Category: KB

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of workers to benefit from boost to the Living Wage

Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

The Living Wage Foundation has revealed that the Real Living Wage will increase to £12.60 next year.

Responding to the news, Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said:

Thousands of workers across Edinburgh are set for a boost in pay from May thanks to the new Living Wage rate. Helping our city’s workers as the cost of living soars, the rate set by the Living Wage Foundation will rise by 60p to £12.60 an hour across the UK.

Over 80,000 people are living in poverty in Edinburgh and many have been pushed into deprivation because of insecure work. It really can happen to any of us and that is why the Living Wage is such a powerful tool, for making sure people get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Considering the increasing pressures businesses are also under, we are so appreciative of the way Edinburgh employers continue to lead the way in Scotland, making Living Wage the norm.

Published: October 24th 2024

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ingrid Yeung visits immigration HQ

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung today visited the Immigration Department’s (ImmD) new headquarters in Tseung Kwan O to gain a first-hand understanding of the department’s services, latest developments and frontline work.

Mrs Yeung first met Director of Immigration Benson Kwok and other directorate staff for a briefing on the department’s latest developments. This was followed by a meeting with staff representatives from various grades to hear their concerns and views.

At the Registration of Persons Office, staff briefed her on the self-service personal documentation services at the headquarters.

The new kiosks will further facilitate the submission of applications and collection of personal documentation in a self-service manner, thereby providing higher quality public services.

Mrs Yeung also toured the new Marriage Registry. Its marriage hall has been popular since opening in June this year, thanks to its novel design with various photo-taking spots set up in the outdoor area such as the heart-shaped garden for newlyweds and guests to pose for photos.

The civil service chief also inspected the Enterprise System Management Centre, which is responsible for monitoring the operation of the computer systems of all control points and offices.

The centre operates around the clock and monitors the status of various computer systems in real time. It provides prompt response and co-ordination where necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the computer systems.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opening in Chester County

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

Disaster Recovery Center will open in Chester County to provide in-person assistance to South Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene.
Chester CountyChester County Government Office1476 J A Cochran BypassChester, SC 29706
Open Oct. 24-26, 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Additional Disaster Recovery Centers are scheduled to open in other South Carolina counties. Click here to find centers that are already open in South Carolina. You can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state of South Carolina and the U.S. Small Business Administration. No appointment is needed.
To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362.
Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation can apply for federal assistance.
The quickest way to apply is to go online to DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.
FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Declaration of Helsinki turns 60 – how this foundational document of medical ethics has stood the test of time

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dominic Wilkinson, Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford

The declaration of Helsinki recently turned 60, but don’t feel bad if you missed the celebrations. It probably passed unnoticed by most people not working in the medical field – and possibly even a good few in the field.

If you’re not familiar with the declaration – adopted by the World Medical Association on October 19 1964 – here is an explainer on this highly influential document: how it emerged, how it evolved and where it may be heading.

What is the declaration of Helsinki?

The World Medical Association was set up in the late 1940s in response to atrocities committed in the name of medical research during the second world war. It was focused on promoting and safeguarding medical ethics and human rights.

Agreed at a meeting in Finland in 1964, the first version of the declaration included principles that have become the cornerstone of global research ethics. These include the importance of carefully assessing the risks and benefits of research projects, and seeking informed consent from those taking part in research.

The declaration has been hugely influential and has been incorporated into national guidelines relating to medical research around the world. (For example, in the UK it is cited in legislation and policy relating to research.)

However, it is not legally binding. It has also, at times, been the focus of controversy. For example, following an intense debate in the early 2000s – about the use of placebos in drug trials and the ethics of conducting research in low-income countries – the US Food and Drug Administration removed reference to the declaration in its own guidance.

The declaration updated

It has been revised several times (the new version is the eighth edition), reflecting an evolving understanding of medical ethics, contemporary debates about when research would be ethical, as well changes in the nature and landscape of research.

Some of these reflect important shifts in values and language. In 1964, the declaration stated that clinical research “should be conducted … under the supervision of a qualified medical man” – sexist language that has long since gone by the wayside.

The 2024 version refers to “research participants” rather than “research subjects” – in response to a wider shift to greater inclusion of patients and research volunteers as partners in research. There are also new references to concern for the environment and sustainability, as well as attention to issues relating to stored data and biomaterial, such as tissue samples.

Continuing uncertainty

Some questions remain. One change in the recent document emphasises the importance of including participants from different backgrounds in research, including those who are potentially “vulnerable” in one or more ways.

Older versions of the declaration emphasised avoiding research wherever possible involving children, older patients, pregnant women, those with mental illness and prisoners. This came from a need to learn from past scandals and avoid exploiting vulnerable groups.

However, more recently, it has been recognised that excluding these groups can cause even greater harm, since it leads to a lack of evidence on how best to treat some patients. This then leads to disparities in health. For example, a large proportion of medicines commonly used for children lack high-quality evidence to support them.

The 2024 declaration tries to balance the priority to include vulnerable groups in research with the need to protect and avoid research that could be feasibly performed in other groups.

However, this highlights a deeper problem. Ethical problems arise when research is inhibited or discouraged.

Regulation of research (as encouraged by the declaration) is hugely important, but it can also make it extremely difficult, time consuming and resource intensive to perform. Doctors may change practice based on experience, intuition or inspiration. If they do so outside of a trial, they are not required to seek the approval of any review body.

As noted by a British paediatrician Richard Smithells in the 1970s: “I need permission to give a drug to half of my patients [to find out whether it does more good than harm], but not [if I want] to give it to them all.”

One particular form of research that can be important to drive improvements in care are so-called comparative effectiveness trials. Within many areas of medicine, there are variations in practice, where some professionals will take one approach, while others will take another.

Depending on which doctor you happen to see, (perhaps which clinic you attend, or which day of the week you become unwell), you might receive one treatment or the other.

Since variations like this affect many patients, it would be important to determine which is the better option, potentially involving a randomised controlled trial, where one group of patients is randomly selected to receive the treatment and another group (the control group), a placebo. These trials take years to conduct and are very expensive to run.

However, the declaration seems to encourage a one-size-fits-all approach and potentially implies that such trials should go through a formal and lengthy research ethics approval process, with participants providing explicit informed consent. However, many ethicists and researchers have argued in favour of a more slimmed-down regulatory approach focusing on what matters: do trials meaningfully add risk or burden to those that patients would have encountered outside the trial. And would taking part in research restrict patients’ ability to make meaningful decisions, and to make choices that would ordinarily have been offered?

For example, imagine a trial of two different antiseptics that are commonly used for surgery. Being involved in the trial wouldn’t impose additional risk (since patients ordinarily receive those antiseptics), and it wouldn’t remove an ordinary choice, since it would be rare for medical professionals to ask patients which antiseptic they would like.

The Declaration of Helsinki may be 60 years old, but it continues to both stimulate debate and inspire ethical practice in medical research. It has been newly revised but it is likely that innovations in research, such as the growing use of AI in medicine, will require further changes in the years ahead. It isn’t time to retire it yet.

Dominic Wilkinson receives funding from The Wellcome Trust. He is a member of the British Medical Association Medical Ethics Committee (the views in this article are his own).

– ref. Declaration of Helsinki turns 60 – how this foundational document of medical ethics has stood the test of time – https://theconversation.com/declaration-of-helsinki-turns-60-how-this-foundational-document-of-medical-ethics-has-stood-the-test-of-time-241769

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Light and sound art show Eclipse by Nonotak is an immersive and sensory experience

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rob Flint, Senior Lecturer Nottingham in the School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University

Audiovisual art is changing rapidly. Increasingly powerful projectors, screens and lighting rigs with integrated control systems, pervade the interwoven worlds of cinema, gallery and concert halls. These changes blur the borders of the art form with gaming, club and gig visuals, semi-permanent immersive experiences, and giant outdoor screens and projection-mapped buildings.

I’m fascinated by electronic light and sound in art, music and cinema, and so was curious to experience Eclipse, “a spatial light and sound experience” by Japanese art studio Nonotak (Noemi Schipfer and Takami Nakamoto).

You enter the exhibition into a darkened lounge bar that features the first of three separate experiences: a flat, wall-based light work titled Highway that gives a powerful sense of horizontal motion from the stepped sequence of flashing white bands of light.

The next, Dual, is a large sound and light space that uses the kind of directional lighting seen onstage at concerts to make deep spatial patterns with beams of light against a soft haze.

The third, Hidden Shadow, returns us to an image-based experience with directional seating and a large flat LED wall, on which shifting and dissolving points continually redefine a circle, linked to powerful overhead strobe-type lights in a way that seems to reference the installation title.

These are all monochrome, programmed in sequences, with continuous repetition. Although the timed-entry system seems to encourage the viewer’s movement through the spaces, roughly corresponding to their duration, ending again in the lounge and bar area.

Immersed in pulsing light and sound, I look for coordinates to ground my experience. There’s a long history of artists making light and sound do things simultaneously. Psychedelia seems an obvious ancestor.

Even before Hoppy Hopkins made liquid light swirl to the sound of Pink Floyd at London’s UFO club in the 1960s, pioneers in the US and Europe had constructed “colour organs” to play coloured lights in a musical way and painted glass slides for theatre projection, to access the synaesthesia (a neurodivergent condition that links the senses in unexpected ways) which was believed by some to be buried deep in all of us.

Animated film is part of this story, with Disney’s Fantasia the best-known union of music and visual movement in early popular film history, though modernists like Oskar Fischinger (who contributed to Fantasia) and Viking Eggeling made more austere abstract combinations of rhythm and graphic object for avant-garde audiences.

Nearby the Eclipse venue, the Tate Modern shows Anthony McCall’s 1970’s Solid Light installation works. Originally developed on clattering 16mm celluloid film for dusty and cigarette-smoke-filled social spaces, they play quietly and continually now on digital projectors with programmed haze machines in a clean, purpose-built gallery.

Closer in appearance (and in time) to the work of Nonotak are audiovisual artists like Carsten Nicolai and Ryoji Ikeda. They reconfigured the “visual music” tradition with a stripped-down and often monochromatic union of sound and light, bringing the precision of post-digital graphics to minimal techno and dub or the spookiness of glitch electronica to what is often now referred to as “a/v performance”.

Ikeda’s 2017 installation test pattern explored a similar aesthetic across the river at London’s 180 Strand Studios, home of another organisation dedicated to expanded audiovisual art.

Lumen Studios, who curated and presented the show, are aiming Eclipse at programmers, graphic designers and “edgy people”, literate in gaming, coding, NFTs, cryptocurrencies and other screen-based worlds and objects.

These are not necessarily the same people who would connect McCall’s lines of “solid light” to 1970s Materialist Cinema’s highly political demand to reject the “illusionistic” conventions of mainstream realist film. Nor should they have to.

The human eye is trained differently than it was when television ended before midnight and cinemas were not rivalled by streamed media on demand. This space could have entirely different reference points to those I am evoking. Set design, for example. On their website, Nonotak cites scenography, theatre, film, dance, architecture, and drawing among their areas of practice.

So maybe now it’s me that is the performer, on, or inside, a virtual stage or film set. Standing in the largest of the three installations, Dual, I feel as though I might be running from an alien on a giant transport ship heading for Mars.

I could also be in a more earth-bound comparison, standing at the back of a giant warehouse party, or a rave, away from the crush of dancing bodies while still in the synchronised cocoon of sensory electronics. It is visual, but also physical, and it creates a powerful kinetic dislocation from the space in which it is situated.

This last comparison highlights the “in-between” nature of the Eclipse installations in its temporary accommodation in Bermondsey. The cocktail bar points gently (and legally) towards the hedonism of gigs and raves, but the regulated entry system suggests a more institutional mode of attention, closer to the time-stamped immersive museum experience or even a live-action gaming environment, like an upmarket Laserquest.

Similarly, the audio, filled with effectively light-synchronised rhythmic pulsing, doesn’t have the gut-level bass of a contemporary club or music venue sound system. And while the slightly disembodied vitality of Dual made me think about dancing and moving in a slightly different way, it isn’t a dance floor.

Nor did it make promises of that kind. So this is less a criticism of the work than a recognition that my coordinates will always need updating, as the spaces we move through adapt to different forms of attention. If our species is fortunate enough to continue devoting time, technology, materials and labour to human sensory curiosity in the decades that follow, there will be more hybrid collisions of light, sound, image, rhythm, music, in real and imaginary, actual and virtual, space. I very much hope so.

Eclipse by Nonotak is on until December 8 2024 at 47 Tanner St, London

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

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

– ref. Light and sound art show Eclipse by Nonotak is an immersive and sensory experience – https://theconversation.com/light-and-sound-art-show-eclipse-by-nonotak-is-an-immersive-and-sensory-experience-241529

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Harris nudges ahead of Trump in the polls – but could the economy prove her downfall?

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Whiteley, Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex

Thrive Studios / Shutterstock

The current US vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, appears to have nudged ahead of her Republican rival, Donald Trump, in the race to the White House.

A poll of polls, which combines polls from different agencies, published on the website FiveThirtyEight on October 22 shows that Harris leads Trump by 48.1% to 46.3% in national voting intentions. So the race remains very tight.

There is naturally a lot of attention being paid to what is happening in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina. However, the polling in these states is not very helpful since it currently predicts a dead heat in practically all of them.

In the key swing state of Pennsylvania, for example, 47.8% of people intend to vote for Trump compared to 47.6% for Harris. This gap is well within the margin of error, so FiveThirtyEight calls it an even contest.

One of the surveys in the poll of polls was conducted by YouGov for the Economist newspaper. It shows that 19% of respondents have already voted in the election and a further 72% say they will definitely vote. When registered voters were asked which candidate they think is likely to win, the replies were a dead heat – 38% of them chose Harris and 38% Trump (24% are not sure).

Another way of judging the contest is to look at who has the advantage in the key drivers of the vote in the election. In an earlier article, I argued that Harris leads Trump in the presidential race in three of the four key measures that explain voting behaviour.

She is ahead in likeability, and is favoured by more moderates than Trump. Harris also has more support from Republican identifiers than Trump has among voters who identify as Democrats. However, in relation to the fourth driver, which is the issues voters care about, she is at a clear disadvantage.

Read more:
Harris leads Trump in the polls – here’s what they really tell us about her chances

The Economist/YouGov poll shows that 96% of respondents think that jobs, inflation and the economy are important issues in the election. In the same poll 84% think immigration is important and 75% think this about abortion.

Harris’s problem is that polling indicates she is well behind Trump on the issue of the economy. When asked if Harris or Trump would do the best job dealing with inflation, for example, 39% preferred Harris and 46% Trump. This is despite the fact that the most recent inflation rate is relatively low at 2.4%, and has been falling for some time.

On the issue of abortion she does much better. Some 50% of Americans approve her pledge to restore the right to abortion enshrined in the Roe v Wade case from 1973, which was reversed by a Supreme Court ruling in 2022. In comparison, only 33% of Americans approve of Trump’s position to uphold the court ruling.

The economy and voting

Does it really matter if Harris is behind on the economy? There is historical evidence to suggest that, if we look at the actual performance of the economy as opposed to polls, Harris may have an advantage.

The graph below shows the relationship between voting for an incumbent Democratic or Republican president (or his party’s nominee) and the state of the economy over a century of presidential elections from 1920 to 2020.

In the chart, the performance of the economy is captured by two measures. The first is economic growth in real terms and the second is the misery index (the sum of inflation and unemployment). Both are measured in the year of the elections.

There is a strong positive correlation between growth and voting for the incumbent president or his party’s nominee (+0.55). When growth is buoyant, the incumbent or his successor does well. And when it is weak, they do badly.

There is also a negative relationship between the misery index and presidential voting. But, in this case, the correlation is very weak (-0.05). This means that, while voters may complain about inflation and unemployment and blame the incumbent president’s administration, economic growth is the real driver of voting in these elections.

Economic growth is the real driver of voting in US elections

Paul Whiteley, CC BY-NC-ND

The Biden administration’s record on growth since 2020 has been very strong. Policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act have boosted investment, particularly in high-tech industries. This fact may give Harris the edge in the election.

That said, Harris can still lose, and the odds that bookmakers are giving currently favour Trump to win. However, it is the American people who will decide the outcome, not betting markets, many of whom who live outside the US, who are trying to disrupt the process.

Paul Whiteley has received funding from the British Academy and the ESRC

– ref. Harris nudges ahead of Trump in the polls – but could the economy prove her downfall? – https://theconversation.com/harris-nudges-ahead-of-trump-in-the-polls-but-could-the-economy-prove-her-downfall-242056

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What US election interference law actually says about Labour volunteers

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ilaria Di Gioia, Senior Lecturer in American Law and Associate Director of the Centre for American Legal Studies, Birmingham City University

Shutterstock/rblfmr, Nicole Glass, Alexandros Michailidis

With just two weeks to go until election day, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), requesting “an immediate investigation” into what it termed “blatant foreign interference” in the election by none other than the UK’s Labour party.

In the letter to the FEC’s acting general counsel, the Trump campaign accused the Labour party of “apparent illegal foreign national contributions” to Harris for President. This is the principal campaign committee of Vice-President Kamala Harris.

The contributions listed in the complaint are: meetings with Harris’ campaign team “to brief Ms Harris’ presidential campaign on Labour’s election-winning approach”, and Labour members’ trips to battleground states to help with the Harris campaign.

Put simply: members of the UK’s Labour party have been travelling to the US to help Harris, the Democratic party candidate, campaign for the presidency.

FEC rules state that foreign nationals “may participate in campaign activities as an uncompensated volunteer”. To that end, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said that Labour volunteers are helping the Harris campaign in their spare time, and are funding their own trips.

Indeed, there is a long history of volunteers from both the Labour and Conservative parties supporting their respective “sister” parties in the US, and vice versa.

What does US law say?

To understand the US legal landscape, we must refer both to statutes (laws on the books) and the judicial cases that have put these statutes to the test.

From a statutory point of view, foreign interference into elections is regulated by three main federal laws. These laws, enacted by Congress since 1938, came in response to various scandals involving foreign financing.

They are: the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the Federal Election Campaign Act and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, all consolidated in the United States Code.

The law explicitly prohibits foreign nationals (excluding permanent residents) from making contributions or donations to elections. It reads:

It shall be unlawful for:

A foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make –

(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;

(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or

(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication.

The question is, therefore, whether the Labour engagement with the US election falls under the definition of “contribution or donation of money or other thing of value”.

A key legal case

It would seem, looking at judicial precedent, that “contribution or donation” amounts to financial contributions only.

The law was interpreted in 2011 by the US District Court for the District of Columbia (a federal court) in Bluman v FEC.

In this case, the plaintiffs Benjamin Bluman and Asenath Steiman were foreign citizens who lived and worked in the US on temporary visas. They wanted to donate money to candidates in elections and challenged the constitutionality of the law barring them from doing so.

A campaign sign for Kamala Harris.
Bluestork/Shutterstock

The decision was authored by then Judge Brett Kavanaugh (who, seven years later, was appointed by Trump as Supreme Court justice). Kavanaugh argued that political contributions in the form of expenditure – so, financial contributions – were an integral part of the elections process. As such, it was right that foreign nationals be prohibited from making financial contributions.

He emphasised, however, that this decision was limited to expenditure, and that it should not be read as support for bans on other types of engagement with elections. These would be protected by First Amendment free speech protections, which apply to foreign nationals within the US.

We do not decide whether Congress could prohibit foreign nationals from engaging in speech other than contributions to candidates and parties, express-advocacy expenditures, and donations to outside groups … Plaintiffs … express concern that Congress might bar them from issue advocacy and speaking out on issues of public policy. Our holding does not address such questions, and our holding should not be read to support such bans.

This decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court and so constitutes a convincing precedent.

In a nutshell, US law prohibits foreign nationals from financing domestic election activity, but this is limited to financial contributions. The Labour campaign “contribution” so far does not appear to amount to financial contributions, so as long as this remains the case, it is not illegal.

Ilaria Di Gioia received research funding from the Eccles Centre at the British Library.

– ref. What US election interference law actually says about Labour volunteers – https://theconversation.com/what-us-election-interference-law-actually-says-about-labour-volunteers-242055

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Swiss National Armaments Director takes part in the Conference of National Armaments Directors of NATO

Source: Switzerland – Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport

The Swiss National Armaments Director Urs Loher takes part in the annual NATO Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) on 24 October 2024, which is held with NATO partner states in Brussels. This year, talks will focus on a potential stronger commitment of the partner states with NATO. The National Armaments Director takes the opportunity to meet with his counterparts for bilateral talks at the event. In addition, the National Armaments Director will attend meetings with the European Defence Agency as well as with the European Union-Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS).

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prof. Howard Wilson to lead science and technology for STEP
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd announces the appointment of Professor Howard Wilson as Director of Science and Technology for STEP.
Professor Howard Wilson – Image Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Howard Wilson as Director of Science and Technology, helping to lead STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), a pioneering programme to deliver the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant.

An internationally renowned expert in fusion science, Howard brings extensive experience and expertise to the role and will become the first UKIFS Executive Committee member based at West Burton in Nottinghamshire, a former coal-fired power station site where the prototype plant will be built.

Over the past 18 months, Howard has been the Fusion Pilot Plant Research & Development Lead at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States; prior to this he was based at the University of York where he founded the York Plasma Institute and the Fusion Centre for Doctoral Training.

As Director of Science and Technology, Howard will oversee development of the plasma solution for STEP and will lead on the requirements for technology demonstration, both physical and digital, ensuring that modelling, simulation and testing tackles the specific challenges refined through the evolving whole plant design. He will work together with Chris Waldon (Chief Engineer) and Debbie Kempton (Director of Engineering Programme) in a triumvirate that will plan and ensure viable technologies, in an integrated plant design, that is developed and delivered in a robust way.

Paul Methven, CEO of UK Industrial Fusion Solutions and Senior Responsible Owner for STEP, said: “As we embark on the second phase of the programme, Howard will be key in leading the development critical technologies for STEP, supporting the development of the fully integrated plant design. His impressive track record of fusion research and delivery will help to deliver the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant alongside the development of a fusion industry.”

The appointment marks a return to the STEP programme for Howard – he became the first Programme Director for STEP from 2019 to 2020 following a secondment to the UK Atomic Energy Authority as Research Director in 2017.

Howard has served on numerous international programme reviews and committees, including the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and chaired the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) in Pedestal and Edge Physics in support of ITER from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of EUROfusion’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) (2022-2023) and currently serves on the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee.

STEP is the UK’s flagship fusion programme that will demonstrate both a technical and industrial pathway towards commercial realisation, supporting the clean, safe, and sustainable energy over the long term.

UKIFS is a wholly owned subsidiary of UK Atomic Energy Authority Group and will be responsible for the delivery of STEP from later this year. The programme aims to create future opportunities for suppliers ranging from whole plant integrators to critical system manufacturers that can design and deliver future plants worldwide in addition to benefitting the communities that surround West Burton.

Fusion can be thought of as the opposite of fission – combining lighter atoms rather than splitting heavier ones. It is based on the same processes that power the sun and stars and has potential to provide safe, sustainable and low-carbon energy for generations to come.

For further information about STEP, visit: https://step.ukaea.uk/

Below shows a computer generated concept of STEP’s Tokamak.

Image credit: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

For further information, contact: communications@step.ukaea.uk

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Published 24 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Supporting Tourism in New Brunswick

Source: Government of Canada News

Salisbury, New Brunswick · October 24, 2024 · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA, will make an announcement regarding support for tourism in New Brunswick.

Date: October 25, 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location:
Salisbury Amphitheatre
29 Highland Drive
Salisbury, New Brunswick
E4J 2G7

Connor Burton
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development and of the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Connor.Burton@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

MIL OSI Canada News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: TMC Transformers to Bring 110 Jobs, New Manufacturing Facility To Burke County

Source: US State of Georgia

Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that TMC Transformers USA Inc. (TMC), an international dry-type transformers manufacturer for a wide range of industrial applications, will expand its footprint in Georgia by investing more than $15.3 million over the next five years in a new manufacturing facility in Waynesboro, creating at least 110 new jobs in Burke County.

“When we lead economic missions overseas and meet with companies like TMC, we do so to bring more opportunities back to hardworking Georgians, and so job creators like them can build a strong foundation alongside communities like Waynesboro,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “TMC’s decision to create over 100 well-paying jobs in Burke County comes at a critical time, and we look forward to their impact as that region of our state continues to recover and rebuild following the recent hurricanes.”

TMC is a multinational company focused on design and production of medium and low voltage dry-type cast resin and VPI transformers. The company, which counts more than 500 employees and commercial offices in Europe, America, and East Asia, established its first U.S. production plant at the beginning of 2023 in Burke County.

“Combining our expertise in the dry-type transformer industry with the needs of the U.S. market for accessible, reliable, and sustainable energy, the launch of the new plant highlights TMC’s strategic plans for substantial growth in North America,” said Cristiano Palladini, President of TMC USA. “We’re excited that Waynesboro will become a welcoming base for us. Georgia provides strong foundations for our business with its strategic position, the full support from Burke County and the Georgia delegation who share a business-oriented vision, and its community of hardworking and skilled Georgians in line with our needs.”

TMC’s new facility at the Burke County Industrial Park in Waynesboro highlights its commitment to strengthening the company’s presence and investment in the United States. Operations in Burke County have already started at the company’s first facility, and the new plant is expected to be operational at the beginning of 2026. TMC is now hiring for roles in management, administrative staff, production technicians, operators, testers, sales, and quality control. Hiring will continue over the next few years as the project continues to ramp up. Interested individuals can learn more about careers with TMC at tmctransformers.us.

“The Development Authority of Burke County is pleased to have TMC Transformers make Waynesboro their permanent home,” said Austin Stacy, Executive Director of the Development Authority of Burke County. “Their decision to locate here is a true testament to the readiness and strong workforce that Burke County possesses. TMC’s core principles replicate our community’s values, and we look forward to continuing our work together to make Burke County a better place.”

Senior Regional Project Manager Adela Kelley represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the Development Authority of Burke County.

“After meeting with TMC’s leadership in Italy, we were truly impressed by their warmth, hospitality, and enthusiasm for their decision to invest in Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “The transformers TMC will manufacture in Burke County are critical in addressing energy infrastructure needs for the state and the nation. TMC is just the type of company we aim to attract to Georgia: a long-term partner committed to strengthening our communities, economy, and industry ecosystems.”

For over a century, Georgia has fostered healthy industry practices, encouraged collaboration and innovation, and positioned itself as a leader in developing and harnessing emerging technologies for evolving industries.

The State of Georgia has had continuous representation in Europe since 1973. Italy is a top 15 trade partner for Georgia, with $3.4 billion in total trade moving between the state’s ports and Italy in 2023. Italy was also in the list of top 10 sources for international investment in Fiscal Year 2023, and Italian companies have invested more than $411 million in Georgia since 2010 through projects with state involvement.

About TMC Transformers

TMC Transformers USA Inc. is a leading provider of innovative and high-quality transformer solutions, dedicated to serving the energy needs of industries across North America. With a commitment to excellence and sustainability, TMC specializes in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of dry-type cast resin and VPI transformers. Its products are engineered to meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and efficiency, ensuring optimal energy management for a wide range of applications, including utilities, data centers, semiconductors manufacturing, railways, marine and offshore, mining, and oil and gas. For more information, please visit tmctransformers.us or contact [email protected].

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Former Eagle Pass Police Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Operating Human Smuggling Stash Houses

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

DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass woman, who had served as a police detective, was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 120 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to harbor undocumented noncitizens for a human smuggling organization (HSO).

According to court documents, Hazel Eileen Diaz, 54, rented out multiple properties she owned in Eagle Pass to assist in harboring undocumented noncitizens between September 2020 and August 2021. Diaz would often travel to the properties where the migrants were being held to collect rent payments. An investigation revealed that, in total, nearly 200 migrants were smuggled by the HSO Diaz worked for, and that she had received approximately $36,916 in cash and money service business transfers, much of which were proceeds from human smuggling. At the time of her arrest, she was in possession of $23,522 in cash from the smuggling operation.

Co-defendant Tomas Alejandro Mendez pleaded guilty on July 11, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 13, 2025. Co-defendant Paola Nikole Cazares was sentenced Oct. 11, 2023 to 63 months in prison for the same offense with credit for time served since Aug. 26, 2021. Mendez and Cazares worked with Diaz to operate her properties as stash houses.

In addition to imprisonment, Diaz will serve three years of supervised release, pay a $10,000 fine and money judgement of $237,600, and she will forfeit three properties, a truck, and $23,522.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly Pavlinski prosecuted the case.

###

MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: LPL Financial Welcomes Dougherty, Tedesco & Associates

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC, announced today that the financial advisors at Dougherty, Tedesco & Associates have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. They reported serving approximately $800 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets,* and join LPL from Osaic.

Founded in the early 1980s by Charlotte Dougherty, CFP®, the business has evolved over the years to into a holistic wealth management firm and cornerstone of the greater Cincinnati area. Now under the leadership of advisors Andrew Tedesco, CFP®, and John Dougherty, III, MBA, CFP®, CRPC®, the firm offers a comprehensive range of wealth advisory services, including financial planning, investment management, retirement planning and estate planning. The team also includes Registered Sales Assistant John Dougherty, Jr., Director of Client Services Caitlin Ackerman and support staff members Rita Anno and Ben Verchick.

“Our mission is to lead clients to a more secure financial future, supporting them step by step through life’s various stages,” said John Dougherty, III, noting they primarily serve corporate executives, engineers and medical practitioners. “We take a team approach to providing customized strategies as we explore every avenue to help optimize the client’s success. Throughout the financial planning process, we never lose sight of one essential element: personal service.”

The transition to LPL Financial represents a calculated move for Dougherty, Tedesco & Associates, positioning the firm to deliver more customized solutions and elevated client services.

“We are excited to join LPL Financial and leverage its robust platform to provide clients with more holistic, tailored experiences,” Tedesco said. “LPL’s comprehensive platform, advanced technology and substantial resources will give us more flexibility to respond to the diverse needs of our client base. Additionally, LPL’s size, strength and commitment to innovation align with our own values and aspirations for growth. We’re confident in our ability to expand our business and fulfill our commitment to providing exceptional care to help clients navigate their financial journeys with confidence.”

Scott Posner, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “We welcome Dougherty, Tedesco & Associates to the LPL community and look forward to supporting the growth of their firm. LPL is committed to delivering robust resources, strategic business solutions and innovative capabilities that can help this team and all of our advisors differentiate their practice and be successful at every stage of their business’ lifecycle.”

Related

Advisors, learn how LPL Financial can help take your business to the next level.

About LPL Financial

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) was founded on the principle that LPL should work for advisors and institutions, and not the other way around. Today, LPL is a leader in the markets we serve, serving more than 23,000 financial advisors, including advisors at approximately 1,000 institutions and at approximately 580 registered investment advisor firms nationwide. We are steadfast in our commitment to the advisor-mediated model and the belief that Americans deserve access to personalized guidance from a financial professional. At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial and its affiliated companies provide financial services only from the United States. Dougherty, Tedesco & Associates and LPL are separate entities.

Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.

We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

*Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2023.

Media Contact:
Media.relations@LPLFinancial.com
(704) 996-1840

Tracking #646723

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Phunware Announces Retirement of CEO Mike Snavely and Appoints Stephen Chen as Interim CEO

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phunware, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHUN), a leader in cloud enterprise solutions for mobile applications and related technologies, announced today that Michael Snavely, CEO of Phunware, has retired and resigned from Phunware. Stephen Chen, former Chairperson of the Phunware Board of Directors, has assumed the role of interim CEO of Phunware, effective October 22, 2024.

“We appreciate Mike’s dedication and service to Phunware and wish him much success in the future,” said Mr. Chen. “I am proud and excited to assume the role of interim CEO as we prepare to embark on new opportunities in generative AI, predictive analytics, and cloud-based services. We are confident that this transition will enable Phunware and its shareholders to accelerate our journey.”

Phunware remains committed to providing cutting-edge software, advertising, and other tools that empower enterprises to connect with people on a deeper, more human level. This new direction, powered by generative AI, reinforces Phunware’s commitment to helping businesses thrive through meaningful engagement and technological transformation. The Phunware management team is excited to advance Phunware’s leadership in mobile and cloud-based solutions, setting the stage for its next phase of growth and expansion into AI-driven technologies and broader digital engagement. In conjunction with this announcement, Phunware has launched a new microsite dedicated to helping businesses and developers better understand and leverage generative AI and Phunware’s mobile app technologies. This resource will guide users through the potential of AI in transforming engagement and business operations. For more details, visit https://ai.phunware.com/.

Mr. Snavely said, “Leading Phunware as CEO has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I am very proud of what we accomplished as a team over the last 12 months. As I stated in our Letter to Shareholders, Phunware and its platforms, products, and services are well-positioned for the future. I am looking forward to my retirement and to pursuing my passion for rural enterprises.”

About Phunware 

Phunware, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHUN) is an enterprise software company specializing in mobile app solutions. We provide businesses with the tools to create, implement and manage custom mobile applications and analytics, digital advertising and location-based services. Phunware is transforming mobile engagement by delivering scalable and personalized mobile app experiences. 

Phunware’s mission is to achieve unparalleled connectivity and monetization through widespread adoption of Phunware mobile technologies, by leveraging brands, consumers, partners and digital asset holders and market participants. Phunware is poised to expand its software products and services audience and industry verticals through its new platform, utilize and monetize its patents and other intellectual property rights and interests, and update and reintroduce its digital asset ecosystem for existing holders and new market participants. 

Phunware Investor Relations: 
CORE IR
516-222-2560
investorrelations@phunware.com

MZ Group, North America
Joe McGurk,  Managing Director
917-259-6895
PHUN@mzgroup.us

Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans, and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “expose,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. For example, Phunware is using forward-looking statements when it discusses the proposed offering and the timing and terms of such offering and its intended use of proceeds from such offering should it occur. 

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our filings with the SEC, including our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” in our SEC filings may not be exhaustive. 

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. 

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Coalesce and Fivetran Announce Integration for Real-Time Data Transformation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Coalesce, the data transformation company, today announced a new technology integration with Fivetran, the global leader in data movement, that enables organizations to prepare and transform raw data as soon as it is ingested into their cloud data platform. This collaboration builds on Fivetran’s industry-leading real-time data movement and replication capabilities by integrating Coalesce’s advanced transformation workflows, creating a more seamless and synchronized ELT process that accelerates data preparation and insight generation.

“Many organizations spend too much time and resources on ensuring that the platforms and tools that make up their modern data stack work together seamlessly,” said Armon Petrossian, CEO and co-founder of Coalesce. “Our new integration with Fivetran removes the need for manual orchestration of data pipelines and ultimately enables organizations to go from raw data to insights more quickly and efficiently. Fivetran has been an important partner in the data ingestion space since the early days of Coalesce and we are thrilled to further strengthen our alliance and align our shared mission of equipping customers with automated, best-in-class solutions that enable them to scale and quickly extract value from their data.”

This integration allows customers to optimize and schedule data transformation jobs in alignment with Fivetran syncs, ensuring a more cohesive and automated data pipeline from ingestion to insight. This provides a seamless experience for customers who previously had to enlist additional tools or processes to complete the run.

“Collaborating with Coalesce advances our mission to make data access as seamless and reliable as electricity,” said Taylor Brown, Co-founder and COO at Fivetran. “By automating data movement and transformation, we’re empowering teams to focus on extracting value from their data instead of managing pipelines. This offering eliminates inefficiencies and drives organizations towards a future where real-time insights are the standard.”

Benefits for Coalesce and Fivetran customers include:
- Accelerated, real-time insights
- Optimized compute and platform costs
- Enhanced data team productivity
“We were able to quickly synchronize our Coalesce data pipeline runs with Fivetran syncs through Fivetran’s Coalesce integration,” said Wojciech Dadak, Director of Data Engineering at FCP Euro. “The integration unlocked a workflow that is significantly easier to maintain by offloading the scheduling of Coalesce pipelines onto Fivetran, and made near real-time reporting to business stakeholders for actionable insights significantly simpler for us!”

To learn more about Coalesce or connect about partnership with the company, please visit: https://coalesce.io/partners/

Resources

About Coalesce
Coalesce revolutionizes data transformations to accelerate the delivery of data projects. Recognizing data transformation’s critical role in the analytics lifecycle, we’ve created an inclusive developer platform that automates most SQL coding without sacrificing flexibility. Our platform boosts data team efficiency tenfold, allowing faster data pipeline development while empowering organizations to concentrate on extracting maximum value from their data. Discover more at Coalesce.io.

The MIL Network –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Franklin Access Announces Updates to JEXtream MDM Platform

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Franklin Access unveils significant enhancements to its JEXtream Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform, reinforcing its commitment to providing versatile solutions for enterprise clients and educational institutions.

Key Updates

1. Internet Suspension Feature

a. Enables efficient management of internet functionality across individual or multiple devices
b. Particularly valuable for corporate clients managing large device fleets

2. Single Sign-On (SSO) Integration

a. Streamlines access for existing JEXtream customers
b. Users can now access additional MDM features directly with their JEXtream login credentials

3. Enhanced User Interface

a. Improved Device Detail screen for clearer information display
b. Advanced Filter and Column selection options for easier customization
c. Upgraded Group Assignment feature for more efficient device management

4. New Dashboard for individual accounts, offering quick insights at a glance

OC Kim, CEO of Franklin Access, states, “These enhancements to JEXtream MDM demonstrate our commitment to evolving our platform to meet diverse needs. We’re providing our clients with advanced tools for efficient and secure device management in today’s dynamic digital landscape whether it be for enterprise or educational purposes.”

JEXtream MDM is designed to cater to the distinct needs of various sectors, offering a unified solution with flexible branding to address specific market requirements. This update underscores Franklin Access’s position as a versatile provider of cloud-based MDM solutions, capable of meeting the demands of modern organizations across different industries.

For more information about JEXtream MDM and its latest features, please visit https://www.jextream.net/mdm

About Franklin Access
Franklin Access (FKWL) specializes in integrated solutions, leveraging 4G LTE and 5G technologies. From mobile device management to network management solutions, we design connectivity solutions for the digital age. You will be able to explore more at https://franklinaccess.com/

For media inquiries, please contact: marketing@franklinaccess.com

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to various factors.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: MoneyHero Appoints Distinguished Global Executive Wallace Pai to Board of Directors

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Mr. Pai brings deep and diverse senior executive experience to MoneyHero, having spent his career with notable multinational companies including Imagination Technologies, Pixelworks, SMIC, GlobalFoundries, Synaptics, Samsung, Google (Motorola Mobility), Cadence, and McKinsey & Company

MoneyHero’s Chairman Kenneth Chan to be replaced on Audit Committee by Mr. Pai; Committee now made-up entirely of Independent Non-Executive Directors

SINGAPORE, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MoneyHero Limited (NASDAQ: MNY) (“MoneyHero” or the “Company”), a market leading personal finance and digital insurance aggregation and comparison platform in Greater Southeast Asia, today announced that Wallace Pai has been named to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. In connection with his appointment, Mr. Pai has also replaced MoneyHero’s Chairman, Kenneth Chan, on the Company’s Audit Committee, ensuring the Committee is comprised entirely of Independent Non-Executive Directors.

Mr. Pai is a seasoned global executive with deep experience across the technology and semiconductor industries. He currently serves as President of Asia Pacific and Chairman of China with Imagination Technologies, where he oversees the group’s regional strategy, revenue, and growth. Previously, Mr. Pai served as COO of Pixelworks, SVP of the Advanced Technology Business at SMIC, and VP/General Manager of Asia Pacific at GlobalFoundries. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pai also held executive roles with Synaptics, Samsung, Google (Motorola Mobility), Qualcomm Technologies, Cadence, and McKinsey & Company. Mr. Pai graduated with a Master of Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

“Mr. Pai represents a significant addition to our Board of Directors and corporate governance,” said Rohith Murthy, CEO of MoneyHero. “His leadership in the technology sector, as well as a proven track record of success running large-scale enterprises in the Asia Pacific region, will bring immense value to our operations and growth strategy. Mr. Pai has contributed to the vision and oversight of many notable multinational companies throughout his illustrious career, and we are thrilled to have him on board. Moreover, this marks the second major Board appointment that we have achieved this year, which is critical to our future and a testament to the reputation and stature of the MoneyHero Brand.”

The appointment of Mr. Pai follows the addition of accomplished legal and finance executive Steve Teichman to the Company’s Board, which was announced in June. Importantly, both Mr. Pai and Mr. Teichman bring the unique combination of having experience with U.S. capital markets and leading businesses in Asia Pacific.

“I am honored to join MoneyHero’s Board and excited to bring new ideas and resources to this winning organization,” said Mr. Pai. “I have been following the MoneyHero story for a while, even before the Company went public last year, and I have been impressed by the strategy and fundamentals of the business, as well as their clear leadership-positioning in the marketplace, which will enable them to continue innovating and outpacing its peers. MoneyHero is absolutely forwarding the fintech industry in Greater Southeast Asia, and I am very much looking forward to being a part of it.”

For more information about MoneyHero, including information for investors and learning about career opportunities, please visit www.MoneyHeroGroup.com.

About MoneyHero Group
MoneyHero Limited (NASDAQ: MNY) is a market leader in the online personal finance and digital insurance aggregation and comparison sector in Greater Southeast Asia. The Company operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. Its brand portfolio includes B2C platforms MoneyHero, SingSaver, Money101, Moneymax and Seedly, as well as the B2B platform Creatory. The Company also retains an equity stake in Malaysian fintech company, Jirnexu Pte. Ltd., parent company of Jirnexu Sdn. Bhd., the operator of RinggitPlus, Malaysia’s largest operating B2C platform. MoneyHero currently manages 279 commercial partner relationships and services 8.1 million Monthly Unique Users across its platform for the six months ended June 30, 2024. The Company’s backers include Peter Thiel—co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and the Founders Fund—and Hong Kong businessman, Richard Li, the founder and chairman of Pacific Century Group. To learn more about MoneyHero and how the innovative fintech company is driving Greater Southeast Asia’s digital economy, please visit www.MoneyHeroGroup.com.

Investors Relations:
MoneyHero IR Team
IR@MoneyHeroGroup.com

Media Relations:
Gaffney Bennett PR
MoneyHero@gbpr.com

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: 180 Degree Capital Corp. Notes Preliminary Net Asset Value Per Share of $4.40 as of September 30, 2024, and Expects to Report Full Third Quarter Financial Results and Host a Conference Call During the Week of November 11, 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MONTCLAIR, N.J., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 180 Degree Capital Corp. (NASDAQ:TURN) (“180 Degree Capital”) noted today that it expects to report a net asset value per share (NAV) of $4.40 as of September 30, 2024. It plans to report and discuss its full results from Q3 2024 and updates from Q4 2024 on a conference call that it plans to schedule for a day during the week of November 11, 2024.

“While we look forward to issuing our full results for Q3 2024 in a few weeks, we thought it was important to provide a preliminary view to our NAV as of the end of Q3 2024,” said Kevin M. Rendino, Chief Executive Officer of 180 Degree Capital. “Our view is that 180 Degree Capital’s current share price does not reflect the value we believe we have based on our current NAV, nor any relevance to what we believe to be our long-term growth prospects. It is for this reason we have also increased our activism and involvement with our portfolio companies to help drive value creation for all stakeholders. This process and value creation does not happen overnight, and our stepped-up activism within these holdings began in earnest less than a year ago. We continue to believe these efforts will lead to material increases in 180 Degree Capital’s NAV in the ensuing quarters and years.”

“To be clear, we are not pleased with the performance of 180 Degree Capital’s stock,” added Daniel B. Wolfe, President of 180 Degree Capital. “We are laser focused on taking steps that we believe will lead to creation of value for shareholders. While our activism in certain holdings can lead to restrictions on trading, it allows us to work with management teams to drive outcomes. As Kevin said, these outcomes do not happen overnight. To investors without such access to information, it can look like management teams and boards are not taking such issues seriously, nor driving for value creation with any sense of urgency. We can confidently state these perceptions are misplaced and incorrect, both here at 180 Degree Capital and at our portfolio companies where we are working constructively with management and boards of directors. At 180 Degree Capital, we are driving such value creation through growth of net assets, our previously announced Discount Management Program, and/or through other strategic efforts. We look forward to providing further updates on these efforts as we are able to do so.”

About 180 Degree Capital Corp.

180 Degree Capital Corp. is a publicly traded registered closed-end fund focused on investing in and providing value-added assistance through constructive activism to what we believe are substantially undervalued small, publicly traded companies that have potential for significant turnarounds. Our goal is that the result of our constructive activism leads to a reversal in direction for the share price of these investee companies, i.e., a 180-degree turn. Detailed information about 180 and its holdings can be found on its website at www.180degreecapital.com.

Press Contact:
Daniel B. Wolfe
Robert E. Bigelow
180 Degree Capital Corp.
973-746-4500
ir@180degreecapital.com

Mo Shafroth
RF Binder
Morrison.shafroth@rfbinder.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. These statements reflect the Company’s current beliefs, and a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in this press release. Please see the Company’s securities filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business and other significant factors that could affect the Company’s actual results. Except as otherwise required by Federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events or uncertainties. The reference and link to the website www.180degreecapital.com has been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such website is not incorporated by reference into this press release. 180 is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Marex Group plc Announces Pricing of the Public Offering
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marex Group plc (“Marex”) (Nasdaq: MRX), the diversified global financial services platform, today announces the pricing of the public offering (the “Offering”) of 8,472,333 ordinary shares by certain selling shareholders (the “Selling Shareholders”) at $24.00 per share. In connection with the Offering, the Selling Shareholders have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,270,849 ordinary shares.

Marex is not selling any ordinary shares in the Offering and will not receive any proceeds from any sale of shares by the Selling Shareholders. The Offering is expected to close on October 25, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

Barclays, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a Stifel Company, are acting as joint lead book-running managers and as representatives of the underwriters for the proposed Offering. Citigroup, UBS Investment Bank, Piper Sandler & Co. and Berenberg are acting as bookrunners for the Offering. Drexel Hamilton and Loop Capital Markets are acting as co-managers for the Offering.

The proposed Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus relating to the proposed Offering may be obtained from:
- Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at 1-888-603-5847, or by email at barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com;
- Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, via telephone: 1-866-471-2526, or via email: prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com;
- Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at Prospectus_Department@Jefferies.com; or
- Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc., 787 Seventh Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10019, attention: Equity Capital Markets, or by calling toll free at (800) 966-1559 or emailing USCapitalMarkets@kbw.com.
A registration statement on Form F-1 relating to the Offering has been filed with, and was declared effective by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including the expected closing date of the Offering. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ materially from the information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without limitation: subdued commodity market activity or pricing levels; the effects of geopolitical events, terrorism and wars, such as the effect of Russia’s military action in Ukraine, on market volatility, global macroeconomic conditions and commodity prices; changes in interest rate levels; the risk of our clients and their related financial institutions defaulting on their obligations to us; regulatory, reputational and financial risks as a result of our international operations; software or systems failure, loss or disruption of data or data security failures; an inability to adequately hedge our positions and limitations on our ability to modify contracts and the contractual protections that may be available to us in OTC derivatives transactions; market volatility, reputational risk and regulatory uncertainty related to commodity markets, equities, fixed income, foreign exchange and cryptocurrency; the impact of climate change and the transition to a lower carbon economy on supply chains and the size of the market for certain of our energy products; the impact of changes in judgments, estimates and assumptions made by management in the application of our accounting policies on our reported financial condition and results of operations; lack of sufficient financial liquidity; if we fail to comply with applicable law and regulation, we may be subject to enforcement or other action, forced to cease providing certain services or obliged to change the scope or nature of our operations; significant costs, including adverse impacts on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and expenses associated with compliance with relevant regulations; and if we fail to remediate the material weaknesses we identified in our internal control over financial reporting or prevent material weaknesses in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial statements may be impacted, which could result in material misstatements in our financial statements or failure to meet our reporting obligations and subject us to potential delisting, regulatory investments or civil or criminal sanctions, and other risks discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Registration Statement filed on Form F-1 with the SEC on October 21, 2024 and our other reports filed with the SEC.

The forward-looking statements made in this release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

The MIL Network –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Starbox Powers 180 Degrees Brandcom with StarboxAI Pro Series, an AI-Driven Expansion into Image, Video, and Live Streaming Content
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Starbox Group Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: STBX) (“Starbox” or the “Company”), a service provider of cash rebates, advertising, and payment solutions, is excited to announce that it has started to support 180 Degrees Brandcom Sdn Bhd (“180”) with its StarboxAI Pro Series software for 180’s branding and advertising business. 180, an indirect subsidiary that is 51% owned by Starbox, is a 4A advertising agency incorporated in 2013 that offers digital marketing, advertising consulting and design services. 180 has maintained long-term relationships, with more than 20% of its existing clients for over 15 years. To enhance service quality, 180 anticipates improving brand engagement by using StarboxAI Pro Series, which provides artificial intelligence (“AI”) powered solutions for image creation, video production, and live streaming alongside data-driven marketing strategies.

Equipped with StarboxAI Pro Series, 180 is expected to have the following new capabilities:
- AI-powered Image Creation: Generation of campaign-specific image tailored to brand identity.
- AI-powered Video Production: Fast, automated creation of short videos for product promotion and social media.
- AI-powered Live Streaming: Real-time engagement with interactive features such as Q&A, purchase guidance, and dynamic content streaming.
These AI-driven tools are expected to enable 180 to generate creative output, offer personalized campaigns, and provide real-time insights to optimize performance.

“Through StarboxAI Pro Series, 180 will be able to join data with creativity to quickly produce engaging campaigns. Since its incorporation, 180 has been pursuing excellence in branding and advertising, serving a diverse portfolio of clients. The adoption of StarboxAI Pro Series reinforces 180’s commitment to deliver outstanding brand experiences through image, video, and live streaming solutions. With this adoption, 180 expects to continue to improve brand engagement in a competitive digital landscape,” said Lee Choon Wooi, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Starbox.

About Starbox Group Holdings Ltd

Headquartered in Malaysia, Starbox is a technology-driven, rapidly growing company with innovation as its focus. Starbox is aiming to be a comprehensive technology solutions provider within Southeast Asia and also engages in building a cash rebate, advertising, and payment solution business ecosystem targeting micro, small, and medium enterprises that lack the bandwidth to develop an in-house data management system for effective marketing. The Company connects retail merchants with retail shoppers to facilitate transactions through cash rebates offered by retail merchants on its GETBATS website and mobile app. The Company provides digital advertising services to advertisers through its SEEBATS website and mobile app, GETBATS website and mobile app and social media. The Company also provides payment solution services to merchants. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://ir.starboxholdings.com and WeChat Channels: StarboxTechnologies.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “assesses,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. References and links (including QR codes) to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

For more information, please contact:

Starbox Group Holdings Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
Email: ir@starboxholdings.com

Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/120adab1-f25c-42b0-9b96-4c1534dd2408

The MIL Network –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia named Leader in GlobalData’s Small Cell Competitive Landscape Assessment 2024 report
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Nokia named Leader in GlobalData’s Small Cell Competitive Landscape Assessment 2024 report
- Nokia’s award-winning small cell portfolio recognized as overall Leader in residential and outdoor categories beating competition
24 October 2024
Espoo, Finland – Nokia has been named Leader in GlobalData’s Small Cells: Competitive Landscape Assessment September 2024 report. The in-depth report judged all leading small cell providers and positioned Nokia as overall Leader in the Residential and Outdoor categories. In particular, Nokia was commended for being the only vendor to offer an ‘All-in-One’ 5G solution for both outdoor and residential use cases available to the global market. GlobalData is a globally recognized data analytics and consulting organization.

GlobalData commented that: “Nokia’s outdoor small-cell portfolio offers the lightest, smallest 5G products on the market and support for a wider range of spectrum bands than nearly every other vendor. The portfolio is also distinguished by containing the only all-in-one 5G small cell supporting sub-6 GHz spectrum that is not a CBRS product – a product, branded Kolibri, that is also as compact as any outdoor small cell radio on the market. And its Shikra Outdoor Residential Enterprise.”

GlobalData defines small cells as ‘mobile base stations that operate under lower power and with a smaller coverage range than traditional base stations. This category includes what have traditionally been called femtocells and picocells, which improve mobile coverage and capacity inside homes and businesses, respectively.’

Nokia has the widest range of small solutions that address all deployment requirements and offer seamless coverage, capacity and performance in dense urban areas and indoor venues with minimal infrastructure, enabling flexible and scalable deployments. Its advanced indoor radio solutions and compact, plug-and-play small cells enhance in-building coverage and capacity, such as in offices, malls and enterprises. They also support mmWave bands with high bandwidth and data rates for demanding 5G applications like VR, AR and gaming as well as smart cities and IoT applications.

Mark Atkinson, Head of RAN at Nokia, said: “We are proud to be named Leader in GlobalData’s small cells competitive landscape assessment report. It’s recognition of the steps we have taken to make our portfolio best-in-class for our customers. All of our solutions benefit from having the latest ReefShark chipsets and support all frequency ranges for premium coverage and capacity both indoors and outdoors.”

Resource and additional information
Webpage: Nokia Small Cells
Full Report: GlobalData Report

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable, and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Media inquiries
Nokia Press Office
Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

Follow us on social media
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The MIL Network –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Foresight Financial Group to Become Region’s Largest Locally Headquartered Bank

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WINNEBAGO, Ill., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Foresight Financial Group today announced that, in partnership with each of its six bank brands including German American State Bank, State Bank of Herscher, Lena State Bank, State Bank of Davis, Northwest Bank, and State Bank, that it will be consolidating its six bank charters into one, making it the region’s largest locally headquartered and operated bank in Winnebago County, while maintaining its market share dominance in Stephenson County. Each of the six charters will retain their unique market brand names post consolidation.

This is the next step in the organization’s ongoing work to enhance operational efficiencies across the Foresight family, streamlining processes, eliminating duplication, and standardizing best practices to deliver enhanced value to the customers and communities it serves. In addition, customers will benefit from a significant increase in lending limits for borrowers, increased depth in staffing resources, and an even greater access to cutting edge treasury management, commercial, and agricultural lending services and professionals. This move makes Foresight Financial Group the region’s largest locally headquartered and locally managed bank with assets in excess of $1.6 billion as of September 30, 2024. All six brands and their customers will benefit from the collective capabilities of Foresight while maintaining their local approach to service.

“By streamlining our processes through charter consolidation, we’ll be able to bring offerings to our markets more quickly and reinvest in the products, technologies, and services that best meet the needs of our customers,” said Peter Morrison, CEO of Foresight Financial Group. “As a locally headquartered and managed bank, decisions will still be made by those bankers that have been in our communities for years and who possess the firsthand knowledge of local market conditions that is so vital to customer success.”

“We’ve been focused on creating operational efficiencies across the Foresight family and have already realized significant benefits for our banks and customers,” said Jeff Hultman, President of Foresight Financial Group. “The charter consolidation is the next step in that process, which will reduce workloads on the individual banks, allowing them to focus on the personal connections in their local communities that are central to their success.”

Each of the Foresight Bank brands will maintain their local identities and staff. Our goal is to retain our current talent while making minimal adjustments to positions to fully align all six charters into one; customers will continue to work with the people they know and trust. Each bank will continue to meet the needs of its community and customers with the added benefit of the standards, procedures, policies, and best practices from across the Foresight family.

The charter consolidation will begin in late 2024 and the operational consolidation of the charters will be complete in 2025.

About Foresight Financial

Foresight Financial is a multi-bank holding company located in Northern Illinois, Its subsidiary community banks include Northwest Bank of Rockford, State Bank in Freeport, State Bank of Davis, German-American State Bank, German Valley, Lena State Bank, and the State Bank of Herscher. Foresight’s common stock is listed on the “OTCQX” market under the trading symbol FGFH.

Forward-Looking Statements

When used in this communication, the words “believes,” “expects,” “likely”, “would”, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause such a variance to occur include, but are not limited to: heightened competition; adverse state and federal regulation; failure to obtain new or retain existing customers; ability to attract and retain key executives and personnel; changes in interest rates; unanticipated changes in industry trends; unanticipated changes in credit quality and risk factors, including general economic conditions particularly in the Company’s markets; potential deterioration in real estate values, success in gaining regulatory approvals when required; changes in the Federal Reserve Board monetary policies; unexpected outcomes of new and existing litigation in which the Company or its subsidiaries, officers, directors or employees is named defendants; technological changes; changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; changes in assumptions or conditions affecting the application of “critical accounting policies”; inability to recover previously recorded losses as anticipated, and the inability of third party vendors to perform critical services for the Company or its customers. The inclusion of forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by the Company or any person that future events or plans contemplated by the Company will be achieved. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or otherwise.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Q. Morrison
CEO
815-847-7500 Todd J. James
CFO
815-847-7500

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: The Victory Bancorp, Inc., Announces 2024 Third Quarter Earnings

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LIMERICK, Pa., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Victory Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: VTYB), the holding company for The Victory Bank, announced unaudited results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

Joseph W. Major, Bank Leader and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our third quarter results reflect consistent growth and improved earnings. Our commitment to providing top-notch banking services is central to our strategy which we implement by hiring skilled and dedicated bankers who offer trusted advice and exceptional personal service to our clients. Our focus is on maintaining disciplined pricing and credit underwriting practices as we expand the Bank. This diligence not only strengthens our institution but also benefits the communities we serve.”

As of September 30, 2024, deposits rose to $398.2 million, up from $358.2 million a year earlier—a 10.8% increase. Net loans increased by 12.7%, reaching $395.2 million, compared to $351.9 million on the same date last year. Total assets grew by $49.1 million to $467.9 million, marking an 11.9% increase over the past year. Overall credit quality remained strong, with very low levels of non-performing and non-accrual loans. Because of these excellent credit metrics, third quarter provision for loan losses decreased to $71 thousand, down from $75 thousand in the 3^rd quarter of 2023. Notably, non-performing assets fell significantly from $2.2 million at the end of 2023 to $209 thousand as of September 30, 2024.

Third Quarter 2024 Highlights compared to Third Quarter 2023

Net Loans increased 12.7% to $395.2 million from $351.9 million at September 30, 2023
$2.9 million increase in stockholders’ equity
$0.065 per share cash dividend paid to shareholders
Net interest margin at the Bank was 3.58% for the quarter
Net income of $586 thousand, totaling approximately $0.29 per common share fully diluted
Book value per share as of September 30, 2024 was $14.89
Total assets increased by $49.1 million from September 30, 2023 to $467.9 million as of September 30, 2024
Credit quality is outstanding

Capital Insights and Credit Quality:

Nonaccrual loans decreased in the third quarter of 2024, from $2.2 million at year end 2023 to $206 thousand in the current quarter.
Non-performing assets to total assets rose slightly from 0.01% in the linked quarter to 0.04% in the current quarter.
Delinquencies greater than 30 days were 0.05% of total loans as of September 30, 2024, down from 0.68% as of December 31, 2023.
The bank’s ACL ratio was 0.91% as of September 30, 2024, down slightly from 0.94% at year-end 2023. The September 30, 2024 ACL covered non-performing loans 17.5 times, an increase from 1.6 times at year-end 2023.
The bank remains well capitalized.

Victory Bancorp, Inc. is traded on the OTCQX market under the symbol VTYB (https://www.otcmarkets.com) and is the parent company of The Victory Bank, a Pennsylvania state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Limerick, Pennsylvania, which is located just outside the Philadelphia market in Montgomery County. The Victory Bank was established in 2008 as a specialized business lender that provides high-quality banking services to small and mid-sized businesses and professionals through its three offices located in Montgomery and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania. Additional information about Victory Bancorp is available on its website, VictoryBank.com.

This presentation may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, changes in interest rates, deposit flows, loan demand, real estate values, and competition; changes in accounting principles, policies, or guidelines; changes in legislation or regulation; and other economic; competitive, governmental, regulatory, and technological factors affecting the Company’s operations, pricing, products, and services.

Contact:

Joseph W. Major,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Robert H. Schultz,
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

The Victory Bancorp, Inc.
548 N. Lewis Rd.
Limerick, PA 19468

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (unaudited)
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)
		September 30,		December 31,		September 30,
Selected Financial Data		2024		2023		2023
Investment securities	$	46,110	$	47,931	$	47,335
Loans, net of allowance for loan losses		395,213		364,383		351,926
Total assets		467,939		442,163		418,843
Deposits		398,169		364,032		358,207
Borrowings		24,692		36,200		19,750
Subordinated debt		12,851		12,830		12,824
Stockholders’ equity	$	29,437	$	27,948	$	26,548
Book value per common share	$	14.89	$	14.17	$	13.47
Allowance/loans		0.91%		0.94%		0.94%
Nonperforming assets/total assets		0.04%		0.49%		0.01%

		3 Months Ended
		September 30,		December 31,		September 30,
Selected Operations Data		2024		2023		2023
Interest income	$	7,526	$	6,680	$	6,298
Interest expense		4,064		3,337		2,955
Net interest income		3,462		3,343		3,343
Provision for loan losses		71		170		75
Other income		239		210		143
Other expense		2,895		2,748		2,826
Income before income taxes		735		635		585
Income taxes		(149)		(160)		(39)
Net income	$	586	$	475	$	546
Earnings per common share (basic)	$	0.30	$	0.24	$	0.28
Earnings per common share (diluted)	$	0.29	$	0.23	$	0.26
Return on average assets (annualized)		0.50%		0.45%		0.53%
Return on average equity (annualized)		8.14%		6.97%		8.05%
Net charge-offs(recoveries)/average loans		0.01%		0.00%		0.00%

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Middlefield Sustainable Global Dividend ETF Distributions

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Middlefield Sustainable Global Dividend ETF (TSX: MDIV) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce that distributions for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be payable to unitholders of Sustainable Global Dividend ETF as follows:

Record Date Payable Date Distribution Per
Trust Unit

October 31, 2024 November 15, 2024 $0.06

November 30, 2024 December13, 2024 $0.06

December 31, 2024 January 15, 2025 $0.06

The trust units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MDIV.

The Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) for unitholders which provides unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Unitholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

Middlefield

Founded in 1979, Middlefield is a specialist equity income asset manager with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. Our investment team utilizes active management to select high-quality, global companies across a variety of sectors and themes. Our product offerings include proven dividend-focused strategies that span real estate, healthcare, innovation, infrastructure, energy, diversified income and more. We offer these solutions in a variety of product types including ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Split-Share Funds and Flow-through LPs.

For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

This press release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on historical information concerning distributions and dividends paid on the securities of issuers historically included in the portfolio of the Fund. Actual future results, including the amount of distributions paid by the Fund, may differ from the monthly distribution amount. Specifically, the income from which distributions are paid may vary significantly due to: changes in portfolio composition; changes in distributions and dividends paid by issuers of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio from time to time; there being no assurance that those issuers will pay distributions or dividends on their securities; the declaration of distributions and dividends by issuers of securities included in the portfolio will generally depend upon various factors, including the financial condition of each issuer and general economic and stock market conditions; the level of borrowing by the Fund; and the uncertainty of realizing capital gains. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results are described under “Risk Factors” in the Fund’s prospectus and other documents filed by the Fund with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes the Fund’s current estimate, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered hereby. Investors and others should not assume that any forward-looking statement contained in this press release represents the Fund’s estimate as of any date other than the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Middlefield Healthcare Dividend ETF Distributions

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Middlefield Healthcare Dividend ETF (TSX: MHCD) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce that distributions for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be payable to unitholders of Middlefield Healthcare Dividend ETF as follows:

Record Date Payable Date Distribution Per
Trust Unit

October 31, 2024 November 15, 2024 $0.05

November 30, 2024 December13, 2024 $0.05

December 31, 2024 January 15, 2025 $0.05

The trust units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MHCD.

The Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) for unitholders which provides unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Unitholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

Middlefield

Founded in 1979, Middlefield is a specialist equity income asset manager with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. Our investment team utilizes active management to select high-quality, global companies across a variety of sectors and themes. Our product offerings include proven dividend-focused strategies that span real estate, healthcare, innovation, infrastructure, energy, diversified income and more. We offer these solutions in a variety of product types including ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Split-Share Funds and Flow-through LPs.

For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

This press release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on historical information concerning distributions and dividends paid on the securities of issuers historically included in the portfolio of the Fund. Actual future results, including the amount of distributions paid by the Fund, may differ from the monthly distribution amount. Specifically, the income from which distributions are paid may vary significantly due to: changes in portfolio composition; changes in distributions and dividends paid by issuers of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio from time to time; there being no assurance that those issuers will pay distributions or dividends on their securities; the declaration of distributions and dividends by issuers of securities included in the portfolio will generally depend upon various factors, including the financial condition of each issuer and general economic and stock market conditions; the level of borrowing by the Fund; and the uncertainty of realizing capital gains. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results are described under “Risk Factors” in the Fund’s prospectus and other documents filed by the Fund with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes the Fund’s current estimate, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered hereby. Investors and others should not assume that any forward-looking statement contained in this press release represents the Fund’s estimate as of any date other than the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Drones Driven by A.I. Are Taking Over Major Industries Including Agriculture, Construction, Military & More

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Artificial intelligence (AI) and drones are a formidable combo that has the potential to transform a variety of industries. When coupled, they build intelligent and autonomous airborne systems capable of completing complicated tasks in a variety of conditions. Because of this, the combination of artificial intelligence and drone technology offers new aerial technological developments for various industries, including agriculture, construction, energy, and security, as well as a solution to many aerial imagery demands. Factors such as technological advancements, growing need for automation and efficiency, and the increasing adoption of drones in the Logistics and Delivery, Agriculture and Precision Farming, Disaster Management and Search & Rescue, Environmental Monitoring and Industrial sectors are boosting the adoption of AI solutions in the UAV landscape. A report from Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence projected that the Artificial Intelligence in drone market size is projected to show steady growth during the forecast period (2024-2029). The report said: “Booming drone adoption in the sector boosts AI in drone market growth. Drones driven by AI are taking over major sectors such as agriculture, serving as industrious field workers. They minimize human effort while monitoring crop health, accurately locating pests, and applying irrigation to maximize production and optimize resource use. The movement known as “precision agriculture” is revolutionizing the way of raising food. According to the January 2022 Press Release Bureau, the government is extending financial support under the “Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization” to encourage the use of drones in agriculture. The Agriculture Ministry will give agricultural institutions grants of up to Rs. 10 lakhs so the farmers can buy drones. When it comes to drone demonstrations on farmer fields Farmer’s Producers Organizations (FPOs) can receive funds for up to 75% of the total cost of the drone. The initiatives and factors supporting agriculture enhance the drone market.” Active Tech Companies in the markets today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR), QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO).

“The growing need for automation in logistics propels AI in drone market. Industries these days need effective and automated ways to handle logistics jobs. Drones and AI together present an attractive alternative for companies looking to increase productivity and accuracy as they save labor expenses and increase productivity by automating operations that were previously done by hand. By the end of 2024, Prime Air plans to expand internationally into Italy and the UK, in addition to starting drone deliveries in the United States. Similarly, in October 2023, Amazon Pharmacy launched drone delivery of pharmaceuticals. Eligible consumers in College Station, Texas, can now have their drugs delivered to their homes via drone within 60 minutes of placing their purchase with Amazon Pharmacy.”

ZenaTech Inc. (NASDAQ:ZENA) Issues Big Development News Today on Adding Patent Assets to the Company – Get the full details by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

Additional Groundbreaking ZenaTech Inc. Developments this week include:

ZenaTech Announced a Software Company Acquisition Adding Significant Capabilities to Building AI Drones – ZenaTech also announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire ZooOffice Inc., the holding company for software companies Jadian and DeskFlex, from ZenaTech’s former parent company. The acquisition of these two software companies will provide important compliance and inspection software as well as scheduling and mapping software that will be incorporated into ZenaTech’s ZenaDrone AI drone solutions. This transaction further expands ZenaTech’s portfolio of SaaS software solutions and customer base and is expected to add to recurring revenue in the government sector among others. The acquisition is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals that may be required.

“Adding Jadian and DeskFlex software capabilities to the ZenaTech portfolio is part of our strategy to offer full stack, integrated AI drone solutions targeted to multiple sectors such as Agriculture. Jadian’s compliance software will be integrated with ZenaDrone drone hardware and sensors to help farmers track and manage regulatory and environmental requirements such as crop traceability, fertilizer and pesticide use, water conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions. Deskflex scheduling and mapping software will add value integrated into our property management sector solutions,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D. Read this full release at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/zenatech-announces-software-company-acquisition-113000656.html

Other recent developments in the technology industry include:

Edgescale AI Inc. and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) recently announced a strategic partnership to deliver Live Edge, a groundbreaking combination of Palantir Edge AI and Edgescale AI distributed infrastructure technology, designed to operationalize artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing, utilities, and other complex industrial environments.

AI is reshaping the world and transforming our relationship with technology, yet applying AI to operational technology in industries and critical infrastructure remains a challenge. So long as the complexity and operational burden of activating machines, equipment, vehicles, and sensors in physical systems remains high, we only achieve a fraction of AI’s true potential for automating our technology and improving our lives.

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) recently announced that, through its subsidiary Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Aramco, and Saudi Arabia’s Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) are planning to launch Design in Saudi Arabia (DISA). DISA is envisaged to be an incubator program for Saudi Arabia that aims to support startups that are adopting AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and wireless technologies for industrial use cases.

This initiative aims to support early-stage startups in the high-tech sector by guiding them from product design and development to commercialization. It aims to provide a comprehensive suite of support that includes technical assistance, business coaching, and intellectual property (IP) training, all aimed at enhancing the Kingdom’s technology ecosystem. Should this initiative materialize, startups would gain access to resources such as Qualcomm Technologies and Aramco’s industrial experience and RDIA’s strategic guidance.

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS) a leading provider of best-in-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS), sensors and software solutions for customers worldwide in the commercial and government verticals, recently issued a Letter to Stockholders from Company CEO Bill Irby.

Dear Stockholders: First, I want to extend my appreciation for the trust and confidence you have placed in AgEagle. Upon taking over as CEO from Grant Begley (former interim CEO and current Board Chairman), we have been evolving and advancing AgEagle toward the creation of maximum long-term shareholder value.

To fund our aggressive growth plans, we recently completed a $6.5M capital raise. The market’s reaction was a continued decline in our stock price. It became necessary to plan and execute a 50:1 reverse stock split. Our trading was halted October 4th but has since resumed, and I am truly optimistic regarding the path ahead as I believe that the company is currently under-valued… In conclusion, through a combination of our key initiatives, growing demand, and demonstrated progress in our newest market, I believe AgEagle is on the correct path to increase long-term shareholder value. We appreciate your continued support. Sincerely, Bill Irby, CEO

Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO), an award-winning, industry-leading developer of drone solutions and systems, recently announced its participation in the upcoming Wings of Saskatchewan event in Regina, from October 30 to October 31, 2024. Draganfly will showcase its latest drone technology advancements, contributing to discussions on industry trends, safety, and regulatory considerations alongside key stakeholders in the aviation sector.

The Wings of Saskatchewan Conference, hosted by the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association and the Saskatchewan Aviation Council, serves as a vital gathering for the aviation community. This year’s event will bring together leaders from both civil and commercial aviation sectors to discuss technological advancements, regulatory updates, and future trends within the industry.

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The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Middlefield Innovation Dividend ETF Distributions

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Middlefield Innovation Dividend ETF (TSX: MINN) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce that distributions for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be payable to unitholders of Middlefield Innovation Dividend ETF as follows:

Record Date Payable Date Distribution Per
Trust Unit

October 31, 2024 November 15, 2024 $0.033

November 30, 2024 December13, 2024 $0.033

December 31, 2024 January 15, 2025 $0.033

The trust units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MINN.

The Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) for unitholders which provides unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Unitholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

Middlefield

Founded in 1979, Middlefield is a specialist equity income asset manager with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. Our investment team utilizes active management to select high-quality, global companies across a variety of sectors and themes. Our product offerings include proven dividend-focused strategies that span real estate, healthcare, innovation, infrastructure, energy, diversified income and more. We offer these solutions in a variety of product types including ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Split-Share Funds and Flow-through LPs.

For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

This press release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on historical information concerning distributions and dividends paid on the securities of issuers historically included in the portfolio of the Fund. Actual future results, including the amount of distributions paid by the Fund, may differ from the monthly distribution amount. Specifically, the income from which distributions are paid may vary significantly due to: changes in portfolio composition; changes in distributions and dividends paid by issuers of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio from time to time; there being no assurance that those issuers will pay distributions or dividends on their securities; the declaration of distributions and dividends by issuers of securities included in the portfolio will generally depend upon various factors, including the financial condition of each issuer and general economic and stock market conditions; the level of borrowing by the Fund; and the uncertainty of realizing capital gains. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results are described under “Risk Factors” in the Fund’s prospectus and other documents filed by the Fund with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes the Fund’s current estimate, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered hereby. Investors and others should not assume that any forward-looking statement contained in this press release represents the Fund’s estimate as of any date other than the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: TopLine Credit Union Foundation Awards $36,500 in Scholarships

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In its tenth year, TopLine Credit Union Foundation has awarded a total of $36,500 in scholarship money to 35 TopLine members who are continuing their education, and $1,500 in scholarship funds to support post-secondary educational needs and goals of students in Nigeria through partnership with African Education and Health Initiative (AFEDHI), a local non-profit organization with a vision to assist African students with access to education, books and school supplies.

TopLine Credit Union Foundation received 127 applications. Any TopLine member pursuing post-secondary education by attending a college or university, graduate school, or a 2-to-4-year community, vocational or technical college in the fall of 2024 was eligible.

Scholarship applicants needed to complete a one-page application form and submit an essay (500 words or less) that answered the question: “Discuss a hobby, interest, or passion that is important to you. How has this influenced your personal growth and academic journey?”

As one of our scholarship recipients commented, “Unlike most twin sisters, I grew up not just as a sibling, but as a caregiver. Her ability to navigate the world was often reliant on my hearing, and I was responsible for filling her in on our learning in school. From an early age, I became my sister’s advocate and ally. I witnessed firsthand the challenges she faced in navigating a predominantly hearing world. My sister’s journey has shown me the significance of empathy, understanding, and hard work, ultimately steering me toward my aspiration to become an audiologist. I hope to create a space where people feel heard, empowered, and understood, much like I’ve strived to do for my sister.”

“It’s was so rewarding to read all the personal stories written by applicants based on the influences they have experienced to help them along their personal growth and academic journeys,” said Vicki Roscoe Erickson, President, TopLine Credit Union Foundation. “Our foundation board had an extremely difficult decision of just selecting 35 scholarship recipients, and we celebrate their dedication and drive as they embark on their learning journey.”

TopLine Credit Union Foundation, guided by its mission of “working within the community to build a better tomorrow,” will continue to support the cooperative spirit of “people helping people” by living the mantra – to care, connect and contribute in the communities they serve.

Scholarship recipients will be recognized with a reception at the credit union, on TopLine Credit Union Foundation’s website page and on their Facebook page.

TopLine Credit Union Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is dedicated to providing members with an array of financial education opportunities and counseling for members of all ages, awarding scholarships, contributing to community charitable organizations and sponsoring other community give-back efforts. Since inception in 2014, TopLine Credit Union Foundation has given out $175,000 in scholarship monies to assist with the affordability of post-secondary education. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. For further information visit www.TopLinecu.com/foundation, email Foundation@TopLinecu.com, call 763-391-9494, or stop by any branch location or write to: 9353 Jefferson Hwy, Maple Grove, MN 55369. Federal Tax ID # is 46-4335752.

CONTACT:
Vicki Roscoe Erickson
President, TopLine Credit Union Foundation
verickson@toplinecu.com
763.391.0872

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/70b1950d-0cdb-42e0-a7bf-213f59799195

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: Introducing Alvacomm’s Cyber Risk Platform for Insurance Providers and Brokers in the Middle East

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alvacomm’s latest platform sets a new standard in cyber risk management for insurance providers and brokers in the Middle East. As cyber threats rise, insurers need tools that go beyond traditional risk assessments. This platform merges cyber insurance with actionable solutions, giving insurers and brokers the resources to address risks proactively. Designed for today’s evolving threat challenges. Alvacomm’s platform empowers providers to assess and mitigate client vulnerabilities, transforming how they manage cyber risk.

A New Approach to Cyber Insurance

Alvacomm’s platform revolutionizes cyber insurance by infusing it with targeted solutions. Rather than focusing solely on traditional assessments, it highlights vulnerabilities in a client’s cyber threat prevention strategies. This dual approach allows insurers and brokers to offer more than coverage, supporting clients in minimizing risks before claims arise. This leads to more resilient insurance offerings, helping both providers and brokers enhance their services while effectively managing client risks.

Strengthening Underwriting Confidence

The platform delivers clear insights into clients’ preparedness to handle cyber threats, focusing on their overall approach to prevention rather than their current systems. This provides underwriters with the reliable information they need to make well-informed decisions. With this level of clarity, both providers and brokers can issue policies with greater confidence, ensuring that the risk profile is accurate and manageable. This approach strengthens the partnerships between insurers and brokers, building a more effective insurance ecosystem.

Solutions Beyond Risk Assessment

Alvacomm’s platform goes further than assessing risk by offering solutions. When clients show areas of vulnerability, insurers and brokers can refer them to Alvacomm’s team for further assistance. This ensures clients are better equipped to qualify for coverage and reduces the chances of future claims. By focusing on solutions, insurers, brokers, and clients alike benefit from improved security and more stable, profitable relationships.

Gaining a Competitive Edge

In the rapidly expanding Middle Eastern cyber insurance market, differentiation is key. Alvacomm’s platform gives providers and brokers a competitive advantage by combining risk assessment with actionable strategies. Rather than offering basic policies, they can deliver comprehensive solutions that address and reduce client risks, positioning themselves as leaders in cyber risk management. This gives clients a long-term partnership, supporting their security needs while providing them with tailored coverage.

Fewer Claims, Greater Profitability

Alvacomm’s platform helps insurers and brokers reduce claims by addressing vulnerabilities before policies are issued. This proactive approach lowers overall risk and improves financial outcomes. Insurers benefit from covering clients committed to reducing their risk, while brokers offer policies that deliver greater value to their clients, improving client retention and profitability.

Strengthening Broker-Client Relationships

By offering more comprehensive solutions, brokers can build trust with their clients. Alvacomm’s platform enables brokers to provide accurate risk assessments, helping them recommend policies that suit each client’s specific needs. This advisory role strengthens long-term relationships, positioning brokers as key partners in their clients’ cybersecurity journey.

Conclusion

Alvacomm’s platform is transforming cyber risk management for insurance providers and brokers in the Middle East. With its proactive approach, the platform reduces claims, improves profitability, and strengthens relationships. As cyber threats continue to rise, Alvacomm’s platform ensures insurers, brokers, and clients are better equipped to handle risks.

Join the Waitlist: https://www.alvacomm.org
Stay ahead of the curve in cyber risk management by joining the waitlist for early access to Alvacomm’s platform.

Skip the Waitlist: https://vipaccess.alvacomm.org
Secure exclusive VIP access to Alvacomm’s platform and be among the first to experience its full range of features.

Contact Information:

Paul Brew
Email: paul.brew@alvacomm.ae

For partnership inquiries, please contact us at: partner@alvacomm.ae

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/abaffd89-91bb-4849-a591-a9c791b72aac

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: Middlefield U.S. Equity Dividend ETF Distributions

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Middlefield U.S. Equity Dividend ETF (TSX: MUSA) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce that distributions for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be payable to unitholders of Middlefield U.S. Equity Dividend ETF as follows:

*Record Date*	*Payable Date*	Distribution Per Trust Unit
October 31, 2024	November 15, 2024	$0.04583
November 30, 2024	December13, 2024	$0.04583
December 31, 2024	January 15, 2025	$0.04583

The trust units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MUSA.

The Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) for unitholders which provides unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest distributions, commission free, and realize the benefits of compound growth. Unitholders can enroll in the DRIP program by contacting their investment advisor.

Middlefield

Founded in 1979, Middlefield is a specialist equity income asset manager with offices in Toronto, Canada and London, England. Our investment team utilizes active management to select high-quality, global companies across a variety of sectors and themes. Our product offerings include proven dividend-focused strategies that span real estate, healthcare, innovation, infrastructure, energy, diversified income and more. We offer these solutions in a variety of product types including ETFs, Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds, Split-Share Funds and Flow-through LPs.

For further information, please visit our website at www.middlefield.com or contact Nancy Tham in our Sales and Marketing Department at 1.888.890.1868.

This press release contains forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on historical information concerning distributions and dividends paid on the securities of issuers historically included in the portfolio of the Fund. Actual future results, including the amount of distributions paid by the Fund, may differ from the monthly distribution amount. Specifically, the income from which distributions are paid may vary significantly due to: changes in portfolio composition; changes in distributions and dividends paid by issuers of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio from time to time; there being no assurance that those issuers will pay distributions or dividends on their securities; the declaration of distributions and dividends by issuers of securities included in the portfolio will generally depend upon various factors, including the financial condition of each issuer and general economic and stock market conditions; the level of borrowing by the Fund; and the uncertainty of realizing capital gains. The risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results are described under “Risk Factors” in the Fund’s prospectus and other documents filed by the Fund with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes the Fund’s current estimate, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered hereby. Investors and others should not assume that any forward-looking statement contained in this press release represents the Fund’s estimate as of any date other than the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:		Peter Q. Morrison CEO 815-847-7500		Todd J. James CFO 815-847-7500

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