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Category: India

  • Pakistani official declared persona non grata, told to leave India within 24 hours

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India on Tuesday declared a Pakistani official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi as persona non grata and directed him to leave the country within 24 hours. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the official was found to be involved in activities “not in keeping with his official status.”
     
    In a brief statement, the MEA confirmed that a demarche had been issued to the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission. “The Government of India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours,” the statement read.
     
    The expulsion of the Pakistani official comes close on the heels of diplomatic and military tensions following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam last month that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. In the aftermath of the attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) announced a series of measures, including declaring Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors at the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata.
    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1400 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second week in May as part of Operation Take Back America

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 1400 defendants with Criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

    The Southern District of California filed 176 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. These included Two complaints which charged five people with participating in a human smuggling event that led to the deaths of at least three migrants, including a 14-year-old boy from India. His 10-year-old sister is still missing at sea and presumed dead; their father is in a coma and mother is also hospitalized.

    The Central District of California filed criminal charges against 34 defendants this week who allegedly were found in the U.S. following removal. Many of the defendants charged were previously convicted of felonies before they were removed from the United States.

    The District of New Mexico charged approximately 300 defendants with border-related crimes, including 91 defendants charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326). In addition, 209 individuals charged with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) were also charged with violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) because they unlawfully entered the National Defense Area in New Mexico.

    The Southern District of Texas filed a total of 300 cases, charging 302 people from May 2-8 in continuing efforts to secure the southern border. As part of the cases, 93 face allegations of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 193 people face charges of illegally entering the country, while 11 cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration-related crimes.

    The Western District of Texas filed 316 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 2 through May 8. Among the new cases, Cirilo Delgado-Alderete, Dilan Karim Valenzuela-Baca, and Antelmo Eligio Ramirez-Bernardo were arrested at an alleged stash house in Anthony, New Mexico. According to an affidavit, U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations agents observed three vehicles that had been identified as being used to smuggle illegal aliens to Albuquerque, New Mexico, parked at the residence. When agents questioned Ramirez-Bernardo, a Guatemalan national, they allegedly discovered he possessed a key to the residence on his keychain. Agents then located 25 individuals inside the residence who admitted to being citizens of Mexico, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Pakistan without documentation to be in the U.S. Two of the individuals, Delgado-Alderete and Valenzuela-Baca, were identified as alleged stash house caretakes and drivers to harbor and transport the illegal aliens. Delgado-Alderete, Valenzuela-Baca, and Ramirez-Bernardo are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.  The drivers allegedly picked up aliens in El Paso before transporting them to New Mexico.

    The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 166 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 25 cases against 31 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

    We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again.

    MIL Security OSI –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Peters Urges Fiscal Responsibility and Against Healthcare Cuts in Republican Tax Plan Committee Consideration

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

     

    [embedded content]

    Washington D.C. – Today, at an Energy & Commerce Committee meeting on the Republican tax plan, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) urged his colleagues to not go through with their extreme cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations that do not need them. The Republican plan, which will not reduce the federal debt or deficit, would kick 13.7 million people off of their health insurance according to a new analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

    During his remarks, Rep. Peters also shared the story of his constituent, Jesus Acosta, who is an in-home care provider for his mother who was disabled after being hit by a car. Without Medicaid funding, Jesus would no longer be able to provide this care and pay the bills that keep their family together in their home.

    Rep. Peters began his remarks by stating, “This Committee has no jurisdiction over taxes, but let’s be honest with the American people. Taxes are the real reason we’re here. Over in the Ways & Means Committee, they are marking up what will be one of the most expensive tax bills in history. When Republicans originally passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they designed many of the individual and some business tax provisions to expire this year. That’s because even back then, Republicans knew making the tax cuts permanent would cost the United States trillions in revenue we desperately need to pay our expenses. Making those tax cuts permanent now is no less costly.

    He continued, “The bill before us will decimate Medicaid, which provides health insurance to nearly 72 million people nationwide. In every congressional district across the country, Medicaid supports health care for children, Americans with disabilities, and working people who are already struggling to keep up. Cutting health coverage for our most vulnerable neighbors will not make America healthier, it will make us sicker.”

    And he concluded, “Don’t buy their fiscal responsibility act. Republicans are proposing these painful cuts to programs that help everyday Americans not to lower our debt but just so President Trump can follow through on his campaign promise to give his donors, who he himself said were already “rich as hell,” even more money in tax cuts. When the government borrows more, inflation goes up and working people suffer at the grocery store, gas pump, and when they pay for utilities. Higher federal borrowing drives up interest rates and makes it harder for people to buy a home, start a business, or pay down credit cards.  All this now in addition to depriving so many Americans of basic health care.”

    CA-50 Medicaid Facts:

    • 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents.
      • 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid.
      • 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid.
      • 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities.
    • At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example:
      • Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
      • Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
      • University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid.
    • There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients.
    • Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage.
    • Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins.
    • Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including:
      • Family Health Centers of San Diego
      • Neighborhood Healthcare
      • North County Health Project
      • San Diego American Indian Health Centers
      • St. Vincent De Paul Village

     Jesus’s Story:

    Jesus Acosta is a home care provider and member of United Domestic Workers, UDW/AFSCME, in San Diego. Jesus became a care provider after his mother was tragically hit by a car, leaving her disabled. She was a single mother who worked hard to provide for Jesus and his siblings. After her accident, Jesus felt it was his responsibility to care for the woman who always cared for him — and he’s proud to do it.

    Jesus became his mother’s full time care provider in 2016. The responsibilities that come with her care — medication management, feeding her, bathing her, taking her to doctor’s appointments, helping her with her physical therapy and to live a fulfilling life with her family — has made it difficult for Jesus to maintain full-time employment. But he is able to take care of himself and pay the bills for his family thanks to Medicaid. The program also pays for his mother’s wheelchair and doctors’ visits. Without Medicaid funding, Jesus and his family would likely have to move out of their home and they would be separated

    Rep. Peters’ Full Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:

    Jesus is one of my constituents from San Diego. His mother was tragically hit by a car, leaving her disabled.

    Jesus became his mother’s full time care provider in 2016. He manages her medications, feeds her, bathes her, takes her to doctor appointments, and helps with her physical therapy.

    If these Medicaid cuts take effect, this work – this very had work — will not meet the so-called work requirements Republicans want to impose. Jesus and his family would likely have to move out of their home and live separated, and they will lose their health care.

    Mr. Chairman, this Committee has no jurisdiction over taxes, but let’s be honest with the American people. Taxes are the real reason we’re here.

    Over in the Ways & Means Committee, they are marking up what will be one of the most expensive tax bills in history.

    When Republicans originally passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they designed many of the individual and some business tax provisions to expire this year.

    That’s because even back then, Republicans knew making the tax cuts permanent would cost the United States trillions in revenue we desperately need to pay our expenses. Making those tax cuts permanent now is no less costly.

    Yet, that’s what we are being asked to do today.  The Budget Committee instructed the Ways and Means Committee to cut taxes by $4.5 trillion and has asked our committee to come up with $880 billion in cuts to make up the shortfall.  That’s it. That’s what this is about.

    To do that, the bill before us will decimate Medicaid, which provides health insurance to nearly 72 million people nationwide.

    In every congressional district across the country, Medicaid supports health care for children, Americans with disabilities, and working people who are already struggling to keep up.

    Cutting health coverage for our most vulnerable neighbors will not make America healthier, it will make us sicker.

    At home I hear from people concerned about national debt and deficits and they say to me, “hey Scott we have to make cuts to address the deficit.”  But that is not what is happening here.  Because Republicans will continue to run $2 trillion annual budget deficits and we will see the national debt grow from 36 to 38 to 40 to 42 trillion.  And they will vote for a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit to make this borrowing possible, even though many of them swore a blood oath that they’d never vote to increase the debt.  They will enact a budget that according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget will increase the federal debt by $37 trillion over 30 years. 

    Don’t buy their fiscal responsibility act. Republicans are proposing these painful cuts to programs that help everyday Americans not to lower our debt but just so President Trump can follow through on his campaign promise to give his donors, who he himself said were already “rich as hell,” even more money in tax cuts.

    When the government borrows more, inflation goes up and working people suffer at the grocery store, gas pump, and when they pay for utilities. Higher federal borrowing drives up interest rates and makes it harder for people to buy a home, start a business, or pay down credit cards.  All this now in addition to depriving so many Americans of basic health care.

    I urge my colleagues to vote no.

    Thank you, I yield back.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1400 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second week in May as part of Operation Take Back America

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 1400 defendants with Criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

    The Southern District of California filed 176 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. These included Two complaints which charged five people with participating in a human smuggling event that led to the deaths of at least three migrants, including a 14-year-old boy from India. His 10-year-old sister is still missing at sea and presumed dead; their father is in a coma and mother is also hospitalized.

    The Central District of California filed criminal charges against 34 defendants this week who allegedly were found in the U.S. following removal. Many of the defendants charged were previously convicted of felonies before they were removed from the United States.

    The District of New Mexico charged approximately 300 defendants with border-related crimes, including 91 defendants charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326). In addition, 209 individuals charged with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) were also charged with violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) because they unlawfully entered the National Defense Area in New Mexico.

    The Southern District of Texas filed a total of 300 cases, charging 302 people from May 2-8 in continuing efforts to secure the southern border. As part of the cases, 93 face allegations of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 193 people face charges of illegally entering the country, while 11 cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration-related crimes.

    The Western District of Texas filed 316 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 2 through May 8. Among the new cases, Cirilo Delgado-Alderete, Dilan Karim Valenzuela-Baca, and Antelmo Eligio Ramirez-Bernardo were arrested at an alleged stash house in Anthony, New Mexico. According to an affidavit, U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations agents observed three vehicles that had been identified as being used to smuggle illegal aliens to Albuquerque, New Mexico, parked at the residence. When agents questioned Ramirez-Bernardo, a Guatemalan national, they allegedly discovered he possessed a key to the residence on his keychain. Agents then located 25 individuals inside the residence who admitted to being citizens of Mexico, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Pakistan without documentation to be in the U.S. Two of the individuals, Delgado-Alderete and Valenzuela-Baca, were identified as alleged stash house caretakes and drivers to harbor and transport the illegal aliens. Delgado-Alderete, Valenzuela-Baca, and Ramirez-Bernardo are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.  The drivers allegedly picked up aliens in El Paso before transporting them to New Mexico.

    The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 166 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 25 cases against 31 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

    We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again.

    MIL Security OSI –

    May 14, 2025

  • Justice B.R. Gavai to take oath as 52nd Chief Justice of India tomorrow

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Justice B.R. Gavai will be sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Wednesday, becoming the first Buddhist to head the country’s judiciary.
     
    President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office to Justice Gavai, who succeeds outgoing CJI Sanjiv Khanna.
     
    The appointment was made by President Murmu under Article 124(2) of the Constitution, and the Ministry of Law and Justice subsequently issued a notification confirming the decision. Justice Gavai, currently the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court, was elevated to the apex court on May 24, 2019.
     
    Over the past six years, Justice Gavai has been part of around 700 Benches and has adjudicated matters across a wide range of legal domains, including constitutional and administrative law, civil and criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration, electricity, education, and environmental law. He has authored nearly 300 judgments, including those delivered by Constitution Benches, upholding the rule of law and protecting fundamental, human, and legal rights.
     
    Justice Gavai was appointed as a permanent judge of the Bombay High Court on November 12, 2005. During his tenure, he presided over a variety of assignments at the Principal Bench in Mumbai and at the benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji.
     
     
    —IANS
    May 14, 2025

  • India launches first 3nm chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday inaugurated India’s first 3-nanometre (3nm) chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru, marking a key milestone in the country’s push towards advanced semiconductor innovation. The centres have been set up by Renesas Electronics India Private Limited and are poised to place India among a select group of nations working at the cutting edge of chip technology.
     
    Vaishnaw said, “Designing at 3nm is truly next-generation. We’ve done 7nm and 5nm earlier, but this marks a new frontier.” He added that the launch reaffirms India’s growing presence in the global semiconductor space and reflects increasing industry confidence, witnessed at global platforms such as the World Economic Forum in Davos.
     
    The new centres are part of a broader strategy by the government to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem, spanning design, fabrication, ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging), and the supply of associated equipment, chemicals, and gases. The government has also been focusing on nurturing a skilled workforce to meet the growing demand in the semiconductor industry.
     
    Vaishnaw also announced the launch of a new semiconductor learning kit designed to strengthen practical hardware skills among engineering students. Over 270 academic institutions, which have already received access to advanced EDA (Electronic Design Automation) software tools through the India Semiconductor Mission, will also receive these hands-on kits. “This integration of software and hardware learning will create truly industry-ready engineers. We are not just building infrastructure but investing in long-term talent development,” he said, lauding the efforts of CDAC and the ISM team for their efficient execution.
     
    Renesas Electronics CEO and Managing Director Hidetoshi Shibata, who was present at the event, described India as a strategic cornerstone for the company. He said Renesas is expanding its end-to-end semiconductor capabilities in India, from architecture to testing, while actively supporting over 250 academic institutions and a range of startups through government-backed initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. He also underscored the importance of Indo-Japan collaboration in redefining the global semiconductor lifecycle.
    May 14, 2025

  • Coal imports fall by 9.2% in April–February period, saving nearly $7 billion in forex

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s coal imports fell sharply by 9.2% during the April 2024 to February 2025 period, amounting to 220.3 million tonnes (MT) compared to 242.6 MT in the same period of the previous financial year. This decline translated into foreign exchange savings of approximately $6.93 billion (₹53,137.82 crore), according to data released by the Ministry of Coal.
     
    The drop was more pronounced in the Non-Regulated Sector, which excludes the power sector, where imports declined by 15.3% year-on-year. Even as coal-based power generation registered a growth of 2.87% during the same period, imports for blending by thermal power plants saw a steep reduction of 38.8%. The trend underscores India’s efforts to reduce dependence on imported coal and strengthen domestic supply.
     
    The Ministry attributed the drop in imports to a series of policy initiatives, including Commercial Coal Mining and Mission Coking Coal, which are aimed at enhancing self-sufficiency in coal production. These measures have also helped domestic coal output grow by 5.45% during the April 2024 to February 2025 period compared to the same stretch in the previous fiscal.
     
    Coal continues to be a cornerstone of India’s energy needs, particularly for core sectors such as power, steel, and cement. However, challenges remain in meeting demand for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal, which are not adequately available in India’s reserves. Imports have therefore played a crucial role, especially for the steel industry.
    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: India-Pakistan Ceasefire

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    We welcome the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif for choosing the path of peace.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFLTGUAoJNE

    MIL OSI Video –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: authID Reports Financial and Operating Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DENVER, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — authID® (Nasdaq: AUID) (“authID” or the “Company”), a leading provider of biometric identity verification and authentication solutions, today reported financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    First Quarter 2025 vs. First Quarter 2024 Financial Summary

    • Total revenue for the quarter increased to $0.30 million, compared to $0.16 million a year ago.
    • Operating expenses were $4.7 million, compared to $3.3 million a year ago.
    • Net loss was $4.3 million, or $0.40 per share, compared to a loss of $3.1 million, or $0.32 per share a year ago.
    • Adjusted EBITDA Loss of $3.9 million (non-GAAP measure as defined below), compared with $2.4 million a year ago.
    • Gross bARR (Booked Annual Recurring Revenue) of $0.01 million (non-GAAP measure as defined below), compared with $0.10 million a year ago.

    “I’m incredibly excited about authID’s growth prospects in 2025 and beyond,” said Rhon Daguro, authID’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have solidified our foundation to become a leader in the evolving and fast-growing biometric authentication market while making progress on our ambitious 2025 goals. We are continuing to advance our conversations with key enterprise and platform partner prospects in order to achieve our bookings targets and are intensifying our focus on the large enterprise and large channel OEM segments as we move through the second quarter.

    “We recently secured nearly $9 million in capital through two financing rounds to improve our balance sheet, broaden our investor base and provide us with additional expertise and support as we scale our business and invest in new opportunities. Through these efforts we have also created an advisory board comprised of two new expert advisors, Eric Swider and Donald Nitti. Both leaders have extensive experience in different industry and government sectors where authID’s biometric identity solutions can address critical needs.

    “As we move through the year, we continue to expect to close multiple Fortune 500 and multi-national customers in 2025, and we are currently in the late stages of our sales cycle with these potential customers. I’m pleased with our momentum to date and remain confident that we will sign new customers and drive significant growth towards our $18 million bookings target for 2025.”

    Recent Business and Operational Highlights

    • Secured nearly $9 million dollars after expenses from existing and new shareholders through two registered direct offerings, while also creating an advisory board comprised of two new expert advisors, Eric Swider and Donald Nitti.
    • Signed a paid live production trial agreement with a Global Fortune 500 prospect to deliver authID’s solution in a controlled rollout. Upon completion, authID expects to secure a longer-term agreement.
    • Advanced to final stages with a Global Fortune 500 biometric hardware provider to embed authID into a solution offering reusable, interoperable identity credentials for employee workforces.
    • Confirmed as the selected vendor by one of the largest identity fraud platforms and are in the final stages of contract negotiations.
    • Launched efforts into the Public Sector by providing a reuseable identity platform for removing the barriers between siloed systems for government workforces.
    • Began integration with a blockchain-based data privacy and security platform to validate identity of data owners through privacy preserving biometrics which bring authID’s technology into smart cities in South America and India to start.
    • Identified new opportunities in the Indian banking sector with our Indian partner to protect high value transactions and account access with authID’s PrivacyKey technology
    • Successfully delivered a proof of concept and entered into contract negotiations with a Fortune 500 prospect to deliver identity verification and biometric solutions.
    • Named “Best ID Management Platform” Award in 2025 FinTech Breakthrough Awards for the third time. authID was recognized for its groundbreaking biometric identity verification technology, which has set a new standard for precision, speed, and data privacy in the fintech industry, as well as the verification landscape at large.

    Financial Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

    Total revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $0.30 million, compared with $0.16 million a year ago.

    Operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2025, were $4.7 million, compared to $3.3 million a year ago. The 2025 increase is primarily due to increased headcount investment in sales and R&D.

    Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $4.3 million, of which non-cash charges were $0.5 million, compared with a net loss of $3.1 million a year ago, of which non-cash charges were $0.8 million

    Loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $0.40, compared with $0.32 a year ago.

    Adjusted EBITDA loss was $3.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared with $2.4 million a year ago. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA loss is primarily driven by the increase in headcount investment in sales and R&D. Please refer to Table 1 for reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure).

    Remaining Performance Obligation (RPO) as of March 31, 2025, was $13.85 million, of which $1.01 million is held as deferred revenue and $12.84 million is related to other non-cancellable contracted amounts, compared to RPO of $4.03 million as of March 31, 2024. The Company expects to recognize the full RPO of $13.85 million over the entire life of the contracts, which are typically signed with a 3-year term.

    The gross amount of Booked Annual Recurring Revenue or bARR, (a non-GAAP measure, as defined below), signed in the first quarter of 2025 was $0.01 million, down from $0.10 million of gross bARR a year ago. The net amount of bARR was negative $0.13 million compared to $0.10 million of net bARR signed in the comparable period in 2024. The Q1 bARR is comprised of $0 million in Committed Annual Recurring Revenue (cARR) and $0.01 million in estimated Usage Above Commitments (UAC).

    The net amount of bARR reflects the deduction of the bARR of contracts previously included in reported bARR, due to certain customers experiencing delays in Production Go-Live timing and volume ramping. See below for further definition and explanation of ARR and bARR, non-GAAP measures.

    Conference Call

    A conference call and webcast will be held today at 5.00 p.m. EDT, hosted by authID Chief Executive Officer, Rhon Daguro and Chief Financial Officer, Ed Sellitto to discuss the financial results and provide a corporate update. To participate on the live conference call, please access this registration link and you will be provided with dial-in details. To avoid delays, participants are encouraged to dial into the conference call 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. A live webcast of the call will be available at webcast registration and on the “Events & Presentations” page of the Company’s website at investors.authid.ai. Only participants on the live conference call will be able to ask questions.

    A replay of the event and a copy of the presentation will also be available for 90 days at authID’s Investor Relations site.

    About authID Inc.

    authID (Nasdaq: AUID) ensures enterprises “Know Who’s Behind the Device™” for every customer or employee login and transaction through its easy-to-integrate, patented biometric identity platform. authID powers biometric identity proofing in 700ms, biometric authentication in 25ms, and account recovery with a fast, accurate, user-friendly experience. With our ground-breaking PrivacyKey Solution, authID provides a 1-to-1-billion false match rate, while storing no biometric data. authID stops fraud at onboarding, blocks deepfakes, prevents account takeover, and eliminates password risks and costs, through the fastest, most frictionless, and most accurate user identity experience demanded by today’s digital ecosystem.

    For further information please visit authid.ai

    Investor Relations Contacts
    authID Investor Relations
    investor-relations@authID.ai

    Media Contacts
    Walter Fowler
    1-631-334-3864
    wfowler@nexttechcomms.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This Press Release includes “forward-looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical facts included herein, including, without limitation, those regarding the future results of operations, growth and sales, potential contract signings, booked Annual Recurring Revenue (bARR) (and its components cARR and UAC), Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), cash flow, cash position and financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations of both authID Inc. and its business partners, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions regarding authID’s present and future business strategies, and the environment in which authID expects to operate in the future, which assumptions may or may not be fulfilled in practice. Actual results may vary materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risk factors, including the Company’s ability to attract and retain customers; successful implementation of the services to be provided under new customer contracts and their adoption by customers’ users; the Company’s ability to compete effectively; changes in laws, regulations and practices; the increase in international tariffs and uncertainty over international trading conditions, changes in domestic and international economic and political conditions, the impact of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, inflationary pressures, changes in interest rates, and others. See the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2024 filed at www.sec.gov and other documents filed with the SEC for other risk factors which investors should consider. These forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this release and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. authID expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect any changes in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any statement is based.

    Non-GAAP Financial Information

    The Company provides certain non-GAAP financial measures in this statement. These non-GAAP key business indicators, which include Adjusted EBITDA, bARR and ARR should not be considered replacements for and should be read in conjunction with the GAAP financial measures.

    Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA, when viewed with our results under GAAP and the accompanying reconciliations, provides useful information about our period-over-period results. Adjusted EBITDA is presented because management believes it provides additional information with respect to the performance of our fundamental business activities and is also frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in the evaluation of comparable companies. We also rely on Adjusted EBITDA as a primary measure to review and assess the operating performance of our company and our management.

    Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents GAAP net loss adjusted to exclude (1) interest expense and debt discount and debt issuance costs amortization expense, (2) interest income, (3) depreciation and amortization, (4) stock-based compensation expense (stock options) and certain other items management believes affect the comparability of operating results.

    Please see Table 1 below for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA – continuing operations to net loss – continuing operations, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

     
     TABLE 1
    Reconciliation of Loss from Continuing Operations to Adjusted EBITDA Continuing Operations.
     
      Three Months Ended
    March 31,
      2025   2024
    Loss from continuing operations $ (4,339,467 )   $ (3,057,577 )
                   
    Addback:              
                   
    Interest expense, net   12,712       13,138  
    Other income   (51,544 )     (108,920 )
    Depreciation and amortization   30,192       43,408  
    Stock compensation   454,339       722,971  
    Adjusted EBITDA continuing operations (Non-GAAP)   (3,893,768 )     (2,386,980 )
     

    Management believes that bARR and ARR, when viewed with our results under GAAP, provide useful information about the direction of future growth trends of the Company’s revenues. We also rely on bARR as one of several primary measures to review and assess the sales performance of our Company and our management team in connection with our executive compensation. The Company defines Booked Annual Recurring Revenue or bARR, as the amount of annual recurring revenue represented by the estimated amounts of annual recurring revenue we believe will be earned under such contracted orders, looking out eighteen months from the date of signing of each customer contract. This estimate is comprised of two components (1) Committed Annual Recurring Revenue (cARR), which represents the minimum amounts that customers are contractually committed to pay each year over the life of the contract and (2) Usage Above Commitments (UAC), which represents our estimate of the rate of annual recurring revenue arising from actual usage of our services above the contractual minimums, that we believe the Customer will achieve after 18 months. The net amount of bARR reflects the deduction of the bARR of contracts previously included in reported bARR, which were subject to attrition, or other downward adjustments during the quarter.

    The company defines Annual Recurring Revenue or ARR, as the amount of recurring revenue recognized during the last three months of the relevant period as determined in accordance with GAAP, multiplied by four.

    bARR may be distinguished from ARR, as bARR does not take specifically into account the time to implement any contract for authID’s services, nor for any ramp in adoption, or seasonality of usage of our biometric products but is based on the assumption that 18 months after signing these matters will have been generally resolved. Furthermore, bARR is based on estimates of future revenues under particular contracts, whereas ARR, whilst also forward-looking, is based on historical revenues recognized in accordance with GAAP during the relevant period. A reconciliation of bARR to a GAAP measure is not provided as there is no comparable GAAP measure and we believe that any attempt at such reconciliation may be confusing to investors. bARR and ARR have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation from, or as a substitute for, analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

    • bARR & ARR should not be considered as predictors of future revenues but only as indicators of the direction in which revenues may be trending. Actual revenue results in the future as determined in accordance with GAAP may be significantly different to the amounts indicated as bARR or ARR at any time.
    • bARR and ARR are to be considered “forward-looking statements” and subject to the same risks, as other such statements (see note on “Forward-Looking Statements” above).
     
    authID INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended
    March 31,
      2025   2024
    Revenues, net $ 296,256     $ 157,378  
                   
    Operating Expenses:              
    General and administrative   2,645,700       2,062,361  
    Research and development   1,998,663       1,204,968  
    Depreciation amortization   30,192       43,408  
    Total operating expenses   4,674,555       3,310,737  
                   
    Loss from operations   (4,378,299 )     (3,153,359 )
                   
    Other Income (Expense):              
    Interest expense, net   (12,712 )     (13,138 )
    Other income   51,544       108,920  
    Other income (expense), net   38,832       95,782  
                   
    Net loss before income taxes   (4,339,467 )     (3,057,577 )
    Income tax expense   –       –  
    Net Loss $ (4,339,467 )   $ (3,057,577 )
                   
                   
    Net Loss Per Share – Basic and Diluted operations $ (0.40 )   $ (0.32 )
                   
    Weighted Average Shares Outstanding – Basic and Diluted   10,920,909       9,450,220  
     
    authID INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
     
        March 31,
    2025    		       December 31,
    2024    		  
    ASSETS   (Unaudited)          
    Current Assets:              
    Cash $ 2,866,347     $ 8,471,561  
    Accounts receivable, net   1,028,564       97,897  
    Contract assets   487,551       426,859  
    Deferred contract costs   595,359       617,918  
    Other current assets, net   623,475       460,192  
    Total current assets   5,601,296       10,074,427  
                   
    Intangible assets, net   185,226       213,718  
    Goodwill   4,183,232       4,183,232  
    Total assets $ 9,969,754     $ 14,471,377  
                   
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY              
    Current Liabilities:              
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 811,934     $ 1,715,410  
    Commission liability   191,519       459,657  
    Severance liability   325,000       325,000  
    Convertible debt, net   –       240,884  
    Deferred revenue   1,011,448       215,237  
    Total current liabilities   2,339,901       2,956,188  
                   
    Total liabilities $ 2,339,901     $ 2,956,188  
                   
    Commitments and Contingencies (Note 8)              
                   
    Stockholders’ Equity:              
    Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024; 10,920,909 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024   1,092       1,092  
    Additional paid-in capital   185,766,847       185,312,508  
    Accumulated deficit   (178,147,996 )     (173,808,529 )
    Accumulated comprehensive income   9,910       10,118  
    Total stockholders’ equity   7,629,853       11,515,189  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 9,969,754     $ 14,471,377  
     
    authID INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended
    March 31,
      2025   2024
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:              
                   
    Net loss $ (4,339,467 )   $ (3,057,577 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss with cash flows from operations:              
    Stock-based compensation   454,339       722,971  
    Depreciation and amortization expense   30,192       43,408  
    Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs   4,116       4,115  
                   
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:              
    Accounts receivable   (930,667 )     (237,506 )
    Contract assets   (60,692 )     (49,713 )
    Deferred contract cost   22,559       (3,417 )
    Other current assets   (163,283 )     (9,521 )
    Commission liability   (268,138 )     (40,950 )
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses   (903,476 )     (495,357 )
    Deferred revenue   796,211       176,019  
    Net cash flows from operating activities   (5,358,306 )     (2,947,528 )
                   
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:              
    Purchase of intangible assets   (1,700 )     –  
    Net cash flows from investing activities   (1,700 )     –  
                   
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:              
    Repayment of convertible notes   (245,000 )     –  
    Net cash flows from financing activities   (245,000 )     –  
                   
    Effect of Foreign Currencies   (208 )     (3,359 )
                   
    Net Change in Cash   (5,605,214 )     (2,950,887 )
    Cash, Beginning of the Period   8,471,561       10,177,099  
    Cash, End of the Period $ 2,866,347     $ 7,226,212  
                   
    Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information:              
    Cash paid for interest $ 13,137     $ 9,023  

    The MIL Network –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schatz, Wyden Lead Push Warning Trump Admin of Harmful Impacts of SAVE Act, Anti-Voter Executive Order in Native Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schatz, Wyden Lead Push Warning Trump Admin of Harmful Impacts of SAVE Act, Anti-Voter Executive Order in Native Communities

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over elections, Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led 11 Senators in sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of President Trump’s anti-voter “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act on Native American voting rights. In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the Senators specifically warn about the challenges Native communities will face with the proposed requirements of documentary proof of citizenship and restrictions on mail-in voting.
    “Enactment of new voter registration policies under the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would lead to mass disenfranchisement of eligible Native voters and further depress the Native vote,” wrote the Senators. “Tribal IDs generally lack place of birth information required by the legislation, and the vast majority of these IDs lack the specific U.S. citizenship documentation required by the Executive Order. And the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement would exacerbate existing barriers, such as requiring IDs that list residential mailing addresses, by forcing many Native voters to travel great distances, including costly flights or multi-hour drives, to reach their local elections office or polling place.”
    “As Secretary of the Interior, you have a special moral and legal responsibility to uphold our nation’s trust and treaty obligations,” continued the Senators. “If implemented, the sweeping federal mandates included in the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible Native voters who are following state laws. We encourage your active engagement with the White House and the Department of Justice to ensure that Native communities are able to exercise the franchise fully and have their voices heard at the ballot box.”
    Tribal IDs are currently an acceptable form of documentation to register to vote in nearly every state, but the SAVE Act and Trump executive order require that an ID must show place of birth and citizenship, which the majority of Tribal IDs lack, adding another barrier to the ballot box for many Native American communities. The Senators underscored that if enacted, these provisions would force Tribal voters who live in rural and remote locations to travel significant distances to prove their citizenship in order to register to vote.
    The Senators also emphasized the disproportionate impact the vote-by-mail restrictions would have on Native communities, which often rely more on mail-in voting because of a lack of infrastructure and transportation access. Trump’s executive order penalizes states that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, harming Native voters in states like Alaska, North Dakota, Oregon, and California that process ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. In Alaska specifically, which has 229 federally recognized Tribes, vote-by-mail is essential because polling sites can be hundreds of miles away for villages that are not on the road system.
    Only 66 percent of Native Americans eligible to participate in elections are currently registered to vote, leaving more than 1 million eligible voting-age Native Americans unregistered. Creating further obstacles to register to vote would likely reduce these numbers even further.
    In addition to Senators Padilla, Schatz, and Wyden, the letter was also signed by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
    Senator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, he recently led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and attacks on election integrity. Last month, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of Republicans’ SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. He also led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America’s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Burgum:
    We write to express our serious concern over the impact of the Administration’s March 25 Executive Order 14284 “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” on Native communities. As former Governor of North Dakota, and now as Secretary of the Interior, you must appreciate that Indian Country faces voting challenges unique to the rest of the country, including remote locations, limited resources, and a legacy of legal discrimination. Unfortunately, both this Executive Order, and the related Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22) recently passed by the House of Representatives, would represent the largest steps backwards for Native American voting rights in many decades. We urge you to ensure that the federal government meets its trust responsibility to safeguard Native American voting rights and to engage in Tribal consultation on any new policies that impact the Native vote.
    Enactment of new voter registration policies under the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would lead to mass disenfranchisement of eligible Native voters and further depress the Native vote. For example, both the Executive Order and the SAVE Act include a requirement for voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering or re-registering to vote. Tribal IDs generally lack place of birth information required by the legislation, and the vast majority of these IDs lack the specific U.S. citizenship documentation required by the Executive Order. And the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement would exacerbate existing barriers, such as requiring IDs that list residential mailing addresses, by forcing many Native voters to travel great distances, including costly flights or multi-hour drives, to reach their local elections office or polling place.
    What’s more, under the Executive Order, the Attorney General is directed to take action against states with laws that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day. This directive will have a disproportionate impact on Native communities, given the remote locations of many Native communities, along with a general lack of infrastructure and transportation access. As a result, Native voters often must rely on vote-by-mail systems to cast their ballots, but extremely long distances and unpredictable weather can result in mail delays that impact the arrival times of ballots. For example, in states like Alaska, which is home to 229 federally recognized Tribes, voters must rely on mail-in ballots due to the lack of local polling sites in Native villages, the majority of which are not on the road system; in fact, the nearest polling site might be hundreds of miles away by plane or boat. So, it is standard practice for many states to allow ballots to be counted for several days following the federal election as long as they were postmarked before or on election day. Of note, no state allows hand-delivered ballots to be returned after Election Day. If the Executive Order’s provision were enforced, it risks further disenfranchisement of Native voters in states like Alaska, North Dakota, Oregon, and California that accept absentee or mail-in ballots postmarked by the day before Election Day.
    As Secretary of the Interior, you have a special moral and legal responsibility to uphold our nation’s trust and treaty obligations. If implemented, the sweeping federal mandates included in the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible Native voters who are following state laws. We encourage your active engagement with the White House and the Department of Justice to ensure that Native communities are able to exercise the franchise fully and have their voices heard at the ballot box.
    Thank you for your attention to this matter and we welcome the opportunity to further discuss these concerns with you.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Man of Murder and First-Degree Child Abuse of a Toddler

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

              MARQUETTE – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Byerly Birge announced that a federal jury convicted Eugene Walter-George Rantanen, (37, L’Anse, Michigan) of murder and first-degree child abuse. Rantanen is scheduled to be sentenced this fall.

              On February 19, 2024, a nineteen-month-old toddler became unresponsive while in the sole custody of Rantanen, while the two were inside the L’Anse Reservation of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.  After extensive medical intervention, the child succumbed to the injuries and died on February 24, 2024.  Based on the medical examiner’s testimony at trial, the toddler had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, which caused significant injuries to the brain.  Based on government-witness testimony at trial, the only plausible explanation for the toddler’s injuries was that Rantanen caused the severe brain injuries.

              “Any time a child dies, it is a tragedy.  But it is particularly tragic when a caretaker causes the death,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Birge. “My office will hold individuals like Rantanen accountable for their violent crimes whenever it can.”

              “This conviction confirms that Eugene Rantanen will no longer pose a threat to anyone, especially our children,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This outcome results from a thorough and cooperative investigation with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Village of L’Anse Police, the Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. I extend my deepest condolences to those who truly loved the young victim—no one should ever have to endure such a heartbreaking loss.”

              The FBI, Michigan State Police, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, Baraga County Sheriff’s Office, and Village of L’Anse Police investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis Sanford and Jeanne Long are prosecuting it.

              This case was part of the Department of Justice’s work to combat the missing and murder indigenous person’s (MMIP) crisis.  Per the Bureau of Indian Affairs, “For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have struggled with high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. Community advocates describe the crisis as a legacy of generations of government policies of forced removal, land seizures and violence inflicted on Native peoples.”  The BIA website has more information about the MMIP crisis at https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis.

    MIL Security OSI –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: EMGS reports first quarter 2025 results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA’s (“EMGS” or the “Company”) financial report and market presentation for the first quarter of 2025 are attached.

    Summary:

    * The Company recorded revenues of USD 10.0 million, up from USD 0.2 million in the first quarter of 2024 and up from USD 9.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    * Adjusted EBITDA (including capitalised multi-client expenses and vessel and office lease expenses) of USD 2.0 million, up from negative USD 3.8 million in the first quarter of 2024.

    * Free cash decreased with USD 3.1 million during the quarter, to USD 6.0 million.

    * During the quarter, the Atlantic Guardian completed the first of two proprietary acquisitions in India and commenced mobilisation for the second proprietary acquisition.

    * Subsequent to the end of the quarter, on 6 May 2025, EMGS announced the establishment of a new business platform within offshore subsea construction through the acquisition of the OSCV Siem Day.

    A pre-recorded presentation will be available over the internet from 20:00 (local time Norway) today. To access the presentation, please go to the Company’s homepage (www.emgs.com) and follow the link.

    Contact
    Anders Eimstad, Chief Financial Officer, +47 94 82 58 36

    About EMGS
    EMGS, the marine EM market leader, uses its proprietary electromagnetic (EM) technology to support oil and gas companies in their search for offshore hydrocarbons. EMGS supports each stage in the workflow, from survey design and data acquisition to processing and interpretation. The Company’s services enable the integration of EM data with seismic and other geophysical and geological information to give explorationists a clearer and more complete understanding of the subsurface. This improves exploration efficiency and reduces risks and the finding costs per barrel. CSEM technology can also be used to detect the presence of marine mineral deposits (primarily Seabed Massive Sulphides) and EMGS believes that the technology can also be used to estimate the mineral content of such deposits. The Company is undertaking early-stage initiatives to position itself in this future market.

    This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachments

    • EMGS Q1 2025 Report
    • EMGS Q1 2025 Presentation

    The MIL Network –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Russia-China ties on full display on Victory Day – but all is not as well as Putin is making out

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    Chinese troops participating in Russia’s Victory Day parade in Red Square, Moscow, on May 9 is a clear indication that President Xi Jinping is fully committed to his “no-limits” partnership with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

    Xi’s own attendance of the parade, which came as part of a state visit to Russia, underlines that China is not only supporting Russia. It signified that Beijing wants this support to be understood clearly in Kyiv, Washington and European capitals.

    Travelling to Moscow and having his troops goose-step down Red Square was not a last-minute decision by Xi. Nor was the multitude of agreements signed by the two leaders and their joint declaration anything but part of a well established pattern of deepening relations between Russia and China.

    This trend has accelerated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the breadth and depth of China’s commitment to Russia at this particular moment is undoubtedly related to the broader upheaval in the international order that has been worsened since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The Trump administration, possibly spooked by market wobbles, has taken steps to restore stability. China and the US have agreed a deal to slash the import tariffs they have imposed on each other. But uncertainty remains – above all about how the complex relationships in the triangle of Washington, Beijing and Moscow will work out and where this will leave the rest of the world.



    Read more:
    Trump, Xi and Putin: a dysfunctional love triangle with stakes of global significance

    On May 8, in the wake of Xi and Putin’s meetings in Moscow, Russia and China released a joint statement. It stressed the intention of the two leaders to “enhance the coordination of their approaches and to deepen the practical cooperation on maintaining and strengthening global strategic stability, as well as to jointly address common challenges and threats in this sphere”.

    They reiterated this determination in their press statements afterwards. Putin emphasised that he and Xi “personally control all aspects of [the] Russia-China partnership and do all we can to expand the cooperation on bilateral issues and the international agenda alike”.

    A Chinese read-out from the talks was similarly clear on the alignment between the countries. Xi reportedly said that “in the face of unilateralist countercurrents, bullying and acts of power politics, China is working with Russia to shoulder the special responsibilities of major countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council”.

    This unequivocal display of how close Moscow and Beijing are – as well as Putin and Xi personally – is important for both nations. For Russia, it remains important to demonstrate that western attempts at international isolation have not succeeded.

    For China, the very public consolidation of ties with Russia is above all a signal to the US. China is keen to stress that Trump’s efforts to engineer a split between Moscow and Beijing, which the American president described as necessary to “un-unite” the two nations during an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson in November 2024, have largely failed.

    However, beyond the glossy surface of the celebrations in Moscow, all is not as well for Russia as Putin is trying to make out. For all the public displays of friendship between Xi and Putin, the relationship between the two countries remains highly asymmetrical.

    Russia would not be able to continue to wage its war against Ukraine without Chinese support. Trade between Russia and China is critical to propping up the Russian war economy, reaching a record high of nearly US$250 billion (£190 billion) in 2024. Their trade has increased by more than 60% since 2021, yet it is only marginally up since 2023.

    China’s diplomatic clout is also helpful for Russia. If Beijing had taken an unequivocal stance opposing Moscow’s aggression, fewer leaders in the developing world would have sided with Putin.

    In this case, Russia would probably have lost organisations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Brics group of emerging economies as platforms to further its broader agenda of restoring its erstwhile status as a great power.

    In that agenda, Putin has been moderately successful. But with South Africa and India’s leaders absent from Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, the list of attendees was shorter than at the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

    A doubled-edged sword

    Notably absent from the celebrations in Moscow was high-level representation from North Korea and Iran. These are two key allies of Russia with whom Moscow signed strategic partnership agreements in June 2024 and January 2025, respectively.

    Tehran simply sent its ambassador to Moscow to attend. However, it may have compensated Putin in a different and materially more significant way.

    According to reports, Iran is readying a delivery of launchers to enable Russia to use the short-range ballistic missiles already delivered last year. This would further add to Russia’s reliance on Iranian hardware in Ukraine, which has so far been most visible in the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones.

    North Korea dispatched a military delegation led by three-star general Kim Yong-bok. Kim is widely considered the commander of North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region of western Russia, where Ukrainian forces seized territory in August 2024 as a possible bargaining chip in future negotiations with Russia.

    Putin officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean troops in this operation in a statement on April 28. This acknowledgment came two days after he had announced the defeat of Ukrainian forces there in a highly choreographed and televised meeting with his chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov.

    The demonstration of Russia’s close relationships with its three core allies – China, Iran and North Korea – is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it clearly indicates that Putin is far from isolated on the international stage.

    But it also signals that Russia has become a lot more dependent on these relationships than would befit Putin’s dreams of restoring Russia’s great-power status. Neither can be much comfort to Ukraine and its allies, unfortunately.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Russia-China ties on full display on Victory Day – but all is not as well as Putin is making out – https://theconversation.com/russia-china-ties-on-full-display-on-victory-day-but-all-is-not-as-well-as-putin-is-making-out-256385

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: CREA Foundation Creates Two Scholarships, Bonus Opportunities for Real Estate Students

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    CREA Foundation, Inc. has created two, renewable scholarships for UConn students interested in studying commercial real estate, and they include bonus opportunities to set them up for success.

    “We’re excited and eager to partner with CREA to introduce more students to the real estate industry,’’ said David Wharmby, director of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies at UConn. “This gift will ensure that they are not just career-ready but have solid work experience in the industry.’’

    Open to rising juniors, CREA Foundation will award a $10,000 renewable scholarship for two students majoring or minoring in real estate. CREA Scholars will also have the opportunity to have an internship with CREA, LLC or local partners, and will have a CREA mentor to answer questions and offer guidance. Scholarship applications are now open and will be awarded in late summer.

    CREA has created similar programs with Indiana University, Indianapolis, and California State University, Northridge, and they are going exceptionally well, said UConn alumnus and CREA CEO Tony Bertoldi ’89. He said he and his team are excited to welcome a new generation of industry experts, engage with them, and help them find their career path.

    “We want to improve the pipeline of talent coming into our business,’’ he said. “When we’re in the interview process, I look for applicable experience. It’s a great advantage to have that exposure beyond the classroom.’’

    CREA is a national tax-credit syndicator, working with developer and investor partners to create affordable housing. Its Foundation supports access to higher education and introductory work experiences.

    “Tony has hired lots of our graduates and knows they have the skills to succeed and contribute right away,’’ Wharmby said.

    “I had a great experience at UConn,’’ said Bertoldi, who has served as a guest speaker in real estate courses and is a serial UConn donor. A recent trip back to campus reignited his enthusiasm. “I saw the opportunity to do something meaningful for UConn.’’

    “It’s a fantastic gift,’’ Wharmby said. “I think real estate offers a really exciting, broad, diverse career opportunity. Not a lot of students know about it until they get to college. With these scholarships, we’re exposing the industry to a broader set of students.’’

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: What or where is the Indo-Pacific? How a foreign policy pivot redefined the global map

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

    Is the Indo-Pacific concept about international dialogue … or just containing China? Tetra images/Getty Images

    Open a book of maps and look for the “Indo-Pacific” region – it likely won’t be there.

    Yet the Indo-Pacific is now central to how many countries think about strategy and security. It describes a region spanning two oceans and dozens of countries, encompassing much of the world’s trade routes.

    The Indo-Pacific did not emerge from the patterns of ancient trade, nor from long-standing cultural or civilizational ties.

    Instead, the concept comes from the realms of political science and international relations. The term can be traced back to the work of German political scientist and geographer Karl Haushofer – a favorite of Adolf Hitler – in the 1920s. But it only really began to take hold in the think tanks and foreign policy-setting departments of Washington and other Western capitals in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

    It coincided with a shift in the global balance of power from unipolarity – that is, dominated by one superpower – to multipolarity over the past decade or so.

    ‘Confluence of the two seas’

    For much of the Cold War, the United States treated the Pacific and Indian oceans as separate theaters of operation. Its military forces in the area, known as U.S. Pacific Command, focused on East Asia and the western Pacific, while the Indian Ocean figured mainly in energy security discussions, tied to the Middle East and the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

    Strategic maps during that era divided the world into distinct zones of interest. But China’s economic rise, India’s growing influence and the increasing strategic significance of sea lanes across both oceans since the end of the Cold War blurred those old dividing lines.

    The Indian Ocean could no longer be treated as a secondary concern. Nor could the Pacific be thought of in isolation from what was happening further west.

    Japan helped give political voice to this emerging reality. In 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood before India’s parliament and spoke of the “confluence of the two seas” − an image that deliberately linked the Indian and Pacific oceans as a single geopolitical space.

    Abe’s message was clear: The fate of the Pacific and Indian oceans would be increasingly intertwined, and democratic states would need to work together to preserve stability. His vision resonated in Washington, Canberra and New Delhi, and it helped set the stage for the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad.

    In 2018, the United States made the shift official, renaming U.S. Pacific Command as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

    What might have seemed like a bureaucratic rebranding was in fact a serious strategic move. It reflected the growing recognition that the rise of China − and Beijing’s growing influence from East Africa to the South Pacific − required an integrated regional approach.

    Framing the challenge in Indo-Pacific terms allowed Washington to strengthen its ties with India, deepen cooperation with Australia and Japan, and reposition itself as a maritime balancer across a vast strategic arc.

    The phrase “free and open Indo-Pacific” quickly became the centerpiece of American regional diplomacy. It emphasized freedom of navigation, respect for international law, and democratic solidarity.

    But while the rhetoric stressed inclusivity and shared values, the driving force behind the concept was clear: managing China’s expanding power. The Indo-Pacific framework allowed Washington to draw together a range of initiatives under a single banner, all aimed at reinforcing a rules-based order at a time when Beijing was testing its limits.

    Rejecting zero-sum thinking

    Not every country has enthusiastically embraced this vision. Many Southeast Asian states, wary of being drawn into a competition between the United States and China, have approached the Indo-Pacific concept with caution. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ document titled Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, released in 2019, deliberately avoided framing the region in confrontational terms. Instead, it stressed dialogue and the centrality of Southeast Asia − a subtle rebuke to visions that seemed to pit democracy against authoritarianism in stark, zero-sum terms.

    The breadth of the Indo-Pacific concept also raises difficult questions. It covers an enormous range of political, economic and security realities. The priorities of small island states in the Pacific differ sharply from those of major continental powers such as India or Australia. Treating the Indo-Pacific as a single strategic space risks flattening these differences and could alienate smaller nations whose concerns do not always align with those of the major players.

    The Indo-Pacific today

    Recent shifts in Washington’s foreign policy also complicate matters. The Trump administration’s skepticism toward alliances created doubts among regional partners about the reliability of U.S. commitments. Even as the Indo-Pacific idea gained traction, questions remained about whether it represented a long-term strategy or a short-term tactical adjustment.

    The Biden administration maintained the Indo-Pacific framework, launching the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity to provide an economic counterpart to the security-heavy focus of earlier years. But the central strategic challenge remains the same: how to manage China’s rise without forcing the region into a rigid geopolitical divide.

    For now, the Indo-Pacific framing has reshaped how policymakers, military planners and diplomats think about Asia’s future. It provides a vocabulary for coordinating alliances, building new partnerships and addressing the challenges posed by China’s expanding influence.

    Yet its long-term success will depend on whether the framework can genuinely accommodate the region’s diversity − and whether it can be seen as something more than just a mechanism for great power competition and a thinly veiled strategy to contain China.

    This article is part of a series explaining foreign policy terms commonly used but rarely explained.

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

    – ref. What or where is the Indo-Pacific? How a foreign policy pivot redefined the global map – https://theconversation.com/what-or-where-is-the-indo-pacific-how-a-foreign-policy-pivot-redefined-the-global-map-256406

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville on Kudlow: “We’re so fortunate to have President Trump”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss how President Trump is delivering wins for the American people left and right.
    Read excerpts from the interview below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

    KUDLOW: “The great Alabama Senator, Mr. Tommy Tuberville. Senator Tuberville, welcome, sir, as always. You know, Charles Payne was on in the first segment of the show, and he was talking about ‘Pax Americana’ and, you know, listing things that Mr. Trump is getting done. India, Pakistan, perhaps a ceasefire deal, the last American hostage being released by Hamas, the potential for, you know, Zelensky-Putin meeting, Trump himself might broker it. President Trump will be in the Middle East and maybe something is cooking with Iran. Is there a ‘Pax Americana’ back on? Is Mr. Trump reordering the chaos of the world under Biden into something resembling, you know, peace and prosperity and America first?”
    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, Larry. Don’t forget about the Abraham Accords. I think that might be one of the reasons he’s going to see the Saudis and bounce around the Middle East, but I don’t know how he keeps up with it. It’s hard for us here in the States to keep up with what’s going on. From the tariffs to the wars to the, you know, great big beautiful bill—it is mind boggling. But I’m enjoying every bit of bit of it. The Democrats are running for cover. We dealt for four years with somebody that had no negotiation skills. Now we got somebody that just loves to do it. He eats and breathes it, and we’re so fortunate to have President Trump as President.”
    KUDLOW: “So, think about this, on the home front, I guess, but it’s also international affairs. Basically, in the same four- or five-day period, we got a very good trade deal with the United Kingdom, and we have a 90-day pause and a significant easing of tariffs with China and the US. What do you make of that?”
    TUBERVILLE: “Well, and there’s about 30 to 35 [countries] Larry. I know for a fact they’re lined up ready to make deals with the United States. We’re controlling it, and we should, you know—[…] we’re the grocery store of the world. You know, we make everything in terms of being able to make it available to other people. Now, we’ve got to get in the manufacturing business again—that’s what President Trump’s doing all this for. But we’ve got to be choosy with it. But in my state of Alabama, I have people coming every day about new manufacturing ideas [saying] ‘We wanna move it here from either Ireland or Germany.’ It is amazing how much busier we are here in the Senate as Republicans [who are] wanting to bring [manufacturing] back and on the contrary of what the Democrats just tried to say, ‘No, we don’t want you here. We wanna raise all of our food out of the country, put our farmers out of business.’ It is totally different than what it was six months ago.”
    KUDLOW: “So, nobody really talks much about it, but President Trump has raised $4 or $5 trillion dollars for American investment. He’s gone to the Middle East and so forth. He’ll probably raise, I don’t know, a couple trillion dollars more. I’m just guessing, but that’s part of the deal. The tax changes, the tax policy coming out of the Ways and Means Committee will provide incentives for those people who invest in the United States. So, there’s a tide of onshoring that seems to be coming not only from foreign relations and trade relations, but also just tax incentive relations. Where, you know, this is unheard of. This is unseen. It all goes hand in glove. Trump is taking advantage of this. What do you make of it? Can it all pass the Senate? I guess that’s my final thought. Is it gonna get through the Senate?”
    TUBERVILLE: “Well, all the tax incentives normally come from the states, in which they still do. President Trump’s doing it on a national level. You know, the Opportunity Zones, all those things that he’s put into place. But right now, they’re negotiating [potential reforms to] Medicare, Medicaid, all the things that everybody are a little bit worried about. But always remember this—there’s really, as we’ve looked at all this, it’s all about reform. We have algorithms now that can go into the Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid that can be hooked up to these machines that can make sure that we can cut out all this fraud and all this nonsense with people getting on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, that shouldn’t be on it. We’re not in the 20th century. This is the 21st century, and all those things will kick in this year. You don’t hear much talk about AI in that area, but Larry, we will get it passed. It’s gonna be tough. We have to get cuts. We cannot pass a bill that does not have cuts in it. We’ve got to cut back somewhere close to the 2019 budget [spending levels]. And if we don’t do that, I don’t know how we can save the country, but President Trump is all for that, but he wants to do it in the right spot.”
    KUDLOW: “But, Senator Tuberville, you know, able-bodied young men should not be on Medicaid. They should not be on Medicaid and the expansion of eligibility. So that’s not a cut really, sir. That’s enforcing the eligibility mandate, which Barack Obama tried to break. Now you all have a chance to put it back together again. And Medicaid is still gonna grow significantly. It’s just gonna grow by slightly less. It’s not really a cut. It’s just a slowdown in the phenomenal, bankrupting growth.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Well, illegals are on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Everything that goes along with people that, as you said, are sitting around at home, watching The View on television, getting [EBT] cards, food stamps, and on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid—that’s got to be over with. Our country is not gonna make it. We cannot afford [for] that to happen, and President Trump is all about that. That’s what the House is pushing very hard. All the reforms that you just talked about have to be in there, but we cannot afford to take care of the world. Let’s take care of the people in this country first and then we might be able to help outside our borders.”
    KUDLOW: “Actually, [if] we cut taxes and spending and have an investment-led boom and onshoring, the rest of the world might copy us. That’s what happened under Reagan. Anyway, Senator Tommy Tommy Tuberville. Thank you, sir, as always. We appreciate your wisdom.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Appointment of new Non-Executive Director

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    13 May 2025

    Appointment of new Non-Executive Director

    Admiral Group plc (“Admiral”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Paola Bonomo as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 12 May 2025.

    Paola brings with her a wealth of international leadership experience in strategy, digital technology, and transformation. She spent 14 years in strategy consulting with McKinsey, specialising in technology and telecommunications. Paola spent 10 years in operational leadership roles in digital, including senior positions at eBay, Vodafone, and, latterly, Facebook where Paola was the Global Marketing Solutions Regional Director for Southern Europe.

    Paola was a Non-Executive Director of AXA Assicurazioni S.p.A., the Italian operating entity of the AXA Group, from 2014 until April 2025 and had been a member of its Audit, Internal Control and Risk, and Remuneration Committees.

    Paola is currently a Non-Executive Director of FAAC S.p.A., an international group providing access automation, parking and access control solutions. Further, Paola is a Non-Executive Director of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. (INWIT), the leading Italian telecommunications tower operator. Further, Paola serves as Vice Chair of Italian Angels for Growth, where she is an angel investor and advisor to digital startups.

    Paola has extensive board experience in both public and private companies, holding recent Non-Executive Director roles in a number of digital, telecoms, and retail companies. Paola has recently been a Non-Executive Director of Telecom Italia, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, where she chaired the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, stepping down in 2024. She was a Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit Committee at Crystal Peak Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company listed on Euronext Amsterdam, leaving this position in 2023. Paola was also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees at Piquadro S.p.A., a fashion group operating a portfolio with brands Piquadro, The Bridge and Lancel, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, leaving in 2022.

    Paola holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a degree in business administration from Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Italy.

    Mike Rogers, Chair of the Admiral Board, said:
    “I am pleased to appoint Paola to the Board. She has significant knowledge of the international financial services sector and extensive experience in digital transformation, gained whilst working for several well-known consumer-facing brands. Paola has achieved a lot of success in her executive and non-executive roles, and I believe that her insights will prove valuable as the Group continues to deliver against its strategy.”

    Paola Bonomo, incoming Non-Executive Director, said: 
    “I am honoured to be joining Admiral’s Board. Admiral has established itself as a leading personal lines insurer in the UK by focusing on data to better understand and anticipate customers’ needs. I am looking forward to working with the rest of the Board and the management team to support the Group’s ambition to deliver long-term sustainable growth in its businesses in the UK and Mainland Europe.”

    Milena Mondini de Focatiis, CEO of Admiral Group, said
    “On behalf of all my colleagues I would like to welcome Paola to Admiral. The Group continues to evolve, and I look forward to working with Paola and the rest of the Board to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our growing customer base.”

    Effective on 12 May 2025, Paola will be appointed to the Admiral Group Remuneration Committee. From 12 May 2025 the members of the Remuneration Committee will be Karen Green (Chair), Justine Roberts, Mike Brierley and Paola Bonomo.

    This announcement is made pursuant to Listing Rule 6.4.6R. In accordance with LR 6.4.8R, the Company confirms that there is no further information to be disclosed in terms of LR 6.4.8R (1) to LR 6.4.8R (6) inclusive in respect to Paola Bonomo.

    Notes to Editors

    About Admiral Group
    Admiral Group plc is a leading FTSE 100 financial services company offering motor, household, travel and pet insurance as well as personal lending products. Established in 1993 in the UK, the Group now has offices in Canada, France, Gibraltar, India, Italy, Spain, and the US.

    For further information please contact:

    Media:        
    Addy Frederick                                Addy.Frederick@admiralgroup.co.uk         

    Investors/ Analysts:        
    Diane Michelberger                         InvestorRelationsTeam@admiralgroup.co.uk

    The MIL Network –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Flam raises $14M to scale AI infrastructure for brand and marketing industry globally

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    San Francisco, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Most marketing today still relies on passive consumption over active engagement. In a world where consumer attention is harder to earn than ever, brands are searching for new ways to turn one-way messages into engaging, two-way interactions. Flam is building the infrastructure to make that possible. The company has raised $14 million in Series A funding to scale its AI Infra – making it easy for marketers to turn any touchpoint into an interactive, app-less digital and 3D experience.

    The round was led by RTP Global, with participation from Dovetail and other existing investors, bringing Flam’s total funding to $22 million.

    Flam team: (L to R) CTO Amit Gaiki with founders Shourya Agarwal and Malhar Patil.

    To date, Flam has been transforming advertising by turning traditional ads into interactive MR experiences. A simple QR code Scan or a link will let users instantly immerse in an experience that can showcase a product, tell a story, or unlock a deeper layer of the brand — all without needing to download an app.

    Flam’s platform allowed brands to launch interactive content via QR codes or link on any touchpoint – Digital, Broadcast TV, Mass Media, Retail, OOH, packaging, even WhatsApp messages. One scan or a link click, and consumers are instantly immersed in an experience that can showcase a product, tell a story, or unlock a deeper layer of the brand — all without needing to download an app.

    Starting this year, Flam has been accelerating R&D on its app-less GenAI infrastructure that enables brands to create, publish and measure high-fidelity MR, 3D & Digital experiences in <300 ms on any smartphone. The same infra already powers campaigns for Google, Samsung, Emirates and hundreds of global enterprises and agency powerhouses.

    “Our mission is to turn every touch-point — Digital, Broadcast TV, Mass Media, Retail, Stadium Fan engagements —into an interactive digital experience,” said Shourya Agarwal, co-founder & CEO of Flam. “We are laser focused  to ship the GenAI tools that brands and enterprises have been yearning for. Flam has galvanised marketers around the world now we’re taking it to the next level with a full stack enterprise suite of products across channels; to make them engaging, measurable, interactive.

    The platform is already being used by 100+ global brands including Google, Samsung, Emirates, Britannia, and Mahindra, with real-time mixed reality campaigns that have reached over 380+ million users. From turning product packaging into shareable stories to activating 3D demos on TV ads and billboards, Flam is helping brands create experiences that feel native to how people consume media today.

    Flam will expand its partner program for creative studios and global platforms, enabling Fortune 500 brands to move from pilot to rapid global roll-out . Upcoming product development includes GenAI-driven 3D asset generation, Democratising MR deployment at scale, Enterprise Suite of Products across Industries, and Infrastructure for broadcasters and fan engagement.

    With its Series A secured, Flam aims to redefine how consumers interact with ads, retail aisles, live broadcasts and fan moments—turning content and interfaces into shoppable, shareable experiences that deliver measurable ROI. 

    “This capital unlocks the next chapter of Flam’s deep‑tech roadmap. Our edge‑compute architecture already streams hyperreal mixed‑reality in under 300 ms; the next milestone is a fully generative pipeline that lets brands create, personalise, and publish Digital & 3D experiences on the fly—secure and at scale” Amit Gaiki, co‑founder & CTO added.

    Nishit Garg, Partner at RTP Global commented: “The time for MR is now — and Flam is uniquely positioned to lead this wave. What excites us is not just the technology, but the clarity of vision and speed of execution. Shourya, Malhar and team are building a category-defining company—and we’re excited to be part of their journey in this next phase of growth”. While, Amal Parikh, Managing Director at Dovetail added: “With Limitless applications, strong execution and clear vision we believe Flam is set to redefine how brands connect with consumers” said 

    Flam currently employs 120+ people across engineering, AI, creative tech, and go-to-market teams. The company expects to grow to 180+ employees by the end of 2025, with expansion across the U.S., Europe, and Asia already underway.

    “The World is meant to be experienced. Immersive media shouldn’t just be a video,” added Shourya Agarwal. “That said, the creation of immersive media should be as easy and ubiquitous as a video. Flam is here to power enterprises precisely for this.”

    Ends 

    Media images can be found here. 

    About Flam
    Founded in 2021 by BITS Pilani Alumni, Shourya Agarwal, Malhar Patil, Amit Gaiki, Flam is building a full-stack enterprise suite of GenAI-powered products to redefine how brands engage with audiences. 

    Headquartered in San Francisco in the US and Bengaluru in India, Flam empowers brands, broadcasters, and enterprises to turn any touchpoint—across digital, television, retail, and live events—into interactive, measurable, and engaging gateways. For more information, visit www.flamapp.ai 

    About RTP Global
    RTP Global is an early-stage venture capital firm, backing the founders who use technology to reimagine how the world works. Since 2000, RTP Global has made over 150+ investments worldwide, with one in 10 becoming multi-billion dollar companies and one in 20 publicly trading at over $10bn. Notable investments include Datadog, DeliveryHero, Cred and SumUp. RTP Global has offices in New York, London, Paris, Dubai and Bangalore. For more information on RTP Global, visit www.rtp.vc

    The MIL Network –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lim Cosmic Rhapsody: this orchestral journey to outer space aims to deliver hope amid global crisis – but falls short

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gavin Williams, Lecturer in Music, King’s College London

    On the evening of May 5, I took my seat in London’s Barbican Centre to experience a programme of interplanetary music. The concert began with the world premiere of Lim Cosmic Rhapsody, a piece by composer Manu Martin, and ended with Gustav Holst’s The Planets (completed in 1916 and first performed in 1920). Athwart these large orchestral works, lasting about 50 minutes each, lay a century’s worth of knowledge about space and music.

    Lim Cosmic Rhapsody is a piano concerto, which aspires to tell, according to the work’s creative director Susan Lim, a “compelling story of climate change and humanity’s search for solutions beyond Earth”. Following the premiere, the piece has been released as an album.

    Its first performance saw celebrated pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet command the stage in an iridescent dark-blue jacket and crystal-encrusted black slippers. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Robert Ziegler, was excellent and extended for the occasion by a huge choir drawn from the City of London Choir and London Voices, together with duduk (a type of flute), theremin (an electronic instrument), a drum kit and electric guitar and bass.

    Additional vocal stylings were supplied by Matthieu Eymard and Britain’s Got Talent 2023 finalist Tom Ball. They jointly closed the concerto with a rock-inspired number celebrating human-alien hybrids.

    But it began, with stern minor blows from the piano and an orchestral flurry reminiscent of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. They were intended to conjure up, as the programme notes explained, a “futuristic space lab in California in 2035”.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The notes told us to expect the “arrival of a Humanimate” – an apparently friendly alien with an “expanded genetic code” containing human and “inanimate” elements. Cue oohs and aahs from the choir. The overall effect was that of a Hollywood soundtrack by James Horner, the composer for Titanic and Avatar.

    Using the orchestra to tell stories is an established practice in contemporary film music, and in an earlier tradition of 19th-century programme music. The idea of using orchestral music to narrate global, environmental stories is, however, relatively new — an early example being Michael Abel’s Global Warming (1990), which juxtaposes musical idioms from across the world.

    More recent orchestral works in this area, by contrast, tend to avoid “symphonising” the climate crisis – melding together musical differences into optimistic stories about “humanity” overcoming Earth – by sounding out specific ecologies under threat.

    In Lim Cosmic Rhapsody, music and story are tightly woven, as in film music. But without the visual dimension, the story is hard to follow. I have reconstructed the following from the album pre-recorded by the record label Decca and released to coincide with the premiere.

    The story of the concert follows a purple alpaca named Lavvy, brought back to life by a 3D printer, who guides a delegation from Earth to her homeland on a far-off planet, known as Purple Cave. A Song of a Lost Tribe pays tribute to the indigene-alpaca and her kind. Composed by Indian songwriter Joi Barua and orchestrated by Manu, it sets a melody in the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute (here expertly played by Andrew Findon), against slow-burn motor rhythms and faux-ethnic chanting.

    We arrive at the Purple Cave. A martial beat recalls Darth Vader but soon dissolves into an uplifting riff, as Lavvy the resurrected alpaca prepares for her immortalisation. At the work’s peak, she obligingly blows herself up, becoming Star Among the Cosmic Clouds (a twinkling piano Alberti bass paints the scene) and releasing life-saving purple dust to rescue the Earthlings.

    Star Among Cosmic Clouds from Lim Cosmic Rhapsody.

    The work was conceived by Singaporean composer and surgeon Susan Lim in the early days of lockdown from the ski slopes of Courchevel, France. In this moment of global crisis, she found hope in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flight, that delivered Nasa astronauts to the International Space Station in May 2020.

    Lim prepared for the event by releasing a carefully timed animated tweet that caught the attention of SpaceX’s owner Elon Musk. He replied with a quote from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody: “Open your eyes, look up to the skies.”

    From this digital acorn, the Alan trilogy, of which Lim Cosmic Rhapsody is the second instalment, was born and continues to grow. A third part, Lim Symphony of the Oceans, is on the way.

    Creativity and privilege

    The series’ large creative team includes distinguished artists but is clearly led by Lim and other medics who have “never created art before” (according to the album’s liner notes). This speaks to the money and the power behind the project, together with the ego and eccentricity of its creative director.

    Beyond this work’s neocolonial fantasy of an exploding alpaca, it also speaks to the privilege of those who can afford to indulge in implausibly optimistic stories of technocratic overcoming. I was reminded of Indian writer Amitav Ghosh’s argument for the need for new ways to narrate the climate crisis as an urgent problem of human understanding. The combination of music and story on offer here was a serious misstep in this regard.

    It was a relief to step back a hundred years in music history and listen with fresh ears, in the second half of the concert, to Gustav Holst’s orchestral take on the galaxy, produced during another time of global crisis, the first world war, albeit on more slender means. Holst’s astrology-inspired suite felt imaginative, fresh and crisp in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s thoroughly committed performance.

    As I transitioned from the cosmic clouds and back into the city fumes, ecological questions hung in the air. But not the questions the creators of Lim Cosmic Rhapsody might have hoped (how to save humanity? will science save the day? where to start space mining?) but rather that of the music’s own ecological footprint.

    Conspicuous in this last respect was the mindless printing of hundreds of 33rpm records of the work, given away as party favours during a champagne reception before the concert and during the interval. How many times will these records, pressed from fresh plastics derived from oil, be played? Given the large stack left on the table at the end of the evening, I suspect some may never be played even once.

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

    – ref. Lim Cosmic Rhapsody: this orchestral journey to outer space aims to deliver hope amid global crisis – but falls short – https://theconversation.com/lim-cosmic-rhapsody-this-orchestral-journey-to-outer-space-aims-to-deliver-hope-amid-global-crisis-but-falls-short-256384

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 14, 2025

  • PM Modi hails armed forces’ heroism, says India’s response to terror will be on its own terms

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the Air Force Station at Adampur on Monday, hailed the valour and professionalism of the armed forces, declaring that the success of Operation Sindoor had sent a strong and irreversible message to India’s enemies: the country will respond to terror and provocation decisively, on its own terms.
     
    Addressing air warriors and soldiers, PM Modi said the chant of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ was not just a slogan, but a solemn pledge taken by every soldier and citizen to serve and protect the nation. “This slogan is not mere words—it is a vow. It is the voice that echoes from the battlefield, the roar that follows our missiles, and the resolve that terrifies our enemies,” he said.
     
    Referring to the recent military operation, the Prime Minister said the country’s armed forces had demonstrated exceptional courage and capability. “The success of Operation Sindoor is not just a military achievement—it is a reflection of India’s policy, intent and decisive power,” he said, adding that the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy had acted in perfect coordination to dismantle terror networks deep within Pakistani territory.
     
    He asserted that Indian drones and missiles had struck with such precision and force that the enemy was left stunned. “In just 20-25 minutes, our forces hit their targets with absolute accuracy. The enemy never saw it coming,” he said.
     
    PM Modi revealed that the operation destroyed nine major terrorist hideouts and eliminated over 100 terrorists. “The masterminds of terrorism must now understand that provoking India will lead only to one consequence—total destruction,” he said. He also praised the restraint and responsibility shown by the armed forces during the operation, especially while Pakistan used civilian aircraft to shield its military infrastructure. “Our soldiers operated with precision and caution, upholding both strength and humanity,” he said.
     
    Calling Operation Sindoor a turning point in India’s defence posture, the Prime Minister said the country’s response to future provocations would be guided by three clear principles. “First, if India is attacked, the response will be on our terms. Second, we will not tolerate nuclear blackmail. Third, we will make no distinction between terrorist masterminds and the governments that shelter them,” he said.
     
    He underlined that the Pakistani army, which had long harboured terrorists, had been decisively pushed back. “There is no safe haven left for them. India will strike them in their own territory if necessary,” PM Modi said, adding that the success of Operation Sindoor had not only neutralised threats but also shattered the morale of the enemy.
     
    Addressing the personnel from the Air Force, Navy, Army, and the Border Security Force, PM Modi said, “You have filled every Indian’s heart with pride. The entire country stood with you, praying and supporting your mission. It is because of you that every Indian walks taller today.”
     
    He also paid tribute to India’s military tradition, invoking the legacy of Guru Gobind Singh. “He said, ‘I will make one warrior fight against 125,000… I will make sparrows defeat hawks.’ That spirit lives on in every Indian soldier,” he said.
     
    PM Modi acknowledged the technological edge India has built over the years, crediting the past decade’s reforms and acquisitions for strengthening the armed forces. “Today, the Indian military has some of the most advanced systems in the world. With the Akash missile systems and S-400 air defence platforms, our borders are secure, and our enemies have been forced to retreat,” he said.
     
    He added that India’s modern warfare now extends beyond traditional firepower. “We don’t just fight with weapons anymore—we fight with data, with drones, with intelligence. Our forces have mastered this new battlefield,” he said.
     
    The Prime Minister emphasized that while the current military action has been paused in response to Pakistan’s appeal, India’s forces remain fully alert. “Let me be clear—if there is any further provocation or attack, India’s response will be swift, firm, and uncompromising,” he said.
     
    PM Modi urged the armed forces to continue their vigilance. “This is a new India—an India that seeks peace but will not hesitate to strike back if humanity is threatened,” he said.
    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Starlink’s partnership strategy will benefit both telco expansion and underserved customers in India and Africa, observes GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Starlink’s partnership strategy will benefit both telco expansion and underserved customers in India and Africa, observes GlobalData

    Posted in Technology

    Airtel Africa is the latest in the line of telecoms operators partnering with LEO (low-earth orbit) operator Starlink to expand its reach and services. The deal was facilitated by parent company Bharti Airtel, which struck its own agreement with Starlink in India in March. The tie-up between Airtel and Starlink will benefit both companies as well as enterprise customers and businesses, pending regulatory approval in India and five African markets within Airtel Africa’s footprint markets where Starlink is not yet currently licensed, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Ismail Patel, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Technology and Services at GlobalData, comments: “For Starlink, partnering with telcos will give it access to points of sale on the ground as it competes with other LEO satellite systems that are vying for position globally. For telcos like Airtel, Starlink can help expand its reach to business customers with rural presence, educational institutions, health centers, logistical firms, agricultural and mining workers, remote tourist hotspots, and others generally requiring a more robust quality of service. There is also an opportunity for the Airtels of both India and Africa to improve their cellular backhaul through Starlink.”

    GlobalData analysis revealed the massive micro, small, and medium business opportunity in India, with roughly similar metrics for the African markets where Airtel operates. Airtel Africa and Starlink partnership has the potential to increase digitalization in rural and semi-rural regions in the 14 countries where Airtel Africa operates, especially for micro, small, and medium businesses.

    In India, the Confederation of Indian Industry states that of 63 million MSMEs in the country, over 51% are based in rural areas. Fixed broadband penetration of household units in India stood at just 9% as of end-2024, according to GlobalData.

    Patel concludes: “Starlink is trying to get a foothold in the global market with a clever combination of D2C and B2B strategies. It already has struck several partnerships with operators in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and Ukraine. It wants to maximize the head start it has on its rivals – like Amazon Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, Telesat Lightspeed, and Eutelsat OneWeb (which itself is partly owned by Bharti Airtel) – that are at various stages of deployment and geographical breadth.

    “Competition is expected to heat up rapidly as telcos and satellite vendors will be striking a myriad of partnerships with one another to boost connectivity, which will only serve to benefit business and enterprise customers more. With this backdrop, those telcos and LEOs who stand to gain the most are those who get their foot in the door before others and leverage their first-mover advantage.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Asian American became a racial grouping – and why many with Asian roots don’t identify with the term these days

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Ho, Professor of Asian American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

    People gather for a rally in New York on March 16, 2023, to protest racism against Asian Americans. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    For the first time, in 1990, May was officially designated as a month honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. Though the current U.S. administration recently withdrew federal recognition, the month continues to be celebrated by a wide array of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

    People from the Pacific Islands have their own distinct histories and issues, delineated in part by a specific geography. Yet when we refer to the even broader category of Asian Americans, a concept with a deep yet often unknown history, who exactly are we referring to?

    There are nearly 25 million people of Asian descent who live in the United States, but the term Asian American remains shrouded by cultural misunderstanding and contested as a term among Asians themselves.

    As a professor of Asian American studies, I believe it is important to understand how the label came into being.

    A long history of Asian people in America

    The arrival of people from Asia to the U.S. long predates the country’s founding in 1776.

    After visits to modern-day America that began in the late 16th century, Filipino sailors formed – as early as 1763 – what is believed to be the first Asian settlement in St. Malo, Louisiana.

    But it wasn’t until the 1849 California Gold Rush that Asian immigration to the U.S. – from China – began on a mass scale. That was bolstered in the 1860s by Chinese laborers recruited to build the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

    Starting toward the end of the 19th century, Japanese immigration steadily picked up, so that by 1910 the U.S. Census records a similar number for both communities – just over 70,000. Likewise, a small number of South Asian immigrants began arriving in the early 1900s.

    An exclusionary backlash

    Yet after coming to the U.S. in search of economic and political opportunities, Asian laborers in America were met by a surge of white nativist hostility and violence. That reaction was codified in civil society groups and government laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.

    By 1924, federal law had expanded into a virtual ban on all Asian immigration, and through the first half of the 20th century, a multitude of anti-Asian laws targeted areas including naturalization, marriage and housing, among others.

    In 1933, Chinese Americans in Sacramento, Calif., protested against deportations of Asian people and for higher unemployment insurance benefits.
    Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

    From the start, people from Asian countries in the U.S. were generally identified broadly with identifiers such as “Oriental,” a common term at the time mostly for those from China, Japan and Korea.

    As more Asians came to the U.S, other terms were used to denigrate and demean these new immigrants, whose physical appearance, language and cultural norms were distinctly different from their Euro-American neighbors.

    ‘Asian American’ and the birth of a movement

    The desire to claim America was one of the drivers for activists in the 1960s to create the concept of Asian American that we know today.

    The movement began in the charged political context of anti-Vietnam War protests and the Civil Rights Movement for Black equality. Students of Asian heritage at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley were organizing for the establishment of ethnic studies classes, specifically those that centered on the histories of Asians in the U.S.

    Rejecting the term “oriental” as too limiting and exotic, since oriental literally means “from the East,” the student activists wanted a term of empowerment that would include the Filipino, Chinese, Korean and Japanese students at the heart of this organizing. Graduate students Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka came up with “Asian American” as a way to bring activists under one radical organizing umbrella, forming the Asian American Political Alliance in 1968.

    A contested term

    Today, the Asian American label has moved beyond its activist roots. The term might literally refer to anyone who traces their lineage from the whole of the Asian continent. This could include people from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka to parts of West Asia like Syria, Lebanon or Iran.

    Yet not all people who identify as Asian actually use the words Asian American, since it is a term that flattens ethnic specificity and lumps together people with as disparate of backgrounds as Hmong or Bangladeshi, for example.

    A 2023 Pew Research Center survey of self-identified Asian adults living in the U.S. revealed that only 16% of people polled said they identified as “Asian American,” with a majority – 52% – preferring ethnic Asian labels, either alone or in tandem with “American.”

    Chinese immigrants play cards while waiting to be called in the immigration offices in New York in the 1940s.
    Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

    Moreover, unlike the student activists who worked together through their shared Asian American identity, the majority of people of Asian descent living in the U.S. came after the 1965 Immigration Act was passed, which ended all prior anti-Asian immigration laws. This, combined with a subsequent wave of Asian immigration from parts of Asia not represented in the past – including Vietnam, Taiwan and Pakistan – means that most Asian Americans alive today are either immigrants or one generation removed from immigrants.

    As a largely immigrant and recently Americanized group, many Asians therefore may not relate to the struggles of an earlier history of Asians in the U.S. That may contribute to why many don’t connect with the term “Asian American.” Korean immigrants, for instance, may not see their history connected with third-generation Japanese Americans, particularly when considering their homelands have been in conflict for decades.

    For some, Asian American is too broad a term to capture the complexity of Asian-heritage Americans.

    Indeed, Asian Americans come from over 30 countries with different languages, diverse cultures, and histories that have often been in conflict with other Asian nations. Within such a broad grouping as “Asian American,” a wide range of political, socioeconomic, religious and other differences emerge that greatly complicate this racial label.

    Even though the term remains contested, many Asians still see value in the concept. Much like the activists who first created the label in the 1960s, many believe it signifies a sense of solidarity and community among people who – despite their many differences – have been treated like outsiders to the American experience, regardless of how American their roots are.

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

    – ref. How Asian American became a racial grouping – and why many with Asian roots don’t identify with the term these days – https://theconversation.com/how-asian-american-became-a-racial-grouping-and-why-many-with-asian-roots-dont-identify-with-the-term-these-days-255578

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Army kills three militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW DELHI, May 13 (Xinhua) — The Indian army said on Tuesday it killed three militants in a gunfight in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

    The shootout, according to the military, took place in a forested area of Shopian district, about 75 km south of the city of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

    The military did not reveal the identities of the killed militants. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Using TheirStory to Help Tell Our Stories

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn professor and Associate Director of Africana Studies, Fiona Vernal, is making strides to preserve oral histories from Connecticut communities using a platform called TheirStory.

    TheirStory is an oral history platform and was created during the pandemic. CEO Zack Ellis founded the company as a way to preserve his own family histories.

    The platform has grown since its inception and is supported by a nationwide network of universities and historical organizations from UConn to UCLA. It has features to take people through every step of the process of oral history preservation. Users can record, transcribe, index, organize and more to tailor and share their oral histories.

    “There are many, many ways that you can record. Recording has never been the problem when it comes to collecting stories. It’s always what happens after you record,” says Vernal.  “How do you transcribe it? How do you share it? How do you produce it? How do you package it for preservation? TheirStory fits into that ecosystem by providing the last 50% of the miles that you need for processing.”

    Vernal began working with Ellis and TheirStory in 2022. She was working on a project in Hartford on West Indian, African American, and Puerto Rican migrations to the city and received a call from Ellis. “I had been doing oral histories, but experiencing the same bottlenecks as everyone does,” says Vernal. “I ran my oral histories through TheirStory, and I was a convert immediately.”

    “I had a vision for how to share this resource with other folks who were doing the same kind of work,” Vernal says. “If you don’t have a good way to process and generate a transcript, an index and a summary, it’s very difficult to do anything. And it was my mission to try and change that landscape.”

    A State with Many Stories to Tell 

    Vernal and UConn began a partnership with Connecticut Humanities a year later. Vernal scaled her use of the platform from a personal level to a statewide collaboration between UConn, Connecticut Humanities, and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

    “One of the things that the UConn strategic plan does is that it forces us, as faculty, to figure out what statewide service we can provide to citizens,” Vernal says. “As a state entity, we owe it to the citizens, right? I take it as a serious charge and responsibility that UConn should be benefiting the state.”

    Vernal credits Connecticut Humanities for helping expand her individual license as a researcher into a state license for anyone in Connecticut. The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History also helped expand this program into a statewide initiative, “Not just in terms of visibility, but also in terms of service,” says Vernal.

    The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History had a COVID-era oral history project about the impact of the pandemic on the state. “They were at the beginning of a new oral history project that was more expansive, and not just focused on COVID, so it made sense for them to be our partners as well,” Vernal says.

    The state license for oral history gives everyone in the state free access to the platform. It gives museums, libraries, students, community organizations and more the ability to learn more and utilize information on oral histories around the state.

    One of the pilot projects UConn and Vernal worked on included an oral history project for the Connecticut River Museum’s 50th anniversary. Another was for the Mather Homestead in Darien, “Which involves a house museum connected to the Mather lineage of Increase and Cotton Mather in the 1600s,” says Vernal. The Mather family donated their home to become a museum, and they wanted to gather oral histories of the family for the archives.

    Vernal also worked with the Windsor Historical Society, “which was looking at African American civic engagement in the town of Windsor, and also celebrating its own hundredth anniversary,” Vernal says.

    Connecticut is rich in both history and communities with rich traditions, as the projects Vernal has been involved with demonstrate. At the Enfield Historical Society, there is an exhibition about African American Heritage. In Bloomfield, an exhibit on the town’s African American, Jewish and West Indian heritage will premiere in September 2025. The Caribbean Heritage Museum will open in October to overlap with Founders Day at the West Indian Social Club of Hartford.

    “They are my longest-running collaborators,” says Vernal. “I’ve been collaborating with them since I was in graduate school, and they’re going to lend me a segment of the club to transform it into a permanent gallery for a Caribbean Heritage Museum. Folks can come and have that experience and figure out why Connecticut has West Indians as the largest foreign-born population.”  It will be the first Caribbean Heritage Museum in the Northeast.

    ‘History is Unfolding Now’

    Since activating the state license for the platform, Vernal and UConn have reported 107 projects signed up on TheirStory. Of those, about 50% are active, which means that people working on those stories are actively doing interviews and processing oral histories. “We thought we would get 50, and we’ve more than doubled that,” says Vernal. “For me, that’s been a resounding success.”

    For people who want to share their own stories, Vernal describes the process as “frictionless.” “If you know how to use Zoom, then the barriers to entry are very low,” she says. “You get a link, curate your background for lighting and make sure you look the way you want to look, and then you can focus on being the center of attention for the moment without having to worry about controls.” The people at TheirStory and UConn take care of all the logistical matters, while participating individuals are only responsible for sharing their history.

    Vernal is not worried about people fabricating their stories on the platform. “My mantra is that everyone is an expert in their own life story,” she says. “They might not be an expert into the statistical significance of their experiences, but they’re certainly an expert in their own life experiences and their own emotions.”

    The access to these stories is something Vernal is excited about. “We have the State Historical Society, which is well-staffed, and then we have something like the Wintonbury Historical Society, which is all volunteer. So organizations that are poorly staffed or well-endowed can all use this platform and move forward with building up their collection,” says Vernal. “I like that leveling effect, because that’s what investment in infrastructure should do. It should make it possible that no matter what your entry point is, no matter what your size is, you’re getting the skills, training and software that you need to be successful in your specific mission. Whether you’re the kid who wants to interview your parent or you are the organization that wants to do 500 oral histories, you both get exactly what you need to be successful.

    “I want to make the official case for oral histories as a way to build inclusive collections that help you document the ‘now.’ UConn has a tradition of robust support for oral history; this is part of our roots and our heritage,” says Vernal. “Organizations are obsessed with documents from the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s and the 1900s. History is unfolding now, we’re living through historic times now. We need to document these stories in real time, and oral histories can do that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    May 13, 2025

    PRESS RELEASE

    Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    New features include Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access, and Accessibility Reader; plus innovative updates to Live Listen, visionOS, Personal Voice, and more

    CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced new accessibility features coming later this year, including Accessibility Nutrition Labels, which will provide more detailed information for apps and games on the App Store. Users who are blind or have low vision can explore, learn, and interact using the new Magnifier app for Mac; take notes and perform calculations with the new Braille Access feature; and leverage the powerful camera system of Apple Vision Pro with new updates to visionOS. Additional announcements include Accessibility Reader, a new systemwide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind, along with updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, Vehicle Motion Cues, and more. Leveraging the power of Apple silicon — along with advances in on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence — users will experience a new level of accessibility across the Apple ecosystem.

    “At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”

    “Building on 40 years of accessibility innovation at Apple, we are dedicated to pushing forward with new accessibility features for all of our products,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “Powered by the Apple ecosystem, these features work seamlessly together to bring users new ways to engage with the things they care about most.”

    Accessibility Nutrition Labels Come to the App Store

    Accessibility Nutrition Labels bring a new section to App Store product pages that will highlight accessibility features within apps and games. These labels give users a new way to learn if an app will be accessible to them before they download it, and give developers the opportunity to better inform and educate their users on features their app supports. This includes VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, captions, and more. Accessibility Nutrition Labels will be available on the App Store worldwide, and developers can access more guidance on the criteria apps should meet before displaying accessibility information on their product pages.

    “Accessibility Nutrition Labels are a huge step forward for accessibility,” said Eric Bridges, the American Foundation for the Blind’s president and CEO. “Consumers deserve to know if a product or service will be accessible to them from the very start, and Apple has a long-standing history of delivering tools and technologies that allow developers to build experiences for everyone. These labels will give people with disabilities a new way to easily make more informed decisions and make purchases with a new level of confidence.”

    An All-New Magnifier for Mac

    Since 2016, Magnifier on iPhone and iPad has given users who are blind or have low vision tools to zoom in, read text, and detect objects around them. This year, Magnifier is coming to Mac to make the physical world more accessible for users with low vision. The Magnifier app for Mac connects to a user’s camera so they can zoom in on their surroundings, such as a screen or whiteboard. Magnifier works with Continuity Camera on iPhone as well as attached USB cameras, and supports reading documents using Desk View.

    With multiple live session windows, users can multitask by viewing a presentation with a webcam while simultaneously following along in a book using Desk View. With customized views, users can adjust brightness, contrast, color filters, and even perspective to make text and images easier to see. Views can also be captured, grouped, and saved to add to later on. Additionally, Magnifier for Mac is integrated with another new accessibility feature, Accessibility Reader, which transforms text from the physical world into a custom legible format.

    A New Braille Experience

    Braille Access is an all-new experience that turns iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a full-featured braille note taker that’s deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem. With a built-in app launcher, users can easily open any app by typing with Braille Screen Input or a connected braille device. With Braille Access, users can quickly take notes in braille format and perform calculations using Nemeth Braille, a braille code often used in classrooms for math and science. Users can open Braille Ready Format (BRF) files directly from Braille Access, unlocking a wide range of books and files previously created on a braille note taking device. And an integrated form of Live Captions allows users to transcribe conversations in real time directly on braille displays.

    Introducing Accessibility Reader

    Accessibility Reader is a new systemwide reading mode designed to make text easier to read for users with a wide range of disabilities, such as dyslexia or low vision. Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro, Accessibility Reader gives users new ways to customize text and focus on content they want to read, with extensive options for font, color, and spacing, as well as support for Spoken Content. Accessibility Reader can be launched from any app, and is built into the Magnifier app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, so users can interact with text in the real world, like in books or on dining menus.

    Live Captions Arrive on Apple Watch

    For users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Live Listen controls come to Apple Watch with a new set of features, including real-time Live Captions. Live Listen turns iPhone into a remote microphone to stream content directly to AirPods, Made for iPhone hearing aids, or Beats headphones. When a session is active on iPhone, users can view Live Captions of what their iPhone hears on a paired Apple Watch while listening along to the audio. Apple Watch serves as a remote control to start or stop Live Listen sessions, or jump back in a session to capture something that may have been missed. With Apple Watch, Live Listen sessions can be controlled from across the room, so there’s no need to get up in the middle of a meeting or during class. Live Listen can be used along with hearing health features available on AirPods Pro 2, including the first-of-its-kind clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature.

    An Enhanced View with Apple Vision Pro

    For users who are blind or have low vision, visionOS will expand vision accessibility features using the advanced camera system on Apple Vision Pro. With powerful updates to Zoom, users can magnify everything in view — including their surroundings — using the main camera. For VoiceOver users, Live Recognition in visionOS uses on-device machine learning to describe surroundings, find objects, read documents, and more.1 For accessibility developers, a new API will enable approved apps to access the main camera to provide live, person-to-person assistance for visual interpretation in apps like Be My Eyes, giving users more ways to understand their surroundings hands-free.

    Additional Updates

    • Background Sounds becomes easier to personalize with new EQ settings, the option to stop automatically after a period of time, and new actions for automations in Shortcuts. Background Sounds can help minimize distractions to increase a sense of focus and relaxation, which some users find can help with symptoms of tinnitus.
    • For users at risk of losing their ability to speak, Personal Voice becomes faster, easier, and more powerful than ever, leveraging advances in on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a smoother, more natural-sounding voice in less than a minute, using only 10 recorded phrases. Personal Voice will also add support for Spanish (Mexico).2
    • Vehicle Motion Cues, which can help reduce motion sickness when riding in a moving vehicle, comes to Mac, along with new ways to customize the animated onscreen dots on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
    • Eye Tracking users on iPhone and iPad will now have the option to use a switch or dwell to make selections. Keyboard typing when using Eye Tracking or Switch Control is now easier on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro with improvements including a new keyboard dwell timer, reduced steps when typing with switches, and enabling QuickPath for iPhone and Vision Pro.
    • With Head Tracking, users will be able to more easily control iPhone and iPad with head movements, similar to Eye Tracking.
    • For users with severe mobility disabilities, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS will add a new protocol to support Switch Control for Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), an emerging technology that allows users to control their device without physical movement.
    • Assistive Access adds a new custom Apple TV app with a simplified media player. Developers will also get support in creating tailored experiences for users with intellectual and developmental disabilities using the Assistive Access API.
    • Music Haptics on iPhone becomes more customizable with the option to experience haptics for a whole song or for vocals only, as well as the option to adjust the overall intensity of taps, textures, and vibrations.
    • Sound Recognition adds Name Recognition, a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to know when their name is being called.
    • Voice Control introduces a new programming mode in Xcode for software developers with limited mobility. Voice Control also adds vocabulary syncing across devices, and will expand language support to include Korean, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Turkish, Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan), English (Singapore), and Russian.
    • Live Captions adds support to include English (India, Australia, UK, Singapore), Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong), Spanish (Latin America, Spain), French (France, Canada), Japanese, German (Germany), and Korean.
    • Updates to CarPlay include support for Large Text. With updates to Sound Recognition in CarPlay, drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing can now be notified of the sound of a crying baby, in addition to sounds outside the car such as horns and sirens.
    • Share Accessibility Settings is a new way for users to quickly and temporarily share their accessibility settings with another iPhone or iPad. This is great for borrowing a friend’s device or using a public kiosk in a setting like a cafe.

    Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Apple

    Apple Retail is introducing dedicated tables spotlighting accessibility features on a variety of devices in select store locations throughout the month of May. Additionally, Apple offers accessibility sessions year-round through Today at Apple for deeper learning, tips, and feature customization. Sessions can be scheduled at all Apple Store locations worldwide through Group Booking or by visiting a nearby store.

    Apple Music shares the story of artist Kiddo K and the power of music haptics for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, unveils updates to its Haptics playlists, and launches a brand-new playlist featuring ASL interpretations of music videos alongside Saylists playlists.

    Apple Fitness+ welcomes Chelsie Hill as a guest in a Dance workout with Fitness+ trainer Ben Allen. Hill is a professional dancer and founder of Rolettes, an L.A.-based wheelchair dance team that advocates for disability representation and women’s empowerment. The workout is available now in the Fitness+ app.

    Apple TV+ shares a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Apple Original film Deaf President Now!, which premieres on Apple TV+ on May 16. The documentary tells the story of the greatest civil rights movement most people have never heard about, which unfolded across eight tumultuous days in 1988. At the world’s only Deaf university, four students must find a way to lead an angry mob — and change the course of history.

    Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV, and Apple News will spotlight stories of people with disabilities and those who are working to make the world more accessible for everyone.

    The App Store is sharing a collection of apps and games designed to be accessible to everyone, in addition to featuring the story of Klemens Strasser, a developer guided by a philosophy of making accessible apps and games like The Art of Fauna.

    The Shortcuts app adds Hold That Thought, a shortcut that prompts users to capture and recall information in a note so interruptions don’t derail their flow. The Accessibility Assistant shortcut has been added to Shortcuts on Apple Vision Pro to help recommend accessibility features based on user preferences.

    New videos on the Apple Support accessibility playlist include features like Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues, as well as a library of videos to help everyone personalize their iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro to work best for them.

    About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

    1. Live Recognition should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations, in circumstances where the user may be harmed or injured, or for navigation.
    2. Personal Voice can only be used to create a voice that sounds like the user on device, using their own voice, and for their own personal, noncommercial use.

    Press Contacts

    Will Butler

    Apple

    willbutler@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    May 13, 2025

    PRESS RELEASE

    Apple unveils powerful accessibility features coming later this year

    New features include Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access, and Accessibility Reader; plus innovative updates to Live Listen, visionOS, Personal Voice, and more

    CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced new accessibility features coming later this year, including Accessibility Nutrition Labels, which will provide more detailed information for apps and games on the App Store. Users who are blind or have low vision can explore, learn, and interact using the new Magnifier app for Mac; take notes and perform calculations with the new Braille Access feature; and leverage the powerful camera system of Apple Vision Pro with new updates to visionOS. Additional announcements include Accessibility Reader, a new systemwide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind, along with updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, Vehicle Motion Cues, and more. Leveraging the power of Apple silicon — along with advances in on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence — users will experience a new level of accessibility across the Apple ecosystem.

    “At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”

    “Building on 40 years of accessibility innovation at Apple, we are dedicated to pushing forward with new accessibility features for all of our products,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “Powered by the Apple ecosystem, these features work seamlessly together to bring users new ways to engage with the things they care about most.”

    Accessibility Nutrition Labels Come to the App Store

    Accessibility Nutrition Labels bring a new section to App Store product pages that will highlight accessibility features within apps and games. These labels give users a new way to learn if an app will be accessible to them before they download it, and give developers the opportunity to better inform and educate their users on features their app supports. This includes VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, captions, and more. Accessibility Nutrition Labels will be available on the App Store worldwide, and developers can access more guidance on the criteria apps should meet before displaying accessibility information on their product pages.

    “Accessibility Nutrition Labels are a huge step forward for accessibility,” said Eric Bridges, the American Foundation for the Blind’s president and CEO. “Consumers deserve to know if a product or service will be accessible to them from the very start, and Apple has a long-standing history of delivering tools and technologies that allow developers to build experiences for everyone. These labels will give people with disabilities a new way to easily make more informed decisions and make purchases with a new level of confidence.”

    An All-New Magnifier for Mac

    Since 2016, Magnifier on iPhone and iPad has given users who are blind or have low vision tools to zoom in, read text, and detect objects around them. This year, Magnifier is coming to Mac to make the physical world more accessible for users with low vision. The Magnifier app for Mac connects to a user’s camera so they can zoom in on their surroundings, such as a screen or whiteboard. Magnifier works with Continuity Camera on iPhone as well as attached USB cameras, and supports reading documents using Desk View.

    With multiple live session windows, users can multitask by viewing a presentation with a webcam while simultaneously following along in a book using Desk View. With customized views, users can adjust brightness, contrast, color filters, and even perspective to make text and images easier to see. Views can also be captured, grouped, and saved to add to later on. Additionally, Magnifier for Mac is integrated with another new accessibility feature, Accessibility Reader, which transforms text from the physical world into a custom legible format.

    A New Braille Experience

    Braille Access is an all-new experience that turns iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a full-featured braille note taker that’s deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem. With a built-in app launcher, users can easily open any app by typing with Braille Screen Input or a connected braille device. With Braille Access, users can quickly take notes in braille format and perform calculations using Nemeth Braille, a braille code often used in classrooms for math and science. Users can open Braille Ready Format (BRF) files directly from Braille Access, unlocking a wide range of books and files previously created on a braille note taking device. And an integrated form of Live Captions allows users to transcribe conversations in real time directly on braille displays.

    Introducing Accessibility Reader

    Accessibility Reader is a new systemwide reading mode designed to make text easier to read for users with a wide range of disabilities, such as dyslexia or low vision. Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro, Accessibility Reader gives users new ways to customize text and focus on content they want to read, with extensive options for font, color, and spacing, as well as support for Spoken Content. Accessibility Reader can be launched from any app, and is built into the Magnifier app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, so users can interact with text in the real world, like in books or on dining menus.

    Live Captions Arrive on Apple Watch

    For users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Live Listen controls come to Apple Watch with a new set of features, including real-time Live Captions. Live Listen turns iPhone into a remote microphone to stream content directly to AirPods, Made for iPhone hearing aids, or Beats headphones. When a session is active on iPhone, users can view Live Captions of what their iPhone hears on a paired Apple Watch while listening along to the audio. Apple Watch serves as a remote control to start or stop Live Listen sessions, or jump back in a session to capture something that may have been missed. With Apple Watch, Live Listen sessions can be controlled from across the room, so there’s no need to get up in the middle of a meeting or during class. Live Listen can be used along with hearing health features available on AirPods Pro 2, including the first-of-its-kind clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature.

    An Enhanced View with Apple Vision Pro

    For users who are blind or have low vision, visionOS will expand vision accessibility features using the advanced camera system on Apple Vision Pro. With powerful updates to Zoom, users can magnify everything in view — including their surroundings — using the main camera. For VoiceOver users, Live Recognition in visionOS uses on-device machine learning to describe surroundings, find objects, read documents, and more.1 For accessibility developers, a new API will enable approved apps to access the main camera to provide live, person-to-person assistance for visual interpretation in apps like Be My Eyes, giving users more ways to understand their surroundings hands-free.

    Additional Updates

    • Background Sounds becomes easier to personalize with new EQ settings, the option to stop automatically after a period of time, and new actions for automations in Shortcuts. Background Sounds can help minimize distractions to increase a sense of focus and relaxation, which some users find can help with symptoms of tinnitus.
    • For users at risk of losing their ability to speak, Personal Voice becomes faster, easier, and more powerful than ever, leveraging advances in on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a smoother, more natural-sounding voice in less than a minute, using only 10 recorded phrases. Personal Voice will also add support for Spanish (Mexico).2
    • Vehicle Motion Cues, which can help reduce motion sickness when riding in a moving vehicle, comes to Mac, along with new ways to customize the animated onscreen dots on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
    • Eye Tracking users on iPhone and iPad will now have the option to use a switch or dwell to make selections. Keyboard typing when using Eye Tracking or Switch Control is now easier on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro with improvements including a new keyboard dwell timer, reduced steps when typing with switches, and enabling QuickPath for iPhone and Vision Pro.
    • With Head Tracking, users will be able to more easily control iPhone and iPad with head movements, similar to Eye Tracking.
    • For users with severe mobility disabilities, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS will add a new protocol to support Switch Control for Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs), an emerging technology that allows users to control their device without physical movement.
    • Assistive Access adds a new custom Apple TV app with a simplified media player. Developers will also get support in creating tailored experiences for users with intellectual and developmental disabilities using the Assistive Access API.
    • Music Haptics on iPhone becomes more customizable with the option to experience haptics for a whole song or for vocals only, as well as the option to adjust the overall intensity of taps, textures, and vibrations.
    • Sound Recognition adds Name Recognition, a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to know when their name is being called.
    • Voice Control introduces a new programming mode in Xcode for software developers with limited mobility. Voice Control also adds vocabulary syncing across devices, and will expand language support to include Korean, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Turkish, Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan), English (Singapore), and Russian.
    • Live Captions adds support to include English (India, Australia, UK, Singapore), Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong), Spanish (Latin America, Spain), French (France, Canada), Japanese, German (Germany), and Korean.
    • Updates to CarPlay include support for Large Text. With updates to Sound Recognition in CarPlay, drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing can now be notified of the sound of a crying baby, in addition to sounds outside the car such as horns and sirens.
    • Share Accessibility Settings is a new way for users to quickly and temporarily share their accessibility settings with another iPhone or iPad. This is great for borrowing a friend’s device or using a public kiosk in a setting like a cafe.

    Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Apple

    Apple Retail is introducing dedicated tables spotlighting accessibility features on a variety of devices in select store locations throughout the month of May. Additionally, Apple offers accessibility sessions year-round through Today at Apple for deeper learning, tips, and feature customization. Sessions can be scheduled at all Apple Store locations worldwide through Group Booking or by visiting a nearby store.

    Apple Music shares the story of artist Kiddo K and the power of music haptics for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, unveils updates to its Haptics playlists, and launches a brand-new playlist featuring ASL interpretations of music videos alongside Saylists playlists.

    Apple Fitness+ welcomes Chelsie Hill as a guest in a Dance workout with Fitness+ trainer Ben Allen. Hill is a professional dancer and founder of Rolettes, an L.A.-based wheelchair dance team that advocates for disability representation and women’s empowerment. The workout is available now in the Fitness+ app.

    Apple TV+ shares a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Apple Original film Deaf President Now!, which premieres on Apple TV+ on May 16. The documentary tells the story of the greatest civil rights movement most people have never heard about, which unfolded across eight tumultuous days in 1988. At the world’s only Deaf university, four students must find a way to lead an angry mob — and change the course of history.

    Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV, and Apple News will spotlight stories of people with disabilities and those who are working to make the world more accessible for everyone.

    The App Store is sharing a collection of apps and games designed to be accessible to everyone, in addition to featuring the story of Klemens Strasser, a developer guided by a philosophy of making accessible apps and games like The Art of Fauna.

    The Shortcuts app adds Hold That Thought, a shortcut that prompts users to capture and recall information in a note so interruptions don’t derail their flow. The Accessibility Assistant shortcut has been added to Shortcuts on Apple Vision Pro to help recommend accessibility features based on user preferences.

    New videos on the Apple Support accessibility playlist include features like Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues, as well as a library of videos to help everyone personalize their iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro to work best for them.

    About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

    1. Live Recognition should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations, in circumstances where the user may be harmed or injured, or for navigation.
    2. Personal Voice can only be used to create a voice that sounds like the user on device, using their own voice, and for their own personal, noncommercial use.

    Press Contacts

    Will Butler

    Apple

    willbutler@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pension schemes back British growth

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Pension schemes back British growth

    Mansion House Accord unlocks up to £50 billion investment for the economy, with first commitments to invest in the UK.

    • More ambitious targets than 2023 Mansion House Compact will unlock investment into UK businesses and major infrastructure projects, including clean energy developments. 

    • Comes ahead of Pensions Investment Review final report, which will create megafunds to drive more investment, boost pension pots and grow the economy through the Plan for Change.

    Up to £50 billion of investment for UK businesses and major infrastructure projects is set to be unlocked through a new agreement with Britain’s biggest pension funds, as the Government goes further and faster to drive growth through the Plan for Change.

    Seventeen workplace pension providers managing around 90 percent of active savers’ defined contribution pensions will sign the Mansion House Accord at a roundtable with the Chancellor and Minister for Pensions in the City of London today (Tuesday 13 May). 

    Signatories to the Accord will pledge to invest 10 percent of their workplace portfolios in assets that boost the economy such as infrastructure, property and private equity by 2030. At least 5 percent of these portfolios will be ringfenced for the UK, expected to release £25 billion directly into the UK economy by 2030.  

    This investment could support clean energy developments across the country, delivering greater energy security and helping to lower household bills, as well as delivering growth finance to Britain’s world-leading science and technology businesses – creating jobs, boosting businesses and putting more money into people’s pockets.

    Pension savers will also benefit from the commitment to invest in private markets. Comparable Australian schemes invest significantly more in private markets and domestic companies than UK schemes, and research suggests greater investment in private markets can deliver security through diversified asset holdings and potentially drive higher returns. 

    The pledge follows hot on the heels of securing trade agreements with India and the US, which will add billions of pounds to the UK economy and protect thousands of steel and car manufacturing jobs, as well as a fourth interest rate cut since last Summer. This demonstrates the UK’s strength in navigating a changing world, going further and faster through our Plan for Change to drive growth and put more money into people’s pockets.

    Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

    Through our Plan for Change, we are choosing to back British businesses and British workers. I welcome this bold step by some of our biggest pension funds, which will unlock billions for major infrastructure, clean energy, and exciting startups — delivering growth, boosting pension pots, and giving working people greater security in retirement.

    Torsten Bell, Minister for Pensions, said:

    Pensions matter hugely, they underpin not just the retirements we all look forward to, but the investment our future prosperity depends on. I hugely welcome the pensions industry decision to invest in more productive assets, from growing companies to infrastructure. This supports better outcomes for savers and faster growth for Britain.

    Today’s announcement is more ambitious than the 2023 Mansion House Compact, where eleven funds committed to the aim of investing 5 percent of their workplace defined contribution default funds – the off-the-shelf funds providers offer to the vast majority of savers – in unlisted companies by 2030. The new commitment involves the vast majority of the industry and brings more assets into scope, doubles the target from 5 percent to 10 percent, and includes a specific commitment to investing 5 percent in the UK. 

    Progress against the commitment will be monitored and the initiative will be reinforced by measures to be announced in the upcoming final report of the Pensions Investment Review. The final report will tackle fragmentation in the UK pension system, creating pension megafunds that take advantage of scale and consolidation like Australian and Canadian funds do, to invest in productive assets like private markets and big infrastructure projects.  

    Some pension funds have already indicated privately that they will go beyond the targets agreed through the Mansion House Accord, which could lead to even more direct investment in the UK economy – and is particularly welcomed by the government. 

    Today’s commitment comes alongside progress in the government’s efforts to help pension savers benefit from the opportunities of investing in UK growth. The British Business Bank has now received regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority to deliver the British Growth Partnership – which will provide UK pension funds and other institutional investors with access to the Bank’s extensive pipeline of UK venture capital opportunities. 

    The government will continue working with the industry to make sure pension schemes deliver the best possible value for savers — while driving the investment needed to deliver growth and put more money into people’s pockets.

    Yvonne Braun, Director of Policy, Long-Term Savings, Health and Protection at the ABI, said:

    As major investors, the pensions industry already plays a vital role in driving growth in the UK and globally. The Accord formalises the industry’s ambition to invest more in private markets to diversify investments, support innovation and infrastructure, and ensure prosperity.  Investments under the Accord will always be made in savers’ best interests. It is now critical that Government supports the industry’s ambition, by facilitating a pipeline of suitable investment opportunities, tackling barriers to investments, and delivering wider pension reforms effectively.

    Alastair King, Lord Mayor of London, said:

    The Mansion House Accord builds on the strong foundations of the Compact and signals a step change in ambition: more signatories, deeper allocations to private markets, and a clearer commitment to backing UK assets. That includes a renewed focus on revitalising the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange as well as the Aquis Exchange, which play a critical role in supporting high-growth companies that drive innovation, jobs and productivity. If we want those firms to scale in the UK, we must ensure they have the capital to do so. This is not just about better pension outcomes, it is about building a more dynamic, competitive investment ecosystem. Delivering long-term, sustainable growth is crucial and the City of London Corporation is delighted to have partnered with industry and Government to bring this ambition to life.

    Zoe Alexander, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the PLSA, said:

    UK pension schemes already invest billions in UK growth assets. This accord demonstrates the collective ambition of the DC sector to do even more, as well as its confidence that the UK will provide the right opportunities to invest, consistent with schemes’ fiduciary duty to members. The Government, in its turn, has committed to take action to ensure there is a strong pipeline of investable assets for pension schemes. With everyone playing their part, there is great potential to boost returns for savers while providing vital funding to productive growth areas.

    More information

    • This is a voluntary expression of intent by seventeen signatories. The Mansion House Accord has been jointly led by the ABI, City of London Corporation and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association. 

    • Signatories to the new commitment include: Aegon, Aon, Aviva, Legal & General, LifeSight, M&G, Mercer, Natwest Cushon, Nest, NOW: Pensions, Phoenix Group, Royal London, Smart Pension, the People’s Pension, SEI, TPT Retirement Solutions and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). 

    • The signatories to the Accord have stated that £252 billion of assets are subject to the pledge. Based on historical growth rates (which have been halved to reflect a maturing market (17% per annum)) and reflecting further consolidation in the pensions market, this could rise to around £740 billion by 2030.  

    • The £50 billion and £25 billion cash estimates for investment unlocked are indicative and assume current private market investment levels are at 3.5%, of which 40% is UK-based. These are increased to 10% and 50% respectively by 2030 in line with the Accord.   

    • Some providers have indicated they may exceed the private markets investment targets in the Accord, which could lead to additional investment.  

    • Investments will support UK growth sectors, including clean energy infrastructure and innovative small businesses. 

    • Government Actuary Department Analysis from 2024 found that a portfolio with greater exposure to private markets – including infrastructure and private equity – delivered stronger returns than a baseline portfolio comprised largely of overseas equities.   

    • The Pensions Investment Review interim report was published at Mansion House 2024, with the final report due Spring 2025. 
    • Pictures will be published on HMT’s Flickr following the signing event.

    Stakeholder commentary:

    Andy Briggs, Phoenix Group CEO, said:

    This Mansion House Accord will unlock investment in UK private markets while helping deliver better long-term returns and retirements for millions of pension savers. The new commitments have the potential to strengthen the economy by fuelling the growth of British businesses and boosting investment in critical infrastructure.  

    Phoenix Group has already taken a lead by launching Future Growth Capital — the first private market investment manager formed to deliver the commitments made in the initial Mansion House Compact — committing £2.5bn over three years to the UK’s most exciting, innovative and fastest growing companies. The Accord is the natural next step, and we’re proud to play our part in delivering better outcomes for our customers and for the wider society.

    Patrick Heath-Lay, Chief Executive Officer of People’s Partnership, provider of People’s Pension, said:

    People’s Pension has a vital role to play in the exciting, shared vision for the future of the pensions’ industry, which will see bigger, stronger, value-driven schemes that will deliver better value to their members. By signing this Accord, we are reaffirming how seriously we take our commitment to delivering better outcomes, as well as helping to drive UK economic growth.

    David Lane, Chief Executive of TPT Retirement Solutions, said:

    By reaching an agreement with pension providers to invest in UK productive finance in a mutually beneficial way, the Government can achieve its objective and support better outcomes for scheme members. Many pension schemes already invest in productive finance, and most are open to investing more in the UK. Investment in assets such as infrastructure, transportation, housing, venture capital and private markets can play an important role in improving risk-adjusted returns for members while also contributing to economic growth. 

    Meeting the Government’s objectives while also maintaining fiduciary duty and ensuring strong returns for members are not mutually exclusive ambitions. However, hurdles remain around value for money considerations and the availability of suitable investment opportunities. These should be a focus for Government policy to spur more investment. The most pressing issue to deal with is that provider pricing practices leave very little room in the annual management charge for investment fees. There needs to be a shift to a value for money approach that considers the returns from an investment and not just its fees.

    Jelena Croad, Head of LifeSight GB, said:

    Signing up to the Mansion House Accord is a significant step for LifeSight. We believe that private market investments can increase overall returns as part of a diversified portfolio and have already begun investing in this way.  

    Our ability to invest in private markets, without increasing existing fee agreements, showcases our dedication to providing the best possible outcomes for our members. We are excited to be part of this initiative and look forward to contributing to the growth of the economy in which our members live.  

    We are pleased that the government acknowledges the need to increase the pipeline for UK private market investment opportunities. This recognition aligns with our mission to support the growth of innovative firms and sustainable infrastructure within the UK, ultimately enhancing the retirement incomes of millions of UK pension savers.  

    For LifeSight members, these investments are being made as part of our main default funds, ensuring that our members benefit from high-quality investment opportunities.

    Steve Charlton, a member of SPP’s DC Committee and DC Managing Director at SEI, said:

    Due to ongoing collaboration and open dialogue between the industry and the UK government, we have become comfortable with the proposed changes to the Mansion House reforms. This accord demonstrates our collective ambition to have a consolidated workplace pension environment that provides flexibility and choice for pension funds to invest where they see opportunity, whilst balancing their responsibility to members. 

    We welcome the government’s commitment to ensure a good flow of investable opportunities for pension schemes. This mitigates our previous concerns about the risks of high-priced, poor-quality investments in an environment where the originally proposed investable opportunities are scarce. It enables everyone to play their part in helping to deliver better member outcomes and drive economic growth.

    Lorna Blyth, Managing Director – Investment Proposition at Aegon UK, said: 

    Aegon UK is proud to be a signatory of the Mansion House Accord, which aligns with our aim to deliver better long-term outcomes for our pension scheme members. 

    We are committed to ensuring our customers can access and share in the potential growth and success of new, innovative companies as part of diversified portfolios. Leveraging our partnership with the British Business Bank, along with our scale and expertise, we are dedicated to developing investment solutions that improve the retirement outcomes of the millions of members of the defined contribution pension schemes we support. We’ve made significant progress in becoming a DC provider fit for the future – but our journey doesn’t end here. 

    The Accord is a key element of the Government’s growth agenda, alongside other initiatives likely to transform the UK’s DC pensions market. It comes as the conclusions of the Pensions Investment Review are expected imminently and further fundamental changes are expected in the Pension Schemes Bill later this spring. This makes it essential that the Government adopts a pragmatic approach to implementation. Realistic timeframes and a steady supply of high-quality UK investment opportunities across all private asset classes are crucial for ensuring success. This includes collaborating with more organisations such as the British Business Bank to provide access to diverse types of private assets – from private equity to infrastructure, which are all vital for optimising member benefits and developing investment portfolios designed for long term growth.

    Amanda Blanc DBE, Aviva Group Chief Executive Officer, said:

    This is a major opportunity for the pension and investment industry to support UK growth while delivering improved outcomes for pension savers. As a significant investor in private markets, Aviva has recently launched a number of funds to give over four million workplace pension customers even greater opportunity to invest in UK assets, including innovative, early-stage businesses, and we want to do much more.

    Jo Sharples,  CIO, DC Solutions at Aon, said:

    We believe that investing in private assets will benefit pension scheme members by delivering better expected returns over the long-term, ultimately resulting in higher retirement outcomes. The new Mansion House Accord is a great step forward in achieving this and is a fantastic example of how the UK pensions industry can work together to break down barriers to enable greater investment in private assets.

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    Published 13 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 14, 2025

  • Blood Money: Pakistan’s Shadow Economy and the Trade that Fuels Terrorism

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A Hidden Artery that Predates 9/11

    Islamabad has long claimed that terrorist finance seeped in from Afghanistan only after the Twin Towers fell. Yet the sluice gates were prised open a decade earlier. In 1991, then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he received a “blueprint” from Army Chief General Aslam Beg and ISI Director-General Asad Durrani: fund covert wars by selling heroin overseas, according to NATO’s study Narco-Insecurity, Inc. Sharif maintains he rejected the proposal; the generals deny it; but the episode revealed a mindset in which narcotics were deemed an acceptable coin of statecraft—ten years before 9/11 and far from any Afghan battlefield.

    The prime minister might have disowned the scheme, yet his party was deeply enmeshed in the narcotics trade. Sharif later admitted to The Washington Post in 1994 that ISI-backed drug profits financed covert operations. Through the ISI, the Pakistan Army set up narcotics routes to bankroll terror campaigns in Jammu & Kashmir and Afghanistan.

    Narco-Politics: Heroin as Statecraft

    Until the Taliban imposed a ban in August 2022, Afghanistan produced about 80 per cent of the world’s opium, and the cheapest road to blue water runs through Pakistan’s south-western badlands. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime research on the “southern route” names Iran and Pakistan as key springboards for Afghan heroin bound for the Gulf and Europe, generating windfalls well into the billions. By cautious estimates, smuggling through Pakistan alone spins off more than a billion US dollars of largely untaxed cash each year. Militants who guard convoys or refine opium into export-grade heroin take their cut; so do civilians and men in uniform who provide protection.

    Moreover, a United Nations report notes that despite the Taliban edict, opium cultivation in 2024 still rose by 19 per cent over the 2023 figure.

    Counterfeit Nation: A War Printed Across the Border

    If heroin yields a harvest within Pakistan, counterfeit rupees sow chaos next door. In May 2019 Nepalese police seized INR 76.7 million in near-perfect Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Kathmandu trafficker Yunus Ansari and three Pakistani couriers. Investigators traced the notes to Karachi presses reportedly run by Dawood Ibrahim’s crime syndicate under ISI protection.

    The objective, officials say, is two-fold: finance jihadist allies such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and erode confidence in India’s currency—a variety of “economic jihad” achievable with little more than a printing plate and diplomatic deniability. The ISI funnels FICN through Nepal and Bangladesh via illicit networks that span their borders with India. In February 2015 a Pakistani diplomat was withdrawn from the High Commission in Dhaka after it was proved he was an ISI operative engaged in terror financing and FICN circulation.

    Extortion City: Karachi’s Cash Cow

    Drugs and forged money form the overture; raw fear provides the steady bass line. Bank robberies in Karachi once netted the Pakistani Taliban and allied outfits more than US $800,000 after commanders in the tribal belt ordered urban cells to abandon foreign donations and fund themselves through crime, reports the ‘Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point’ in its analysis, The Pakistani Taliban’s Karachi Network. The raids were the visible crest of a broader wave of “bhatta parchis”—monthly protection money squeezed from transporters, timber merchants and even school principals. Karachi’s takings underwrote bombs that shredded markets in Peshawar and ambushes that bled police in Khyber. The pattern never vanished; it migrated. In March 2025 the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan sent letters to sugar-mill owners in Dera Ismail Khan: pay us, not the government, or watch your factories burn.

    Hawala: The Invisible Artery

    Moving cash is effortless when the state prefers the informal. Terrorist groups draw billions of rupees through hawala, cash couriers and black-market currency dealers; narcotics, kidnapping and extortion are core revenue streams. Hawala’s genius lies in its invisibility: one telephone call links a donor in Dubai to a broker in Lahore, and rupees materialise—unrecorded, untaxed, unseen. The same networks move political kick-backs and corporate tax evasion, ensuring institutional silence so long as every stakeholder’s share arrives on time.

    Balochistan and Other Wild Frontiers

    Farther west, a smuggler’s paradise of desert tracks and deep-water coves bankrolls both sides of Balochistan’s low-burn insurgency. The Baloch Liberation Army, analysts say, enjoys “well-funded support mechanism”: levies on coal trucks, tolls on diesel convoys and a system to keep the rebellion alive. Every barrel of fuel taxed on the Makran coast, every tonne of chromite shifted from a lawless quarry — deposits fresh ammunition in the rebels’ accounts—and justifies larger counter-insurgency budgets for the security establishment run by the Pakistani generals. Conflict has become profitable to the state here as well.

    Who Holds the Purse-Strings?

    Official spokesmen of the country blame “rogue elements” or “hostile foreign agencies” for terror finance. Yet evidence places Pakistan’s power elite at every collection point. From the 1991 heroin blueprint to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba donation buckets in Lahore’s mosques and Jaish-e-Mohammed’s seminary in Bahawalpur, terrorism has long been treated as a strategic hedge, not an existential threat. Only when the guns turned inward did the establishment discover the lexicon of compliance.

    Under international pressure, the Financial Action Task Force removed Pakistan from its grey list in October 2022. Television viewers saw frozen accounts, a few celebrity militants behind bars and choreographed press conferences about hawala raids. Yet these gestures were skin-deep. The deeper arteries still pulse: the Pahalgam terror attack traced back to Pakistan is a reminder, and the world community should move to grey-list Islamabad again.

    Turning Off the Tap—or Pretending To

    Pakistan’s terror economy is no single pipe to be welded shut; it is an underground river fed by narcotics, fake currency, extortion, smuggling and the state’s own cynical bargains. The generals who toyed with heroin, the politicians who wink at hawala donors and the bureaucrats who auction customs posts have all drunk from its waters. Could it end? With an economy edging towards default and a state apparatus that still wields covert terror as policy, the prospect appears bleak. Only an uncompromising audit of power can stem the blood money coursing through Pakistan’s shadow state—yet such scrutiny remains a distant chord in a pseudo-civilian order orchestrated by the army and its ISI handlers.

    May 14, 2025

  • Russia rejects ‘biased’ UN ruling on 2014 downing of Malaysian airliner

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected as biased a ruling by the U.N. aviation council that Russia was responsible for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 that killed all 298 passengers and crew.

    “Our position is well known. You know that Russia was not a country that took part in the investigation of this incident, so we do not accept any biased conclusions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

    Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.

    The victims included 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents.

    In November 2022, Dutch judges convicted two Russian men and a Ukrainian man in absentia of murder for their role in the attack. Moscow called the ruling “scandalous” and said it would not extradite its citizens.

    (Reuters)

    May 14, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Aemetis Biogas Signs $27 Million Agreement with Centuri to Build Gas Cleanup Systems for 15 Dairy Digesters

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CUPERTINO, Calif., May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), a renewable natural gas and renewable fuels company focused on low and negative carbon intensity renewable fuels, announced today that its Aemetis Biogas subsidiary has signed a $27 million equipment agreement with Centuri Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CTRI), a $2.6 billion infrastructure services contractor, to build biogas cleanup systems for 15 dairy digesters.

    This signed agreement, and expected future agreements with Centuri, will enable Aemetis Biogas to rapidly scale up the construction of dairy digesters to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) for a total of 50 dairies that have already been signed by Aemetis Biogas. This summer, 16 dairies are scheduled to be operating in the Aemetis Biogas Central Digester Project near Modesto, California, with 36 miles of biogas pipeline and a central biogas-to-RNG production facility already in operation delivering RNG into the PG&E utility gas pipeline.

    “Our expanding strategic relationship with the experienced team at Centuri ranges from this agreement for biogas equipment to plans for construction management and pipe assembly to build upcoming energy efficiency, carbon sequestration and other projects,” stated Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “We expect that Centuri will play a key role in building Aemetis projects on time and on budget, given their expertise in constructing industrial facilities, large scale gas pipeline projects. and utility electrical systems.”

    “Centuri’s vast utility distribution expertise includes a growing number of renewable natural gas projects in multiple geographies, making the work with Aemetis a natural fit,” stated Dylan Hradek, President of US Gas at Centuri. “We expect to add significant value to upcoming projects at the Riverbank site and to support their ongoing work and plans to deliver innovative, renewable energy solutions across their portfolio.”

    Aemetis renewable energy and energy efficiency projects include the expansion of dairy renewable natural gas production to generate more than 1 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas from 50 dairies that have signed agreements; the Keyes ethanol plant mechanical vapor recompression system that is expected to generate $32 million of increased annual cash flow starting in 2026; the Riverbank carbon sequestration project to inject 1.4 million tons of CO2 per year underground; the 78 million gallon per year sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel plant which has already received the Authority To Construct air permits and the other key approvals; and negotiations underway for other large scale industrial and electrical projects at the Riverbank site.

    About Aemetis

    Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aemetis is a renewable natural gas and renewable fuel company focused on the operation, acquisition, development and commercialization of innovative technologies that replace petroleum products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Founded in 2006, Aemetis is operating and actively expanding a California biogas digester network and pipeline system to convert dairy waste gas into Renewable Natural Gas. Aemetis owns and operates a 65 million gallon per year ethanol production facility in California’s Central Valley near Modesto that supplies about 80 dairies with animal feed. Aemetis owns and operates an 80 million gallon per year production facility on the East Coast of India producing high quality distilled biodiesel and refined glycerin. Aemetis is developing a sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel fuel biorefinery in California, renewable hydrogen, and hydroelectric power to produce low carbon intensity renewable jet and diesel fuel. For additional information about Aemetis, please visit www.aemetis.com.

    About Centuri

    Centuri Holdings, Inc. is a strategic utility infrastructure services company that partners with regulated utilities to build and maintain the energy network that powers millions of homes and businesses across the United States and Canada.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions or beliefs about future events or other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, projections of financial results in 2025 and future years; statements relating to the development, engineering, financing, construction and operation of the Aemetis ethanol, biogas, SAF and renewable diesel, and carbon sequestration facilities; our ability to promote, develop, finance, and construct facilities to produce biogas, renewable fuels, and biochemicals; and statements about future market prices and results of government actions. Words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “showing signs,” “targets,” “view,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions and predictions and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results or events could differ materially from those set forth or implied by such forward-looking statements and related assumptions due to certain factors, including, without limitation, competition in the ethanol, biodiesel and other industries in which we operate, commodity market risks including those that may result from current weather conditions, financial market risks, customer adoption, counter-party risks, risks associated with changes to federal policy or regulation, and other risks detailed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and in our other filings with the SEC. We are not obligated, and do not intend, to update any of these forward-looking statements at any time unless an update is required by applicable securities laws.

    Company Investor Relations
    Media Contact:
    Todd Waltz
    (408) 213-0940
    investors@aemetis.com

    External Investor Relations
    Contact:
    Kirin Smith
    PCG Advisory Group
    (646) 863-6519
    ksmith@pcgadvisory.com

    The MIL Network –

    May 14, 2025
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