Category: Machine Learning

MIL-OSI Europe: Rare Disease Day: How the European Reference Networks are tackling rare diseases
Source: European Union 2

Rare diseases represent a major health challenge for healthcare systems due to the limited knowledge available to diagnose them, the limited number of treatment options (95% of the known rare diseases still lack an approved treatment) and their low prevalence*. That is why rare diseases have been a priority for the European Union over the past two decades, resulting in collective action to facilitate knowledge sharing and access to specialised care for patients.

The EU’s strategic objective for rare diseases is to improve patient access to diagnosis, information and care. It assists in pooling scarce resources spread across the EU, enabling patients and professionals to share expertise and information.

The European response can be characterised by a combination of key elements:
- Setting up and supporting European Reference Networks (ERNs);
- Supporting the definition, codification and inventory of rare diseases;
- Supporting the designation and authorisation of orphan medicinal products;
- Building and broadening the knowledge base, also through research;
- Empowering patient organisations.
ERNs are cross-border networks that bring together European centres of expertise and hospitals to tackle rare, low prevalence and complex diseases and conditions requiring highly specialised healthcare.

ERNs enable specialists in Europe to discuss cases of patients affected by rare, low-prevalence and complex diseases, providing advice on the most appropriate diagnosis and the best treatment available.

On Rare Disease Day, HaDEA interviewed Professor Luca Sangiorgi, Coordinator of ERN BOND, the European Reference Network of Rare Bone Disorders, and Chair of the ERN Coordinators Group, which is the governing board of the 24 ERNs.
1. Can you explain the relevance of ERNs in the field of rare diseases?
ERNs gather over 1600 European centres of expertise dealing with rare, low prevalence and complex diseases and conditions which require highly specialised healthcare. Their relevance in the rare disease field resides in the possibility of enabling knowledge exchange and creating common patient pathways and guidelines, which will then be shared with the entire healthcare community. Patient representatives are involved and engaged in all ERNs’ processes, to ensure that their perspective is taken into account in the work of the ERNs.
1. The ERNs have been funded by the EU since 2017. What do you consider their main successes?
The main success of ERNs is that they allow patients with a rare disease to have a proper harmonised pathway for diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, ERNs are favouring more homogeneous treatment of patients across participating countries. This is done, for instance, through the ERNs’ virtual discussion tool (CPMS) that allows clinicians to discuss the most challenging cases.

Furthermore, ERN registries, which collect pseudo-anonymised data on patients with rare diseases, are helping to develop a clear picture of the natural history of the various disorders treated by the ERNs. This may one day make it possible to find new treatments for disorders that are currently untreatable. Very few rare diseases have a therapeutic option available and the ERNs registries make a real contribution to the discovery of new treatments.

ERNs have also helped the EU respond to different crises in recent years, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian’s war of aggression against Ukraine. A framework has been put in place by the Commission for Ukrainian healthcare providers to seek advice from members of the European Reference Networks on Ukrainian rare or complex disease patients. Moreover, the ERNs undertake collaboration activities, capacity building and best practice sharing for competent Ukrainian authorities and healthcare units.
1. What are the main objectives and expectations for the ongoing grants?
The main objectives are to stabilise and further increase the opportunities that ERNs are creating for the treatment of patients. We also expect to explore future possibilities for better therapeutic and better care options, such as the use of artificial intelligence.
1. What are the main challenges to cross-border cooperation for rare diseases in Europe, and how do the ERN grants help to face these?
There are still some obstacles which hinder effective cross-border cooperation. To face these limits, the ERN coordinators’ group has recently set up specific working groups. At the same time, support to Ukrainian patients has given us a clear example that cross-border cooperation is working. ERNs are not only providing treatments to those patients in countries where they are not available, but are also training referral doctors in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and the implementation of new procedures.

For instance, my hospital, which is part of ERN BOND and is located in Italy, will operate on a patient from another country where the surgical expertise is not currently available. Surgeons from the clinical centre which referred the patient will participate in the surgery after following a specific training. This will allow them to repeat this therapeutic strategy in their home country.
1. How important is the support of EU funding for ERNs?
EU funding is essential: without this support, many of the activities I have mentioned would not be feasible. ERNs have received EU funding since their creation in 2017 and a direct grant of more than €77 million is covering their activities for the period 2023-2027.

There are ongoing actions aimed to raise awareness in EU countries of the importance of ERNs as a strategic initiative to support rare diseases patients. This is one of the main objectives of the Joint Action on integration of ERNs into national healthcare systems (JARDIN). The support of the EU to ERNs, by facilitating interaction between EU countries, is essential for the existence of ERNs and for the rare disease community.

^{* Prevalence: the proportion of a particular population found to be affected by a medical condition at a specific time}

Background

European Reference Networks

HaDEA manages the 24 ERN grants running from 2023 to 2027 with a total EU contribution of €77.4 million. HaDEA also manages the Joint Action on integration of ERNs into national healthcare systems (JARDIN), for a total EU contribution of €15 million.

HaDEA has also managed the contract on the independent evaluation of ERNs: ERNs evaluation results report – Independent Evaluations of European Reference Networks and of Healthcare Providers – European Commission

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe.

HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and tenders from 2021 to 2027.
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the press [please scroll down for Arabic]

Source: United Nations secretary general

Ladies and gentlemen of the media,

I want to start by expressing my deep concern about information received in the last 48 hours by UN agencies — as well as many humanitarian and development NGOs — regarding severe cuts in funding by the United States.

These cuts impact a wide range of critical programmes.

From lifesaving humanitarian aid, to support for vulnerable communities recovering from war or natural disaster.

From development, to the fight against terrorism and illicit drug trafficking.

The consequences will be especially devastating for vulnerable people around the world.

In Afghanistan, more than 9 million people will miss out on health and protection services, with hundreds of mobile health teams and other services suspended.

In north-east Syria, where 2.5 million people need assistance, the absence of US funding means programmes are leaving large populations even more vulnerable.

In Ukraine, cash-based programming — a key feature of the humanitarian response, reaching 1 million people in 2024 — has been suspended in key regions.

In South Sudan, funding has run out for programmes to support people who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Sudan, leaving border areas dangerously overcrowded.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will be forced to stop many of its counter-narcotics programmes, including the one fighting the fentanyl crisis, and dramatically reduce activities against human trafficking.

And funding for many programmes combatting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera have stopped.

We have been extremely grateful for the leading role the United States has provided over the decades.

For example, thanks to the generosity of donors — led by the United States — the UN assists and protects more than 100 million people every year through our humanitarian programming.

From Gaza to Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and beyond.

American funding directly supports people living through wars, famines and disasters, providing essential health care, shelter, water, food and education — the list goes on.

The message is clear.

The generosity and compassion of the American people have not only saved lives, built peace and improved the state of the world.

They have contributed to the stability and prosperity that Americans depend on.

United Nations staff members around the world are deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together — as partners.

Now going through with these cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe and less prosperous.

The reduction of America’s humanitarian role and influence will run counter to American interests globally.

I can only hope that these decisions can be reversed based on more careful reviews, and the same applies to other countries that have recently announced reductions in humanitarian and development aid.

In the meantime, every United Nations agency stands ready to provide the necessary information and justification for its projects.

And we look forward to working with the United States in this regard.

All humanitarian coordinators in the field are urgently updating strategies on how to protect as much lifesaving work as possible.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together UN humanitarian agencies and our partners, has agreed on an ambitious plan for efficiency and prioritization.

Our absolute priority remains clear.

We will do everything we can to provide life-saving aid to those in urgent need.

And we will continue our efforts to diversify the pool of generous donors who support our work.

We remain committed to making the global humanitarian effort as efficient, accountable and innovative as possible while continuing to save lives.

Dear ladies and gentlemen of the media,

Next Tuesday, I will be in Cairo to join the Extraordinary Summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza.

Since the horrific attacks of terror by Hamas in Israel on October 7, the ensuing hostilities have unleashed an unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza.

Gaza has become a nexus of death, displacement, hunger and disease.

Hospitals, schools and water facilities have been destroyed and reduced to rubble.

And the risk of further destruction looms over the population.

Tuesday’s Summit is an opportunity for leaders across the Arab world to come together and discuss the elements required to deliver peace and stability in Gaza.

Their unified position will help guide the way forward.

I will outline key priorities.

First — the ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold.

The coming days are critical.

The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal.

I urge them to uphold their commitments and implement all of them in full.

All hostages must be released immediately, unconditionally and in a dignified manner.

The parties must ensure humane treatment for all those held under their power.

All transfers must be carried out in a dignified way and as per the terms of the deal.

Humanitarian aid must be maintained, protected and funded, flowing without impediment to reach people in desperate need.

Each moment the ceasefire holds means more people reached and more lives saved.

Time and again, we’ve shown what we can deliver.

Since the ceasefire, humanitarians have been able to scale-up and expand operations in Gaza, including to areas that were unreachable during the fighting.

Together with our partners, we’ve reached hundreds of thousands of people…

Providing food to nearly everyone in Gaza.

Delivering shelter kits, clothing and other essential items to tens of thousands of displaced people.

And doubling the amount of clean water available to people in Gaza.

Meanwhile, our partners have distributed medical supplies reaching some 1.8 million people, helping health facilities continue their lifesaving work.

The message is clear.

With the right conditions and access, we can do far more.

The ceasefire must hold. We must keep the humanitarian lifeline open.

As part of this, I will once again appeal for the urgent and full support of UNRWA’s work.

UNRWA’s unique role must be maintained.

Second — ending the immediate crisis is only a first step.

There must be a clear political framework that lays the groundwork for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability.

This framework must be based on clear principles.

This means staying true to the bedrock of international law.

It means preventing any form of ethnic cleansing.

It means there should be no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza.

It means addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns.

It means accountability for violations of international law.

And it means Gaza remains an integral part of an independent, democratic and sovereign Palestinian state, with no reductions in its territory or forced transfer of its population.

Both Gaza and the occupied West Bank — including East Jerusalem — must be treated as one — politically, economically and administratively.

And governed by a Palestinian government that is accepted and supported by the Palestinian people.

And any transitional arrangements must be designed to achieve a unified Palestinian government within a precise and limited timeframe.

I will also call for an urgent de-escalation of the alarming situation in the West Bank.

Unilateral actions, including settlement expansion and threats of annexation, must stop.

I call for an end to attacks on civilians and their property.

Finally, we must take tangible steps — now — towards the realization of a two-State solution.

The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future, and to live on their land in freedom and security.

The only path to lasting peace is one where two states — Israel and Palestine — live side by side in peace and security, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.

Palestinians deserve lasting stability and a just and principled peace.

And the people of Israel deserve to live in peace and security.

At this fragile moment, we must avoid a resumption of hostilities that would deepen the suffering and further destabilize a region that is already perched on a knife’s edge.

We need sustainable reconstruction and a unified, clear and principled political solution.

That’s what I will call for in Cairo next week.

Thank you.
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حضرات السيدات والسادة الإعلاميين،

أود أن أبدأ بالإعراب عن قلقي العميق إزاء المعلومات التي وردت في الساعات الـ 48 الماضية من قبل وكالات الأمم المتحدة – وكذلك العديد من المنظمات غير الحكومية الإنسانية والمعنية بالتنمية – بشأن التخفيضات الحادة في التمويل من قبل الولايات المتحدة.

وتؤثر هذه التخفيضات على مجموعة واسعة من البرامج الحاسمة…

من المساعدات الإنسانية المنقذة للحياة، إلى دعم المجتمعات الهشة التي تتعافى من الحروب أو الكوارث الطبيعية…

ومن التنمية إلى مكافحة الإرهاب والاتجار غير المشروع بالمخدرات.

ستكون العواقب مدمرة بشكل خاص على الفئات الضعيفة في جميع أنحاء العالم.

ففي أفغانستان، سيُحرم أكثر من تسعة ملايين شخص من الخدمات الصحية وخدمات الحماية، مع تعليق الخدمات التي تقدمها مئات الفرق الصحية المتنقلة.

أما في شمال شرق سوريا، حيث يحتاج 2.5 مليون شخص إلى المساعدة، فإن غياب التمويل الأمريكي يعني أن البرامج ستترك أعدادا كبيرة من السكان أكثر عرضة للخطر.

في أوكرانيا، تم تعليق البرامج القائمة على النقد في مناطق رئيسية – وهذه البرامج تُعدّ سمة رئيسية للاستجابة الإنسانية وقد وصلت إلى مليون شخص في عام 2024.

أما في جنوب السودان، فقد نفد التمويل المخصص لبرامج دعم الأشخاص الذين فروا بسبب النزاع في السودان المجاور، مما ترك المناطق الحدودية مكتظة بشكل خطير.

وفي الوقت نفسه، سوف يضطر مكتب الأمم المتحدة المعني بالمخدرات والجريمة إلى وقف العديد من برامجه لمكافحة المخدرات، بما في ذلك برنامج مكافحة أزمة الفنتانيل، وتقليص أنشطة مكافحة الاتجار بالبشر بشكل كبير.

وتوقف تمويل العديد من برامج مكافحة فيروس نقص المناعة البشرية/الإيدز والسل والملاريا والكوليرا.

وأعربنا عن امتناننا للغاية للدور الرائد الذي قدمته الولايات المتحدة على مدى عقود.

فعلى سبيل المثال، وبفضل سخاء المانحين – وعلى رأسهم الولايات المتحدة – تساعد الأمم المتحدة وتحمي أكثر من 100 مليون شخص كل عام من خلال برامجنا الإنسانية…

من غزة إلى السودان وأفغانستان وسوريا وأوكرانيا وغيرها.

يدعم التمويل الأمريكي بشكل مباشر الناس الذين يعيشون في الحروب والمجاعات والكوارث، ويوفر لهم الرعاية الصحية الأساسية والمأوى والمياه والغذاء والتعليم – والقائمة تطول.

الرسالة واضحة.

إن سخاء الشعب الأمريكي وتعاطفه لم ينقذ الأرواح ويبني السلام ويحسّن حالة العالم فحسب.

لقد ساهم في تحقيق الاستقرار والازدهار الذي يعتمد عليه الأمريكيون.

إن موظفي الأمم المتحدة حول العالم فخورون للغاية بما أنجزناه معا – كشركاء.

إن المضي قدماً في هذه الاقتطاعات سيجعل العالم أقل صحة وأقل أمناً وأقل ازدهاراً.

وسيتعارض تقليص دور أمريكا الإنساني ونفوذها مع المصالح الأمريكية على الصعيد العالمي.

لا يسعني إلا أن آمل في أن يتم التراجع عن هذه القرارات بناء على مراجعات أكثر دقة، وينطبق الأمر نفسه على الدول الأخرى التي أعلنت مؤخرا عن تخفيضات في المساعدات الإنسانية والإنمائية.

وفي غضون ذلك، تقف كل وكالة من وكالات الأمم المتحدة على أهبة الاستعداد لتقديم المعلومات والمبررات اللازمة لمشاريعها.

ونحن نتطلع إلى العمل مع الولايات المتحدة في هذا الصدد.

يقوم جميع منسقي الشؤون الإنسانية في الميدان بتحديث الاستراتيجيات على وجه السرعة حول كيفية توفير حماية بأكبر قدر ممكن من العمل المنقذ للحياة.

وقد اتفقت اللجنة الدائمة المشتركة بين الوكالات، التي تجمع بين وكالات الأمم المتحدة الإنسانية وشركائنا، على خطة طموحة لتحقيق الكفاءة وتحديد الأولويات.

وتبقى أولويتنا المطلقة واضحة.

سنبذل كل ما في وسعنا لتقديم المساعدات المنقذة للحياة لمن هم في حاجة ماسة إليها.

وسنواصل جهودنا لتنويع مجموعة المانحين الأسخياء الذين يدعمون عملنا.

وسنظل ملتزمين بجعل الجهود الإنسانية العالمية فعالة وخاضعة للمساءلة ومبتكرة قدر الإمكان مع الاستمرار في إنقاذ الأرواح.

حضرات السيدات والسادة الإعلاميين،

سأكون يوم الثلاثاء المقبل في القاهرة للمشاركة في مؤتمر القمة الاستثنائي لجامعة الدول العربية لمناقشة إعادة إعمار غزة.

ومنذ الهجمات الإرهابية المروعة التي شنتها حماس في إسرائيل في 7 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر، جرّت الأعمال العدائية التي أعقبت ذلك مستويات غير مسبوقة من الموت والدمار في غزة.

فأصبحت غزة بؤرة للموت والنزوح والجوع والمرض.

ودُمّرت المستشفيات والمدارس ومرافق المياه وتحولت إلى أنقاض.

ويحدق بالسكان خطر التعرض للمزيد من الدمار.

ويمثل مؤتمر القمة الذي سيُعقد الثلاثاء فرصة ليجتمع قادة العالم العربي ويناقشوا العناصر المطلوبة لتحقيق السلام والاستقرار في غزة.

وسيساعد موقفهم الموحد في توجيه سُبل المضي قدما.

وسأحدد فيما يلي الأولويات الرئيسية.

أولا – يجب أن يصمد اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار وإطلاق سراح الرهائن.

الأيام القادمة حاسمة.

ولا يجب على الطرفين ادّخار أي جهد لتجنب انهيار هذا الاتفاق.

وأحثهما على الوفاء بالتزاماتهما وتنفيذها بالكامل.

ويجب إطلاق سراح جميع الرهائن فورا ودون شروط وبطريقة تصون كرامتهم.

ويجب على الطرفين ضمان المعاملة الإنسانية لجميع المحتجزين تحت سلطتهم.

ويجب الاستمرار في تقديم المساعدات الإنسانية وحمايتها وتمويلها والسماح بإيصالها دون عوائق إلى الأشخاص الذين هم في أمس الحاجة إليها.

وكل لحظة يصمد فيها وقف إطلاق النار تعني الوصول إلى عدد أكبر من الأشخاص وإنقاذ المزيد من الأرواح.

لقد بيّنا مرارا وتكرارا ما يمكننا تقديمه.

ومنذ وقف إطلاق النار، تمكّن العاملون في المجال الإنساني من تكثيف عملياتهم في غزة وتوسيع نطاقها، بما في ذلك إلى المناطق التي تعذّر الوصول إليها أثناء القتال.

وبالتعاون مع شركائنا، وصلنا إلى مئات الآلاف من الأشخاص…

ووفّرنا الغذاء لجميع السكان في غزة تقريبا…

وأوصلنا مستلزمات الإيواء والملابس وغيرها من المواد الأساسية لعشرات الآلاف من النازحين…

وضاعفنا كمية المياه النظيفة المتاحة للناس في غزة.

وفي الوقت نفسه، قام شركاؤنا بتوزيع الإمدادات الطبية لتصل إلى حوالي 1,8 مليون شخص، مما ساعد المرافق الصحية على مواصلة عملها المنقذ للحياة.

رسالتنا واضحة.

إذا ما توفرت لنا الظروف المناسبة وأُتيح لنا الوصول، يمكننا القيام بأكثر من ذلك بكثير.

ويجب أن يصمد وقف إطلاق النار. ويجب أن نُبقي شريان الحياة الإنساني مفتوحا.

وفي هذا الإطار، إنني أناشد مرة أخرى من أجل تقديم الدعم العاجل والكامل لعمل الأونروا.

ويجب الحفاظ على دور الأونروا الفريد من نوعه.

ثانيا – إنهاء الأزمة الآنية ليس سوى الخطوة الأولى.

يجب أن يكون هناك إطار سياسي واضح يُرسي الأسس اللازمة للتعافي وإعادة الإعمار وتحقيق الاستقرار الدائم في غزة.

ويجب أن يستند هذا الإطار إلى مبادئ واضحة.

وهذا يعني الالتزام بأسس القانون الدولي.

وهذا يعني منع أي شكل من أشكال التطهير العرقي.

وهذا يعني أنه ينبغي ألا يكون هناك وجود عسكري إسرائيلي طويل الأمد في غزة.

وهذا يعني معالجة الشواغل الأمنية المشروعة لإسرائيل.

وهذا يعني المساءلة عن انتهاكات القانون الدولي.

وهذا يعني بقاء غزة جزءا لا يتجزأ من دولة فلسطينية مستقلة وديمقراطية وذات سيادة، دون أي انتقاص من أراضيها أو نقل قسري لسكانها.

ويجب التعامل مع قطاع غزة والضفة الغربية المحتلة – بما في ذلك القدس الشرقية – ككيان واحد – سياسيا واقتصاديا وإداريا…

تحكمهما حكومة فلسطينية يقبلها الشعب الفلسطيني ويدعمها.

ويجب أن تصمم أي ترتيبات انتقالية بهدف التوصّل إلى حكومة فلسطينية موحدة في إطار زمني دقيق ومحدود.

وسأدعو كذلك إلى تهدئة عاجلة للوضع المثير للجزع في الضفة الغربية.

فالمنازل والبنية التحتية المدنية تُدمّر.

والمدنيون يُقتلون.

والمجتمعات المحلية تُهجّر وتُمنع من العودة.

ويُمنع الوصول إلى الرعاية الصحية.

ويجب أن تتوقف الأعمال أحادية الجانب، بما في ذلك التوسع الاستيطاني والتهديدات بالضم.

وأدعو إلى وضع حد للهجمات على المدنيين وممتلكاتهم.

وأخيرا، يجب أن نتخذ خطوات ملموسة – الآن – نحو تحقيق حل الدولتين.

يجب أن يتمتع الشعب الفلسطيني بالحق في أن يحكم نفسه بنفسه، وأن يرسم مستقبله بنفسه، وأن يعيش على أرضه في حرية وأمان.

والطريق الوحيد لتحقيق السلام الدائم هو الطريق الذي تعيش فيه دولتان – إسرائيل وفلسطين – جنبا إلى جنب في سلام وأمن، بما يتماشى مع القانون الدولي وقرارات الأمم المتحدة ذات الصلة، وتكون القدس عاصمة للدولتين.

يستحق الفلسطينيون الاستقرار الدائم والسلام العادل والقائم على المبادئ.

ويستحق شعب إسرائيل أن يعيش في سلام وأمن.

وفي هذه اللحظة الهشة، يجب أن نتجنب استئناف الأعمال العدائية التي من شأنها أن تعمّق المعاناة وتزيد من زعزعة الاستقرار في منطقة هي أصلا على شفا هاوية.

نحن بحاجة إلى إعادة إعمار مستدامة وحل سياسي موحد وواضح وقائم على المبادئ.

هذا ما سأدعو إليه في القاهرة الأسبوع المقبل.

شكرا لكم.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Last Chance to Shop the Best Deals on Home Health and Fitness with Innovative Smart Appliances

Source: Samsung

The Samsung Blue Tag Sale, which is running until 2 March 2025, presents a great opportunity to get cutting-edge technology for home health and fitness. The company’s innovative range of appliances and mobile devices is transforming how consumers approach wellness, making it easier to live a healthier, more active lifestyle from the comfort of home. From smart TVs and health-tracking wearables to eco-friendly appliances that promote well-being, Samsung’s products are designed to support every aspect of a modern, health-conscious lifestyle.

The cutting-edge products are set to redefine the boundaries of home wellness, offering users an integrated and seamless experience that promotes a healthier lifestyle. As the world continues to prioritise health and wellness, Samsung’s innovative smart appliances are set to become an essential part of modern living. By seamlessly integrating technology and wellness, Samsung is empowering users to take control of their health and fitness, one smart appliance at a time.

Samsung Smart TVs: Your Fitness Hub at Home
Samsung’s Smart TVs are more than just entertainment hubs – they’re powerful tools for fitness. Users can stream workout routines, follow wellness content, or track fitness progress with apps like YouTube and Samsung Health. Whether you’re following a yoga session or monitoring your steps, these devices serve as an all-in-one fitness station for the modern home.

Samsung Food App
Samsung Food is making food preparation more convenient which allows you to plan meals based on users’ food preferences or support sustainable food practice goals. Samsung Food now features enhanced tools designed to support users to better maintain their health and to reach wellness goals. The platform provides nutrition-focused meal plans that track and monitor caloric intake within daily meal schedules, whether for recipes or individual food items. It offers “Tailored for You” plans, delivering weekly recipe and snack recommendations based on users’ nutritional needs,6 chosen diets and previous recipe preferences

Air Conditioners: Breathe Easy, Live Healthier
Maintaining clean air in the home is crucial for health, especially during fitness activities. Samsung’s air conditioners, equipped with air-purifying technology, improve indoor air quality, creating a more comfortable and healthier environment. These devices ensure that every workout, whether indoors or outdoors, takes place in fresh, clean air.

Samsung Devices & Smartwatches: Your Health and Fitness Companion.
Samsung’s mobile devices, especially the Galaxy series, provide comprehensive features for health and fitness management. With robust fitness apps, heart rate monitoring, and wellness tracking, users can easily access workout routines, nutrition guides, and health data from their smartphones. Samsung’s seamless device integration makes it simple to stay connected and in control of your health journey. The Samsung Galaxy Watch is an essential accessory for those looking to boost their fitness goals. With advanced features like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and multiple exercise modes, it helps users stay motivated and on track. Integrated with Samsung Health, the Galaxy Watch makes it easy to monitor daily activity, set goals, and engage with a supportive fitness community.

Some of the Deals You Don’t Want to Miss:
Wind-Free AR6500T Wall-mount AC with Wind-Free with an easy to clean anti-bacterial filter. Now R10,799* (Save R2,800)
Cook delicious healthy dishes without guesswork with Samsung 40L Solo Microwave Oven Black MS40DG5504AGFA. Now R2,799* (Save R800)
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Galaxy S24 FE offers a range of health and wellness features to help you stay on top of your fitness goals. Now R12,999* (Save R2,000)
Upgrade your viewing experience with the 65 Inch QLED 4K Q60D Tizen OS Smart TV (2024). Now R13,999* (Save R1000)
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User Experience
From simplifying daily routines to fostering a health-conscious home environment, Samsung’s products are designed with the user experience in mind. Whether it’s a quick workout, a healthy meal, or cleaner air, Samsung’s innovative solutions make it easier than ever to prioritise health and fitness at home.

The Samsung Blue Tag Sale is running in Samsung stores, online, the Samsung Shop App, and participating retailers until 2 March 2025. Don’t miss out!

For more information, visit www.samsung.com/za

MIL OSI Economics –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Cyber A.I. Group CEO to Speak at SXSW Dream Wealth Camp 2025 on the Future of Cybersecurity and A.I. in Wealth Creation

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIAMI and NEW YORK and PARIS, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cyber A.I. Group, Inc. (“CyberAI” or the “Company”), an emerging growth Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and IT services company engaged in the proactive acquisition of a broad spectrum of Cybersecurity service providers on an international basis, announced today that its CEO, Walter Hughes, will be a featured speaker at Dream Wealth Camp 2025, an exclusive South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas.

Dream Wealth Camp, hosted by Dreambloc, is a premier venture mastermind experience that convenes elite founders, investors, and thought leaders to navigate the complexities of scaling businesses and building generational wealth. Designed as a high-impact, closed-door gathering, the event provides tailored strategies, one-on-one mentorship, and investment deal flow opportunities. Hughes will join an esteemed lineup of experts to discuss digital transformation, Cybersecurity’s evolving role in investment strategy, and the intersection of artificial intelligence and wealth creation.

“As the digital age reshapes the global economy, Cybersecurity is no longer a cost center—it is the foundation of trust in every transaction, every investment, and every technological advancement,” said Hughes. “At CyberAI, we are not only safeguarding enterprises but redefining how Cybersecurity and A.I. integrate into wealth-building ecosystems. Dream Wealth Camp is an ideal forum to engage in these critical conversations and chart the next frontier of investment strategy.”

Hughes’ participation underscores CyberAI’s commitment to shaping the future of Cybersecurity through strategic acquisition and innovation. With an aggressive global expansion strategy, the company is assembling a powerhouse portfolio of security-focused IT service providers, reinforcing its vision of becoming the premier force in next-generation Cybersecurity solutions.

Dream Wealth Camp 2025 will take place on March 6-7 at SXSW in Austin, Texas, offering curated sessions and networking opportunities with some of the most influential minds in business and technology.

About Cyber A.I. Group

Cyber A.I. Group, Inc. (“CyberAI”) is an international company engaged in the acquisition and management of worldwide Cybersecurity and IT services firms. CyberAI is pursuing a highly proactive “Buy & Build” strategy to rapidly expand operations internationally by acquiring a broad spectrum of IT services companies and repositioning them to address fast-growing market needs for Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence markets. The Company has developed an active pipeline of 300+ perspective acquisitions which are in various stages of analysis. The Company’s initial target is to acquire multiple companies representing aggregate revenues annualizing $100 million. CyberAI’s business model is focused on the acquisition and consolidation of IT services worldwide with proven ability in broad conventional technology services with strong cash flow and enhance performance through A.I.-driven Cybersecurity initiatives. This emphasis on conventional companies with strong revenues and EBITDA distinguishes CyberAI from the explosion of A.I. startups that may be pinning their future on a single technological breakthrough which may never materialize. This “Buy & Build” strategy provides CyberAI with the maximum flexibility for diversification and risk management for moving into new fields and addressing fast moving market opportunities. For additional information, please visit: cyberaigroup.io.

Contact

Cyber A.I. Group, Inc.
Tel: 786.749.1221
info@cyberaigroup.io

Paris:
17-21 Rue Saint-Fiacre
Paris 75002, France

New York:
641 Lexington Avenue, 14th Floor,
New York, NY 10022

Miami:
990 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 503
Miami, FL 33132

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2df6821b-254e-4be9-98d3-040669a0342a

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “Science is very fluid, very fast. You have to keep up with it.”

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

Vladimir Dimidov studies positive psychology and explores the problem of time perspective. In an interview with the Young Scientists of the Higher School of Economics project, he explained why we should think about the future, how to prevent burnout, and which places on Lake Baikal are worth visiting.

How I got into science

At the age of four, I wanted to become an inventor. That’s probably where it all started. I tried myself in different fields – electronics, robotics. Then I realized that something humanitarian was closer to me. I tried to become a writer. Then I entered psychology and already in my second year I met Oksana Vladimirovna Zashchirinskaya, a doctor of psychological sciences and professor at St. Petersburg State University. She was the first person who had no doubts about my successful scientific future. And in my fourth year, having worked indirectly on scientific projects, I began to look for a specific place, a research institute, where I would like to work.

Where did I end up?

I work at the International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation. Positive psychology is a global trend in personality psychology that deals with the problems of happiness and meaning. My scientific supervisor Dmitry Alekseevich Leontiev is a leading scientist, as well as the grandson of the famous Soviet psychologist Alexei Nikolaevich Leontiev and one of his direct followers.

There is no other place like this in Russia. On the one hand, it is a hereditary, generational, real scientific school. On the other hand, Dmitry Alekseevich is one of the world-class scientists, and he transmits his knowledge to us. This is probably the most valuable experience that can be gained here.

What I am researching

Time perspective. Understanding what time perspective is is a separate theoretical task. On the one hand, it can be understood that a person is not only focused on the present, but also looks to the past and the future. In other approaches, time perspective is precisely the perspective of the future, a cognitive-motivational formation consisting of a person’s goals, aspirations, hopes, and fears.

I suppose that time perspective plays a certain role in the regulation of behavior. Let’s take spirituality, for example. How does it enter our lives? I think through time perspective. Experiments will show whether this is true. But there is an assumption that higher behavior regulators (for some it is God, for others it is morality) appear in our lives precisely because we have a future, we think about the consequences of our actions.

Time Perspective Effects

People who have a time perspective are less susceptible to momentary emotions; their happiness depends less on the peak of experiences here and now, and more on meanings.

In other words, if a person has a goal in the distant future, he may be more resistant to frustration.

Such a goal could be, for example, defending a dissertation. What distinguishes science from other areas is the need to plan, including your defense. And people who plan better, build a path to their goal, have a more detailed time perspective.

The lack of a time perspective can have very serious consequences. Suicide is committed by people who have lost their sense of purpose, and the first sign may be that a person has no purpose in life. Alcoholism is also one of the signs of a lack of meaning. A person’s sense system is simplified. Because of this, he becomes more dependent on momentary desires. His illness or tendency to drink alcohol intensifies. Because this intensifies, his sense system is simplified. All this takes on a pathological character.

How my research is structured

One of the specific hypotheses I want to test is that time perspective is a specific phenomenon that separates meaning from happiness. In statistical terms, we can say that there is a moderation effect: the correlation either increases or decreases when we introduce time perspective. In the example of happiness and meaning, their relationship should be lower. Let’s say they correlate at 0.7, but when we introduce time perspective into the model, they start to correlate at 0.4. This means that the relationship is destroyed, reduced.

The main study looks standard: I recruit a certain sample (about two hundred people) so that the study has sufficient power. This sample must be homogeneous. Then I conduct a set of tests. Most of them I still have to develop or test in Russian.

And then a certain structural model is built, in which there is happiness and positive emotions, there is meaning and time perspective. Within the framework of the dissertation, there will be a number of other important variables. By analyzing the indicators, we can assume whether time perspective plays a role or not.

What I am proud of

By not spreading myself too thin. I can do a lot in science or in the academic environment right now, but I try to concentrate on my dissertation, on distant goals.

There is one achievement. I opened a student research project group at the Faculty of Social Sciences. We worked for a year and conducted a number of interesting studies. This was my first experience of management. I won’t say that I am proud of it, but overall I consider this enterprise successful.

We developed the issue of goal setting. We asked people how they think about goals, set goals, why, where it all starts, what difficulties there are in this process. The results are reflected in the article “Subjective experience of goal setting”, which will soon be published in the journal “World of Psychology” by my colleagues who worked with me. This process is described there in sufficient detail. We also created a test on involvement in the goal and conducted a number of tests.

What We Learned About Goal Setting

We conducted two studies. They were on maximally similar samples. But at the same time, we gave some people the freedom to write down their goals, and others were asked to choose from aspirations that had been empirically identified over decades of research. And we looked at what role meaning plays.

It turned out that people who wrote down their goals themselves had one structure of involvement in these goals, but when we gave them the aspirations ourselves, the picture was different.

In theory, these aspirations are divided into internal and external. Internal ones are, for example, the desire for self-development, external ones are the desire to look attractive. We thought that the structures for internal and external goals would differ. It turned out that the structure in each specific case will be its own.

Some goals bring inspiration, a person gets energy from this inspiration and gets involved. Some goals do not bring inspiration at all, but motivate a person to work on themselves. And this structure in this case depends on the meaning of the goal. My dissertation will have a higher level of generalization: it is not about specific goals, but in principle about the time perspective.

For example, does a person consider his future limited, if he feels that he may not have as long to live as he would like, most of his life has been lived. Or, on the contrary, the future is open, a person does not know how much longer he will live, and wants to set goals for a long, long time.

My dream as a scientist

I have a distant goal – to found an institute. An institute in the broadest sense – it can be an educational institution or a laboratory.

I could say that it is a dream. But it is not a dream, it is a goal. And there are also things that can be called fantasies. For example, if we talk about the state of psychology and science in Russia, I have a fantasy that scientists will become a little more immersed in science. So far, this has not happened.

Science is very fluid, very fast. You have to keep up with it.

You need to be aware of the current state of science, read articles that are published in your field here and now. For example, in 2024, article in the journal “Neuro”. Neurophysiologists, based on experiments with rats, put forward the initial provisions that the functioning of consciousness can be explained by quantum dualism.

Ideally, people who study the psychology of consciousness can mobilize and begin research based on this article. But only a few will do it. These same few will be cited. These same few will set trends for other scientists. And other scientists will come to this in years, when quantum dualism may no longer be so relevant.

Before I came to my topic, I wrote probably a dozen research projects, and each topic was closer and closer to what we have now.

And I see a certain gap between what we do and what our closest colleagues do – psychologists from all over Russia. They use a methodology that is significantly behind. They write research for the drawer. As a scientist, I dream that in Russia the gap between provincial and metropolitan science would be smaller (although, as my scientific supervisor says, there is most provincial science in Moscow – unfortunately, this is true). I want general competence to grow.

What areas of science could I study?

The parts of science are closely integrated into each other. From the topic of time perspective, I can move, for example, to the topic of the temporal aspect of consciousness, to talk about how consciousness here and now, consciousness that unfolds further, provides us with a state in the flow of time, the flow of life. This is close to my topic, but already a different area. And I see this as a topic for tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow I will get a grant on this topic, or maybe no one will need it, and I will turn in another direction.

First of all, science is a worldview. I began to notice that as I delved into the scientific field, my thinking changed greatly. And this can even lead to conflicts with colleagues who are poorly integrated into science. For example, the question of truth.

The scientist does not know the truth. He strives for it, but he will never know it. He gradually gains power over certain pieces of reality. And such a shaky one that perhaps a new study will refute it, and he will have to adapt to it. He has to think in changeable categories, to build his worldview on the fact that, in essence, nothing is true. And if it is true, then there must be numbers, there must be statistics – in statistical sciences, and in empirical science there must be an empirical base that confirms this. And even a series of confirmations does not give the scientist the right to think that this is so.

More reliable data is a refutation of something. If it were shown on mice, humans and dolphins that there is no quantum dualism, we could say with more certainty that consciousness is still something different, but not like that. And we could study it further.

If I hadn’t become a scientist

I could become a writer, a cyberneticist, a philosopher, a data scientist. All of this is useful to me even in my work. I can easily immerse myself in philosophical and psychological research. Data Science is how we conduct research. Of course, prose would probably be more difficult for me to write than scientific articles, but I would manage. Perhaps poetry is not my thing, but who knows…

How I use artificial intelligence

For data analysis, we can only use artificial intelligence to a limited extent now, because the scientific community is not yet accustomed to it. For example, I can process data using machine learning, but it should be an analogue of an existing statistical method that we can do manually. So that if we publish an article, reviewers understand it.

Personally, I discuss models with artificial intelligence. For example, we have a task to develop a test of time perspective. I have a certain set of variable characteristics: some were identified in a literature review, others in another study of mine. You can generalize this yourself in one way – theoretically. You can generalize it empirically, conduct a study if there are suitable methods. Or you can discuss it with artificial intelligence, giving it certain instructions.

For example, in terms of time perspective, I have 15 different characteristics. I can’t measure them all in a dissertation, it would be too much. They are from different theories, some of them intersect, some don’t. Discussing this with artificial intelligence, I can identify a more coherent structure, say, of four components.

Artificial intelligence is very good at identifying what are called in statistics orthogonal and oblique structures, that is, things that are definitely not correlated, and things that are weakly or strongly correlated.

Who would I like to meet?

With positive psychologist Robert Emmons. He is an American fundamental psychologist who studied the problems of personal aspirations, wrote about spirituality and religiosity. At the turn of the 2000s, he studied human goals. This is close to what I do. And recently – for more than ten years – he has been studying the problem of gratitude (whether it is an emotion or religious gratitude to God). I would ask him – why. I consider him a genius, but why he chose this direction, I still do not understand.

Emmons’s graduate student was Ken Sheldon, who at one time worked as the scientific director of our laboratory. He is still an invisibly present at HSE, as his goal self-concordance model sometimes pops up – a model of the correspondence of goals with the interests, values and needs of the individual.

How my typical day is structured

Every day is like a new one, everything is different. The only thing is that every evening I walk the dog, and I periodically start the morning with pancakes that my girlfriend makes. I really love them.

Do I get burnout?

As I have noticed, scientists work in cycles. I am also starting to experience this, but I do not have burnout as such. There is simply a deterioration in my general condition, but I know very well how to deal with it. You need to do what you love. If I am currently doing work that is not interesting to me, I can put it aside and spend half an hour doing something that I enjoy.

Science has helped me even in difficult moments in my life. I could miss the whole day due to various events. Feel tired all evening. Not sleep until 4am. But at 4am I would sit down to do science, and my life would become better.

What are my hobbies besides science?

I do sports. In the warm season, I like to go to the horizontal bars. Often with friends. I love my friends very much. Most of them are also connected with science. My best friend, with whom I have been friends since school, is involved in cybersecurity. He is also a graduate student. So in any free moment I try to meet with one of them. Or at least call, if a friend is from another city.

What does sport give?

Sport is a great tonic, changes the physiological state of the body. Beneficial hormones and hormones of happiness are produced. Sport stabilizes the nervous system, strengthens certain neural connections in the brain due to muscle innervation. And it improves your mood!

What I read recently

Nassim Taleb’s book “The Statistical Consequences of Fat Tails”. It is very critical of statistics in the social sciences. And, frankly, it is impossible not to agree with it.

When collecting data, we work with a certain set of data as normally distributed indicators. We proceed from the assumption that everything we have received is subject to certain statistical laws.

When we get a normal distribution, we know what to do with it. But if the distribution deviates from the normal, we don’t know how to work with that yet.

“Fat tails” are just one of the signs that something deviates from the normal.

Taleb wrote a book based on several dissertations and a number of articles by statisticians. It says that the distribution will most often be different. Most often it will obey other laws, not those we rely on. But we will work, closing our eyes to this. That’s how I was taught, that’s how everyone is taught now.

If we admit that the book is telling the truth, we will have to admit that we can’t do anything. Statisticians should teach us (scientists who use applied statistics) to work with other data distributions. And they themselves can’t work with all types of distributions.

Advice to young scientists

Among young scientists, especially among my peers, the issue of earning money is acute. If you want to earn money, go into business or management. If you are a person of the heart, then go where your heart leads you. But remember that only the best of the best will earn money doing what you really like.

Favorite place in Moscow

I really like the Gorka Park with its sports ground under Maroseyka, not far from the Vyshka. And I like the park on Vorobyovy Gory, there is the Luzhniki sports complex nearby, you can work out on the horizontal bars and then walk along the embankment with friends.

Favorite place in Irkutsk

In Irkutsk, where I was born and raised, there are also two wonderful embankments. Not far from Irkutsk is Baikal, if you go to a non-tourist place, everything there is wonderful.

I like the town of Slyudyanka in the south of Baikal. It is equidistant from the Buryat centers of attraction and Irkutsk. I have relatives there. And Baikal there is exactly the kind that is remembered: nature, beaches, mountains.

I also love the village of Staraya Angasolka, located on the Circum-Baikal Railway. In 1926, Nikolai Roerich passed through this station, and now there is a museum to him there.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Tesonet Foundation Launch: Not Just Charity—Strategy

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VILNIUS, Lithuania, February 28, 2025 – After years of managing various donation strategies across Tesonet-founded companies, we’re taking things forward to make an even more significant impact by establishing the Tesonet Foundation. This initiative blends philanthropy with tech-driven solutions to create real, meaningful, and scalable results.

Tesonet Foundation will be a charitable and support foundation funded and managed by Tesonet and dedicated to creating long-term change for our community and future generations. Committed to advancing education and innovation, we strive to accelerate progress in every way we can.

The fund launches with €1 million initial funds

“We don’t wait around for things to change. We build, we push, we make things happen. That’s what Tesonet was built on and exactly what the Tesonet Foundation is here to do. We’ve scaled companies, built products, and pushed limits — now we also want to focus on giving back with lasting impact. Not just charity — strategy,” says Tomas Okmanas, co-founder of Tesonet.

“We plan to launch Tesonet Foundation with €1 million in initial funds and will add more every year, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment to funding various societal needs like access to education and supporting communities. However, this initiative isn’t just a charity — it’s a deliberate strategy designed to shift the way we approach solving modern problems, all while creating lasting value for the future,” says Eimantas Sabaliauskas, co-founder of Tesonet.

Seeking an experienced fund manager to lead the way

The new director of the foundation, alongside the team, will develop a bold strategy to maximize impact — enabling us to manage donations, requests, and initiatives more effectively. With in-house resources and a strong focus on innovation, we aim to drive sustainable progress and create lasting change.

If you’ve got the drive, the vision, and the guts to help lead this charge — this is your shot to join us for a mission of delivering support where it matters most.

Build it. Scale it. Apply now.

About Tesonet

Founded in 2008 as a startup by two tech enthusiasts, Tomas Okmanas and Eimantas Sabaliauskas, Tesonet has rapidly grown into one of the largest business accelerators and investors in the Baltic States. It houses globally recognized companies such as joint cybersecurity powerhouse Nord Security and Surfshark, a market-leading web intelligence collection platform Oxylabs, the fastest-growing brand among hosting providers Hostinger, nexos.ai – an AI orchestration platform, and others.

With over 3,300 in-house talents and a fully developed infrastructure, Tesonet supports, funds, and scales businesses globally, sharing the goal of bringing meaningful tech for industry disruption. Since 2018, Tesonet has extended its reach by investing in successful ventures like CAST AI, Eneba, BC Žalgiris, BC London Lions, Šiaulių bankas, Turing College, Zapp, PartiQlar, and others.

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: UAB “Atsinaujinančios energetikos investicijos“ publishes interim financial statements for the 12-month period of 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

UAB “Atsinaujinančios energetikos investicijos” (the Company) publishes its unaudited interim condensed consolidated and separate financial statements for the 12-month period of 2024.

Financial results

The Company’s objective is to earn a return for the Company’s investors from investments in renewable energy infrastructure facilities and related assets. The main financial indicators for the period were:
- As at 31 December 2024, the Company’s total assets were EUR 187 855 thousand, total equity was EUR 98 536 thousand, and total liabilities were EUR 89 319 thousand.
- As at 31 December 2024, the Company’s investment assets at fair value through profit or loss were EUR 157 962 thousand, which compared to 31 December 2023, decreased by EUR 22 098 thousand or 12.27%. The decline in the fair value of the investment portfolio was mainly driven by the results of the independent annual valuation of the Company’s shares. The value of the Company’s solar assets in Poland primarily decreased due to electricity price curve forecasts being significantly lower than the electricity price curve utilized in the Company’s valuation in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- For the period January – December 2024, the Company reported a comprehensive loss of EUR 16 764 thousand, primarily attributed to the negative fair value change in the investment portfolio resulting from the independent annual valuation of the Company’s shares and financing expenses.
Contact person for further information:

Mantas Auruškevičius

Manager of the Investment Company

Mantas.Auruskevicius@lordslb.lt

Attachment
- 2024 Q4 AEI FS consolidated & separate EN
The MIL Network –
March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North

The DPM gave the keynote address at the event in Lancashire.

Thank you everyone, it’s an absolute pleasure to be here at the Convention of the North again. 

I apologise if I go too Northern for you, but it’s good to be back in this region, and it is great to be here in Preston. 

A year ago, I was stood in front of this same Convention at Leeds Dock – talking about the change this country so desperately needs.  A lot has changed! 

But just like last year, we’re meeting today on the spot of real Northern success. 

For two centuries, this university has opened its doors. Not just for students across the country, but for the people of the proud city too. 

Over those last two centuries, this mill town – just like the rest of the North – has seen entire industries rise and fall. 

Today, as I look out towards our fantastic Northern leaders, businesses and innovators, I want you to know that I am determined to fight for a future that’s brighter and more ambitious.

Just over 6 months ago, this government was elected to deliver change. I know that the North is as impatient as anyone for that change – as I am too. 

The gears of change haven’t always been well-oiled, in fact, a decade of decline has seen them rusted.  As you work to improve the places you call home, you’re being resisted by a system that hoards power and investment away from where it needs to be – making regional inequalities worse, and not better. 

The truth is that for all the promises of levelling up, central government’s first instinct is too often to hoard power and hold our economy back.  Too many decisions affecting too many people are made by too few.  I’m here to help you break that system, and build a fairer one in its place. 

 Last year I promised this Convention that I would be a Deputy Prime Minister for the North. And working with many of you sat here today, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far. 

We’ve taken a hammer to business-as-usual in Whitehall, and within days of getting into government, Labour Secretaries of State were giving up newly won powers for the sake of our towns and cities, with the Prime Minister leading the charge.  It has not been comfortable!  But it wasn’t supposed to be.  After all, we are undergoing a generational power shift from Whitehall to the town hall.  

We’re putting support for business at the heart of this with funding rolled into integrated settlements. An Office for Investment working with mayors to develop funding opportunities and regional innovation funding.

In just six short months we are on track to complete devolution in the North.  This means decisions for the North, will be made by the North. So that Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall.   And this change will be irreversible.  And that’s important, because I know first-hand that decisions are made best by those with skin in the game. 

 That’s what our English Devolution White Paper is all about. Nothing less than a total rewiring of power in England.  For all the techy talk of devolution, the goal is simple:  We will give mayors the power to drive growth, to use new levers over planning, housing and regeneration to Get Britain Building. 

We are ending the begging bowl culture and giving local leaders flexibility over their spending. For the first time in British history, we have created a department-style integrated settlement giving Mayor Parker and Mayor Burnham over a billion pounds in flexible funding. 

 And next year, I am delighted that Liverpool, the North East, and South and West Yorkshire will all follow. This will be a game-changer for families across England, giving mayors the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for their place. 

 And you only need to look at what our Northern mayors are already achieving, to see why this is so important. Just look at Mayor Brabin’s SME Graduate Scheme, keeping homegrown talent in West Yorkshire, and her investment in bus routes getting people to work quicker and cheaper. 

Or Mayor Coppard’s Pathways to Work Commission, putting 10,000 residents in South Yorkshire back to work.  In York and North Yorkshire, Mayor Skaith is investing millions in high streets, supporting local business to thrive.  Mayor Rotherham is bringing award-winning TV and film productions to Liverpool, with investment in new studios. 

The success of our Northern mayors doesn’t stop there. In Greater Manchester, Mayor Burnham’s Bee Network is making it simpler and more affordable to get the bus and tram.  And further north, Mayor McGuinness has set up the first mayoral child support poverty reduction unit to support families across the North East. 

A future for the North, built by those that call it home. Uniting under the banner of Great North and a vision for a new era of Northern cooperation. This isn’t about pitting place against place.  This is about understanding what our towns and cities can achieve together. It’s about releasing Britain’s untapped potential. 

And don’t underestimate the effect of Cabinet Ministers having mayors at the end of the phone.  Let me tell you – not one of them will shy away from telling us how it is. 

It isn’t by accident that devolution sits in my department.  It is by design.  Because mayors aren’t just a helpful tool to unlock housing, transport and infrastructure, they are a critical levers in our mission of growth.  

Let me tell you why. All of you in this room are trying – like I am – to get Britain building again. Yes, building houses, but also building your business, building renewable energy, building data centres.  

All too often, we are met by a system that says: “don’t bother”. Well, I am determined to break that system.  And I am handing mayors the sledgehammer! 

Earlier this year we published a new national planning framework to break down the barriers to sustainable growth.  And today, I want to share more details on how we will go even further, in our Planning and Infrastructure Bill. 

Mayors are at the centre of our plans to build 1.5 million homes, by giving them the powers they need, mayors are an army to take on the blockers. We are backing them to work across huge regional geographies to get the job done.  It’s why we’re giving them the powers to call in applications on those large, strategic sites that will really turn the wheel on growth.  

And it’s why we’re putting grant funding for regeneration and housing in their hands. To enable mayors to deliver on their plans, we will forge a stronger partnership between them and Homes England. Over time, we will move Homes England to a more regionalised model so that the agency is even more responsive to the economic plan of an area. 

We’ve already committed to strategic authorities for the entire country – but we can’t waste any time in building the homes we desperately need. That’s why I can confirm that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill I will introduce to Parliament in the weeks ahead will allow councils without a mayor to come together and set spatial development strategies. 

This means bringing forward housebuilding powers as soon as we can.  I think there is huge potential here.  If we can get building, and boost productivity of just 11 city regions, we could add £20.5 billion each year to the Exchequer. Imagine the jobs, opportunities and growth that comes with it. 

But devolving powers is only half the plan, if we’re not matching it with investment, we won’t see the results. The history of our Northern towns and cities is one of great industrialists, and workers who grafted for something better. And it’s in that same image, that the North today can provide the growth this country needs. 

Here in Preston, people have decent jobs to be proud of – just look at the Eurofighter Typhoon programme. We cannot underestimate the impact that business investment like that can have on an area. This is a sector that is critical for our national security, and economic growth. 

Over in West Yorkshire, we’re backing the new Mass Transit Scheme with two hundred million pounds of funding to support its development. Anyone who expects the businesses of Leeds to meet their economic potential without a proper transport network needs to ask themselves why they expect the North to settle for less. 

And as we support the recreation of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport it’s the job of this government to ask how we can best support our nation’s regional airports. Teesside has shown that regional airports can prosper, and now it’s time to back South Yorkshire too. 

Up in Blyth, plans are also being delivered for Europe’s biggest AI data centre.  These projects are not just about driving growth for the sake of it but driving growth in the places where potential is greatest.  The places which once built Britain, and once again deserve to be the centres of economic and industrial excellence. 

[political content removed] I share the Chancellor’s determination to review the Green Book to properly recognise the potential of places across the country. This means a full review of what it means for a project to be value for money. 

Alongside this, our industrial strategy led by the Business Secretary, will see a complete rewiring of the state. The mayors’ local growth plans are the bedrock of our industrial strategy, underpinning how we drive growth in every town and city. And finally, harness the great potential of the North.

These plans are already underway. Every mayor is working with government to align priorities. Time is of the essence, which is why we’re wasting no time in publishing local growth plans, setting out these blueprints to deliver the manufacturing and green jobs of the future. 

That’s only part of our efforts to rebalance the economy. My Department and the Treasury are working with all strategic mayors with expert units laser-focused on unlocking devolution opportunities in skills, transport, and business support. 

And as we kickstart growth, it is only right that the workers who fuel the economy, get back what they put in. This government’s Employment Rights Bill means the biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation. A bill that takes the very best standards from the very best businesses – and extends it to millions more workers.  

We are clear – better living standards is our number one mission. And we will succeed in our mission when working people can contribute to growth and benefit fairly from it. In some of the most deprived parts of the country – in places across the North – this legislation could save workers up to £600 in lost income. 

Giving people a stable income, a chance to get a mortgage, putting more money in people’s pockets which in turn can be spent on the high streets and in local businesses. Boosting town centres and local economies with regenerative effects – this is about building a new route to prosperity from the bottom up, and the middle out, not the top down.

Managers and senior decision-makers agree that this bill will boost productivity. Which is good for workers, and good for business. We all know that treating workers decently is just what good businesses already do.  We are backing business to level the playing field so that good employers aren’t undercut. Encouraging businesses to compete on quality and innovation in a race to the top.

Without our bill, more working days will be lost through ill-health, costing businesses money. Inaction isn’t an option.  Businesses have everything to gain from this bill but I recognise it will be a big change which is why where businesses have raised concerns we have listened. It’s why we introduced a statutory probation period.

We want businesses to be able to hire with confidence whilst still extending new protections for workers. These are plans which are pro-business, as well as pro-worker, which is why I am hell bent on making work pay. 

 And just as we’ll leave no worker behind, we’ll also be fighting for every single town, village and estate. Too many neighbourhoods have been underestimated and overlooked for too long.  

[political content removed]

When I first stepped into government, we inherited a burnt-out shell that they called levelling up.  It promised to rebalance the North and South. But when I got into government, the truth is, the money didn’t exist.  There was this warped idea that all places needed was a lick of paint and a chess board in the park. 

[political content removed]

We’re doing away with the sticking plaster policies of old and working towards national renewal.  To achieve that, we need to start empowering people to drive change in their communities.  And to anyone who doubts this ambition, to anyone who doubts the North, I say that our region has been underestimated and overlooked for far too long. 

 This government is only giving the North what it’s owed, and what it deserves. For too long, our outdated system of council funding has been stacked against the north.  The days of Ministers expecting the North to go cap in hand ends now. That’s why with Jim McMahon, our Minister for English Devolution and Local Government, we are making simpler and clearer structures and will fix the foundations of local government. He is already beginning to replace the funding formula to give the North nearly £840 million more this year.  That brings the North’s total increase to just over 8 per cent – the biggest rise of all regions in England, by a good distance. 

If this new formula had been applied under the last government, the North would’ve seen billions more in funding. Instead, councils saw cuts of 23 per cent. So we’re starting to right that wrong. 

And we realise that every council has different needs. That’s why we’ve set aside a cash-terms increase for local government of 6.8 per cent. That’s over £69 billion for local government. All councils are facing pressures, but it’s particularly hard for those that bore the brunt of austerity. And this year’s settlement marks a clear direction of travel for the rest of the Parliament. 

 But I know that the change this country needs can’t be micromanaged from Whitehall. It’s people in this room today – mayors, councillors, business owners and investors – who will drive us forward.  And as that happens, I can promise that the full force of the government will be behind you. 

Transferring power out of Westminster, getting Britain building, letting our towns and cities fire on all cylinders, doing whatever it takes to kickstart economic growth and leaving no one behind in that government-defining mission. 

Thank you.

Updates to this page

Published 28 February 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia completes acquisition of Infinera to create innovation powerhouse in optical networks, with the scale to power the data center revolution
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Nokia completes acquisition of Infinera to create innovation powerhouse in optical networks, with the scale to power the data center revolution
- Brings together two pioneering leaders in the optical networks market.
- Creates an optical networks powerhouse – underpinned by the cutting-edge research of Nokia Bell Labs – with the scale to accelerate product roadmaps and bring more to customers, faster.
- Expands Nokia’s presence in the fast-growing webscale segment, accelerating its customer diversification.
- Further expands Nokia’s ability to help network operators in every sector unlock the opportunities and meet the network and power demands of the AI era.
- Financial rationale of the merger confirmed.
28 February 2025
Espoo, Finland — Nokia announced today the closing of the acquisition of Infinera Corporation. The San Jose based company has become part of Nokia effective as of the closing.

The acquisition brings together two innovation leaders with a history of industry firsts. In doing so, it creates an optical networks powerhouse with the scale to accelerate product roadmaps, further expanding Nokia’s ability to help network operators – whether service providers, webscalers or enterprises – unlock the opportunities and meet the network and power demands of the AI era.

“I am delighted we have been able to quickly and successfully complete the acquisition of Infinera. This transaction will significantly improve our scale and profitability in optical networks, and allows us to speed up the pace of innovation to meet the requirements of the AI era. The Infinera acquisition will accelerate our growth strategy in data centers and strengthen our presence both in North America and with webscale customers,” remarked Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia.

“The speed with which the transaction was approved is very positive for Nokia, as is the strong support the deal has received from customers. In welcoming our new colleagues – and the talent and expertise they bring with them – we are creating a new organization that will be a pace-setter in innovation, offering capabilities across a wide range of optical networking technologies, underpinned by the cutting-edge research of Nokia Bell Labs. Innovation benefits from scale, and the expansion offered by the acquisition means that we will be able to bring more to customers, faster,” commented Federico Guillén, President of Network Infrastructure at Nokia.

The Infinera team will join Nokia’s Optical Networks business – headed by its Vice President and General Manager, James Watt. Meanwhile Infinera CEO, David Heard will join Nokia’s Network Infrastructure business group as NI Chief Strategic Growth Officer. In this position he will help to set and oversee the implementation of the business group’s growth plans, including specific customer segment strategies, product and market mix, and go-to-market approach across the business group.

“I am delighted to welcome David to Nokia and to Network Infrastructure. His extensive experience in technology and business strategy implementation will play a leading role in helping our business group seize opportunities in the market and achieve our ambitions across all our markets and business areas,” added Guillén.

“From strong growth in the webscale space to service provider successes spanning metro, long haul and subsea networks, the proven accomplishments of the Infinera team make for an ideal complement to Nokia’s recognized optical network leadership and innovation. I’m excited about the widely expanded opportunities this new chapter opens up and what it means for Nokia and its Network Infrastructure business, and delighted to be joining the team to help accelerate its growth across all customer segments worldwide,” said Heard.

With more than 1,000 customers globally, the combined company’s solutions power some of the biggest operators worldwide, along with leading organizations in verticals including enterprise, utilities, government and research & education.

Meeting the challenges of the AI era
Data centers are at an inflection point as AI and cloud put massive new demands on them. To overcome these challenges requires new ways of thinking about data center technology that emphasizes mission-critical aspects of networking technology.

Nokia’s offerings across the Network Infrastructure portfolio apply the same mission-critical standards to customers in every sector, from service providers to webscalers to organizations in a broad range of industry sectors. Directing innovation power towards topics such as reliability, security and sustainability – as well as capacity, flexibility and manageability – Nokia is strongly placed to bring value to data center builders and users, including in intra-data center for server-to-server connections to support the increasing demands of new AI workloads.

EUR 200 million synergy target reconfirmed
On 28 June 2024, Nokia and Infinera announced the companies had signed a definitive agreement under which Nokia would acquire Infinera for US$6.65 per share with shareholders able to elect cash, Nokia shares or a combination of both with a proration mechanism limiting the Nokia share issuance to approximately 30% of the aggregate consideration paid to Infinera shareholders. All Nokia shares will be issued to Infinera shareholders in the form of American Depositary Shares.

Nokia announced at the time and reconfirms today that it expects the transaction to be accretive to Nokia comparable operating profit and EPS in 2025 and Nokia continues to target over EUR 200 million of net comparable operating profit synergies from the deal by 2027 with the synergies ramping gradually over the three-year period. The transaction is expected to deliver over 10% comparable EPS accretion in 2027.

Multimedia, technical information and related news
Web Page: Nokia Optical Networks
Web Page: Infinera is now part of Nokia

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

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

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

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

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The MIL Network –
March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Aptean Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Germanedge from Alpina Partners and Private Shareholders

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Aptean, a global provider of mission-critical enterprise software solutions, announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase Germanedge, a provider of industry-leading industrial software for discrete and process manufacturers from funds managed by Alpina Management GmbH (Alpina, Alpina Partners) and private shareholders. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Germanedge’s product portfolio includes Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Intelligent Production Management (MES), Statistical Quality Management, and Connected Worker (Shopfloor Management) solutions. These manufacturing focused solutions are accessible through Germanedge’s Edge.One platform, a no-code SaaS platform that is highly configurable to optimize the digital factory operations of its customers. The addition of Germanedge will greatly expand Aptean’s manufacturing and supply chain management capabilities, enabling Aptean to better serve the needs of its global ERP customer base while also providing existing Germanedge customers with access to its broad portfolio of manufacturing focused solutions.

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Germanedge delivers all of the components needed to power the next generation of Digital Factory operations. Germanedge’s innovative cloud-based platform, Edge.One was designed to meet the unique and growing needs of its enterprise and mid-market customers, providing real-time visibility and IoT capabilities. The firm currently employs 200+ full-time employees that serve 300+ customers across 20 countries.

“Aptean is very excited to announce the acquisition of Germanedge, a pioneer in next generation manufacturing capabilities” said TVN Reddy, CEO at Aptean. “Through the addition of Germanedge, Aptean further establishes itself as a leader in industrial software solutions designed specifically for complex discrete and process manufacturing needs.”

“The merger of Germanedge and Aptean presents a fantastic opportunity for us to expand our businesses globally and continue serving our customers’ digital factory operations, while also granting them access to Aptean’s extensive suite of complementary ERP and SCM solutions. By leveraging Germanedge as a platform, we ensure that the current strategy proceeds at an accelerated pace,” said Christian von Stengel, CEO of Germanedge. “We are closely aligned with Aptean regarding our long-term vision of developing software for Industry 4.0, enabling our customers to manufacture their products more efficiently, flexibly, and sustainably.”

“Germanedge is a perfect example for a highly innovative software company providing mission-critical applications to its blue-chip customer base. With its Edge.One platform Germanedge is able to offer digital factory solutions from the cloud. Alpina is extremely proud to have supported the management team on its growth path” said Florian Strehle, a Partner at Alpina.

About Germanedge
Germanedge provides a comprehensive portfolio of software solutions supporting the next generation of Digital Factory, including machine and process data acquisition, tracking and tracing, APS, CAQ, SCM, digital asset management, digital shift books and checklists as well as digital shop floor management. Germanedge is headquartered in Munich, Germany and has offices across Europe and the United States. www.germanedge.com

About Aptean
Aptean is one of the world’s leading providers of purpose-built, industry-specific software that helps manufacturers and distributors effectively run and grow their businesses. With both cloud and on-premise deployment options, Aptean’s products, services and unmatched expertise help businesses of all sizes to be Ready for What’s Next, Now^®. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com.

Aptean and Ready for What’s Next, Now are Registered Trademarks of Aptean, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

About Alpina Partners
Alpina Partners is an owner-managed investment firm based in Munich, Germany that invests in small and medium sized technology businesses with strong technical USPs. www.alpinapartners.com

For Media Inquiries Please Contact
MediaRelations@Aptean.com

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What’s a constitutional crisis? Here’s how Trump’s recent moves are challenging the Constitution’s separation of powers

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeffrey Schmitt, Professor of Law, University of Dayton

President Donald Trump’s various actions that appear to overstep the power of the executive office are creating what many legal scholars call a constitutional crisis. VladSt/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

In a short few weeks, President Donald Trump has upended many core parts and functions of the U.S. government. He dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and fired thousands of government employees. He has also fired several inspectors general and board members of independent agencies.

Additionally, Trump’s administration has violated court orders to unfreeze federal funding. And Trump has issued an unprecedented number of executive orders, including one that aims to end the practice of birthright citizenship, something that is guaranteed by the plain text of the U.S. Constitution.

Legal experts have said that all of these actions and more are leading up to, or have already sparked, a constitutional crisis.

There is not one clear definition of what a constitutional crisis actually is. And, as constitutional law scholar Jeffrey Schmitt explains in an interview with Amy Lieberman, politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., there is also no comparable historical example for Trump’s exercise of executive power.

Former USAID employees terminated after the Trump administration dismantled the agency collect their personal belongings at the USAID headquarters on Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Why are some people calling what is currently underway a constitutional crisis?

I think legal experts are concerned that Trump is expanding executive power beyond anything we have known in American history. And as executive power continues to expand, we may eventually hit a tipping point that threatens the structure of the government, as laid out in the Constitution.

If the Constitution has one central feature, it is the separation of powers. The Constitution divides power between the states and the federal government, and federal power is divided between the three branches of government – the executive, judicial and legislative.

Now, Trump appears to be taking over Congress’ core powers, including taxing and spending. Typically, Congress passes a budget, and the president can sign or veto the bill. Once the budget is passed into law, the president cannot refuse to spend the allocated money.

There is some history to this. President Richard Nixon refused in the 1970s to spend money Congress had appropriated, and the U.S. Supreme Court then ordered the federal government to spend the money. Federal law now prohibits what’s called “impoundment.”

How is Trump challenging these laws now?

Trump is freezing spending on things he does not support politically, like foreign aid. He also is trying to place new conditions on the disbursement of federal funds as a way to control state and private institutions. For example, a recent letter from his administration threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that do not abandon DEI programs.

Trump has also fired top officials at independent agencies such as a member of the independent National Labor Relations Board, when federal law and Supreme Court precedent indicate that he has no constitutional authority to do so. He has also fired agency watchdogs without following legal requirements to give Congress 30 days notice. When he fired most USAID employees and froze the agency’s foreign aid payments, he shuttered an entire agency established by Congress.

And his firing of thousands of federal workers isn’t just about who works in government – cuts like this make an agency unable to perform its mission.

The federal courts are intervening in some cases, but they are blocking only a small fraction of the president’s actions.

Are there other times in history the country has come close to a constitutional crisis?

President Abraham Lincoln and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt both led the country during periods of constitutional change, and they both clashed with the Supreme Court.

Slavery in the federal territories was the constitutional crisis that precipitated the Civil War. This issue dominated politics throughout the 1850s because people thought it would determine the future of slavery as new states were admitted to the Union. When Congress was unable to reach an agreement, the Supreme Court held that it was unconstitutional for Congress to prohibit slavery in the territories in the infamous case of Dred Scott v. Sandford.

But opposition to the expansion of slavery was the unifying principle of the young Republican Party. So, during the election of 1860, Lincoln argued that Dred Scott was not binding on the country because it was not settled precedent. He acknowledged, though, that the court’s decisions are binding in the case before it.

When Lincoln campaigned for president in 1860, he promised to appoint judges who would overrule Dred Scott and to work with Congress to ban slavery in the territories. When Lincoln realized that constitutional change was necessary, he worked tirelessly to get the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, ratified in 1865.

Franklin Roosevelt also worked within the constitutional system to expand the role of the federal government in the New Deal, a series of domestic public works programs in the 1930s. When the Supreme Court ruled against early New Deal programs, FDR complained that the justices were old and out of touch.

So Roosevelt in 1937 proposed packing the Supreme Court with new justices in a transparent attempt to push the court into accepting his broad reading of federal power. This proposed change never became law, but the Supreme Court changed its views on federal power at roughly the same time, ending the crisis. The country overwhelmingly supported the New Deal’s expansion of federal power in several national elections.

President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson appear at an event in Miami on Jan. 27, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

How does today’s situation involving Trump differ?

Unlike Lincoln or Roosevelt, Trump is trying to seize the powers of Congress and unilaterally transform the federal government. Roosevelt worked with Congress to pass legislation and eventually convince the Supreme Court to accept his views. And while Lincoln rejected the court’s proslavery reading of the Constitution, Trump may be rejecting its central feature – the structural balance of power.

Can the country resolve this crisis?

Aside from Trump deciding to change course, there is not much that can be done. Courts can issue orders, but they do not have a military and cannot easily enforce them.

Congress has the power to remove the president, via impeachment. As we learned during Trump’s first term, however, impeachment is not easy.

If the president decides to ignore the courts – and Congress continues to do nothing – the final constitutional check on Trump’s power will be the next federal election.

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

– ref. What’s a constitutional crisis? Here’s how Trump’s recent moves are challenging the Constitution’s separation of powers – https://theconversation.com/whats-a-constitutional-crisis-heres-how-trumps-recent-moves-are-challenging-the-constitutions-separation-of-powers-250706

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Response to Staff Statement on Meme Coins: What Does it Meme?

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

[1] The purpose of written guidance from SEC staff is to promote understanding of, and compliance with, the federal securities laws.[2] Today’s guidance from the Division of Corporation Finance turns that concept on its head. It advances an incomplete, unsupported view of the law to suggest that an entire product category is outside the bounds of SEC jurisdiction.[3]

And exactly what is a meme coin, the category to which this guidance is directed? Other than how a promoter chooses to label it, what basis do we have to determine whether something is a meme coin? The guidance offers no clear definition from law or even a basic dictionary. It generally describes a meme coin as an asset reflective of online or social trends, of speculative value, that tends to experience high volatility. But these are near universal hallmarks of crypto assets. The lack of a useful definition alone makes the value of this guidance questionable, except perhaps as a roadmap for crypto enterprises looking to evade oversight by labeling themselves as a meme coin.

Whatever one might understand a meme coin to be, the label is largely irrelevant to whether something is offered and sold as a “security” under the SEC’s remit. Throughout the federal securities laws, Congress defined a “security” to include an “investment contract,” a term that “embodies a flexible rather than a static principle,” and “is capable of adaptation to meet [ ] countless and variable schemes.”[4] The Supreme Court established the Howey test nearly 80 years ago to determine whether something is an investment contract. The crux of Howey is the reasonable expectation of profits based on the efforts of others.[5] But rather than analyze the reasonable expectations of meme coin purchasers, today’s guidance suggests promoters can get around Howey with disclaimers or other window dressing designed to downplay the significance of managerial efforts.

Decades of controlling authority does not permit such easy avoidance of the federal securities laws.[6] Howey demands a facts and circumstances analysis of the “economic realities” of an offer or sale. Today’s statement paints meme coins as cultural projects whose purpose is entertainment and social engagement. The reality is that meme coins, like any financial product, are issued to make money. Promoters make money from selling the coin, and often also from retaining and holding a significant portion of the token supply as its value increases. The linked fortunes of purchasers and promoters – who will both make money as the coin value goes up – may itself satisfy Howey’s requirement of a “common enterprise.”[7]

Separately, this guidance further posits that meme coin purchasers’ expectations of profits are not based on the efforts of others, because the coin’s value is derived from “speculative trading and the collective sentiment of the market.” But the reality is that trading and demand for meme coins do not exist in a vacuum. Promoters commonly structure offerings and impact market demand over time by limiting supply or ensuring scarcity through buybacks, “burning,” or similar activities.[8] Fraudulent schemes to manipulate demand through pump-and-dumps or rug pulls are not uncommon.[9] Many promoters also sell meme coins based on express promises of what courts have described as managerial efforts, such as getting a coin listed on crypto exchanges.[10] Other meme coins attract purchasers with promises of a “long-term vision that extends far beyond the hype,” including things like a “massive ecosystem,” technology improvements, or AI elements, just to name a few.[11]

Among the hundreds of self-proclaimed meme coins in the market, there is no doubt a continuum of offers and sales, some of which may be offers and sales of securities and some of which may not. But it seems far from clear that sophisticated efforts such as those described above, which may give rise to reasonable expectations of profits, are outside the norm. One wonders how many such coins were examined in order to draft the generalized descriptions of meme coins set out in the guidance.

Regardless, the individualized inquiry Howey requires simply cannot be reconciled with the staff’s conclusion that offers and sales of a vaguely defined category, consisting of hundreds of unique crypto assets, are generally not securities. This guidance is not a reasoned interpretation of existing law. It raises more questions than it answers about what a meme coin is and whether that is a definable or useful categorization for purposes of the existing securities laws. It boils down to a broad statement of general principles that provide little clarity or predictability to as to any given coin.

[4] See SEC v. W.J. Howey Co., 328 U.S. 293, 299 (1946) (citing legislative history).

[6] See, e.g., SEC v. Telegram Group Inc., 448 F. Supp. 3d 352, 365 (S.D.N.Y. 2020) (“Disclaimers, if contrary to the apparent economic reality of a transaction, may be considered by the Court but are not dispositive.” (citing SEC v. SG Ltd., 265 F.3d 42, 54 (1st Cir. 2001)).

[7] To establish a common enterprise, “[i]t is not necessary that the funds of investors are pooled; what must be shown is that the fortunes of the investors are linked with those of the promoters, thereby establishing the requisite element of vertical commonality.” SEC v. Eurobond Exch., 13 F.3d 1334, 1339 (9th Cir. 1994).

[8] See SEC Division of Corporation Finance, Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets (last updated July 5, 2024) (describing how creation, issuance, and other actions taken to “support [ ] market price” are relevant to a purchaser’s reasonable expectation of profit under Howey); Rashi Maheshwari, Why is PEPE Coin Rising? (Nov. 5, 2024) (“PEPE Coin uses a deflationary mechanism in which a small percentage of tokens gets burnt with each transaction. This mechanism helps to create scarcity and also increase the value of the left tokens over a period of time. Moreover, it uses a redistribution system in which a portion of every transaction is shared amongst the existing token holders which helps them to gather user engagement and long-term investments.”).

[10] See, e.g., Balestra v. ATBCOIN LLC, 380 F. Supp. 3d 340, 356 n.14 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (“Purchasers’ ability to resell [coins] on other exchanges also supports the conclusion that the coins are securities.”); SEC v. Grybniak, 2024 WL 4287222, at *9 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 24, 2024) (“Defendants’ promises to list OPP Tokens on secondary trading platforms, ensuring liquidity” supported purchasers’ reasonable expectations of profits based on the efforts of others).

MIL OSI USA News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Bitdeer Announces New US$20,000,000 Share Repurchase Program

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitdeer Technologies Group (“Bitdeer” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BTDR), a world-leading technology company for blockchain and high-performance computing, today announced that it has conducted share repurchase for a total amount of approximately US$9.0 million on February 27, 2025, fully utilizing its US$10,000,000 share repurchase program approved in September 2024. The board of directors of the Company has approved a new share repurchase program to repurchase up to additional US$20,000,000 worth of its Class A ordinary shares (“Shares”), effective from February 28, 2025 through February 28, 2026.

Under the new share repurchase program, Bitdeer may purchase its Shares through various means, including open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, any combination thereof or other legally permissible means in accordance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 10b5-1 and Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), Regulation M under the Exchange Act, as well as certain at market issuance sales agreements. The number of Shares repurchased and the timing of repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, price, trading volume and general market conditions, along with Bitdeer’s working capital requirements, general business conditions, compliance with applicable federal securities laws (including Regulation M), compliance with the Company’s obligations under the at market issuance sales agreements referred to above and other factors. Bitdeer’s board of directors will review the share repurchase program periodically, and may modify, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program at any time. The Company plans to fund repurchases from its existing cash balance. By gradually executing the share repurchase program, Bitdeer seeks to minimize the impact on its share price and generate greater long-term returns for its shareholders.

About Bitdeer Technologies Group

Bitdeer is a world-leading technology company for blockchain and high-performance computing. Bitdeer is committed to providing comprehensive computing solutions for its customers. The Company handles complex processes involved in computing such as equipment procurement, transport logistics, datacenter design and construction, equipment management, and daily operations. The Company also offers advanced cloud capabilities to customers with high demand for artificial intelligence. Headquartered in Singapore, Bitdeer has deployed datacenters in the United States, Norway, and Bhutan. To learn more, visit https://ir.bitdeer.com/ or follow Bitdeer on X @ BitdeerOfficial and LinkedIn @ Bitdeer Group.

Investors and others should note that Bitdeer may announce material information using its website and/or on its accounts on social media platforms, including X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Therefore, Bitdeer encourages investors and others to review the information it posts on the social media and other communication channels listed on its website.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “look forward to,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Bitdeer’s annual report on Form 20-F, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Bitdeer’s subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. Bitdeer specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise. Readers should not rely upon the information on this page as current or accurate after its publication date.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations
Orange Group
Yujia Zhai
bitdeerIR@orangegroupadvisors.com

Public Relations
BlocksBridge Consulting
Nishant Sharma
bitdeer@blocksbridge.com

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Kajeet Applauds School Districts’ Overwhelming Support for E-Rate Wi-Fi Hotspot Program Amid Congressional Review

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kajeet ^®, a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions for education, today celebrates the resounding endorsement from school districts nationwide for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program expansion to include Wi-Fi hotspots for off-campus use. This support was powerfully highlighted during a recent Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition webinar (recording available here), where education leaders underscored the transformative impact of the program on student access to digital learning resources.

The SHLB webinar, which addressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s initiative to enact a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the FCC’s June 2024 hotspot order, featured persuasive testimony from school district representatives.

Jill Hobson of Gainesville City Schools recounted poignant experiences, stating, “We had students completing homework in McDonald’s parking lots, as it was their only means of accessing the internet.” She further illustrated the program’s impact with a notable example: “One student, previously struggling academically, achieved grades of A’s and B’s after receiving a hotspot, at last able to stay on pace with her peers.” These narratives underscore a widely shared conviction among districts nationwide: dependable internet access has become an essential requirement for education, rather than a mere convenience.

Kajeet has long championed equitable access to education through its innovative connectivity solutions, partnering with schools to deploy secure, filtered Wi-Fi hotspots that meet E-Rate requirements. “We’ve seen firsthand how access to safe internet connectivity empowers students, especially in underserved communities,” said Ben Weintraub, CEO at Kajeet. “The overwhelming support from school districts during the SHLB webinar reinforces what we already know: this program is a lifeline for millions of students and families.”

Critics argue that student connectivity through school-provided hotspots could lead to unrestricted access to platforms like TikTok, but the data tells a different story. In 2024 alone, Kajeet’s advanced filtering technology blocked over 2.7 billion attempts to access TikTok on E-Rate-funded devices, reinforcing the effectiveness of these safeguards. According to Weintraub, “Digital equity shouldn’t come at the cost of student safety—Kajeet’s data-driven approach proves that both can go hand in hand.”

Despite this groundswell of support, the FCC’s Wi-Fi hotspot initiative faces uncertainty as Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senator Ted Cruz lead efforts to overturn the program via the CRA. It was also noted in the webinar recording that the program’s reversal would disproportionately harm rural and low-income students. “School districts are telling us loud and clear: E-Rate hotspots are working,” Weintraub said. Kajeet stands in solidarity with these voices, urging policymakers to preserve a program that has proven its value in closing the homework gap.

As a trusted partner to hundreds of school districts, Kajeet remains committed to supporting educational equity through technology. “We call on Senators to listen to the educators and students who rely on this program,” Weintraub added. “Their success stories are the true measure of E-Rate’s impact.”

For more information about Kajeet’s E-Rate solutions or to schedule an interview, please contact ljennings@kajeet.com.

About Kajeet
Kajeet provides optimized IoT connectivity, software and hardware solutions that deliver safe, reliable, and controlled internet connectivity to nearly 3,000 businesses, schools and districts, state and local governments, and IoT solution providers. Kajeet is the only managed IoT connectivity services provider in the industry to offer a scalable IoT management platform, Sentinel®, that includes complete visibility into real-time data usage, policy control management, custom content filters for added security and multi-network flexibility. To learn more, visit kajeet.com.

Media Contact:

Linda Jennings

Ljennings@kajeet.com

248-521-3606

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Central Command Announces New Chief Technology Officer

Source: United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

February 28, 2025
Release Number 20250228-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the hiring of Joy Shanaberger as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). She replaces Sky Moore, who, as a Navy Reservist, was mobilized to serve overseas.

The CTO advises the CENTCOM Commander on the implementation of cutting-edge innovations across CENTCOM’s operations.

“Sky Moore is national leader in defense innovation. Over the course of over two years as CENTCOM’s first CTO, Sky supercharged and mainstreamed innovation into the fabric of our warfighting culture in CENTCOM. From advances in digital technology integration, to the fast-tracking of AI and counter Unmanned Aircraft System (cUAS) to protect service members throughout the region, Sky leaves a lasting legacy impact here at CENTCOM and we wish her well in her next assignment for the Navy,” said CENTCOM commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla.

Joy Shanaberger joins CENTCOM as a dynamic leader with a background in defense and military innovation, most recently serving as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In Washington, D.C., she drove ambitious joint rapid production programs, increasing military capabilities through leap-ahead technology integration. Joy previously worked as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics, and was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Boone, a tech-enabled firm delivering intelligent automation and emerging technology to defense and intelligence communities. She holds an MBA from the George Washington School of Business.

“We are thrilled to welcome Joy to the CENTCOM team. With our continued focus on People, Partners and Innovation, Joy is the right person, at the right time, to enhance lethality and effectiveness in new ways throughout the CENTCOM region,” said Kurilla.

“Coming from a legacy of service, adaptability, and overcoming challenges, the opportunity to serve at CENTCOM and have a direct impact on the evolving character of warfare is a huge motivator,” said Shanaberger. “CENTCOM is the perfect proving ground to challenge, stress test, and scale innovation. Being able to serve at the tip of the spear epitomizes why I continue to say yes to public service.”

-30-

MIL Security OSI –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: SECU Foundation Honored with CCUF Hero Award for Partner in Philanthropy

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SECU Foundation has been named a recipient of the 2024 Carolinas Credit Union Foundation (CCUF) Hero Award for Partner in Philanthropy. The award honors the Foundation’s commitment and practices that exude philanthropic character and affirm the credit union People Helping People^® philosophy.

Established in 2004, SECU Foundation was created to help identify and address large scale community issues in the areas of education, housing, healthcare, and human services. It now stands as the largest charitable organization in the credit union industry and recently celebrated 20 years of impactful giving with commitments exceeding $300 million in grants, scholarships, and loans to benefit North Carolinians in all 100 counties of the state.

The funding for SECU Foundation is unique. State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) members who have an active SECU checking account may choose to contribute through the reallocation of their $1 monthly maintenance fee. Over 99% of those members participate in this concept referred to as The Power of a Dollar.

“We are honored to receive this award from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation,” said SECU Foundation Board Chair Chris Ayers. “I am always amazed by the impact one dollar a month can have in addressing community needs throughout our great state. We are pleased to partner with many wonderful non-profits that embody our People Helping People philosophy, and we are incredibly thankful for the generosity of SECU members that enables our Foundation to continue making a transformative impact for the people of our state.”

About SECU and SECU Foundation

A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, and federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), SECU has been providing employees of the state of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for 87 years. SECU is the second largest credit union in the United States with $53 billion in assets. It serves more than 2.8 million members through 275 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, Member Services Support via phone, www.ncsecu.org, and the SECU Mobile App. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high-impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $300 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.

Contact: Jama Campbell, Executive Director, secufoundation@ncsecu.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0206efcd-d5f2-44f4-bb33-918166b4d62a

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: LIS Technologies Inc. Appoints Distinguished Professor J. Gary Eden, Ph.D., as its Chairman of the Advisory Board for Laser Engineering and Innovation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, today announced that it has appointed Professor J. Gary Eden, Ph.D., as its Chairman of the Advisory Board for Laser Engineering and Innovation.

“It is a pleasure to be involved with such an innovative and highly impactful technology,” said Professor J. Gary Eden, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Laser Engineering and Innovation of LIS Technologies Inc. “I am excited to apply my expertise and in-depth knowledge of advanced laser technologies to help advance LIST’s proprietary, patented technology to its next stage of development and eventual commercialization. The technology holds numerous advantages over other enrichment schemes and will be crucial in ensuring that the roll-out of advanced nuclear technologies, such as Generation IV reactors, is successful.”

Professor Eden has authored more than 370 referred, archival publications and 106 awarded patents, is a member of multiple honorary organizations, and is a Fellow of the IEEE, Optica, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and SPIE. In 1975, he was appointed a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC). Professor Eden has demonstrated several powerful laser spectroscopic techniques that have resulted in the discovery of (for example) Rydberg series in the rare gas dimer molecules, the first observation of excitation spectra for the photoassociation of thermal atom pairs, and three body photoassociation.

As a research physicist in the Laser Physics Branch (Optical Sciences Division) of NRL from 1976 to 1979, he made several contributions to the area of visible and ultraviolet lasers and laser spectroscopy, including the co-discovery of the KrCl rare gas-halide excimer laser, and received a Research Publication Award (1979) for his work at NRL in which he co-discovered the proton beam pumped laser (Ar-N2, XeF). Since joining the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1979, he has been engaged in research in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, laser spectroscopy, and the discovery and development of ultraviolet and vacuum-ultraviolet lasers and lamps for applications in atomic clocks, laser fusion energy, and photochemical processing.

Figure 1 – LIS Technologies Inc. Appoints J. Gary Eden as its Chairman of the Advisory Board for Laser Engineering and Innovation.

He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, and Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Quantum Electronics. In 1998, Professor Eden served as President of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS), following earlier service as a member of the LEOS Board of Governors. Professor Eden received the LEOS Distinguished Service Award in 1996, was awarded the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000 and was named a LEOS Distinguished Lecturer for 2003-2005. Between 2015 and 2017, he also served as a Distinguished Lecturer for the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics.

He was awarded the C.E.K. Mees Medal of the Optical Society of America in 2007 and was the recipient of the Fulbright-Israel Distinguished Chair in the Natural Sciences and Engineering for 2007-2008. J. Gary Eden received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana. He is a co-founder of Eden Park Illumination and EP Purification.

“LIS Technologies has assembled an outstanding team of researchers and leaders to spearhead the revival of our proprietary technology,” said Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and President of LIS Technologies Inc. “Professor Eden is an ideal addition to this group, and I am delighted to welcome him to the team. His distinguished career sets a benchmark in the laser spectroscopy field, and I am confident that his role on our Advisory Board will allow us to harness his unique expertise. This will be instrumental in driving innovation and positioning the Company to accelerate the deployment of our technology.”

Professor Eden joins LIS Technologies as the Company builds on the growing momentum within the United States nuclear energy industry, having been selected on December 2024 as one of six companies to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program. This initiative allocates up to $3.4 billion overall, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years. LIST intends to leverage Professor Eden’s unique expertise to further refine and develop its proprietary laser-based technology. Optimized for both Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), it overcomes the limitations of traditional pulsed 16µm CO₂ lasers, featuring a streamlined design due to its lower absorption and shorter wavelength at 5.3µm. Demonstrated in the 1980s and 90s, this technology is protected by a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

“Professor Eden is one of the leading experts in molecular laser spectroscopy, dedicating his life to advancing innovative technologies across multiple disciplines,” said Christo Liebenberg, CEO of LIS Technologies Inc. “His addition is a significant endorsement of our ambitions and long-term strategy, and his decades of experience and extensive network will be invaluable as we continue developing our proprietary technologies. A reliable and abundant supply of enriched uranium is essential to the United States’ nuclear energy objectives, and I am confident Professor Eden will be instrumental in positioning the Company at the forefront of the industry.”

About LIS Technologies Inc.

LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) is a USA based, proprietary developer of a patented advanced laser technology, making use of infrared lasers to selectively excite the molecules of desired isotopes to separate them from other isotopes. The Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) has a huge range of applications, including being the only USA-origin (and patented) laser uranium enrichment company, and several major advantages over traditional methods such as gas diffusion, centrifuges, and prior art laser enrichment. The LIST proprietary laser-based process is more energy-efficient and has the potential to be deployed with highly competitive capital and operational costs. L.I.S.T is optimized for LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) for existing civilian nuclear power plants, High-Assay LEU (HALEU) for the next generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Microreactors, the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and applications in quantum computing manufacturing for semiconductor technologies. The Company employs a world class nuclear technical team working alongside leading nuclear entrepreneurs and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with government and private nuclear industries.

In 2024, LIS Technologies Inc. was selected as one of six domestic companies to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program. This initiative allocates up to $3.4 billion overall, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years. Each awardee is slated to receive a minimum contract of $2 million.

For more information please visit: LaserIsTech.com
For further information, please contact:
Email: info@laseristech.com
Telephone: 800-388-5492
Follow us on X Platform
Follow us on LinkedIn

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For LIS Technologies Inc., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by any worsening of global business and economic environment: (i) risks related to the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, loss of key individuals and uncertainty of success of patent filing, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy a competitive laser enrichment technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC. Only after successful completion of our Phase 2 Pilot Plant demonstration will LIS Technologies be able to make realistic economic predictions for a Commercial Facility. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

Attachment
- LIS Technologies Inc.
The MIL Network –
March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Castellum, Inc. Announces the Award of a $103.3 million Contract to its GTMR Subsidiary

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VIENNA, Va., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Castellum, Inc. (NYSE-American: CTM) (“Castellum” or “CTM”), a cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and software engineering services company focused on the federal government, announces that its Global Technology and Management Resources, Inc. (“GTMR”) subsidiary has been awarded a $103.3 million, five and one-half year contract for Special Missions Management of On-Site Services (“MOSS”) in support of the Naval Air Systems Command (“NAVAIR”) Program Office 290 (“PMA-290”) Special Missions. The contract consists of multiple Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (“ISR&T”) programs but not limited to, the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Family of Systems, P-8A Research and Development, SM Platforms, Minotaur Family of Services, P-8A Increment 3, P-8A Foreign Military Sales, MQ-4C Triton Multiple Intelligence, Mobile Quick Look, ground & mission support stations, and future capabilities.

This award represents the largest contract win in Castellum’s history and is expected to start next month. We will provide all aspects of the acquisition life cycle, including material solution analysis, technology development, engineering and manufacturing development, production and deployment, and operations support. This support encompasses engineering analysis and recommendations for technical, logistics, training, and acquisition life-cycle support for the ISR&T platforms and infrastructure, as well as their accompanying Ground Support Stations and classified network(s) entry facilities. With our leading-edge technology services and solutions, we will support the program maturation and integration of electronic warfare and special missions capabilities.

“We are building a strong and enduring foundation and winning culture here at Castellum and this major win and new opportunity reinforce the positive and powerful momentum our CTM Team continues to determinedly drive. As an industry leading technology services and solutions company, our CTM team could not be more proud and excited for this special opportunity to support our NAVAIR PMA-290 Special Missions customer as their trusted ‘go to’ prime contractor We are privileged and honored to be an essential part of their team and to help achieve their crucial mission to ensure our nation’s warfighters are armed with the most technologically advanced capabilities in the world and assure their success. And once again, it’s our remarkable team of outstanding CTM professionals who bring world-class skills, talent, experience, and dedication in these key technological domains, that make a very real and positive difference with their vital contributions to our all-important national security needs. This win reflects our uncompromising commitment to our people, our mission customers and our shareholders in our unrelenting pursuit of growing Castellum better and stronger in every way, for the long term. It also reflects the applied effectiveness of our renewed and re-energized organic growth strategy that we agilely and timely adjust based upon market conditions and the constantly evolving needs and capabilities requirements of our mission customers. I could not be more confident and encouraged for our CTM team as we look ahead,” said Glen Ives, President and Chief Executive Officer of Castellum.

About Castellum, Inc.

Castellum, Inc. (NYSE-American: CTM) is a cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and software engineering services company focused on the federal government – https://castellumus.com/.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events and can generally be identified by the use of statements that include words such as “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “shooting to,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “appears,” “goal,” “target” or similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s expectations for revenue growth and new customer opportunities, improvements to cost structure, and profitability. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s expectations for revenue growth and new customer opportunities including opportunities arising from its contracts with NAVAIR and other customers, improvements to cost structure, and profitability. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: the Company’s ability to compete against new and existing competitors; its ability to effectively integrate and grow its acquired companies; its ability to identify additional acquisition targets and close additional acquisitions; the impact on the Company’s revenue due to a delay in the U.S. Congress approving a federal budget, operating under a prolonged continuing resolution, government shutdown, or breach of the debt ceiling, as well as the imposition by the U.S. government of sequestration in the absence of an approved budget; the ability of the U.S. federal government to unilaterally cancel a contract with or without cause, and more specifically, the potential impact of the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization on government spending and terminating contracts for convenience. For a more detailed description of these and other risk factors, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) which can be viewed at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. The Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements made in this release or in any of its SEC filings except as may be otherwise stated by the Company.

Contact:
Glen Ives
President and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (703) 752-6157
info@castellumus.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0bfdbdc0-17de-4f32-a7b1-1494f3d330e5

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) Announces Launch of New Website: GreenRainEnergy.com

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) is pleased to announce the launch of its new official website, www.GreenRainEnergy.com. This platform will serve as the primary source for all corporate updates, project developments, and official filings.

GreenRainEnergy.com will provide shareholders, investors, and the public with real-time access to The Now Corporation’s latest initiatives, including its focus on renewable energy through Green Rain Solar Inc. and other key subsidiaries. The website will also feature direct links to all official social media channels, ensuring streamlined communication and easy access to company announcements.

“The launch of GreenRainEnergy.com reflects our commitment to transparency and engagement with our stakeholders,” said Alfredo Papadakis, CEO of The Now Corporation. “This website will be the central hub for corporate disclosures, project updates, regulatory filings, and social media connections.”

For more information, please visit www.GreenRainEnergy.com.

About The Now Corporation:
The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) is committed to advancing clean energy solutions through its subsidiary, Green Rain Solar Inc. Green Rain Solar focuses on urban rooftop solar installations and grid-connected power solutions, targeting markets with high energy costs. By combining state-of-the-art solar and battery technologies, The Now Corporation is dedicated to driving innovation and sustainability in renewable energy sector.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward- looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. This includes the possibility that the business outlined in this press release may not be concluded due to unforeseen technical, installation, permitting, or other challenges. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of The Now Corporation to differ materially from those expressed herein. Except as required under U.S. federal securities laws, The Now Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

For press inquiries, please contact:
Michael Cimino
Michael@pubcopr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13cff741-da70-4e9a-8a2d-3309c8b0f79f

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Inuvo, Inc. Announces Charles D. Morgan’s Retirement; Rob Buchner Joins Board

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inuvo, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV), a leading provider of artificial intelligence AdTech solutions, announced today that Charles D. Morgan has retired from the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) effective February 27, 2025. Mr. Morgan joined the Board in 2009 and has remained a significant investor in the Company. Concurrently with Mr. Morgan’s retirement, Rob Buchner was appointed, effective February 27^th, as a Class III Director of the Company to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Morgan’s departure.

Richard Howe, Chairman and CEO of Inuvo, stated, “Charles is a visionary leader who has shaped numerous successful companies, including industry giants like Acxiom and more recently, First Orion. His wisdom, vast experience, and sharp decision-making have been instrumental in building Inuvo into the company it is today. I want to express my profound appreciation for his service and leadership.”

Mr. Morgan commented, “Inuvo’s generative AI technology has the potential to revolutionize modern marketing, much like Acxiom’s consumer data did. It’s been a privilege to contribute to this evolution in audience discovery and targeting. Rich and the team have created something truly groundbreaking, and I’m excited to watch them continue to succeed.”

Mr. Howe added, “We are pleased to welcome Rob to our board. Rob’s impressive leadership experience at prominent agencies, including Campbell Mithun and Fallon Worldwide, where he was CEO and CMO, makes him a valuable addition to our Board. His expertise in founding and managing companies, as well as his track-record in business growth and transformation, will be a strong asset to Inuvo.”

Mr. Buchner remarked, “My interactions with Inuvo’s board and executives over the past six months have been incredibly exciting. Their talented team, innovative AI, and disruptive potential make this a truly compelling opportunity. I’m honored to be a part of Inuvo’s future and eager to contribute to its growth.”

Mr. Buchner is currently Chief Marketing Officer at Covet™, a fintech leveraging AI for personal asset management. Previously, he was CEO of Campbell Mithun (Interpublic Group), where he restructured the agency around data-driven marketing. Prior to that, Mr. Buchner was CMO of Fallon Worldwide, where he led business growth, adding $80 million in net recurring revenue. He also played a key role in developing Fallon’s digital and entertainment practices, earning acclaim for Amazon Theater and BMW Films. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

About Inuvo
Inuvo^®, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV) is a market leader in Artificial Intelligence built for advertising. Its IntentKey AI solution is a first-of-its-kind proprietary and patented technology capable of identifying and actioning to the reasons why consumers are interested in products, services, or brands, not who those consumers are. To learn more, visit www.inuvo.com.

Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including, without limitation risks detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and represent our views only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” in Inuvo, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 as filed on February 27, 2025, and our other filings with the SEC. Inuvo cannot provide assurances that the assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based will prove to have been correct. Should one of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements, and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Inuvo does not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Inuvo further expressly disclaims any written or oral statements made by a third-party regarding the subject matter of this press release. The information which appears on our websites and our social media platforms is not part of this press release.

Inuvo Company Contact:
Wally Ruiz
Chief Financial Officer
wallace.ruiz@inuvo.com

Investor Relations :
David Waldman / Natalya Rudman
Crescendo Communications, LLC
Tel: (212) 671-1020
inuv@crescendo-ir.com

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025

MIL-OSI: AMD Unveils Next-Generation AMD RDNA™ 4 Architecture with the Launch of AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 Series Graphics Cards

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today unveiled the highly-anticipated AMD RDNA™ 4 graphics architecture with the launch of the AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards as a part of the Radeon™ RX 9000 Series. The new graphics cards feature 16GB of memory and extensive improvements designed for high-quality gaming graphics, including re-vamped raytracing accelerators and powerful AI accelerators for ultra-fast, cutting-edge performance, and breakthrough gaming experiences.

In a YouTube livestream, David McAfee, CVP and GM, Ryzen CPU and Radeon Graphics AMD, was joined by Andrej Zdravkovic, SVP of GPU Technologies and Engineering and Chief Software Officer, AMD, as well as Andy Pomianowski, CVP of Silicon Design Engineering, AMD, to discuss the outstanding performance and value proposition of the Radeon RX 9000 Series. In a related event in Zhuhai, China, Jack Huynh, SVP of the Client and Graphics Group, AMD, led a regional event for the new products. Huynh was joined by David Wang, SVP of GPU Technology and Engineering, AMD, and Lanzhi Wang, Senior Director of Product Management, AMD. The celebration was also marked by a customer celebration with Darren Grasby, EVP and Chief Sales Officer, AMD; Spencer Pan, President of AMD China, and partners including Asrock, ASUS, Gigabyte, Sapphire, Tul, Vastarmor, Veston, and XFX.

“Today, we’re thrilled to unveil the AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 Series, a significant leap forward in graphics performance powered by our next-generation AMD RDNA™ 4 architecture,” said McAfee. “These GPUs are designed to meet the demands of today’s games, delivering enthusiast-class gaming experiences to gamers everywhere, while ready to support tomorrow’s innovations. Through the power of advanced AI and Raytracing accelerators, we’re not just improving frame rates – we’re fundamentally enhancing the gaming experience. Offering incredible performance, AI-powered features, and next-gen display support at competitive price points, the Radeon RX 9000 Series delivers exceptional value for gamers looking to upgrade their systems.”

The RX 9000 Series, powered by the new AMD RDNA™ 4 architecture, offers gamers and creators a powerful blend of performance, visuals, and value. These advanced graphics cards redefine incredibly fast, high-resolution gaming with third-generation raytracing technology enabling realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections to deliver immersive gaming experiences while integrating a suite of AMD features to maximize hardware utilization. Beyond gaming, the RX 9000 Series GPUs leverage new second-generation AI accelerators with up to 8x INT8 throughput per AI accelerator (for sparse matrices) to enhance creative applications and effectively run generative AI applications (vs. RDNA 3).¹ The RX 9000 Series GPUs also implement the newly redesigned AMD Radiance Display™ Engine & Enhanced Media Engine for broad display support and elevated quality in both recording and streaming.

Gaming For Today and Tomorrow
The Radeon RX 9000 Series unlocks new levels of performance while delivering a suite of new and enhanced features that improve the gaming experience. The Radeon RX 9070 Series offers 16GB of GDDR6 memory, allowing gamers to render the most exciting games of today and tomorrow at max settings. Compared to the previous generation RX 7900 GRE, the latest AMD Radeon RX 9070 is able to deliver over 20% more performance on average when gaming at 1440,² with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT extending that lead to over 40% on average.³

Both graphics cards make smart upgrades for gamers looking to future-proof their systems with a suite of next-gen features that will keep their experiences feeling fresh for years to come. Key features include:

Unified AMD RDNA™ 4 Compute Units – Features up to 64 advanced AMD RDNA™ 4 compute units delivering up to 40% higher gaming performance than the previous-generation AMD RDNA™ 3 architecture.³
High-Performance Raytracing – With 3^rd generation Raytracing Accelerators, AMD RDNA 4 is able to deliver over 2x the Raytracing throughput per compute unit when compared to our previous generation.¹ Gamers with the latest AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series are ready for immersive gaming experiences with high-quality graphics, including realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections.
Supercharged AI Acceleration – 2^nd Generation AI Accelerators received several enhancements, allowing AMD RDNA™ 4 to efficiently process advanced AI models much faster than what was possible with RDNA 3,⁴ through a combination of additional math pipelines for AI calculations, expanding the capabilities of the AI Accelerator to support new emerging data types such as FP8, and support for inference optimization techniques such as structured sparsity. These changes deliver up to 8x INT8 throughput per AI accelerator (for sparse matrices) per compute unit vs the previous generation.¹
AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution Technology 4 (FSR 4) – AMD’s new cutting-edge ML-powered upscaling technology delivers high-quality boosted frames under even the most demanding workloads, such as 4K gaming with maximum raytracing settings and will be supported in over 30 games at launch.
Innovative suite of features through HYPR-RX – Gamers can instantly improve their experience by activating AMD HYPR-RX and the suite of features within AMD Software, including AMD Radeon™ Super Resolution, AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2.1, AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag, and AMD Radeon™ Boost. These features can all be tailored to gamers’ hardware and preferences within AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ to drive increased FPS, responsiveness and efficiency.
AI-Enhanced AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ Application – A new suite of software and resources designed to deliver an industry-leading AI user experience with AMD Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards. Keep your drivers and AI software up to date with the new Software Manager. Find the answers to your questions about all things AMD or create free and private text and images with AMD Chat. Discover, download and install new and exciting AMD-partnered AI applications with the App Portal, and leverage AI to improve software quality with the AMD Image Inspector.
Ready for Next-Generation Displays – AMD Radiance Display™ Engine supports the latest DisplayPort™ 2.1a and HDMI^® 2.1b connections, enabling ultra-high resolutions and refresh rates up to 8K 144Hz, with 12-bit HDR and full REC2020 Color Space for incredible color accuracy. Paired with AMD FreeSync™ technology, gamers can enjoy tear-free, stutter-free gaming experiences on over 4000 compatible displays, including upcoming 4K 240Hz and 8K 144Hz DisplayPort™ 2.1 monitors.⁵

ML-Powered AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 4 (AMD FSR 4) Upgrade

Available exclusively on AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 Series graphics cards, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ adds a new easy-to-use AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 4 (AMD FSR 4) Upgrade feature that helps maximize performance at maximum quality in over 30 games at launch, with 75 coming later this year. AMD FSR 4 delivers a substantial image quality improvement over AMD FSR 3.1 upscaling, with the new ML-based algorithm helping to improve temporal stability, better preserve detail, and reduce ghosting.
Utilizing features already built into the AMD FidelityFX™ API added when game developers integrate AMD FSR 3.1 into their games, AMD FSR 4 enables an easy upgrade for supported FSR 3.1 games and can be combined with existing in-game AMD FSR 3.1 advanced frame-generation and AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag 2 for ultra-smooth, ultra-responsive gaming at incredible frame rates on AMD Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards.
The new ML-accelerated AMD FSR 4 upscaling algorithm is trained using high-quality ground truth game data on AMD Instinct™ Accelerators and uses the hardware-accelerated FP8 Wave Matrix Multiply Accumulate (WMMA) feature of the AMD RDNA™ 4 architecture to ensure maximum upscaling quality while still providing a substantial game performance boost.

AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series Product Specifications

Model	Compute Units	GDDR6	Game Clock (GHz)	Boost Clock⁶ (GHz)	Memory Interface	Infinity Cache	TBP	Price (USD SEP)
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT	64	16 GB	2.4	Up to 3.0	256-bit	64 MB	304W	$599
AMD Radeon RX 9070	56	16 GB	2.1	Up to 2.5	256-bit	64 MB	220W	$549

Pricing and Availability
AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series graphics cards are expected to be available from leading board partners including Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, PowerColor, Sapphire, Vastarmor, XFX and Yeston beginning March 6^th, 2025. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has an SEP of $599 USD, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 has an SEP of $549 USD.

Supporting Resources

Learn more AMD Radeon Graphics cards here
Learn about RDNA 4 here
Learn more about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution here
Follow AMD on LinkedIn
Follow AMD on X

About AMD
For more than 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies. Billions of people, leading Fortune 500 businesses and cutting-edge scientific research institutions around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work and play. AMD employees are focused on building leadership high-performance and adaptive products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, LinkedIn and X pages.

Cautionary Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) such as the features, functionality, performance, availability, timing and expected benefits of AMD products including the AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 Series graphics cards, which are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are commonly identified by words such as “would,” “may,” “expects,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “projects” and other terms with similar meaning. Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on current beliefs, assumptions and expectations, speak only as of the date of this press release and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. Such statements are subject to certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond AMD’s control, that could cause actual results and other future events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. Material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, without limitation, the following: Intel Corporation’s dominance of the microprocessor market and its aggressive business practices; Nvidia’s dominance in the graphics processing unit market and its aggressive business practices; competitive markets in which AMD’s products are sold; the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry; market conditions of the industries in which AMD products are sold; AMD’s ability to introduce products on a timely basis with expected features and performance levels; loss of a significant customer; economic and market uncertainty; quarterly and seasonal sales patterns; AMD’s ability to adequately protect its technology or other intellectual property; unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations; ability of third party manufacturers to manufacture AMD’s products on a timely basis in sufficient quantities and using competitive technologies; availability of essential equipment, materials, substrates or manufacturing processes; ability to achieve expected manufacturing yields for AMD’s products; AMD’s ability to generate revenue from its semi-custom SoC products; potential security vulnerabilities; potential security incidents including IT outages, data loss, data breaches and cyberattacks; uncertainties involving the ordering and shipment of AMD’s products; AMD’s reliance on third-party intellectual property to design and introduce new products; AMD’s reliance on third-party companies for design, manufacture and supply of motherboards, software, memory and other computer platform components; AMD’s reliance on Microsoft and other software vendors’ support to design and develop software to run on AMD’s products; AMD’s reliance on third-party distributors and add-in-board partners; impact of modification or interruption of AMD’s internal business processes and information systems; compatibility of AMD’s products with some or all industry-standard software and hardware; costs related to defective products; efficiency of AMD’s supply chain; AMD’s ability to rely on third party supply-chain logistics functions; AMD’s ability to effectively control sales of its products on the gray market; long-term impact of climate change on AMD’s business; impact of government actions and regulations such as export regulations, tariffs and trade protection measures; AMD’s ability to realize its deferred tax assets; potential tax liabilities; current and future claims and litigation; impact of environmental laws, conflict minerals related provisions and other laws or regulations; evolving expectations from governments, investors, customers and other stakeholders regarding corporate responsibility matters; issues related to the responsible use of AI; restrictions imposed by agreements governing AMD’s notes, the guarantees of Xilinx’s notes and the revolving credit agreement; impact of acquisitions, joint ventures and/or strategic investments on AMD’s business and AMD’s ability to integrate acquired businesses; our ability to complete the acquisition of ZT Systems; impact of any impairment of the combined company’s assets; political, legal and economic risks and natural disasters; future impairments of technology license purchases; AMD’s ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; and AMD’s stock price volatility. Investors are urged to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in AMD’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to AMD’s most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

© 2025 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, AMD RDNA, FidelityFX, Radeon, Ryzen, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Certain AMD technologies may require third-party enablement or activation. Supported features may vary by operating system. Please confirm with the system manufacturer for specific features. No technology or product can be completely secure.

¹ Based on specifications of AMD RDNA 4 architecture compared to AMD RDNA 3 architecture as of December 2024. RX-1143
² Testing done by AMD performance labs February 2025, on a test system configured with Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32 GB DDR5-6000 Memory, Windows 11 Pro and Radeon RX 9070 (Driver 25.3.1 RC 31) vs. a similarly configured system with an RX 7900 GRE (Driver 25.3.1 RC31) comparing gaming performance at 4K in the following applications: Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12, Ultra), Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12, RT Ultra), Assassin’s Creed Mirage (DX12, Ultra High), F1 24 (DX12, Ultra High), F1 24 (DX12, Ultra High RT), Starfield (DX12, Ultra), Far Cry 6 (DX12, Ultra), Far Cry 6 (DX12, Ultra RT), Forza Horizon 5 (DX12, Extreme), Forza Horizon 5 (DX12, RT Extreme), Watch Dogs Legion (DX12, Ultra), Watch Dogs Legion (DX12, RT Ultra), Horizon Forbidden West (DX12, Maxed), Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (DX12, Maxed), God of War: Ragnarok (DX12, Ultra), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (DX12, Extreme), DOOM Eternal (Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare), DOOM Eternal (Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare RT), Total War: Warhammer 3 (DX11, Ultra), Dying Light 2 (DX12, High), Dying Light 2 (DX12, High Raytracing), Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High), Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High w/Med RT), Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (DX12, Ultra), Hitman 3 (DX12, Ultra), Hitman 3 (DX12, Ultra RT), The Witcher 3 (DX12, Ultra+), The Witcher 3 (DX12, RT Ultra), Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (DX12, Extreme), Black Myth: Wukong (DX12, Cinematic), Black Myth: Wukong (DX12, Cinematic RT) Baldur’s Gate 3 (DX11, Ultra), Ghost of Tsushima (DX12, Very High), Star Wars Outlaws (DX12, Ultra RT), Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (DX12, Ultra), Control (DX12, High), Control (DX12, High RT), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (DX12, Ultra), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (DX12, Ultra RT), Resident Evil 4 (DX12, Max), Resident Evil 4 (DX12, Max RT), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (DX12, Maxed), Marvel’s Spiderman 2 (DX12, Maxed RT), Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (DX12, Ultra), The Last of Us: Part 1 (DX12, Ultra), S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (DX12, Epic), Final Fantasy XVI Demo (DX12, Ultra). Testing conducted with latest game builds as of February 5, 2025 (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, The Last of Us: Part 1, and Forza Horizon 5 using latest builds as of February 14th, 2025). System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RX-1176.
³ Testing done by AMD performance labs February 2025, on a test system configured with Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32 GB DDR5-6000 Memory, Windows 11 Pro and Radeon RX 9070 XT (Driver 25.3.1 RC 31) vs. a similarly configured system with an RX 7900 GRE (Driver 25.3.1 RC31) comparing gaming performance at 4K in the following applications: Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12, Ultra), Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12, RT Ultra), Assassin’s Creed Mirage (DX12, Ultra High), F1 24 (DX12, Ultra High), F1 24 (DX12, Ultra High RT), Starfield (DX12, Ultra), Far Cry 6 (DX12, Ultra), Far Cry 6 (DX12, Ultra RT), Forza Horizon 5 (DX12, Extreme), Forza Horizon 5 (DX12, RT Extreme), Watch Dogs Legion (DX12, Ultra), Watch Dogs Legion (DX12, RT Ultra), Horizon Forbidden West (DX12, Maxed), Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (DX12, Maxed), God of War: Ragnarok (DX12, Ultra), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (DX12, Extreme), DOOM Eternal (Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare), DOOM Eternal (Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare RT), Total War: Warhammer 3 (DX11, Ultra), Dying Light 2 (DX12, High), Dying Light 2 (DX12, High Raytracing), Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High), Alan Wake 2 (DX12, High w/Med RT), Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (DX12, Ultra), Hitman 3 (DX12, Ultra), Hitman 3 (DX12, Ultra RT), The Witcher 3 (DX12, Ultra+), The Witcher 3 (DX12, RT Ultra), Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (DX12, Extreme), Black Myth: Wukong (DX12, Cinematic), Black Myth: Wukong (DX12, Cinematic RT) Baldur’s Gate 3 (DX11, Ultra), Ghost of Tsushima (DX12, Very High), Star Wars Outlaws (DX12, Ultra RT), Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (DX12, Ultra), Control (DX12, High), Control (DX12, High RT), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (DX12, Ultra), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (DX12, Ultra RT), Resident Evil 4 (DX12, Max), Resident Evil 4 (DX12, Max RT), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (DX12, Maxed), Marvel’s Spiderman 2 (DX12, Maxed RT), Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (DX12 Ultra), The Last of Us: Part 1 (DX12, Ultra), S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (DX12, Epic), Final Fantasy XVI Demo (DX12, Ultra). Testing conducted with latest game builds as of February 5, 2025 (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, The Last of Us: Part 1, and Forza Horizon 5 using latest builds as of February 14th, 2025). System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RX-1179.
⁴ Testing by AMD, as of February 2025 using Amuse 2.3.15 and Procyon 2.10.1542 64. Models used: SD 1.5, SDXL, ComputerVision FP16, and FLUX Schnell. System configuration: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB 6000 MT/s DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD with an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU vs. a similarly configured system with a Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU. Driver 25.3.1 RC 31. Performance may vary. RX-1168.
⁵ AMD FreeSync/FreeSync Premium/FreeSync Premium Pro technology requires AMD Radeon graphics and a display certified by AMD. See www.amd.com/freesync for complete details. Confirm capability with your system or display manufacturer before purchase. GD-127.
⁶ Boost Clock Frequency is the maximum frequency achievable on the GPU running a bursty workload. Boost clock achievability, frequency, and sustainability will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to: thermal conditions and variation in applications and workloads. GD-151.

Contact:
Stacy MacDiarmid
AMD Communications
+1 512-658-2265
Stacy.MacDiarmid@amd.com

Matt Ramsay
AMD Investor Relations
+1 512-496-0197
Matthew.Ramsay@amd.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d4e6957f-0945-483c-9795-cf97039270b9

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025

MIL-OSI: Fluent Announces Unaudited Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Financial Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Revenue of $65.4 million for Q4 2024 and $254.6 million for FY 2024
Q4 2024 Commerce Media Solutions revenue grew 139% to $17.2 million (26% of consolidated revenue) from $7.2 million (10% of revenue) in Q4 2023 with gross profit margin (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) of 39% in Q4 2024 compared to 21% for the consolidated business
Commerce Media Solutions annual revenue run rate currently exceeds $60 million, representing a 20% quarter-over-quarter increase, which demonstrates strong traction in executing a strategic pivot to a fast-growing market

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT), a commerce media solutions company, today reported unaudited results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. These results are preliminary and subject to ongoing audit procedures.

Donald Patrick, Fluent’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “In the fourth quarter and full year 2024 we continued to execute on our strategic pivot into our Commerce Media Solutions business. As part of this repositioning, we discontinued the ACA business in the third quarter of 2024, and due to a change in estimate driven by a higher than anticipated attrition rate partly related to the continuing impacts of regulatory challenges in the marketplace, we recorded a write-down of accounts receivables and an equal offset of revenue of $2.5 million in Q4. The impact of this $2.5 million write-down is reflected equally in consolidated revenue, gross profit, and net loss. Most important, the core driver to our evolving business model – Commerce Media Solutions – is performing exceptionally well, with revenue increasing 139% year-over-year to $17.2 million in the fourth quarter, and 284% over full year 2023 to $41.3 million supported by the addition of top-tier media partners throughout 2024. With our visibility today, we expect to continue the trend of triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth of our Commerce Media Solutions business in 2025.”

Mr. Patrick concluded, “We are pleased with the increasing momentum of our growth strategies this year and are confident about the trajectory of our business as we build a more predictable, profitable and valuable business over time.”

Fourth Quarter Highlights (Unaudited)

Revenue of $65.4 million, a decrease of 10.1% compared to $72.8 million in Q4 2023.
- Owned and Operated revenue decreased 23% to $38.2 million compared to $49.9 million in Q4 2023 as the Company executed its shift in focus and revenue mix to higher margin Commerce Media Solutions
- Commerce Media Solutions revenue increased 139% to $17.2 million compared to $7.2 million in Q4 2023
Net loss of $3.4 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to net loss of $1.9 million, or $0.14 per share, for Q4 2023. Net loss represented 5.2% of revenue for Q4 2024.
Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) of $13.9 million, a decrease of 33.3% over Q4 2023 and representing 21% of revenue. The Company’s growing Commerce Media Solutions business reported gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) of $6.7 million, representing 39% of revenue, for Q4 2024, up from 18% of revenue in Q4 2023.
Media margin of $16.5 million, a decrease of 31.4% over Q4 2023 and representing 25.3% of revenue. The Company’s growing Commerce Media Solutions business reported media margins of 39.3% for Q4 2024, up from 18.5% in Q4 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA of negative $1.7 million, a decrease of $4.2 million compared to Q4 2023 and representing 2.6% of revenue
Adjusted net loss of $3.3 million, or $0.18 per share, compared to adjusted net loss of $0.4 million, or $0.03 per share, for Q4 2023
Revenue, net loss, gross profit, media margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss were all impacted by a $2.5 million write-down during the fourth quarter associated with the previously discontinued ACA business. This write-down caused adjusted EBITDA to be negative for the quarter.

Full-Year 2024 Highlights (Unaudited)

Revenue of $254.6 million, a decrease of 14.7% compared to $298.4 million in 2023.
- Owned and Operated revenue decreased 29% to $168.4 million compared to $235.7 million in 2023 as the Company executed its shift in focus and revenue mix to higher margin Commerce Media Solutions
- Commerce Media Solutions revenue increased 284% to $41.3 million compared to $10.7 million in 2023
Net loss of $29.3 million, or $1.80 per share, compared to net loss of $63.2 million, or $4.59 per share, for the prior year. Net loss represented 11.5% of revenue for 2024.
Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) of $60.8 million, a decrease of 22.6% over 2023 and representing 24% of revenue. The Company’s growing Commerce Media Solutions business reported gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) of $14.3 million, representing 35% of revenue, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, up from 8% of revenue, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Media margin of $72.5 million, a decrease of 20.6% over prior year and representing 28.5% of revenue. The Company’s growing Commerce Media Solutions business reported media margins of 35.1% for 2024, up from 8.5% for 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA of negative $5.6 million, a decrease of $12.4 million compared to 2023 and representing 2.2% of revenue
Adjusted net loss of $18.5 million, or $1.14 per share, compared to adjusted net income of $7.2 million, or $0.52 per share, for the prior year

Media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income are non-GAAP financial measures, as defined and reconciled below.

Business Outlook & Goals

Further establish Fluent’s Commerce Media Solutions business as a leader in the performance marketing sector among both media partners and advertisers to capitalize on the growing demand for this advertising channel across numerous high volume market verticals.
Drive double-digit revenue growth, improvement in net loss as compared to 2024, and positive adjusted EBITDA for full-year 2025 supported by the growth of Fluent’s Commerce Media Solutions. These improvements are expected to occur in the second half of 2025 as Commerce Media Solutions continues to scale as a percentage of consolidated revenue.
Leverage 14-year leadership position at the forefront of customer acquisition and robust database of first-party user data to differentiate Fluent from competitors in the commerce media space.

Update on SLR Credit Facility

On January 30, 2025, we entered into a letter agreement with Crystal Financial LLC D/B/A SLR Credit Solutions, as administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner (“SLR”), pursuant to which SLR extended the deadline for delivery of the compliance certificate required under the credit agreement for the fiscal month ended December 31, 2024, and the related notice of default, to March 4, 2025, while the parties negotiate a fourth amendment to the credit agreement.

While we expect to enter into a fourth amendment to the credit agreement, there can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into definitive agreements for such amendment prior to March 4, 2025 or that such deadline will be extended if we are unable to enter into any such agreement. We have not always met our projections in recent quarters, and we do not expect to be in compliance with the existing financial covenants during the next twelve months under our current credit agreement. In the near term, we expect we will need to raise additional capital, but there can be no assurance that additional capital will be available when needed.

The financial statements included in our Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2024 contained a note expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern over the subsequent twelve months. This determination will be reevaluated at the issuance date of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 based on the status of the credit agreement, as potentially amended, in place at that time, our anticipated ability to satisfy covenants contained in such agreement, and other factors consistent with GAAP.

Conference Call

Fluent, Inc. will host a conference call on Friday, February 28, 2025, at 9:00 AM ET to discuss its 2024 fourth quarter and full-year financial results. The conference call can be accessed by phone after registering online at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI37035592191f4c689c3ed890713040ab. The call will also be webcast simultaneously on the Fluent website at https://investors.fluentco.com/. Following the completion of the earnings call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available for those unable to participate. To listen to the telephone replay, please connect via https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/rudtccas. The replay will be available for one year, via the Fluent website https://investors.fluentco.com.

About Fluent, Inc.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT) is a commerce media solutions provider connecting top-tier brands with highly engaged consumers. Leveraging diverse ad inventory, robust first-party data, and proprietary machine learning, Fluent unlocks additional revenue streams for partners and empowers advertisers to acquire their most valuable customers at scale. Founded in 2010, Fluent uses its deep expertise in performance marketing to drive monetization and increase engagement at key touchpoints across the customer journey. For more insights visit http://www.fluentco.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The matters contained in this press release may be considered to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations or anticipations of Fluent and members of our management team. Factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the following:

Compliance with a significant number of governmental laws and regulations, including those regarding telemarketing, text messaging, privacy, and data;
The financial impact of compliance changes to our business, including changes to our employment opportunities marketplace and programmatic advertising businesses, and whether and when our competitors will implement similar changes;
The outcome of litigation, regulatory investigations, or other legal proceedings in which we are involved or may become involved;
Failure to safeguard the personal information and other data contained in our database;
Unfavorable publicity and negative public perception about the digital marketing industry;
Failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights or allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights;
Unfavorable global economic conditions, including as a result of health concerns, terrorist attacks or civil unrest;
Dependence on our key personnel and ability to attract or retain employees;
Dependence on and liability related to actions of third-party service providers;
A decline in the supply or increase in the price of media available;
Ability to compete in an industry characterized by rapidly-evolving standards and internet media and advertising technology;
Failure to compete effectively against other online marketing and advertising companies or respond to changing user demands;
Competition for web traffic and dependence on third-party publishers, internet search providers and social media platforms for a significant portion of visitors to our websites;
Dependence on emails, text messages, and telephone calls, among other channels, to reach users for marketing purposes;
Credit risk from certain clients;
Limitations on our or our third-party publishers’ ability to collect and use data derived from user activities;
Ability to remain competitive with the shift to mobile applications;
Failure to detect click-through or other fraud on advertisements;
Fluctuations in fulfillment costs;
Dependence on the gaming industry;
Failure to meet our clients’ performance metrics or changing needs;
Pricing pressure by certain clients and the ability of our marketplace to respond through allocating traffic to higher paying clients;
Compliance with the covenants of our credit agreement in light of current business conditions, the current uncertainty of which raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern;
Our likely need to raise capital to address non-compliance with covenants in our credit agreement with SLR and/or otherwise fund our operations;
Ability to timely enter into a fourth amendment to the credit agreement with SLR;
Potential limitations on the use of the revolving credit line under our credit agreement to fund operating expenses based on the amount and character of accounts receivable at any given time and our ability to meet our financial forecast;
Potential for failures in our internal control over financial reporting;
Ability to maintain listing of our securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market; and
Management of the growth of our operations, including international expansion and the integration of acquired business units or personnel.

These and additional factors to be considered are set forth under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fluent undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results or expectations.

FLUENT, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited)

	December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	9,439		$	15,804
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $487 and $231, respectively		46,532			56,531
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		8,729			6,071
Restricted cash		1,255			—
Total current assets		65,955			78,406
Property and equipment, net		304			591
Operating lease right-of-use assets		1,570			3,395
Intangible assets, net		21,797			26,809
Goodwill		—			1,261
Other non-current assets		3,991			1,405
Total assets	$	93,617		$	111,867
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Accounts payable	$	8,776		$	10,954
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		21,905			30,534
Deferred revenue		556			430
Current portion of long-term debt		31,609			5,000
Current portion of operating lease liability		1,836			2,296
Total current liabilities		64,682			49,214
Long-term debt, net		250			25,488
Convertible Notes, at fair value with related parties		3,720			—
Operating lease liability, net		9			1,699
Other non-current liabilities		1			1,062
Total liabilities		68,662			77,463
Contingencies
Shareholders’ equity:
Preferred stock — $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 Shares authorized; Shares outstanding — 0 shares for both periods		—			—
Common stock — $0.0005 par value, 200,000,000 Shares authorized; Shares issued — 20,791,431 and 14,384,936, respectively; and Shares outstanding — 20,022,836 and 13,616,341, respectively		47			43
Treasury stock, at cost — 768,595 and 768,595 shares, respectively		(11,407	)		(11,407	)
Additional paid-in capital		447,110			427,286
Accumulated deficit		(410,795	)		(381,518	)
Total shareholders’ equity		24,955			34,404
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	93,617		$	111,867

(1) Debt classification conforms to presentation at September 30, 2024, which was based on the Company not expecting to be in compliance with certain financial covenants under its credit agreement during certain quarters in the twelve months following the issuance date of the September 30, 2024 financial statements. This classification will be reevaluated at the issuance date of the Company’s audited financial statements as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 and for fiscal years then ending.

FLUENT, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited)

	Three Months Ended December 31,						Year Ended December 31,
	2024			2023			2024			2023
Revenue	$	65,407		$	72,761		$	254,623		$	298,399
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		51,503			51,924			193,821			219,884
Sales and marketing ⁽¹⁾		3,917			5,122			17,317			18,576
Product development ⁽¹⁾		3,600			4,390			17,281			18,454
General and administrative ⁽¹⁾		9,409			10,343			37,697			35,334
Depreciation and amortization		2,419			2,764			9,926			10,876
Goodwill and intangible assets impairment		—			—			2,241			55,405
Total costs and expenses		70,848			74,543			278,283			358,529
Loss from operations		(5,441	)		(1,782	)		(23,660	)		(60,130	)
Interest expense, net		(1,038	)		(784	)		(4,749	)		(3,204	)
Fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes, with related parties		1,140			—			(1,670	)		—
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			(1,009	)		—
Loss before income taxes		(5,339	)		(2,566	)		(31,088	)		(63,334	)
Income tax (expense) benefit		1,909			667			1,811			116
Net loss	$	(3,430	)	$	(1,899	)	$	(29,277	)	$	(63,218	)
Basic and diluted loss per share:
Basic	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.14	)	$	(1.80	)	$	(4.59	)
Diluted	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.14	)	$	(1.80	)	$	(4.59	)
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic		18,352,940			13,827,339			16,259,943			13,770,356
Diluted		18,352,940			13,827,339			16,259,943			13,770,356

(1) Amounts include share-based compensation expense as follows:
Sales and marketing	$	55		$	124		$	218		$	543
Product development		65			141			239			626
General and administrative		360			526			1,506			2,640
Total share-based compensation expense	$	480		$	791		$	1,963		$	3,809

FLUENT, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Amounts in thousands) (unaudited)

	Year Ended December 31,
	2024			2023
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss	$	(29,277	)	$	(63,218	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		9,926			10,876
Non-cash loan amortization expense		1,371			426
Non-cash gain on contingent consideration		(250	)		—
Non-cash loss on early extinguishment of debt		1,009			—
Share-based compensation expense		1,970			3,756
Fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes, with related parties		1,670			—
Goodwill impairment		1,261			55,405
Impairment of intangible assets		980			—
Allowance for credit losses		401			124
Deferred income taxes		(276	)		(145	)
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of business acquisition:
Accounts receivable		9,473			6,509
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		(3,211	)		(2,565	)
Other non-current assets		(51	)		325
Operating lease assets and liabilities, net		(325	)		(330	)
Accounts payable		(2,178	)		4,764
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		(5,878	)		(6,088	)
Deferred revenue		313			(584	)
Other		(1,032	)		(1,117	)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(14,104	)		8,138
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Business acquisition/consolidation, net of cash acquired		—			(1,250	)
Capitalized costs included in intangible assets		(6,198	)		(5,838	)
Acquisition of property and equipment		(13	)		(25	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(6,211	)		(7,113	)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of debt financing costs		65,440			—
Repayments of long-term debt		(68,228	)		(10,000	)
Debt financing costs		(1,875	)		(532	)
Proceeds from issuance of warrants		12,627			—
Proceeds from exercise of warrants		2			—
Proceeds from Convertible Notes, with related parties		2,050			—
Proceeds from Direct Offering		5,189			—
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of vesting of restricted stock units		—			(236	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		15,205			(10,768	)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash		(5,110	)		(9,743	)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period		15,804			25,547
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period	$	10,694		$	15,804

Definitions, Reconciliations and Uses of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following non-GAAP measures are used in this release:

Media margin is defined as that portion of gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) reflecting variable costs paid for media and related expenses and excluding non-media cost of revenue. Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) represents revenue minus cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization). Media margin is also presented as a percentage of revenue.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), excluding (1) income taxes, (2) interest expense, net, (3) depreciation and amortization, (4) share-based compensation expense, (5) loss on early extinguishment of debt, (6) accrued compensation expense for Put/Call Consideration, (7) goodwill impairment, (8) impairment of intangible assets, (9) loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment, (10) fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes with related parties, (11) acquisition-related costs, (12) restructuring and other severance costs, and (13) certain litigation and other related costs.

Adjusted net income is defined as net income (loss) excluding (1) Share-based compensation expense, (2) loss on early extinguishment of debt, (3) accrued compensation expense for Put/Call Consideration, (4) goodwill impairment, (5) impairment of intangible assets, (6) loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment, (7) fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes with related parties (8) acquisition-related costs, (9) restructuring and other severance costs, and (10) certain litigation and other related costs. Adjusted net income is also presented on a per share (basic and diluted) basis.

Below is a reconciliation of media margin from gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization), which we believe is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

	Three Months Ended December 31,						Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except percentages)	2024			2023			2024			2023
Revenue	$	65,407		$	72,761		$	254,623		$	298,399
Less: Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		51,503			51,924			193,821			219,884
Gross Profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		13,904			20,837			60,802			78,515
Gross Profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) % of revenue		21	%		29	%		24	%		26	%
Non-media cost of revenue ⁽¹⁾		2,644			3,275			11,710			12,785
Media margin	$	16,548		$	24,112		$	72,512		$	91,300
Media margin % of revenue		25.3	%		33.1	%		28.5	%		30.6	%

(1) Represents the portion of cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) not attributable to variable costs paid for media and related expenses.

Below is a reconciliation of media margin from gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization), which we believe is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure, for Commerce Media Solutions.


	Three Months Ended December 31,						Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except percentages)	2024			2023			2024			2023
Revenue	$	17,235		$	7,211		$	41,267		$	10,745
Less: Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)		10,501			5,921			26,988			9,895
Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)	$	6,734		$	1,290		$	14,279		$	850
Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) % of revenue		39	%		18	%		35	%		8	%
Non-media cost of revenue ⁽¹⁾		32			43			193			62
Media margin	$	6,766		$	1,333		$	14,472		$	912
Media margin % of revenue		39.3	%		18.5	%		35.1	%		8.5	%

(1) Represents the portion of cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) not attributable to variable costs paid for media and related expenses.

Below is a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA from net income (loss), which we believe is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

	Three Months Ended December 31,						Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)	2024			2023			2024			2023
Net loss	$	(3,430	)	$	(1,899	)	$	(29,277	)	$	(63,218	)
Income tax expense (benefit)		(1,909	)		(667	)		(1,811	)		(116	)
Interest expense, net		1,038			784			4,749			3,204
Depreciation and amortization		2,419			2,764			9,926			10,876
Share-based compensation expense		480			798			1,970			3,756
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			1,009			—
Goodwill impairment		—			—			1,261			55,405
Impairment of intangible assets		—			—			980			—
Fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes, with related parties		(1,140	)		—			1,670			—
Acquisition-related costs ⁽¹⁾		833			1,044			2,083			2,745
Restructuring and certain severance costs		—			—			1,821			456
Certain litigation and other related costs		—			(329	)		—			(6,311	)
Adjusted EBITDA	$	(1,709	)	$	2,495		$	(5,619	)	$	6,797

(1) Balance includes compensation expense related to non-competition agreements and earn-out expense incurred as a result of business combinations. The earn-out expense was ($57) and $345 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $110 and $434 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Below is a reconciliation of adjusted net income and the related measure of adjusted net income per share from net income (loss), which we believe is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure.

	Three Months Ended December 31,						Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except share and per share data)	2024			2023			2024			2023
Net loss	$	(3,430	)	$	(1,899	)	$	(29,277	)	$	(63,218	)
Share-based compensation expense		480			798			1,970			3,756
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			1,009			—
Goodwill impairment		—			—			1,261			55,405
Impairment of intangible assets		—			—			980			—
Fair value adjustment of Convertible Notes, with related parties		(1,140	)		—			1,670			—
Acquisition-related costs ⁽¹⁾		833			1,044			2,083			2,745
Restructuring and certain severance costs		—			—			1,821			456
Certain litigation and other related costs		—			(329	)		—			(6,311	)
Adjusted net income (loss)	$	(3,257	)	$	(386	)	$	(18,483	)	$	(7,167	)
Adjusted net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	(0.18	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(1.14	)	$	(0.52	)
Diluted	$	(0.18	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(1.14	)	$	(0.52	)
Adjusted weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic		18,352,940			13,827,339			16,259,943			13,770,355
Diluted		18,352,940			13,827,339			16,259,943			13,770,355

We present media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income as supplemental measures of our financial and operating performance because we believe they provide useful information to investors. More specifically:

Media margin, as defined above, is a measure of the efficiency of the Company’s operating model. We use media margin and the related measure of media margin as a percentage of revenue as primary metrics to measure the financial return on our media and related costs, specifically to measure the degree by which the revenue generated from our digital marketing services exceeds the cost to attract the consumers to whom offers are made through our services. Media margin is used extensively by our management to manage our operating performance, including evaluating operational performance against budgeted media margin and understanding the efficiency of our media and related expenditures. We also use media margin for performance evaluations and compensation decisions regarding certain personnel.

Adjusted EBITDA, as defined above, is another primary metric by which we evaluate the operating performance of our business, on which certain operating expenditures and internal budgets are based and by which, in addition to media margin and other factors, our senior management is compensated. The first three adjustments represent the conventional definition of EBITDA, and the remaining adjustments are items recognized and recorded under U.S. GAAP in particular periods but might be viewed as not necessarily coinciding with the underlying business operations for the periods in which they are so recognized and recorded. These adjustments include certain litigation and other related costs associated with legal matters outside the ordinary course of business. We consider items one-time in nature if they are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual and have not occurred in the past two years or are not expected to recur in the next two years, in accordance with SEC rules. There were no adjustments for one-time items in the periods presented.

Adjusted net income, as defined above, excludes certain items that are recognized and recorded under U.S. GAAP in particular periods but might be viewed as not necessarily coinciding with the underlying business operations for the periods in which they are so recognized and recorded. We believe adjusted net income affords investors a different view of the overall financial performance of the Company than adjusted EBITDA and the U.S. GAAP measure of net (loss) income.

Media margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted net income per share are non-GAAP financial measures with certain limitations regarding their usefulness. They do not reflect our financial results in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. Accordingly, these metrics are not indicative of our overall results or indicators of past or future financial performance. Further, they are not financial measures of profitability and are neither intended to be used as a proxy for the profitability of our business nor to imply profitability. The way we measure media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies and may not be identical to corresponding measures used in our various agreements.

Annual Revenue Run Rate

Annual Revenue Run Rate is an operational metric that represents the annualized revenue of the Company’s media partnerships at current monetization levels, as of the end of the reporting period. The Company calculates Annual Revenue Run Rate as follows:

Media partners within Commerce Media Solutions with an active contract are assessed and assigned an annual media volume estimate based on the active term of the contract and the monetization rate at the end of the reporting period. The Company considers a media partner contract to be active when the contractual term commences (the “start date”) until its right to serve the partner’s commerce traffic ends. Even if the contract with the customer is executed before the start date, the contract will not count toward Annual Revenue Run Rate until the media partner’s right to receive the benefit of the services has commenced.
As Annual Revenue Run Rate includes only contracts that are active at the end of the reporting period, it does not reflect assumptions or estimates regarding new business. For contracts expiring within 12 months of the period-end calculation date, Annual Revenue Run Rate does reflect expectations of renewal.
The Company’s Commerce Media Solutions platform provides the technology to effectively monetize the partner’s media by placing relevant ads at a contracted moment of consumer engagement. Although from inception to date, improvements in the platform’s AI-powered technology have consistently driven increased rates of monetization, for the purpose of Annual Revenue Run Rate, the Company assumes a consistent monetization level to that as measured on each media partner at the end of the reporting period.

The way the Company measures Annual Revenue Run Rate may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies and should not be viewed as a projection of future revenue.

Contact Information:
Investor Relations
Fluent, Inc.
InvestorRelations@fluentco.com

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025

MIL-OSI: SailPoint Announces Date of Fiscal Q4 and Full Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SailPoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIL), a leader in enterprise identity security, will report its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results before the US markets open on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

SailPoint will host a conference call that day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results. A live webcast of the conference call and the financial results press release will be available on SailPoint’s website at https://investors.sailpoint.com.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available on the investor relations website for one year.

About SailPoint
SailPoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIL) equips the modern enterprise to seamlessly manage and secure access to applications and data through the lens of identity – at speed and scale. As a category leader, we continuously reinvent identity security as the foundation of the secure enterprise. SailPoint delivers a unified, intelligent, extensible platform built to defend against today’s dynamic, identity-centric cyber threats while enhancing productivity and efficiency. SailPoint helps many of the world’s most complex, sophisticated enterprises create a secure technology ecosystem that fuels business transformation.

Investor Relations Contact
Scott Schmitz, SVP IR
ir@sailpoint.com

Media Relations Contact
Samantha Person, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Samantha.Person@sailpoint.com

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Bitget Spreads Kindness This Ramadan by Providing 100,000 Meals to Those in Need

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, is partnering with world-renowned humanitarian organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency, UN World Food Programme, ShareTheMeal, and the One Billion Meals Endowment, to distribute up to 100,000 meals to individuals in need during Ramadan. This initiative targets vulnerable communities in regions facing significant challenges, aiming to alleviate hunger during the holy month.

Each meal will support families and individuals during the holy month. The effort is strengthened by contributions from the Bitget community, emphasizing collective action and compassion. To achieve the fundraising target, Bitget has introduced initiatives encouraging participation from users, VIP clients, and influencer partners.

Bitget will first pledge 10,000 meals to the people in need, followed by a series of Iftar dinners in key locations, including Dubai and Istanbul, fostering unity and philanthropy. Attendees can contribute through donations, with Bitget matching each dollar raised. Exclusive auctions featuring memorabilia from partnerships with La Liga will also contribute to the fundraising, and Bitget will direct all proceeds toward the cause. 100% of the proceeds will go towards the fundraiser.

“Ramadan is a time for generosity and unity,” said Vugar Usi Zade, COO of Bitget. “By leveraging our global network, we aim to create a meaningful impact in communities facing adversity. This initiative demonstrates kindness from the crypto space and aligns with our mission to drive positive change through collaborative efforts.”

The campaign, featuring the 10,000-meal pledge from Bitget, donation matching, and exclusive auctions, will be supported by local teams organizing community engagement events. It is set to launch on the first day of Ramadan, in alignment with the Islamic calendar.

About Bitget

Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM market, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a48343fc-044d-45ce-afe2-a4ff26395657

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “A Journey into the World of Research and Discovery”: HSE Introduces Schoolchildren to Become Future Professionals

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

© Higher School of Economics

On Science Day, the Higher School of Economics hosted a ceremonial event, “Initiation into Future Professionals,” for 10th-grade students in the pre-professional education projects, “Engineering Class in a Moscow School,” “IT Class in a Moscow School,” “Entrepreneurial Class in a Moscow School,” and “Media Class in a Moscow School.”

At the HSE Culture Center Laboratory of Media Communications in Education met almost three hundred tenth-graders — participants of the project “Media class in a Moscow school”. Director of strategic work with applicants, Deputy Vice-Rector Alexander Chepovsky opened Science Day with the following words: “Science is not just a set of facts and theories. It is a fascinating journey into the world of research, experiments and discoveries. Each of you has the opportunity to become a part of it. We hope that Science Day will inspire you to new achievements and help you discover the world of media. Do not be afraid to experiment and try new things. Each of you is unique, and it is your individuality that will make this world brighter and more interesting. Set ambitious goals and always strive for new heights. You are the future of the media industry, and we believe that you can change this world for the better. I wish you good luck and hope to see your achievements!” He also invited everyone to get acquainted with the prospects of studying at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, after which a series of interesting and useful speeches were held for the visitors.

Deputy Dean Faculty of Creative Industries Tatyana Tikhomirova spoke about media programs and training areas, as well as about the teachers, many of whom are active media specialists. Press Secretary of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Oleg Voloshin held a master class, where he examined cases of media coverage of research by scientists who ensure the health of astronauts working in orbit. In addition, a media quiz prepared by Anastasia Chesnokova, an expert of the Laboratory of Media Communications in Education, helped the children test their knowledge gained during their studies in media classes.

The initiation into future professionals for students of Moscow’s entrepreneurship classes began in the atrium of the main building of the HSE on Pokrovsky Boulevard, 11. Director Center for Academic Development of Students of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Andrey Kozhanov gave an opening speech, after which congratulatory letters were read from the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Higher School of Economics, Alexander Shokhin, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All-Russian Public Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurship “OPORA RUSSIA” Sergey Borisov.

On behalf of the business, the participants were congratulated by the Director of Innovation and Ecosystem Development at Wildberries

However, Science Day did not end with this fiery dance. According to the already established tradition, four business trainings were organized for schoolchildren.

1. General Director of the Prospect company Olga Barinova held a unique master class on the topic of “Creating and implementing a business idea,” focusing specifically on the implementation of creative ideas.

2. Lyudmila Bulavkina, serial entrepreneur, business angel, strategic consultant and leading expert at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, conducted a training session in a game format called “Roles in Business, Roles in a Team”.

3. Angelina Akatova, business trainer of the department for work with educational organizations of the Wildberries company

4. Co-owner of the IT company RiskProf Alexander Bragin told schoolchildren in accessible language about the opportunities that the use of neural networks in business opens up today.

The icing on the cake was the speeches of the finalists of the Science for Life conference (in the Step into Business nomination) 2023 Alena Adoratskikh and Veronika Gileva (school No. 1799) and student MIEF, graduates of Irina Balberova’s entrepreneurship class.

MIEM HSE hosted more than 200 tenth-graders from six Moscow schools participating in the projects “Engineering Class in a Moscow School” and “IT Class in a Moscow School”, who immersed themselves in the world of advanced technologies and engineering professions.

The official part of the ceremony was opened by the performance of the Russian anthem. The Vice-Rector and Director of MIEM HSE Dmitry Kovalenko addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He congratulated the schoolchildren on the Day of Russian Science, noted the importance of engineering and IT specialties in the modern world and invited them to continue their education within the walls of the university.

Leading specialists from HSE partner companies, such as ScanEx Group, Aquarius, and YADRO, as well as MIEM employees, spoke to the participants. They presented current trends in engineering, geoinformatics, IT, computer technology, and artificial intelligence, shared professional insights, and talked about the in-demand competencies of the future.

The program also included an intellectual quiz “Interesting facts from the engineering and IT industry”, the winners of which received souvenirs from the university. The event ended with a lecture “Professions of the Future and AI”, which aroused keen interest among the audience.

Throughout the day, there was a thematic photo zone where schoolchildren could take memorable photos with the HSE symbol – a crow.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: AGM Group Holdings Inc. Announces Strategic Partnership with HashBeaver to Drive Blockchain and AI Innovation

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Beijing, Feb. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGM Group Holdings Inc. (“AGM Holdings” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: AGMH), an integrated technology company specializing in the assembling and sales of high-performance hardware and computing equipment, announced today a strategic partnership agreement (the “Agreement”) with HashBeaver, a cloud mining platform in the digital currency financial sector. This collaboration aims to join AGM Holdings’ mining resources in Canada alongside HashBeaver’s expertise in computing power services to advance innovations in Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence (“AI”) services.

The partnership marks a pivotal step in AGM Holdings’ strategy for sustainable growth and technological leadership. By integrating AGM Holdings’ robust infrastructure with HashBeaver’s innovative cloud mining solutions, the collaboration will focus on 1) increasing the scale and efficiency of Bitcoin mining operations; 2) developing AI-driven blockchain solutions; and 3) promoting sustainable and transparent practices within the industry.

Pursuant to the Agreement, AGM Holdings and HashBeaver agree to harness AGM Holdings’ abundant mining resources in Canada to support large-scale Bitcoin mining initiatives. The partnership also plans to expand HashBeaver’s cloud computing capabilities to meet growing demand for sustainable and efficient solutions. Furthermore, the two companies aim to develop innovative AI and blockchain applications for diverse industries.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the partnership could generate over 2 Exahash (EH)/s of additional computing power, significantly boosting both companies’ operational capacity.

Dr. Zhu Bo, CEO of AGM Holdings, commented, “This partnership represents a significant milestone in AGM’s journey towards sustainable growth and innovation. By collaborating with HashBeaver, we believe we are well poised to deliver groundbreaking solutions in blockchain and AI, creating substantial value for both our shareholders and clients.”

Harry Li, CEO of HashBeaver, added, “We are excited to join forces with AGM Holdings to enhance our cloud mining offerings and drive technological advancements in the blockchain space. This partnership will unlock new opportunities and fuel exceptional growth in the digital asset industry.”

About HashBeaver

HashBeaver is engaged in cloud mining services, dedicated to revolutionizing the digital currency landscape. The company provides solutions for digital asset management, catering to both individual and institutional clients. As a recipient of strategic investment from MinerVa Semiconductor, a cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer, HashBeaver continues to push the boundaries of innovation in computing power services. HashBeaver’s mission is to build secure, transparent, and compliant blockchain infrastructures. Through its global operations and strong emphasis on sustainability, HashBeaver empowers clients to achieve efficient and profitable digital asset management.

About AGM Group Holdings Inc.

AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) is an integrated technology company specializing in the assembling and sales of high-performance hardware and computing equipment. With a mission to become a key participant and contributor in the global blockchain ecosystem, AGMH focuses on the research and development of blockchain-oriented Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips, the assembling and sales of high-end crypto miners for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For more information, please visit www.agmprime.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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

For more information, please contact:

AGM Group Holdings Inc.
Email: ir@agmprime.com
Website: http://www.agmprime.com

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

The MIL Network –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: The third wave of selection of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence is starting

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

The Ministry of Economic Development is launching a competitive selection of the “third wave” of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence.

February 28, 2025

Previous news Next news

The Ministry of Economic Development is launching a competitive selection of the third wave of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Grants to universities and research organizations for scientific research in the field of artificial intelligence technology development for the period 2025–2026 will be distributed within the framework of the federal project “Artificial Intelligence” of the national project “Data Economy”. The four-year cycle of work of six research centers of the first wave ended at the end of 2024.

“President Vladimir Putin set the task of ensuring the availability of our own developments of a new generation of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that this is one of the key conditions for the scientific, technological and ideological sovereignty of the country. To strengthen breakthrough scientific discoveries within the third wave, at least six research centers will be selected, which will be allocated about 4.5 billion rubles in grants. They will focus on the development of strong AI, technology forecasting and attracting industrial partners, forming a basis for fundamental scientific research and accelerating the emergence of innovative solutions that can provide Russian science with leading positions in the world,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

In particular, the new centers will work in such areas as “Elements of Strong AI”, “Control, Decisions, Agent/Multi-Agent Systems”, “Fundamental and Generative Models”, and others.

The specific achievements of the recipients of support will contribute to the development of the potential of Russian science and the technological growth of the economy, noted First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Maxim Kolesnikov.

“The task of the research centers is to conduct breakthrough scientific research at the world level. Each center that passes the selection procedure will be able to receive about 336 million rubles in 2025, and up to 422 million rubles in 2026. At the same time, the volume of extra-budgetary co-financing should be at least 30% annually,” commented Maxim Kolesnikov.

He expressed confidence that it would be possible to support the best teams with the most ambitious programs. On the instructions of the President, support for research centers in the field of AI will continue until 2030.

The first wave of selection of research centers in the field of AI took place in 2021 within the framework of the federal project “Artificial Intelligence” of the national program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation”. Six scientific and educational organizations received state support for the implementation of programs in the field of AI: Skoltech, Innopolis University, ITMO University, HSE University, MIPT and V.P. Ivannikov Institute of System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The total amount of support exceeded 8 billion rubles.

Research center staff have published 165 articles on AI topics in first quartile journals indexed in WoS/Scopus systems, made 206 publications at A* level conferences in the field of artificial intelligence, and created and maintain 15 frameworks.

Research centers, together with 36 industrial partners, including Sber, Yandex, MTS, Gazprom Neft, Sibur, KhimRar, and Kaspersky Lab, have already launched about 50 applied solutions.

As part of the second wave of selection of research centers, programs of industry centers in the field of AI were supported at the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, S.P. Korolev Samara University, MEPhI, N.I. Lobachevsky UNN, St. Petersburg State University, and Novosibirsk State University.

Expert support for the competitive selection and subsequent support for the implementation of research center activity programs will be provided by the Strategic Agency for Support and Formation of AI Developments, a project office created on the basis of the Skolkovo Foundation. You can get advice on preparing applications for the competition by contacting the e-mail address aicenters3@sk.ru.

Documentation for participation in the selection is posted on the portal Rinse. Bujet.gh.ru.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA ADVISORY: 20th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK FAIR

Source: US State of Hawaii

MEDIA ADVISORY: 20th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK FAIR

Posted on Feb 27, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

KA ʻOIHANA PILI KĀLEPA

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

NADINE Y. ANDO

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

20^th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK FAIR

MEDIA ADVISORY

What: National Consumer Protection Week Fair

When: Thursday, March 7, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Where: Fourth Floor of the Hawai‘i State Capitol

Details: National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) will take place March 3 – 9, 2024 and serves as a significant annual event dedicated to raising awareness about consumer rights and educating the public on avoiding frauds and scams. NCPW is a time when government agencies, consumer protection groups and organizations work together to share information on these important issues. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) is sponsoring the 20th Annual NCPW Fair in Hawai‘i.

Attendees will have the chance to connect with more than two dozen vendors offering practical solutions and resources for protecting consumer rights. This fair is a unique opportunity for citizens to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed decisions, safeguard their finances and protect their families online. By attending, individuals contribute to the collective effort toward building a more informed and resilient community. For more details on what to expect and footage from previous years, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyHhCnpYHb0.

Entry to the state Capitol: The state Capitol has implemented increased security measures. All visitors entering the Capitol are required to go through metal detection screening from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. All visitors may enter the Capitol through three entry points: Two at street level (elevator Cores 1 and 3) which are located at the Diamond Head makai and ʻEwa mauka corners of the Capitol Rotunda, and through the main basement entrance. Please arrive early to allow extra time to go through the security checkpoints.

# # #

Media Contact:

Communications Office
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Phone: 808-586-2760
Email: [email protected]

MIL OSI USA News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 28 February 2025 Donors making a difference: community engagement to promote, provide and protect the health and well-being of all

Source: World Health Organisation

WHO defines community engagement as “a process of developing relationships that enable stakeholders to work together to address health-related issues and promote well-being to achieve positive health impact and outcomes”.

WHO’s partners and donors support the Organization to work in this area as there are undeniable benefits to engaging communities in promoting health and well-being. At its core, community engagement enables changes in behaviour, environments, policies, programmes and practices within communities.

Below are some country stories that demonstrate the breadth of community engagement work that WHO conducts, resulting in more positive health outcomes for the people in these communities than before.

Uganda trains district health workers on community-based approach to Ebola

^{Uganda trains Community Health workers from Kole, Mukono and Wakiso districts on community-based approach to Ebola. Photo by: WHO/Sadat Kamugisha}

Uganda’s Ministry of Health conducted a training on Ebola disease detection and management for Community Health Workers representatives from Kole, Wakiso, and Mukono districts. Participants focused on multi-sectoral action to safeguard communities from emerging zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential such as Ebola.

Communities play an integral role in raising awareness, supporting case identification, tracing contacts, and maintaining essential health services. The emphasis on collaboration with local leaders, volunteers, and health workers is vital for effective responses to public health emergencies. Building on lessons learned from past health crises, Uganda has already made substantial advancements in emergency preparedness.

The three-day event was supported by WHO, and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), which is a UK aid project funded by the Department of Health and Social care. The community protection approach is a central component of WHO’s new Health emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and resilience framework.

Visit the WHO/Uganda web page to read the full story.

Community engagement for access to health services in Lao PDR

^{CONNECT team members discuss community health priorities in Khammouane Province, Lao PDR. Photo by: WHO/Enric Catala}

Developed by the Lao Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs in response to COVID-19 with the support of WHO and partners, the CONNECT initiative enhances local governance and community engagement for equitable access to public services, particularly health.

Supported by USAID, the Australian Government and Luxembourg, as of July 2024, CONNECT reached over 230 villages across 10 provinces (including Vientiane Capital) and support already in-place for expansion to all provinces.

An external evaluation of implementation in 12 villages found an increase in essential service uptake for maternal health and improved attitudes towards using primary care; increased trust in health providers; increased sense of ownership of health at community level; and increased vaccination uptake and confidence, especially among ethnic groups and previously unreached communities.

Visit the WHO/WPRO web page to read the full story.

Côte d’Ivoire community radios boost public awareness on mpox outbreak

^{Community radios, pillar of the fight against mpox. Photo by: WHO/Toiherou De Marfere Sidibe}

A network of community radio stations, known as Radio Santé, comprises 350 stations in West African, with over half based in Côte d’Ivoire. Launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with major support from WHO, Radio Santé has become a preferred channel for disseminating reliable, verified health information. It brings together nearly 1000 journalists and communications specialists.

Radio Santé is an interactive and accessible tool for mobilizing communities around health issues, throughout Côte d’Ivoire and across borders. Health authorities use Radio Santé to counter rumours and misinformation, and to strengthen community engagement, which is crucial to curbing the spread of diseases such as mpox.

After WHO declared mpox as a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024, Radio Santé devoted its health talk show to mpox. 185 Ivorian community radio stations have since broadcasted messages on mpox. Over 50 programmes have been produced and broadcast in eight countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Visit the WHO/Côte d’Ivoire web page to read the full story.

Bolivia strengthens social participation in health for indigenous population

^{Indigenous organizations are clear about their requests. They want free and equitable access to health care, an improved indigenous health network, incorporation of traditional medicine, and the consideration of the indigenous population’s culture, customs, and practices. Photo by: WHO/PAHO}

The Ministry of Health and Sports of Bolivia is engaging indigenous populations in community participation processes, creating space for them to discuss health topics, share concerns, and contribute to a health improvement plan.

The meaningful inclusion and engagement of indigenous populations in health policy planning, taking into account the social determinants of health, is critical to ensure context-specific interventions, uptake of guidance and services, and positive health outcomes for all.

PAHO/WHO, through the Universal Health Coverage Partnership, has supported the Ministry of Health and Sports of Bolivia in this endeavour since 2021. The UHC Partnership operates in over 125 countries, representing over 3 billion people. It is supported and funded by Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and WHO

Visit the PAHO/AMRO web page to read the full story.

Weaving hope in Honduras: the community wisdom that saves lives

^{Maternal health in Honduras Hermelinda shares her experience. Photo by: WHO/Honduras}

In Honduras, high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality are often the result of multiple factors, including socioeconomic barriers, lack of access to adequate healthcare services, gaps in education and awareness about maternal and child health, and cultural differences.

Hermelinda Hernández, who is familiar with the local practices and beliefs of her community and also recognizes the value of professional medical interventions, participated in the “Knowledge Dialogues Methodology” workshop organized by the Honduran Ministry of Health with the support of PAHO/WHO and funded by Global Affairs Canada.

The workshop aimed to promote mutual understanding between midwives and healthcare providers to reach agreements that improve the health of women, and adolescent girls in situations of vulnerability within the community.

Visit the PAHO/AMRO web page to read the full story.

Grassroots heroes in Cambodia

^{Mrs Say Sa with her Baby in Cambodia’s Principal of Health Centre Kok Chuk. Photo by: Aforative media}

In Cambodia, village chiefs stepped up to create a healthier future for their communities. In villages across 25 provinces, 2000 village chiefs and nearly 5400 village health support groups received trainings, organised by the Ministry of Heath with support from WHO and the EU.

This equipped the chiefs with knowledge and skills necessary to control transmission of COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory diseases, and collaborate with authorities more closely on health issues facing their communities.

The chiefs then shared their newfound knowledge during community dialogues, which then transformed how community members adopted healthier practices. Empowered with accurate information, communities embraced protective measures during times of high COVID-19 transmission.

Visit the WHO/WPRO web page to read the full story, and more on EU’s support to WHO in ASEAN region.

Bolstering public awareness to help curb mpox spread in Uganda

Dr Kenneth Kabali, WHO Field Coordinator for Busoga Sub-region sensitizes the community on mpox in Mayuge district, Eastern Uganda. Photo by: WHO/Abdu Mutwalibu Seguya

Uganda witnessed an upsurge in mpox cases, with laboratory-confirmed cases increasing from 24 as of 21 September to 413 as of 7 November 2024. Health authorities, with support from WHO and partners, worked closely with communities to raise awareness about the dangers of the disease and how to stay safe, and address misinformation and stigma.

The risk communication and community engagement team reached more than 100 fishmongers, fisherfolk, boda boda (motorbike taxi) riders, 8000 school children and 30 sex workers. In addition, 500 teachers in the district have been oriented on mpox.

WHO is also using mass media to expand the reach of mpox response communication. With funding from USAID, WHO has contracted 10 regional radio stations and 2 national TV stations to raise awareness and promote preventative behaviour.

Visit the WHO/AFRO web page to read the full story.

Combating measles: a comprehensive community-centred approach in Ethiopia

^{Combating measles, a comprehensive community-centred approach in Ethiopia. Photo by: WHO/Hassen Ali}

In the districts of Sidama, Central, and South Ethiopia, access to healthcare is often challenging, exacerbated by various health emergencies. A community-led initiative made remarkable progress in combating measles, malaria, and malnutrition through collaborative efforts between local health facilities, community health workers, and government agencies.

The initiative received significant financial support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) bolstering community-based intervention efforts.

By leveraging collaboration between healthcare facilities, community health workers, and local communities, this initiative represents a beacon of hope in improving healthcare access and outcomes in regions of Ethiopia.

Visit the WHO/Ethiopia web page to read the full story.

WHO races to contain malaria resurgence in southeastern Iran

^{Malaria resurgence in Iran. Photo by: WHO/Iran}

A race against time is underway in southeastern Iran, where the resurgence of malaria threatens to undo years of progress. The dramatic rise in cases has been attributed to the devastating floods in neighbouring Pakistan in September 2022 which led to an expansion of malaria breeding sites.

WHO, with crucial support from the Government of Japan, is on the ground in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, battling this public health emergency and working to protect vulnerable communities. Japan’s generous contribution provided 4902 mosquito dome tents offering families protection from infected mosquitos, 50 000 malaria rapid diagnostic tests enabling health care workers to quickly identify and treat infected individuals, and 1655 kg of insecticides, deployed to contain mosquito populations at their source. The combined resources are estimated to benefit 77 400 people in the province.

In December 2024, a WHO mission observed a proactive approach to malaria control demonstrated by local health workers as they conducted house-to-house screenings, distributed mosquito nets and educated communities on how to use them.

Visit the WHO/Iran web page to read the full story.

Mali: screening for malnutrition in affected children to avoid complications

^{Screening for malnutrition in affected children to avoid complications, Mali. Photo by: WHO/Razzack Saizonou}

Malnutrition among children is one of the main health problems that the affected populations of Ségou had to face after severe floods hit Mali between July and October 2024. Having lost everything including their food reserves and their means of subsistence, people found themselves in a very precarious situation.

Among the more than 370,000 people affected by these floods, children, who represent 45% of the affected population, are particularly vulnerable. To enable access to health care, WHO, with thanks to the Central Emergency Response Fund, supported the deployment of mobile clinics on relocation sites.

In the Ségou region, three sites were set up and equipped with medical tents. Medical staff go there five times a month. Between July and October 2024, nearly 700 children suffering from malnutrition were identified in the three health districts of the Ségou region.

Visit the WHO/Mali web page to read the full story in French.

Effective community engagement saving lives in Tanzania during cholera outbreak

^{Abdul Zachari, a young man is washing his hands. Photo by: WHO/Clemence Eliah}

The recurrence of Cholera outbreaks has been a threat to many lives in the United Republic of Tanzania for decades now. In mid-2024, situation reports from the Ministry of Health indicated that, the outbreak have been reported in 19 regions of Tanzania Mainland. Thanks to flexible funding available for responding to outbreaks such as this, WHO has been able to support the Government’s efforts to control cholera outbreaks. Risk Communications and Community Engagement (RCCE) Experts worked on the ground delivering an intensive community sensitization in over 92 households and 32 villages . The joint and community-based action plan against Cholera outbreak was built jointly, this way enhancing 54 community members and local authorities from the affected wards and districts. The community engagement strategies adopted generate local solutions tailored to control and prevent further transmissions in these areas. In addition, WHO applied behavioral science approaches to guide tailored interventions to community protection and resilience – and as a result, enhancing many lives in Tanzania.

Visit the WHO/Tanzania web page to read the full story.

* * * *

Read more about the WHO’s community engagement work.

The donors and partners acknowledged in this story are (in alphabetical order) Australia, Belgium, Canada, the European Union (ECHO), France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, and the USA Agency for International Development.

WHO’s work is made possible through all contributions of our Member States and partners. WHO thanks all donor countries, governments, organizations and individuals who are contributing to the Organization’s work, with special appreciation for those who provide fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

March 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Nikki Merritt to Host Press Conference on Family and Workforce Justice Agenda
Source: US State of Georgia

ATLANTA (February 28, 2025) — Today, February 28, at 1:00 p.m., Sen. Nikki Merritt (D–Grayson) will host a press conference to discuss her Family and Workforce Justice Agenda. During the press conference, the senator will roll out priorities and outline her agenda for the remainder of the 2025 legislative session.

EVENT DETAILS:
- Date: Friday, February 28, 2025
- Time: 1:00 p.m.
- Where: Georgia State Capitol, South Steps, 206 Washington St., Atlanta, GA 30334
- This event is open to the public.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:

# # # #

Sen. Nikki Merritt represents the 9^th Senate District which includes portions of Gwinnett County. She may be reached at (404) 463-2260 or via email at nikki.merritt@senate.ga.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –
March 1, 2025

Category: Machine Learning

How I got into science

Where did I end up?

What I am researching

Time Perspective Effects

How my research is structured

What I am proud of

What We Learned About Goal Setting

My dream as a scientist

What areas of science could I study?

If I hadn’t become a scientist

How I use artificial intelligence

Who would I like to meet?

How my typical day is structured

Do I get burnout?

What are my hobbies besides science?

What does sport give?

What I read recently

Advice to young scientists

Favorite place in Moscow

Favorite place in Irkutsk

Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North

Updates to this page

The Ministry of Economic Development is launching a competitive selection of the “third wave” of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence.

MEDIA ADVISORY: 20th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK FAIR

Uganda trains district health workers on community-based approach to Ebola

Community engagement for access to health services in Lao PDR

Côte d’Ivoire community radios boost public awareness on mpox outbreak

Bolivia strengthens social participation in health for indigenous population

Weaving hope in Honduras: the community wisdom that saves lives

Grassroots heroes in Cambodia

Bolstering public awareness to help curb mpox spread in Uganda

Combating measles: a comprehensive community-centred approach in Ethiopia

WHO races to contain malaria resurgence in southeastern Iran

Mali: screening for malnutrition in affected children to avoid complications

Effective community engagement saving lives in Tanzania during cholera outbreak