Category: KB

MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [KEYWORDS STUDIOS PLC – 18 10 2024] – (CGWL)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

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

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser:	CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.	N/A
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree	KEYWORDS STUDIOS PLC
(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:	N/A
(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure	18 OCTOBER 2024
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”	N/A

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

Class of relevant security:	1p ORDINARY
	Interests		Short positions
	Number	%	Number	%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:	1,345,039	1.6701
(2) Cash-settled derivatives:
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:	1,345,039	1.6701

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security	Purchase/sale	Number of securities	Price per unit
1p ORDINARY	SALE	1,000	2438.04p
1p ORDINARY	SALE	300	2440.1743p

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. CFD	Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position	Number of reference securities	Price per unit
NONE

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. call option	Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.	Number of securities to which option relates	Exercise price per unit	Type e.g. American, European etc.	Expiry date	Option money paid/ received per unit
NONE

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description
e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security	Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion	Details	Price per unit (if applicable)
NONE

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

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

NONE

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

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

NONE

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure:	21 OCTOBER 2024
Contact name:	MARK ELLIOTT
Telephone number:	01253 376539

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

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

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

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [ECKOH PLC – 18 10 2024] – (CGWL)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

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

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser:	CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.	N/A
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree	ECKOH PLC
(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:	N/A
(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure	18 OCTOBER 2024
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”	N/A

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

Class of relevant security:	10p ORDINARY
	Interests		Short positions
	Number	%	Number	%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:	20,624,891	7.0982
(2) Cash-settled derivatives:
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:	20,624,891	7.0982

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security	Purchase/sale	Number of securities	Price per unit
10p ORDINARY	SALE	17,450	43.0755p

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. CFD	Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position	Number of reference securities	Price per unit
NONE

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. call option	Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.	Number of securities to which option relates	Exercise price per unit	Type e.g. American, European etc.	Expiry date	Option money paid/ received per unit
NONE

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description
e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security	Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion	Details	Price per unit (if applicable)
NONE

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

NONE

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

NONE

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure:	21 OCTOBER 2024
Contact name:	MARK ELLIOTT
Telephone number:	01253 376539

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

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

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

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC – 18 10 2024] – (CGWL)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

FORM 8.3

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

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser:	CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.	N/A
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree	LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC
(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:	N/A
(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure	18 OCTOBER 2024
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”	N/A

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

Class of relevant security:	0.375p ORDINARY
	Interests		Short positions
	Number	%	Number	%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:	10,058,448	1.2697
(2) Cash-settled derivatives:
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:	10,058,448	1.2697

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security	Purchase/sale	Number of securities	Price per unit
0.375p ORDINARY	SALE	12,500	92.908p

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. CFD	Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position	Number of reference securities	Price per unit
NONE

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. call option	Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc.	Number of securities to which option relates	Exercise price per unit	Type e.g. American, European etc.	Expiry date	Option money paid/ received per unit
NONE

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security

Product description
e.g. call option

Exercising/ exercised against

Number of securities

Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security	Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion	Details	Price per unit (if applicable)
NONE

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

NONE

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

NONE

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?

Date of disclosure:	21 OCTOBER 2024
Contact name:	MARK ELLIOTT
Telephone number:	01253 376539

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

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

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

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: The receding waters of Nuphar Lake, near Norris Geyser Basin

Source: US Geological Survey

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Michael Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Nuphar Lake is a small, non-thermal body of water—more pond than lake, really—adjacent to the entrance road to Norris Geyser Basin. It was mostly unremarkable until the past few years, when some interesting changes began occurring.

In 2021 and 2022, the lake level started to rise dramatically, by several feet (about a meter), and the water changed color from dark green to a bright milky blue. These changes were caused by the input of hot water from hydrothermal features on a ridge just above the lake. Those features normally sent water into the adjoining Porcelain Basin of Norris Geyser Basin—a plain full of colorful and active geysers and hot springs. When the hot water started to flow instead into Nuphar Lake, the water changed color to the milky blue that is typical of many hydrothermal ponds and pools, and the water level began to rise. By early 2024 the lake was threatening to overtop its edges and possibly flow into Porcelain Basin.

High-resolution satellite images of Norris Geyser Basin showing the area of Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake (both images cover the same area). In the left image, acquired on April 2, 2024, springs on Porcelain Terrace are full of water, and warm hydrothermal water is flowing into Nuphar Lake from the area circled in yellow. This warm water kept the north part of the lake free of ice, the lake level is high, and the color is a milky blue. Boardwalks in the area appear as white lineations because they are covered in snow. In the right image, acquired on August 20, 2024, the lake level is lower, and the color is a deep green. The variations in lake level and color were caused by the cessation of thermal water flowing into the lake from nearby hydrothermal features—a change that was coincident with a hydrothermal explosion in the area on April 15, 2024. Imagery were processed by R. Greg Vaughan (USGS), and data were collected by WorldView-3 satellite and made available thanks to the NEXTVIEW End User License Agreement between Maxar (formerly DigitalGlobe, Inc.), which supports Earth science research and applications.

By the end of summer in 2024, however, the lake level had receded, and the water had returned to its previous deep green color. What happened?

An explosion happened. That’s what.

Photo of dead trees along the edge of Nuphar Lake. The white staining at the base of the trees is a telltale sign that the trees were immersed in thermal water containing silica. USGS photo by Mike Poland, September 1, 2024.

On April 15, 2024, a newly installed monitoring station in Norris Geyser Basin detected an explosion from the direction of the hydrothermal features above Nuphar Lake. Inspection of the area in May revealed a crater measuring about 10 feet (about 3 meters) across, surrounded by cracked and disrupted ground. Also, the nearby hydrothermal features were no longer emitting water—not into Nuphar Lake, and not into Porcelain Basin. Instead, only some vigorous steam vents and a pool of hot, but not boiling, water were present in the area.

It appears that pressure had been building beneath the hydrothermal features above Nuphar Lake during the preceding years. This pressure resulted in an increase in hot water and steam emissions, but the plumbing must have become clogged and sealed in April. The explosion on April 15—similar to, but smaller than, the well-observed explosion in Biscuit Basin on July 23, 2024—broke that seal and disrupted the hot-water plumbing to the features.

Because hot water was no longer flowing into Nuphar Lake after the explosion, the lake level dropped over the course of the summer of 2024, and the milky blue color faded as silica settled out of the water and was not replaced. The changes are especially visible in satellite images of the area.

The formerly high level of thermal water still left its mark, though. Nuphar Lake is now surrounded by a ring of dead trees along the shoreline. These trees, some of which have already fallen into the lake, were killed when they were inundated by the silica-rich water, marked by telltale white stains on the tree trunks.

Hydrothermal activity in the area of Nuphar Lake seems to have calmed significantly since 2021–2022, but the lesson of Yellowstone is one of change. The thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park are dynamic, so it would not be a surprise if the pools and vents above Nuphar Lake surged to life in the future and sent their hot, silica-laden water coursing into the lake once again.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Students and teachers of the State University of Management participate in the VII Youth Forum “Heritage”

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

On October 19, 2024, as part of the educational program of the VII Youth Forum “Heritage”, Associate Professor of the Department of Public and Municipal Administration of the State University of Management Irina Milkina held an open lecture for the Forum participants.

The lecture was held in the Urban Studies section on the topic of “Revitalization of cultural heritage sites in the context of sustainable development”. Irina Milkina spoke about global challenges and sustainable development goals, about how the restoration and revitalization of cultural heritage sites affects the creation of new opportunities for the social, economic and environmental development of cities and improving the quality of life of the population.

The educational program also included lectures on other topics that help Forum participants in developing a project: economics, history, management, jurisprudence, sociology, design and architecture, PR.

The grand opening of the VII Youth Forum “Heritage”, organized by the Department of Cultural Heritage of the City of Moscow, took place on September 28 at the “Youth of Moscow” site. The opening ceremony was attended by students from the State University of Management, the Higher School of Economics, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Moscow University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and others. SUM was represented by 3rd and 4th year students of the “Urban Studies and City Management” program.

The forum was opened by the head of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage, Alexey Yemelyanov: “This year, a record number of students are participating in the competition program of the VII Youth Forum “Heritage” — more than 300. The number of universities has also increased — from 23 in 2023 to 28 now. Over the past two years, the guys have been working on restoration and adaptation projects for Moscow estates, and now they will have to prepare a concept for including a constructivist monument — the Palace of Culture of the “Serp i Molot” plant — into the life of a modern metropolis.”

Participants were drawn and divided into interdisciplinary teams. The teams consist of specialists in architecture, restoration, urban studies, sociology, management, economics, law, design, IT and PR.

In two months, the Forum participants will have to prepare a restoration project for the Hammer and Sickle Palace of Culture by architects Ignatius Milinis and Aleksandr Vilesov. The 1930 constructivist building is located in the Tagansky District of Moscow and is a cultural heritage site of regional significance.

From October 5 to 7, a tour of the site was organized for each team, where the participants were able to become familiar with the history of the place in detail, discuss the further work plan of each specialist, and develop a concept for including the site in the life of the city.

The defense of the finished projects will take place on November 22. At the defense, the jury will evaluate the work done by the participants and select the best projects for the restoration and adaptation of the cultural heritage site.

Also, within the framework of the Forum, the organizers will hold educational events for participants: lectures, master classes, excursions to restoration workshops, workshops and job fairs.

Comments from participants:

Alexandra Nenarokomova, 3rd year student: “I have been participating in the project for the third year now, and I can say that for me this is an opportunity to demonstrate my professional skills, meet specialists in my field, and learn something new about my city.”

Anastasia Kupreeva, 3rd year student: “I am glad to take part in the Forum this year. We will have to work with a unique object and improve the existing concept.”

Vladislav Zelensky, 4th-year student: “This year, for the first time, we will be able to work with a Soviet-era monument, which is pleasing and creates additional interest in the forum. In the past two years, as part of this event, my teams and I worked on pre-revolutionary buildings, which had more design restrictions.”

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 21.10.2024

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

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Students and teachers of the State University of Management participate in the VII Youth Forum “Heritage”

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MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Road Conditions Report – Monday 21 October 2024

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.

Maps of the Council’s gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at winter road maintenance (external link).

Drivers should take extreme care this morning. Windblown debris is affecting roads and sea blown debris is affecting coastal roads particularly in the west. Roads operatives are working to clear roads this morning.

The Corran Ferry is running as normal this morning.

Follow our social media channels to keep up-to-date with all Highland Council road issues today – @HighlandCouncil

Details as of 10am today are as follows –

Badenoch and Strathspey
Roads damp. Positive road surface temperatures. No known problems.

Nairn
Roads damp. Positive road surface temperatures. No known problems.

Sutherland
The C1054, Coal Pit Road at Brora, approximately 100m off the A9 is currently blocked due to a fallen tree. Operatives are in attendance to clear road. Earlier this morning, trees were down on the Lothmore side road (the U2766) off the A9 between Brora and Portgower but these have been cleared.

Lochaber
A861 Clovullin road is reduced to single lane for approximately 100 metres. The Corran Ferry is operating as normal this morning.

Wester Ross
Positive road surface temperatures. The A834 slip road at Contin War Memorial is closed with a tree blocking the road. Operatives are on their way to clear the road.

Caithness
No winter action required. No other known issues to report.

Inverness
Roads are dry / damp with no known problems.

East Ross-shire
Positive temperatures. No winter action.

For information on Trunk Roads follow @trafficscotland or visit: https://www.traffic.gov.scot/ (external link) (external link).

SSEN information – https://www.ssen.co.uk/ (external link) (external link).

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Eight-year ban for director of home improvements firm which failed to complete more than £300,000 of building work
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

The company accepted payments for projects when it was insolvent
Samantha Fairweather was the sole director of Fairweather Construction Ltd when it took payments from customers for home improvements it did not complete

The company had already failed to finish building work such as new conservatories and windows when it accepted the additional payments

Fairweather Construction had substantial debts at the time it took the payments, including owing more than £100,000 in tax

The boss of an Essex construction firm which took more than £300,000 in deposits for home improvements work it never completed has been disqualified as a director for eight years.

Samantha Fairweather, 53, was the sole director of Fairweather Construction Ltd when it sought advice from an insolvency practitioner in April 2022, owing more than £100,000 in unpaid tax.

The company had taken deposits from homeowners worth more than £150,000 by this time for building work such as the installation of new windows or conservatories which it had not finished.

However, Fairweather Construction then proceeded to take a further £177,900 in payments for further building projects it did not complete, including £37,370 in deposits for new work, before it was liquidated in the autumn of 2022.

Neil North, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Samantha Fairweather knew, or ought to have known, that the company she was a director of had unpaid debts to HMRC and had been unable to fulfil its obligations to existing customers.

The company then took significant amounts of money from homeowners for house extensions and projects which were never done.

Members of the public need protection from this kind of activity which is why Fairweather will no longer be able to act as a company director until October 2032.

Fairweather, of Maitland Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, was the only director of Fairweather Construction since it was established in December 2014.

The company marketed itself as a home improvement specialist, with its work mainly focused on properties around the Essex and Hertfordshire border. Its registered office address was more than 150 miles away on Wood Lane, Heskin, Lancashire.

However, homeowners from further afield also lost out as a result of the company’s actions.

One couple from south London paid Fairweather Construction £12,500 for new windows in July 2022, but the order was never placed with the manufacturer.

Similarly, a woman from Saffron Walden paid the company £4,500 for new windows in August 2022, which were never fitted.

In the same month, Fairweather Construction took £18,000 from customers in the Bishop’s Stortford area for a new conservatory and extensions to an existing one which were not built.

Numerous excuses were made by the company for why the orders were not fulfilled.

Fairweather also caused her company to breach the Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme in May 2020 by using £11,000 of the £50,000 she obtained to repay a director’s loan.

These payments were not for the economic benefit of the business as they had to be under the rules of the scheme.

Fairweather Construction entered liquidation in September 2022 with liabilities of more than £700,000.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Fairweather, and her eight-year ban began on Monday 21 October.

The disqualification prevents her from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Further information

Samantha Fairweather is of Maitland Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. Her date of birth is 29 April 1971.

Fairweather Construction Ltd (company number 09345352)

Individuals subject to a disqualification order or undertaking are bound by a range of restrictions

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

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Published 21 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Germany: EIB and Deutsche Leasing support the green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps
Source: European Investment Bank

EIB
- Deutsche Leasing will provide new leases on favourable terms to small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and mid-caps in Germany and countries in Eastern Europe.
- The second tranche of this operation, started in February, has been signed.
- The loan has a two-fold focus on cohesion, accounting for 50% of the projects, and green investments, with 30% of green leases.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Deutsche Leasing have announced the second tranche of a project designed to support small business and mid-cap leases for a total project cost of €560 million, with a total of €200 million of EIB financing approved. A first tranche of €50 million of the €200 million has been signed in February.

Under the cooperation programme, Deutsche Leasing will finance machinery and technologies that lead to energy savings, low-carbon mobility and other environmental solutions, thereby supporting the green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps.

Deutsche Leasing will use the EIB loan to finance small and medium-sized companies (SMEs, with fewer than 250 employees) and midcaps (with up to 3 000 employees) in Germany and countries in Eastern Europe. The beneficiaries will be able to use the funds for long-term investment projects. The focus of the second tranche lies on climate investment. It is foreseen that at least 30% of the EIB funds will be used to support climate and the environment, such as financing of energy efficient industrial equipment and agricultural machinery, including climate adaptation measures.

As the EIB has the highest possible credit rating (AAA), it can raise funds on the capital markets on favourable terms. The advantages of the EIB-backing will be passed on to the SMEs and midcaps to enable them to invest into growing their businesses and investing in their green transition. By facilitating access to financing, this partnership will promote long-term economic growth as well as job security. This operation should support approximately 570 SMEs and thus approximately 47,300 employees.

“SMEs and MidCaps are the backbone of our European economy”, EIB-Vice-President Nicola Beer said. “Supporting them is one of the core missions of the EIB. Together with financing partners like Deutsche Leasing, we provide long-term, stable financing for the Mittelstand to invest in innovative projects for the green and digital transition and help foster the European competitiveness.”

Deutsche Leasing supports SMEs and midcaps in successfully managing the upcoming transformation to a Green Economy that lies in innovative technologies, by disseminated those technologies largely in its target markets across the EU and beyond. Deutsche Leasing will also provide advisory expertise for corporates and public entities in the sustainable transformation and plays a key role in the circular economy.

The use of intermediated lending via Deutsche Leasing will provide EIB financing to reach smaller scale projects that are often unable to demonstrate sufficient volume for a standalone EIB-financed project.

“We are pleased to continue our good cooperation with the EIB, as well in the context of financing the green transformation. With the EIB’s refinancing, we as the Deutsche Leasing Group offer our SME customers the opportunity to realize green transformation projects on the European market”, Deutsche Leasing CEO Kai Ostermann said.

This operation continues the EIB’s cooperation with Deutsche Leasing and complements the synthetic securitisations of 2020 and 2023 signed with Deutsche Leasing Romania, part of the same group, consisting of guarantees for financing small businesses and mid-caps.

Background information

The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union. It finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects strengthen competitiveness, sustainable development, and social and territorial cohesion. They promote innovation and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. The EIB Group – which also includes the European Investment Fund – signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.

The Deutsche Leasing Group is the solution-oriented asset finance partner for the German SME sector. The company provides support for investment projects in Germany and other countries and offers a wide range of financing solutions (asset finance) and supplementary services (asset services) for current and non-current assets. The company helps its customers to finance change and innovation when it comes to the key transformative issues of our time – in the areas of decarbonisation, digitalisation and forward-looking infrastructure. As a central and international group partner, the Deutsche Leasing Group is Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe’s centre of excellence for leasing, factoring as well as other alternative forms of financing.

Deutsche Leasing
Germany: EIB and Deutsche Leasing support the green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps
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Deutsche Leasing
Germany: EIB and Deutsche Leasing support the green transformation of small businesses and mid-caps
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MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – List of applicants for strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act – P-002102/2024
Source: European Parliament
16.10.2024

Priority question for written answer P-002102/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Carola Rackete (The Left)

A key feature of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) is the recognition and support of strategic projects along the critical raw materials value chain. The Commission received 170 applications by the 22 August 2024 deadline for strategic projects under the CRMA. Following assessment and completeness checks, in Q4 of 2024 the European Critical Raw Materials Board will discuss the proposed projects and the Commission will decide on the applications, taking the board’s opinion into account. It will then notify applicants.

1.Will the Commission publish a list of the applicants for strategic projects under the CRMA?

2.Does it intend to publish lists of applicants for strategic projects under the CRMA with regard to future deadlines?

3.If not, can it explain the basis for its decision?

Submitted: 16.10.2024
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor announces winner of innovation challenge to help more Londoners into work
Source: Mayor of London
- Mayor announces £50,000 for three winners of his No Wrong Door Open Innovation Challenge to develop innovative ways to help Londoners enhance their skills and move into new or better jobs
- The winning ideas are designed to help London’s diverse communities including refugees, diverse communities, young people and women get back to work
- Five runners up will also receive £5,000 in additional funding, helping Londoners to access skills and training for green jobs, enhanced CV writing, and access to job opportunities for young Londoners
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced the three winners of his No Wrong Door Open Innovation Competition, which will help to pioneer new ways to help disabled Londoners, women, refugees, young and older Londoners access high-quality skills and employment support to better thrive in our economy. For Londoners, the No Wrong Door innovation challenge means that no matter their starting point or what service they access first, they can be connected to the right type of support at the right time to help them into good work.    

Sadiq’s No Wrong Door Open Challenge encouraged innovators to address the challenges that London’s diverse communities can face when accessing the labour market. These include lack of necessary additional support when navigating employment applications or systems; insufficient understanding from employers when tailoring jobs; and lack of support for physical or mental health barriers.

The three winners are:
- Earlybird, an AI-driven platform will equip individuals with the skills and support they need to overcome barriers to employment, helping them secure and retain meaningful jobs.
- Facework Group CIC, an online platform providing training and workspaces for refugees, that will provide training in employability skills, mental health support, self-employment opportunities, and social integration.
- Tailored Futures, an AI-powered platform providing support to individuals within the criminal justice system by connecting them with employers, helping them access job opportunities and rebuild their lives, ultimately reducing reoffending rates.
Research commissioned by City Hall(1) in the summer of 2023 has shown that integration of employment and skills services could be improved through human centred, technology and innovative solutions to address barriers that make it harder for various Londoners to access support.

Alongside the winners, five runners up were chosen and will receive £5,000 in additional funding, along with monthly coaching sessions provided by delivery partner, Allia Impact, to help them further their ideas. These ideas range from helping Londoners to access skills and training for green jobs, enhanced CV writing, upskilling for mothers returning to the workplace and support to access job opportunities for young Londoners.

The Mayor’s adult skills programmes have already supported over one million learners. As part of the Mayor’s commitment to help grow London’s economy, Sadiq is focused on ensuring that Londoners furthest from the labour market to get the support they need to help them build their skills and move into new and better jobs.

One of the Mayor’s 10 key priorities is the new London Growth Plan, with a target of helping to create more than 150,000 good jobs by 2028 and increasing living standards for all Londoners. The new growth plan aims to grow London’s economy, so we can improve the lives of all Londoners, drive London’s green transition and support prosperity in London and across the country.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “These innovative solutions will help those Londoners struggling to gain the skills they need to move ahead in the job market, ensuring our economy has the talented workforce it needs to thrive.

“In the face of a cost-of-living crisis, increased rents and mortgages and rising energy bills, it is more important than ever for Londoners to get the right employment support, as we continue to build a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.”

Claudine Adeyemi-Adams, Founder of Earlybird, said: “We are so honoured to be selected for Phase II of the NWD Innovation Challenge. It’s real validation for us that the judges, who are experts in employment support and, we hope, future Earlybird users, can see the significant value that our innovation creates. We are really looking forward to deepening our relationships with partners in the GLA network and NWD community and driving greater impact as we scale our solution, particularly for employment support organisations and people who are out of work.”

Titi Solarin, Founder of Tailored Futures CIC, said: “We’ve been working on the concept of this app for several years, and it’s incredible to finally see it moving towards the development stage. This app is designed to help people navigate the complexities of reintegrating into the community after involvement with the criminal justice system. I’m beyond excited about the potential impact it will have, making support and opportunities more accessible to those who need it most.”

Stephen Carrick-Davies CEO of the Facework Group said: “We have proved that with training and support those with the lived experience of migration can play an important role in supporting other refugees to access better quality work or self-employment. For this to be effective it has to be personalised, human-centric and address wider issues of mental health and integration into the wider community. We are thrilled that Facework has received NWD support for us to now scale our approach and build partnerships with Local Authority job teams and wider stakeholders.”
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – EU Commissioners-designate confirmation hearings in committees – Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source: European Parliament

The designated candidates of the von der Leyen Commission will be heard by the EP committees dealing with their respective portfolios from 04/11/2024 until 12/11/2024.

During each confirmation hearing, the commissioner-designate will give an opening speech and then answer questions by committee members. More detailed information, including the candidates’ portfolios, the procedure, the schedule, the latest news and a live webstreaming during and record after the hearing, can be found on the dedicated webpage.

Commissioners-designate hearings:https://elections.europa.eu/european-commission/en/

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – EU Commissioners-designate confirmation hearings in committees – Committee on Regional Development

Source: European Parliament

The designated candidates of the von der Leyen Commission will be heard by the EP committees dealing with their respective portfolios from 04/11/2024 until 12/11/2024. During each confirmation hearing, the commissioner-designate will give an opening speech and then answer questions by committee members. More detailed information, including the candidates’ portfolios, the procedure, the schedule, the latest news and a live webstreaming during and record after the hearing, can be found on the dedicated webpage.

The Committee on Regional Development will conduct the hearing of Rafaele Fitto, Commissioner-designate for Cohesion and Reforms on 12 November.

This Committee will participate also in the hearings of the Commissioners-designate Dan Jørgensen, Energy and Housing portfolio and Teresa Ribera, Clean, Just and Competitive Transition portfolio on 5 and 12 November respectively.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – German authorities’ extradition of Maja T. to Hungary – E-001970/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001970/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Ilaria Salis (The Left), Martin Schirdewan (The Left)

On 28 June 2024, German authorities extradited Maja T. to Hungary, despite the German Federal Constitutional Court’s decision to halt the extradition. On 2 August 2024, the court raised ‘considerable concerns’ regarding the compatibility of this extradition with requirements for effective legal protection, and expressed doubts as to whether Maja T.’s rights would be adequately protected in Hungarian custody.

1.Is the Commission aware of the case of Maja T., and engaging, or planning to engage, with the German and/or Hungarian authorities regarding this matter and in relation to the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW)?

2.How does the Commission evaluate the extradition of Maja T. by the German authorities, particularly in relation to Article 15(2) of the EAW Framework Decision[1], given Maja T.’s right to a fair trial under the Charter, given that Maja T. is non-binary, and the concerns of systemic and generalised deficiencies in the rule of law in Hungary raised in the Commission’s July 2024 Rule of Law Report?

3.Hungary is facing challenges with overcrowding in prisons (ECtHR pilot judgment Varga and Others v Hungary and NGO reports[2]). Is the Commission aware of this situation, and what steps does it plan to take, also in light of the Commission Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on procedural rights of suspects and accused persons subject to pre-trial detention and on material detention conditions[3]?

Submitted: 7.10.2024

[1] OJ L 190, 18.7.2002, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_framw/2002/584/oj.

[2] Hungarian Helsinki Committee, ‘Hungarian prison population reaches a 33-year high’, 3 March 2023, https://helsinki.hu/en/hungarian-prison-population-reaches-a-33-year-high/#:~:text=Hungarian%20prisons%20are%20overcrowded%20again,at%20a%20107%25%20occupancy%20rate.

[3] OJ L 86, 24.3.2023, p. 44, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2023/681/oj.
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Compensation for President von der Leyen’s special adviser – E-001991/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001991/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Afroditi Latinopoulou (PfE), Gerolf Annemans (PfE), Barbara Bonte (PfE), Anna Bryłka (PfE), Tomasz Buczek (PfE), Jorge Buxadé Villalba (PfE), Ton Diepeveen (PfE), Roman Haider (PfE), Malika Sorel (PfE), Virginie Joron (PfE), Julien Leonardelli (PfE), Jorge Martín Frías (PfE), Gilles Pennelle (PfE), Hermann Tertsch (PfE), Tom Vandendriessche (PfE), António Tânger Corrêa (PfE)

According to a recent report[1], President von der Leyen offered German academic Peter Strohschneider a fee of EUR 150 000 for six months’ work as a special adviser for the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture. This compensation is 64 % higher than the standard daily rate for Commissioners’ special advisers.

This decision raises serious questions about the management of public resources and transparency in the selection and compensation processes for the Commission’s special advisers. It is particularly concerning that Mr Strohschneider is not an expert on agricultural issues or foresight, but in medieval history.

Could the Commission please clarify:

1.What qualifications does Mr Strohschneider possess that make him an expert suited to coordinating the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture and justify a fee that exceeds the normal daily rate paid to European Commissioners’ special advisers by 64 %?

2.What criteria will be used to evaluate Mr Strohschneider’s performance and ensure value for money from this particular appointment?

3.How is transparency and meritocracy ensured in the selection and compensation of the Commission’s special advisers?

Submitted: 8.10.2024

[1] https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/von-der-leyens-very-special-e150k-adviser/.
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Role of regional and local authorities in managing funds in the next programming period – E-002039/2024
Source: European Parliament
11.10.2024

Question for written answer E-002039/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Elena Nevado del Campo (PPE), Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE), Raúl de la Hoz Quintano (PPE), Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (PPE), Nicolás Pascual De La Parte (PPE), Susana Solís Pérez (PPE), Borja Giménez Larraz (PPE), Pablo Arias Echeverría (PPE), Alma Ezcurra Almansa (PPE), Antonio López-Istúriz White (PPE), Adrián Vázquez Lázara (PPE), Maravillas Abadía Jover (PPE), Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE), Pilar del Castillo Vera (PPE), Fernando Navarrete Rojas (PPE), Esther Herranz García (PPE)

Recent reports in some national and European newspapers[1][2] have provided details of the Commission’s supposed structural reform for the next programming period that will merge cohesion and common agricultural payments into a single national plan. Member States’ central authorities would thus draw up and manage directly the payments linked to those funds.

Cutting the budget for those funds or breaking with the principle of partnership and multilevel governance would undoubtedly pose a serious risk to cohesion across Europe, especially with regard to regional and local authorities.

In view of this potential redesign of the multiannual financial framework and the cohesion policy:

1.Does the Commission intend to merge EU programmes such as the European Structural and Investment Funds and the CAP into a single national plan based on the model used for NextGenerationEU funds?

2.If so, how will it maintain the role of regional and local authorities in managing such a policy, and ensure that the principles of shared management, partnership and multilevel governance are respected?

Submitted: 11.10.2024

[1] https://elpais.com/economia/2024-10-08/von-der-leyen-explora-una-reforma-del-presupuesto-de-la-ue-que-refuerza-su-poder-al-condicionar-los-pagos-a-los-estados-a-que-hagan-reformas.html

[2] https://www.politico.eu/article/european-commission-budget-economic-reforms-conditions-power-grab/
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Problems arising from the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries – E-001995/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001995/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Nikolas Farantouris (The Left)

The protests by farmers in the first quarter of 2024 across the EU demonstrated, among other things, the problems stemming from the finalisation of the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). Specifically, it was emphasised that the agreement does not reflect the challenges facing EU agriculture, such as the climate crisis, food security issues and the war in Ukraine, while huge disparities exist between EU and non-EU farmers in terms of labour, social and environmental matters and production standards. Talks on the agreement remain stalled on the key point of the ‘mirror clauses’, for the application of the same standards to products imported from the Mercosur countries. On 7 February Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič announced to the European Parliament that ‘the conditions for the conclusion of the Mercosur agreement are not met’[1]. However, on 8 February Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, responsible for trade, said that ‘work is continuing’[2].

In view of this:

1.At exactly what stage are the negotiations for the finalisation of the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries?

2.Have European farmers’ reasonable requests for the removal of the inequalities created by the agreement been incorporated into the negotiations?

Submitted: 9.10.2024

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-conditions-complete-mercosur-trade-deal-not-met-yet-2024-02-07/

[2] https://www.lafranceagricole.fr/libre-echange/article/862757/le-dossier-mercosur-continue-malgre-la-france
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mitigating climate change impact by strengthening EU solidarity mechanisms – E-001992/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001992/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Vladimir Prebilič (Verts/ALE), Rasmus Andresen (Verts/ALE), Thomas Waitz (Verts/ALE), Lena Schilling (Verts/ALE), Gordan Bosanac (Verts/ALE), Jutta Paulus (Verts/ALE), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), Matej Tonin (PPE)

The devastating floods that affected Slovenia in August 2023, as well as the more recent flooding across Austria, Poland and other European countries, have illustrated the increasing frequency and severity of climate-related disasters across Europe. While the EU’s solidarity mechanisms, including the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), have provided vital assistance in response to such events, the scale of these crises across Europe demands a comprehensive review of existing frameworks to ensure faster and more effective responses, as well as better preparedness.

The Slovenian example proves that the aid provided is indeed insufficient for recovery as the total estimate of the direct damage is approximately EUR 9.9 billion, while EU aid amounts to less than 5 % of that sum.

1.Are there any plans to increase funding or flexibility within the EUSF or related instruments to ensure rapid and adequate responses to larger-scale or more frequent climate-related disasters such as floods, fires and droughts? Could improvements be made to streamline cross-border cooperation, resource sharing, and coordination between Member States in disaster preparedness and response?

2.What measures or climate adaptation initiatives has the Commission put into its disaster response frameworks to reduce future risks and improve resilience at both national and EU levels?

Submitted: 8.10.2024
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Compatibility of Greece’s presumptive taxation with EU law – E-001783/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001783/2024/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Afroditi Latinopoulou (PfE)

The Greek Government has a presumptive taxable income system for the self-employed whereby, if a self-employed person has an income below a certain threshold (between EUR 10 920 and EUR 15 000, depending on criteria), that individual is automatically taxed as though he or she earned that amount, irrespective of his or her actual income.

In light of the above:

1.Has the Commission assessed whether this approach is compatible with EU tax law and principles, particularly as regards the taxation of actual as opposed to notional income?

2.Does the Commission not believe that this system infringes the freedom of establishment or the freedom to provide services in the EU, raising potential issues of equal treatment, particularly when it comes to self-employed professionals operating across borders?

3.Is it involved in dialogue with the Greek authorities about this taxation system and its possible impact on the EU single market?

Submitted: 23.9.2024
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Discrimination against German pensioners and tourists in Spain – E-002004/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002004/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Christine Anderson (ESN)

German pensioners in Spain are reportedly experiencing systematic discrimination when applying for residence permits, despite having sufficient financial resources. Some are even said to have been deported as soon as they became reliant on assistance. These practices may constitute breaches of EU law. There have recently been protests against mass tourism in Mallorca, which targeted German tourists in particular. At the same time, economically viable projects such as the development of alternative tourism regions are being put on the back burner as a result of dependence on EU funding.

1.What measures does the Commission intend to take to investigate discrimination against German tourists and pensioners in Spain and in particular in Mallorca?

2.How does the Commission ensure that EU funding does not lead to economically viable projects being put on hold until subsidies are paid?

3.What measures is the Commission taking to ensure the free movement of EU citizens in all Member States without bureaucratic hurdles and discrimination?

Submitted: 9.10.2024
Last updated: 21 October 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – EU Commissioners-designate confirmation hearings in committees – Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Source: European Parliament

The designated candidates of the von der Leyen Commission will be heard by EP committees dealing with their respective portfolios from 4/11/2024 until 12/11/2024. During each hearing, the commissioner-designate will give an opening speech and then answer questions by committee members.
EU Commissioners-designate Confirmation Hearings in IMCO

Michael McGrath (jointly with LIBE and JURI)

Stéphane Séjourné (jointly with ITRE, ENVI, and ECON)

Henna Virkkunen (jointly with ITRE).

IMCO is also an invited committee for the confirmation hearings for Maroš Šefčovič, Dan Jørgensen, Jessika Roswall, Valdis Dombrovskis, Maria Luís Casanova Morgado Dias De Albuquerque, and Teresa Ribera Rodríguez.More detailed information, including the candidates’ portfolios, the procedure, the schedule, the latest news and a live webstreaming during and record after the hearing, can be found on the dedicated webpage (link below).
MIL OSI Europe News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on New Rulemaking to Expand Access to Contraception

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Every woman in every state must have reproductive freedom and access to the health care they need. That is why I have fought to lower health care costs and protect the ability of every woman to make her own decisions about her own body. Today, our Administration is proposing the largest expansion of contraception coverage in more than a decade. This new proposed rule will build on our Administration’s work to protect reproductive freedom by providing millions of women with more options for the affordable contraception they need and deserve. That includes coverage for no-cost over-the-counter contraception without a prescription for the first time in our nation’s history. These lower contraception costs would be in addition to the billions of dollars that women have already saved on contraception under the Affordable Care Act which President Biden and I have strengthened since taking office. While we fight to protect and expand health care, extremist so-called leaders are attacking reproductive freedom at every turn. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly blocked legislation to protect the right to contraception across the country. They have also consistently refused to protect access to IVF, and continue to propose national abortion bans. President Biden and I stand with the majority of Americans – Republicans and Democrats alike – who support access to contraception. And we continue to call on Congress to pass federal legislation that restores reproductive freedom nationwide.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Statement from President Joe Biden on New Action to Significantly Expand Contraception Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned more than two years ago, Republican elected officials have made clear they want to ban or restrict birth control, defund federal programs that help women access contraception, and repeal the Affordable Care Act. And Congressional Republicans have repeatedly blocked federal legislation to safeguard the fundamental right to birth control for women in every state. It’s unacceptable.
Today, my Administration is taking a major step to expand contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This new action would help ensure that millions of women with private health insurance can access the no-cost contraception they need. Vice President Harris and I have worked tirelessly to protect and build on the Affordable Care Act. We lowered costs for Marketplace coverage by an average of $800 per year for millions of Americans, and more Americans than ever before have signed up for health insurance through the law.
At a time when contraception access is under attack, Vice President Harris and I are resolute in our commitment to expanding access to quality, affordable contraception. We believe that women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family. We will continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore reproductive freedom and safeguard the right to contraception once and for all.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Proposes Rule to Expand Coverage of Affordable Contraception Under the Affordable Care Act

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Proposal for Most Significant Expansion of Contraception Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act in More Than a Decade
President Biden and Vice President Harris have protected and built on the Affordable Care Act. Nearly 50 million people over the past decade have had coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces, and the law has protected more than 100 million people with preexisting medical conditions. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, Affordable Care Act coverage is more affordable than ever with millions of families saving an average of $800 per year on Marketplace coverage.
The Affordable Care Act has also helped millions of women save billions of dollars on contraception—an essential component of reproductive health care that has only become more important since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. As part of President Biden and Vice President Harris’ steadfast commitment to reproductive rights, the Biden-Harris Administration has further strengthened contraception access and affordability under the Affordable Care Act, through Medicare and Medicaid, through the Title X Family Planning Program, through federally qualified health centers, and for federal employees, Service members, veterans, and college students.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a rule that would significantly increase coverage of contraception without cost sharing for 52 million women of reproductive age with private health insurance. Building on the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most private health plans must cover contraception without cost sharing, today’s proposed rule from the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury would:
Expand coverage of over-the-counter contraception without cost sharing. Under the proposed rule, for the first time, women would be able to obtain over-the-counter (OTC) contraception without a prescription at no additional cost. As a result, more women would be able to access and afford critical OTC medications such as emergency contraception and the first-ever daily oral contraceptive approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use without a prescription that is now widely available across the country.
Make it easier to learn about coverage for OTC contraception. To help ensure that women understand this new benefit, most private health plans would be required to disclose that OTC contraception is covered without cost sharing and without a prescription—and take steps to help women learn more about their contraception coverage.
Strengthen coverage of prescribed contraception without cost sharing. The proposed rule would make it easier for most women with private health insurance to obtain contraception without cost sharing that is prescribed by their health care provider. Health plans would be required to cover every FDA-approved contraceptive drug or drug-led combination product without cost sharing unless the plan also covers a therapeutic equivalent without cost sharing, eliminating barriers that some women continue to face in accessing contraception prescribed by their provider.
This proposed rule, if finalized, would be the most significant expansion of contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act since 2012, when contraception was first required to be covered. Also today, the Biden-Harris Administration is issuing new guidance to help ensure that patients can access other preventive services, such as cancer screenings, that must be covered without cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act.
The Biden-Harris Administration is issuing this proposed rule at a time when reproductive rights are under attack, and Republican elected officials remain committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, dangerous and extreme abortion bans are putting women’s health and lives at risk and disrupting access to critical health care services, including contraception, as health care providers are forced to close in states across the country. At the same time, Republican elected officials in some states have made clear they want to ban or restrict birth control in addition to abortion, and Republicans in Congress have attacked contraception access nationwide by proposing to defund the Title X Family Planning Program. In contrast, President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family.
Today’s announcements build on actions that the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to expand access to affordable contraception, including to implement the President’s Executive Order on Strengthening Access to Affordable, High-Quality Contraception and Family Planning Services from June 2023. The Administration has taken action to:
Expand contraception coverage and affordability under the Affordable Care Act. The Departments of HHS, Labor, and the Treasury proposed a rule to provide a new pathway under the Affordable Care Act for women to access coverage of contraceptives when their private health coverage is exempt from covering this benefit due to a religious objection. These agencies also issued new guidance to support expanded coverage of a broader range of FDA-approved, cleared, or granted contraceptives at no additional cost under the Affordable Care Act, building on guidance issued after Roe v. Wade was overturned to clarify protections for contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Further, HHS strengthened the standard for inclusion of family planning providers in Marketplace plan provider networks and provided nearly $9 million in grant funding to support state efforts to enhance and expand coverage of, and access to, reproductive and maternal health services, including contraception. And the Internal Revenue Service issued new guidance affirming that high-deductible health plans can cover OTC contraception as preventive care.
Bolster family planning services through Title X clinics. HHS continues to rebuild and grow the Title X Family Planning Program, which has played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of high-quality family planning and preventive health services for more than 50 years. During the prior administration, more than 1,000 service sites left the Title X Family Planning Program, leading to a significant decline in people served. The Biden-Harris Administration reversed the policy changes that led to those departures, strengthening the Title X Family Planning Program and helping ensure that the Program remains a critical part of the nation’s health safety net. In 2023, HHS provided about $287 million to nearly 4,000 Title X clinics across the country to provide free or low-cost voluntary, client-centered family planning and related preventive services for 2.8 million women and families—an 80 percent increase since 2020.
Support family planning coverage through the Medicaid and Medicare programs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new guidance to state Medicaid programs and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) to help ensure that enrollees can access family planning services. The new guidance outlined existing state obligations under federal law, highlighted strategies to enhance access to contraception, affirmed confidentiality requirements for those seeking family planning services, and shared recommendations on ways to measure quality in delivering family planning services. To help ensure that women with Medicare coverage have access to more covered types of contraception without unnecessary barriers, CMS updated its Medicare Part D formulary clinical review process for plan year 2024 and 2025 to include additional contraceptive types, such as long-acting contraceptives, and is increasing public awareness of contraceptive coverage options under Medicare Part B. The Secretary of HHS also issued a letter to state Medicaid and CHIP programs as well as private health insurers and Medicare plans about their existing obligations to cover contraception for those they serve.
Increase contraception access through federal health centers. Federal health centers continue to be an important source of family planning services: in 2023, health centers provided nearly 3 million contraceptive services visits to patients, a 14 percent increase since 2020. To support health centers in providing high-quality family planning services, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provided updated guidance on existing federal requirements for family planning and related services, which is a required primary health care service under federal law, as well as evidence-based recommendations and resources. HRSA also adopted new data measures for health centers that will help assess whether patients have been screened for contraception needs. Screening and data measures will help enhance the overall delivery of voluntary family planning and related services.
Support contraception access for federal employees and their families. The Office of Personnel Management strengthened access to contraception for federal workers, retirees, and family members by issuing guidance to insurers participating in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to clarify standards and support expanded coverage of a broader range of FDA-approved, cleared, or granted contraceptives at no additional cost. The Office of Personnel Management also required insurers that participate in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to take additional steps to educate enrollees about their contraception benefits and launched a public education campaign to highlight contraception benefits available to federal employees and their families.
Promote contraception access and affordability for Service members and their families and certain dependents of veterans. To improve access to contraception at military hospitals and clinics, the Department of Defense expanded walk-in contraceptive care services for active-duty Service members and other Military Health System beneficiaries and eliminated TRICARE copays for certain contraceptive services. And the Department of Veterans Affairs eliminated out-of-pocket costs for certain types of contraception through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Support access to affordable contraception for college students. To help increase access to contraception for college students, President Biden directed the Secretary of Education to convene institutions of higher education to share best practices and ways to help students understand their options for accessing contraception. In 2023, Vice President Harris joined a Department of Education convening of representatives from 68 colleges and universities across 32 states to discuss promising strategies for protecting and expanding access to contraception for their students. This convening followed Vice President Harris’s multiple conversations about reproductive health access with students on college campuses across the country.
Enhance contraception access through technical assistance and public-private partnership. In June 2023, HHS announced a new five-year public-private partnership to expand access to contraception with Upstream, a national nonprofit organization that provides health centers with free patient-centered, evidence-based training and technical assistance to eliminate provider-level barriers to offering the full range of contraceptive options. To date, HHS has connected Upstream to more than 130 health care clinics, resulting in partnerships that will help Upstream accelerate their national expansion to reach 5 million women of reproductive age every year.
Promote research and data analysis on contraception access. To document the gaps and disparities in contraception access as well as the benefits of comprehensive coverage, HHS convened leading experts to discuss the state of research, data collection, and data analysis on contraception access and family planning services. These convenings helped identify research gaps, opportunities for collaboration, and ways to bolster research efforts for both Federal agencies and external partners.
In addition to strengthening access to affordable contraception, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to implement President Biden’s threeExecutiveOrders and a Presidential Memorandum directing federal agencies to protect access to reproductive health care issued since the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to protect access to abortion, including FDA-approved medication abortion; defend access to emergency medical care; support the ability to travel for reproductive health care; safeguard the privacy of patients and health care providers; and ensure access to accurate information and legal resources.
The Vice President has led the White House’s efforts to partner with leaders on the frontlines of protecting access to abortion, highlighting the harm of abortion bans to women’s health at more than 100 events in more than 20 states since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and meeting with hundreds of state legislators, health care providers, and advocates. On what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Vice President launched a nationwide Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour to continue fighting back against extreme attacks throughout America.
President Biden and Vice President Harris will continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law to ensure that women in every state are able to make their own decisions about reproductive health care.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Interested Parties Memo: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Expands Coverage of Contraception Under the Affordable Care Act as Republican Elected Officials Continue Attacks on Reproductive Freedom

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Jennifer Klein, Director, White House Gender Policy Council
Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the Administration is taking bold action to expand coverage of contraception for the 52 million women of reproductive age with private health insurance, marking the most significant expansion of contraception benefits under the Affordable Care Act in more than a decade. Today’s announcement builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s strong record of defending access to reproductive health care and commitment to ensuring that women have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including if and when to start or grow their family.
Meanwhile, Republican elected officials continue to threaten women’s health, lives, and freedom through extreme abortion bans, some with no exceptions for rape or incest. Women are being denied essential medical care while doctors and nurses are threatened with jail time. Abortion, contraception, and IVF are under attack, while Republicans in Congress refuse to protect nationwide access to this vital reproductive health care. This extreme agenda is out-of-touch with the American people—which is why voters have overwhelmingly chosen to protect reproductive freedom in every state where abortion has been on the ballot.President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the vast majority of Americans in supporting a woman’s right to choose, and they will continue the fight against a national abortion ban and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all.
Women’s Health and Lives at RiskFrom day one, President Biden and Vice President Harris knew that state abortion bans would have devastating consequences for women’s health and lives. Since Roe was overturned, more than 1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in the more than 20 states with dangerous and extreme abortion bans in effect.
Abortion bans are leaving women without emergency care. Courageous women and their families have shared harrowing stories about being denied urgently needed care because of state abortion bans. Women have died because they did not get the care they needed—or women only received care after developing sepsis or losing more than half of their blood. Some women are suing their states so other women with severe and dangerous pregnancy complications will not be similarly forced to the brink of death before they can receive an abortion.
Abortion bans are worsening maternal mortality. States with abortion bans have higher rates of maternal mortality than states where abortion remains legal. For instance, after a dangerous Texas abortion ban went into effect in 2021, maternal mortality increased by 56% (compared to 11% nationwide). One year after Dobbs, two-thirds of OBGYNs reported that the Court’s decision worsened pregnancy-related mortality and their ability to manage pregnancy-related emergencies. And criminal and civil penalties under state abortion bans are causing doctors to flee abortion ban states, exacerbating the maternal health crisis and creating maternity care deserts that impact entire communities.
Abortion bans are making it even harder to access contraception and other essential care. Since Roe was overturned, abortion bans have caused dozens of reproductive health care clinics to shutter, jeopardizing access to abortion, contraception, and preventive care that women rely on. In states with abortion bans, there were over 4% fewer filled prescriptions for oral contraception in the first year after Roe was overturned. Some states had far greater declines: Texas, for instance, had a 28% decline in filled prescriptions for oral contraception.
Abortion bans are forcing women to travel hundreds of miles for care. State abortion bans are forcing many women to travel to another state to obtain care that would have been available in their state if Roe were still the law of the land. Women in nearly a quarter of counties in America—especially in the South—have been forced to travel more than 200 miles to get the essential care they need.
Abortion bans are jeopardizing our ability to train the next generation of medical providers. States with abortion bans continue to see a decrease in medical and residency student applications, especially among prospective OBGYNs. Nearly 60% of third- and fourth-year medical students said they were unlikely or very unlikely to apply to a single residency program in a state with abortion restrictions, while nearly 80% said that access to abortion care would influence where they would pursue their residency. And about 1 in 5 OBGYN residents said that the overturning of Roe changed where they had planned to practice medicine, and those who had planned to practice in a state with abortion bans were eight times more likely to change their intended practice location.
Republican Officials’ Extreme Agenda
Despite the devastating impact of state abortion bans, Republican officials continue to push for a nationwide abortion ban to restrict the rights of women in every state, deny access to emergency medical care, and eliminate access to safe and effective, FDA-approved medication abortion.
Republicans in Congress have proposed four national abortion bans that would deny every woman in America the right to choose, regardless of where she lives. This includes a nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest that puts IVF treatment squarely at risk. House Republicans have also attacked contraception access nationwide by repeatedly proposing to defund the Title X Family Planning Program. And Senate Republicans continue to block federal legislation that would safeguard nationwide access to abortion, contraception, and IVF.
Republican elected officials have enacted or enforced abortion bans in more than 20 states. Republican attorneys general have made clear they seek to access women’s medical records—even for out-of-state care—and have tried to discourage women from traveling out-of-state to receive lawful abortion care by threatening those who help them with criminal charges.
Republican elected officials filed more than 350 bills restricting abortion during the 2024 legislative session. In Louisiana, Republican officials classified medications used in abortion and miscarriage management as controlled substances, making it even harder to access these critical medications during an emergency. In Florida, state officials are attempting to undermine support for a reproductive freedom ballot measure, including by threatening TV stations that run ads with criminal charges. And Republican state legislators are proposing legislation that would jeopardize access to IVF.
Republican elected officials want to ban medication abortion nationwide, including in states where abortion remains lawful. They are also fighting to prevent women from receiving the emergency medical care they are entitled to under federal law— including abortion care when necessary to save a woman’s health or life.
No attempt to “rebrand” can change the fact that Republican elected officials have spent decades undermining reproductive freedom. Republican elected officials will not stop pursuing extreme policies until there is a national abortion ban in place.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Announces 2024 Director Election Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) today announced the results of the 2024 director election. The Bank conducted an election to fill the member directorships for North Carolina and Virginia, an independent directorship and a public interest independent directorship. Each director-elect will serve a four-year term commencing on January 1, 2025, and ending December 31, 2028.

Suzanne DeFerie was elected to fill the member directorship representing the state of North Carolina and Scott Harvard was elected to fill the member directorship designated for the state of Virginia. Rodney Hood was elected to fill the independent directorship and Susan Dewey was elected to fill the public interest independent directorship.

“We are excited to welcome Rodney Hood to the board as an independent director and know his experience will greatly benefit the board and our members,” said FHLBank Atlanta chair of the board of directors, Thornwell Dunlap. “We are also pleased to have directors DeFerie, Harvard and Dewey return to the board and continue representing members across our district and their communities.”

Ms. DeFerie has served on the FHLBank Atlanta board of directors since 2015, including four years as Finance Committee Chair and one year as Audit Committee Chair. Director DeFerie currently serves as Vice Chair of the board of directors and Executive Committee. She is currently a member of the board of First Bank, a subsidiary of First Bancorp in Southern Pines, North Carolina (NASDAQ-FBNC). She was previously president and chief executive officer of Asheville Savings Bank, S.S.B. in Asheville, North Carolina and its holding company, ASB Bancorp, Inc., when the bank and holding company were acquired by First Bancorp. Prior to becoming president and chief executive officer of Asheville Savings Bank and ASB Bancorp, Inc., Ms. DeFerie was the bank’s executive vice president and chief financial officer for 16 years. She is active in the Asheville community, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Community Betterment Foundation of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Asheville Merchants’ Fund and member of the Board of ANC Healthcare, as well as past board chair of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County.

Mr. Harvard has served on the FHLBank Atlanta board since 2017, where he served as Chair of the Governance and Compensation Committee in 2022 and currently serves as Chair of the Enterprise Risk Management Committee (2023 –2024). He was a director for FHLBank Atlanta from 2003 to 2012, serving as chairman from 2007-2012. He has served as president, chief executive officer, and director of First National Corporation (NASDAQ – FXNC) since 2011. He was president, chief executive officer, and director of First Bank, an independent Virginia community bank, from 2011 to 2015 and chief executive officer and director of First Bank since 2015. He was previously on the board of the Virginia Association of Community Banks, is a past chairman of the Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) and has served on the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks.

Ms. Dewey is the former chief executive officer of Virginia Housing and joined the FHLBank Atlanta board in January 2024. While leading Virginia Housing, a $10 billion organization devoted to helping Virginians attain affordable housing, Ms. Dewey served on FHLBank Atlanta’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council, the Fannie Mae Housing Impact Advisory Committee, and the National Association of Realtors Housing Opportunity Advisory Board. She was also the past chair of the National Council of State Housing Agencies and a founding member/chair of Housing Forward Virginia, as well as many other boards. Ms. Dewey was previously the State Treasurer of Virginia for four years, where she was responsible for all operations of the Department of Treasury and Treasury Board. She currently serves on several boards, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the National Housing Conference Advisory Council, the William and Mary Real Estate Foundation, and VCDC (Virginia’s largest nonprofit investor in LIHTC properties).

Mr. Hood is the former Chair of the Board of the National Credit Union Association (NCUA), where he was responsible for ensuring effective supervision and regulation of nearly 5,000 credit unions with assets exceeding $2 trillion. In this role he also oversaw the $16.7 billion National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund and $20 billion Central Liquidity Fund, ensuring sound financial accountability and stability. He was previously NCUA’s vice chair, focusing on enterprise risk management and comprehensive risk management strategies and the creation of the Temporary Corporate Credit Union Loan Guarantee Program, which stabilized the credit union system following the collapse of several large corporate credit unions during the Great Recession. Mr. Hood has nearly 25 years of banking within in FHLBank Atlanta’s district with GE Capital, NationsBank (now Bank of America), Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company.

Mr. Hood is also an independent director on the boards of ZEST AI, POSH AI, ModernFI, and DefenseStorm, firms focused on cybersecurity and the use of artificial intelligence and technology in the financial industry. He recently served as board chair, audit committee chair, and board member of NeighborWorks America, a nonprofit focused on affordable housing and community development.

About FHLBank Atlanta
FHLBank Atlanta offers competitively-priced financing, community development grants, and other banking services to help member financial institutions make affordable home mortgages and provide economic development credit to neighborhoods and communities. The Bank’s members—its shareholders and customers—are commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, community development financial institutions, and insurance companies located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. FHLBank Atlanta is one of 11 district Banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Since 1990, the FHLBanks have awarded approximately $9.1 billion in Affordable Housing Program funds, assisting more than 1.2 million households.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.fhlbatl.com.

Contact:
Sheryl Touchton
stouchton@fhlbatl.com
404.888.8105

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Pineapple Energy Announces Two Additional Commercial Solar Installations, with Work Scheduled to Begin November 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pineapple Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: PEGY) (“Pineapple” or the “Company”), a leading provider of sustainable solar energy and backup power to households, businesses, municipalities, and for servicing existing systems, today announced that work will soon be commencing on two new commercial contracts for solar projects on Long Island.

The work will be performed under contract for facilities within the arts & entertainment and consumer retail sectors and is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. In terms of renewable energy production, generation across the two distinct sites is expected to yield a total of 87 kW of clean energy across a total of 176 rooftop modules.

“Once again, the market demonstrates that there is ample demand for commercial and industrial work in the renewable energy space,” Scott Maskin, Pineapple’s Interim CEO, said. “As energy prices continue to increase, commercial, industrial, and institutional property owners see the value, savings, and energy security that solar delivers.”

In providing this update, the Company reiterated that it remains confident that the second half of the year, notably on the commercial side of the business, will show marked improvement when compared to the first six months of 2024.

“We’ve been saying for months that there has been an uptick on the commercial and industrial side of the business, and believe that these latest agreements validate this position,” John Mucci, SUNation’s General Manager of New York Operations, added. “These additional awards reflect the robust nature of our project pipeline and the diverse opportunities we are pursuing.”

About Pineapple Energy
Pineapple is focused on growing leading local and regional solar, storage, and energy services companies nationwide. Our vision is to power the energy transition through grass-roots growth of solar electricity paired with battery storage. Our portfolio of brands (SUNation, Hawaii Energy Connection, E-Gear) provide homeowners and businesses of all sizes with an end-to-end product offering spanning solar, battery storage, and grid services.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances, including the Company’s expectations regarding its ability to effect the reverse stock split and regain compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing standards. While the Company believes its plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, these plans, intentions, or expectations may not be achieved. For information about the factors that could cause such differences, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent filings. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

Safe Harbor Statement
Our prospects here at Pineapple Energy Inc. are subject to uncertainties and risks. This news release (video statement) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor provided by the foregoing Sections. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations or forecasts of future events, can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, and are subject to various business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which are beyond the control of management. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation. The Company cannot predict or determine after the fact what factors would cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements or other statements. The reader should consider statements that include the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “projects”, “should”, or other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends, to be uncertain and forward-looking. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional information respecting factors that could materially affect the Company and its operations are contained in the Company’s filings with the SEC which can be found on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Contacts:
Scott Maskin
Interim Chief Executive Officer
+1 (631) 823-7131
scott.maskin@pineappleenergy.com

Pineapple Investor Relations
+1 (952) 996-1674
IR@pineappleenergy.com

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Turtleford — Turtleford RCMP seek public assistance locating missing 33-year-old man

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Turtleford RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance to help locate 33-year-old Kristian Klassan. Kristian was last seen Friday at a residence in Turtleford. He may be in the Macklin/Unity or Turtleford areas, but this is not confirmed.

Kristian is described as being 6’1″ tall with a slim build, blue eyes and he shaved his head since the attached photo was taken, so he currently has no hair. He was last seen wearing a red shirt with a Fireball logo on it, tan pants, blue runners and baseball hat. He has a black sleeve tattoo on his left arm. He may be driving a silver 2002 Nissan Pathfinder with SK license 443 NKC and a missing front bumper.

If you have seen Kristian or know where he is, contact Turtleford RCMP at 310-RCMP. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or http://www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

MIL Security OSI –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: [Video] Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Faster and More Intelligent Than Ever Before

Source: Samsung

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra on September 27.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra features a large screen equipped with Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology for an optimal AI experience. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra also boasts an impressive, improved chipset. Upgrades include an 18% increase in CPU, 28% increase in GPU and 14% increase in NPU performance compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

The experience is further enhanced with Dialogue Boost — an AI-powered feature that amplifies voices over unwanted noise in videos — so that users can immerse themselves in what they’re viewing with ultra-clear audio.

Samsung Newsroom explored how Dialogue Boost works and compared the benchmark test results of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra in the videos below.

MIL OSI Economics –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Success of SPbGASU in the competition of the International Public Organization for the Promotion of Construction Education (ASV)

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Fragment of the work by Anastasia Babinova. Open full size image

The results of the competition of final qualification works, held by the International Public Organization for the Promotion of Construction Education (ASV), have been summed up. Students and graduates of SPbGASU became its laureates.

Anastasia Babinova won first place in the nomination “Bachelor’s Project in the Field of Construction Technology and Organization” with her work “Design and Construction of a Complex of Buildings and Structures of a Technopark in the City of Vladikavkaz”. Anastasia continues her studies in the Master’s program. Her supervisor Sergey Bovteyev, Associate Professor of the Department of Construction Organization, tells about the student’s work:

– Anastasia Babinova’s final qualification work examines a complex of objects, the architectural solutions for which were fully developed by the graduate herself during her third year of study. Margarita Aleksandrovna Gurieva, senior lecturer at the Department of Architectural and Construction Structures, provided great assistance in this. In addition, the project adopted a number of non-standard organizational and technological solutions, and also used modern calendar-network planning software. The knowledge gained from studying the course “Construction Organization” helped here, taught by Roman Vladimirovich Motylev, head of the Department of Construction Organization, and Vera Mikhailovna Chelnokova, associate professor at the Department of Construction Organization.

Fragment of the work by Tatyana Pletnikova. Open full size image

Tatyana Pletnikova was awarded a diploma for effective participation in the competition in the nomination “Technology and organization of construction”. The topic of her research is “Application of 4D modeling in the organization of construction of a 27-story monolithic residential building”. Tatyana Pletnikova’s work was also supervised by Sergey Bovteev.

Anna Rerikh’s project “High-tech building solutions using nanocellulose” became the second among the research works of masters in the direction of “Production and application of building materials, products and structures”. The leader was Georgy Khrenov, associate professor of the Department of Building Materials Technology and Metrology.

– Anna Vladimirovna demonstrated incredible diligence and perseverance. This allowed her to complete the work at a high level in a short time, publish several articles, including in a journal from the list of the Higher Attestation Commission. But most importantly, she managed to obtain interesting scientific results, determining the rational area of application of nanocellulose in building solutions. Anna Vladimirovna summarized the obtained results and developed a draft of practical recommendations that can be implemented in production, – said Georgy Khrenov.

Timur Aibedulov with his work “Ventilation of the educational building of SPbGASU, Serpukhovskaya St., Bldg. 10 (TIM-project)” won second place in the nomination “Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation (project)”. The work was supervised by Kirill Sukhanov, associate professor of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation.

As Kirill Sukhanov explained, Timur carried out the work as part of a comprehensive TIM project. The team consisted of several people: an architect, a designer, a coordinator, an estimator and specialists in engineering sections. As part of the project, a 3D scan of the building was performed, and a full inspection of the facility was conducted.

– Timur conducted a survey of the existing ventilation systems of the building. Based on the data obtained, he created an information model. Performed verification calculations of the ventilation system. After creating an information model of the existing facility, a model of the building reconstruction was created. Timur performed the necessary calculations and selected ventilation equipment. Particular attention was paid to the design of the atrium and parking ventilation systems. A ventilation system for the assembly hall was also developed while preserving the historical ventilation grille. Research was carried out on the parameters of the microclimate of the assembly hall with various ventilation equipment. The research was carried out using numerical modeling methods. The results obtained allowed us to select the optimal equipment that provides acceptable microclimate parameters, – said Kirill Sukhanov.

Kristina Astashkevich with her work “Design of foundations of a multi-storey building with a single-level underground parking in the Kalininsky district of St. Petersburg” took third place in the nomination “Bachelor’s project in the field of geotechnics”. Now Kristina continues her studies in the master’s program. Her supervisor is Andrey Boyarintsev, senior lecturer of the Department of Geotechnics.

– No construction project can be completed without geotechnical calculations, because each building requires a foundation. Moreover, in dense urban development, there is a need for additional parking spaces. According to current urban planning concepts, underground parking is the best solution for apartment complexes, as it saves above-ground space that can be occupied by public areas or green spaces. However, in the conditions of St. Petersburg, underground construction is complicated by weak water-saturated soils, which requires complex engineering solutions for the construction of the facility. It was this case of underground parking construction in a multi-story residential building, erected on weak soils, that was considered in the final qualification work. Now I continue to do geotechnical calculations, including in poor engineering and geological conditions. I am also involved in projects to strengthen the foundations of historical buildings in St. Petersburg, – said Kristina. The student is grateful for the help, consultations and important engineering solutions of Andrey Boyarintsev and Anatoly Osokin, Director of the Soil Testing Center of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Head of the Department of Geotechnics.

Linda Fortas came in third in the nomination “Master’s Research in the Profile of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation” with her work “Air-thermal curtains for large-sized gates”. Her supervisor is Viktor Puhkal, associate professor of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation.

– At automobile transport enterprises intended for repair of heavy-duty vehicles, large gates are used for entry and exit. Recommendations and methods for selecting air-thermal curtains for such gates are absent. That is why Linda chose the topic of her master’s thesis “Air-thermal curtains for large-sized gates”. The work includes studies of temperature and speed fields for various designs, positions and sizes of curtains. The influence of coolant parameters on the efficiency of curtains is also studied. The strengths of the work are the novelty of the research and consideration of issues of energy efficiency of air-thermal curtains, – said Viktor Puhkal.

In the nomination “Master’s Research in Geotechnics”, Daria Paskacheva distinguished herself with her work “Stress-strain state of flexible enclosing structures in conditions of weak clay soils”, taking third place. Supervisor – Ivan Dyakonov, associate professor of the Department of Geotechnics.

According to Daria, the high level of development of geotechnics in St. Petersburg is connected with the prevalence of “weak” clay soils in the city, which requires a highly scientific calculation approach to ensure safety during construction.

The Department of Geotechnics of SPbGASU occupies a leading position in the field of calculations and design in such conditions.

– I chose this topic because I became interested in what needs to be done to ensure the accuracy of geotechnical calculations in St. Petersburg’s natural conditions. Geotechnical calculations themselves, it seems to me, always include a large share of creative scientific work due to the complexity and relative youth of such a discipline as soil mechanics, – noted Daria Paskacheva.

Currently, Daria continues to develop this topic in graduate school. The main component of her dissertation is the development of her own mathematical model of weak clay soil. In addition, in a team of graduate students and young teachers of the department, she is working on the creation of a software package based on the finite element method, which will allow the implementation of this model.

– I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor in the Master’s program, Associate Professor of the Department of Geotechnics Ivan Pavlovich Dyakonov for his support and guidance, which played an important role in my admission to graduate school and continuation of research in this area. I would also like to thank postgraduate student of the Department of Geotechnics Ivan Borisovich Bashmakov for his inspiration and help in choosing geotechnics as the main direction of my scientific and design activities.

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

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://www.spbgasu.ru/nevs-and-events/nevs/success-spbgasu-at-the-competition-of-an-international-public-organization-promoting-construction-industry/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Chiasson Office — Have you seen this stolen ATV?

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Lamèque RCMP is asking for the public’s help to locate a stolen all-terrain vehicle (ATV) from Chiasson Office, N.B.

The theft is believed to have occurred sometime between October 11, 2024, and the afternoon of October 14, 2024, at a residence on Chiasson Road, in Chiasson Office.

The ATV is described as a grey 2012 Can-Am Outlander 650 Max XT with New Brunswick licence plate YE2884, and vehicle identification number 3JBEPXJ18CJ000464.

If you have seen the ATV since the night of October 11, or if you have information that could help further the investigation, please contact the Lamèque RCMP at 506-344-2006. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at http://www.crimenb.ca.

MIL Security OSI –

January 24, 2025

Category: KB

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