NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: HM Land Registry Chair’s letter

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    Correspondence

    HM Land Registry Chair’s letter

    This letter sets out the government’s expectations and priorities for HM Land Registry over the coming year.

    Applies to England and Wales

    Documents

    HM Land Registry Chair’s letter

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    HM Land Registry Chair’s letter

    PDF, 578 KB, 6 pages

    Details

    The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, has written to the Chair of the HM Land Registry Board, Neil Sachdev, to set out his priorities for HMLR in delivering their role in registering and protecting land and property ownership and supporting an efficient property market.

    A Chair’s letter is issued annually to ensure there is a clear set of expectations of HM Land Registry’s leadership. This letter includes a number of key areas of focus for HMLR to support the government’s policy priorities, missions and Plan for Change.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Urges End to All U.S. Tariffs on Canada, Cooperation Amongst Both Countries to Grow Worker Prosperity

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement calling for an end to all Canadian tariffs:

    “The IAM Union strongly urges President Trump to end all tariff actions against Canada, one of our closest allies, without delay. Instead of escalating tensions, the President should embrace trade policies that strengthen the economic bond between the U.S. and Canada. This is a critical moment in history that can bring together workers and unions from both nations to craft solutions for the future. “The IAM Union represents 600,000 workers, including tens of thousands in aerospace, defense, and manufacturing—industries that depend on strong U.S.-Canada cooperation. These tariffs destabilize those sectors, putting livelihoods and our nations’ economies at risk.

    “Now is the time for all stakeholders – government, business, and labor – to unite in developing a comprehensive strategy that strengthens and grows critical manufacturing in both the U.S. and Canada. Workers on both sides of the border deserve a seat at the table in shaping policies that affect their jobs, our shared economic prosperity, and national security.” 

    The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada. 

    goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FMQs: Greens call for government action to tackle broken energy market

    Source: Scottish Greens

    06 Mar 2025 Housing

    We need to fix the broken energy market and cuts bills.

    More in Housing

    The Scottish Government must take action to deliver the overdue Heat in Buildings Bill to tackle the climate crisis and reduce bills, says Scottish Green Co-leader Patrick Harvie.

    In his first question to the First Minister, Mr Harvie said:

    “In April, energy bills are set to rise for the third time in less than a year.

    “People across Scotland are worrying about those bills, and at the same time energy companies are raking in vast profits at the expense of people and the planet.

    “Our energy markets are broken. No doubt we could both say what we think the UK government should do to fix those markets, but the Scottish Government has also promised action which hasn’t happened.

    “My last question to the FM was nearly three months ago. I asked him about his promise of a new law to end our reliance on gas for home heating – which is vital to tackling the climate emergency, and cutting people’s bills too.

    “It was already overdue, without explanation, back in December. Now here we are in March; there’s still no legislation, and no explanation. Where is it?”

    In his response the First Minister agreed with the principles of the Bill but did not confirm a timeline for its publication.

    Asking his second question, Mr Harvie said:

    “The government was already considering the consultation a year ago. The real concern is that they have been spending that time watering it down. That’s the fear that I have and that the industry has.

    “The reality is that Scotland is already behind many other European countries on this. France and Germany have been accelerating their action dramatically in recent years. Scandinavian countries are decades ahead of us.

    “The only way to catch up, and to give Scottish households the benefit of affordable, reliable heat and cutting the pollution that is destroying our environment, is for the government to act decisively and show clear leadership.

    “But just as the Scottish Government has slowed down on other green measures, by hiking rail fares and watering down rent controls, progress on clean heat has stalled.

    “Will the FM commit now to get this overdue legislation published this month, to give the clarity and leadership that has been lacking?”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: GAO Named Best Place to Work for 5th Straight Year

    Source: US Government Accountability Office

    WASHINGTON (March 6, 2025) For the fifth consecutive year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) ranked number one on the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Place to Work rankings, released today. GAO placed first overall among mid-size federal agencies.

    “It’s an honor to have GAO named the Best Place to Work for the fifth year in a row. And it’s a direct reflection of the strong commitment to collaboration, accountability, and community among our people,” said Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO.

    “The contributions from each member of our professional, multi-disciplinary, and dedicated workforce drives us to continue to provide independent, non-partisan work to help Congress fulfill its constitutional duties and improve the performance of the federal government for the American people. It is also gratifying to me that, in the last year of my 15-year appointment, GAO is again ranked among the top four agencies, as it has been each year of my entire tenure.”

    The Partnership’s rankings, issued annually, are based on responses from employees across the federal government.

    To find out more about GAO’s workforce and GAO career opportunities, visit Careers | U.S. GAO.

    For more information on the award, go to www.bestplacestowork.org. For questions about GAO, please contact Sarah Kaczmarek, Managing Director of Public Affairs, at media@gao.gov or (202) 512-4800.

    #####

    The Government Accountability Office, known as the investigative arm of Congress, is an independent, nonpartisan agency that exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. GAO also works to improve the performance of the federal government and ensure its accountability to the American people. The agency examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonideological, fair, and balanced. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Healthcare Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9M to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices, as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, Omar Hussain, of South Miami, Florida, and Saeed Medical Group Ltd. d/b/a Alliance Immediate and Primary Care, of Chicago, Illinois, agreed to pay a total of $1,913,808 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. The parties have agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, TRICARE, and other federally funded healthcare programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlements announced today resolve allegations that healthcare providers received kickbacks in return for their referrals to a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, and that a marketer and his marketing company received kickbacks from that South Carolina laboratory to arrange for laboratory testing referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The kickbacks allegedly resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    • Dr. Gerald Congdon, Coastal Urgent Care, LLC, and Coastal Wellness Center, LLC. Dr. Congdon and his medical practices in Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Gbenga Aluko and Eagle Medical Center, PC. Dr. Aluko and his medical practice in Charlotte, North Carolina agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental, phlebotomy, and toxicology payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Anup Banerjee and Gastonia Medical Specialty Clinic P.A. Dr. Banerjee and his medical practice in Gastonia, North Carolina agreed to pay $206,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2017 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Omar Hussain and Curis Healthcare Inc. Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $817,808 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Hussain and his company received commissions from the South Carolina laboratory as independent contractors based on the volume and/or value of the Medicare and TRICARE referrals for laboratory testing that they arranged for and/or recommended.
    • Saeed Medical Group Ltd., Omar Hussain, and Curis Healthcare Inc. Saeed Medical Group and Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $240,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Saeed Medical Group received thousands of dollars in remuneration in the form of cash payments from Hussain and his company in return for ordering testing from the South Carolina laboratory.

    “Integrity must be the standard in our health care system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “Kickback schemes divert funds and focus away from patients and their medical needs.”

    “The public puts immense trust in medical professionals, and disdain for the rule of law damages that trust and erodes their credibility,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia field office. “These settlements should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its partners are committed to holding medical practitioners accountable for kickbacks.”

    “Kickback schemes undermine medical decision-making and jeopardize the integrity of federally funded health care programs,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our commitment is to safeguard taxpayer-funded health care and the patients who rely on it, and we will rigorously pursue any allegations of False Claims Act violations.”

    “The trust of the American taxpayer and the wellbeing of our Service members are undermined when laboratories and physicians engage in collusive financial relationships,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves by prioritizing kickbacks over patient care.”

    The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, and the FBI. The settlements announced today were handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. The United States previously resolved allegations that physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas received kickbacks from the same South Carolina laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: GRUPO FINANCIERO BANORTE to Present at the Banking Virtual Investor Conference March 6th

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MEXICO CITY, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GRUPO FINANCIERO BANORTE (GBOOY), based in Av. Revolución N° 3000, Col. Primavera, Monterrey, N.L. C.P. 64830 Mexico, focused on Financial Services, today announced that Tania Martinez Lira, Investor Relations Director and that Corina Beltrán Medina, Investor Relations Deputy Director, will present live at the Banking Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on March 6th, 2025

    DATE: March 6th
    TIME: 2:30 – 3:00 pm ET
    LINK: https://bit.ly/3DhRUj4

    This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

    It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. 

    Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

    Recent Company Highlights

    • Recognized by The Banker as the Best Bank in Mexico, Most Innovative Bank in Latin America, and Top 200 Banks in Latin America in 2024
    • Recognized by World Finance as the Best Retail Bank and Best Corporate Governance in Mexico in 2024
    • Recognized by Institutional Investor as the Most Honored Company, coupled with Best CEO, Best CFO, Best IRO, Best IR Team, Best IR program, Best ESG, Best Company Board of Directors, and Best Investor Day in 2024
    • Recognized by Global Finance as Best Bank in Mexico 2024 and Best SME Bank 2025
    • Recognized by Euromoney as Best Service-Domestic, Trade Finance in Mexico and Best Banks for SMEs in Mexico in 2024
    • Recognized by TAB Global as one of the 1000 World´s Largest and Strongest Banks in 2024
    • Silver winner at a worldwide level on the “HyperPersonalization” project in the category “Reimagining the Customer Experience” by Qorus-Infosys Finacle
    • Recognized by Best Place to Work 2024, while incorporating our CEO and our CHRO in their “Best CEOs and Best CHROs” list

    About [GRUPO FINANCIERO BANORTE]

    Grupo Financiero Banorte (GFNorte), is a leading financial institution in Mexico, with the largest business diversification and continuously seeking ways to innovate in the financial sector, offering a wide variety of traditional and digital products and services, through its broker dealer, annuities & insurance companies, retirement saving funds (afore), mutual funds, leasing and factoring company, warehousing and recently announcing the inclusion of a digital bank.

    Banorte is the second largest financial group in Mexico in terms of loan portfolio, the number two provider of loans to governments and the second largest bank in mortgage loans. In addition, the retirement fund administrator Afore XXI Banorte, of which GFNorte owns 50%, is the largest in the country in terms of assets under management.

    Banorte is the only commercial bank, among the six largest institutions, whose decisions are made locally without the influence of external parent companies, which has proven to be an advantage in adapting with agility to the changes and alternatives presented by the country.

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Solum Global Inc. and The Big Mig Media Co. Sponsor “The Crypto Power Hour” Show

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WEST PALM BEACH, FL, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Solum Global, Inc. (“Solum Global, Solum or the Company”) is a transparent digital network with a fully decentralized, permissionless blockchain protocol that provides a seamless solution for the U.S. healthcare industry integrating artificial intelligence (AI), smart contracts, and Solum Global’s stablecoin (sgUSD) with a proprietary electronic health wallet (EHW), announced today the Company’s sponsorship of the Crypto Power Hour Show in conjunction with the Big Mig Media Co. production group.

    The podcast will feature top cryptocurrency industry leaders, influencers, developers, educators, and regulators, offering unparalleled insights into the blockchain, decentralized finance, and digital assets. Broadcasting from their new state-of-the-art studio in West Palm Beach, Florida, this groundbreaking show is set to become the premier destination for current information on the state of the cryptocurrency industry. Discussion topics will feature global regulatory activities, digital currency investment strategies, emerging technologies, and blockchain developments.

    “Crypto Power Hour” airs live every Wednesday and Friday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. They will be co-hosted by Kirk St. Johns, a visionary founder of Solum Global, Antonia Moss, Chief Growth Officer, and Lance Migliaccio and George Balloutine, creators of “The Big Mig Show” podcast and known for their deep knowledge and no-nonsense approach to crypto and finance.

    “We are incredibly excited to launch The Crypto Power Hour and bring this game-changing show to a global audience. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are reshaping the financial world, and this show will provide critical insights, strategies, and discussions for industry participants. Partnering with The Big Mig Media Co. and leveraging Rumble’s growing crypto vertical gives us the perfect platform to deliver unfiltered, high-impact content. We’re just getting started, and I can’t wait to share this journey with our viewers,” stated Kirk St. Johns, Co-founder of Solum Global.

    About Solum Global Inc.
    Solum Global is a transparent digital network with a fully decentralized, permissionless blockchain protocol for storing, trading, and transferring digital and real-world assets enabling immediate settlement between individuals, businesses, and governments. Utilizing cutting edge blockchain technology, artificial intelligence (AI), smart contracts, the company’s stablecoin (sgUSD) and a proprietary Electronic Health Wallet (EHW), Solum Global provides a seamless solution that addresses the significant challenges inherent in the U.S. healthcare industry. For more information, visit www.solum.global.

    Forward-Looking Statements 
    Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    Investor Relations
    Hanover International
    ka@hanoverintlinc.com

    Media Contact
    media@solum.global

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Development of Global Drone Operational Integration Expected to Spur Investment for U.S. Drone Manufacturing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla. , March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Shifting governmental policies are benefiting U.S. Drone Manufactures. AUVSI, an industry insider reported: “Programs focused on U.S.-made drone acquisition incentives, specifically grants, would signal to investors the market opportunity for U.S. drones, stimulating investment into U.S. drone and component manufacturing. According to a 2019 survey by Droneresponders, 92% of first responders in the U.S. are using drones made by China. This is a direct consequence of China subsidizing the drones, driving down costs, and a program to donate DJI drones to first responders. The Droneresponders survey also noted that 88% of first responder agencies would prefer to use U.S. drones; however, cost is a major factor in being able to transition away from the subsidized Chinese drones to market-based U.S. drones. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) programs that enable the use of drones for infrastructure inspection, such as the Every Day Counts (EDC) program, should incentivize the use of U.S. manufactured drones. It said that Congress should enact a new program designed to help industrial inspection companies engaged in critical infrastructure inspection transition from using Chinese drones to U.S.-made programs, which could reflect, in part, the Supply Chain Reimbursement Program as mentioned above for first responders.” Active Companies in the drone industry today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX), Unusual Machines (NYSE: UMAC).

    AUVSI continued: “Again, the program should be funded appropriately to ensure that critical infrastructure owners and operators can begin to replace and upgrade drone fleets and U.S. domestic drone manufacturing can meet demand in terms of both production capability and drone reliability and capability.  The DoD must work with industry to overcome the acquisition challenges to get capable tools into the hands of warfighters faster, ensuring a strong U.S. industry for defense and commercial missions. The U.S. is falling behind other nations in the global effort to safely and efficiently integrate drones – which perform many lifesaving and critical industrial missions – into the airspace. Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must take steps to streamline approval processes and minimize the bureaucratic barriers to successful integration. Congress can assist by giving the FAA additional tools, authorities, and resources to accomplish this mission. Such tools should include mechanisms to help the FAA implement 2023 FAA Reauthorization efforts/mandates. Making progress on drone operational integration will spur investment into the drone industry, including manufacturing and workforce development in the United States.”

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) ZenaDrone Benefits from New Chinese Tariffs Also Helping its Commercial and Defense Customer Markets – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, today announces an update on its US-based ZenaDrone subsidiary’s Arizona and Taiwan manufacturing supply chain strategy in light of the current economic changes and tariffs announced by the current US Administration. ZenaDrone will continue to source and manufacture drone cameras, sensors and other related components at its Taiwan-based Spider Vision Sensors company to reduce its supply chain risk and ensure NDAA-compliant parts for its US Defense-destined drone products, which will be manufactured in Arizona. The company also benefits from recent announcements doubling tariffs on Chinese imports including drones and parts from 10% to 20% which will negatively impact many US drone companies and customers given the drone industry dominance of China.

    “The current administration’s focus on strengthening US manufacturing and reducing reliance on Chinese drone imports is a game-changer for American companies like ours. With increased tariffs on Chinese drones and components, and new incentives for domestic production, we are well positioned to expand our operations to manufacture in Arizona, also creating more high-quality American jobs. Since we’ve already initiated sourcing of our component parts from Taiwan instead of China, we can avoid supply chain disruptions while benefiting from potential US manufacturing tax breaks. We believe this makes our drones more competitive for both government and commercial markets,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    “This also puts us ahead of domestic competitors who may be facing challenges with supply chain instability and less access to cutting-edge technologies. By leveraging Taiwan’s capabilities and our focus on security and compliance, we’re poised to meet increasing defense demand while minimizing operational risks,” added Dr. Passley.

    The Spider Vision Sensors Taiwan office opened in November 2024 to manufacture drone cameras, sensors, electronics, and components, including LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), thermal, infrared, and multi-spectral sensors, and circuit boards to incorporate into ZenaDrone’s finished products. Having in-house manufactured sensors and components will enable ZenaDrone to maintain a steady supply to fulfill customer drone order needs at its Sharjah, UAE manufacturing facilities as well as its future Arizona-based drone manufacturing facilities for US military-destined “Made in America” drones.

    Taiwan was selected due to its size and skills as an electronics hub, and the availability of low-cost alternative components versus those from China. Spider Vision Sensors will ensure ZenaDrone’s products and supply chain are compliant with the US NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) requirements necessary to do business with the US Military. This along with the Green UAS (Uncrewed Arial System) and the Blue UAS are important certifications ensuring cybersecurity and country of origin compliance for drone companies, which the company has stated it plans to achieve. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Other recent developments in the drone industry include:

    Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, recently announced that its Black Widow drone and FlightWave Edge 130 were included on the list of 23 platforms and 14 unique components and capabilities selected as winners of the Blue UAS Refresh. The platforms will undergo National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) verification and cyber security review with the ultimate goal of joining the Blue UAS List.

    Over the coming months, the Blue UAS List and Blue UAS Framework will expand with new additions. The inclusion of the Black Widow and Edge 130 as winners of the Refresh further validates Red Cat’s commitment to delivering NDAA-compliant unmanned systems for defense and government applications.

    AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), recently announced it has fulfilled the previously announced order for 60 RedEdge-P Multispectral Sensors from an East Asian value-added reseller (VAR).

    AgEagle CEO Bill Irby commented, “Following the successful on-time completion of this, our largest sensor sale in AgEagle history, we look forward to building on this significant momentum. The achievement underscores our commitment to impeccable execution and reliability and further represents a landmark milestone in our strategic growth plan for 2025 and beyond. We look forward to continuing to enhance and scale our high-value intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance product offerings to military and commercial operations worldwide to effectively position AgEagle for long-term shareholder value creation.”

    RedEdge-P Multispectral Sensors are NDAA compliant, high-resolution multispectral and RGB sensor featuring a high-resolution panchromatic band for pan-sharpened output resolutions of 2 cm / 0.8 in at 60 m / 200 ft. Its five narrow multispectral bands with scientific-grade filters make it the perfect camera for calculating multiple vegetation indices and composites.

    L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) and Shield AI will collaborate on a demonstration to enable an electronic warfare (EW) operation with AI-enabled unmanned systems that will sense, adapt and act while simultaneously executing physical and electromagnetic movements.

    L3Harris and Shield AI Team for Breakthrough in Autonomy – At the core of this effort is L3Harris’ Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations, or DiSCO™, a software-defined Electromagnetic Battle Management ecosystem that can detect, collect and analyze known and unknown threat signals within minutes. This specific collaboration pairs DiSCO with Shield AI’s Hivemind.

    Unusual Machines (NYSE: UMAC), a leading provider of NDAA-compliant drone components, has recently secured Red Cat Holdings as a customer for motors. This marks the company’s first partnership to develop motors built to a U.S. drone producer’s specific requirements. Red Cat will use three motor variants from Unusual Machines for one of its platforms designed for government and commercial applications.

    Red Cat has placed its initial order, marking a significant milestone in Unusual Machines’ efforts to become a Tier 1 supplier of drone motors for American manufacturers. The motors will be among the first produced in Unusual Machines’ U.S.-based manufacturing facility, which is currently under development. In the interim, production will take place in a partnered facility that we believe will result in a seamless supply chain transition. Unusual Machines expects to begin delivering on Red Cat’s first order by the end of March.

    About FN Media Group:

    At FN Media Group, via our top-rated online news portal at www.financialnewsmedia.com, we are one of the very few select firms providing top tier one syndicated news distribution, targeted ticker tag press releases and stock market news coverage for today’s emerging companies. #tickertagpressreleases #pressreleases

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    DISCLAIMER:  FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated fifty four hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected”, “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

    Contact Information:
    Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com – +1(561)325-8757

    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Aimfinity Investment Corp. I Announces Extension of the Deadline for an Initial Business Combination to March 28, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Wilmington, Delaware, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aimfinity Investment Corp. I (the “Company” or “AIMA”) (Nasdaq: AIMAU), a special purpose acquisition company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, today announced that, in order to extend the date by which the Company mush complete its initial business combination from February 28, 2025 to March 28, 2025, on February 28, 2025, I-Fa Chang, manager of the sponsor of the Company, has deposited into its trust account (the “Trust Account”) an aggregate of $55,823.8, or for $0.05 per Class A ordinary share held by public shareholders (the “Monthly Extension Payment”).

    Pursuant to the Company’s fourth amended & restated memorandum and articles of association (“Current Charter”), effectively January 9, 2025, the Company may extend on a monthly basis from January 28, 2025 until October 28, 2025 or such an earlier date as may be determined by its board to complete a business combination by depositing the Monthly Extension Payment for each month into the Trust Account. This is the second of nine monthly extensions sought under the Current Charter of the Company.  

    About Aimfinity Investment Corp. I

    Aimfinity Investment Corp. I is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. The Company has not selected any business combination target and has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with it. While the Company will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in its identification and acquisition of a target company, it will not complete its initial business combination with a target that is headquartered in China (including Hong Kong and Macau) or conducts a majority of its business in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). 

    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    As previously disclosed, on October 13, 2023, the Company entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger (as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and between the Company, Docter Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Aimfinity Investment Merger Sub I, a Cayman Islands exempted company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Purchaser”), and Aimfinity Investment Merger Sub II, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Purchaser (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which the Company is proposing to enter into a business combination with Docter involving an reincorporation merger and an acquisition merger. This press release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the business combination. AIMA’s stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and other documents filed in connection with the proposed business combination, as these materials will contain important information about AIMA, Purchaser or Docter, and the proposed business combination. When available, the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the proposed business combination will be mailed to stockholders of AIMA as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. Such stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to AIMA’s principal office at 221 W 9th St, PMB 235 Wilmington, Delaware 19801.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the pending transactions described herein, and the parties’ perspectives and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the proposed transaction, including the anticipated initial enterprise value and post-closing equity value, the benefits of the proposed transaction, integration plans, expected synergies and revenue opportunities, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates for growth, the expected management and governance of the combined company, and the expected timing of the transactions. The words “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan” and similar expressions indicate forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, assumptions (including assumptions about general economic, market, industry and operational factors), known or unknown, which could cause the actual results to vary materially from those indicated or anticipated.

    Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (i) risks related to the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending business combination, including the risk that the transaction may not close due to one or more closing conditions to the transaction not being satisfied or waived, such as regulatory approvals not being obtained, on a timely basis or otherwise, or that a governmental entity prohibited, delayed or refused to grant approval for the consummation of the transaction or required certain conditions, limitations or restrictions in connection with such approvals; (ii) risks related to the ability of AIMA and Docter to successfully integrate the businesses; (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the applicable transaction agreements; (iv) the risk that there may be a material adverse change with respect to the financial position, performance, operations or prospects of AIMA or Docter; (v) risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction; (vi) the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of AIMA’s securities; (vii) the risk that the proposed transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of Docter to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers and on their operating results and businesses generally; (viii): risks relating to the medical device industry, including but not limited to governmental regulatory and enforcement changes, market competitions, competitive product and pricing activity; and (ix) risks relating to the combined company’s ability to enhance its products and services, execute its business strategy, expand its customer base and maintain stable relationship with its business partners.

    A further list and description of risks and uncertainties can be found in the prospectus filed on April 26, 2022 relating to AIMA’s initial public offering, the annual report of AIMA on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2022, filed on April 17, 2023, and in the registration statement on Form F-4/proxy statement (File No. 333-284658) filed by Purchaser on January 31, 2025, as amended (the “F-4”) in connection with the proposed transactions, and other documents that the parties may file or furnish with the SEC, which you are encouraged to read. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate only to the date they were made, and Aimfinity, Docter, and their subsidiaries undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made except as required by law or applicable regulation.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of any potential transaction and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of AIMA, Purchaser or Docter, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act.

    Participants in the Solicitation

    AIMA, Docter, and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of AIMA’s shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of AIMA’s shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination is set forth in the F-4.

    Contact Information:

    Aimfinity Investment Corp. I
    I-Fa Chang
    Chief Executive Officer
    221 W 9th St, PMB 235
    Wilmington, Delaware 19801

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sam Filby, Research Officer, Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products, University of Cape Town

    It’s become common to see kids, some in their school uniforms, puffing on a vape.

    The World Health Organization points to the enticing flavours and targeted marketing to young people as the key reasons behind this trend.

    In the US, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students aged 12 and older, with 5.9% of students reporting use.

    Surveys from the UK indicate that 20.5% of children (aged 11–17) have tried vaping, and that 7.6% of children currently vape. Similar usage rates ranging from 3.3% to 11.8% have been found in south-east Asia. Evidence on vape use among adolescents living in Africa is more scarce.

    We are public health researchers who have studied the phenomenon in South Africa. Our latest study, published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine, found that vaping among South African pupils is sky high. We surveyed over 25,000 South African high school students across 52 schools in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.

    An estimated 16.8% of the sampled learners currently use e-cigarettes.

    Research has shown conclusively that children should not use these products because of the health risks.

    Our findings in South Africa show that high rates of adolescent vaping are not restricted to high income countries.

    Harmful impact on young minds and bodies

    In a 2016 report, the US surgeon general called vaping among young people an “urgent public health problem”.

    One reason for this is that these products commonly deliver nicotine. Nicotine use during adolescence harms the developing brain, with potential long-term effects on learning, memory and attention.

    Nicotine is also an addictive substance. Addictive behaviour in general is associated with the development of mental illness, further fuelling the mental health problems experienced by some adolescents.
    Substance abuse can lower their inhibitions, leading to increased high-risk behaviours.

    Non-nicotine vapes are also bad for health. The chemical composition of specific flavours such as cherry, cinnamon and vanilla have also been shown to cause damage to the lung lining and blood vessels.

    The rising popularity of e-cigarette use among adolescents globally should make helping young people with quitting vapes a priority.

    Surveying South African schools

    We approached schools predominantly in major centres like Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. All were “fee-paying” schools. We were not able to include less well resourced schools without easy internet access or non-fee-paying schools.

    We categorised the schools into three brackets:

    • lower-fee schools: annual fees between R20,000 and R40,000 (US$1,100-2,100)

    • medium-fee schools: annual fees between R40,000 and R90,000 (US$2,100-4,800)

    • high-fee schools: annual fees more than R90,000 (over US$4,800).

    Around 17% of pupils in our sample attended lower-fee schools, 64% attended mid-fee schools, and 19% attended high-fee schools. Around 31% of learners attended co-ed schools, 41% attended all-boys’ schools, and 29% attended all-girls’ schools.

    Students were asked about their use of four products in the 30 days preceding the survey: e-cigarettes, tobacco cigarettes, cannabis and hookah pipes.

    Students who indicated that they currently vaped were asked additional questions
    about their vaping history and habits. We also asked students about their
    reasons for starting and continuing to vape.

    Using this data, we studied e-cigarette use, nicotine dependence, and the mental
    health and social stressors associated with vaping among a large sample of South
    African high school learners.

    Alarming rates

    Our study found that 16.8% of high school learners we surveyed were currently using e-cigarettes. There were far lower rates of tobacco cigarette use (2%), cannabis use (5%) and hookah pipe use (3%).

    The proportion of learners reporting e-cigarette use increased by grade: around 9% of grade 8 students reported using vapes, but this rose sharply to an average of 29.5% among grade 12 pupils (who will turn 18 in their final school year). Some schools had usage rates as high as 46% among grade 12 pupils.

    Among the learners who indicated that they vaped, 38% vaped daily, and more than half of the learners in our sample reported that they vaped four or more days per week.

    Around 88% of pupils reported using vapes that contained nicotine. About 47% reported that they vaped within the first hour of waking up – this is highly suggestive of nicotine addiction. We estimate that up to 61% of high school learners who vape could be seriously addicted to nicotine.

    Why adolescents start and continue vaping

    We found that the primary reasons for starting vaping differed from the main reasons for continuing to vape.

    • Just over half (50.6%) of the students who vaped cited social influences
      (family, friends, peer pressure, the need to fit in) as reasons for starting. Around 20% of learners indicated that they’d started vaping to cope with stress and anxiety, while 16.2% said they had started out of general curiosity.

    • Common reasons cited for continuing their vape use were to cope with
      anxiety, depression or stress (28.4%), or because they were addicted (14.9%).

    Some learners explicitly stated addiction in their reasoning:

    It’s an addiction, no matter what I try I can’t stop. (female, 17)

    Others described it more as a habit:

    It has become a habit. I have to consume something constantly. (female, 18)

    Less than 10% of students identified social influences as the reason they continued to vape.

    Around 46% of students did not list addiction as a reason for continuing to vape, although their reported vaping habits aligned with patterns typically seen in individuals who are highly addicted. This suggests that many learners in our sample may lack awareness of what constitutes addiction.



    Read more:
    South Africa’s new vaping tax won’t deter young smokers

    What needs to be done

    Our research underscores the urgent need for a coordinated public health response
    to address the vaping crisis among high school learners.

    The South African government must pass the Tobacco Products and Electronic
    Delivery Systems Control Bill. This legislation will ensure that vapes cannot be sold near schools or online.

    The restrictions on the advertising of vaping products provided for in the bill may aid with this as well as the deglamorisation of vaping among young people – reducing the general curiosity that leads many young people to begin in the first place.

    The dangerous myth that “vaping is safe” also needs to be debunked.

    Finally, we need to help addicted teenagers to stop vaping.

    Punishing students for vaping is unlikely to be an effective strategy. Parents must be more aware of the signs of vaping and the underlying issues driving it.

    Healthcare professionals should ask young people about their vape use during routine checkups.

    And school counsellors should teach coping strategies to help teens navigate life’s challenges.

    Sam Filby receives funding from the African Capacity Building Foundation and Cancer Research UK and has previously received funding from the CDC Foundation and the US Department of State.

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

    – ref. Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools – https://theconversation.com/vaping-hits-alarming-levels-among-south-african-teens-new-study-of-fee-paying-schools-244843

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why does Ethiopia have earthquakes and volcanoes? A geologist explains

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gemechu Bedassa Teferi, Lecturer, Department of Geology , Addis Ababa Science & Technology University

    A swarm of earth tremors and fears of volcanic eruptions in January forced tens of thousands of people to move away from Awash Fentale, an area in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The area falls within a geologically active region of the Great Rift Valley that has experienced a number of earthquakes and volcanic events in the last 800 years. Two major volcanic eruptions occurred in 1250 and 1820 AD.

    What’s unfolded in Fentale in 2025 is part of an ongoing process millions of years in the making, deep under the earth’s surface. Scientists see it as a fascinating natural laboratory that will culminate in a north-south continental split – and ultimately create a new ocean – along the great East African Rift Valley. Gemechu Bedassa Teferi, a researcher who studies the volcanoes of the Main Ethiopian Rift, unpacks what’s behind the recent events.

    What causes tremors and volcanic eruptions in this region of Ethiopia?

    Eighteen million years ago, the continents broke apart to form the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Around 11 million years ago, a crack formed deep under the present Afar Depression, an area of north-east Ethiopia.

    The region sits on a hot, semisolid layer called the mantle. This mantle is constantly in motion due to the heat from the deeper part of the earth. One result is that the heated semi-solid rock (molten rock) can be forced up from the mantle and erupt through the weak spots in the earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption.

    Deep beneath the surface, the molten rock is also enabling a parallel process of the ground moving apart. This creates a gap – called a rift – which is eventually filled by the molten rock. The friction created results in rocks suddenly breaking and releasing enormous amounts of energy. The released energy radiates outward in the form of seismic waves like ripples on water, causing the ground to shake. This is what is felt as the so-called earthquake.

    The Afar region is one of the most volcanically and tectonically active areas in the world.

    The ongoing events in Fentale, as well as the Dofan area to the north, are the most recent in the history of molten material rising to the surface as parts of the earth’s crust move apart from each other.

    No volcanic eruption has occurred in the most recent events. But more than 200 quakes with a magnitude of more than 4 have been recorded in the last five months. The strongest of these measured at 6 on the Richter scale.

    The swarm of earthquakes damaged dozens of buildings, schools, roads and factories. Most residents in the capital, Addis Ababa, which is nearly 190km away from the epicentre (starting point for an earthquake), also felt the tremor.

    The strongest earthquake since 1900 – in 1989 – had a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale. This is strong enough to damage old buildings or those not built to withstand earthquakes.

    The last volcanic eruption at Fentale occurred in 1820. Based on historical records and global trends, an earthquake is a common precursor to volcanic eruptions. This has fuelled fears that recent earthquakes could signal eruptions at two nearby active volcanoes.

    What can scientists learn from the current events?

    Satellite radar images of the Fentale area revealed that the earthquakes in the region are due to hot molten rock pushing its way up from about 10km below Awash Fentale.

    What could follow is complex and depends on several factors, such as:

    • the temperature of the molten material – the hotter it is, the more easily it flows

    • the viscosity (how thick it is) – thicker molten rock flows slowly

    • the strength of the surrounding material – strong, resistant rocks around the hot molten rock can resist the pressure to rise.

    Three scenarios could possibly play out under Fentale.

    The first possible outcome is the cooling of the molten rock. That would lead to the formation of a dense, solidified rock material.

    The second is that the molten material could cause an eruption after forcing its way vertically to the surface or moving laterally underneath the earth’s surface.



    Read more:
    Ethiopian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions: earth scientist explains the link

    Under the third scenario, the super hot molten rock may also propagate laterally, interacting with other molten materials. This could eventually lead to either cooling or a massive volcanic eruption.

    Still, there are other unknown factors that could affect these potential processes in a geologically dynamic region.

    This calls for better predictions to mitigate future hazards. Scientists suggest that scientific monitoring techniques should be employed. These include volcanic gas measurement, onsite GPS monitoring, and geophysical study. Equally important is the collaborative effort of scientists and government officials to create a communication channel to engage the at-risk community.

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

    – ref. Why does Ethiopia have earthquakes and volcanoes? A geologist explains – https://theconversation.com/why-does-ethiopia-have-earthquakes-and-volcanoes-a-geologist-explains-250688

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sam Filby, Research Officer, Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products, University of Cape Town

    It’s become common to see kids, some in their school uniforms, puffing on a vape.

    The World Health Organization points to the enticing flavours and targeted marketing to young people as the key reasons behind this trend.

    In the US, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students aged 12 and older, with 5.9% of students reporting use.

    Surveys from the UK indicate that 20.5% of children (aged 11–17) have tried vaping, and that 7.6% of children currently vape. Similar usage rates ranging from 3.3% to 11.8% have been found in south-east Asia. Evidence on vape use among adolescents living in Africa is more scarce.

    We are public health researchers who have studied the phenomenon in South Africa. Our latest study, published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine, found that vaping among South African pupils is sky high. We surveyed over 25,000 South African high school students across 52 schools in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.

    An estimated 16.8% of the sampled learners currently use e-cigarettes.

    Research has shown conclusively that children should not use these products because of the health risks.

    Our findings in South Africa show that high rates of adolescent vaping are not restricted to high income countries.

    Harmful impact on young minds and bodies

    In a 2016 report, the US surgeon general called vaping among young people an “urgent public health problem”.

    One reason for this is that these products commonly deliver nicotine. Nicotine use during adolescence harms the developing brain, with potential long-term effects on learning, memory and attention.

    Nicotine is also an addictive substance. Addictive behaviour in general is associated with the development of mental illness, further fuelling the mental health problems experienced by some adolescents. Substance abuse can lower their inhibitions, leading to increased high-risk behaviours.

    Non-nicotine vapes are also bad for health. The chemical composition of specific flavours such as cherry, cinnamon and vanilla have also been shown to cause damage to the lung lining and blood vessels.

    The rising popularity of e-cigarette use among adolescents globally should make helping young people with quitting vapes a priority.

    Surveying South African schools

    We approached schools predominantly in major centres like Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. All were “fee-paying” schools. We were not able to include less well resourced schools without easy internet access or non-fee-paying schools.

    We categorised the schools into three brackets:

    • lower-fee schools: annual fees between R20,000 and R40,000 (US$1,100-2,100)

    • medium-fee schools: annual fees between R40,000 and R90,000 (US$2,100-4,800)

    • high-fee schools: annual fees more than R90,000 (over US$4,800).

    Around 17% of pupils in our sample attended lower-fee schools, 64% attended mid-fee schools, and 19% attended high-fee schools. Around 31% of learners attended co-ed schools, 41% attended all-boys’ schools, and 29% attended all-girls’ schools.

    Students were asked about their use of four products in the 30 days preceding the survey: e-cigarettes, tobacco cigarettes, cannabis and hookah pipes.

    Students who indicated that they currently vaped were asked additional questions about their vaping history and habits. We also asked students about their reasons for starting and continuing to vape.

    Using this data, we studied e-cigarette use, nicotine dependence, and the mental health and social stressors associated with vaping among a large sample of South African high school learners.

    Alarming rates

    Our study found that 16.8% of high school learners we surveyed were currently using e-cigarettes. There were far lower rates of tobacco cigarette use (2%), cannabis use (5%) and hookah pipe use (3%).

    The proportion of learners reporting e-cigarette use increased by grade: around 9% of grade 8 students reported using vapes, but this rose sharply to an average of 29.5% among grade 12 pupils (who will turn 18 in their final school year). Some schools had usage rates as high as 46% among grade 12 pupils.

    Among the learners who indicated that they vaped, 38% vaped daily, and more than half of the learners in our sample reported that they vaped four or more days per week.

    Around 88% of pupils reported using vapes that contained nicotine. About 47% reported that they vaped within the first hour of waking up – this is highly suggestive of nicotine addiction. We estimate that up to 61% of high school learners who vape could be seriously addicted to nicotine.

    Why adolescents start and continue vaping

    We found that the primary reasons for starting vaping differed from the main reasons for continuing to vape.

    • Just over half (50.6%) of the students who vaped cited social influences (family, friends, peer pressure, the need to fit in) as reasons for starting. Around 20% of learners indicated that they’d started vaping to cope with stress and anxiety, while 16.2% said they had started out of general curiosity.

    • Common reasons cited for continuing their vape use were to cope with anxiety, depression or stress (28.4%), or because they were addicted (14.9%).

    Some learners explicitly stated addiction in their reasoning:

    It’s an addiction, no matter what I try I can’t stop. (female, 17)

    Others described it more as a habit:

    It has become a habit. I have to consume something constantly. (female, 18)

    Less than 10% of students identified social influences as the reason they continued to vape.

    Around 46% of students did not list addiction as a reason for continuing to vape, although their reported vaping habits aligned with patterns typically seen in individuals who are highly addicted. This suggests that many learners in our sample may lack awareness of what constitutes addiction.

    Read more: South Africa’s new vaping tax won’t deter young smokers

    What needs to be done

    Our research underscores the urgent need for a coordinated public health response to address the vaping crisis among high school learners.

    The South African government must pass the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. This legislation will ensure that vapes cannot be sold near schools or online.

    The restrictions on the advertising of vaping products provided for in the bill may aid with this as well as the deglamorisation of vaping among young people – reducing the general curiosity that leads many young people to begin in the first place.

    The dangerous myth that “vaping is safe” also needs to be debunked.

    Finally, we need to help addicted teenagers to stop vaping.

    Punishing students for vaping is unlikely to be an effective strategy. Parents must be more aware of the signs of vaping and the underlying issues driving it.

    Healthcare professionals should ask young people about their vape use during routine checkups.

    And school counsellors should teach coping strategies to help teens navigate life’s challenges.

    – Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools
    – https://theconversation.com/vaping-hits-alarming-levels-among-south-african-teens-new-study-of-fee-paying-schools-244843

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    The firing squad chair in which Brad Sigmon will be strapped before three volunteers shoot him dead. South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP

    Barring any late developments, the U.S. is set to see its first execution by firing squad in 15 years on March 7, 2025.

    Photos released by the South Carolina Department of Corrections suggest that the prisoner, Brad Sigmon, will be strapped to a metal seat in the same small death chamber that has been the location of the state’s other executions by means of the electric chair and lethal injection. Sigmon, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for the brutal killing of his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat, chose death by firing squad over other forms of execution under a 2021 law that allows inmates that option.

    According to the state’s firing squad protocol, the condemned man will have a hood put over his head and a target placed on his heart. Three volunteers will then shoot him from a distance of 15 feet. They will stand behind a wall with a small opening.

    But this method of execution has raised concern over the safety of observers of the execution. Meanwhile, others object to the use of a firing squad as a relic of a brutal past not fitting for modern times.

    As someone who has studied execution methods in the U.S., I see the resumption of death by firing squad as part of a morbid search for “better” execution methods. It comes amid concern over botched lethal injection attempts and a scarcity of the drugs needed to carry out such executions.

    In 2020, the first Trump administration expanded how federal execution can be carried out to include ghoulish methods such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber and, indeed, the firing squad.

    But revisiting all methods reveals a checkered history. Each has, at one time or other, been touted as humane only to be sidelined because its use was found to be gruesome and offensive. Given that history, there are questions over whether the resumption of death by firing squad can serve any purpose other than continuing a death penalty system deemed to be a cruel outlier among modern societies.

    The noose and the chair

    Let’s start with hanging.

    Hanging was the execution method of choice throughout most of American history, and it was used in America’s last public execution in 1936, when Rainey Bethea was put to death in Owensboro, Kentucky. When done correctly, the noose killed by severing the spinal column, causing near instantaneous death.

    A large crowd watches as attendants adjust a black hood over Rainey Bethea in 1936.
    AP File Photo

    But, all too often, hanging resulted in a slow death by strangulation and sometimes even a beheading. Given this gruesome record and hanging’s association with the lynching of mainly Black men, by the end of the 19th century the search for other execution methods began in earnest.

    The first of those alternatives was the electric chair. At the time it was adopted, it was regarded as a truly modern instrument of death, a technological marvel in the business of state killing. Hailed by penal reformers as a humane alternative to hanging, the electric chair was first authorized in 1888 by New York state following the report of a commission that concluded: “The most potent agent known for the destruction of human life is electricity. … The velocity of the electric current is so great that the brain is paralyzed; it is indeed dead before the nerves can communicate a sense of shock.”

    Yet, right from the start, electrocution’s potency was a problem. Its first use in the 1890 execution of convicted murderer William Kemmler was horribly botched. Reports of the execution say that “after 2 minutes the execution chamber filled with the smell of burning flesh.” Newspapers called the execution a “historic bungle” and “disgusting, sickening and inhuman.”

    In spite of the Kemmler debacle, the electric chair quickly became popular, being seen as more efficient and less brutal than hanging. From the start of the 20th century until the 1980s, the number of death sentences carried out by this method far outstripped those of any other method.

    But electrocutions continued to go wrong, and eventually several dramatic botched executions in Florida helped turn the tide. Included were two executions – one in 1990, the other in 1997 – in which the condemned inmates caught fire.

    The gas chamber

    By the start of the 21st century, states all over the country were abandoning the electric chair. As Justice Carol W. Hunstein of the Supreme Court of Georgia explained, “Death by electrocution, with its specter of excruciating pain and its certainty of cooked brains and blistered bodies,” was no longer compatible with contemporary standards of decency.

    A gas chamber at San Quentin prison from 1959.
    AP Photo/Clarence Hamm

    One alternative to electrocution was the gas chamber, but it too has its own history of problems. First adopted in Nevada in 1922, executions using lethal gas were to take place while the condemned slept. Death row inmates were supposed to be housed in airtight, leak-proof prison cells, separate from other prisoners. On the day of the execution, valves would be opened that would fill the chamber with gas, killing the prisoner painlessly.

    This plan was soon abandoned because officials decided it would be impractical to implement it, and states constructed special gas chambers fitted with pipes, exhaust fans and glass windows on the front and back walls for witness viewing. But deaths by lethal gas were never pretty or easy to watch.

    Inmates regularly fought against breathing the gas as it entered the chamber. They convulsed, jerked, coughed, twisted and turned blue for several minutes before they died.

    Far from solving the problems associated with hangings or electrocutions, lethal gas introduced its own set of horrors to the institution of capital punishment. In fact, by the end of the 20th century, 5% of executions by lethal gas had been botched.

    As a result, states used gas as the sole method of execution only from 1924 to 1977, and it was last used in 1999. By then, the gas chamber had become a relic of the past because of its inability to deliver on its promise to be “swift and painless” and its association with the Nazi use of gas to kill millions during the Holocaust.

    Lethal injection

    Lethal injection was first considered by the state of New York in the late 1880s when it convened a blue ribbon commission to study alternatives to hanging. During deliberations, Dr. Julius Mount Bleyer invited the commission to envision a future in which a person condemned to death “could be executed on his bed in his cell with a 6-gram injection of sulfate of morphine.”

    But it wasn’t until 1977 that Oklahoma became the first state to introduce the method.

    Right from the start, administering lethal injections proved to be a complex procedure that was difficult to get right. In fact, during the first use of lethal injection by Texas in 1982, the team responsible repeatedly failed to insert an IV into a vein in the condemned man’s arm, splattering blood onto the sheet covering his body.

    Part of the problem is that medical ethics do not allow doctors to take part in choosing the drugs or administering them. In the place of doctors, prison officials are responsible for the lethal injection procedure. In addition, dosages of the drugs used are standardized rather than tailored to the needs of particular inmates as they would be in a medical procedure.

    Despite the effort to medicalize executions, the history of lethal injection has been anything but smooth, sterile and predictable. In fact, my research reveals that of the 1,054 executions carried out from 1982 to 2010 using the standard three-drug lethal injection protocol, more than 7% were botched.

    And as states, faced with a scarcity of the drugs needed, have experimented in finding new ingredients, my research shows that botched executions have occurred as much as 20% of the time.

    The firing squad

    Finally, the firing squad. Of all of America’s methods of execution, it has been least often used. From 1900 to 2010, only 35 of America’s 8,776 executions were carried out using this method, and since 1976 just three people have faced a firing squad, with the last one carried out in Utah in 2010.

    The execution chamber at Utah State Prison used in the United States’ last firing squad execution.
    AP Photo/Trent Nelson

    Critics point out that because death by guns evokes images of raw, frontier justice in a society awash in gun violence, this method mimicked something that the law wished to discourage. Nonetheless, Utah revived the firing squad in 2015 due to challenges to the state’s lethal injection protocol.

    While it has some contemporary proponents who claim it is the least cruel of all execution methods, the history of the firing squad is marked by gruesome mistakes when marksmen missed their target. In the 1951 execution of Eliseo Mares, for example, four executioners all shot into the wrong side of his chest, and he died slowly from blood loss.

    A cruel history, revived

    While authorities in South Carolina allow for death by firing squad, it cannot erase the cruelty that marks the method’s history – nor that of other means of execution.

    That history stands as a reminder of America’s failed quest to find a method of execution that is safe, reliable and humane.

    This article contains sections previous published in The Conversation articles from Dec. 4, 2020 and Nov. 30, 2022.

    Austin Sarat 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. Death by firing squad set to resume in the US – but no matter the method, all means of execution come with a troubling history – https://theconversation.com/death-by-firing-squad-set-to-resume-in-the-us-but-no-matter-the-method-all-means-of-execution-come-with-a-troubling-history-251579

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Why does Ethiopia have earthquakes and volcanoes? A geologist explains

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gemechu Bedassa Teferi, Lecturer, Department of Geology , Addis Ababa Science & Technology University

    A swarm of earth tremors and fears of volcanic eruptions in January forced tens of thousands of people to move away from Awash Fentale, an area in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The area falls within a geologically active region of the Great Rift Valley that has experienced a number of earthquakes and volcanic events in the last 800 years. Two major volcanic eruptions occurred in 1250 and 1820 AD.

    What’s unfolded in Fentale in 2025 is part of an ongoing process millions of years in the making, deep under the earth’s surface. Scientists see it as a fascinating natural laboratory that will culminate in a north-south continental split – and ultimately create a new ocean – along the great East African Rift Valley. Gemechu Bedassa Teferi, a researcher who studies the volcanoes of the Main Ethiopian Rift, unpacks what’s behind the recent events.

    What causes tremors and volcanic eruptions in this region of Ethiopia?

    Eighteen million years ago, the continents broke apart to form the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Around 11 million years ago, a crack formed deep under the present Afar Depression, an area of north-east Ethiopia.

    The region sits on a hot, semisolid layer called the mantle. This mantle is constantly in motion due to the heat from the deeper part of the earth. One result is that the heated semi-solid rock (molten rock) can be forced up from the mantle and erupt through the weak spots in the earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption.

    Deep beneath the surface, the molten rock is also enabling a parallel process of the ground moving apart. This creates a gap – called a rift – which is eventually filled by the molten rock. The friction created results in rocks suddenly breaking and releasing enormous amounts of energy. The released energy radiates outward in the form of seismic waves like ripples on water, causing the ground to shake. This is what is felt as the so-called earthquake.

    The Afar region is one of the most volcanically and tectonically active areas in the world.

    The ongoing events in Fentale, as well as the Dofan area to the north, are the most recent in the history of molten material rising to the surface as parts of the earth’s crust move apart from each other.

    No volcanic eruption has occurred in the most recent events. But more than 200 quakes with a magnitude of more than 4 have been recorded in the last five months. The strongest of these measured at 6 on the Richter scale.

    The swarm of earthquakes damaged dozens of buildings, schools, roads and factories. Most residents in the capital, Addis Ababa, which is nearly 190km away from the epicentre (starting point for an earthquake), also felt the tremor.

    The strongest earthquake since 1900 – in 1989 – had a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale. This is strong enough to damage old buildings or those not built to withstand earthquakes.

    The last volcanic eruption at Fentale occurred in 1820. Based on historical records and global trends, an earthquake is a common precursor to volcanic eruptions. This has fuelled fears that recent earthquakes could signal eruptions at two nearby active volcanoes.

    What can scientists learn from the current events?

    Satellite radar images of the Fentale area revealed that the earthquakes in the region are due to hot molten rock pushing its way up from about 10km below Awash Fentale.

    What could follow is complex and depends on several factors, such as:

    • the temperature of the molten material – the hotter it is, the more easily it flows

    • the viscosity (how thick it is) – thicker molten rock flows slowly

    • the strength of the surrounding material – strong, resistant rocks around the hot molten rock can resist the pressure to rise.

    Three scenarios could possibly play out under Fentale.

    The first possible outcome is the cooling of the molten rock. That would lead to the formation of a dense, solidified rock material.

    The second is that the molten material could cause an eruption after forcing its way vertically to the surface or moving laterally underneath the earth’s surface.

    Read more: Ethiopian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions: earth scientist explains the link

    Under the third scenario, the super hot molten rock may also propagate laterally, interacting with other molten materials. This could eventually lead to either cooling or a massive volcanic eruption.

    Still, there are other unknown factors that could affect these potential processes in a geologically dynamic region.

    This calls for better predictions to mitigate future hazards. Scientists suggest that scientific monitoring techniques should be employed. These include volcanic gas measurement, onsite GPS monitoring, and geophysical study. Equally important is the collaborative effort of scientists and government officials to create a communication channel to engage the at-risk community.

    – Why does Ethiopia have earthquakes and volcanoes? A geologist explains
    – https://theconversation.com/why-does-ethiopia-have-earthquakes-and-volcanoes-a-geologist-explains-250688

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Stops Trump Administration from Defunding Vital Medical and Scientific Research

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general today stopped the Trump administration from slashing vital medical and scientific research funding. Attorney General James and the coalition secured a nationwide preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration – including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – from cutting billions of dollars in critical funding that supports cutting-edge medical and public health research at institutions across the country.

    “The president may want to play politics with public health, but we refuse to risk the resources Americans rely on,” said Attorney General James. “Without this lawsuit, New York could have lost $850 million in funding and researchers would have been forced to abandon vital research projects on cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We will always fight back against these harmful, illegal cuts that slow down life-saving medical research, hurt our economy, and take away jobs.”

    On February 7, NIH announced it would abruptly slash indirect cost rates for research grants to 15 percent across the board, significantly less than the cost required to conduct advanced medical research. The NIH also announced that cuts would go into effect the next business day – Monday, February 10 – giving universities and institutions no time to plan for the enormous budget gaps they would face.

    On February 10, Attorney General James and the coalition filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, HHS, and NIH challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to unilaterally cut indirect cost reimbursements at every research institution throughout the country. Less than six hours after the attorneys general filed their lawsuit, the court issued a TRO against NIH, barring it from cutting billions in funding for biomedical and public health research. 

    Today’s order extends the protections of the TRO and bars the administration from cutting billions in funding for biomedical and public health research, ensuring this critical, life-saving research can continue nationwide.

    The NIH is the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the United States. Medical research funding by NIH grants has led to innumerable scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of treatment for cancers of all types, the first sequencing of DNA, and the development of the MRI. Additionally, dozens of NIH-supported scientists have earned Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking scientific work. Most NIH-funded research occurs outside of federal government institutions such as public and private universities and colleges.

    In New York, there is currently $5 billion in open NIH grants to institutions throughout the state. If the proposed funding cap was allowed to take effect, approximately 250 institutions in New York would be impacted, encompassing most universities and medical schools in the state. New York institutions stand to lose approximately $850 million from this policy. For example, the State University of New York (SUNY) system – including the University at Albany, Stony Brook, and the University at Buffalo – stands to lose $78 million through the full life of its current grants and would have to abandon groundbreaking research projects on cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease if the cap went forward.

    Joining Attorney General James on this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Staffordshire woman prosecuted for not removing illegal waste

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Staffordshire woman prosecuted for not removing illegal waste

    The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a 43-year-old Staffordshire woman for failing to remove illegal waste from land in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

    A pile of waste at the site.

    • Calls from members of public prompts Environment Agency investigation
    • Hundreds of tonnes of waste stored on rented land in Lichfield
    • Case heard at Cannock Magistrates Court on Tuesday 4 March 2025

    At Cannock Magistrates Court on 4 March 2025, Lissa Appleby, of Nankirks Lane, Anslow, near Burton-upon-Trent, pleaded guilty to a single offence and was fined £550. She was also ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £220.

    The court was told that officers from the Environment Agency visited the address she was renting at Mill Farm, Cappers Lane, Whittington, Lichfield on October 13, 2023. The visit came following calls from members of the public regarding waste issues. The address consisted of a domestic property, large grounds and a barn.

    Inside the barn several hundred tonnes of dry shredded waste was discovered, containing plastic sheeting, plastic textiles, metals, wood and cardboard.

    Following a period of rainfall, the defendant was initially requested to move the waste from outside to inside the barn area as a temporary measure. This was to stop further leachate contamination.

    She was also given guidance that an environmental permit would be required for the activities carried out or for the waste to be removed by a person who held the correct waste carriers’ licence.

    The Environment Agency issued a letter to immediately cease activities at the property, believing she was operating an illegal waste site.

    Officers visited the site again on 26 October 2023 and found that the waste remained. Some had been put inside the barn, although there was still a large pile outside.

    The defendant said she could not afford to clear the site.

    Officers served a notice on the defendant, instructing her to remove all the waste on site by 3 January 2024.

    However, a further site visit on 10 January 2024 found the waste remained.

    On 31 January 2024, the defendant vacated the property, informing the letting agents she would clear all the waste within a two-week period.

    But on 29 February 2024, another visit by the Environment Agency confirmed that all the original waste remained on site. Plus additional waste had been deposited within the barn.

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    This site posed a significant environmental threat due to the high risk of fire and potential impact to local communities and amenities. 

    As a regulator, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to pursue people that fail to meet their obligations. 

    Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, harm human health and undermine local legitimate waste companies.  

    If anyone is suspicious of waste activities they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.

    Background

    Lissa Appleby, on 4 January 2024, being the occupier of land, namely Mill Farm, Cappers Lane, Whittington, Lichfield, WS14 9JW, failed without reasonable excuse to comply with a notice dated 13th November 2023 to remove controlled waste from the land contrary to section 59ZB(2) and 59ZB(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UKAEA and F-REI sign collaboration in robotics research

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UKAEA and F-REI sign collaboration in robotics research

    A memorandum of cooperation has been signed by UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI).

    Dr Koetsu Yamazaki (F-REI) and Prof. Rob Buckingham (UKAEA) at MOC signing – Image Credit United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

    The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI) have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on joint research in robotics and autonomous systems. 

    The MOC fosters UK-Japan collaboration between the government-funded organisations, enhancing joint research opportunities and advancing science and innovation in key technical areas, such as: 

    • Robotics and autonomous systems: supporting nuclear decommissioning, operations in challenging environments and advanced manufacturing 

    • Facility management and collaboration: sharing best practices in research facilities, harnessing a culture of innovation and commercialisation 

    • Talent and skills: initiatives to drive partnerships and support talent and skills development. 

    UKAEA’s Executive Director, Prof. Rob Buckingham, commented: “We are delighted to collaborate with F-REI, as both organisations share a strong commitment to advancing science and innovation in key technical areas, including robotics and autonomous systems. UKAEA has established robust partnerships with leading Japanese organisations, and this collaboration marks an exciting opportunity to expand those connections. By leveraging our shared experience and expertise, I am confident we can further strengthen UK-Japan engagement across government, industry, and academia, driving cutting-edge advancements with real-world impact.” 

    F-REI’s President, Dr. Koetsu Yamazaki, remarked: “F-REI and UKAEA share complementary objectives in research, innovation, education, and commercialisation. The UKAEA’s extensive experience in developing productive research programmes, educational initiatives, innovation and commercialisation pipelines, and collaborative research facilities offers valuable lessons that can significantly benefit F-REI’s startup goals. We are also excited to enhance Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities and industrial competitiveness through this international collaboration.” 

    UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. Established in 2014, UKAEA’s world-class robotics centre, RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments), has been at the forefront of research and development in the deployment of robotics within extreme industrial environments where human intervention is challenging. Among RACE’s recent achievements is the successful development of next-generation robotics technologies for decommissioning through the LongOps project, funded by the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). 

    UKAEA is a member of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) alongside the NDA, Sellafield Ltd and the University of Manchester. The collaboration accelerates deployment of robotics and AI to solve shared nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering challenges. 

    F-REI, established by the Government of Japan in April 2023 under the Act on Special Measures for the Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima, is dedicated to becoming a world-class core centre for creative reconstruction. F-REI embodies the dreams and aspirations of Fukushima and other parts of the Tohoku region, aiming to drive Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities and industrial competitiveness. The institute conducts research and development in the following five key areas:

    • Robotics
    • Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
    • Energy
    • Radiation science, medicine, drug development, and industrial applications for radiation
    • The collection and dissemination of data and knowledge on nuclear disasters.

    The MOC was signed by Koetsu Yamazaki and Rob Buckingham on 4 March 2025 at UKAEA’s Culham Campus, UK.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major military infrastructure upgrade completed at Leuchars

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Major military infrastructure upgrade completed at Leuchars

    Construction has completed on a major infrastructure project to benefit soldiers based at Leuchars Station in Fife.

    Representatives of the ABP Leuchars Project delivery team with REME personnel inside the new Central Servicing and Inspection Facility. Front row left to right: Barry Ray, DIO MPP Army Programme Delivery Leader; Brigadier Jody Davies MBE, Commander 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland; Belinda Lunn, DEO Army Programme Director. Copyright McLaughlin & Harvey.

    Upgraded facilities have been delivered for The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and 2nd Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, including refurbished offices, garaging, a shared workshop, a central servicing and inspection facility and a new-build bespoke store.

    At the formal opening of the new facilities on 5 March, Belinda Lunn, Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme Director, said:

    I am delighted to see the result of this significant investment at Leuchars Station, which has delivered high-quality facilities for service personnel. This major upgrade in technical infrastructure has set the benchmark for our long-term programme to enhance the Army estate in Scotland.

    Brigadier Jody Davies MBE, Commander 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, said:

    This impressive infrastructure upgrade delivered at Leuchars Station will enable our soldiers and officers to undertake their day-to-day duties in a modern, comfortable, and efficient working environment. It is excellent to see such investment in improved infrastructure to enhance how our people live, work, train and operate in Scotland. 

    The £62 million Leuchars Station project was delivered under the legacy of the Army Basing Programme by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), contracting to McLaughlin & Harvey Construction Ltd and Mott MacDonald.

    Barry Ray, DIO MPP Army Programme Delivery Leader, said:

    DIO has been pleased to work over the past 2 years with our industry partners McLaughlin & Harvey and Mott MacDonald on the fifth and final phase of the ABP Leuchars project, to provide the modern infrastructure the Army needs at Leuchars Station.  We are thrilled that it is already making a positive difference for service personnel both today and will in future. This sits alongside the new Medical and Dental Centre, which is nearing completion, as well as plans for further new facilities.

    Martin Keys, Operations Director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said:

    We are proud to celebrate the successful completion of this strategic defence project alongside our valued partners. Utilising our specialist knowledge and growing defence capabilities we have delivered facilities that meets the highest standards of security, resilience, and functionality. This achievement reflects the dedication and expertise of our entire team, and we remain committed to supporting national defence infrastructure with excellence and integrity.

    Paul Harrison, General Manager Defence, Mott MacDonald, said:

    This has been a showcase for a one-team integrated approach and we have worked to improve Defence infrastructure in an affordable, innovative, safe and collaborative way, overcoming significant challenges including extensive ground contamination, listed building constraints and legacy infrastructure. From planning and assessment, through to concept and design, then project managing the construction works contract on behalf of DIO, we are proud to have helped improve sustainable infrastructure development and contributed to an optimised UK Defence Estate.

    Further investment is to be delivered at Leuchars Station under the DEO Army Programme. Construction is due to start in 2027 on living and technical infrastructure across the site that will support Unit rebasing following the 2021 Defence Integrated Review and as announced in Future Soldier.

    The DEO Army Programme makes up the largest proportion of the MOD’s DEO Portfolio which is investing £5.1 billion in more modern and sustainable infrastructure across the Defence estate that meets future operational requirements and enhances the lived experience of military personnel.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: The government has achieved record levels of executive discipline in interaction with the State Duma

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Dmitry Grigorenko at a meeting of the State Duma leadership. With the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodinin.

    March 6, 2025

    In 2024, the Government achieved record levels of executive discipline in terms of drafting bills and regulations. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko during a meeting of the State Duma leadership with state secretaries.

    In particular, 99% of bills were submitted to the State Duma for consideration on time at the end of last year. This is a record result. For comparison, in 2023 this figure was 95%, and in 2022 – 84%. An important achievement was the almost 100% synchronization of the deadlines for the adoption of laws and by-laws in 2024. This means that legislative initiatives begin to work immediately after adoption, without delays caused by waiting for the development and approval of by-laws.

    Dmitry Grigorenko noted that this result became possible due to the implementation of a monitoring system that tracks document preparation deadlines in real time and allows for prompt elimination of any delays that arise. This significantly increased the efficiency of the legislative process and reduced the risks of inconsistency in law enforcement.

    The government has also improved the procedure for reviewing bills that are submitted for opinions or official reviews. To this end, an automatic approval mechanism was introduced into the procedure for preparing government positions. As a result, the timeframe for preparing reviews and opinions by federal ministries and departments has been reduced by 41% by the end of 2024. At the same time, the volume of such documents has increased by 15% over the past year.

    “In recent years, we have focused on improving executive discipline, and last year was a record year in terms of fulfilling this task. At the same time, we are constantly improving interaction with the parliament, and today the key emphasis is on the quality of the laws adopted. To achieve this goal, we have systematized the work – identified priority bills. For example, in the current spring session, one of such priorities for the Government and deputies was the bill on combating telephone and Internet fraud. Its goal, on the one hand, is to provide citizens with effective tools for self-defense, and on the other – to deprive fraudsters of the opportunity to use their deception schemes,” said Dmitry Grigorenko.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a working meeting with members of the Government, set the task of taking appropriate measures to combat fraud on the Internet as soon as possible.

    He also recalled that the Government had developed and submitted to the State Duma a comprehensive bill to combat fraudsters, which contains about 30 measures.

    At the end of the meeting, Dmitry Grigorenko supported the proposal of the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on the need to develop more laws of direct action. He noted that this task remains a priority. More and more often, measures are included directly in laws, which simplifies their application and increases the effectiveness of legal regulation. In particular, as a result of this work, the number of by-laws prepared by the Government has decreased by 1.5 times over the past 4 years, amounting to 1.3 thousand in 2024.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Japan and WFP join forces to support refugees in Iran

    Source: World Food Programme

    TEHRAN– The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a generous contribution of US$360,000 from the Government of Japan to support its assistance programme for refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

    This contribution will be utilized to purchase essential wheat flour to support the most vulnerable refugees living in settlements in Iran. Wheat flour is a staple food and a vital source of energy, making it an essential part of the diet for many refugees. By providing wheat flour, WFP ensures that refugees have access to a versatile and nutritious ingredient that can be used to prepare bread. This support not only helps to meet their immediate food needs but also promotes food security and stability within refugee settlements. 

    “We deeply appreciate the unwavering generosity and solidarity of the Government and people of Japan in supporting our operations in Iran,” said Maysaa Alghribawy, WFP Representative and Country Director in the Islamic Republic of Iran. “This vital contribution reflects Japan’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable refugees, and we are truly grateful for their partnership and trust in our work.”

    WFP currently supports 33,000 Afghan and Iraqi refugees living in 20 settlements across the country with food, education, and livelihood assistance.

    “Japan has been supporting Afghan refugees living in Iran for over 40 years and commends the Iranian government for its longstanding commitment to providing Afghan refugees the same level of healthcare and education as Iranian citizens,” said Tamaki Tsukada, the Japanese Ambassador to Iran. 

    “At the same time, we recognise that the increasing number of Afghan refugees in Iran presents a significant challenge for the Iranian government. We hope this contribution will help alleviate the nutritional needs of Afghan refugees,” added Tsukada.

    The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the world’s largest hosts of refugees, having provided essential support to 3.8 million refugees and refugee-like individuals over the past four decades. The country has offered displaced communities – primarily from Afghanistan and Iraq- access to health care, education, and livelihood opportunities, demonstrating a strong commitment to refugee welfare. 

    #                    #                       #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media, @wfpiran

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi extends greetings to women ahead of International Women’s Day

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

    BEIJING, March 6 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday extended festive greetings and best wishes to the country’s women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life ahead of International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sent the greetings when attending a joint group meeting at the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses role of education in supporting sci-tech, talent development

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

    BEIJING, March 6 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed strengthening the role of education in supporting scientific and technological advancement as well as talent development.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for a deep understanding of the needs of Chinese modernization for education, science and technology, and talent.

    The goal is to cultivate a steady stream of talent, unlock their full potential, and ensure their abilities are fully utilized, Xi said while attending a joint group meeting during the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body.

    The meeting was attended by national political advisors from the China Democratic League, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and the education sector.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: ZOOZ Power Reports H2 and Full Year 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tel-Aviv, Israel, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ZOOZ Power (Nasdaq and TASE: ZOOZ), a leading provider of flywheel-based power boosters and energy management systems for enabling ultra-fast EV charging solutions, announced today its second half and full year 2024 financial results and provided a corporate update.

    ZOOZ Power’s revenue increased in 2024, doubling the number of systems sold in 2023. Revenue increased by 36% from $0.76 million in 2023 to $1.04 million in 2024. While revenue in 2023 included related installations services provided only in 2023 as part of early penetration, in 2024 revenue relates to systems only.

    “As the EV market continues to evolve, ZOOZ Power remains dedicated to delivering innovative power-boosting and energy management solutions that enhance the accessibility and efficiency of ultra-fast charging stations worldwide. I am excited to lead ZOOZ Power and focus on global expansion”, said Erez Zimerman, ZOOZ Power’s CEO.

    “With our unique flywheel-based power boosting technology and recent deployments in key global markets, we are uniquely positioned to grow our presence globally. We are currently scaling operations in Germany and France and advancing partnerships with leading charge point operators. These steps underscore our commitment to enhance infrastructure efficiency and empower the EV ecosystem. I look forward to our success in 2025 as we shape the future of sustainable, high-performance charging solutions”, concluded Erez Zimerman.

    Operational Highlights for the Six Months Ended December 31, 2024

      ● In July 2024, ZOOZ Power expanded its presence in Germany, with its power boosters now operational at four sites, leading charge point operators. A fifth purchase order and deployment, currently underway, is a strong testament to the customer’s trust in ZOOZ’s technology. These successful deployments demonstrate ZOOZ Power’s role as a key enabler of sustainable, high-performance EV charging solutions and a trusted operating partner.
      ● Following a successful pilot of the ZOOZTER™-100 system at the Dor-Alon gas station along Highway 6 (one of Israel’s main transportation corridors), which led to a significant increase in charging sessions per day and demonstrated a relatively short ROI. Dor-Alon decided to adopt the ZOOZ solution and purchased the system.
      ● In August, ZOOZ Power appointed Erez Zimerman as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 17th. Zimerman brings extensive experience across hardware and software, with a proven track record in company turnarounds, IPOs, acquisitions, and scaling global sales.
      ● To further accelerate growth, ZOOZ Power expanded its sales team in Germany and France, two of Europe’s most dynamic and fast-growing electric vehicle markets. This strategic move enhances the company’s capacity to meet the increasing demand for efficient and sustainable EV charging infrastructure throughout the region.
      ● In October 2024, ZOOZ deployed it’s ZOOZTER™-100 system at NYPA (New York Power Authority). New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “Innovation is a priority for the Power Authority, and partnerships like the one with ZOOZ are integral to our work to decarbonize our economy and support transportation electrification in New York State.”
      ● In November 2024, ZOOZ Power entered into a Standby Equity Purchase Agreement (SEPA) securing access to up to $12 million in flexible financing over a two-year period. This financing option provides the company with greater flexibility to raise capital strategically, ensuring support for its growth initiatives while maintaining control over the timing and volume of equity sales.

    Financial Highlights:

    Six Months Ended December 31, 2024

      ● Revenue: ZOOZ reported approximately $498 thousand in revenue for the six months ended December 31, 2024, compared to no revenue for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The revenue reported reflects sale of ZOOZTER™-100 systems,
      ● Cost of revenues: Cost of revenues for the six months ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $776 thousand, compared with approximately $888 thousand for the six months ended December 31, 2023. Cost of revenues for the six months ended December 2023 is mainly attributed to fair value adjustments and raw material write-offs.
      ● Research and Development Expenses, Net: Research and development expenses, net for the six months ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $2,633 thousand, compared with approximately $2,563 thousand for the six months ended December 31, 2023.
      ● Sales and Marketing Expenses: Sales and marketing expenses for the six months ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $494 thousand, compared with approximately $1,710 thousand for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The decrease is mainly attributed to the recognition of grants received as part of the NYPA (New York Power Authority) Cooperation Agreement, following the successful installation of ZOOZTER™-100 system, which effectively offset Sales and Marketing expenses in 2024.
      ● General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the six months ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $1,872 thousand, compared with approximately $1,322 thousand for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The increase is mainly attributed to D&O insurance costs and other expenses related to the Company’s listing for trading on the Nasdaq following the consummation of the Business Combination, effective as of April 4, 2024.
      ● Net loss: Net loss for the six months ended December 31, 2024, was approximately $5,753 thousand, or $0.50 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of approximately $6,353 thousand, or $1.07 per basic and diluted share, for the six months ended December 31, 2023.

    Full Year Ended December 31, 2024

      ● Cash: As of December 31, 2024, ZOOZ had approximately $7,532 thousand in cash, cash equivalents and short-term deposit, compared with approximately $6,672 thousand as of December 31, 2023. Since ZOOZ has just started commercial sales of its products and considering ZOOZ’s expected cash usage, early this year ZOOZ initiated certain measures designed to reduce its operation cost, such as workforce reduction where it deemed appropriate and has continued its sales and marketing efforts. In addition, ZOOZ expects that it will need to obtain additional funding in 2025 in connection with its continuing operations.
      ● Revenue: ZOOZ reported approximately $1,041 thousand in revenue for the full year ended December 31, 2024, compared with approximately $764 thousand for the full year ended December 31, 2023. The revenue reported reflects sales of ZOOZTER™-100 systems.
      ● Cost of revenues: Cost of revenues for the full year ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $1,527 thousand, compared with approximately $1,869 thousand for the full year ended December 31, 2023. Please refer to “Six Months Ended December 31, 2024” for the description of this decrease.
      ● Research and Development Expenses, Net: Research and development expenses, net for the full year ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $5,062 thousand, compared with approximately $5,215 thousand for the full year ended December 31, 2023.
      ● Sales and Marketing Expenses: Sales and marketing expenses for the full year ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $1,324 thousand, compared with approximately $3,041 thousand for the full year ended December 31, 2023. Please refer to “Six Months Ended December 31, 2024” for the description of this decrease.
      ● General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the full year ended December 31, 2024, were approximately $3,664 thousand, compared with approximately $2,850 thousand for the full year ended December 31, 2023. Please refer to “Six Months Ended December 31, 2024” for the description of this increase.
      ● Net loss: Net loss for the full year ended December 31, 2024, was approximately $10,990 thousand, or $1.09 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of approximately $11,755 thousand, or $1.99 per basic and diluted share, for the full year ended December 31, 2023.

    Results (K)

        H2 2024
    Unaudited    		     H2 2023
    Unaudited    		     FY 2024
    Audited    		     FY 2023
    Audited    		  
    Revenues   $ 498       –     $ 1,041     $ 764  
    Net Loss   $ 5,753     $ 6,353     $ 10,990     $ 11,755  
    Loss per diluted share   $ 0.50     $ 1.07     $ 1.09     $ 1.99  

    Full financial tables are included below

    About ZOOZ Power

    ZOOZ is the leading provider of flywheel-based power boosting and energy management solutions, enabling the widespread deployment of ultra-fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) while overcoming existing grid limitations.

    ZOOZ pioneers its unique flywheel-based power-boosting technology, enabling efficient utilization and power management of a power-limited grid at an EV charging site. Its Flywheel technology allows high-performance, reliable, and cost-effective ultra-fast charging infrastructure.

    ZOOZ Power’s sustainable, power-boosting solutions are built with longevity and the environment in mind, helping its customers and partners accelerate the deployment of fast-charging infrastructure, thus facilitating improved utilization rates, better efficiency, greater flexibility, and faster revenues and profitability growth. ZOOZ is publicly traded on NASDAQ and TASE under the ticker ZOOZ

    For more information, please visit: www.zoozpower.com/

    Investor Contact:

    Miri Segal – CEO
    MS-IR LLC
    msegal@ms-ir.com

    Media enquiries:
    Media@zoozpower.com

      
    Forward-Looking Statement

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions of ZOOZ Power. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding ZOOZ Power, and any of ZOOZ Power’s strategy, future operations and statements related to the collaboration between ZOOZ Power and “ON” charging network (including any plans to implement ZOOZ Power’s solution and upgrade an additional site of “ON” on Route 6) are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause ZOOZ Power’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and other risks and uncertainties are more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of ZOOZ’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as well as other documents that may be subsequently filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the limited operating history and evolving business model that make it difficult for investors to evaluate ZOOZ Power’s business and future prospects, material weaknesses identified in ZOOZ Power’s internal control over financial reporting and the potential results of ZOOZ Power being unable to remediate these material weaknesses, or identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, ZOOZ Power’s management’s determination that substantial doubt exists about the continued existence of ZOOZ Power as a “going concern”, changes to fuel economy standards or changes to governments’ regulations and policies in relation to environment or the success of alternative fuels which may negatively impact the EVs market and thus the demand for ZOOZ Power’s products, delays in deployment of public ultra-fast charging infrastructure which may limit the need and urgency for ZOOZ Power’s products, the potential outcome of ZOOZ Power’s collaborations with third parties for installation of its flywheel-based power boosting solution, and conditions in Israel and in the Middle East, including the effect of the evolving nature of the ongoing “Swords of Iron” war, may adversely affect ZOOZ Power’s operations. These forward-looking statements are only estimations, and ZOOZ Power may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in any forward-looking statements, so you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements made in this Press Release. Management of ZOOZ Power has based these forward-looking statements largely on current expectations and projections about future events and trends that such persons believe may affect ZOOZ Power’s business, financial condition and operating results. Forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release are made as of the date hereof, and none of ZOOZ Power or any of its representatives or any other person undertakes any duty to update such information except as may be expressly required under applicable law.

      
    ZOOZ POWER LTD
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (U.S. dollars in thousands) – (Unaudited)

        December 31  
        2024     2023  
    ASSETS                
    CURRENT ASSETS:                
    Cash     7,532       6,672  
    Restricted bank deposits     34       –  
    Prepaid expenses     370       203  
    Other current assets     397       549  
    Inventory     2,320       2,848  
    TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     10,653       10,272  
    NON-CURRENT ASSETS:                
    Restricted bank deposits     192       224  
    Prepaid expenses     91       79  
    Operating lease right of use assets     974       1,309  
    Property and equipment, net     927       1,593  
    TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS     2,184       3,205  
    TOTAL ASSETS     12,837       13,477  
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
    CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Accounts payable     297       536  
    Other payables and accrued expenses     870       1,387  
    Short term employee benefits     668       788  
    Share based payment liabilities     –       232  
    Promissory note     890       –  
    Promissory note – Related party     2,151       –  
    Current maturities of operating lease liabilities     314       309  
    TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     5,190       3,252  
                     
    NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Warrants liability     331       –  
    Operating lease liabilities     598       1,035  
    TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES     929       1,035  
                     
    TOTAL LIABILITIES     6,119       4,287  
                     
    TOTAL EQUITY     6,718       9,190  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY     12,837       13,477  

    ZOOZ POWER LTD
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) – (Unaudited)

        Year ended December 31  
        2024     2023     2022  
                       
    Revenue     1,041       764       –  
    Cost of revenue     1,527       1,869       178  
    Gross loss     (486 )     (1,105 )     (178 )
                             
    Research and development, net     5,062       5,215       4,163  
    Sales and marketing     1,324       3,041       1,672  
    General and administrative     3,664       2,850       2,189  
                             
    Operating loss     (10,536 )     (12,211 )     (8,202 )
                             
    Interest expenses     171       –       –  
    Other finance expenses (income), net     283       (456 )     (377 )
    Net loss     (10,990 )     (11,755 )     (7,825 )
                             
    Net loss per ordinary share attributable to shareholders – basic and diluted     (1.09 )     (1.99 )     (1.51 )
    Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding – basic and diluted     10,070       5,912       5,166  

    ZOOZ POWER LTD
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (U.S. dollars in thousands) – (Unaudited)

        June 30     December 31  
        2024     2023  
    ASSETS                
    CURRENT ASSETS:                
    Cash and cash equivalents     7,721       6,672  
    Short term deposits     3,507       –  
    Prepaid expenses     838       203  
    Other current assets     611       549  
    Inventory     2,470       2,848  
    TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     15,147       10,272  
                     
    NON-CURRENT ASSETS:                
    Restricted bank deposits     219       224  
    Prepaid expenses     104       79  
    Operating lease right of use assets     1,133       1,309  
    Property and equipment, net     1,411       1,593  
    TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS     2,867       3,205  
    TOTAL ASSETS     18, 014       13,477  
                     
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
    CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Accounts payable     303       536  
    Other payables and accrued expenses     912       1,387  
    Short term employee benefits     662       788  
    Share based payment liabilities     –       232  
    Promissory note     856       –  
    Promissory note – Related party     2,069       –  
    Current maturities of operating lease liabilities     313       309  
    TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     5,115       3,252  
                     
    NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Warrants liability     181       –  
    Operating lease liabilities     824       1,035  
    TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES     1,005       1,035  
                     
    TOTAL LIABILITIES     6,120       4,287  
                     
    TOTAL EQUITY     11,894       9,190  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY     18,014       13,477  

    ZOOZ POWER LTD
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) – (Unaudited)

        Six months ended June 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Revenues     543       784  
    Cost of revenue     751       981  
                     
    Gross loss     (208 )     (197 )
                     
    Research and development, net     2,429       2,652  
    Sales and marketing, net     830       1,331  
    General and administrative     1,792       1,528  
                     
    Operating loss     (5,259 )     (5,708 )
                     
    Finance income, net     22       306  
    Net loss     (5,237 )     (5,402 )
                     
    Net loss per ordinary share attributable to shareholders – basic and diluted     (0.59 )     (0.91 )
    Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding – basic and diluted     8,854       5,912  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Shift in Governmental Policies Incentivizing U.S. Manufacturing for Drone Manufacturers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – From the perspective of U.S. competitiveness and security, incentivizing U.S. leadership in the drone industry ― the focal point of a new era of aviation ― represents a strategic imperative in a market long characterized by state-subsidized companies based in China. AUVSI, an industry insider reported: “that it believes it is essential to advance security and competitiveness in a thoughtful way that respects existing investments while building toward a more secure, sustainable future that puts U.S. interests ― including security, the economy, and overarching values ― first. U.S. drone manufacturers and their component supply chain have struggled to compete against foreign subsidized competition, which hinders the availability of American-made UAS on the market and impedes workforce growth and investment. Accordingly, the U.S. government must foster a more competitive and fair playing field for U.S.-based drone manufacturers. AUVSI is advocating for specific proposals that would generate demand for U.S.-made drones and supply-side measures that level the playing field for U.S. drone and component manufacturers against subsidized competition and dumping practices.” Active Companies in the drone industry today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), ParaZero Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: PRZO).

    AUVSI continued: “Bolstering new drone manufacturing capabilities and the associated workforce will require infrastructure and capital expenditures. Providing tax incentives and other mechanisms to spur that spending would accelerate growth and development that would have otherwise been delayed or denied. Manufacturer tax credits for the production and sale of certain UAS equipment and components produced and sold in the U.S. would benefit the industry and its competitiveness and would decrease reliance on subsidized, foreign drones. This has worked in other industries. According to the Financial Times, U.S. manufacturing commitments doubled ― to more than $200 billion, creating 82,000 jobs ― based on the success of tax incentive programs for other industries, including solar panels, semiconductors, electric vehicles, and other clean technologies. In taking action to level the playing field and promote competition, the U.S. government should coordinate activities with allied and partner nations to create a stronger, more secure supply chain.”

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) ZenaDrone Benefits from New Chinese Tariffs Also Helping its Commercial and Defense Customer Markets – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, today announces an update on its US-based ZenaDrone subsidiary’s Arizona and Taiwan manufacturing supply chain strategy in light of the current economic changes and tariffs announced by the current US Administration. ZenaDrone will continue to source and manufacture drone cameras, sensors and other related components at its Taiwan-based Spider Vision Sensors company to reduce its supply chain risk and ensure NDAA-compliant parts for its US Defense-destined drone products, which will be manufactured in Arizona. The company also benefits from recent announcements doubling tariffs on Chinese imports including drones and parts from 10% to 20% which will negatively impact many US drone companies and customers given the drone industry dominance of China.

    “The current administration’s focus on strengthening US manufacturing and reducing reliance on Chinese drone imports is a game-changer for American companies like ours. With increased tariffs on Chinese drones and components, and new incentives for domestic production, we are well-positioned to expand our operations to manufacture in Arizona, also creating more high-quality American jobs. Since we’ve already initiated sourcing of our component parts from Taiwan instead of China, we can avoid supply chain disruptions while benefiting from potential US manufacturing tax breaks. We believe this makes our drones more competitive for both government and commercial markets,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    “This also puts us ahead of domestic competitors who may be facing challenges with supply chain instability and less access to cutting-edge technologies. By leveraging Taiwan’s capabilities and our focus on security and compliance, we’re poised to meet increasing defense demand while minimizing operational risks,” added Dr. Passley.

    The Spider Vision Sensors Taiwan office opened in November 2024 to manufacture drone cameras, sensors, electronics, and components, including LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), thermal, infrared, and multi-spectral sensors, and circuit boards to incorporate into ZenaDrone’s finished products. Having in-house manufactured sensors and components will enable ZenaDrone to maintain a steady supply to fulfill customer drone order needs at its Sharjah, UAE manufacturing facilities as well as its future Arizona-based drone manufacturing facilities for US military-destined “Made in America” drones.

    Taiwan was selected due to its size and skills as an electronics hub, and the availability of low-cost alternative components versus those from China. Spider Vision Sensors will ensure ZenaDrone’s products and supply chain are compliant with the US NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) requirements necessary to do business with the US Military. This along with the Green UAS (Uncrewed Arial System) and the Blue UAS are important certifications ensuring cybersecurity and country of origin compliance for drone companies which the company has stated it plans to achieve. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Other recent developments in the drone industry include:

    EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH), the world’s leading Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) technology platform company, recently announced a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (“JAC Motors”) and Hefei Guoxian Holdings Co., Ltd. (“Guoxian Holdings”). Under this agreement, cooperation will focus on establishing a joint venture in Hefei to invest in the construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing base for low-altitude aircraft. The facility will integrate advanced technology, standardization, and automation to produce intelligent and pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (“eVTOL”).

    The strategic cooperation signing ceremony was attended by key officials including Fei Yuan, Standing Committee Member of Hefei Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Hefei; Xingchu Xiang, Chairman, and General Manager of JAC Motors; Xingke Yin, Vice General Manager of JAC Motors; Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang; and Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang. They were joined by other distinguished guests in witnessing the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement, marking a new milestone in the high-quality development of China’s low-altitude economy ecosystem.

    AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) recently reported financial results for the fiscal third quarter ended January 25, 2025. Third Quarter Highlights Were:

    Record funded backlog of $763.5 million as of January 25, 2025

    Third quarter revenue of $167.6 million down 10% year-over-year

    Third quarter net loss of $(1.8) million and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA of $21.8 million

    “We faced a number of short-term challenges in the third quarter, including the unprecedented high winds and fires in Southern California, which impacted our ability to meet our goals,” said Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Nevertheless, we made significant progress towards executing our long-term growth strategy and building resiliency for the future.”

    Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) and RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., recently announced an approximate 50/50 partnership for the establishment of a U.S.-based merchant supplier of solid rocket motors (SRMs) and other energetics. The new joint venture, named Prometheus Energetics (“Prometheus”), is set to be headquartered on an approximate 500-acre site near the United States Navy and Army facility in Crane, Indiana.

    Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos Defense, said, “We believe Prometheus, once up and running at full rate production, will be a step function catalyst in value creation for Kratos’ stakeholders and the U.S. defense industrial base, similar to Kratos’ recent MACH-TB contract award—the largest single-award contract in Kratos history. Like other major Kratos investments such as Oriole, Zeus, and Erinyes, Prometheus responds to a critical need to strengthen the U.S. Industrial Base and will also provide tens of thousands of SRMs and casted warheads supporting both America’s most reliable partner in the Middle East and United States national security related demand from a true SRM and energetics merchant supplier.”

    ParaZero Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: PRZO) recently announced that it has successfully achieved regulatory compliance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its SafeAir systems. This milestone marks a step forward for the company, solidifying its position as a trusted provider of safety solutions in the rapidly expanding drone market.

    ParaZero secured EASA compliance for its SafeAir systems. The Company announced last week that its system is integrated with the DJI Matrice 350, DJI Mavic 3T, and DJI Mavic 3E, and has successfully achieved CE Class C5 compliance. This achievement marks a significant advancement in drone safety and regulatory readiness, particularly within the European market.

    The CE Class C5 certification is crucial for compliance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, especially for operators navigating the complex Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) process. By meeting these stringent requirements, ParaZero’s SafeAir systems simplify the regulatory pathway for drone operators, enabling them to conduct missions in an urban environment, with greater confidence, efficiency, and safety.

    About FN Media Group:

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    DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated fifty four hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University

    Nearly 70% of American Muslims report giving Zakat, the obligatory charity, during Ramadan. NickyLloyd/E+ via Getty Images

    As Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, an important aspect of their faith is their role as stewards of God on Earth. One way Muslims do this is through the practice of Zakat, an obligatory kind of charity that’s one of the five pillars of Islam.

    Zakat requires Muslims to give 2.5% of their wealth to eight prescribed categories: the poor; the needy; Zakat administrators; those whose hearts can be reconciled; to free the enslaved; to help those in debt; for travelers; and for the sake of God.

    Muslims, however, worry that they are responsible to God to ensure that their Zakat is used by institutions in ways that would do good, while adhering to the theological requirements of this religious practice. Yet, my research shows that Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors.

    Zakat as a communal practice

    Muslims see themselves as custodians of whatever they possess as gifts from God.

    During their lifetime, they must use wealth responsibly and for good; upon their death, the Quran prescribes who can inherit their wealth.

    One important aspect of how Muslims are supposed to use their wealth is through charity. Zakat is an obligatory charitable practice in which donations are traditionally channeled through institutions.

    According to research my team conducted, nearly 70% of Muslims in the United States report giving Zakat during Ramadan. Ramadan is thus a critical time for nonprofits to solicit Zakat funds.

    Historically, Zakat was given through central Zakat collection agencies, or “bait-ul-maals.” For example, at the time of the Prophet Muhammad and early Islamic rulers, Zakat collection and distribution was carried out by the government.

    Today, Zakat collection and distribution varies from place to place. In six of the 47 Muslim-majority countries – Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen – Zakat is obligatory and collected by the state. In Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Bangladesh, Zakat is regulated by the state, but contributions are voluntary.

    Most countries do not have a formal Zakat collection agency and rely upon local nonprofits or individuals for the collection and distribution of Zakat.

    Over time, due to distrust in Zakat collecting institutions and perceived corruption, the practice of Zakat has become more individual and less communal. The vast majority of Zakat across the globe is collected and distributed individually rather than through institutions. Scholars have argued that many fear that Zakat collecting institutions may not be using the funds ethically, impactfully and in accordance with Islamic requirements.

    For example, according to the Hanafi school of thought, a Zakat collection agency can spend up to 12.5% of donation money on administrative costs; other schools of thought argue that Zakat should be administered at no cost.

    Building trust through transparency

    It is important for many Muslims that their contributions are used in compliance with Islamic religious requirements.
    Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images

    Nonprofits are taking steps to build trust. For example, Muslim American charities were among the first to embrace Charity Navigator as a way to evaluate their impact.

    Charity Navigator is a U.S.-based nonprofit that rates nonprofits. Many Muslim-led charities in the United States proudly display their “Four Star” Charity Navigator status.

    My team has found that Muslim Americans are more likely to donate to nonprofits that the Internal Revenue Service has granted 501(c)(3) status. This is true even if they don’t claim the charitable deduction on their taxes and therefore cannot get tax breaks for their donations.

    More recently, in my conversations with leading Muslim-led nonprofits, I learned that they are seeking to respond to Muslim concerns about how these nonprofits use Zakat funds. It is important for them that funds are used in compliance with Islamic religious requirements.

    For example, they are looking at how nonprofits interpret what it means to be “needy,” “the poor,” “the enslaved” or “for the sake of God” in the contemporary context.

    Many nonprofits are adopting Zakat policies that explain how they define these terms and how much of their budget covers their administrative costs. These include international organizations that are not led by Muslims, like the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, Save the Children, and the anti-poverty group Oxfam.

    A case study

    The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University, which I lead, convened a group of scholars in November 2024 to discuss challenges of collecting and distributing Zakat in the U.S. This discussion resulted in a report that sums up these conversations and examines the Zakat policy of the largest U.S. Muslim-led nonprofit: Islamic Relief USA.

    Islamic Relief USA’s Zakat policy limits its administrative costs to 12%; it permits funding for both immediate and long-term projects and allows Zakat to be distributed not just as cash payments but also as goods and services. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion.

    While not all scholars at the convening agreed with every aspect of the Islamic Relief USA Zakat policy, they accepted that diversity in Islamic thought permitted various approaches to Zakat. They also concurred that Islamic Relief USA’s process was likely the best framework for how nonprofits should approach the development of Zakat policies.

    Ultimately, there was consensus that nonprofits seeking Zakat should have Zakat policies; should make them available on their websites; should state the process through which it was developed; and name the scholars and other experts who took part in the process.

    Since a majority of American Muslims prefer to donate their Zakat during Ramadan, perhaps this might be the time when nonprofits can build trust through adopting more transparent Zakat policies.

    This article discusses a meeting funded by the the Islamic.. However, Islamic Relief USA is not consulted on any of our scholarly or public facing publications resulting from that convening.

    – ref. Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan – https://theconversation.com/why-muslim-american-nonprofits-are-taking-steps-to-build-trust-with-donors-during-ramadan-251319

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Allison Stanger, Distinguished Endowed Professor, Middlebury

    Elon Musk has simultaneous control of DOGE and his AI company xAI. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

    The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private company’s artificial intelligence systems.

    The White House press secretary said government data that DOGE has collected isn’t being used to train Musk’s AI models, despite Elon Musk’s control over DOGE. However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musk’s companies.

    At the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX employees have government email addresses. This dual employment creates a conduit for federal data to potentially be siphoned to Musk-owned enterprises, including xAI. The company’s latest Grok AI chatbot model conspicuously refuses to give a clear denial about using such data.

    As a political scientist and technologist who is intimately acquainted with public sources of government data, I believe this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society.

    Value of government data for AI

    For AI developers, government databases represent something akin to finding the Holy Grail. While companies such as OpenAI, Google and xAI currently rely on information scraped from the public internet, nonpublic government repositories offer something much more valuable: verified records of actual human behavior across entire populations.

    This isn’t merely more data – it’s fundamentally different data. Social media posts and web browsing histories show curated or intended behaviors, but government databases capture real decisions and their consequences. For example, Medicare records reveal health care choices and outcomes. IRS and Treasury data reveal financial decisions and long-term impacts. And federal employment and education statistics reveal education paths and career trajectories.

    What makes this data particularly valuable for AI training is its longitudinal nature and reliability. Unlike the disordered information available online, government records follow standardized protocols, undergo regular audits and must meet legal requirements for accuracy. Every Social Security payment, Medicare claim and federal grant creates a verified data point about real-world behavior. This data exists nowhere else with such breadth and authenticity in the U.S.

    Most critically, government databases track entire populations over time, not just digitally active users. They include people who never use social media, don’t shop online, or actively avoid digital services. For an AI company, this would mean training systems on the actual diversity of human experience rather than just the digital reflections people cast online.

    A security guard prevented U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., from entering an EPA building on Feb. 6, 2025, to see DOGE staff working there.
    Al Drago/Getty Images

    The technical advantage

    Current AI systems face fundamental limitations that no amount of data scraped from the internet can overcome. When ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini make mistakes, it’s often because they’ve been trained on information that might be popular but isn’t necessarily true. They can tell you what people say about a policy’s effects, but they can’t track those effects across populations and years.

    Government data could change this equation. Imagine training an AI system not just on opinions about health care but on actual treatment outcomes across millions of patients. Consider the difference between learning from social media discussions about economic policies and analyzing their real impacts across different communities and demographics over decades.

    A large, state-of-the-art, or frontier, model trained on comprehensive government data could understand the actual relationships between policies and outcomes. It could track unintended consequences across different population segments, model complex societal systems with real-world validation and predict the impacts of proposed changes based on historical evidence. For companies seeking to build next-generation AI systems, access to this data would create an almost insurmountable advantage.

    Control of critical systems

    A company like xAI could do far more with models trained on government data than building better chatbots or content generators. Such systems could fundamentally transform – and potentially control – how people understand and manage complex societal systems. While some of these capabilities could be beneficial under the control of accountable public agencies, I believe they pose a threat in the hands of a single private company.

    Medicare and Medicaid databases contain records of treatments, outcomes and costs across diverse populations over decades. A frontier model trained on new government data could identify treatment patterns that succeed where others fail, and so dominate the health care industry. Such a model could understand how different interventions affect various populations over time, accounting for factors such as geographic location, socioeconomic status and concurrent conditions.

    A company wielding the model could influence health care policy by demonstrating superior predictive capabilities and market population-level insights to pharmaceutical companies and insurers.

    Treasury data represents perhaps the most valuable prize. Government financial databases contain granular details about how money flows through the economy. This includes real-time transaction data across federal payment systems, complete records of tax payments and refunds, detailed patterns of benefit distributions, and government contractor payments with performance metrics.

    An AI company with access to this data could develop extraordinary capabilities for economic forecasting and market prediction. It could model the cascading effects of regulatory changes, predict economic vulnerabilities before they become crises, and optimize investment strategies with precision impossible through traditional methods.

    Elon Musk’s xAI company is well financed.

    Infrastructure and urban systems

    Government databases contain information about critical infrastructure usage patterns, maintenance histories, emergency response times and development impacts. Every federal grant, infrastructure inspection and emergency response creates a data point that could help train AI to better understand how cities and regions function.

    The power lies in the potential interconnectedness of this data. An AI system trained on government infrastructure records would understand how transportation patterns affect energy use, how housing policies affect emergency response times, and how infrastructure investments influence economic development across regions.

    A private company with exclusive access would gain unique insight into the physical and economic arteries of American society. This could allow the company to develop “smart city” systems that city governments would become dependent on, effectively privatizing aspects of urban governance. When combined with real-time data from private sources, the predictive capabilities would far exceed what any current system can achieve.

    Absolute data corrupts absolutely

    A company such as xAI, with Musk’s resources and preferential access through DOGE, could surmount technical and political obstacles far more easily than competitors. Recent advances in machine learning have also reduced the burdens of preparing data for the algorithms to process, making government data a veritable gold mine – one that rightfully belongs to the American people.

    The threat of a private company accessing government data transcends individual privacy concerns. Even with personal identifiers removed, an AI system that analyzes patterns across millions of government records could enable surprising capabilities for making predictions and influencing behavior at the population level. The threat is AI systems that leverage government data to influence society, including electoral outcomes.

    Since information is power, concentrating unprecedented data in the hands of a private entity with an explicit political agenda represents a profound challenge to the republic. I believe that the question is whether the American people can stand up to the potentially democracy-shattering corruption such a concentration would enable. If not, Americans should prepare to become digital subjects rather than human citizens.

    Allison Stanger receives funding from the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University.

    – ref. DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power – https://theconversation.com/doge-threat-how-government-data-would-give-an-ai-company-extraordinary-power-250907

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How 18F transformed government technology − and why its elimination matters

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kayla Schwoerer, Assistant Professor of Public Administration & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York

    18F was a group of technology hotshots within the GSA. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Healthcare.gov, the government health insurance marketplace website, launched in October 2013 only to buckle under the weight of just 2,000 simultaneous users. As millions of Americans stared at error messages and frozen screens, a political crisis unfolded, but so did a new era of government technology.

    The result was 18F, an in-house digital services consulting agency that brought Silicon Valley expertise to government, challenging decades of outdated procurement practices and introducing a radical new approach to building digital public services.

    Founded on March 19, 2014, by Presidential Innovation Fellows, 18F was housed within the Technology Transformation Services department of the General Services Administration, or GSA. The name 18F was derived from the address of GSA headquarters: 1800 F Street. On March 1, 2025, just a few weeks shy of 18F’s 11th anniversary, the Trump administration eliminated the agency and laid off its staff.

    As a researcher who studies public administration and technology, I have observed the transformational role 18F played in government digital services. The unit’s elimination raises the question of what the future of those services will look like.

    Impact of 18F

    18F served a unique role as an in-house digital consultancy for the U.S. government, drawing on innovative strategies to improve public service through technology. Within 18F, teams consisting of designers, software engineers, strategists and product managers worked together with federal, state and local agencies to not only fix technical problems but to build, buy and share technology that helped to modernize and improve the public’s experience with government services.

    Over nearly 11 years, 18F built an impressive portfolio of successful digital projects that transformed how people interact with the U.S. government. Even if the average person is unfamiliar with 18F, the odds are quite high that they have at least encountered one of its many products or services.

    18F staff describe the group’s mission and work.

    For example, 18F supported the Internal Revenue Service in creating IRS Direct File, a free online tax filing tool that provides taxpayers with a simplified filing process. As of today, IRS Direct File is available in 25 states and is expected to serve 30 million eligible taxpayers during the 2025 tax filing season.

    18F has been pivotal in modernizing and securing digital systems to help create more streamlined and secure user experiences for the public. For instance, Login.gov is a secure single sign-on platform that simplifies access to multiple government services for users.

    Perhaps the most notable of 18F’s modernization efforts that touches nearly every aspect of government today is the U.S. Web Design System. The comprehensive design system was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Digital Service in 2015. It helps support dozens of agencies and makes nearly 200 websites more accessible and responsive to user needs.

    How 18F worked

    What set 18F apart was its approach. Rather than spending years on giant information technology contracts that often failed to deliver, 18F championed agile development. Agile and lean methodologies have been popular in Silicon Valley startups and software companies for decades due to their flexibility and focus on rapid iteration.

    By applying agile development principles, 18F focused on breaking down large projects into manageable pieces with incremental improvements based on frequent user feedback. This approach allowed continuous adaptation spurred by user feedback and changing requirements while reducing risk.

    Another cornerstone of 18F’s innovative approach was its focus on user-centered design. By focusing on the needs of the people who actually used government services, 18F was able to go beyond merely satisfying technical requirements to design digital products that were more accessible and user-friendly. The idea was to understand the end users and the problems they encountered in order to effectively design products and solutions that addressed their needs. It also aimed to provide a consistent user experience and earn the users’ trust in the services.

    By prioritizing open-source development and collaboration, 18F also helped to make government IT more affordable. Making project code transparent meant that agencies could reuse the code and reduce the cost of duplicate development efforts across agencies and levels of government.

    18F also had a hand in helping agencies develop their own technology capacity, whether by teaching them how to build software using open-source development and agile methodologies or by teaching agencies how to hire and oversee technology vendors themselves. This model was especially beneficial for state and local agencies following 18F’s expansion in 2016 to provide services to state and local government agencies that receive federal funding.

    End of an era

    The elimination of 18F marks the end of an era, raising concerns about both current and future technology projects. As of now, there does not appear to be a succession plan, leaving many federal agencies without ongoing support for their digital transformation efforts. Critics also argue that the loss of 18F means the loss of significant technical expertise within the government.

    These changes come at a time when agencies are experiencing substantial personnel shifts, rendering digital services potentially even more critical. As agencies brace for more personnel cuts, the public may need to rely more on digital services to fill the gap amid growing staffing shortages.

    Since the news was announced, current and former 18F team members as well as advocates of the unit have taken to social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, and LinkedIn, to share stories of its successes, honor its legacy and share 18F resources.

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

    – ref. How 18F transformed government technology − and why its elimination matters – https://theconversation.com/how-18f-transformed-government-technology-and-why-its-elimination-matters-251333

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister’s remarks from the plenary session at the first UK-Ireland Summit: 6 March 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Prime Minister’s remarks from the plenary session at the first UK-Ireland Summit: 6 March 2025

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s remarks at the plenary session at the first UK-Ireland Summit in Chesire.

    It’s fantastic to see you all here this morning.

    Today’s summit really marks a new era in the relationship between the UK and Ireland.

    I think we’ve reset our relationship, turned a page on turbulent recent years and I think today’s announcements show that we’re serious about making our partnership meaningful, deep and beneficial for working people.

    Today we’ve announced over £185 million worth of new investment into the UK and an agreement to harness the full potential of the Irish and Celtic Seas, from bolstering the security of undersea cables to mobilising private investment.

    In a moment, we’re obviously going to talk about what more we can do, this is a fantastic opportunity.

    But before that, I’d like to make some quick points.

    First, the need for a strong and settled relationship between the UK and Ireland has never been greater.

    The world has changed dramatically since the UK and Ireland last set out a vision for closer bilateral relations back in 2012.

    A lot has happened in the intervening years, and as we sit here today, I think we can all agree that our world is more unstable and uncertain than it’s been for a very long time.

    And there are huge benefits to strengthening our friendships and working together on geopolitical challenges.

    To strengthen all aspects of our security in a dangerous world.

    That’s why in the UK last week, I announced the biggest sustained rise in defence spending since the Cold War.

    An extra £13.4 billion year on year which will be invested in British industries, British jobs, British skills and British growth.

    Because we aren’t just investing in Britain’s national security but in economic security for working people as well. 

    We were discussing this morning the interrelationship between security and defence, and economic security.

    Second, you will know the UK has been working to strengthen our alliance with the EU.

    As you know, that doesn’t mean rejoining the Single Market or the Customs Union or returning to freedom of movement.

    But it does mean finding practical ways to work more closely together to boost trade, create jobs and deliver economic growth.

    And in that context, I believe the partnership between the UK and Ireland has the potential to be a really positive force.

    Third, as close neighbours and long-standing partners the benefits of stronger ties between us are huge.

    We have strong people to people connections – they are incredible and should be celebrated.

    Our supply chains are deep and intertwined, and have been for a very long time.

    And we collaborate in a great many sectors, for example, we have two MOUs on Energy Transition and Energy Supply.

    All of this points to the importance of an all-island economy.

    And the huge potential to do more – working together for our mutual prosperity and security.

    So I’m delighted this Summit will kickstart an ambitious programme of cooperation through to 2030.

    There is a huge amount on our agenda, this is really ambitious.  

    It should be seen as new era where the UK and Ireland work closer than ever and cooperate across a wide range of issues.

    That means making the most of opportunities to boost growth, jobs and trade.

    But also working together on climate change, the energy transition, security, justice, education and defence.

    We just had a business breakfast this morning and all of these issues came up, particularly the energy transition.

    And through our partnership we will act as a positive example, demonstrating the benefits of cooperation and collaboration.

    Today’s discussions are just the start.

    We’ve got really good teams on both sides, we’ve got the time, the subject matter and the ambition.

    But I want to focus on three themes as we go through this session.

    The first is: how can the UK and Ireland work together to achieve sustainable growth?

    Second, how can the UK and Ireland work together to build domestic security and promote stability? That was always on the agenda, but now it’s even more pertinent than ever.

    Finally, how can the UK and Ireland collaborate to maximise shared opportunities in the transition to Net Zero?

    They are the three themes, and areas of discussion this morning.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council to receive capitalisation direction following independent financial review

    Source: City of Plymouth

    The Government has written to Plymouth City Council to confirm its intention to grant a capitalisation direction, with no further investigation required into a previous financial transaction. This follows an independent review of the Council’s finances. 

    Last year, the Council had requested a capitalisation direction from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to resolve issues related to a 2019/20 transaction that saved public money. The Council used a novel treatment to borrow capital funds to significantly reduce the ongoing cost of a pension deficit to the Council’s revenue budget.

    This enabled the Council to make more than £9 million savings to its revenue budget because paying the interest on the loan was cheaper than paying the deficit every year.

    Whilst the previous government was minded to issue the capitalisation, it was subject to a number of independent checks – including an examination of our finances by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

    Following a detailed review, CIPFA provided a positive assessment of the Council’s financial position, noting the efficient and effective financial management processes and strong and clear ownership of budgets across the council. In addition, the Council’s independent auditors also reviewed the transaction, and whilst they acknowledged it was unusual, it had not been ‘detrimental to the public purse’.

    Therefore, Jim McMahon MP, the Minister for Local Government, has written to the Council to confirm that subject to reassurances regarding what steps have been taken to put in place robust procedures for any future transactions of a similar nature, he is minded to grant the capitalisation direction, without the need for any further reviews or investigations.

    Responding to the letter, Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of the Council, said: “We welcome the Government’s confirmation that thanks to a clean bill of health from CIPFA, they are looking to grant our request for a capitalisation direction. 

    “We have always been transparent about the transaction. We knew the transaction was novel in local government, but we were thinking outside the box to avoid cuts to local services. Particularly as costs to deliver services continue to increase, along with rising pressures on our services.

    “Over the past few months there have been those who have repeatedly accused us of foul play. Bandying around phrases such as ‘bankruptcy’ and ‘dodgy’. This Minister is very clear – no further investigation is needed.

    “There was nothing wrong with the transaction, other than it being unique. And the bottom line, it enabled us to save more than £9 million of public money, money that would have been lost for local services.

    “The Minister has asked us to provide reassurances that we have put in place robust processes and procedures to manage any future similar fees. We will now formally reply to the Minister, re-enforcing the changes that have been implemented.”

    “This capitalisation direction will allow us to put the whole matter to bed, validates our approach and reinforces our dedication to safeguarding public funds whilst delivering value for money to our residents.

    “We will now move on, continuing to prioritise the financial health of our Council while striving to provide the best possible services to our community.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Bybit Becomes the First Exchange to List USDtb, Bringing Institutional-Grade Stability to Crypto Traders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, becomes the first platform to include USDtb, a blockchain-based USD stablecoin created and managed by Ethena Labs, on its Spot exchange. USDtb combines the liquidity of stablecoins with the security and transparency of institutional-grade U.S. Treasury assets, marking a pivotal innovation in the evolution of digital dollars.

    USDtb is backed primarily by BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund Token (BUIDL), which holds 100% of its assets in cash, U.S. Treasury Bills, and other short-term U.S. government obligations. This conservative and transparent backing makes USDtb a compelling option for investors seeking both stability and yield in the digital asset ecosystem.

    A New Chapter in Stablecoins
    Unlike traditional stablecoins, USDtb blends tokenized U.S. Treasury fund products with a stablecoin reserve, delivering a unique combination of stability, flexibility, and instant liquidity. This next-generation stablecoin enables faster, cheaper transactions compared to traditional banking systems, while offering users stable returns with principal protection — echoing the success of Ethena Labs’ USDe.

    Key Timeline

    • USDtb Listing on Spot Trading: Mar 4, 2025, 8AM UTC
    • USDtb Withdrawals Open: Mar 5, 2025, 8AM UTC
    • USDtb 5% Airdrop: 1st Snapshot on Mar 6, 2025
    • First Reward Distribution: Before Mar 7, 6AM UTC

    Deposits and withdrawals will be available via the ETH network. 

    Exclusive 5% APR Boost for Bybit Users
    To celebrate the listing, Bybit is offering 5% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on USDtb holdings for new and existing eligible users with no lock-up requirements. From Mar. 6 to Apr. 4, eligible Bybit users may join the Bybit exclusive event to enjoy the limited-time 5% APR on USDtb holdings, starting at a minimum of 0.00005 USDtb. Holders will continue to enjoy 95% of the yield on Treasury Bills after the 1st month.

    Rewards will be distributed in USDtb on a first-come, first-served basis, and capped at a total of 200 million in USDtb tokens. The APR will be gradually decreasing after the cap is reached. However, all USDtb holders on Bybit will continue to earn rewards indefinitely after the promotional period ends.

    “By listing USDtb, Bybit is pioneering a new frontier for stablecoins — bridging traditional finance and digital assets with unprecedented transparency and institutional-grade security,” said Jerry Li, Head of Earn & Wealth Management at Bybit. “We are proud to be the first to introduce this innovative asset to our users, expanding their options for both secure savings and dynamic trading opportunities, all while maintaining the seamless experience Bybit is known for.”

    About Bybit
    Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.

    For more details about Bybit, please visit: Bybit Press
    For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com 
    For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media

    Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | YouTube

    Contact

    Head of PR
    Tony Au
    Bybit
    tony.au@bybit.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cbe9d825-7bdc-4f56-90dd-e629f5a744c0

    The MIL Network –