Category: KB

MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s Project 2025 agenda caps decades-long resistance to 20th century progressive reform

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Colin Gordon, Professor of History, University of Iowa

There has long been a tug-of-war over White House plans to make government more liberal or more conservative. Douglas Rissing/iStock / Getty Images Plus

For much of the 20th century, efforts to remake government were driven by a progressive desire to make the government work for regular Americans, including the New Deal and the Great Society reforms.

But they also met a conservative backlash seeking to rein back government as a source of security for working Americans and realign it with the interests of private business. That backlash is the central thread of the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” blueprint for a second Trump Administration.

Alternatively disavowed and embraced by President Donald Trump during his 2024 campaign, Project 2025 is a collection of conservative policy proposals – many written by veterans of his first administration. It echoes similar projects, both liberal and conservative, setting out a bold agenda for a new administration.

But Project 2025 does so with particular detail and urgency, hoping to galvanize dramatic change before the midterm elections in 2026. As its foreword warns: “Conservatives have just two years and one shot to get this right.”

The standard for a transformational “100 days” – a much-used reference point for evaluating an administration – belongs to the first administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Bill in Washington on Aug. 14, 1935.
AP Photo, file

Social reforms and FDR

In 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, Roosevelt faced a nation in which business activity had stalled, nearly a third of the workforce was unemployed, and economic misery and unrest were widespread.

But Roosevelt’s so-called “New Deal” unfolded less as a grand plan to combat the Depression than as a scramble of policy experimentation.

Roosevelt did not campaign on what would become the New Deal’s singular achievements, which included expansive relief programs, subsidies for farmers, financial reforms, the Social Security system, the minimum wage and federal protection of workers’ rights.

Those achievements came haltingly after two years of frustrated or ineffective policymaking. And those achievements rested less on Roosevelt’s political vision than on the political mobilization and demands made by American workers.

A generation later, another wave of social reforms unfolded in similar fashion. This time it was not general economic misery that spurred actions, but the persistence of inequality – especially racial inequality – in an otherwise prosperous time.

LBJ’s Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs declared a war on poverty and, toward that end, introduced a raft of new federal initiatives in urban, education and civil rights.

These included the provision of medical care for the poor and older people via Medicaid and Medicare, a dramatic expansion of federal aid for K-12 education, and landmark voting rights and civil rights legislation.

As with the New Deal, the substance of these policies rested less with national policy designs than with the aspirations and mobilization of the era’s social movements.

Resistance to policy change

Since the 1930s, conservative policy agendas have largely taken the form of reactions to the New Deal and the Great Society.

The central message has routinely been that “big government” has overstepped its bounds and trampled individual rights, and that the architects of those reforms are not just misguided but treasonous. Project 2025, in this respect, promises not just a political right turn but to “defeat the anti-American left.”

After the 1946 midterm elections, congressional Republicans struck back at the New Deal. Drawing on business opposition to the New Deal, popular discontent with postwar inflation, and common cause with Southern Democrats, they stemmed efforts to expand the New Deal, gutting a full employment proposal and defeating national health insurance.

They struck back at organized labor with the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which undercut federal law by allowing states to pass anti-union “right to work” laws. And they launched an infamous anti-communist purge of the civil service, which forced nearly 15,000 people out of government jobs.

In 1971, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce commissioned Lewis Powell – who would be appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon to the Supreme Court the next year – to assess the political landscape. Powell’s memorandum characterized the political climate at the dawn of the 1970s – including both Great Society programs and the anti-war and Civil Rights movements of the 1960s – as nothing less than an “attack on the free enterprise system.”

In a preview of current U.S. politics, Powell’s memorandum devoted special attention to a disquieting “chorus of criticism” coming from “the perfectly respectable elements of society: from the college campus, the pulpit, the media, the intellectual and literary journals, the arts and sciences, and from politicians.”

Powell characterized the social policies of the New Deal and Great Society as “socialism or some sort of statism” and advocated the elevation of business interests and business priorities to the center of American political life.

A copy of Project 2025 is held during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Building a conservative infrastructure

Powell captured the conservative zeitgeist at the onset of what would become a long and decisive right turn in American politics. More importantly, it helped galvanize the creation of a conservative infrastructure – in the courts, in the policy world, in universities and in the media – to push back against that “chorus of criticism.”

This political shift would yield an array of organizations and initiatives, including the political mobilization of business, best represented by the emergence of the Koch brothers and the powerful libertarian conservative political advocacy group they founded, known as Americans for Prosperity. It also yielded a new wave of conservative voices on radio and television and a raft of right-wing policy shops and think tanks – including the Heritage Foundation, creator of Project 2025.

In national politics, the conservative resurgence achieved full expression in President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign. The “Reagan Revolution” united economic and social conservatives around the central goal of dismantling what was left of the New Deal and Great Society.

Powell’s triumph was evident across the policy landscape. Reagan gutted social programs, declared war on organized labor, pared back economic and social regulations – or declined to enforce them – and slashed taxes on business and the wealthy.

Publicly, the Reagan administration argued that tax cuts would pay for themselves, with the lower rates offset by economic growth. Privately, it didn’t matter: Either growth would sustain revenues, or the resulting budgetary hole could be used to “starve the beast” and justify further program cuts.

Reagan’s vision, and its shaky fiscal logic, were reasserted in the “Contract with America” proposed by congressional Republicans after their gains in the 1994 midterm elections.

This declaration of principles proposed deep cuts to social programs alongside tax breaks for business. It was perhaps most notable for encouraging the Clinton administration to pass the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, “ending welfare as we know it,” as Clinton promised.

Aiming at the ‘deep state’

Project 2025, the latest in this series of blueprints for dramatic change, draws most deeply on two of those plans.

As in the congressional purges of 1940s, it takes aim not just at policy but at the civil servants – Trump’s “deep state” – who administer it.

In the wake of World War II, the charge was that feckless bureaucrats served Soviet masters. Today, Project 2025 aims to “bring the Administrative State to heel, and in the process defang and defund the woke culture warriors who have infiltrated every last institution in America.”

As in the 1971 Powell memorandum, Project 2025 promises to mobilize business power; to “champion the dynamic genius of free enterprise against the grim miseries of elite-directed socialism.”

Whatever their source – party platforms, congressional bomb-throwers, think tanks, private interests – the success or failure of these blueprints rested not on their vision or popular appeal but on the political power that accompanied them. The New Deal and Great Society gained momentum and meaning from the social movements that shaped their agendas and held them to account.

The lineage of conservative responses has been largely an assertion of business power. Whatever populist trappings the second Trump administration may possess, the bottom line of the conservative cultural and political agenda in 2025 is to dismantle what is left of the New Deal or the Great Society, and to defend unfettered “free enterprise” against critics and alternatives.

Colin Gordon receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation.

– ref. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda caps decades-long resistance to 20th century progressive reform – https://theconversation.com/trumps-project-2025-agenda-caps-decades-long-resistance-to-20th-century-progressive-reform-247176

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Your environment affects how well your medications work − identifying exactly how could make medicine better

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gary W. Miller, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Even the air you breathe may influence how effective a drug may be for you. Jorg Greuel/Photodisc via Getty Images

Your genes play a major role in determining your height, hair and eye color, and skin tone, but they don’t tell the entire story of who you are. Your environment is incredibly important in shaping your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your health. In fact, your diet, social interactions, exposure to pollution, physical activity and education often exceed the influence of genetics on many of the features that define you.

Figuring out how your genes and environment increase your likelihood of developing asthma, heart disease, cancer, dementia and other conditions can have life-changing consequences. The field of genomics has made it relatively straightforward to test both in the hospital and at home for a wide range of genetic variations linked to disease risk.

And in recent years, science has been making progress on tracking down the environmental culprits that drive risk for several diseases – and on identifying ways to optimize treatments based on your personal environmental exposures.

Prescribing the most effective treatment from the get-go can reduce harmful drug reactions.
Willie B. Thomas/DigitalVision via Getty Images

My work as a pharmacologist and toxicologist has led me to the emerging science of exposomics – the study of all of the physical, chemical, biological and social factors that affect your biology. While your genome comprises all of the genes that encode your biology, your exposome is a concept that comprises all your environmental exposures. Like how researchers use DNA sequencers to study genomics, scientists in exposomics use chemistry and high-tech sensors to measure the effects of thousands of environmental factors on health.

Medications don’t always work

For many people, standard drug therapies to treat certain conditions simply don’t work. Controlling blood pressure often requires months of trial and error. It can take months or even years to identify an adequate treatment plan for depression.

Adverse events caused by medications account for more than 1 million visits to emergency departments each year in the U.S. What drives these differences in drug effects between patients? Is it their genes? Are they not taking their medication as prescribed due to side effects? Or something else?

As it turns out, your environment can have a major effect on how well specific treatments work for you. Think about the warning labels advising you not to drink grapefruit juice while taking a specific drug, for example. This is because a natural chemical in grapefruit inhibits the enzymes that break down those medications. Some common statins used to control high cholesterol can build up to toxic levels because the chemical in grapefruit juice blocks its normal processing.

Grapefruit isn’t the only environmental factor affecting how you respond to your medications. Over 8,600 chemicals are used in commerce in the U.S., and you are exposed to thousands of these chemicals on a daily basis. It is more likely than not that many of these chemicals can interact with the drugs you take.

Your exposome encompasses a wide range of factors.
Nathalie Ruaux/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Some of the chemicals we use to keep fleas and ticks off pets can actually increase the levels of the same enzyme blocked by grapefruit juice, meaning a statin may be broken down so fast that it doesn’t control elevated cholesterol.

Byproducts from the combustion of organic matter, such as engine exhaust and burning wood, can also interfere with drug-metabolizing enzymes. Some of these chemicals, called polyaromatic hydrocarbons, can inactivate medications used to treat asthma. The environmental factor triggering your asthma could prevent the drugs used to treat it from working.

A chemical solution?

Advances in chemistry are helping researchers figure out what chemicals are getting in the way of treatment.

Your hospital laboratory can already measure dozens of molecules in your blood. Measuring your salt levels can tell doctors how your kidneys are working, cholesterol levels indicate your risk of heart disease, and specific enzymes reveal your liver’s health. These common tests are routine and useful for nearly every patient.

There are many additional tests that can help determine how a specific condition is progressing or responding to therapy. Hemoglobin A1c levels help determine how well glucose levels are being controlled in those with prediabetes or diabetes. And thousands of other human diseases have their own corresponding biomarkers.

In research laboratories, scientists can detect the presence of thousands of molecules at once using instruments called mass spectrometers. Each chemical in a sample has a unique mass, and these devices measure these masses for scientists to categorize. Thus, scientists can identify all of the pesticides, plasticizers, plastics, pollution and other chemicals present in a given sample. They can also measure your own internal biology, such as the compounds involved in processing the food you eat and the hormones influencing how you behave.

Moreover, mass spectrometers can measure drug metabolites. When you take a drug, it is typically broken down or metabolized to several different compounds. Some of these compounds contribute to the drug’s effects, while others are inactive. Analyzing what metabolites are present in your body provides information about how you process drugs and whether the drugs you’re taking will interact with each other.

Taking all these factors together, scientists can study how your environment may be interfering with the effectiveness of your medications.

A better prescription – for you

Together with dozens of scientists across many institutions, my colleagues and I are developing methods to measure all of the chemicals in your body. The project, dubbed IndiPHARM – short for individualized pharmacology – is designing tools to measure a wide range of drugs, drug metabolites and environmental chemicals at the same time.

By combining environmental data with genetic information, we hope to improve how drugs work in people by figuring out whether chemicals in their environment or diet are altering how they process a given drug. This includes whether the administered drugs are at therapeutic levels, how the drugs and chemicals are interacting with each other, and determining whether other variables are affecting intended drug effects. This could lead to changing the amount of drug prescribed, switching to a different medication or even redesigning the medicines themselves.

Our team is starting with identifying the environmental and biological factors associated with metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes, along with common co-occurring conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol and depression. For example, there are significant differences in how well people respond to anti-obesity or anti-diabetes drugs, and we hope to figure out why that is so all patients can benefit through tailored treatment.

Getting the right drug to the right person at the right time requires a better understanding of the environmental factors that influence how they work. We envision a future where a doctor can use your genetic and environmental history to figure out the best drug treatment that would work for you from the start, reducing the need for trial and error.

Gary W. Miller receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health, the Department of Defense, Cancer Research UK, and the European Commission. He is co-founder of Exposome Therapeutics.

– ref. Your environment affects how well your medications work − identifying exactly how could make medicine better – https://theconversation.com/your-environment-affects-how-well-your-medications-work-identifying-exactly-how-could-make-medicine-better-246476

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Where does black fall on the color spectrum? A color scientist explains

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael J. Murdoch, Associate Professor of Color Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

You perceive electromagnetic radiation in the form of light in all the colors of the rainbow. MirageC/Movement via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Where does black fall on the color spectrum? – Utsav, age 17, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

People love the rainbow of ROYGBIV colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Human eyes perceive visible light as this array of colors.

You may notice that some colors you can perceive aren’t part of the classic rainbow, though. Where is black, for example?

I’m an associate professor of color science, a field that combines physics and perception. Color scientists are interested in learning more about human vision and applying that knowledge to make color systems – such as in cameras, screens or lighting systems – work better.

To understand where black falls on the color spectrum, first consider what light actually is.

Light is radiation visible to the human eye

Light is energy called electromagnetic radiation. It’s made up of a stream of energy particles called photons.

Each photon has its own energy level. There are two characteristics you can use to describe a photon. Its frequency is how fast it vibrates back and forth – or oscillates – as it travels. And its wavelength is the distance between those oscillations in space.

Light is made up of photons traveling as waves through space.
DrSciComm via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

As photons with wavelengths within a range of about 400–700 nanometers stream into your eyes, your brain perceives them as light. Scientists call these photons visible radiation. You perceive photons with different wavelengths as different colors.

Photons outside that range of wavelengths are invisible to human eyes. Shorter wavelength energy includes ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma radiation, while longer wavelength energy includes infrared and radio waves.

The human eye can perceive only a small range of wavelengths of radiation.
Ali Damouh/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Shades and intensities

Color perception is also affected by the quantity of photons – what physicists call the power – at different visible wavelengths. More photons means more powerful light, which looks brighter. A very vivid color consists mostly of photons of similar wavelength. For example, a pure red may consist of photons that all share the same wavelength near 620 nanometers.

A stream of photons with a wider range of wavelengths will appear as a paler, less saturated color. White light, such as natural daylight, consists of photons with wavelengths spread fairly evenly across a wide range of the visible spectrum. LEDs and other electric light sources are not quite as uniform across the spectrum, but they still appear white or achromatic, meaning without color.

Mixtures of wavelengths combine and appear as new colors. The human visual system interprets pure red light and pure green light combined as yellow. Add in pure blue, and this mix of radiation appears white. Scientists and engineers take advantage of this quality in display devices, which are able to create a huge range of perceived colors by mixing the primary colors red, green and blue.

Black on the color spectrum

While there’s no black in a rainbow, photons anywhere in the electromagnetic spectrum can be seen as black. Or in some cases, they can’t be seen at all!

Radiation within the visible spectrum can appear black if it is low in power – more specifically, lower in power than its surroundings.

Additionally, radiation outside the visible range of wavelengths appears black to our eyes. For example, infrared radiation appears black because it is invisible to humans.

Perception is subjective

Our eyes detect the wavelength and power of the light, but our brains interpret it. So color perception always depends on the context.

People are good at adapting to a wide range of light levels, from sunlight to starlight. So our perception of color and brightness depends on what’s around and what we’ve been looking at recently. If you step from outdoor daylight into a dark theater, at first you probably perceive the whole environment as black, and you may even have trouble finding your way.

However, your visual system immediately begins to adapt to the low light level. Soon, visual details begin to emerge. What appeared black now has different levels of lightness and color.

Color perception depends on the surrounding environment.
Michael J. Murdoch

Consider the optical illusion that consists of a light rectangle next to a dark rectangle. Each rectangle contains a circle. The circles appear to be different shades but in fact are identical. Against the light background, the circle is dark enough to appear black. Surrounded by the black background, it becomes clear that the circle is merely dark gray. Even when you know the circles are the same, it’s hard to believe because the effect of the surrounding background is so strong.

In a smooth gradient from gray to black, where does black begin?
Michael J. Murdoch

You might be asking yourself, how dark must a color be to appear black? Another way to ask the question is, how low in power must the physical light be in order to look black?

For a visual answer, look at a gradient from dark gray to black. Where in the gradient is the boundary, or threshold, at which you call it black? What if you dim your display or view the screen in a much brighter or much darker environment? Probably the best answer for how dark it must be is, “It depends.”

Color perception is a fascinating topic, and we color scientists are continuing to uncover details of how the human visual system works while also applying our knowledge to many other useful things, including dyes, cameras, printers, LED lighting systems and AR/VR displays.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit − adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Michael Murdoch is a member and former board member of the Inter-Society Color Council, part of the Color Literacy Project.

– ref. Where does black fall on the color spectrum? A color scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/where-does-black-fall-on-the-color-spectrum-a-color-scientist-explains-234540

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Fossil shark teeth are abundant and can date the past in a unique way

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stephanie Killingsworth, Ph.D. Student in Geological Sciences, University of Florida

A paleontologist holds a megalodon fossil tooth. Kristen Grace/FLMNH, CC BY-SA

The ratios of strontium isotopes in fossil shark teeth can be used to better understand how coastal environments evolved in ancient times, according to our newly published work.

As paleontologists with the Florida Museum of Natural History, we’re interested in understanding ancient Florida environments.

Our study was one of the first to date Florida coastal deposits using fossil shark teeth and a technique that looks at variations in ocean strontium. Strontium is a chemical element that occurs naturally in rock, soil and water.

Ocean strontium values change over time, which makes measuring the levels of the chemical element a unique global system for determining the age of similar coastal sedimentary rock deposits worldwide.

Changes in strontium isotope ratios have multiple causes. Land erosion deposits strontium into oceans, while carbonate-producing marine life produce and release strontium when building their skeletons. Strontium is also released by deep-sea vents.

Geochemist Donald DePaolo and geologist B. Lynn Ingram discovered variations in ocean strontium by examining strontium isotopes ratios in marine sediments, including fossils. The levels of strontium isotopes in marine sediments provide a “time stamp” that correlates to the strontium value of the seawater at that time.

That data allowed scientists to map out ratios of strontium isotopes in seawater over time. This global strontium seawater curve correlates to the geologic timescale. Scientists use the curve to reconstruct past ocean chemistry and climate conditions, as well as the age of mollusks and other shell-producing marine fossils.

Why it matters

Properly dating ancient sites is key to understanding how Earth and its living creatures evolved over time.

But historically, strontium dating, while reliable, had limitations.

For example, it works best in fully marine environments and is challenging to use in fossil sites along coastlines. That’s because the strontium values might be influenced by land sediments and freshwater rivers.

Additionally, material used for strontium dating must not have undergone considerable physical and chemical change during fossilization, the preservation of once living things from the past. Any major chemical alteration to the fossil can affect the strontium value and give an inaccurate date.

Our study shows that fossil shark teeth are more resistant to these types of changes due to their outer enamel-like surface.

Remarkably, fossil shark teeth are also incredibly abundant. Sharks ruled the earth’s oceans for 400 million years, and every individual grows and sheds thousands of teeth in their lifetime.

How we did our work

Florida fossil sites are unique in that they possess some of the richest fossil sediments for important times in geologic history. These sites can help us understand changing climates, vegetation and sea levels over time.

The Florida Museum of Natural History has a collection of over 115,000 shark tooth specimens from Florida alone.

To do our study, we selected shark tooth specimens from two significant Neogene-period fossil sites in Florida. The Neogene, from 2.6 to 23.5 million years ago, was a time of immense change in biodiversity because of changing climates.

We analyzed the strontium present in powdered samples collected by shaving a thin layer from the surfaces of the teeth. The age of the teeth helped to clarify the age of the fossil sites where they were collected. This data enabled us to calibrate and differentiate the ages of our two sites, Montbrook and Palmetto Fauna Bone Valley, by about 600,000 years.

Before our study, scientists could estimate the age of the sites based only on mammal fossils. The sites were thought to be the same age. Our work provides a more precise date.

These ages offer new insights into what happened in the southeastern region of North America, some 5 million to 6 million years ago. Our revised age calibrations coincide with global events, including major sea-level fluctuations and the Great American Biotic Interchange – the migration of land mammals between North and South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama 4 million to 5 million years ago.

For example, because certain species of ground sloths are not found at the Montbrook site (5.85 million years old) but are found at the Palmetto Fauna Bone Valley site (5.22 million years old), it suggests the immigration of ground sloths into North America occurred between these two dates.

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

Bruce J. MacFadden receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

Stephanie Killingsworth 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. Fossil shark teeth are abundant and can date the past in a unique way – https://theconversation.com/fossil-shark-teeth-are-abundant-and-can-date-the-past-in-a-unique-way-247749

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Denis Manturov: It is necessary to legally prohibit the acquisition of foreign equipment in the presence of Russian equipment

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov held a meeting on the development of the machine tool industry as part of a working trip to Krasnodar Krai and visited the production facilities of the Southern Heavy Machine Tool Plant (YuZTS).

Over the past ten years, the Russian machine tool industry has demonstrated continuous growth. By the end of 2024, machine tool production increased by 40% in value terms, and tool production by more than 10%. The First Deputy Prime Minister noted the high workload of Russian manufacturers and the mass order generated by the defense industry. At the same time, according to him, the peak of the defense industry production capacity modernization program has already passed and the influence of this factor will gradually decrease.

“The main support for the further development of the industry is the new national project, which is already being implemented. Its priorities are well known to you. Budget financing of 52 billion rubles is provided for this year. And now the key point is prompt contracting. I ask that no delays be allowed in this area. Let me remind you that the first results of the national project should be reported to the President in June,” Denis Manturov said.

In his speech, the First Deputy Prime Minister noted that in order to achieve planned indicators, it is necessary to synchronize the efforts of science, the state, regions, development institutions and the production sector.

“In particular, plants, using the national project measures, need to focus on maximizing the development of a new product line and technical re-equipment of their own facilities. Customers need to formulate technical specifications ahead of time, provide technical support for contracts, and give unconditional priority in purchases to Russian machines. Unfortunately, there are still many cases of purchasing imports when there are analogues on the market. Anton Andreevich, I believe that it is necessary to legally prohibit the purchase of foreign equipment when there is Russian equipment,” said Denis Manturov.

In turn, it is important for regions where the main enterprises of the industry are concentrated to ensure control over the execution of work and consider the possibility of expanding support measures for machine tool builders. In terms of state support, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia must monitor the balance of supply and demand for machine tools and, if necessary, expand protective mechanisms.

“This is especially relevant for critical machine tool components. We must fully ensure technological sovereignty for them by 2030,” Denis Manturov emphasized.

The head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov spoke about the measures of state support for machine tool manufacturing that are being developed.

“Together with the Innovation Assistance Fund, we are currently preparing a third program with grants of up to 50 million rubles to facilitate the commercialization of R&D results. This year, together with the SME Corporation, we want to launch a mechanism for preferential lending to small and medium-sized machine tool manufacturers. In terms of non-financial support measures, the Federal Competence Center in Productivity will consult companies on improving production efficiency. Today, a list of 25 companies that will be the first to take part in this event has already been developed,” shared Anton Alikhanov.

“Thanks to the support of the Russian Government, we have managed to make industry one of the key sectors of the economy of our traditionally agricultural and resort region. This year, we plan to increase the capitalization of the regional Industrial Development Fund to 10 billion rubles. We continue to develop a network of industrial parks. There are already 8 industrial parks and 2 industrial technology parks operating in the region,” said Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of Krasnodar Krai.

Together with the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and the governor of the region, the First Deputy Prime Minister got acquainted with the current activities of the Southern Heavy Engineering Plant, whose main production buildings are located on the territory of the former machine-tool plant named after G.M. Sedin. In 2024, a new branch of YUZTS was also put into operation on the territory of the industrial park “VB Kuban”. Modern machines and machining centers were purchased, which expanded the company’s technological capabilities, increased productivity and significantly improved the quality of finished products.

The First Deputy Prime Minister was presented with the entire product line developed and manufactured by YUZTS in 2023. In particular, a horizontal milling and boring machining center and a five-axis milling machining center. All machines are equipped with a CNC system developed by the domestic company Mechatronika.

Denis Manturov was also shown 3D metal printers developed by YUZTS. The equipment operates using selective laser melting technology. These systems are fully ready for serial production with minimal delivery times — up to 4 months. Multi-laser systems with large processing zones are also under development. These printers use stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium and copper alloys in their work.

Over the last year of operation, YUZTS has increased its production area from 16 to 90 thousand square meters. Production volumes are also growing: from 2021 to 2025, taking into account current plans, they have increased 14 times.

The company’s immediate plans include launching a new modern foundry to provide its own production with parts that include operations requiring casting as part of the production technology. Another priority area is the launch of contract manufacturing, within the framework of which YUZTS will offer the market services for major repairs and reconstruction of heavy machine tools.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Offers Relief to Mississippi Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Hit by December Storms

Source: United States Small Business Administration

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that low interest federal disaster loans are now available to Mississippi businesses, nonprofit organizations, and residents who sustained physical damages and economic losses from the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred Dec. 28 – 29, 2024. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Tate Reeves on Jan. 24.

The disaster declaration covers the counties of Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Lowndes, Noxubee Oktibbeha, Perry, Wayne and Webster, as well as the counties of Choctaw and Washington in Alabama.

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

“SBA disaster loans do more than repair damage, — they may also mitigate against future disasters,” said Randle Logan, acting associate administrator for the SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. “Expanded funding is available to make pro-active property and building upgrades that protect homes and businesses from future storms.”

The SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses for small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the organization suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits, and 2.563% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Beginning Thursday, Jan. 30, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at two Disaster Loan Outreach Centers (DLOC) to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application.

At the DLOCs, individuals can connect directly with SBA specialists to apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to rebuild and move forward in their recovery journey. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The DLOCs hour of operations are listed below.

Disaster Loan Outreach Center

Oktibbeha County

Oktibbeha County Community Safe Room

985 Lynn Lane

Starkville, MS 39759

Opening: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at 11 a.m.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closed: Sunday

Permanently Closes: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at 4 p.m.

Disaster Loan Outreach Center

Wayne County

City 2 Voting Precinct

500 Mississippi Drive

Waynesboro, MS 39367

Opening: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at 11 a.m.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closed: Sunday

Permanently Closes: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at 4 p.m.

The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.

For more information and to apply online visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is March 28, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Oct. 27, 2025.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Invesco Ltd: Form 8.3 – Aviva PLC; Public dealing disclosure

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

KEY INFORMATION

(a)

Full name of discloser:

Invesco Ltd.

(b)

Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.

(c)

Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree

Aviva PLC

(d)

If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:

(e)

Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

31.01.2025

(f)

In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”

Yes, Direct Line Insurance Group PLC

POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a)

Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:

32 17/19p ordinary GB00BPQY8M80 & ADR US05382A3023

Interests

Short Positions

Number

(1)

Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:

45,415,510*

1.69

(2)

Cash-settled derivatives:

(3)

Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

Total

45,415,510*

1.69

*The change in the holding of 2,340 shares since the last disclosure on 31.01.2025 is due to the transfer out of a discretionary holding at 5.14 GBP.

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b)

Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:

Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a)

Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security

Purchase/sale

Number of securities

Price per unit

32 17/19p ordinary GB00BPQY8M80

Purchase

1,418

5.14 GBP

(b)

Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. CFD

Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position

Number of reference securities

Price per unit

(c)

Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i)

Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.

Number of securities to which option relates

Exercise price per unit

Type e.g. American, European etc.

Expiry date

Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii)

Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d)

Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security

Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion

Details

Price per unit (if applicable)

OTHER INFORMATION

(a)

Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

None

(b)

Agreements, arrangements, or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

None

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure

03.02.2025

Contact name

Philippa Holmes

Telephone number

+441491417447

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Invesco Ltd: Form 8.3 – Direct Line Insurance Group PLC; Public dealing disclosure

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

KEY INFORMATION

(a)

Full name of discloser:

Invesco Ltd.

(b)

(c)

Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree

Direct Line Insurance Group PLC

(d)

If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:

(e)

Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

31.01.2025

(f)

In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”

Yes, Aviva PLC

POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a)

Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:

10 10/11p ordinary GB00BY9D0Y18

Interests

Short Positions

Number

(1)

Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:

6,658,827

0.50

(2)

Cash-settled derivatives:

(3)

Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

Total

6,658,827

0.50

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b)

Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:

Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a)

Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security

Purchase/sale

Number of securities

Price per unit

10 10/11p ordinary GB00BY9D0Y18

Purchase

215

2.68 GBP

(b)

Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. CFD

Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position

Number of reference securities

Price per unit

(c)

Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i)

Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.

Number of securities to which option relates

Exercise price per unit

Type e.g. American, European etc.

Expiry date

Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii)

Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d)

Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security

Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion

Details

Price per unit (if applicable)

OTHER INFORMATION

(a)

Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

None

(b)

Agreements, arrangements, or understandings relating to options or derivatives

None

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure

03.02.2025

Contact name

Philippa Holmes

Telephone number

+441491417447

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Notification of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Noerresundby, Denmark, 3 February 2025
Announcement no. 05/2025

According to Article 19 of the Market Abuse Regulation, persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them must give notice of their transactions with RTX shares to RTX and to the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. RTX hereby publishes such notifications.

The transactions by COO Hans Henrik Petersen are documented in the attached PDF appendix.

RTX A/S

Attachments
- Notification of transactions – Hans Henrik Petersen
- RTX CA No 05-2025 – 03.02.25 – Notification of transactions
The MIL Network –
February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. Announces Leading Proxy Advisory Firms, ISS and Glass Lewis, Have Recommended That Stockholders Vote “FOR” the Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. 2025 Equity Incentive Plan

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

GOUVERNEUR, N.Y., Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQB Marketplace: GOVB) (the “Company”), the holding company for Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association, announced today that the two leading proxy advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) and Glass Lewis & Co. (“Glass Lewis”), have both recommended that Company stockholders vote “FOR” the Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. 2025 Equity Incentive Plan at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders to be held on February 10, 2025.

“We are pleased that ISS and Glass Lewis have both recommended that our stockholders vote in favor of the equity incentive plan at our upcoming annual meeting,” said Robert W. Barlow, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our Board of Directors believes that the approval of the plan will provide the Company with the ability to retain, reward, attract and incentivize employees and directors in order to promote growth, improve performance and further align their interests with those of the stockholders of the Company.”

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

The Company’s annual meeting of stockholders will be held at the Company’s office located at 20 John Street, Gouverneur, New York 13642 on Monday, February 10, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., local time.

Stockholders are encouraged to read the Company’s definitive proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 2, 2025 for additional information.

About Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc.

Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association, which is a New York chartered savings and loan association founded in 1892 that offers deposit and loan services for businesses, families and individuals. At December 31, 2024, the Company had total assets of $196.8 million, total deposits of $159.7 million and total stockholders’ equity of $31.7 million.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” or similar expressions, including those with respect to the Company’s upcoming annual meeting of stockholders, the approval and implementation of the Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. 2025 Equity Incentive Plan and the other benefits associated with the proposed equity incentive plan. Such forward-looking statements and all other statements that are not historic facts are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors. These factors include, among others, the following: the ability to successfully integrate acquired entities and realize expected cost savings associated with completed mergers and acquisitions; changes in interest rates; national and regional economic conditions; legislative and regulatory changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board; the size, quality and composition of the loan or investment portfolios; demand for loan products; deposit flows and our ability to effectively manage liquidity; competition; demand for financial services in our market area; changes in real estate market values in our market area; changes in relevant accounting principles and guidelines; and our ability to attract and retain key employees. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Should one or more of these risks materialize, actual results may vary from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as may be required by applicable law or regulation, the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Robert W. Barlow
President and Chief Executive Officer
(315) 287-2600

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Latest CarGurus Brand Campaign Celebrates Life’s Big Deal Moments, Like Buying or Selling a Car
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

The “Big Deal” campaign pays tribute to the momentous experience of car shopping, along with the trusted digital tools from CarGurus that help consumers find the best deal on their big deal

BOSTON, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CarGurus, Inc. (Nasdaq: CARG), the No. 1 visited site for shopping, buying, and selling new and used cars¹, today announced the launch of its latest national brand campaign, “Big Deal”, recognizing the important role cars play in people’s lives and the significance of making the right decision during a purchase or sale. The new spots empathize with the big decisions drivers make along the buy/sell journey to reach their ideal outcome, underscoring CarGurus’ role in helping consumers find the best deal on their big deal.

“CarGurus has joined drivers along this important journey for nearly two decades, developing the best tools and information to help consumers feel confident in their decisions as a growing share prefer to do more online before going to the dealership,” noted Dafna Sarnoff, CarGurus Chief Marketing Officer. “As a result, CarGurus has earned the trust of tens of millions of monthly users who turn to our site to make sure they find the best deal for their needs.”

CarGurus is the No. 1 most visited car-shopping site¹, connecting buyers to the best deals by providing complete vehicle history and unbiased deal ratings on the largest selection of new and used vehicles in the U.S.² Added tools like price drop alerts and the ability to finance in advance enable confident decision-making in one of the biggest purchases of a person’s life. The platform also supports sellers with car pricing tools and the ability to instantly receive multiple offers to sell their car either completely online or through a local dealer in select markets, empowering them to choose the best deal.

“Although CarGurus makes the process easy with all the tools and information you need to get the best deal, we don’t want to lessen the gravity of the purchase and its significant impact on people’s lives. Buying or selling a car is a huge decision, an emotional experience that we wanted to reflect in this campaign,” said Carter Collins, Partner and Managing Director of Bindery. “Beyond the excitement of working with the No. 1 most visited car shopping site¹, partnering with the CarGurus team has been one of our most rewarding and close-knit experiences to date.”

The “Big Deal” campaign will run across TV networks and connected TV providers. The spots will be supplemented with digital and social executions, including influencer programs throughout the year. View the full campaign video library here: https://cargur.us/19jlLY.

Creative Credits:

CarGurus
- Dafna Sarnoff, Chief Marketing Officer
- Evan Jones, Creative Director
- Allison Conroy, Brand Marketing Director
- Carli Riibner, Sr Brand Marketing Specialist
- Maggie Meluzio, Director of Public Relations
Creative and Production – Bindery
- Carter Collins, Partner, Managing Director
- Kim Devall, Executive Creative Director
- Laura Hockstad, Producer
- Chris Hilk, Editor
Production – Ruffian
- Bubble & Squeak, Director
- Robert Herman, Founder, EP
- Leslie Vaughn, Line Producer
- Paul Meyers, Director of Photography
- Craig Pinckes, 1st Assistant Director
Production Services – Habitant
- Arturo Arroyo, Managing Director
- Montserrat Becerril, Chief of Staff
- Elizabeth Tapia, Head of Production
- Ivan Perez, Executive Producer
- Andrea Fumero, Line Producer
- Rodrigo Sánchez, Production Manager
Color + VFX – Trafik
- Daniel de Vue, Senior Colorist
- Ali Soofi, Assistant Colorist
- Geoff Linville, Color Producer
- Greer Bratschie, Head of Production
- Karena Ajamian, Executive Producer Ciaran Birks, VFX Producer
- Jaime Aguirre, Flame Lead
- Ben Fall, Flame Assist
Animation and Text Graphics – Buff Motion

Sound – Antfood
- Wilson Brown, Partner, Executive Creative Director
- Sue Lee, Executive Producer
- Joshua Heath, Creative Lead
- Dalton Harts, Composer, Mix Engineer
- Linton Smith, Mix Engineer
- Trevor Haimes, Senior Producer
- Charlie Blasberg, Music Supervisor
- Katie Hansen, Production Coordinator
About CarGurus, Inc.

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

CarGurus also operates online marketplaces under the CarGurus brand in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United States and the United Kingdom, CarGurus also operates the Autolist and PistonHeads online marketplaces, respectively, as independent brands.

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

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

^{¹ Similarweb: Traffic Report [Cars.com, Autotrader, TrueCar, CARFAX Listings (defined as CARFAX Total visits}^{minus Vehicle History Reports traffic)], Q3 2024, U.S.}
^{² Compared to Autotrader.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com (YipitData as of September 30, 2024), and CarFax (Joreca as of September 30, 2024)}

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

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

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1267674-ed08-44a3-a107-cde3ff19ccdb

The MIL Network –
February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Invesco Ltd: Form 8.3 – International Paper Co; Public dealing disclosure

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

KEY INFORMATION

(a)

Full name of discloser:

Invesco Ltd.

(b)

(c)

Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree

International Paper Company

(d)

If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:

(e)

Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

31.01.2025

(f)

In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”

Yes, Smith (DS) PLC

POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a)

Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:

Common stock US4601461035

Interests

Short Positions

Number

(1)

Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:

7,857,564*

2.26

454

0.00

(2)

Cash-settled derivatives:

(3)

Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

Total

7,857,564*

2.26

454

0.00

*The change in the holding of 756 shares since the last disclosure on 31.01.2025 is due to the transfer in of a discretionary holding at 55.63 USD.

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b)

Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:

Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a)

Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security

Purchase/sale

Number of securities

Price per unit

Common stock US4601461035

Sale

104,260

55.63 USD

Common stock US4601461035

Purchase

184,054

55.63 USD

Common stock US4601461035

Sale

308,945

57.05 USD

Common stock US4601461035

Purchase

56.51 USD

(b)

Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. CFD

Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position

Number of reference securities

Price per unit

(c)

Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i)

Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.

Number of securities to which option relates

Exercise price per unit

Type e.g. American, European etc.

Expiry date

Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii)

Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d)

Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security

Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion

Details

Price per unit (if applicable)

OTHER INFORMATION

(a)

Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

None

(b)

Agreements, arrangements, or understandings relating to options or derivatives

None

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure

03.02.2025

Contact name

Philippa Holmes

Telephone number

+441491417447

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: ASML reports transactions under its current share buyback program

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ASML reports transactions under its current share buyback program

VELDHOVEN, the Netherlands – ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) reports the following transactions, conducted under ASML’s current share buyback program.

Date	Total repurchased shares	Weighted average price	Total repurchased value
27-Jan-25	–	–	–
28-Jan-25	–	–	–
29-Jan-25	–	–	–
30-Jan-25	91,825	€705.85	€64,814,704
31-Jan-25	89,575	€723.57	€64,814,150

ASML’s current share buyback program was announced on 10 November 2022, and details are available on our website at https://www.asml.com/en/news/share-buybacks

This regular update of the transactions conducted under the buyback program is to be made public under the Market Abuse Regulation (Nr. 596/2014).

Media Relations Contacts	Investor Relations Contacts
Monique Mols, phone +31 6 528 444 18	Jim Kavanagh, phone +31 6 1524 9925
	Pete Convertito, phone +1 203 919 1714
	Peter Cheang, phone +886 3 659 6771

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: DSS, Inc. Issues Letter to Shareholders
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DSS, Inc. (NYSE American: DSS) a multinational company operating businesses within diversified market sectors that strategically acquires and develops assets to increase shareholder value, today issued the following letter to shareholders:

Dear Esteemed Shareholders,

I am pleased to provide you with significant updates regarding the leadership of DSS, Inc. and to outline the strategic direction we are pursuing as a Company.

It is with great honor that I announce my appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer of DSS, Inc., effective August 23, 2024. With over 25 years of experience in leadership roles across diverse sectors—ranging from Chief Operating Officer of DSS to President at Premier Packaging Corporation, CEO and Director of DSS Biohealth Holdings, and Chief Business Officer at Impact Biomedical, Inc.—I am eager to guide DSS through its next phase of growth, operational refinement, and market leadership.

A Clear Vision for the Future

As we embark on this new chapter, my immediate focus is to optimize operational efficiencies, realign resources, and position DSS, Inc. for sustainable long-term growth. To this end, we have already initiated a series of decisive actions, the results of which are reflected in our most recent earnings report. Below, I have highlighted our key accomplishments and prioritized initiatives moving forward:

Q3 Financial Performance Highlights – Strengthening Our Business Model
- Immediate executive action and swift decision making, allowed for DSS to report operating loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 had decreased by approximately $1.3 million (8%) compared to the same period in 2023, with a $0.4 million (8%) reduction for the three months ended September 30, 2024, relative to the same period in 2023.
- The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, declined by $17.3 million (52%) year-over-year, with a reduction of $1.0 million (15%) for the three-month period.
- Cash flow from operations showed marked improvement, increasing by $11.8 million (56%) for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Our net cash position strengthened from $6.9 million to $11.6 million.
- The successful spin-off of Impact BioMedical, Inc. in September has positioned both entities for future growth within their respective markets.
Driving Revenue Growth and Operational Excellence
- Expanding High-Impact Business Lines: We are focusing on the strategic expansion of promising business units, such as Premier Packaging, to fuel continued growth.
- Exploring Untapped Markets: Our commitment to identifying and investing in high-growth markets will drive the creation of scalable and recurring revenue streams.
- Enhancing Accountability: We will institute robust, metrics-driven accountability systems across business units to ensure consistent execution on high-priority opportunities.
Eliminating Inefficiencies and Optimizing Cost Structure
- Comprehensive Review and Streamlining: A thorough evaluation of all business units is underway to identify underperforming segments. We will restructure, streamline, or divest from non-core areas to reinforce our primary strengths.
- Process and Technology Optimization: New operational tools and processes will be introduced to reduce inefficiencies, eliminate waste, and increase productivity in procurement, production, and logistics.
- Targeted Cost Reduction: Our goal is to reduce costs by 15-20% in the upcoming fiscal year, significantly enhancing profitability and reinforcing our financial stability.
Pioneering Innovation for Competitive Advantage
- Advancing R&D Initiatives: We will leverage our research and development capabilities to drive cutting-edge solutions in emerging sectors, such as biomedical technologies and sustainable packaging.
- Cultivating Strategic Partnerships: We are actively forging alliances with key industry players to accelerate the market introduction of innovative products and solutions.
- Pilot Program Launches: We plan to deploy targeted pilot programs in select regions or sectors to validate new initiatives, enabling us to scale these innovations company-wide.
Maximizing Shareholder Value with Discipline and Transparency
- Disciplined Financial Stewardship: We remain unwavering in our focus on delivering consistent growth, profitability, and returns for our shareholders.
- Commitment to Transparency: You can expect regular, transparent updates on our progress, milestones, and strategic objectives to ensure you remain well-informed at every stage.
- Exploring Shareholder Rewards: We are actively exploring initiatives designed to directly reward our shareholders for their continued trust and support.
Leadership Transition

This moment marks a pivotal turning point for DSS, Inc. With a clear vision, a focused strategy, and an unwavering commitment to execution, we are poised to unlock new opportunities and create sustainable, long-term value for our shareholders.

Thank you for your ongoing support and confidence in DSS, Inc. I look forward to keeping you informed on our progress in the months ahead. Should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Investor Relations team.

Sincerely,

Jason Grady
Interim Chief Executive Officer
DSS, Inc.

Contact: DSS Inc. Investor Relations
Email: IR@dssworld.com
Phone: +1 (585) 565-2422

The MIL Network –
February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Celebrating our city’s rich history through storytelling

Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

As part of National Storytelling Week, Edinburgh 900 invites people and communities to share their connection with the capital city.

As part of National Storytelling Week, the Edinburgh 900 programme invites individuals, communities, and historians to share and explore their unique connections to the city’s fascinating past.

The Edinburgh and Scottish Collection at Central Library boasts one of the world’s largest and most unique collections of materials on Edinburgh, including rare books, maps, prints, photographs, and more.

Through a dedicated website users can access images and maps from the collection online. Our Town Stories features curated stories across various themes and partners with organisations to highlight Edinburgh’s rich and diverse past.

As part of the Edinburgh 900 celebrations, Our Town Stories offers an engaging and interactive journey through the city’s heritage with dynamic maps and timelines. These tools highlight significant objects, photographs, and people from the collections of Libraries, Archives, Archaeology Services, and Museums and Galleries. Over the coming months, more Edinburgh 900 themed captivating stories will be unveiled that span the centuries, offering new insights into Edinburgh’s evolution from the 1100s to the modern-day.

Some highlights already published include:

Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, said:

These stories delve into the pivotal moments in Edinburgh’s history, shedding light on the people, places, and events that have helped shape our extraordinary city.

Our Town Stories makes exploring Edinburgh’s past easy—its interactive map brings the city’s rich history to life with images and maps from our collections. Whether you’re zooming in on a familiar street or discovering hidden corners of the city, this tool connects you with Edinburgh’s heritage in an accessible way.

If you’re inspired and have a personal, historical, or cultural story to share that could enhance our understanding of Edinburgh’s past, we’d love to hear from you. Your contribution could become part of our ongoing narrative, helping to celebrate the city’s identity, creativity, and resilience, ensuring that Edinburgh’s 900-year story is preserved for future generations.

For more information or to contribute your story, please get in touch at informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk You can also join the Edinburgh Collected community archive and contribute your pictures and memories to help shape the city’s collective history.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft expands contactless fuel payment in Siberia via Yandex Zapravki service

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Rosneft continues to develop cooperation with the Yandex Zapravki service and expands the geography of remote payment for fuel. The service has become available to customers at all 70 of the Company’s gas stations in the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. Today, Rosneft is the largest retail network in Russia with the possibility of contactless payment at almost 2,700 gas stations.

Yandex Gas Stations are integrated into Yandex Go, Maps and Navigator, and are also available in a separate application. The service informs users about the types and cost of fuel at each gas station. Motorists can select the pump number, fuel brand, volume and pay for refueling remotely via a mobile phone.

At Rosneft filling stations in the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic, a special offer will be available to all motorists who fill up their cars before March 1, 2025, using the digital service. Participants in the Family Team loyalty program will also be able to add their card details to Yandex Gas Stations to earn points, and motorists with an active Yandex subscription will be able to accumulate and spend Plus points when filling up at the network’s filling stations.

Developing convenient customer services to increase the speed and improve the quality of customer service is one of the priority goals of Rosneft’s retail business. The Company’s petrol stations provide motorists with the opportunity to use various methods to pay for fuel and related products: by bank card, in cash, by QR code through the Fast Payment System, using the Yandex Zapravki service, as well as accumulated points upon presentation of the Family Team card.

Reference:

Rosneft has one of the largest retail sales networks in Russia, including about 3,000 petrol stations/gas stations. The geography of the Company’s retail business covers 61 regions of Russia. In Altai, the Company’s retail business is the most extensive network in the region. It covers all major highways in the directions from Novosibirsk Region to the Altai Republic, as well as to Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The petrol station network provides wide coverage of the territory and has high social significance.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft February 3, 2025

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE leads efforts to protect the environment on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River: another batch of dangerous chemicals removed from Moldova

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

Headline: OSCE leads efforts to protect the environment on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River: another batch of dangerous chemicals removed from Moldova

OSCE leads efforts to protect the environment on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River: another batch of dangerous chemicals removed from Moldova | OSCE
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MIL OSI Europe News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Ivanhoe Man Sentenced to 72 Months on Drug, Gun Charges

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ABINGDON, Va. – A previously convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm and possessed distribution quantities of methamphetamine was sentenced last week to 72 months in federal prison.

Troy Alexander Stamper III, 34, of Ivanhoe, Virginia, pled guilty in October 2024 to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, on June 23, 2023 the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Fries, Virginia to locate a wanted subject. Upon arriving at the residence, a witness reported that the wanted subject, and Stamper, fled upon seeing sheriff’s deputies arriving. In addition, the witness further reported that Stamper was in possession of a pistol.

The wanted subject was found hiding underneath the residence and stated that Stamper had stashed a duffel bag and a pistol underneath the porch of the residence. Deputies located the duffel bag, which contained a loaded, semiautomatic 9 mm pistol, 87 grams of methamphetamine, .873 grams of fentanyl, and 4 oxycodone tablets.

Stamper was apprehended a short time later and admitted that the pistol and bag containing the drugs belonged to him.

Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee is prosecuting the case.

MIL Security OSI –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Bill McLaughlin Named Thrive’s New CEO

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BOSTON, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and traditional managed service provider (MSP) services, today announced the long-planned leadership transition elevating Bill McLaughlin into the CEO role, effective immediately. McLaughlin succeeds Rob Stephenson, who has led Thrive for nearly a decade. Under Stephenson, Thrive has attained industry prominence, earned a reputation for excellence, and delivered a compounded annual growth rate above 30%. Stephenson will remain onboard as a member of Thrive’s leadership team, particularly focused on supporting McLaughlin and driving the company’s M&A strategy.

“Bill came to Thrive over three and a half years ago with the plan to be my successor,” said Stephenson. “He has been running day-to-day sales and operations, is one of the most highly respected executives in our industry, and is responsible for much of Thrive’s success. It’s been a pleasure of a lifetime leading this company and there is nobody I would feel more confident in succeeding me than Bill McLaughlin. Under his leadership, Thrive will continue to set the pace for MSP and MSSP innovation and achievement.”

With more than 20 years of experience in the managed services industry, McLaughlin brings deep knowledge and understanding of IT, customer success, and go-to-market strategy. Prior to joining Thrive as President in 2021, McLaughlin held senior leadership positions at companies like Kaseya, Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office, and NER Data Products, where he oversaw customer success, sales initiatives, and M&A activity.

Throughout his time at Thrive, McLaughlin has partnered with leading organizations to ensure their digital transformations are secure, cost-effective, and future-ready. As President, he played a pivotal role in growing Thrive through acquisition – including the purchase of 11 companies over the past two years. Through its growth, Thrive has expanded the breadth and quality of its services, as well as its geographical footprint. The organization now has over 1,400 team members across the U.S., UK, Canada, and APAC regions.

In January, the company received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners, supporting growth and continued opportunity in the outsourced IT space. As CEO, McLaughlin will continue to invest in Thrive’s team and capabilities as they serve their customers with excellence.

“Thrive is redefining what it means to be a next-generation service provider – in terms of the solutions we deliver, the markets we serve, the problems we solve, and the way we take care of and upskill our people,” said McLaughlin. “While this is an exciting new chapter, our mission and vision remain the same: we’re going to keep delivering exceptional service and solutions to our customers, solving some of their most critical business problems – and we’re going to do it as a team.”

To learn more about open positions at Thrive, visit the careers page.

About Thrive 

Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn. 

Thrive Contact: 
Amanda Maguire 
thrive@v2comms.com  

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Vimeo to Report Q4 2024 Earnings and Host Earnings Video Event on February 19, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vimeo, Inc. (NASDAQ: VMEO) today announced the date for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 earnings report and earnings video event. After the close of market trading on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, Vimeo will post its results on the Investor Relations section of its website at https://www.vimeo.com/investors. On the same day, at 5:00 p.m. ET, Vimeo will livestream a video conference to answer questions. The live stream and replay of the video will be accessible to the public at https://www.vimeo.com/investors.

About Vimeo

Vimeo (NASDAQ: VMEO) is the world’s most innovative video experience platform. We enable anyone to create high-quality video experiences to better connect and bring ideas to life. We proudly serve our community of millions of users – from creative storytellers to globally distributed teams at the world’s largest companies – whose videos receive billions of views each month. Learn more at www.vimeo.com.

Contact Us

Vimeo Investor Relations
ir@vimeo.com

Vimeo Communications
Ronda Morra
press@vimeo.com

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Bel Fuse Schedules Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results Conference Call

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WEST ORANGE, N.J., Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bel Fuse Inc. (Nasdaq: BELFA and BELFB), a designer, manufacturer, and provider of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits, today announced plans to release preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter after market close on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. An earnings conference call has been scheduled as follows:

When:	Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. ET

Dial in:	877.407.0784, or international: 201.689.8560

Online:	https://ir.belfuse.com/events-and-presentations

How:	Live over the internet – Simply log on to the web at the address above

Replay:	844.512.2921, or international: 412.317.6671

	Conference ID: 13750153

A replay will be available after 12:30 p.m. ET for 30 days following the call.

About Bel
Bel (www.belfuse.com) designs, manufactures and markets a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits. These products are primarily used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, military, aerospace, medical, transportation and broadcasting industries. Bel’s product groups include Power Solutions and Protection (front-end, board-mount and industrial power products, module products and circuit protection), Connectivity Solutions (expanded beam fiber optic, copper-based, RF and RJ connectors and cable assemblies), and Magnetic Solutions (integrated connector modules, power transformers, power inductors and discrete components). The Company operates facilities around the world.

Contacts:

Bel Fuse Inc.

Lynn Hutkin, VP Financial Reporting & Investor Relations
ir@belf.com

Three Part Advisors
Jean Marie Young, Managing Director
Steven Hooser, Partner
jyoung@threepa.com
shooser@threepa.com

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Concrete Pumping Holdings Announces Closing of Senior Secured Second Lien Notes Offering

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

DENVER, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBCP) (the “Company” or “CPH”), a leading provider of concrete pumping and concrete waste management services in the U.S. and U.K., announced that Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. (the “Issuer”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has successfully closed its private offering of $425.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior secured second lien notes due 2032 (the “Notes”). The Notes were issued at par and bear interest at a fixed rate of 7.500% per annum. The Issuer’s obligations under the Notes will be guaranteed by the Company, Concrete Pumping Intermediate Acquisition Corp. and each of the Issuer’s domestic, wholly-owned subsidiaries that is a borrower under or guarantees the ABL Facility.

The proceeds of the Notes were used to pay the redemption price for all of the Company’s outstanding 6.000% senior secured second lien notes due 2026 and to pay related fees and expenses thereto. In addition, the remainder of the net proceeds of the Notes, together with cash on hand, will be used to pay a special one-time dividend of $1.00 per share of the common stock of the Company (approximately $53 million in the aggregate) on or about February 3, 2025.

“The closing of our senior notes refinancing strengthens our balance sheet and represents a significant milestone in our evolution, underscoring our consistent operating performance and healthy free cash flow generation,” said Bruce Young, CEO of CPH. “In the past, we have executed a range of capital allocation priorities, including organic growth investments in our concrete pumping fleet and Eco-Pan, opportunistic M&A, debt reduction and share buybacks. Now, returning excess capital to our shareholders in the form of a special dividend augments our capital allocation strategy and highlights our commitment to driving superior shareholder value. The special dividend also reflects our confidence in the Company’s strong and consistent free cash flow generation, all while maintaining prudent leverage and ample liquidity to invest in our long-term growth strategy.”

The Notes have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any U.S. persons absent registration under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes were offered and sold only to “qualified institutional buyers” in the United States pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act or, outside the United States, to persons other than “U.S. persons” in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

About Concrete Pumping Holdings

Concrete Pumping Holdings is a leading provider of concrete pumping services and concrete waste management services in the U.S. and U.K. markets based on fleet size, primarily operating under what we believe are the only established, national brands in both geographies – Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping, Inc. for concrete pumping in the U.S., Camfaud Group Limited in the U.K., and Eco-Pan, Inc. for waste management services in both the U.S. and U.K. The Company’s large fleet of specialized pumping equipment and trained operators position it to deliver concrete placement solutions that facilitate substantial labor cost savings to customers, shorten concrete placement times, enhance worksite safety and improve construction quality. Highly complementary to its core concrete pumping service, Eco-Pan provides a full-service, cost-effective, regulatory-compliant solution to manage environmental issues caused by concrete washout. As of October 31, 2024, the Company provided concrete pumping services in the U.S. from a footprint of approximately 90 locations across 22 states, concrete pumping services in the U.K. from 35 locations, and route-based concrete waste management services from 20 locations in the U.S. and one shared location in the U.K.

Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on management’s reasonable current assumptions, expectations and plans regarding the Company’s and the Issuer’s current or future results and future business and economic conditions more generally. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the Company’s ability to execute on its strategic growth plan and other factors disclosed in the risk factor sections of the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, any of which may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement of the Company or the Issuer to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from management’s expectations. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictors of future events.

All forward-looking statements contained in this release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are or were made, and the Company does not intend to update or otherwise revise the forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Contact:

Company:
Iain Humphries
Chief Financial Officer
1-303-289-7497 Investor Relations:
Gateway Investor Relations
Cody Slach
1-949-574-3860
BBCP@gatewayir.com

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Banzai Completes Acquisition of Vidello, Growing TTM Revenue 59% and Adding $2M in EBITDA
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Expands Portfolio with Next-Generation Video Creation, Editing, and Marketing Suite

SEATTLE, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Banzai International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNZI) (“Banzai” or the “Company”), a leading marketing technology company that provides essential marketing and sales solutions, today announced that it has successfully closed its previously announced acquisition of Vidello, a technology provider of video hosting and marketing suite solutions for businesses.

The acquisition is expected to increase Banzai’s revenue by $6.5 million and increase EBITDA by $2 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2024, on a pro-forma basis. Vidello financials are preliminary and unaudited and subject to adjustment.

Based in London, Vidello offers a comprehensive video hosting and marketing suite that provides entrepreneurs, startups, agencies, and online businesses with tools to grow their businesses.

Vidello’s key offerings include:
- CreateStudio: An award-winning video creation app that allows users to easily produce eye-catching 3D character video content for social media and websites.
- PhotoVibrance: A tool that transforms static images into moving motion pictures to capture attention.
- Twinkle: An all-in-one audio platform for creators and agencies, featuring premium royalty-free music tailored for video projects.
- Vidello: A 3-in-1 video hosting, player, and collaboration tool that allows users to showcase videos with a customizable, lightning-fast player. Features include a collaboration portal and in-play marketing calls-to-action for lead generation and sales optimization.
Vidello has over 90,000 customers, and their flagship CreateStudio product has been named a Top 3 Best Rated product in the video maker category by Capterra¹, and a High Performer by G2².

Banzai’s vision is to build a comprehensive suite of AI-powered marketing tools that make marketers’ lives faster and easier. The Vidello acquisition is pivotal in accelerating revenue growth by delivering innovative solutions to our customers.

Transaction Details

Under the terms of the agreement, Banzai will issue approximately $2.7M in cash ($2.5M is held back for varying time periods and for indemnification, transition and revenue earnout purposes) and 868,204 shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock. Additional details regarding the acquisition are included in the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2024, and January 31, 2025.

About Vidello

Vidello is a video hosting and marketing suite which provides online businesses with the essential marketing and hosting tools to assist in growing business through video. To learn more about the company visit www.vidello.com.

About Banzai

Banzai is a marketing technology company that provides AI-enabled marketing and sales solutions for businesses of all sizes. On a mission to help their customers grow, Banzai enables companies of all sizes to target, engage, and measure both new and existing customers more effectively. Banzai customers include Cisco, New York Life, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Thinkific, Doodle and ActiveCampaign, among thousands of others. Learn more at www.banzai.io. For investors, please visit https://ir.banzai.io.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “target,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “propose,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar variations and expressions. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Examples of forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding Banzai International, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”): future financial, business and operating performance and goals; annualized recurring revenue and customer retention; ongoing, future or ability to maintain or improve its financial position, cash flows, and liquidity and its expected financial needs; potential financing and ability to obtain financing; acquisition strategy and proposed acquisitions and, if completed, their potential success and financial contributions; strategy and strategic goals, including being able to capitalize on opportunities; expectations relating to the Company’s industry, outlook and market trends; total addressable market and serviceable addressable market and related projections; plans, strategies and expectations for retaining existing or acquiring new customers, increasing revenue and executing growth initiatives; and product areas of focus and additional products that may be sold in the future. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and development of the industry in which the Company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Therefore, investors should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the markets in which the Company operates, customer demand, the financial markets, economic, business and regulatory and other factors, such as the Company’s ability to execute on its strategy. More detailed information about risk factors can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors,” and in other reports filed by the Company, including reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

Investor Relations
Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ Group – MZ North America
949-491-8235
BNZI@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

Media
Rachel Meyrowitz
Director, Demand Generation, Banzai
media@banzai.io

¹ Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/203897/Create-Studio/
² Source: https://www.g2.com/products/create-studio/reviews

The MIL Network –
February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Izotropic to Present at Investor Conference February 6th

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

– CEO to present overview of Company value proposition, unique catalysts, and near-term objectives –

– Event includes live Q and A, attendance is complimentary –

– Individual and institutional investors, advisors, and analysts welcome –

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Izotropic Corporation (CSE: IZO) (OTCQB: IZOZF) (FSE: 1R3) (“Izotropic” or the “Company“), a medical device company commercializing imaging-based products utilizing innovative and emerging technologies for the more accurate screening, diagnoses, and treatment of breast cancers, is pleased to announce that CEO Robert Thast will be presenting at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference this week and will be covering key aspects of the Company’s recent achievements, U.S. and EU regulatory approvals, near-term-objectives, and funding options.

Date: February 6, 2025
Time: 3:00 – 3:30 pm EST / 12:00 – 12:30 pm PST
1 x 1 Meetings: See availability here: https://calendly.com/izotropic/meeting-with-ceo

This will be the first public presentation by Izotropic since unveiling its new regulatory strategy for U.S. FDA approval and timelines to market launch of its first medical imaging device, IzoView- a dedicated breast CT imaging system, with contrast-enhancement for breast cancer screening adjunctive to digital breast tomosynthesis, commonly referred to as 3D mammography, for patients with dense breast tissue.

After the formal presentation, attendees will have the opportunity and are encouraged to ask relevant questions through an interactive portal. For anyone registered who cannot attend the live event, an archived webcast will be made available.

Please pre-register at the following link:
https://bit.ly/4hi9H8A

About Izotropic:
More information about Izotropic Corporation can be found on its website at izocorp.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at sedarplus.ca.

About Virtual Investor Conferences®
Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This document may contain statements that are “Forward-Looking Statements,” which are based upon the current estimates, assumptions, projections, and expectations of the Company’s management, business, and its knowledge of the relevant market and economic environment in which it operates. The Company has tried, where possible, to identify such information and statements by using words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “envision,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” “contemplate” and other similar expressions and derivations thereof in connection with any discussion of future events, trends or prospects or future operating or financial performance, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

These statements are not guarantees of performance and involve risks, including those related to capital requirements and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict, and as such, they may cause future results of the Company’s activity to differ significantly from the content and implications of such statements. Forward-Looking Statements are pertinent only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any Forward-Looking Statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances unless otherwise required to do so by law. Neither the Company nor its shareholders, officers, and consultants shall be liable for any action and the results of any action taken by any person based on the information contained herein, including, without limitation, the purchase or sale of Company securities. Nothing in this document should be deemed to be medical or other advice of any kind. All images are for illustrative purposes only. IzoView has not yet been approved or cleared for sale.

Contacts:

Izotropic Corporation
Robert Thast
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: 1-604-220-5031 or 1-800-IZOCORP ext. 3
Email: bthast@izocorp.com

General Inquiries
Telephone: 1-604-825-4778 or 1-800-IZOCORP ext. 1
Email: info@izocorp.com

Virtual Investor Conferences
John M. Viglotti
SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
OTC Markets Group
(212) 220-2221
johnv@otcmarkets.com

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI: Invesco Ltd: Form 8.3 – American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc; Public dealing disclosure

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

PUBLIC DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

KEY INFORMATION

(a)

Full name of discloser:

Invesco Ltd.

(b)

(c)

Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc.

(d)

If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:

(e)

Date position held/dealing undertaken:
For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

31.01.2025

(f)

In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”

Yes, Dowlais Group plc

POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a)

Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:

USD 0.01 common US0240611030

Interests

Short Positions

Number

(1)

Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:

1,892,987*

1.60

(2)

Cash-settled derivatives:

(3)

Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

Total

1,892,987*

1.60

*The change in the holding of 2,955 shares since the last disclosure on 30.01.2025 is due to the transfer in of a discretionary holding at 5.23 USD.

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b)

Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:

Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a)

Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security

Purchase/sale

Number of securities

Price per unit

USD 0.01 common US0240611030

Purchase

110

5.23 USD

(b)

Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. CFD

Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position

Number of reference securities

Price per unit

(c)

Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i)

Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.

Number of securities to which option relates

Exercise price per unit

Type e.g. American, European etc.

Expiry date

Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii)

Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d)

Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security

Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion

Details

Price per unit (if applicable)

OTHER INFORMATION

(a)

Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

None

(b)

Agreements, arrangements, or understandings relating to options or derivatives

None

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure

03.02.2025

Contact name

Philippa Holmes

Telephone number

+441491417447

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

The MIL Network –

February 4, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Key takeaways from the Cityforum 2025 Digital Policing Summit
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Exploring challenges and opportunities in innovation for delivering safer streets.
In recent months, the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) worked closely with Cityforum to help organise its latest event, the 2025 Digital Policing Summit. Held at BT HQ in London on January 22, the event brought together policymakers, police leaders, government representatives, industry experts and academics.

Following the recent death of Cityforum founder Marc Lee, this was a poignant event that continued his vision of providing a platform for open discussions and collaborative problem-solving on some of the most pressing challenges facing policing today. From tackling complex societal issues to the challenge and opportunity of artificial intelligence (AI), the conversations were thought provoking and mission driven.

Annette Southgate, Head of ACE, joined a panel on sustainable implementation: from research to scalable delivery and mission impact at local, regional, and national levels, while Andy Loukes took to the stage with Stan Gilmour from ACE’s Vivace Community to share our learnings from the work that we have already done on the Safer Streets mission.

Andy’s presentation featured a compelling case study from ACE’s toolbox, which was well received by attendees.

Here are our four key takeaways from the event for delivering the Safer Streets mission:

1. Local innovation is crucial

One of the strongest themes was the importance of local innovation with speakers emphasising that relying on national solutions often slows progress. Local forces are driving change by quickly adopting new technologies and tailoring them to meet their needs, but this too causes challenges as localised technology procurement is neither sustainable nor secure by design.

ACE’s case study shared the need to encourage local innovation, start small and then scale fast, applying innovation to forces across the country.

There was much discussion of how the new National Centre of Policing will support and scale up this local innovation while allowing police forces to continue to deliver their local priorities – and a recurring theme was that:

“Operational independence is not the same thing as organisational independence”

2. Scalability: aligning the enablers

The challenge of how to embed systemic learning and scale capabilities from local successes into broader practice remains. Scaling solutions is a persistent challenge, not because innovation itself lacks scalability, but because the enablers – funding, infrastructure, standards, and decision-making structures – are often disconnected and siloed.

One speaker summarised the issue well:

“The safer streets challenge is how to get enablers at the strategic level coordinated, acting at speed, and with the right level of bureaucracy.”

And we should be better at sharing our knowledge of success. It’s often unclear who is innovating, where, and how effective those efforts are. Some forces adopt new technologies quickly and lead the way, but others lag behind, often due to limited visibility into what works. A common question raised was:

“If we know something works, why aren’t we telling everyone about it?”

Clearer knowledge-sharing mechanisms and centralised platforms are essential to track progress, evaluate outcomes, maximise the impact of innovation, and allow for the coordination of investment in common enablers.

Greater collaboration and accountability structures can address this critical bottleneck – from a shared lexicon to standards that go beyond rigid technical specifications to include principles and flexible frameworks that adapt to various contexts.

3. Artificial intelligence: a balanced approach

AI was a key topic of discussion, with panelists debating its potential to enhance productivity and fill gaps in resource-constrained areas such as policing. AI can automate administrative tasks and free up officers for frontline duties, but public trust and careful implementation remain critical concerns.

The consensus was clear:

“AI shouldn’t replace people – it should empower them.”

The goal of applying AI isn’t zero crime but mitigating and preventing incidents while maintaining public confidence. AI must be implemented thoughtfully as a tool to complement human expertise rather than replace it.

4. Broadening the mission beyond policing

A particularly compelling point was the recognition that safer streets aren’t just a policing challenge. Achieving this goal requires collaboration across sectors, including education, probation, community services, and even the private sector.

Policing alone cannot address systemic issues such as serious violence or crime prevention. A coordinated, cross-departmental approach is essential to drive meaningful change. This shift in mindset could transform how resources are allocated and how partnerships are forged across sectors.

What’s ahead?

The Cityforum policing event reinforced the need for collaboration, alignment, and strategic approaches to innovation. From local-level successes to national strategies, the sector holds immense potential to drive change – but this requires breaking down silos and ensuring all enablers work in harmony.

At the heart of these discussions is a clear message: success lies in collaboration, knowledge sharing, and empowering innovation at every level.

ACE looks forward to contributing to these conversations and supporting initiatives that make a tangible difference for communities and policing teams alike. ACE is well placed to support forces with mission-driven innovation, in cross sector projects, to join up, de-risk and innovate, identifying and developing enablers to support the police in the future.

A huge thanks to the Cityforum team for another outstanding event! We look forward to the next one.

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Published 3 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: School of Synthetic Biology and Industrial Pharmacy Opens at NSU

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

From February 3 to February 7, 2025, the Novosibirsk State University is hosting the February School of Synthetic Biology and Industrial Pharmacy, organized by NSU Advanced Engineering School, Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU with the support of JSC Generium and SUNC NSU.

More than 200 students from more than 40 universities across the country applied to participate in the school. 42 participants from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Altai Krais, as well as other regions of the Ural, Volga, Southern, Central and Northwestern Federal Districts were selected to participate in the School. The leading universities by the number of participants were: NSU — 15 people, SFU — 7 people, SSMU — 4 people, Altai State University — 3 people.

The school participants will master competencies in the field of technologies for managing the properties of biological objects, bioinformatics, and will become familiar with modern approaches to the development of drugs. The work will take place in the laboratories of the new educational building of the NSU SUNC, which is one of the first-stage facilities. modern campus of NSU, being built within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”.

At the opening of the intensive course, Dmitry Kudlai, Director of Innovative Development Programs at NSU and Vice President of Generium JSC, gave a welcoming speech.

— Biotechnology is a trend worldwide, as well as a fundamental component of the life of Novosibirsk State University. NSU is actively developing the construction of a world-class campus. The educational building of the NSU SUNC, where the participants will work, is the first stage of this campus, the second is the building of the flow classrooms, the research center and the educational and scientific center of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU. Perhaps, some of the participants of the School will be able to study in the premises of the flow classrooms building as early as September. To conduct the School, we attracted specialists from the Engineering School of Moscow State University, a team from the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics will come. The Deputy Director of the State Institute of Medicines and Good Practices will also take part. I can say for sure that it will not be boring. It is wonderful that students participate in such events, laying the foundation for a confident future, — noted Dmitry Kudlai.

Director of the Advanced Engineering School Sergey Golovin also welcomed the participants and spoke about the career and educational opportunities that participation in the intensive course opens up:

— One of the areas that was initially developed at the Advanced Engineering School of NSU is biotechnology. Novosibirsk really has the widest range for development. Our task is to make you as competitive as possible and provide you with subject tools, as well as a set of personal qualities. I hope that your stay at the school for a week will be useful. So that you can not only decide on further education in master’s programs, but also take the first serious big step into the world of biotechnology.

On the first day of the event, the participants got acquainted with the program of the event and also listened to a lecture on “Development of laboratory diagnostic systems” by Eduard Agletdinov, Deputy General Director for Scientific Work at Vector-Best JSC.

During the week of intensive work, leading specialists from pharmaceutical companies, experts from universities and scientific organizations will give plenary lectures. An important element of the event will be the educational program, where talented students will be able to get acquainted with the best modern practices in the field of drug development and current technological and regulatory trends.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President el-Sisi of Egypt

Source: The White House

On Saturday, President Donald J. Trump received a call from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, in which President el-Sisi congratulated President Trump on his inauguration. President Trump thanked President el-Sisi for his friendship, and discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The two leaders also discussed Egypt’s important role in the release of hostages from Gaza and President el-Sisi expressed his confidence that President Trump’s leadership could usher in a golden age of Middle East peace.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Dedicated railway maintenance workers amid Spring Festival travel rush

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

“We have maintained great enthusiasm for work to ensure the safe operation of the trains and guarantee that every passenger can arrive home safely.”

Meet a group of railway maintenance workers, the everyday heroes dedicated to their posts amid the Spring Festival travel rush.

MIL OSI China News –

February 4, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s CPC sends congratulatory message over 95th anniversary of Vietnam’s communist party

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

China’s CPC sends congratulatory message over 95th anniversary of Vietnam’s communist party

BEIJING, Feb. 3 — The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Monday sent a congratulatory message to the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) marking the latter’s 95th anniversary of founding. The message is as follows:

In the past 95 years, the CPV has united and led the Vietnamese people in successfully realizing national unification and liberation with remarkable achievements in the cause of the country’s socialist construction and transformation.

Notably since the 13th CPV Central Committee meeting, the CPV stepped up efforts to build and reorganize the party, leading to political and social stability as well as vigorous economic development in the country with a steady rise in its international status.

Currently, under the CPV’s strong leadership led by General Secretary To Lam, the CPV and the Vietnamese people are striving to complete the goals and missions set by the 13th CPV Central Committee meeting, and are marching towards the two centennial goals to welcome the holding of the 14th CPV Central Committee meeting. We believe you will surely realize the goals.

The CPC and the CPV share a long-standing revolutionary friendship and amicable partnership. Under the personal guidance and careful nurturing of the leaders of previous generations including Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh, the two peoples have supported each other in revolutionary struggles, marching together in socialist construction, in the drive of reform and opening-up and on the journey of socialist modernization.

The CPC has always viewed the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries from a strategic and long-term perspective. The CPC is willing to work with the CPV to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties, uphold the 16-word guideline of “long-term stability, future orientation, good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation” and the spirit of “good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners,” and in line with the six major goals of greater political mutual trust, to increase high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, consolidate traditional friendship, expand cooperation across various fields, and deepen exchanges and mutual learning on the theory and practice of party and state governance, jointly explore a socialist development path suited to their respective national conditions, and push for more progress in building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to bring greater benefits to both peoples and contribute further to the cause of peace and progress for humanity.

MIL OSI China News –

February 4, 2025


CONTACT:	Robert W. Barlow President and Chief Executive Officer (315) 287-2600

Category: KB

Social reforms and FDR

LBJ’s Great Society

Resistance to policy change

Building a conservative infrastructure

Aiming at the ‘deep state’

Medications don’t always work

A chemical solution?

A better prescription – for you

Light is radiation visible to the human eye

Shades and intensities

Black on the color spectrum

Perception is subjective

Why it matters

How we did our work

1. Local innovation is crucial

2. Scalability: aligning the enablers

3. Artificial intelligence: a balanced approach

4. Broadening the mission beyond policing

What’s ahead?

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