Footprint with Four New Listings: Valour, a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies, has launched SEK-denominated ETPs for Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUt) on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market, broadening investor access to diversified digital asset exposure.
    • Exposure to Emerging Protocols and Tokenized Gold: These new ETPs provide regulated access to a range of assets—from tokenized gold to real-world asset protocols—serving growing investor demand for both traditional and next-generation blockchain applications.
    • On Track Toward 100 ETPs by Year-End: With these additions, Valour now offers over 70 digital asset ETPs across leading European exchanges, reinforcing its leadership in the market and accelerating progress toward its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025.

    TORONTO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DeFi Technologies Inc. (the “Company” or “DeFi Technologies”) (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B), a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Valour Inc., and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour“), a leading issuer of exchange traded products (“ETPs“) has launched four new SEK-denominated ETPs on the Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden:

    • Valour Mantra (OM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679908
    • Valour Tron (TRX) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679916
    • Valour Stellar (XLM) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679973
    • Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) SEK ETP – ISIN: CH1108679981

    These new listings further broaden Valour’s presence in the Nordics and strengthen its mission to deliver secure, transparent, and regulated access to a diverse range of digital assets through traditional brokerage platforms.

    About the Newly Listed ETPs

    Valour Mantra (OM) ETP
    Mantra is a leading protocol focused on real-world asset tokenization and compliant DeFi infrastructure. As institutional interest in tokenized financial products grows, OM plays a critical role in bridging traditional finance with on-chain applications.

    Valour Tron (TRX) ETP
    Tron is a high-performance, layer-1 blockchain known for its high throughput, low fees, and strong presence in DeFi and entertainment-focused applications. With billions of daily transactions and one of the largest stablecoin networks, Tron remains a top digital asset by market capitalization.

    Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP
    Stellar is a blockchain optimized for global payments and remittances. Its consensus protocol and low-cost transactions make it ideal for cross-border financial infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets and institutional settlement use cases.

    Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP
    Tether Gold (XAUt) is a token backed by physical gold, offering the security of a hard asset with the accessibility of a digital token. The ETP provides investors with exposure to tokenized gold via a regulated, exchange-listed product, appealing to those seeking a hedge against inflation and fiat currency risk.

    Each product can be purchased and sold through standard brokerage platforms, offering streamlined access for both retail and institutional investors. The management fee is 1.9% for OM, TRX, and XLM, while Tether Gold (XAUt) features a fee of 0.45%.

    Executive Commentary

    Johanna Belitz, Head of Nordics at Valour, commented:
    “The launch of these four new products reflects our continued commitment to Nordic investors. We’re seeing increased demand for diversified exposure—not only to large-cap crypto assets but also to gold-backed tokens and emerging protocols like Mantra. With the world’s first ETP on Tether Gold, we’re bridging traditional gold investment with the transparency and efficiency of blockchain. Our goal is to deliver that access in a simple, familiar, and fully regulated format.”

    Elaine Buehler, Head of Products at Valour, added:
    “These new ETPs represent a major leap forward, not only offering access to leading digital assets like Tron and Stellar but also bridging real-world financial systems with next-gen blockchain protocols. What makes them extraordinary is their ability to unlock new markets—Mantra’s tokenized real-world asset focus is revolutionizing compliance in DeFi, while Tether Gold offers a digital-native solution for investors seeking the stability of gold as a hedge against inflation.”

    With these new listings, Valour has now surpassed 70 digital asset ETPs—offering the most comprehensive lineup in Europe—and remains on pace to reach its goal of 100 ETPs by the end of 2025. These products are currently listed on major European exchanges including Spotlight (Sweden), Börse Frankfurt (Germany), and Euronext (Paris and Amsterdam), with continued expansion planned in additional global markets.

    About DeFi Technologies
    DeFi Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: DEFT) (CBOE CA: DEFI) (GR: R9B) is a financial technology company bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance (“DeFi”). As the first Nasdaq-listed digital asset manager of its kind, DeFi Technologies offers equity investors diversified exposure to the broader decentralized economy through its integrated and scalable business model. This includes Valour, which offers access to over sixty-five of the world’s most innovative digital assets via regulated ETPs; Stillman Digital, a digital asset prime brokerage focused on institutional-grade execution and custody; Reflexivity Research, which provides leading research into the digital asset space; Neuronomics, which develops quantitative trading strategies and infrastructure; and DeFi Alpha, the company’s internal arbitrage and trading business line. With deep expertise across capital markets and emerging technologies, DeFi Technologies is building the institutional gateway to the future of finance. Follow DeFi Technologies on LinkedIn and X/Twitter, and for more details, visit https://defi.tech/  

    DeFi Technologies Subsidiaries

    About Valour
    Valour Inc. and Valour Digital Securities Limited (together, “Valour”) issues exchange traded products (“ETPs”) that enable retail and institutional investors to access digital assets in a simple and secure way via their traditional bank account. Valour is part of the asset management business line of DeFi Technologies. For more information about Valour, to subscribe, or to receive updates, visit valour.com.

    About Reflexivity Research
    Reflexivity Research LLC is a leading research firm specializing in the creation of high-quality, in-depth research reports for the bitcoin and digital asset industry, empowering investors with valuable insights. For more information please visit https://www.reflexivityresearch.com/

    About Stillman Digital
    Stillman Digital is a leading digital asset liquidity provider that offers limitless liquidity solutions for businesses, focusing on industry-leading trade execution, settlement, and technology. For more information, please visit https://www.stillmandigital.com

    About Neuronomics AG
    Neuronomics AG is a Swiss asset management firm specializing in AI-powered quantitative trading strategies. By integrating artificial intelligence, computational neuroscience and quantitative finance, Neuronomics delivers cutting-edge solutions that drive superior risk-adjusted performance in financial markets. For more information please visit https://www.neuronomics.com/

    Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information:
    This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the the listing of Valour Mantra (OM) ETP, Valour Tron (TRX) ETP, Valour Stellar (XLM) ETP and Valour Tether Gold (XAUt) ETP; the development of the Mantra protocol, Tron blockchain, Stellar blockchain and Tether Gold token; development of additional ETPs and the number of ETPs anticipated by end of 2025; investor confidence in Valour’s ETPs; investor interest and confidence in digital assets; the regulatory environment with respect to the growth and adoption of decentralized finance; the pursuit by the Company and its subsidiaries of business opportunities; and the merits or potential returns of any such opportunities. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but is not limited the acceptance of Valour ETPs by exchanges; growth and development of decentralised finance and cryptocurrency sector; rules and regulations with respect to decentralised finance and cryptocurrency; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    THE CBOE CANADA EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

    For further information, please contact:

    Olivier Roussy Newton
    Chief Executive Officer
    ir@defi.tech
    (323) 537-7681

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Pessimism About Future Household Finances Rises, Yet Majority of U.S. Consumers Remain Optimistic

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As tariffs and the potential for rising cost of goods have dominated the news cycle since early April, a new TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) Q2 2025 Consumer Pulse study found that 27% of U.S. consumers are now pessimistic about their household finances over the next 12 months. This marks a six-percentage point rise from Q4 2024 (21%) and a four-percentage point increase from a year ago (23%). It’s the highest level since TransUnion first began tracking this data point in Q1 2021.

    Despite the rise in pessimism, 55% of consumers are optimistic about their household finances over the next 12 months – the same percentage as in Q2 2024. However, optimism has declined from 58% in Q4 2024. The youngest consumers surveyed – Gen Z and Millennials – remain most optimistic about future finances, at 67% and 64%, respectively. The findings are derived from a survey of 2,998 American adults between May 1-12, 2025.

    “Since early April, there has been a marked increase in the level of uncertainty about future costs primarily due to the ongoing discussions about tariffs,” said Charlie Wise, senior vice president and head of global research and consulting at TransUnion. “While we’ve seen a rise in pessimism about future finances, it can’t be overstated that the same percentage of Americans are as optimistic about their future finances today as they were at this same time last year. We posit this is happening because of the continued strong employment picture and sustained wage gains. If you have a job and feel like you’re likely to get some form of pay increase over the next year, then you also will likely be able to manage through most possible scenarios for increases in the costs of goods and services.”

    Comparing Optimism and Pessimism Levels in the Last Year by Generation; Tariff Impacts

    Generation/Insights
    Percent of consumers 
    optimistic about their
    household finances in the
    next 12 months

    Percent of consumers 
    pessimistic about their
    household finances in the
    next 12 months
    Percent of consumers
    who say higher prices of
    products resulting from
    tariffs will impact them
    personally
    Timeframe Q2
    2024
    Q4
    2024
    Q2
    2025
    Q2
    2024
    Q4
    2024
    Q2
    2025
    Q2
    2025*
    Overall 55%   58%   55%   23%   21%   27%   67%  
    Gen Z 66%   64%   67%   14%   18%   17%   55%  
    Millennials 62%   66%   64%   21%   17%   21%   59%  
    Gen X 47%   53%   52%   28%   23%   29%   70%  
    Baby Boomers 49%   49%   43%   26%   24%   36%   77%  

    *Q2 2025 is the first time this question was included in the Consumer Pulse study.

    Impact of Tariff Concerns on Credit Market

    Nearly nine in 10 Americans (87%) reported some level of concern about the impact of current or possible tariffs on their household finances; 41% said they were very concerned. To that end, the Consumer Pulse study found that consumers now have an increasing interest in securing credit products.

    Of those consumers who were very concerned about tariffs, 37% planned to apply for new credit or refinance existing credit in the next year, a higher rate than all others (30%) who planned the same. Liquidity credit products which provide access to cash, including credit cards and personal loans, appeared to be a greater preference for those who are tariff concerned. Specifically, this group is interested in increasing available credit on existing credit cards, applying for a personal loan and using buy now, pay later payment services.

    “When there is uncertainty in the market, this often results in consumers seeking new credit to ensure they are prepared for any future financial hurdles. While it’s not clear just how much of an impact tariffs will have on consumer wallets, it is clear that those consumers who are most concerned about them are more likely to be preparing for the future through myriad credit options,” said Wise.

    Recession Fears Return, But are Consumers Simply in ‘Rinse and Repeat’ Mode?

    While inflation continues to be the top financial concern of Americans – 81% ranked it as a Top 3 concern in the next 12 months – there was a pronounced increase in fears of a recession. This metric jumped seven percentage points from Q2 2024 with 52% saying it was in their Top 3 financial concerns over the next 12 months — its highest level in two years. In Q4 2024, fears of a recession stood at 43%.

    While recession anxieties are growing, Americans were even more worried two years ago, when 53% of respondents rated it as one of their Top 3 concerns. At that time, 75% of Q2 2023 Consumer Pulse study respondents said they believed the country would be in a recession by the end of 2023. In comparison, 72% of this quarter’s respondents believe there will be a recession by the end of 2025. No recession ever occurred in 2023 or has over the ensuing two years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

    “Fears of a recession should never be discounted. However, history has a way of repeating itself. To this end, consumers are being pragmatic and considering the news of the day. As tariff discussions bring uncertainty, so do increased fears of economic setbacks. Yet, just like we saw in the second quarter of 2023, there are a lot of positives about the economy and the consumer credit market at-large. One thing is certain – we should expect to see more shifts in consumer sentiment in the coming months,” concluded Wise.

    For more information about the Consumer Pulse study, please click here.

    About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)

    TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world.

    http://www.transunion.com/business

    Contact Dave Blumberg

    Email david.blumberg@transunion.com 

    Telephone 312-972-6646

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Solaris Presale Gains Strong Momentum Ahead of Upcoming Exchange Launch

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TALLINN, Estonia, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Solaris (BTC-S) is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about names in crypto as its presale crosses a major milestone — over 11,500 investors and $5 million raised. With just under 7 weeks left before the token hits major exchanges, investor confidence is surging in this next-gen blockchain project designed for scalability, accessibility, and real-world use.

    Introducing Bitcoin Solaris: Speed, Scalability, and Smart Design

    Bitcoin Solaris operates on a hybrid dual-layer model, combining Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) to deliver exceptional speed and network integrity. Its features include

    • Up to 100,000 TPS with just a 2-second finality
    • SHA-256 compatibility for existing Bitcoin hardware
    • Dynamic validator rotation with slashing to keep the network clean
    • Cross-layer integrity anchored by PoW-based synchronization
    • Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Byzantine Fault Tolerance for maximum security

    And it’s not just whitepaper promises. The system is fully audited by Cyberscope and Freshcoins, reinforcing what early users are already saying: this blockchain was built to last.

    The New Mining Standard Is Mobile and It’s Real

    With mobile mining via BTC-S, users get:

    • One-click setup
    • Intelligent device adaptation
    • Energy-efficient algorithms
    • Integrated secure wallet and dashboard

    It’s no surprise that a detailed review by Crypto Legends highlighted Bitcoin Solaris as “the most exciting crypto play of the year,” noting its universal access and high-performance design.

    Real Rewards, Real Wealth Creation

    Bitcoin Solaris pays out through direct contribution-based rewards. Here’s how the network distributes earnings:

    • 40% to Base Layer miners
    • 25% to Solaris Layer validators
    • 20% to long-term BTC-S holders
    • 10% to development
    • 5% to community initiatives

    Reward values are optimized by:

    • Device contribution score
    • Network demand at the time of processing
    • Time-weighted participation
    • Complexity of validated tasks

    This isn’t just another inflationary token economy. It’s a calibrated wealth machine, delivering value where it’s earned.

    A Presale Surge No One Can Ignore

    With 11,500+ participants and counting, the Bitcoin Solaris presale has shattered expectations.

    • Current Price: $8
    • Next Price: $9
    • Launch Price: $20
    • Bonus: 8%
    • Total Raised: $5M+

    And there’s less than 7 weeks left to get in before it hits exchanges. If you missed Ethereum at $10 or Bitcoin before $1, Bitcoin Solaris might just be your redemption arc.

    Final Verdict

    Bitcoin Solaris is charging ahead with the kind of momentum altcoins dream of. Massive throughput. Mobile-first mining. Fair rewards. And a community growing by the thousands.

    11,500+ investors have already made their move. What are you waiting for ?

    This is more than a presale — it’s a movement. With infrastructure built for speed, rewards based on contribution, and a global user base already forming, Bitcoin Solaris is positioned for a powerful launch.

    To participate or learn more:

    Website: bitcoinsolaris.com
    Telegram: t.me/Bitcoinsolaris
    X (Twitter): x.com/BitcoinSolaris

    Media Contact:
    Xander Levine
    press@bitcoinsolaris.com
    Press Kit: Available upon request

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Bitcoin Solaris. 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/3202148c-2e99-4fe7-979e-1a66badf3484
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ff6ba2e-8f88-42fe-97dd-163aa43da425
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/99b9702a-0b3d-4cf8-85cf-ed876e408c4f
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0f913ea-d616-4c41-8f29-ed15f506706c

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Solaris Presale Gains Strong Momentum Ahead of Upcoming Exchange Launch

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TALLINN, Estonia, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Solaris (BTC-S) is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about names in crypto as its presale crosses a major milestone — over 11,500 investors and $5 million raised. With just under 7 weeks left before the token hits major exchanges, investor confidence is surging in this next-gen blockchain project designed for scalability, accessibility, and real-world use.

    Introducing Bitcoin Solaris: Speed, Scalability, and Smart Design

    Bitcoin Solaris operates on a hybrid dual-layer model, combining Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) to deliver exceptional speed and network integrity. Its features include

    • Up to 100,000 TPS with just a 2-second finality
    • SHA-256 compatibility for existing Bitcoin hardware
    • Dynamic validator rotation with slashing to keep the network clean
    • Cross-layer integrity anchored by PoW-based synchronization
    • Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Byzantine Fault Tolerance for maximum security

    And it’s not just whitepaper promises. The system is fully audited by Cyberscope and Freshcoins, reinforcing what early users are already saying: this blockchain was built to last.

    The New Mining Standard Is Mobile and It’s Real

    With mobile mining via BTC-S, users get:

    • One-click setup
    • Intelligent device adaptation
    • Energy-efficient algorithms
    • Integrated secure wallet and dashboard

    It’s no surprise that a detailed review by Crypto Legends highlighted Bitcoin Solaris as “the most exciting crypto play of the year,” noting its universal access and high-performance design.

    Real Rewards, Real Wealth Creation

    Bitcoin Solaris pays out through direct contribution-based rewards. Here’s how the network distributes earnings:

    • 40% to Base Layer miners
    • 25% to Solaris Layer validators
    • 20% to long-term BTC-S holders
    • 10% to development
    • 5% to community initiatives

    Reward values are optimized by:

    • Device contribution score
    • Network demand at the time of processing
    • Time-weighted participation
    • Complexity of validated tasks

    This isn’t just another inflationary token economy. It’s a calibrated wealth machine, delivering value where it’s earned.

    A Presale Surge No One Can Ignore

    With 11,500+ participants and counting, the Bitcoin Solaris presale has shattered expectations.

    • Current Price: $8
    • Next Price: $9
    • Launch Price: $20
    • Bonus: 8%
    • Total Raised: $5M+

    And there’s less than 7 weeks left to get in before it hits exchanges. If you missed Ethereum at $10 or Bitcoin before $1, Bitcoin Solaris might just be your redemption arc.

    Final Verdict

    Bitcoin Solaris is charging ahead with the kind of momentum altcoins dream of. Massive throughput. Mobile-first mining. Fair rewards. And a community growing by the thousands.

    11,500+ investors have already made their move. What are you waiting for ?

    This is more than a presale — it’s a movement. With infrastructure built for speed, rewards based on contribution, and a global user base already forming, Bitcoin Solaris is positioned for a powerful launch.

    To participate or learn more:

    Website: bitcoinsolaris.com
    Telegram: t.me/Bitcoinsolaris
    X (Twitter): x.com/BitcoinSolaris

    Media Contact:
    Xander Levine
    press@bitcoinsolaris.com
    Press Kit: Available upon request

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Bitcoin Solaris. 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/3202148c-2e99-4fe7-979e-1a66badf3484
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ff6ba2e-8f88-42fe-97dd-163aa43da425
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/99b9702a-0b3d-4cf8-85cf-ed876e408c4f
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0f913ea-d616-4c41-8f29-ed15f506706c

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: EZCORP Acquires 40 Traditional Pawn and Auto Pawn Stores in Mexico

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW), a leading provider of pawn loans in the United States and Latin America, announced today that it has acquired 40 pawn stores across 13 states in Mexico. The stores, operating under the names “Monte Providencia” and “Tu Empeño Efectivo” offer traditional pawn loans, as well as auto pawn transactions, some of which are in stand-alone auto pawn stores. With this acquisition, the Company also takes over the management of 7 additional Monte Providencia stores, which it plans to acquire in the coming months.

    Lachie Given, Chief Executive Officer, stated: “The Monte Providencia acquisition realizes our strategic objective of geographic expansion, increasing our footprint by 40 stores in Mexico. Mexico continues to be one of our most attractive markets with strong financial performance and robust growth potential. We are excited that these stores also bring diversification of our pawn portfolio with the expansion into auto pawn, a growing segment of the pawn industry in Mexico, that enables higher dollar auto loan transactions and engages a new customer base.”

    EZCORP now operates a total of 1,332 pawn stores, 787 of which are in Latin America, including 602 in Mexico.

    ABOUT EZCORP

    Formed in 1989, EZCORP has grown into a leading provider of pawn transactions in the United States and Latin America. We also sell pre-owned and recycled merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from pawn lending operations and merchandise purchased from customers. We are dedicated to satisfying the short-term cash needs of consumers who are both cash and credit constrained, focusing on an industry-leading customer experience. EZCORP is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol EZPW and is a member of the S&P 1000 Index and Nasdaq Composite Index.

    FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

    This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements regarding the Company’s strategy, initiatives, and expected performance. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations as to the outcome and timing of future events. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, including all statements regarding the Company’s strategy, initiatives and future performance, that address activities or results that the Company plans, expects, believes, projects, estimates or anticipates, will, should or may occur in the future, including future financial or operating results, are forward-looking statements. Actual results for future periods may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to a number of uncertainties and other factors, including operating risks, liquidity risks, legislative or regulatory developments, market factors, current or future litigation and risks associated with pandemics. For a discussion of these and other factors affecting the Company’s business and prospects, see the Company’s annual, quarterly and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time.

    Follow us on social media:
    Facebook EZPAWN Official https://www.facebook.com/EZPAWN/
    EZCORP Instagram Official https://www.instagram.com/ezcorp_official/
    EZPAWN Instagram Official https://www.instagram.com/ezpawnofficial/
    EZCORP LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ezcorp/

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Sean Mansouri, CFA
    Elevate IR
    EZPW@elevate-ir.com
    (720) 330-2829

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: YieldMax® ETFs Announces Distributions on MRNY, ULTY, MARO, GDXY, LFGY, and Others

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE and NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — YieldMax® today announced distributions for the YieldMax®Weekly Payers and Group B ETFs listed in the table below.

    ETF Ticker1 ETF Name Distribution Frequency Distribution per Share Distribution Rate2,4 30-Day
    SEC Yield3
    ROC5 Ex-Date & Record Date Payment Date
    CHPY YieldMax® Semiconductor Portfolio Option Income ETF Weekly $0.4056 39.53% 0.38% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    GPTY YieldMax® AI & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF Weekly $0.3226 35.91% 0.00% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    LFGY YieldMax® Crypto Industry & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF Weekly $0.4684 63.05% 0.00% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    QDTY YieldMax® Nasdaq 100 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.2342 28.57% 0.00% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    RDTY YieldMax® R2000 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.3265 37.71% 0.89% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    SDTY YieldMax® S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.2233 26.63% 0.00% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    ULTY YieldMax® Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Weekly $0.0875 73.92% 0.00% 100.00% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    YMAG YieldMax® Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs Weekly $0.1691 57.82% 66.50% 92.24% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    YMAX YieldMax® Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Weekly $0.1424 55.07% 88.53% 92.18% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    BABO YieldMax® BABA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.4314 35.88% 3.32% 91.83% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    DIPS YieldMax® Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.2922 45.02% 2.78% 93.01% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    FBY YieldMax® META Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.5363 41.44% 3.21% 93.05% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    GDXY YieldMax® Gold Miners Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.8449 69.06% 3.38% 95.87% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    JPMO YieldMax® JPM Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.2774 21.85% 3.02% 87.32% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    MARO YieldMax® MARA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $1.2073 71.88% 3.30% 96.21% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    MRNY YieldMax® MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.1900 102.74% 3.20% 97.17% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    NVDY YieldMax® NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $0.6721 53.15% 2.98% 95.30% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    PLTY YieldMax® PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4
    weeks
    $3.2600 62.55% 2.76% 96.50% 6/20/25 6/23/25
    Weekly Payers & Group C ETFs scheduled for next week: CHPY GPTY LFGY QDTY RDTY SDTY ULTY YMAG YMAX ABNY AMDY CONY CVNY FIAT HOOY MSFO NFLY PYPY  


    Standardized Performance and Fund details can be obtained by clicking the ETF Ticker in the table above or by visiting us at
    www.yieldmaxetfs.com

    Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Performance current to the most recent month-end can be obtained by calling (833) 378-0717.

    Note: DIPS, FIAT, CRSH, YQQQ and WNTR are hereinafter referred to as the “Short ETFs.”

    Distributions are not guaranteed. The Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield are not indicative of future distributions, if any, on the ETFs. In particular, future distributions on any ETF may differ significantly from its Distribution Rate or 30-Day SEC Yield. You are not guaranteed a distribution under the ETFs. Distributions for the ETFs (if any) are variable and may vary significantly from period to period and may be zero. Accordingly, the Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant.

    Investors in the Funds will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions with respect to the underlying reference asset(s).

    1  All YieldMax®ETFs shown in the table above (except YMAX, YMAG, FEAT, FIVY and ULTY) have a gross expense ratio of 0.99%. YMAX, FEAT have a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.99% for a gross expense ratio of 1.28%. YMAG has a management fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.83% for a gross expense ratio of 1.12%. FIVY has a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.59% for a gross expense ratio of 0.88%. “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other investment companies, namely other YieldMax®ETFs. ULTY has a gross expense ratio of 1.40%, and a net expense ratio after the fee waiver of 1.30%. The Advisor has agreed to a fee waiver of 0.10% through at least February 28, 2026.

    2  The Distribution Rate shown is as of close on June 17, 2025. The Distribution Rate is the annual distribution rate an investor would receive if the most recent distribution, which includes option income, remained the same going forward. The Distribution Rate is calculated by annualizing an ETF’s Distribution per Share and dividing such annualized amount by the ETF’s most recent NAV. The Distribution Rate represents a single distribution from the ETF and does not represent its total return. Distributions may also include a combination of ordinary dividends, capital gain, and return of investor capital, which may decrease an ETF’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment. These Distribution Rates may be caused by unusually favorable market conditions and may not be sustainable. Such conditions may not continue to exist and there should be no expectation that this performance may be repeated in the future.

    3 The 30-Day SEC Yield represents net investment income, which excludes option income, earned by such ETF over the 30-Day period ended May 31, 2025, expressed as an annual percentage rate based on such ETF’s share price at the end of the 30-Day period.

    4  Each ETF’s strategy (except those of the Short ETFs) will cap potential gains if its reference asset’s shares increase in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset’s shares decrease in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF. Each Short ETF’s strategy will cap potential gains if its reference asset decreases in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset increases in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF.

    5  ROC refers to Return of Capital. The ROC percentage indicates how much the distribution reflects an investor’s initial investment. The figures shown for each Fund in the table above are estimates and may later be determined to be taxable net investment income, short-term gains, long-term gains (to the extent permitted by law), or return of capital. Actual amounts and sources for tax reporting will depend upon the Fund’s investment activities during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. Your broker will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year to tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

    Each Fund has a limited operating history and while each Fund’s objective is to provide current income, there is no guarantee the Fund will make a distribution. Distributions are likely to vary greatly in amount.

    Important Information

    This material must be preceded or accompanied by the prospectus. For all prospectuses, click here.

    Contact Vince DiLullo at vdilullo@tidalfg.com for more information.

    Tidal Financial Group is the adviser for all YieldMax® ETFs.

    THE FUND, TRUST, AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY UNDERLYING REFERENCE ASSET.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable to all YieldMax ETFs referenced above, except the Short ETFs)

    YMAX, YMAG, FEAT and FIVY generally invest in other YieldMax® ETFs. As such, these Funds are subject to the risks listed in this section, which apply to all the YieldMax® ETFs they may hold from time to time.

    Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

    Referenced Index Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Index (or the Index ETFs). This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of companies that comprised the Index or an ETF that tracks the Index, even though it does not.

    Indirect Investment Risk. The Index is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way. Investors in the Fund will not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the companies that comprise the Index but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Index.

    Russell 2000 Index Risks. The Index, which consists of small-cap U.S. companies, is particularly susceptible to economic changes, as these firms often have less financial resilience than larger companies. Market volatility can disproportionately affect these smaller businesses, leading to significant price swings. Additionally, these companies are often more exposed to specific industry risks and have less diverse revenue streams. They can also be more vulnerable to changes in domestic regulatory or policy environments.

    Call Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s call writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold call options and over longer periods.

    Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.

    Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

    Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

    Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given period. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.

    High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses.

    Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

    Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.

    New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

    Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Call Period.

    Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (ARKK, TSLA, AAPL, NVDA, AMZN, META, GOOGL, NFLX, COIN, MSFT, DIS, XOM, JPM, AMD, PYPL, SQ, MRNA, AI, MSTR, Bitcoin ETP, GDX®, SNOW, ABNB, BABA, TSM, SMCI, PLTR, MARA, CVNA, HOOD, BRK.B), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

    Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.

    Indirect Investment Risk. The Index is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GPTY)

    Artificial Intelligence Risk. Issuers engaged in artificial intelligence typically have high research and capital expenditures and, as a result, their profitability can vary widely, if they are profitable at all. The space in which they are engaged is highly competitive and issuers’ products and services may become obsolete very quickly. These companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. The issuers are also subject to legal, regulatory, and political changes that may have a large impact on their profitability. A failure in an issuer’s product or even questions about the safety of the product could be devastating to the issuer, especially if it is the marquee product of the issuer. It can be difficult to accurately capture what qualifies as an artificial intelligence company.

    Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

    Risk Disclosure (applicable only to MARO)

    Digital Assets Risk: The Fund does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than the Fund. Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to BABO and TSMY)

    Currency Risk: Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

    Depositary Receipts Risk: The securities underlying BABO and TSMY are American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Investment in ADRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

    Foreign Market and Trading Risk: The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight.

    Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GDXY)

    Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. The Fund is exposed indirectly to the securities of foreign issuers selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.

    Risk of Investing in Gold and Silver Mining Companies. The Fund is exposed indirectly to gold and silver mining companies selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies.

    The Fund invests in options contracts based on the value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX®), which subjects the Fund to some of the same risks as if it owned GDX®, as well as the risks associated with Canadian, Australian and Emerging Market Issuers, and Small-and Medium-Capitalization companies.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YBIT)

    YBIT does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than YBIT.

    Bitcoin Investment Risk: The Fund’s indirect investment in Bitcoin, through holdings in one or more Underlying ETPs, exposes it to the unique risks of this emerging innovation. Bitcoin’s price is highly volatile, and its market is influenced by the changing Bitcoin network, fluctuating acceptance levels, and unpredictable usage trends.

    Digital Assets Risk: Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility. Potentially No 1940 Act Protections. As of the date of this Prospectus, there is only a single eligible Underlying ETP, and it is an investment company subject to the 1940 Act.

    Bitcoin ETP Risk: The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Bitcoin ETP. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Bitcoin ETP, even though it does not. Bitcoin ETPs are subject, but not limited, to significant risk and heightened volatility. An investor in a Bitcoin ETP may lose their entire investment. Bitcoin ETPs are not suitable for all investors. In addition, not all Bitcoin ETPs are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Those Bitcoin ETPs that are not registered under such statute are therefore not subject to the same regulations as exchange traded products that are so registered.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to the Short ETFs)

    Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

    Price Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the value of the underlying reference asset. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the underlying reference asset, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, the Fund is subject to the risk that the value of the underlying reference asset increases. If the value of the underlying reference asset increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses.

    Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing (selling) strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in decreases in the value of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer periods.

    Purchased OTM Call Options Risk. The Fund’s strategy is subject to potential losses if the underlying reference asset increases in value, which may not be offset by the purchase of out-of-the-money (OTM) call options. The Fund purchases OTM calls to seek to manage (cap) the Fund’s potential losses from the Fund’s short exposure to the underlying reference asset if it appreciates significantly in value. However, the OTM call options will cap the Fund’s losses only to the extent that the value of the underlying reference asset increases to a level that is at or above the strike level of the purchased OTM call options. Any increase in the value of the underlying reference asset to a level that is below the strike level of the purchased OTM call options will result in a corresponding loss for the Fund. For example, if the OTM call options have a strike level that is approximately 100% above the then-current value of the underlying reference asset at the time of the call option purchase, and the value of the underlying reference asset increases by at least 100% during the term of the purchased OTM call options, the Fund will lose all its value. Since the Fund bears the costs of purchasing the OTM calls, such costs will decrease the Fund’s value and/or any income otherwise generated by the Fund’s investment strategy.

    Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.

    Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

    Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

    Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given period. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.

    High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings.

    Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

    Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.

    New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

    Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in decreases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Put Period.

    Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, for any Fund that focuses on an individual security (e.g., TSLA, COIN, NVDA, MSTR), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

    Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to CHPY)

    Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services.

    The products of semiconductor companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Capital equipment expenditures could be substantial, and equipment generally suffers from rapid obsolescence. Companies in the semiconductor industry are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights would adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YQQQ)

    Index Overview. The Nasdaq 100 Index is a benchmark index that includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, based on market capitalization.

    Index Level Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the Index level. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the Index, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the Index level, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Index level increases. If the Index level increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses. The Fund may also be subject to the following risks: innovation and technological advancement; strong market presence of Index constituent companies; adaptability to global market trends; and resilience and recovery potential.

    Index Level Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will benefit from decreases in the Index level experienced over the Put Period. This means that if the Index level experiences a decrease in value below the strike level of the sold put options during a Put Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and any Fund gains may significantly differ from the level of the Index losses over the Put Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in decreases in value experienced by the Index level over each Put Period, but has significant negative exposure to any increases in value experienced by the Index level over the Put Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the inverse of the performance of the Index level. The Fund’s ability to benefit from the Index level decreases will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put option contracts and will vary from Put Period to Put Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of component companies that comprise the Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Index and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the Index level changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Put Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly inversely correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Index level. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact that the value of the options contracts has on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the Index level will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than the inverse of the changes experienced by the Index level.

    YieldMax® ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with Tidal Financial Group, or YieldMax® ETFs.

    © 2025 YieldMax® ETFs

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Climb Channel Solutions Announces North American Alliance with Bugcrowd

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    EATONTOWN, N.J., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Climb Channel Solutions, an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMB) is pleased to announce a new North American distribution agreement with Bugcrowd, a global leader in crowdsourced cybersecurity.

    Bugcrowd is a crowdsourced cybersecurity platform designed for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in digital systems. The company’s platform integrates a global network of security researchers, artificial intelligence-powered penetration testing, advanced vulnerability detection tools, and real-time reporting, enabling organizations to strengthen security defenses, mitigate risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure the resilience of systems across diverse industries and technological environments.

    This strategic collaboration enables Climb to deliver Bugcrowd’s platform-driven security offerings to a broader base of resellers and solution providers, further enhancing its cybersecurity portfolio and strengthening its position as a go-to channel partner for emerging technologies.

    At Climb Channel Solutions, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that align with the evolving needs of our partners and their customers. The addition of Bugcrowd to our vendor portfolio is a natural extension of that mission. With cyber threats growing more complex and persistent, we recognize the demand for modern, scalable, and proactive security solutions. This collaboration allows us to empower our resellers with access to Bugcrowd’s trusted platform, backed by the global expertise of its crowdsourced security researchers and ethical hackers. It’s another example of how Climb drives value for our partners by identifying and onboarding next-generation technologies built for today’s challenges.

    “We are thrilled to partner with Climb Channel Solutions, a distributor renowned for its speed-to-market and commitment to partner success,” said Jacques Lopez, Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances, Bugcrowd. “This collaboration is pivotal for Bugcrowd, as it extends the reach of our award-winning crowdsourced security platform to Climb CS’s vast reseller network and, by extension, to more businesses seeking to improve security resilience over time. We’re confident Climb CS customers will benefit from the continuous, scalable, and highly effective vulnerability discovery capabilities only Bugcrowd can provide, helping them stay ahead of threats and protect their critical assets. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with such a dedicated, dynamic team.”

    Through this collaboration, Climb Channel Solutions will now offer Bugcrowd’s industry-leading crowdsourced security platform to its vast ecosystem of over 7,000 resellers. This expansion empowers Climb’s partners to offer their customers the Bugcrowd solutions they require, such as vulnerability detection, penetration testing, comprehensive attack surface management, and Red Team as a Service (RTaaS)— the industry’s premier crowdsourced red team offering. The collaboration directly addresses the urgent and ongoing demand from businesses to proactively find and fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Ultimately, this strategic alliance underscores Climb’s dedication to providing essential, forward-thinking IT technologies and significantly strengthens Bugcrowd’s presence within the channel. 

    “Bugcrowd brings a truly differentiated approach to the cybersecurity landscape, and we’re proud to welcome them into the Climb portfolio,” said Dale Foster, CEO of Climb Channel Solutions. “As threats evolve, so must the solutions we deliver—and Bugcrowd’s ability to crowdsource elite security expertise at scale is exactly the kind of innovation our partners are looking for. This partnership reflects our commitment to surfacing high-impact, emerging vendors that solve real-world challenges. Together, we’re enabling our partners to offer greater protection, with agility and confidence.”

    Those interested in distribution services and solutions should contact Climb by phone at +1.800.847.7078 (US), or +1.888.523.7777 (Canada), or by email at Sales@ClimbCS.com.

    About Climb Channel Solutions and Climb Global Solutions

    Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty technology distributor focusing on Security, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage & HCI, Virtualization & Cloud, and Software & Application Lifecycle. What sets Climb apart is our commitment to transform distribution by providing emerging and established IT technologies, flexible financing, real-time quoting, best of breed channel operations, speed to market, and exceptional service to our partners worldwide. Climb Channel Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions (NASDAQ: CLMB). Experience the Climb difference and learn how our people-first approach empowers VARs and MSPs to grow, scale, and accelerate their business. Visit www.ClimbCS.com, call 1-800-847-7078, and connect with us on LinkedIn!

    For Media & PR inquiries contact:
    Climb Channel Solutions
    Media Relations
    media@ClimbCS.com

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Elevate IR
    Sean Mansouri, CFA
    T: 720-330-2829
    CLMB@elevate-ir.com

    About Bugcrowd

    We are Bugcrowd. Since 2012, we’ve been empowering organizations to take back control and stay ahead of threat actors by uniting the collective ingenuity and expertise of our customers and trusted alliance of elite hackers, with our patented data and AI-powered Security Knowledge Platform™. Our network of hackers brings diverse expertise to uncover hidden weaknesses, adapting swiftly to evolving threats, even against zero-day exploits. With unmatched scalability and adaptability, our data and AI-driven CrowdMatch™ technology in our Platform finds the perfect talent for your unique fight. We are creating a new era of modern crowdsourced security that outpaces threat actors.

    Unleash the ingenuity of the hacker community with Bugcrowd, visit www.bugcrowd.com. Read our blog.

    “Bugcrowd”, “CrowdMatch” and “Security Knowledge Platform” are trademarks of Bugcrowd Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

    Contact

    ICR for
    Bugcrowd
    press@bugcrowd.com
    bugcrowd@icrinc.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Climb Channel Solutions Announces North American Alliance with Bugcrowd

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    EATONTOWN, N.J., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Climb Channel Solutions, an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMB) is pleased to announce a new North American distribution agreement with Bugcrowd, a global leader in crowdsourced cybersecurity.

    Bugcrowd is a crowdsourced cybersecurity platform designed for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in digital systems. The company’s platform integrates a global network of security researchers, artificial intelligence-powered penetration testing, advanced vulnerability detection tools, and real-time reporting, enabling organizations to strengthen security defenses, mitigate risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure the resilience of systems across diverse industries and technological environments.

    This strategic collaboration enables Climb to deliver Bugcrowd’s platform-driven security offerings to a broader base of resellers and solution providers, further enhancing its cybersecurity portfolio and strengthening its position as a go-to channel partner for emerging technologies.

    At Climb Channel Solutions, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that align with the evolving needs of our partners and their customers. The addition of Bugcrowd to our vendor portfolio is a natural extension of that mission. With cyber threats growing more complex and persistent, we recognize the demand for modern, scalable, and proactive security solutions. This collaboration allows us to empower our resellers with access to Bugcrowd’s trusted platform, backed by the global expertise of its crowdsourced security researchers and ethical hackers. It’s another example of how Climb drives value for our partners by identifying and onboarding next-generation technologies built for today’s challenges.

    “We are thrilled to partner with Climb Channel Solutions, a distributor renowned for its speed-to-market and commitment to partner success,” said Jacques Lopez, Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances, Bugcrowd. “This collaboration is pivotal for Bugcrowd, as it extends the reach of our award-winning crowdsourced security platform to Climb CS’s vast reseller network and, by extension, to more businesses seeking to improve security resilience over time. We’re confident Climb CS customers will benefit from the continuous, scalable, and highly effective vulnerability discovery capabilities only Bugcrowd can provide, helping them stay ahead of threats and protect their critical assets. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with such a dedicated, dynamic team.”

    Through this collaboration, Climb Channel Solutions will now offer Bugcrowd’s industry-leading crowdsourced security platform to its vast ecosystem of over 7,000 resellers. This expansion empowers Climb’s partners to offer their customers the Bugcrowd solutions they require, such as vulnerability detection, penetration testing, comprehensive attack surface management, and Red Team as a Service (RTaaS)— the industry’s premier crowdsourced red team offering. The collaboration directly addresses the urgent and ongoing demand from businesses to proactively find and fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Ultimately, this strategic alliance underscores Climb’s dedication to providing essential, forward-thinking IT technologies and significantly strengthens Bugcrowd’s presence within the channel. 

    “Bugcrowd brings a truly differentiated approach to the cybersecurity landscape, and we’re proud to welcome them into the Climb portfolio,” said Dale Foster, CEO of Climb Channel Solutions. “As threats evolve, so must the solutions we deliver—and Bugcrowd’s ability to crowdsource elite security expertise at scale is exactly the kind of innovation our partners are looking for. This partnership reflects our commitment to surfacing high-impact, emerging vendors that solve real-world challenges. Together, we’re enabling our partners to offer greater protection, with agility and confidence.”

    Those interested in distribution services and solutions should contact Climb by phone at +1.800.847.7078 (US), or +1.888.523.7777 (Canada), or by email at Sales@ClimbCS.com.

    About Climb Channel Solutions and Climb Global Solutions

    Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty technology distributor focusing on Security, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage & HCI, Virtualization & Cloud, and Software & Application Lifecycle. What sets Climb apart is our commitment to transform distribution by providing emerging and established IT technologies, flexible financing, real-time quoting, best of breed channel operations, speed to market, and exceptional service to our partners worldwide. Climb Channel Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions (NASDAQ: CLMB). Experience the Climb difference and learn how our people-first approach empowers VARs and MSPs to grow, scale, and accelerate their business. Visit www.ClimbCS.com, call 1-800-847-7078, and connect with us on LinkedIn!

    For Media & PR inquiries contact:
    Climb Channel Solutions
    Media Relations
    media@ClimbCS.com

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Elevate IR
    Sean Mansouri, CFA
    T: 720-330-2829
    CLMB@elevate-ir.com

    About Bugcrowd

    We are Bugcrowd. Since 2012, we’ve been empowering organizations to take back control and stay ahead of threat actors by uniting the collective ingenuity and expertise of our customers and trusted alliance of elite hackers, with our patented data and AI-powered Security Knowledge Platform™. Our network of hackers brings diverse expertise to uncover hidden weaknesses, adapting swiftly to evolving threats, even against zero-day exploits. With unmatched scalability and adaptability, our data and AI-driven CrowdMatch™ technology in our Platform finds the perfect talent for your unique fight. We are creating a new era of modern crowdsourced security that outpaces threat actors.

    Unleash the ingenuity of the hacker community with Bugcrowd, visit www.bugcrowd.com. Read our blog.

    “Bugcrowd”, “CrowdMatch” and “Security Knowledge Platform” are trademarks of Bugcrowd Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

    Contact

    ICR for
    Bugcrowd
    press@bugcrowd.com
    bugcrowd@icrinc.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Paw-some film is calming young hospital patients

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Behind the scenes during filming of Merlin’s Big Adventure at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford

    Filmmakers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) have created a heartwarming video to make visits to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford less daunting for young people.

    Starring a talented golden retriever named Merlin, plus a few of his canine friends, the short film aims to ease the anxiety of children ahead of their trip to hospital.

    Produced by Senior Lecturer Hans Petch and recent BA (Hons) Film and Television Production graduate James Hartley, the film features Merlin explaining each stage of their visit, from the hospital waiting room through to undergoing anaesthesia.

    The idea for the film came after Broomfield doctors saw first-hand the impact that Essex Therapy Dogs, including Merlin, were having when they visited patients at the hospital.

    “After witnessing the calming, positive effect of Essex Therapy Dogs in our anaesthetic department, we began to wonder if we could do even more to help ease the theatre journey for our younger patients.

    “With the brilliant support of Hans Petch and James Hartley from Anglia Ruskin University, we worked together to write a script and produce this video that shares essential information about what to expect in hospital, in a warm, engaging, and child-friendly way.

    “We’re now expanding the project to include additional resources, such as a social story and an easy-read storybook, offering different ways for children to connect with the material in whichever way suits them best.

    “Our hope is that this initiative will make a meaningful difference to the experience of young patients preparing for surgery at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.”

    Dr Simon Trundle, Consultant in Anaesthesia at Broomfield Hospital

    “We set out to make something truly enjoyable and entertaining for young viewers, while incorporating important, educational information. The link to our film is being sent to parents and carers ahead of hospital visits, and knowing that it’s helping to reduce the fears and anxiety of young children is incredibly rewarding.

    “I’ve worked with many actors in my career, and I can honestly say that directing Merlin was an absolute delight. Other than the need for regular breaks, he’s also one of the least demanding actors I’ve worked with!”

    Hans Petch, Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Production at ARU

    “Watching Merlin work his magic is truly inspiring. His wagging tail, unwavering patience, and kind heart create an environment where children and adults feel safe and supported before and after their procedures – both in real life and now on screen.”

    Merlin’s owner Mandy Johnson, from Essex Therapy Dogs

    Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Broomfield Hospital, plan to formally study the video’s impact by surveying children and parents, and ARU and the Trust are exploring the possibility of making additional films, this time using virtual reality technology.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Welcomes Community, Astronauts to Marshall’s 65th Anniversary Celebration July 19

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center invites the community to help celebrate the center’s 65th anniversary during a free public event noon to 5 p.m. CDT Saturday, July 19, at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama.

    Marshall, along with its partners and collaborators, will fill the amphitheater with space exhibits, music, food vendors, and hands-on activities for all ages. The summer celebration will mark 65 years of innovation and exploration, not only for Marshall, but for Huntsville and other North Alabama communities.
    “Our success has been enabled by the continuous support we receive from Huntsville and the North Alabama communities, and this is an opportunity to thank community members and share some of our exciting mission activities,” Joseph Pelfrey, director of NASA Marshall, said.
    Some NASA astronauts from Expedition 72 who recently returned from missions aboard the ISS (International Space Station) will participate in the celebratory event.  The Expedition 72 crew dedicated more than 1,000 combined hours to scientific research and technology demonstrations aboard the space station and crew members in attendance will share their experiences in space.

    “Every day, our Marshall team works to advance human spaceflight and discovery, such as working with our astronauts on the space station.” Pelfrey said. “We are honored Expedition 72 crew members will join us to help commemorate our 65-year celebration.”
    The anniversary event will also include remarks from Pelfrey, other special presentations, and fun for the whole family.
    Learn more about this free community event at:
    https://www.nasa.gov/marshall65
    Lance D. DavisMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-640-9065 lance.d.davis@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News

  • Trump’s bid to bar foreign students from Harvard threatens Kennedy School’s lifeblood

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    When 35-year-old Oscar Escobar completed his term as the youngest elected mayor in his Colombian hometown in 2023, he was accepted into a program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government tailored to aspiring global leaders like him.

    If the Trump administration gets its way, Escobar may be among the last foreign students for the foreseeable future to attend the Kennedy School, widely considered one of the world’s best schools for preparing future policymakers.

    Last month, the Department of Homeland Security sought to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students and force those who are there to transfer or lose their legal status. It accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”

    In early June, President Donald Trump doubled-down by issuing a proclamation to bar U.S. entry for foreign nationals planning to study at Harvard and directed the State Department to consider revoking visas for those already enrolled. Trump argued that Harvard has tolerated crime on campus and that its relationships with China threatened national security.

    Harvard said the orders – which affect thousands of students – were illegal and amounted to retaliation for rejecting government’s demands to control its governance and curriculum among other things. It said it was addressing concerns about antisemitism and campus threats.

    A federal judge has temporarily blocked both orders while the courts review legal challenges, but if allowed to stand, they would represent a huge blow to Harvard, and the Kennedy School in particular.

    Over the past five years, 52% of Kennedy students have come from outside the United States, the school’s media office said. With students from more than 100 countries, it is “the most global” school at Harvard.

    The large foreign contingent is a big part of why the school has been so successful as a training ground for future leaders, including Americans, said Nicholas Burns, a Kennedy School professor and a former U.S. diplomat.

    “It’s by design,” Burns said in an interview, referring to the number of international students. “It’s a decision that the Kennedy School leadership made because it replicates the world as it is.”

    Kennedy counts an impressive list of foreign leaders among its alumni, including former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

    Another is Maia Sandu, who was elected president of Moldova in 2020 after she graduated. She has since emerged as an important regional voice against Russian influence, spearheading the country’s drive to join the European Union and taking a stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “At Harvard I met interesting people from all over the world, everyone with his or her own story,” Sandu said in a 2022 address to Kennedy School graduates. “And, very quickly, I realized that my country was not the only one which had been struggling for decades. I realized that development takes time.”

    ‘SOFT POWER’

    For the school’s defenders, foreign students bring more benefits than risks. They say educating future world leaders means boosting U.S. “soft power,” a concept coined in the 1980s by Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye, later a Kennedy School dean, to refer to non-coercive ways to promote U.S. values such as democracy and human rights.

    Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, a Kennedy School graduate who must now navigate the rivalry between the United States and China in Southeast Asia, has acknowledged the influence of American culture on him.

    He says he decided to study in the U.S. in part because his favorite musicians were Americans. Last year, Wong posted a TikTok video of himself playing Taylor Swift’s “Love Song” on acoustic guitar, dedicating the performance to teachers.

    To be sure, the Kennedy School has courted its share of controversies – including criticism over who it accepts into its programs and who it invites to teach and speak to its students.

    A notable example came in 2022 when Kennedy’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy offered a fellowship to Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, and then rescinded it. Roth said at the time he believed the school caved to pressure from supporters of Israel who believed HRW had an anti-Israel bias. Kennedy denied that, but eventually reversed course amid widespread criticism that it was limiting debate.

    Smiling as he posed for graduation photos with his family in May, Escobar said it was a bittersweet moment to complete his studies at Kennedy.

    “If this university cannot receive international students anymore, of course we are missing an opportunity,” said Escobar, who has since returned to Colombia to work on the presidential campaign of leftist politician Claudia Lopez, also a former Harvard fellow.

    “If what President Donald Trump wants is to make America great again, it will be a mistake.”

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ11: Application fee and visa fee for talent admission schemes

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by Dr the Hon Lo Wai-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):

    Question:

    The Financial Secretary announced in the 2025-2026 Budget that an application fee of $600 would be charged for various talent and capital investment admission schemes. The visa fee for approved applications would also increase based on the length of limit of stay of the visa/entry permit, rising from the original flat rate of $230 to $600 (not more than 180 days) or $1,300 (181 days or more). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) of the number of persons charged a visa fee of $230 by the Immigration Department for visa applications under various talent admission schemes over the past three years, with a breakdown by length of stay of the visa/entry permit (i.e. seven days or less, eight days to one month, two months to six months, and over six months);

    (2) whether it has estimated the respective numbers of persons who will pay $600 and $1,300 visa/entry permit issuance fees each year under the new fee structure, as well as the corresponding total amount of application and visa fees received by the Government accordingly; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3) as there are views that the new visa fee (with a limit of stay of not more than 180 days) together with the application fee, has actually increased from $230 to $1,200, which will greatly impact those coming to Hong Kong for short-term work (e.g. musicians coming to Hong Kong to compose and perform music for Cantonese opera performances for one to two days), and it is not conducive to the implementation of the policy objectives on culture and tourism, such as the integrated development of culture and tourism in the Greater Bay Area, whether the authorities will consider waiving the relevant visa fees for persons coming to Hong Kong for short-term employment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:

    President,

    The various admission schemes for talents and capital investors (specified admission schemes) have been well received since their introduction or enhancement. In respect of talent admission schemes, the number of applications for first entry has grown from around 58 000 in 2022 to more than 221 000 in 2023 and around 208 000 in 2024, representing an increase of more than 250 per cent compared with 2022. Processing such applications involve substantial administrative resources. With reference to the fees charged for similar applications in overseas jurisdictions, the Government decided to, with effect from the day of the announcement of the 2025-26 Budget, introduce an application fee of $600 for each of the applications under the specified admission schemes for entry, change of conditions of stay or extension of limit of stay (including principal and dependant applications); and the visa/entry permit fees for approved applications will be increased, based on the length of the limit of stay, from the original rate of $230 to $600 (with a limit of stay of 180 days or below) or $1,300 (with a limit of stay of 181 days or more) to peg to their costs and reflect the “user pays” principle.

    Our reply, in consultation with the Immigration Department (ImmD), to the Member’s questions is as follows:

    (1) and (3) At present, among the seven talent admission schemes, the validity period of the first approved visas/entry permits under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents, and the Technology Talent Admission Scheme is generally 24 months or above. For the employment-tied General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP), the validity period of the applicants’ approved visas/entry permits is generally determined by the validity period of their employment contracts, ranging from one day to 36 months.

    In 2022-23, about 160 000 applications of different types under the various talent admission schemes were approved by the ImmD; and about 300 000 applications were approved in both 2023-24 and 2024-‍25. The ImmD does not maintain the other statistical breakdowns referred to in the question. However, based on the experience from day-to-day processing, more than half of the approved applications under the GEP and the ASMTP are related to short-term/one-off project-based employment, e.g. for conference and performance, with a limit of stay of 180 days or below. Taking into account the relevant circumstances, the Government introduced two tiers of visa/entry permit issuance fee, which is set at $600 for visa granted with a limit of stay of not more than 180 days, and $1,300 for those with a limit of stay of 181 days or more. We consider that the fee levels are modest, and have balanced various considerations including the “user pays” principle and the impact on the applicants concerned. They are affordable to talent and capital investors targeted by the admission schemes. The numbers of applications and visas/entry permits issued under the specified admission schemes in the past few months are comparable to those in the same period last year, indicating that the new fee structure has not affected Hong Kong’s attractiveness to outside talent.

    (2) In considering the new fee structure, the Government, based on the relevant statistics from early 2023 to end August 2024, estimated that the annual caseload for the three financial years from 2025-26 to 2028-29 would be about 400 000 applications of different types under the specified admission schemes; approximately 340 000 visas/entry permits would be issued for a limit of stay of 181 days or more, while around 26 000 will be issued for a limit of stay of not more than 180 days. On this basis, the estimated annual revenue in the next three financial years arising from the new fee structure is around $700 million, comprising about $250 million of application fees and about $450 million of visa/entry permit issuance fees.

    Ends/Wednesday, June 18, 2025
    Issued at HKT 11:20

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ9: Holding of large-scale concerts

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ9: Holding of large-scale concerts 
    Question:
     
    It is learnt that a number of large-scale concerts have been held recently at the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP), the AsiaWorld-Expo, the Hong Kong Coliseum and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium respectively, attracting tens of thousands of local and overseas “fans”, and large-scale music events will also be held at the KTSP’s Main Stadium one after another. Some commercial tenants in Kai Tak have pointed out that their sales volume surged by three times on the days of the aforesaid concerts, while the business of some catering establishments in Kowloon City District also increased by more than 30 per cent. On the other hand, there were cases in which a large number of Mainland fans had to wait for a long time before they could cross the border via the Huanggang Port after the aforesaid concerts. In this connection, will the authorities concerned inform this Council:
     
    (1) in view of the successive holding of large-scale music events and concerts as mega events, whether the Government has established a regular inter-departmental collaboration mechanism to assess and make preparations before the holding of each of the large-scale activities concerned, as well as to make a summary afterwards and announce the situation in a timely manner; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) given that large-scale concerts were held at the AsiaWorld-Expo and various sports venues before and after the opening of the KTSP, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the attendances of such concerts and, among them, the respective ratios of local, overseas and Mainland audiences; and
     
    (3) whether the Government has assessed the economic benefits in promoting the growth of the hotel, catering, retail and transportation industries, etc, as well as creating job opportunities and so on during the aforesaid large-scale concerts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
    Pop concerts brings substantial economic benefits and employment opportunities, creates a positive atmosphere in society and stimulates local consumption. The Government welcomes commercial organisations to hold concerts of singers and groups of Hong Kong and other places in the city. With its official commissioning in March, the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) provides Hong Kong with the largest and state-of-the-art venues, and quickly becomes a new hub for hosting major international sports and entertainment events. 
     
    In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Security Bureau, my reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Kennedy Wong is as follows:
     
    (1) To offer a pleasant experience to residents and tourists participating in large-scale pop concerts, relevant departments and organisations, for example the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Transport Department (TD), event organisers, venue management, public transport operators, maintains close liaison to discuss the detailed arrangements for every large-scale pop concert. Those arrangements include conducting risk assessments, deploying manpower, formulating and implementing comprehensive plans for crowd control, information dissemination, traffic diversion and control point arrangements, with a view to ensuring that the events will take place in a safe and orderly manner with well-prepared contingency plans for any unforeseen circumstances.
     
    For the KTSP, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau monitors and guides the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (the operator) in the communication and collaboration with various government departments, event organisers, and public transport providers to implement different preparatory work. Based on factors such as the number of attendees, the nature, ending times, and ticketing situations of the concerts, we make corresponding arrangements as needed, such as arranging special bus routes, increasing frequency of the Mass Transit Railway services, and notifying border control points. The operator also issues press releases and publicises the latest event arrangements and venue rules on social media prior to large-scale pop concerts. After the concerts conclude, relevant departments and the operator consolidate their experience with a view to further optimising the operation of events and concerts in the future.
     
    To facilitate the flow of passengers travelling through various boundary control points (BCPs) after large-scale events, relevant departments closely monitor the real-time situation of BCPs, make flexible deployment of manpower and operate additional counters and channels as necessary with a view to facilitating passenger and vehicular movements. Relevant departments also maintain close liaison with their Mainland counterparts to ensure smooth operations at BCPs.
     
    Taking the traffic arrangements after the three concerts held at the KTSP, the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) and the Hong Kong Coliseum (HKC) on the evening of May 24 this year as an example, as it was expected that a considerable number of passengers would return to the Mainland via the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Control Point after the concerts, the TD co-ordinated with the operators of cross-boundary coaches and Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) in advance to increase the frequency of services to divert passengers. For the traffic arrangements at the KTSP, the number of cross-boundary coaches in service that night was double that of normal days, and about 3 300 passengers who had purchased tickets in advance were diverted within one hour after the concert ended; and after increasing the frequency of the Yellow Bus, it basically completed the transportation of all passengers from San Tin Terminus to Lok Ma Chau Control Point within one hour (from 00.00 to around 01.00).
     
    (2) and (3) According to our estimates, more than 285 performance sessions of pop concerts with over 10 000 spectators would be held throughout 2024 and first half of 2025. As a ballpark, these concerts would attract over 3.9 million spectators, including over 1.4 million tourists, whose spending is estimated to be about HK$3.4 billion, bringing a value add of about HK$1.9 billion to the Hong Kong economy.
     
    In 2024 and 2025 (as at May 31), the attendances of all pop concerts at the Kai Tak Stadium and the Kai Tak Arena, the AWE, the HKC and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium (QES) are set out below:
     

    Venue(as at May 31)Since the official commissioning of the KTSP, various renowned international and Asian bands and singers have staged a total of 15 large-scale concerts at the Kai Tak Stadium and the Kai Tak Arena, with more than half of the spectators coming from the Mainland and overseas. For pop concerts at the AWE, spectators from the Mainland and overseas take up over 30 per cent of the attendances.
    Issued at HKT 11:32

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Your Privacy, Secured: How Galaxy AI Protects Privacy with Samsung Knox Vault

    Source: Samsung

     
    Galaxy AI is built to understand what you need before you even ask, whether that’s suggesting a change in your routine or pulling up just the right information at the right time.
     
    This level of personalization can be incredibly helpful, but the more your phone knows, the more there is to protect. So, what’s keeping all that personal data secure?
     
    Samsung believes there is no privacy without strong security. That’s why every Galaxy device is protected from the chip up by a multi-layered approach, which includes on-device personalization, user-controlled cloud processing, and ecosystem-wide protection through Samsung Knox Matrix.
     
    At the core of this system is Samsung Knox Vault, the company’s hardware-based solution for safeguarding your most sensitive information.
     
    Secured at the Hardware Level
    Most mobile devices rely solely on software to protect sensitive data. Galaxy devices go further.
     
    Knox Vault is a hardware-level security solution that creates a physical barrier between your most private information and everything else. It works like a locked room inside your phone, with its own processor and memory to encrypt sensitive data, with Knox Vault securing the keys. It pairs a secure processor with dedicated memory, isolating your passwords, PINs, biometrics, as well as financial information and cryptographic keys. These are the kinds of details you don’t want anyone else to access, and Knox Vault is built to make sure they stay private. You don’t need to activate or manage it, as it’s always on, working silently in the background, keeping your data safe while you get on with your day.
     
    This is particularly crucial in the age of AI as user concerns are expanding from traditional cybersecurity threats, like viruses and malware, to worries over leaking personal data, such as conversations with your AI assistant. And as AI becomes part of more everyday tasks, the types of data that need protection are also expanding.
     
    For example, metadata from your most personal photos not only details the resolution and file format but also shows the exact location where the image was taken. This personal metadata is more than just files — it’s information that is deeply connected to your daily life. And in the era of AI, these types of data used to provide personalized suggestions needs to be kept private.
     
    Knox Vault helps mitigate these growing concerns by safely storing personal information in a secure, hardware-isolated environment designed to block both physical tampering and remote attacks, ensuring your data can’t be accessed without approval.
     
    Personalized AI, Protected at the Core
    Knox Vault not only provides protection for today’s threats, it also ensures your privacy as mobile experiences continue to evolve.
     
    As Galaxy AI becomes more useful, it also becomes more personal, learning how you use your device and adapting to your needs. And because these highly tailored AI experiences rely on deeply personal data, Knox Vault plays a crucial role in keeping that information private and secured.
     
    Galaxy AI ensures privacy by processing tasks directly on-device where possible, keeping data in your hands and off online servers. For example, Audio Eraser, removes background noise from videos or voice recordings without the need for any cloud-based processing — so your personal information stays private. Call Transcript operates in the same way, keeping your calls organized while ensuring personal conversations stay private by remaining on-device.
     
    Knox Vault ensures your data is protected, confidential, and secure. Building on its role in Galaxy AI as the trusted foundation for security and privacy, Knox Vault will expand across Samsung’s growing AI ecosystem as AI becomes more deeply integrated into the user experience.
     
    Knox Vault is more than a security feature, it’s Galaxy’s promise that no matter how advanced your devices become, or how much AI evolves, your privacy is secured.
     
     
     
    [1] Results may vary per video depending on sounds present in the video. Samsung Account login required. Certain types of sound can be detected such as voices, music, wind, nature, crowd and noise. The actual sound detection may vary depending on audio source, and the condition of the video. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed.
    [1] Call Transcript feature requires Samsung Account login. Call recording may not be supported in some countries. Currently available on pre-installed Samsung phones and Voice Record app. Service availability may vary by language or region. Certain languages may require language pack download. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed.

    MIL OSI Global Banks

  • MIL-OSI: IG Drones (India) and VoxelSensors (Belgium) Forge Global Partnership to Advance Civilian Drone Capabilities for Industrial and Emergency Use

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BRUSSELS, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IG Drones, a leading Indian drone technology company, has announced a strategic collaboration with Belgian deep tech pioneer VoxelSensors to integrate next-generation 3D perception systems into its UAV platforms. This partnership is set to transform how drones navigate and operate in GPS-denied and visually complex environments, such as dense forests, urban infrastructure zones, tunnels, and industrial interiors.

    At the heart of this partnership lies the integration of VoxelSensors’ SPAES™ (Single Photon Active Event Sensor) technology — renowned for its ultra-low latency and high-precision spatial sensing — with IG Drones fleet of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles. The result is a new generation of drones with advanced environmental awareness, enhanced obstacle avoidance, and higher-fidelity mapping capabilities for infrastructure inspection, emergency response, environmental monitoring, and smart city applications.

    Mr Paneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, welcomed the announcement, stating, “This partnership between IG Drones and VoxelSensors marks a significant step forward in the evolution of autonomous aerial technology. By combining India’s deep-rooted commitment to scalable drone solutions with VoxelSensors’ cutting-edge 3D spatial intelligence, we are witnessing the kind of global cooperation that advances innovation in a responsible, civilian-first manner. MeitY supports such collaborations that not only strengthen India’s digital and industrial capabilities but also foster meaningful international partnerships aligned with sustainable and high-impact technological progress.”

    “This collaboration truly marks a new chapter for us,” said Mr Sambit Parida, Chief Technology Officer at IG Drones. “By embedding VoxelSensors’ breakthrough 3D sensing technologies into our systems, we’re enabling smarter, safer, and more autonomous drone operations. These capabilities are vital for civilian missions where situational complexity and safety demand real-time perception and adaptive decision-making. We remain committed to our vision of delivering cutting-edge, indigenous drone technologies aligned with India’s broader digital and infrastructure goals.”

    The partnership comes at a time when IG Drones is expanding rapidly, with over 200 drones deployed in FY25, a 330% jump in revenue, and the rollout of 50 Drone Centres of Excellence in collaboration with AICTE across India. As the demand for intelligent drone systems increases across sectors — from disaster management to industrial inspection — IG Drones is positioning itself to meet the challenge through global technology collaborations that fuse precision with performance.

    Mr Andre Miodezky, President of VoxelSensors, also commented on the partnership: “We’re excited to join forces with IG Drones to bring our sensing innovation into practical, high-impact use cases. Our SPAES technology provides real-time depth perception and motion awareness that empowers UAVs to function reliably, even in visually complex and dynamic environments. This partnership bridges European innovation with India’s drone ecosystem, and together we’re helping shape the future of aerial intelligence.”

    Both companies share a commitment to sustainability, safety, and scalability in autonomous systems. By combining VoxelSensors advanced 3D sensor suite with IG Drones’ versatile drone platforms, the collaboration aims to redefine operational efficiency in industries such as energy, infrastructure, urban planning, environmental conservation, and public safety.

    This strategic alliance underscores IG Drones ongoing journey to become a global leader in unmanned aerial solutions — while reaffirming that innovation, when grounded in collaboration, can push the boundaries of what’s possible across borders and industries.

    About IG Drones:
    IG Drones is a deep-tech company building intelligent aerial systems powered by AI, autonomy, and real-time data. Our mission is to deliver scalable drone technologies that bridge physical environments with digital intelligence — enabling faster decisions, greater efficiency, and smarter insights across critical sectors. Through innovation in machine learning, sensor fusion, and edge computing, we make next-gen aerial intelligence more accessible, adaptive, and human-centric.

    For Press Information contact:
    Email: contact@igdrones.com; sambit@igdrones.com
    Website: https://www.igdrones.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igdrones

    About VoxelSensors:
    VoxelSensors is a Belgian deep-tech startup committed to developing advanced sensing technologies that enhance human-centered contextual interaction. With a focus on efficiency and scalability, we aim to empower AI with the necessary contextual data for smarter and more personal insights.

    For Press Information contact:
    Karina Kovalenko – Marketing and Communications Manager
    Email: press@voxelsensors.com
    Website: https://voxelsensors.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/voxelsensors

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dd4a0ea-2dfc-4b17-8ec5-aef4051d36f0

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Russia: More than 2.4 thousand young artists and vocalists took part in the festival “Mosgaz Lights the Stars”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    More than 2.4 thousand children from 78 regions of Russia and the Republic of Belarus took part in the XIII All-Russian Festival of Young Talents “The Magic Power of the Blue Stream – Mosgaz Lights the Stars”. Such data was presented by the organizing committee of the event after summing up the results of this year’s application campaign.

    Traditionally, the festival is held in two directions – the art competition “The Magic Power of the Blue Stream” and the vocal competition “Mosgaz Lights the Stars”.

    This year, the young artists’ competition received over 1,400 applications from 71 regions of the country. The expert jury has already begun reviewing the works. In addition, voting for the audience award is underway on the festival’s official website until June 27. Anyone can cast their vote for one work they like in each of the three competition nominations.

    Over a thousand video recordings of competition numbers were submitted to the correspondence stage of the vocal competition. They were sent by young artists from 64 regions of Russia. The theme of the competition this year is “My Fatherland: I love it and am ready to defend it!” It was chosen in honor of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. In addition, 2025 has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia.

    After the qualifying round, the children will face a second creative test: they must present their vocal number to the jury in person in Moscow or by connecting via video link. The winners will be selected in three nominations according to the age group of the participants among soloists and ensembles.

    The jury will be headed by Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Petr Skusnichenko. The performances of the young vocalists will also be assessed by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Zhanna Rozhdestvenskaya, Head of the Department of Choral and Solo Folk Singing of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Marina Medvedeva, TV presenter, vocal teacher Irina Breusova and opera singer, laureate of international competitions Alexandra Grishkina.

    “The goal of the festival is patriotic education of the young generation of Russians, creation of conditions for creative realization and support of young talents. Every year, thanks to our competitions, children get acquainted with the history of their country and develop their creative potential. Over the 13 years of its existence, the festival has given a start in life to more than 23.5 thousand children from all over Russia, who later entered specialized universities and became professional artists and vocalists,” said Gasan Gasangadzhiev, General Director of Mosgaz JSC.

    The All-Russian festival “The Magic Power of the Blue Stream – Mosgaz Lights the Stars” is a long-term charity project of JSC Mosgaz. The best works of young artists are regularly exhibited at various city exhibitions, and the vocalists – winners of the competition perform at concerts dedicated to state holidays and at events in the fuel and energy sector.

    Get the latest news quickly official telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155394073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI: GTreasury Launches GSmart AI, Setting the Standard for Secure, Adaptable, and Agentic AI in Treasury Operations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GTreasury, the global leader in Adaptable Treasury Solutions for the Office of the CFO, today announced the launch of GSmart AI, a comprehensive and purpose-built AI platform uniquely designed for treasury and finance operations. Leveraging best-in-class AI enterprise infrastructure, governance, and agent-driven workflows, GSmart AI empowers CFOs and treasurers to confidently navigate the increasingly complex treasury landscape by providing secure, actionable insights and agentic actions to amplify the value of GTreasury’s solutions, spanning connectivity, liquidity management, cash forecasting, payments, risk, netting, and other core treasury functions.

    CFOs and treasury teams face an evolving mix of complex data, unpredictable market conditions, and increasing regulatory pressure. Reliable AI support is a strategic necessity, and GTreasury’s GSmart AI addresses these demands with powerful capabilities, built-in compliance, and full transparency into every action it takes.

    “For AI to create real value for CFOs, it has to be based on clear design principles of security, removing inefficiencies, fast problem solving, and quick delivery,” said Renaat Ver Eecke, Chief Executive Officer, GTreasury. “GSmart AI, born from our recent investment in our Development Hub in Dublin, Ireland, amplifies our solutions, empowering CFOs and treasury teams to confidently take advantage of powerful insights and value without sacrificing compliance or oversight. We’re proud of our recent investment and expansion in development, which advances our vision of adaptable solutions that provide financial leaders with the clarity to act.”

    The value of GSmart AI lies in its adaptable and scalable capabilities, where AI actively reduces manual effort by performing routine-but-time-consuming treasury tasks, proactively identifying risks and variances, and recommending strategic actions to support more informed decision-making. Its flexible architecture empowers treasury teams to deploy and schedule AI agents tailored to specific operational needs, ensuring maximum adaptability and relevance.

    “With GSmart AI, we’ve built an enterprise-class AI platform that not only analyzes data but actively infers, reasons, and acts on behalf of treasury professionals, amplifying the value of our solutions,” said Mark Johnson, Chief Product Officer, GTreasury. “GSmart AI provides CFOs and treasurers full visibility and control, with clear traceability of every AI-generated output back to its source data. The depth of governance and explainability embedded into GSmart AI distinctly set our platform apart from generalized AI solutions or any other treasury technology.”

    GSmart AI’s differentiated value includes full alignment with ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards, readiness for the upcoming EU AI Act, and stringent data sovereignty practices. The platform strictly isolates client data, ensures no client data is used in AI model training, and maintains complete transparency through comprehensive audit logs and observability tools.

    Among the key features and benefits of GSmart AI:

    • Enterprise-class infrastructure: A scalable, API-driven agentic platform designed specifically for the complex needs of treasury and finance.
    • Security and compliance: Comprehensive encryption, zero-trust architecture, data residency controls, and rigorous global regulatory compliance including GDPR and CCPA.
    • Complete transparency and auditability: Full visibility into AI operations with explainable outputs linked directly to source documentation, backed by automated security monitoring and audit logging.
    • Client control and data sovereignty: Full user control over AI features through feature flags, explicit opt-in workflows, and strict client-specific data isolation.

    GSmart AI integrates seamlessly within GTreasury’s adaptable treasury management platform, providing flexible and intuitive interaction with existing solutions and workflows.

    To learn more about GSmart AI and request a demo, visit https://www.gtreasury.com/solutions/ai/treasury-ai-platform.

    About GTreasury

    GTreasury provides CFOs and Treasurers with The Clarity to Act on strategic financial decisions with the world’s most adaptable treasury platform, empowering them to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. Because each company faces different points of complexity and needs, our industry-leading solutions are purposefully designed, and amplified by GSmart AI, to support every stage of treasury complexity, from Liquidity Management and Cash Forecasting to Payments, Risk, and Netting. With GTreasury, financial leaders gain comprehensive connectivity across all banks and ERPs to build an orchestrated data environment, enabling rapid value realization with implementations up and running in weeks. Plus, our unmatched industry expertise ensures clients’ continued success through dedicated guidance and top-tier support. Trusted by over 1,000 customers across 160 countries, GTreasury provides treasury and finance teams with the ability to connect, compile, and manage mission-critical data to optimize cash flows and capital structures. To learn more, visit GTreasury.com.

    GTreasury is headquartered in Chicago, with locations serving EMEA (Dublin and London) and APAC (Sydney, Singapore, and Manila).

    Contact
    Kyle Peterson
    kyle@clementpeterson.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5d13173-97cc-4049-bb43-ab390988e8d0

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI China: Full text of Xi’s keynote speech at second China-Central Asia Summit 2025-06-18 15:11:20 Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech Tuesday at the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The following is the full text of the speech:

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

    ASTANA, June 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech Tuesday at the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

    The following is the full text of the speech:

    Championing the China-Central Asia Spirit For High-Quality Cooperation in the Region

    Keynote Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping

    President of the People’s Republic of China

    At the Second China-Central Asia Summit

    Astana, June 17, 2025

    Your Excellency President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev,

    Distinguished Colleagues,

    Friends,

    I am delighted to join you at the second China-Central Asia Summit in the beautiful city of Astana. I’d like to thank President Tokayev and the government of Kazakhstan for the gracious hospitality and thoughtful arrangement.

    During our meeting in Xi’an two years ago, we jointly outlined the Xi’an Vision for China-Central Asia cooperation. The six pomegranate trees we planted together are in full bloom today, auguring the vitality of the cooperation among the six nations.

    Two years on, China and Central Asian countries have further deepened and substantiated Belt and Road cooperation. Our trade has grown by 35 percent, and we have made important progress in industrial investment, green mining, technological innovation, and other fields of cooperation. The package of projects with Chinese financial support are well underway. While more and more Chinese new energy vehicles and photovoltaic products are entering Central Asian markets, Central Asian agricultural products, including honey, fruits, wheat and poultry, are diversifying the dinner tables of Chinese families.

    Two years on, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project has been officially launched. We are making steady progress in planning for the third railway link between China and Kazakhstan, in phase-II restoration of the China-Tajikistan highway, and in China-Turkmenistan energy cooperation. Freight train services are connecting more and more Chinese cities to Central Asia. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has been upgraded and expanded. Green industries, digital economy, artificial intelligence, aviation and space are becoming new drivers of our cooperation. Cross-border e-commerce, online education, and other new business models are benefiting more and more people in China and Central Asia.

    Two years on, China and Central Asian countries have made progress in establishing cultural centers in each other as well as in opening branches of Chinese universities and Luban Workshops. China has made mutual visa-free arrangements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, facilitating more than 1.2 million travels between China and Kazakhstan alone in 2024. Tourism and culture years and art festivals of Central Asian countries are very popular in China. Chinese films and TV dramas, such as Min-Ning Town and To the Wonder, have become great hits in Central Asia. The China-Central Asia train services for cultural tourism have been successfully inaugurated. And today, we will witness the number of sister cities between China and Central Asia reach the milestone of 100 pairs.

    Two years on, we have launched 13 ministerial cooperation platforms under the China-Central Asia mechanism. The Secretariat is fully functioning, and the core framework of the mechanism is largely in place.

    I am pleased to see that our consensus at the first Summit has been implemented across the board — from the millennium-old Xi’an to Astana “the pearl of the steppe,” from the coast of the Yellow Sea to the shores of the Caspian Sea, from the Tianshan Mountain Range to the Pamir Plateau. The path of our cooperation is steadily widening, and our friendship is blooming ever more brightly.

    Distinguished Colleagues,

    Friends,

    Our cooperation is rooted in more than 2,000 years of friendly exchanges, cemented by solidarity and mutual trust cultivated through more than three decades of diplomatic ties, and taken forward via openness and win-win cooperation of the new era. Building on our collective efforts over the years, we have forged a China-Central Asia Spirit of “mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development.”

    — We practice mutual respect and treat each other as equals. All countries, big or small, are equal. We handle issues through consultation and make decisions by consensus.

    — We seek to deepen mutual trust and enhance mutual support. We firmly support each other in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity. We do not do anything harmful to the core interests of any party.

    — We pursue mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and strive for common development. We view each other as priority partners, and share development opportunities together. We accommodate each other’s interests, and work to build a win-win and symbiotic relationship.

    — We help each other in time of need and stand together through thick and thin. We support each other in choosing development paths suitable to our respective national conditions and in taking domestic matters into our own hands. We work together to address various risks and challenges, and uphold regional security and stability.

    This China-Central Asia Spirit is an important guideline for our endeavor to carry forward friendship and cooperation from generation to generation. We should always uphold it and let it shine forever.

    Distinguished Colleagues,

    Friends,

    Today, unprecedented changes are unfolding at a faster pace across the globe, thrusting the world into a new state of heightened turbulence and volatility. A strong belief in fairness and justice and an unyielding commitment to mutual benefit and win-win cooperation are the only way to maintain world peace and achieve common development. There is no winner in tariff wars or trade wars. Unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism will surely backfire while hurting others.

    I always maintain that history should move forward, not backward; and the world should be united, not divided. Humanity must not regress to the law of the jungle. Instead, we should build a community with a shared future for mankind.

    Three years ago, we announced together that we would build a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, setting out the goal and direction of our six nations in building consensus, overcoming challenges and pursuing development. We should act on the China-Central Asia Spirit, enhance cooperation with renewed vigor and more practical measures, promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and forge ahead toward our goal of a community with a shared future for the region.

    First, we should stay committed to our fundamental goal of unity, and always trust and support each other. China consistently takes Central Asia as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. With a firm belief in an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood as well as a strong dedication to amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, China interacts with Central Asian countries on the basis of equality and sincerity. We always wish our neighbors well.

    Today, we will sign together a treaty on eternal good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation to enshrine the principle of everlasting friendship in the form of law. This is a new landmark in the history of the relations between our six countries and a pioneering initiative in China’s diplomatic engagement with its neighbors. It is a milestone for today and a foundation for tomorrow.

    Second, we should optimize our cooperation framework to make it more results-oriented, more efficient, and more deeply integrated. We have agreed to designate 2025 and 2026 as the Years of High-Quality Development of China-Central Asia Cooperation. We should focus our cooperation on smooth trade, industrial investment, connectivity, green mining, agricultural modernization and personnel exchanges, and roll out more projects on the ground. We should do our best to get early harvests as soon as possible.

    China is ready to share with Central Asian countries development experience and latest technological advances, promote connectivity in digital infrastructure, enhance cooperation on artificial intelligence, and foster new quality productive forces.

    In order to promote relevant cooperation, China has decided to establish three cooperation centers, i.e. on poverty reduction, on education exchange, and on desertification prevention and control, as well as a cooperation platform on smooth trade under the China-Central Asia cooperation framework. China will provide a grant of RMB 1.5 billion yuan to Central Asian countries this year to be used in livelihood and development projects high on their agenda. China will also provide 3,000 training opportunities to Central Asian countries in the next two years.

    Third, we should develop a security framework for peace, tranquility and solidarity. We should step up regional security governance, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, jointly prevent and thwart extreme ideologies, and resolutely fight terrorism, separatism and extremism, so as to maintain peace and stability in our region.

    China supports Central Asian countries in modernizing their national defense, law enforcement and security capacities. We will do our best to help Central Asian countries combat terrorism and transnational organized crime and safeguard cybersecurity and biosecurity. We will launch more Safe City projects, and conduct more joint exercises and joint training cooperation.

    Afghanistan is our close neighbor. We should strengthen coordination to help the country boost its development capacity and achieve peace, stability, reconstruction and development at an early date.

    Fourth, we should cement the bonds of shared vision, mutual understanding and mutual affection between our peoples. China will enhance cooperation between legislatures, political parties, women, youth, media and think tanks with Central Asian countries, conduct in-depth exchange of governance experience, and share experience in green development, poverty reduction and anti-corruption.

    China is ready to set up more cultural centers, university branches and Luban Workshops in Central Asia, and launch new majors in Central Asian languages in Chinese universities. We will continue to carry out effectively the “China-Central Asia technology and skills improvement scheme” to train more high-caliber talent for Central Asian countries.

    China supports deepening subnational cooperation with Central Asia. We will make good use of sister-city relations and people-to-people exchanges to nurture heart-to-heart connections at central and subnational levels, between official and non-governmental actors, and from adjacent to broader areas.

    I hope that the travel-facilitation measures we adopt today will be implemented as soon as possible to help our people visit each other more conveniently, efficiently and frequently like relatives, and in the course help them become ever closer to each other.

    Fifth, we should uphold a fair and equitable international order and an equal and orderly world structure. China supports Central Asian countries in playing a bigger role in international affairs. We stand ready to work with all parties to defend international fairness and justice, oppose hegemonism and power politics, and promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. In the strenuous times of war, Chinese and Central Asian peoples supported each other through adversity, and jointly made important contributions to the cause of justice of humanity. We should promote the correct view of history, defend the fruits of the victory of World War II, uphold the UN-centered international system, and provide more stability and certainty for world peace and development.

    Distinguished Colleagues,

    Friends,

    China is building a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. No matter how the international situation changes, China will remain unwavering in opening up to the outside world, and embrace higher-quality cooperation with Central Asian countries to deepen the integration of interests and achieve common development.

    Distinguished Colleagues,

    Friends,

    Ancient Chinese philosophy advocates “mutual care and mutual benefit.” Similarly, a Central Asian proverb compares harmony and unity to happiness and wealth. China is ready to work with all parties to carry forward the China-Central Asia Spirit, pursue the goal of a community with a shared future, and strive for new progress in China-Central Asia cooperation.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Muscovites are invited to listen to songs from the war years as part of “Summer in Moscow”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    On June 18 and 22, two performances by students of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS, dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, will take place in the center of Chistoprudny Boulevard. The productions will be shown in a rotunda with columns as part of the project “Summer in Moscow”.

    On June 18 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the audience will enjoy the musical and dramatic program “Help Two Lovers”. The unique format of the performance will feature both old romances and songs of the Soviet era – musical masterpieces of the 20th century created by Alexandra Pakhmutova, Georgy Portnov, Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, Zinaida Levina and other outstanding composers. In addition, students will perform poetic masterpieces by Robert Rozhdestvensky, Mikhail Ancharov and Lev Oshanin.

    The play “Help Two Lovers” will allow you to immerse yourself in an atmosphere of spiritual openness and faith in goodness. Among the key ones are “Good Girls”, “Standing at the Half-Station”, “City of Lovers”, “Letter to the Front”, “Help Me” and other songs filled with warmth and bright nostalgia.

    On June 22, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, at 6:00 p.m. the program “Sing for Russia” will begin. Young artists will use music to tell stories of heroism, love, and fortitude. Songs that have become musical symbols of the Great Patriotic War will be performed, including “Cranes”, “Blue Handkerchief”, “Landing Battalion”, “Zhenka’s Romance” from the opera “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”, “Ballad of the Mother”, “Spark”, “I Love You, Russia”, and “Hymn of Love”.

    Particular emphasis will be placed on live, emotional performance. Young actors and singers, future stars of musical theatres, will give familiar songs a new sound, while remaining respectful of their spirit and meaning.

    Performances on Chistoprudny Boulevard are not only musical events, but also an important symbol of memory addressed to all generations. The program involves third-year students of the musical theater department of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts — GITIS, the workshop of People’s Artist of Russia Professor Dmitry Bertman. Director — Galina Timakova, associate professor, honored cultural worker, teacher of directing and acting in the musical theater department of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts — GITIS.

    Musical events on Chistoprudny Boulevard are held as part of a large cultural program, part of which is the project “Street. Dances”.

    The Inspiration Arts Festival will be held at VDNKh in JulySergei Sobyanin: Forum-festival “Moscow 2030” will be held from August 1 to September 14

    Project “Summer in Moscow”— the main event of the season, uniting the brightest events of the capital. Every day in all districts of the city there are charity, cultural and sports events, most of which are free. The project “Summer in Moscow” is held for the second time, and the new season will be more intense: new festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones — original and colorful.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155395073/

    MIL OSI Russia News