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Category: Vehicles

  • MIL-OSI: Cellec Technologies awarded $100,000 NSF SuperBoost Grant to advance safe, reliable, and extreme-temperature lithium-ion battery technology

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellec Technologies has been awarded a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, supporting the commercialization of its 0V-stable Z-safe™ technology to enhance lithium-ion battery safety and performance in extreme conditions.

    The funding will accelerate the development of Cellec’s multi-functional 18650 cylindrical cell, which remains electrochemically stable at 0 volts state-of-charge (SoC) and operates in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 70°C. By integrating semi-solid electrolyte systems, this innovation aims to meet growing industry demand for safer, more reliable battery solutions in EVs, aerospace, and defense applications.

    National security and defense applications are a key focus for Cellec’s work, particularly as the United States seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains and enhance operational resilience. The company’s Z-safe™ technology is positioned to play a critical role in supporting electrified platforms that require rapid charging, extended cycle life, and stable performance under extreme conditions.

    “Battery safety and reliability in extreme conditions remain critical challenges across multiple industries,” said Christopher Schauerman, CEO of Cellec Technologies. “With support from the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, we can accelerate the development and commercialization of our Z-safe™ technology, ensuring that our next-generation batteries meet the growing demands for safety, durability, and extreme-temperature performance.”

    The SuperBoost program, a key initiative of the Energy Storage Engine, is designed to accelerate commercialization timelines, reducing traditional technology development cycles from five or more years to less than two years. By providing funding and connecting startups with leading testbeds, manufacturing infrastructure, and research institutions, the program strengthens upstate New York’s position as a leader in energy storage innovation.

    As part of this initiative, Cellec will conduct rigorous testing and validation cycles to prepare its technology for commercialization. Fernando Gómez-Baquero, director of the Translation Pillar at the NSF Energy Storage Engine, highlighted the significance of these efforts. “Cellec Technologies is addressing one of the most urgent challenges in battery safety and performance,” he said. “By integrating its proprietary Z-safe™ technology with advanced electrolyte systems, Cellec is pioneering innovations that could redefine the energy storage industry. We are excited to support their journey through the SuperBoost program as they bring this critical technology to market.”

    The Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York is committed to expanding the national energy storage ecosystem by advancing battery innovation and manufacturing. Meera Sampath, CEO of the Engine, emphasized the broader mission of the program: “The Engine plays a pivotal role in fostering a strong, interconnected network of battery innovators and manufacturers. Cellec’s advancements in extreme-temperature resilience and battery safety align perfectly with our goal of strengthening the U.S. battery supply chain, advancing national security interests, and positioning upstate New York as a leader in energy storage technology.”

    With this support, Cellec Technologies will advance its electrode and electrolyte development, conduct rigorous testing, and validate its next-generation battery technology for commercial applications. These efforts will play a critical role in expanding the availability of safe, high- performance energy storage solutions for EVs, aerospace, and defense.

    About Cellec Technologies

    Cellec Technologies is a leading battery technology company focused on improving safety, reliability, and sustainability in lithium-ion energy storage. Its patented 0V-stable Z-safe™ technology and semi-solid electrolyte systems enable lithium-ion batteries to function safely and effectively in extreme-temperature environments. Cellec’s innovations support electric vehicles, aerospace, defense, and grid storage applications.

    For more information, visit www.cellectech.com.

    Contact:
    Christopher Schauerman
     CEO, Cellec Technologies
    Email: chris@cellectech.com

    About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York

    The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.

    For more information on the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/.

    Contact:
    Fernando Gómez-Baquero, Ph.D.
    Translation Pillar Director
    NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
    fernando@cornell.edu

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b7eea4b-fc3c-4345-a9a9-3bc91d4147f8

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CBAK Energy Engages FAW, one of China’s largest EV makers, in Strategic Talks on New EV Battery Model 46950

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DALIAN, China, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CBAK Energy Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAT) (“CBAK Energy” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries and a provider of comprehensive electric energy solutions in China, today announced that members of its Research & Development and Sales teams recently visited China First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co., Ltd. at the company’s headquarters in Changchun, Jilin Province.

    The delegation was led by Mr. Suijun Shang, Principal of the Academy of Research & Development at CBAK Energy, and included senior managers from the Sales Department. They were received by the Principal of FAW’s own Academy of Research & Development. During the meeting, both parties exchanged insights on potential collaboration opportunities, including the prospective supply of CBAK Energy’s upcoming Model 46950 cell, which shares key design characteristics with the widely recognized Model 46800.

    CBAK Energy’s Series 46 production line includes two variants of the Model 46950, utilizing either NCM (Nickel Cobalt Manganese) chemistry or a hybrid of LMFP (Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate) and NCM. Specifically engineered for electric vehicle (EV) applications, these advanced cells deliver an energy density approximately 65.64% and 22.70% higher, respectively, than the Company’s current flagship cell, the Model 32140. Moreover, both versions of the Model 46950 support 4C fast charging, doubling the 2C charging capability of the Model 32140.

    These innovative products are currently undergoing laboratory testing and are expected to be officially launched next year. With the introduction of the Model 46950, CBAK Energy is positioning itself to re-enter the EV battery market.

    Zhiguang Hu, Chief Executive Officer of CBAK Energy, stated: “We are pleased to have engaged in meaningful discussions with FAW, one of China’s leading EV manufacturers. Reestablishing connections with former partners, especially with the forthcoming Model 46950, signals our strategic intention to return to the EV market. We anticipate that this type of industry dialogue will become increasingly frequent as we move closer to announcing the mass production of the Model 46950.”

    About CBAK Energy
    CBAK Energy Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAT) is a leading high-tech enterprise in China engaged in the development, manufacturing, and sales of new energy high power lithium batteries and raw materials for use in manufacturing high power lithium batteries. The applications of the Company’s products and solutions include electric vehicles, light electric vehicles, electric tools, energy storage, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and other high-power applications. In January 2006, CBAK Energy became the first lithium battery manufacturer in China listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. CBAK Energy has multiple operating subsidiaries in Dalian, Nanjing and Shaoxing, as well as a large-scale R&D and production base in Dalian.

    For more information, please visit ir.cbak.com.cn.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, strategy and plans, and our expectations for future operations, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Our actual results may differ materially or perhaps significantly from those discussed herein, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

    The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

    For further inquiries, please contact:
    In China:
    CBAK Energy Technology, Inc.
    Investor Relations Department
    Email: ir@cbak.com.cn 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Johanna Mathieu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Michigan

    Could this common home machinery help usher in more renewable energy? Holden Henry/iStock / Getty Images Plus

    As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you’re like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning – do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world?

    If I leave my air conditioner off, I get too hot. But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Sometimes those spikes can ask too much of the grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts.

    Research I recently published with a team of scholars makes me feel a little better, though. We have found that it is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units, balancing supply and demand on the power grid – and without making people endure high temperatures inside their homes.

    Studies along these lines, using remote control of air conditioners to support the grid, have for many years explored theoretical possibilities like this. However, few approaches have been demonstrated in practice and never for such a high-value application and at this scale. The system we developed not only demonstrated the ability to balance the grid on timescales of seconds, but also proved it was possible to do so without affecting residents’ comfort.

    The benefits include increasing the reliability of the power grid, which makes it easier for the grid to accept more renewable energy. Our goal is to turn air conditioners from a challenge for the power grid into an asset, supporting a shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy.

    Adjustable equipment

    My research focuses on batteries, solar panels and electric equipment – such as electric vehicles, water heaters, air conditioners and heat pumps – that can adjust itself to consume different amounts of energy at different times.

    Originally, the U.S. electric grid was built to transport electricity from large power plants to customers’ homes and businesses. And originally, power plants were large, centralized operations that burned coal or natural gas, or harvested energy from nuclear reactions. These plants were typically always available and could adjust how much power they generated in response to customer demand, so the grid would be balanced between power coming in from producers and being used by consumers.

    But the grid has changed. There are more renewable energy sources, from which power isn’t always available – like solar panels at night or wind turbines on calm days. And there are the devices and equipment I study. These newer options, called “distributed energy resources,” generate or store energy near where consumers need it – or adjust how much energy they’re using in real time.

    One aspect of the grid hasn’t changed, though: There’s not much storage built into the system. So every time you turn on a light, for a moment there’s not enough electricity to supply everything that wants it right then: The grid needs a power producer to generate a little more power. And when you turn off a light, there’s a little too much: A power producer needs to ramp down.

    The way power plants know what real-time power adjustments are needed is by closely monitoring the grid frequency. The goal is to provide electricity at a constant frequency – 60 hertz – at all times. If more power is needed than is being produced, the frequency drops and a power plant boosts output. If there’s too much power being produced, the frequency rises and a power plant slows production a little. These actions, a process called “frequency regulation,” happen in a matter of seconds to keep the grid balanced.

    This output flexibility, primarily from power plants, is key to keeping the lights on for everyone.

    Power plants, like this one in Utah, adjust their output to match demand from electricity customers.
    Jason Finn/iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Finding new options

    I’m interested in how distributed energy resources can improve flexibility in the grid. They can release more energy, or consume less, to respond to the changing supply or demand, and help balance the grid, ensuring the frequency remains near 60 hertz.

    Some people fear that doing so might be invasive, giving someone outside your home the ability to control your battery or air conditioner. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could help balance the grid with frequency regulation using home air-conditioning units rather than power plants – without affecting how residents use their appliances or how comfortable they are in their homes.

    From 2019 to 2023, my group at the University of Michigan tried this approach, in collaboration with researchers at Pecan Street Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

    We recruited 100 homeowners in Austin, Texas, to do a real-world test of our system. All the homes had whole-house forced-air cooling systems, which we connected to custom control boards and sensors the owners allowed us to install in their homes. This equipment let us send instructions to the air-conditioning units based on the frequency of the grid.

    Before I explain how the system worked, I first need to explain how thermostats work. When people set thermostats, they pick a temperature, and the thermostat switches the air-conditioning compressor on and off to maintain the air temperature within a small range around that set point. If the temperature is set at 68 degrees, the thermostat turns the AC on when the temperature is, say, 70, and turns it off when it’s cooled down to, say, 66.

    Every few seconds, our system slightly changed the timing of air-conditioning compressor switching for some of the 100 air conditioners, causing the units’ aggregate power consumption to change. In this way, our small group of home air conditioners reacted to grid changes the way a power plant would – using more or less energy to balance the grid and keep the frequency near 60 hertz.

    Moreover, our system was designed to kept home temperatures within the same small temperature range around the set point.

    Smart thermostats could have frequency regulation capabilities available to interested consumers, to help balance the electricity grid.
    Danielle Mead/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Testing the approach

    We ran our system in four tests, each lasting one hour. We found two encouraging results.

    First, the air conditioners were able to provide frequency regulation at least as accurately as a traditional power plant. Therefore, we showed that air conditioners could play a significant role in increasing grid flexibility. But perhaps more importantly – at least in terms of encouraging people to participate in these types of systems – we found that we were able to do so without affecting people’s comfort in their homes.

    We found that home temperatures did not deviate more than 1.6 Fahrenheit from their set point. Homeowners were allowed to override the controls if they got uncomfortable, but most didn’t. For most tests, we received zero override requests. In the worst case, we received override requests from two of the 100 homes in our test.

    In practice, this sort of technology could be added to commercially available internet-connected thermostats. In exchange for credits on their energy bills, users could choose to join a service run by the thermostat company, their utility provider or some other third party.

    Then people could turn on the air conditioning in the summer heat without that pang of guilt, knowing they were helping to make the grid more reliable and more capable of accommodating renewable energy sources – without sacrificing their own comfort in the process.

    Johanna Mathieu works for the University of Michigan. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, ARPA-E, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She is affiliated with the IEEE.

    – ref. How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it – https://theconversation.com/how-your-air-conditioner-can-help-the-power-grid-rather-than-overloading-it-256858

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    A statue of Christopher Columbus, toppled by protesters, is loaded onto a truck on the grounds of the state capitol on June 10, 2020, in St Paul, Minn. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

    Recently, President Donald Trump declared that he is “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.” He hopes to make up for the removal of commemorative statues important to “the Italians that love him so much.”

    But Columbus Day had not been scrapped or reduced to ashes. Although President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2024, on the same day he also declared a holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus.

    Nonetheless, Trump posted in April 2025, “Christopher is going to make a major comeback.” By using Columbus’ name, which means “Christ-bearer,” a president who covets the praise of faith leaders yoked the explorer to his campaign promise: “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

    By reasserting the importance of Columbus, the president took a stand against the toppling and vandalism of statues of Columbus. In this case, his act of retribution for his supporters focused on the holiday, which he could declare more easily than returning icons of a fallen man to empty pedestals.

    Trump’s statement invoked the politics of grievance – a sense of resentment or injustice fueled by perceived discrimination – that have characterized his actions for years.

    The list of targets for his retribution, which have included Harvard University, elite law firms and former allies he believes have betrayed him, now exceeds 100, according to an NPR review.

    As a historian of early America, I am familiar with how grievance marked the colonial era. Throughout this period, grievance fueled rage and violence.

    European grievance in America

    Europeans who arrived in the Americas following Columbus’ 1492 journey claimed the territories in the Western Hemisphere through an obsolete legal theory known as the “doctrine of discovery.”

    Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Portuguese rulers, according to this notion, owned portions of the Americas, regardless of the claims of Indigenous peoples. This presumption of ownership justified, in their minds, the use of violence against those who resisted them.

    In 1598, for example, Spanish soldiers patrolling the pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico demanded food from local residents, whom the colonizers saw as their subordinates. The town’s inhabitants, believing the request excessive, fought instead, killing 11 Spaniards.

    In response, the governor of New Mexico, a territory almost entirely populated by Indigenous peoples, ordered the systematic amputations of the hands or feet of residents whom the soldiers thought had participated in the attack. They also enslaved hundreds in the town. Roughly 1,500 residents of Acoma died in the conflict, according to the National Park Service, a response seemingly driven more by grievance than strategy.

    English colonizers proved just as quick to deploy extraordinary violence if they believed Native Americans deprived them of what they thought was theirs.

    In March 1622, soldiers from the Powhatan Confederation – composed of Algonquian tribes from present-day Virginia – launched a surprise attack to protest encroachments on their lands, killing 347 colonists.

    The English labeled the event a “barbarous massacre,” using language that dehumanized the Powhatans and cast them as villainous raiders. An English pamphleteer named Edward Waterhouse castigated these Indigenous people as “wyld naked Natives,” “Pagan Infidels” and “perfidious and inhumane.”

    Opechancanough was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death in 1646.
    mikroman6/Getty Images

    War began almost immediately. Colonial soldiers embraced a scorched-earth strategy, burning houses and crops when they could not locate their enemies. On May 22, 1623, one group sailed into Pamunkey territory to rescue captives.

    Under a ruse of peaceful negotiation, they distributed poison to some 200 Native residents. By doing so, the colonial soldiers, driven by grievance more than law, ignored their own rules of war, which forbade the use of poison in war.

    Grievance drove colonists against each other

    Even among colonists, grievance promoted violence.

    In 1692, residents of Salem, Massachusetts, believed their misfortunes were the work of the devil. Their anxieties and anger led them to accuse others of witchcraft.

    As historians who have studied the Salem witch trials have argued, many of the accusers in agricultural Salem Village – modern-day Danvers – harbored resentments against neighbors who had closer ties to nearby Salem Town, which was more commercial.

    The aggrieved found a spokesman in the Rev. Samuel Parris, whose own earlier failure in business had led him to look for a new path forward as a minister. Parris’ anger about his earlier disappointments fueled his indignation about what he saw as inadequate economic support from local authorities.

    In a sermon, he underscored his financial irritation by emphasizing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for “a poor & mean price,” as if it was the amount that mattered. The resentful residents and their bitter minister fueled the largest witch hunt in American history, which left at least 20 of the accused dead.

    The painting ‘Trial of George Jacobs of Salem for Witchcraft’ in 1692 by T.H. Matteson.
    Tompkins Harrison Matteson/Library of Congress via AP

    The most obvious forerunner of today’s grievance-fueled politics was a rebellion in the spring and summer of 1676 by backcountry colonists in Virginia who battled their Jamestown-based colonial government. They were led by Nathaniel Bacon, a tobacco farmer who believed that provincial officials were not doing enough to protect outlying farms from attacks by Susquehannocks and other Indigenous residents.

    Bacon and his followers, consumed by their “declaration of grievances,” petitioned the local government for help. When they did not get the result they wanted, they marched against Jamestown. They set the capital alight and chased Gov. William Berkeley away.

    Bacon succumbed to dysentery in October, and the movement collapsed without its charismatic leader. Berkeley survived but lost his position.

    The rebellion has become etched into history as a violent attack against governing authorities that foreshadowed the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

    When President Trump invokes alleged insults to one community to satisfy the yearnings of his followers, he and his allies run the risk of once again stoking the passions of the aggrieved.

    Acts of grievance come in different forms, depending on historical and political circumstance. But the urge to reclaim what someone thinks should be theirs can lead to deadly violence, as earlier Americans repeatedly discovered.

    Peter C. Mancall has received support from the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Oxford University to support his research on early America.

    – ref. Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America – https://theconversation.com/politics-based-on-grievance-has-a-long-and-violent-history-in-america-257202

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ten British AI breakthroughs set to cut bills and heat homes more efficiently

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Ten British AI breakthroughs set to cut bills and heat homes more efficiently

    Millions of families could see warmer homes and lower energy bills, as ministers back ten new AI innovations which will help make the UK a clean energy superpower through the government’s Plan for Change.

    Manchester Prize finalists announced.

    • Ten AI pioneers are being supported to develop AI solutions which slash energy bills and accelerate the UK’s clean energy superpower ambitions.   
    • Technologies include AI-powered heat mapping drones and smart panels that warm homes from the outside.  
    • Winners will compete for £1 million Manchester Prize, helping to unlock AI innovation and growth to deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

    Millions of families could see warmer homes and lower energy bills, as ministers back ten new AI innovations which will help make the UK a clean energy superpower through the government’s Plan for Change.

    The ten finalists for the second round of the Manchester Prize include revolutionary technologies that could transform how Britain tackles climate change, while cutting costs for working families.  

    Among them is a system using AI to design bespoke panels, turning bricks into radiators to warm homes from the outside in, keeping a comfortable inside temperature all year round and simplifying the installation of heat pumps in older homes while reducing costs.   

    Another team uses AI-enabled drones to map heat loss across entire neighbourhoods, helping councils identify exactly which homes need urgent insulation upgrades – which could save households hundreds on their annual energy bill.   

    The Manchester Prize, funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by Challenge Works (part of the Nesta group), is rewarding UK-led AI breakthroughs that support the public good, including growing the economy, improving public services and helping to create a just transition to Net Zero for everyone.   
     
    Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle said:   

    AI is opening up transformative new ways to tackle climate change and support the UK’s ambition to become a clean energy superpower.   

    That includes using the technology to keep our homes warm, while also supporting projects which will use AI to slash carbon emissions in our cement and steel industries – sectors which account for 16% of global emissions.   

    This is how we deliver our Plan for Change – harnessing innovation to solve major challenges, cut energy bills, and improve lives across Britain.

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 

    Clean power is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and these projects will help households and businesses take advantage of lower bills, in a smarter and faster way than ever before. 

    From specially designed radiator walls to a smart power grid that flicks on and off as we need, AI has the potential to help every home in Britain to feel the benefits of warmer homes and homegrown clean energy.

    Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, chair of the Manchester Prize judging panel said:   

    We are at a critical juncture in the journey to net zero, the next decade is make or break if the world is to keep global temperatures from exceeding 1.5C by 2050. Global emissions need to halve by 2030 compared to 1990 levels if we are to stay on track, while electricity production will need to double by 2050 to meet the demands of an electrified economy – clean energy innovation is essential.

    The rapid advancement of AI means we have tools like never before to achieve the goal of decarbonising the economy while supporting individuals, communities and businesses to thrive.

    Other finalists include AI technologies to help the logistics industry cut its emissions, and AI being used to ensure the energy grid remains balanced at all times – as more and more of our energy supplies comes from wind and solar.   
     
    The ten teams behind the advanced AI solutions have each received £100,000 in seed funding, plus £60,000 worth of compute credits to help train and scale their models. They will also benefit from non-financial support including investor readiness guidance and access to a network of experts, positioning them for success in the pursuit of the £1 million grand prize in spring 2026. The winning solution will demonstrate not only technical innovation, but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption, scale and impact.   

    These shortlisted finalists will now follow in the footsteps of Polaron – the inaugural winners of the Manchester Prize which speeds up the development of advanced materials used in all walks of life – from wind turbines to electric batteries.  

    The winning innovation will be announced early next year, taking home the grand prize of £1 million to bring their cutting-edge ideas to life.  

    It builds on the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK government’s blueprint to accelerate the use of AI across the economy. By harnessing cutting-edge solutions like these, AI is driving breakthroughs in industry, transforming public services, and improving the lives of citizens across the country.

    Notes to Editors

    About the first Manchester Prize

    The Manchester Prize is a multi-million-pound challenge prize from the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to reward UK-led breakthroughs in artificial intelligence for public good. It is rewarding innovations that will help to transform the lives of the people across the UK and continue to secure the UK’s place as a global leader in cutting edge innovation.   
     
    In its second year, the Manchester Prize will reward UK-led breakthroughs in artificial intelligence that will accelerate action towards the UK’s ambitious clean energy and net zero goals – manchesterprize.org.

    About Challenge Works

    Challenge Works is a global leader in designing and delivering high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. It is part of UK innovation foundation agency Nesta. For more than a decade, it has run more than 97 prizes, distributed more than £210 million in funding and engaged with 16,000 innovators.   

    Manchester Prize (year 2) finalists

    Agent Net Zero

    Agent Net Zero by University of Sheffield and AMRC. Agent Net Zero is an innovative AI system that helps industrial companies become more sustainable by analysing their environmental impact in real-time. The system continuously monitors energy usage and emissions by connecting to various data sources across operations. Using advanced AI techniques, Agent Net Zero identifies environmental hotspots and automatically suggests practical improvements. This gives businesses clear, actionable insights to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining productivity and competitiveness, essentially providing a “sustainability assistant” that works 24/7 to help companies achieve their net-zero goals.

    BiofuelAi

    BiofuelAi by University of Surrey. BiofuelAi brings cutting-edge AI and machine learning to the biofuel industry, optimising complex, variable processes in real time. Traditional biogas production often relies on operator intuition due to unpredictable biological systems because biofuels are made from multiple material inputs. BiofuelAi solves this with advanced predictive models that create a digital twin of each site, enabling whole-system optimisation – from daily feedstock recipes to long-term acquisition strategies. Developed by AI and sustainability experts, the platform boosts efficiency, profitability, and environmental impact, offering a scalable solution for cleaner, data-driven energy production worldwide.

    Carbon Re

    Carbon Re by Carbon Re. Cement forms the foundation of our modern world but it has a sustainability problem – it is responsible for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Carbon Re is tackling this challenge by building AI process control software to cut emissions in cement production. Acting like self-driving for industrial plants, Carbon Re optimises industrial processes in real-time, helping manufacturers cut both costs and carbon while transitioning to low-carbon operations. A joint spin out of University College London and the University of Cambridge, Carbon Re was founded to deliver immediate climate impact for heavy industry.

    Cavolo

    Cavolo by Kale AI. Cavolo uses advanced AI to make city deliveries more efficient and eco-friendly. The system helps businesses switch from traditional delivery vans to Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs), which are more efficient in busy cities. By using AI, Cavolo optimises delivery routes in real-time, reducing traffic, energy use, and emissions. The technology helps make urban logistics faster and greener, allowing businesses to deliver goods quickly while saving time and reducing their environmental impact.

    Deep.Optimiser-PhyX

    Deep.Optimiser-PhyX by Deep.Meta. Deep.Meta is tackling carbon emissions in the steel industry with an AI-powered Digital Twin – a smart digital replica of the production process that combines physics and machine learning to optimise furnace operations. By using real-time sensor data and material science, Deep.Meta more accurately predicts steel slab temperatures and improves scheduling, boosting energy efficiency and significantly cutting emissions. Unlike black-box AI, which can discourage adoption, Deep.Meta’s explainable, physics-based models offer clear reasoning, building trust with users. Founded by experts in metallurgy and machine learning, Deep.Meta is already partnering with global steelmakers and aims to scale through broader industry collaboration.

    DRIVE

    DRIVE (Deep Re-enforcement learning for Intelligent Vehicle and Energy optimisation) by Flexible Power Systems. Flexible Power Systems (FPS) helps big fleets like vans, trucks, and buses switch to electric by managing vehicles, chargers, and schedules with smart software. FPS uses advanced AI called Deep Reinforcement Learning to solve complex, fast-changing problems – like where and when to charge – more quickly and efficiently. After training in a virtual world, the AI can make smart decisions in real time. First used in EV fleets, this technology could also help with bigger energy challenges in the future.

    EnergyWall

    EnergyWall by Underheat, in partnership with University of Salford. EnergyWall upgrades a building’s walls, gently warming or cooling homes from the outside, turning bricks into radiators that maintain a comfortable internal temperature all year round. Using AI to analyse a building and off-site manufacturing, it designs and installs pipe systems into insulation panels for the walls of a building, making retrofitting buildings with heat pumps faster, cheaper, and less disruptive. This approach is ideal for social housing, helping reduce carbon emissions, cut energy bills, and tackle condensation that causes mould. It’s a smarter, scalable way to decarbonise heating and fight fuel poverty across the UK.

    Green Loops

    Green Loops by University of Wolverhampton, in partnership with ABCircular GmbH Berlin. Green Loops tackles the challenge of recycling end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) cells by creating high-efficiency solar panels from recycled materials.  It uses machine learning to analyse the optical properties of materials and structures of solar cells. Using highly conductive artificially engineered MXene-based metamaterials, Green Loops optimises the design of solar cells to enhance energy performance while reducing manufacturing costs. With the growing e-waste problem from old solar panels, the technology helps reduce waste, supports a circular economy, and makes solar energy more sustainable and accessible.

    Grid Stability

    Grid Stability by University of Manchester. For electricity grids to function, there must be balance between the electricity going into the grid and the electricity leaving it. Grid Stability Monitor uses AI and machine learning to quickly analyse power grid stability as more low-carbon technologies like wind, solar, EVs and heat pumps connect. It replaces slow, complex simulations with rapid, AI-driven assessments, enabling real-time monitoring, faster decision-making, and more confident planning. This helps grid operators maintain reliability while scaling up clean energy solutions and cutting emissions.

    Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment algorithms (RaThPAs)

    Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment algorithms (RaThPAs) by Kestrix. Kestrix uses AI and thermal drones to map heat loss across entire neighbourhoods, acting as fast, 3D energy surveys from the sky. This helps stakeholders like utilities, councils and housing providers plan energy upgrades with fewer costly, time-consuming site visits. Like a “Google Maps of heat loss,” the system shows where buildings are leaking heat and recommends fixes. With a team of experts in computer vision and physics, Kestrix aims to speed up home retrofits, in turn cutting emissions, saving households money, and making homes warmer and healthier at scale.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA creative sector generates revenue and job opportunities

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    SA creative sector generates revenue and job opportunities

    Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong says the South African creative industry is a significant one that generates considerable revenue and provides employment to many.

    “The industry plays a vital role in the economy by contributing towards knowledge attainment, nation-building and cultural preservation,” Morolong said on Tuesday.

    Speaking at the book launch of Business by Grace, written by Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, Morolong said by publishing local literature and promoting cultural heritage, the sector contributes to the preservation and development of the South African culture of reading and writing.

    The book by Mkhwanazi – a South African advertising guru and entrepreneur who rose from humble beginnings – is described as “not just a story of business success”. The Mkhwanazi Foundation says Business by Grace shows readers how to embrace lessons that come from building businesses in the face of hardship, and provides practical insights on turning vision into value.

    Morolong said the creative industry, including publishing and print media, is an important source of revenue and employment in South Africa.

    “The industry also acts as the central core of an entire network of related individuals and industries, such as paper manufacturers, educational institutions, ink producers, authors, printers, designers, book binders, illustrators, booksellers, distributors and CD manufacturers.

    “The importance of the creative industry in this new environment is greatly increased… as it is a source of information and knowledge, and a vehicle for political, social and cultural expression.”

    Morolong identified the sector as one that can and ought to help South Africans to overcome the many persistent challenges that confront society and the economy.

    “Our expectations of this sector are onerous. However, the history we are making is centred on growing the sector in the same way we have grown other sectors of our economy through inclusion, empowerment and unleashing the energies and talents of South Africans.”

    Morolong said a great deal has also been written to capture the defining features of post-apartheid South Africa, and the necessarily high cost of democratic transformation.

    “Demographic conditions such as high unemployment rates, the youthfulness of the population, uneven access to basic services, such as water and electricity, form part of the challenges that continue to confront the current government.

    “The process of change is by necessity also related to new policies that aim to facilitate comprehensive economic reforms, encapsulated in the many government policy frameworks and more recently in the National Development Plan Vision 2030.

    “These reforms have in general, been focused in two directions. In the first place, reforms are aimed at addressing the immense disparities in wealth and status in South African society and provide improved access to opportunities for employment and benefits to those negatively affected by apartheid policies,” the Deputy Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

    Edwin

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ10: Facilitation measures for cross-boundary goods vehicles

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by the Hon Yim Kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

    Question:

    It has been reported that the Government will announce the details of Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles within this year, and only non-commercial small passenger vehicles will be allowed to apply under the first phase of implementation. Some members of the logistics and transport industries expect the Government to make good use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and take the opportunity of implementing Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles to enhance the relevant policy on Guangdong/Hong Kong cross-boundary Mainland goods vehicles, so as to further consolidate Hong Kong’s role as the prominent hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and to drive the development of the Hong Kong International Airport (the airport), container terminals, and the entire logistics industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) whether the Government will, in the course of formulating the policy on Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles, discuss with the Mainland authorities the enhancement of the relevant policy on cross-boundary Mainland goods vehicles (including the quota system coordinated by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong), so as to facilitate cross-boundary goods vehicles in travelling between the Mainland and Hong Kong; if so, of the details, including the expected time of announcing the relevant policy;

    (2) whether the Government will enhance the application process for southbound cross-boundary Mainland goods vehicles or introduce new measures, e.g. making reference to the existing system of “closed road permits” while streamlining the application process therein, such that a certain number of Mainland goods vehicles will be allowed to reach designated major cargo hubs in Hong Kong (including the cargo terminals of the airport and container terminals) directly via designated routes; and

    (3) whether the Government will make reference to the experience of other places (e.g. the “Green Card system” (a kind of cross-border motor insurance card system) in Europe) and promote a mutual recognition mechanism for motor insurance among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, so as to achieve “one insurance policy for all”?

    Reply:

    President,

    The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) attaches great importance to the development of modern logistics, and is committed to developing Hong Kong into an international smart logistics hub. To this end, the Government promulgated the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development in 2023, which proposed to enhance Hong Kong’s role as the gateway and key transshipment hub for cargoes to and from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) by improving multimodal transport. In particular, cross-boundary land freight transport is a major mode of freight transport between Hong Kong and other cities in the GBA, as well as an important component of the “rail-sea-land-river” intermodal transport system between Hong Kong and the Mainland. On the other hand, cross-boundary goods vehicles are also a major means for transporting daily supplies and are of crucial importance to the livelihood of Hong Kong people. Hence, the TLB has always placed strong emphasis on improving cross-boundary land freight transport arrangements. In handling matters related to cross-boundary goods vehicles, the TLB always adheres to the policy principle of “maintaining capacity and stability” and takes into account the views of different stakeholders, so as to ensure smooth operation and adequate capacity of cross-boundary land freight transport, thereby providing staunch support for strengthening and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international maritime centre, international aviation hub and international logistics hub.

    Having consulted the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, and the Transport Department (TD), our reply to various parts of the Hon Yim’s question is as follows:

    (1) and (2) Cross-boundary goods vehicles are subject to the regulation of the quota system which is agreed and jointly administered by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong. If the Mainland goods vehicles need to apply for Hong Kong permit/licence, holders of the Mainland goods vehicle quotas must first apply to the relevant Mainland authority for the Mainland Approval Notice (commonly known as MAN) for their goods vehicles. The quota holders should also apply to the TD for vehicle approval and vehicle examination for their goods vehicles; upon passing the vehicle examination, they could proceed with vehicle registration and licensing as well as apply for Closed Road Permit (CRP). The TD would issue CRPs according to the approved boundary crossing(s) recorded on the MAN so that cross-boundary goods vehicles concerned could ply between Guangdong and Hong Kong via the designated boundary crossing(s). Besides, drivers from the Mainland driving the goods vehicles concerned should hold a full Hong Kong driving licence for the corresponding vehicle class(es) (such as light, medium or heavy goods vehicles). From 2022 to April 2025, the number of cross-boundary goods vehicles with valid CRPs maintained at about 10 000, among which goods vehicles from the Mainland have increased.

    Guangdong and Hong Kong have been maintaining close liaison, and will review and enhance relevant facilitation measures for cross-boundary goods vehicles as appropriate subject to the development of freight logistics, local traffic capacity and trade’s responses in both places. Guangdong and Hong Kong also keep reviewing the number of quotas for cross-boundary goods vehicles from time to time. If the Mainland authorities seek to increase the quotas, Hong Kong will expedite the vetting with enhanced efficiency. Besides, the TD has enhanced the arrangement of vehicle approval for cross-boundary goods vehicles with a view to completing the relevant process with enhanced speed. In general, if all the documents required are in order and accurate, the time needed for completion of vehicle approval, examination, registration and licensing, as well as CRP application has been greatly shortened to as fast as three to four weeks.

    (3) The Insurance Authority has been in discussion with relevant authorities and the insurance industry on the insurance arrangement for cross-boundary vehicles, with a view to providing facilitation and appropriate insurance products. Take Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles as an example, the Government has at the same time implemented the “unilateral recognition” arrangement for cross-boundary motor insurance, which allows Hong Kong private cars driving into Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to extend the coverage of their third-party liability insurance purchased from Hong Kong insurers to the Mainland, thereby eliminating the need for separate policies in both places and facilitating travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong. The Government will continue to monitor the development of the cross-boundary freight and logistics industry, and review the relevant measures in a timely manner.

    Ends/Wednesday, June 11, 2025
    Issued at HKT 11:43

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release-Dredging Begins of Lava Inundated Pohoiki Boat Ramp, June 10, 2025

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release-Dredging Begins of Lava Inundated Pohoiki Boat Ramp, June 10, 2025

    Posted on Jun 10, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

    STATE OF      HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

     

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIRPERSON

    DREDGING BEGINS OF LAVA INUNDATED POHOIKI BOAT RAMP

    Blessing Highlights Community Involvement

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

    June 10, 2025

     

    PUNA DISTRICT, Hawai‘i Island  – Dredging work began today to restore access to the lava-barricaded Pohoiki Boat Ramp, eight years after lava from an eruption of Kīlauea rendered it unusable.

     

    On Monday, hundreds of people gathered for a community celebration and blessing at the top of the ramp, which by November is expected to be clear of an estimated 42,000 cubic yards of black sand and boulders. That’s about 22,000 full-sized pickup truck beds.

     

    DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, speaking before the blessing, commented, “This is a day of celebration to recognize the collaboration of the community, elected officials and DLNR working together to support this project. The Pohoiki Boat Ramp is a piko, or focal point for this community. Fishing is a huge part of the greater Puna community and commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers have been waiting patiently for this work to begin. The million-dollar question is what took so long?”

     

    Even before the eruption, Finn McCall, the head engineer with the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), made multiple visits to Pohoiki. Immediately after the eruption stopped, McCall continued making further visits to Pohoiki to shift the strategy in addressing ramp needs. “Boy, this has been a long journey,” he remarked. We tried looking at sites from Kapoho all the way to Kalapana. Sand and boulders continued to fill the entire bay, but once that stopped, we began focusing on restoring the Pohoiki ramp.”

     

    The state had hoped for more federal support to approve removal of most of the volcanic debris in Pohoiki Bay, but FEMA was only able to approve restoration of the boat ramp entrance channel. Then it took dogged efforts by state lawmakers from the district to convince the rest of the legislature that opening the Pohoiki boat ramp was the top priority for people in the district.

     

    Chang singled out the efforts of state Senator Joy San Buenaventura and state Representative Greggor Ilagan in getting $5.4 million of state funding for the dredging. The total project cost came in at $9.28 million, which means the $2.9 million shortfall is being covered by DOBOR’s Boating Special Fund, which derives its revenues almost entirely from boating user fees.

     

    In remarks during the blessing ceremony, Sen. San Buenaventura said, “We needed people to understand how much it cost in fuel just to bring all our boats from the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo, the nearest boating facility, out to Puna to they could fish to feed and support their families.”

     

    She and Rep. Ilagan often pointed out it was akin to only having one small boat ramp for all of O‘ahu. “In 2021, I was also advocating for the alternate highway route, as that was the number-one issue that people voted on during town hall meetings. In 2022 the community reprioritized my priorities and made the Pohoiki Boat Ramp number one.”

     

    Chang fielded letter after letter, comment after comment from upset and frustrated fishers, some of whom had to give up their generational livelihoods of fishing because it became too expensive. Family members with lineal connections to the coastline were not able to fish, either. She and every single speaker singled out the community for not giving up and pushing to have Pohoiki restored.

     

    As did the consulting company and contractor hired to do the work. Kyle Kaneshiro of Limtiaco Consulting commented, “This has been one of the most eye-opening, humbling projects I’ve ever worked on. The community made everything so easy. This is not an easy project, but the community got everyone together.”

     

    Guy DiBartolo from Goodfellows Bros. Inc., added, “I’ve been to many ground blessings and ceremonies. This one for me, stands out as something unique and special, seeing the community’s involvement over many months and years.”

     

    For many people, like DLNR First Deputy Ryan Kanaka‘ole, Pohoiki stirs up fond childhood memories. “Summertime for me was coming down here, making the two-hour drive each way from Kaʻū with my father to dive, surf, or just relax. This day makes me remember my dad. He didn’t have a house, but he had a car and I’ll never forget those days spent at Pohoiki.”

     

    The contractor has nine months to complete the project but expects to be finished in November.

     

    # # #

     

    RESOURCES

    (All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)

     

    HD video – Pohoiki Boat Ramp Dredging Blessing (June 9, 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kw102jfqjg9w20upm9bsr/Pohoiki-Dredging-Project-Blessing-June-9-2025.mp4?rlkey=p3dz85napmmocpeivp0c45zj0&st=g7w1fs9s&dl=0

     

    HD video – Pohoiki dredging project blessing media clips (June 9, 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hzi3qkgl7t3gkaaisinb6/Pohoiki-dredging-project-blessing-media-clips-June-9-2025.mp4?rlkey=jca3f5ys756051odrc32vzuw4&st=fmke94pp&dl=0

    (Shot sheet/transcriptions attached)

     

    Photographs – Pohoiki dredging project blessing (June 9, 2025):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kedkashm6iqvkt9q7l7v6/AD3MEi0Yyw70FEu516nwrQ0?rlkey=c4c37j39ftlugmkq0hzh8cws6&st=n4fne779&dl=0

     

     

    Media Contact: 

    Dan Dennison 

    Communications Director

    Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

    808-587-0396 

    [email protected] 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Capital Releases Investor Presentation Highlighting Plan to Make MediPharm Labs the World’s Leading International Medical Cannabis Company

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo Technology Capital Corporation (“Apollo Capital”), which together with its affiliates and associates collectively is one of the largest shareholders of MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (“MediPharm”, “MediPharm Labs”, or the “Company”), owning approximately 3% of the Company’s common stock, today issued a presentation to set forth their ambitious plan to grow your investment and help turn MediPharm around.

       
    • Outlines Commitment to Immediately and Aggressively Execute on Action Plan to 10X+ Share Price and Create Value for All Shareholders
    • Details Specific and Measurable Initiatives to Save MediPharm Labs from Insolvency at the Hands of Greedy, Reckless, and Maligned Leaders
    • Sets Forth Plan to Stop Exorbitant Executive Compensation Pay-for-Failure and End 3 Years of Value Destructive Actions
    		  
       

    THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. VOTE THE GOLD CARD TODAY.

    SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO PROTECT THEIR INVESTMENT BY VOTING THE GOLD PROXY CARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX HIGHLY-QUALIFIED DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND DISREGARD MEDIPHARM LABS’ GREEN PROXY CARD.

    TOGETHER LET’S SAVE MEDIPHARM AND DELIVER THE VALUE THAT SHAREHOLDERS DESERVE.

    View the Presentation at https://www.curemedipharm.com/historical-filing/investor-presentation.

    For more information on our detailed value creation plan and instructions on how to vote, please see our website www.curemedipharm.com.

    Contacts

    For Shareholders:
    Carson Proxy
    North American Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-530-5189
    Local or Text Message: 416-751-2066 (collect calls accepted)
    E: info@carsonproxy.com

    For Media:
    media@curemedipharm.com

    This solicitation is being made by and on behalf of Apollo Capital, who, as of the date of this Circular, beneficially owns or controls, directly and indirectly through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nobul Technologies Inc., 12,491,500 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”), representing approximately 3% of the total Common Shares issued and outstanding, and not by the management of the Company.

    Legal Disclosures

    Information in Support of Public Broadcast Exemption under Canadian Law

    In connection with the annual general and special meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of shareholders of MediPharm, Apollo Capital has filed an amended and restated dissident information circular dated May 15, 2025 (the “Circular”), as amended and supplemented by an addendum to the Circular subsequently filed by Apollo Capital and Patrick McCutcheon (together, the “Concerned Stakeholder”) dated June 4, 2025 (the “Addendum” and together with the Circular, the “Amended Circular”), each in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws. The Concerned Stakeholder has provided in, or incorporated by reference into, this press release the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of NI 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and the corresponding exemption under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), and has filed the Amended Circular, available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Amended Circular contains disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of the Concerned Stakeholder’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. The Amended Circular is hereby incorporated by reference into this press release and is available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The registered office of the Company is 151 John Street, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 2L1.

    SHAREHOLDERS OF MEDIPHARM ARE URGED TO READ THE AMENDED CIRCULAR CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders are able to obtain free copies of the Amended Circular and any amendments or supplements thereto and further proxy circulars at no charge under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In addition, shareholders are also able to obtain free copies of the Amended Circular and other relevant documents by contacting the Concerned Stakeholder’s proxy solicitor, Carson Proxy Advisors Ltd. (“Carson Proxy”) at 1-800-530-5189, local (collect outside North America): 416-751-2066 or by email at info@carsonproxy.com. Finally, the Amended Circular is available on this website https://www.curemedipharm.com/historical-filing/investor-flyer.

    Proxies may be revoked in accordance with subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) by a registered shareholder of Company shares: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the accompanying form of proxy; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder’s attorney authorized in writing; (c) by transmitting by telephonic or electronic means a revocation that is signed by electronic signature in accordance with applicable law, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of the Company at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting is to be held, or (ii) with the chair of the Annual Meeting on the day of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting; or (d) in any other manner permitted by law. In addition, proxies may be revoked by a non-registered holder of Company shares at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder by its intermediary. It should be noted that revocation of proxies or voting instructions by a non-registered holder can take several days or even longer to complete and, accordingly, any such revocation should be completed well in advance of the deadline prescribed in the form of proxy or voting instruction form to ensure it is given effect in respect of the Annual Meeting.

    The costs incurred in the preparation and mailing of any circular or proxy solicitation by the Concerned Stakeholder and any other participants named herein will be borne directly and indirectly by Apollo Capital. However, to the extent permitted under applicable law, Apollo Capital intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of its director nominees at the Annual Meeting.

    This press release and any solicitation made by the Concerned Stakeholder is, or will be, as applicable, made by such parties, and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. Proxies may be solicited by proxy circular, mail, telephone, email or other electronic means, as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in person by managers, directors, officers and employees of the Concerned Stakeholder who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, the Concerned Stakeholder may solicit proxies by way of public broadcast, including press release, speech or publication and any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws, and may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist it in soliciting proxies on their behalf.

    Apollo Capital has entered into an agreement with Carson Proxy for solicitation and advisory services in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Concerned Stakeholder for the Annual Meeting, for which Carson Proxy will receive a fee from Apollo Capital not to exceed $250,000, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses. Apollo Capital has also engaged Gasthalter & Co. LP (“G&Co”) to act as communications consultant to provide the Concerned Stakeholder with certain communications, public relations and related services, for which G&Co will receive, from Apollo Capital, a minimum fee of US$75,000 in addition to a performance fee of US$250,000 in the event that the Concerned Stakeholder’s nominees make up a majority of the board of directors of MediPharm (the “Board”) following the Annual Meeting, plus excess fees, related costs and expenses.

    No member of the Concerned Stakeholder nor any of their respective associates or affiliates has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s last completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or will or would materially affect the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates. No member of the Concerned Stakeholder nor any of their respective associates or affiliates has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting, other than setting the number of directors and the election of directors to the Board.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward‐looking statements. All statements contained in this filing that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward‐looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “plan,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward‐looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of the Concerned Stakeholder and currently available information. They are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. All forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date hereof and the Concerned Stakeholder disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur, or of which the Concerned Stakeholder hereafter becomes aware, except as required by applicable law.

    Hashtags: #ShareholderActivism #CorporateGovernance #InvestorProtection #Investor Alert #Investor Fraud #FinancialRegulation #CorporateCrime #FinancialCrime #HomelandSecurity #DHS #OpioidCrisis #OpioidEpidemic #OpioidLitigation #OpioidVictims #BMO #DEA #ONDCP

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: MORE DEVELOPMENTS AT MULIFANUA & SALELOLOGA DOMESTIC PORTS (Wednesday 04th June 2025)

    Source:

    Share this:

    [PRESS RELEASE] – As it continues to improve services at its domestic ports in Mulifanua and Salelologa, for the convenience and accessibility of the general public, the Samoa Ports Authority completes the construction of the new Public Restroom Facilities at Mulifanua, while other developments continue.

    The new public restroom facilities are now open for public use since Friday, 9th May 2025, replacing the old restrooms. The new restroom facilities have nine (9) toilets on each side for females and males, and are accessible from the left corner of the main building.

    The Security Hut at the gate is now fully operational monitoring the vehicles entering and exiting the Mulifanua wharf at all times for safety and security reasons.

    The Authority also provides Free Wifi services at the departure terminals in Mulifanua and Salelologa for the travelling public easy access and better communication at all times.

    The other developments at Mulifanua that are still in progress to be completed soon, include;

    1. Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles under the EV Project facilitated by the United Nation and funded by the Government of Japan;

    2. Sheltered / secured Parking Lot for vehicles at $10 fee a night;

    3. Re-fencing of the whole compound

    Apart from these developments for the general public, the Authority also provides opportunities for our business community, to promote their services, through advertising at the domestic ports.

    “We are currently contracting out, advertising services at Mulifanua and Salelologa for our business community as well as our Government Ministries and Corporations.” said the General Manager, So’oalo Falelima Kuresa So’oalo.

    Interested advertisers may contact our contractor – EMD Samoa or contact our Office for further information.

    END OF RELEASE

    SOURCE – Samoa Ports Authority

    Share this:

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Texas Holds Three of the Top Five Destination Cities for Consumer Migration

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Americans who relocated in 2024 sought out new locales, with the three most popular locations in the state of Texas—North Houston, Fort Worth and Austin. Overall, consumers left pricier and densely populated urban areas in favor of more affordable cities and suburbs in the southern U.S., according to TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) research focused on migration and its implications for insurers.

    While migration rates have decreased steadily since pre-pandemic 2019, a significant number of consumers are making bold moves. More than a quarter (26%) of Americans who moved in 2024 relocated by distances ranging from 51 miles to 250 miles and beyond.

    “As consumers continue to find new places to settle, it’s important for insurers to stay on top of the trends across segments,” said Patrick Foy, senior director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s Insurance business. “These changes can have implications for customer acquisition, risk and engagement.”

    Top Five Inbound and Outbound Markets in 2024

    Inbound Outbound
    North Houston, TX Miami, FL
    Fort Worth, TX Houston, TX
    Austin, TX Queens, NY
    Phoenix, AZ South Florida, FL
    Nashville, TN Oakland, CA


    Gen Z goes against the grain
    The research found migration trends among consumers aged 30 and older largely held true. The majority left locales like New York, Chicago and Miami, with some slight variations in where they ended up. Baby Boomers and Silent Generation consumers primarily moved to smaller locales in South Carolina and Florida. Gen Xers also moved to those states, but Texas was their top destination. Millennials seemed to avoid Florida, instead dispersing across suburban markets Texas and North Carolina.

    However, many Gen Z consumers moved in the opposite direction, landing in the same cities older Americans were leaving, like New York and Chicago.

    “Gen Z’s migration patterns more closely reflect those of Millennials back in 2010,” said Foy. “And they are likely going for the same reasons: the allure of big city living and the prospect of work opportunities to help launch their careers.”

    Staying connected to life insurance beneficiaries
    When consumers move across state lines, public records do not always update accordingly. This can create problems for life insurance providers who then may not be able to locate a beneficiary or receive notification of death for their policyholder.

    The majority of states require life insurers to monitor mortality status of policy holders and to conduct due diligence to contact beneficiaries. However, over recent years the federal government has limited access to the Social Security Death Master File (SS DMF). Those records now account for only 12% of TransUnion’s deceased file data—compared to 2010 when they accounted for 95%. 

    Additionally, nearly six out of 10 consumers don’t even know how to find out if they are the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. This is underscored by the fact that each year tens of millions of dollars in life insurance payments go unmatched with beneficiaries.1

    TransUnion’s TruLookup™ Deceased Data utilizes multiple sources, including TransUnion proprietary data, obituary data, funeral home listings, state level sources, and more. Insurers who rely solely on the SS DMF are at a significant disadvantage for uniting benefits to beneficiaries.

    “Life insurance companies that rely on public records alone will likely fail to deliver on their promise to customers,” said Karen Malone, senior director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s life insurance business. “They need a robust identity solution to give them real time updates on the status of their insureds and the location of their beneficiaries.”

    Understanding a driver’s risk
    Similarly, when a consumer with prior traffic violations moves to a new state or receives a traffic violation outside of their license state, their motor vehicle report (MVR) does not always capture those events.

    Prior TransUnion research found that violations increased by 8% in 2024 compared to 2023—their highest point since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The study highlighted the strong correlation between traffic enforcement and roadway safety, along with reaffirming the power of violation data to predict future insurance losses.

    TransUnion research notes that auto insurers should look beyond MVRs and investigate court records when assessing the risk of a new customer as they are less expensive than MVRs and provide a more comprehensive history. In addition, traffic violations have reached their highest point since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting there are increasingly more insights into drivers’ behavior on the road.

    Learn more about TransUnion Insurance Risk solutions, including TruVision™ Driving History, here.
    Learn more about TransUnion solutions for life insurance here.

    1. “What to Know About Life Insurance Beneficiaries,” National Association of Insurance Commissioners, September 12, 2023

    About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
    TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business

    Contact Dave Blumberg
    TransUnion
       
    E-mail david.blumberg@transunion.com
       
    Telephone 312-972-6646

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NextNRG to Be Added to Russell 2000® and Russell 3000® Indexes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextNRG, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXT), a pioneer in AI-powered energy innovation, today announced its inclusion in the Russell 2000® and Russell 3000® Indexes, according to a list of additions published by FTSE Russell. The Company leverages advanced technologies—including its Next Utility Operating System®, smart microgrid infrastructure, wireless EV charging, and on-demand mobile fuel delivery—to transform how energy is produced, managed, and delivered.

    The official reconstitution will take effect after market close on Friday, June 27, 2025. Trading in the reconstituted indexes will begin on Monday, June 30, 2025.

    The Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index-based funds and benchmarking. FTSE Russell estimates that approximately $10.6 trillion in assets are benchmarked to the Russell U.S. indexes.

    “This recognition marks an important milestone in our continued growth,” said Michael D. Farkas, Founder and CEO of NextNRG. “We believe that inclusion in the Russell indexes reflects our disciplined execution and growing investor recognition of NextNRG’s unique position at the convergence of efficient energy, intelligent mobility, and AI-powered infrastructure. As we scale transformative projects across the country, this expanded visibility will support deeper institutional engagement and long-term value creation.”

    The Russell index reconstitution ranks the 3,000 largest U.S. stocks by total market capitalization. Companies included in the all-cap Russell 3000® Index are automatically assigned to the large-cap Russell 1000® or small-cap Russell 2000® Index, as well as relevant growth and value indexes.

    NextNRG’s addition to the Russell indexes follows strong quarterly growth and strategic progress across key markets, including new state expansion, enterprise partnerships, and continued advancement of its proprietary energy infrastructure platform.

    About NextNRG, Inc.
    NextNRG Inc. (NextNRG) is Powering What’s Next by implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into renewable energy, next-generation energy infrastructure, battery storage, wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging and on-demand mobile fuel delivery to create an integrated ecosystem.

    At the core of NextNRG’s strategy is its Next Utility Operating System®, which leverages AI and ML to help make existing utilities’ energy management as efficient as possible; and the deployment of NextNRG smart microgrids, which utilize AI-driven energy management alongside solar power and battery storage to enhance energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve grid resiliency. These microgrids are designed to serve commercial properties, healthcare campuses, universities, parking garages, rural and tribal lands, recreational facilities, and government properties, expanding energy accessibility while supporting decarbonization initiatives.

    NextNRG continues to expand its growing fleet of fuel delivery trucks and national footprint, including the acquisition of Yoshi Mobility’s fuel division and Shell Oil’s trucks, further solidifying its position as a leader in the on-demand fueling industry. NextNRG is also integrating sustainable energy solutions into its mobile fueling operations. The company hopes to be an integral part of assisting its fleet customers in their transition to EV, providing fuel delivery while advancing efficient energy adoption. The transition process is expected to include the deployment of NextNRG’s innovative wireless EV charging solutions.

    To find out more visit: www.nextnrg.com

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statement describing NextNRG’s goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions, or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Words such as “expect,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to NextNRG’s business and macroeconomic and geopolitical events. These and other risks are described in NextNRG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. NextNRG’s forward-looking statements involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although NextNRG’s forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by NextNRG. Except as required by law, NextNRG undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

    Investor Relations Contact
    NextNRG, Inc.
    Sharon Cohen
    SCohen@nextnrg.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: RTI Connext Receives Industry Recognition as Leading Data Platform for Autonomous Systems

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Real-Time Innovations (RTI), the software framework company for physical AI systems, today announced that RTI Connext® has been selected as the winner of the Top Unmanned Systems Data Processing and Analytics Platform award by the Inside Unmanned Systems Innovation Vanguard Awards (IVA) program. This recognition underscores the crucial role Connext plays in providing real-time data connectivity essential for autonomous operations, sensor fusion, and multi-domain coordination in unmanned systems.

    “The challenge of autonomy isn’t just building fast—it’s building right,” said Stan Schneider, CEO of RTI. “Connext provides a proven software framework that helps emerging innovators get to the field faster while enabling established primes to integrate new capabilities. Connext delivers the secure, intelligent foundation needed to scale autonomy across domains.”

    In today’s race to field autonomous systems faster, initiatives like the DoD’s Replicator program are reshaping expectations across the defense landscape. Speed is no longer a goal—it’s the requirement. Connext helps new innovators, including Silicon Valley disruptors, field autonomy concepts quickly. Its proven, standards-based framework eliminates the burden of building infrastructure from scratch. At the same time, established defense primes rely on Connext to move at mission speed, modernizing legacy systems while accelerating the deployment of next-gen capabilities. Connext is already trusted across 2,000+ systems and 500+ programs of record including over 300 autonomous vehicle designs. And yet, Connext also delivers the industry’s most scalable, secure, and future-ready foundation for autonomy.

    Connext excels at tough deployments. It provides the data confidentiality, integrity, and resilience across multiple security domains that autonomous systems need. It can operate reliably in contested environments, where the risk of disruption or compromise is high. Because it can handle these challenges, Connext leads the industry in real-world use, running more than $1 trillion of total deployed systems.

    The pace of unmanned systems development has also raised the bar for real-time data processing and analytics. Meeting this demand requires a robust data infrastructure that can support complex autonomous behaviors across domains—whether in the air, on land, at sea, or in space.

    For more information on RTI in Aerospace & Defense, please visit the RTI website.

    About RTI

    RTI is the software framework company for physical AI systems, with a mission to run a smarter world. RTI Connext® provides the data architecture for over 2,000 designs in Aerospace and Defense, Medtech, Automotive, and Robotics – running in more than $1T of total deployed systems worldwide. Only RTI combines decades of technical expertise with industry-leading software and tools to develop smarter systems, faster. Learn more at www.rti.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: OSS’s BRESSNER Receives the 2024 EMEA Growth Partner of the Year Award from Digi International

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ESCONDIDO, Calif., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — One Stop Systems, Inc. (OSS or the Company) (Nasdaq: OSS) today announced that its subsidiary, BRESSNER Technology GmbH, a leading specialized high-performance computing supplier in Europe, has been named Digi International’s 2024 EMEA Growth Partner of the Year.

    Digi International’s prestigious Global Channel Awards are given annually to Digi’s most impactful worldwide channel partners, celebrating their leadership, innovation, customer-first mindset, and outstanding contributions to the expansion of connected technologies.

    “Digi is a long-standing partner, and we are honored to be named their 2024 EMEA Growth Partner of the Year,” said Martin Stiborski, Managing Director of BRESSNER. “This award reflects our commitment to providing state-of-the-art hardware solutions for demanding applications.”

    “Our channel partners are at the heart of Digi’s global success,” said Ron Konezny, President and CEO of Digi International. “Each award recipient has demonstrated unmatched dedication to advancing IoT and infrastructure management, while delivering exceptional value to customers in every region we serve. Their commitment and results speak volumes — and together, we are empowering digital transformation across industries and geographies.”

    To learn more and view this year’s additional winners, visit:
    https://www.digi.com/company/press-releases/2025/digi-celebrates-2024-global-channel-awards   

    About BRESSNER Technology GmbH
    As a system integrator, manufacturer, value-added distributor, and system house for industrial hardware solutions, components, accessories, and built-to-order solutions, BRESSNER offers an extensive portfolio for various applications in the industrial environment. Tailored solutions for machine automation, logistics & transport, and production are part of the company’s range of services, as well as comprehensive support for topics such as AI applications, machine/deep learning, networks, intelligent retail, communication, and security. The company’s headquarters is located in Germany, with its parent company, One Stop Systems, based in the USA.

    About One Stop Systems
    One Stop Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSS) is a leader in AI enabled solutions for the demanding ‘edge’. OSS designs and manufactures Enterprise Class compute and storage products that enable rugged AI, sensor fusion and autonomous capabilities without compromise. These hardware and software platforms bring the latest data center performance to harsh and challenging applications, whether they are on land, sea or in the air.

    OSS products include ruggedized servers, compute accelerators, flash storage arrays, and storage acceleration software. These specialized compact products are used across multiple industries and applications, including autonomous trucking and farming, as well as aircraft, drones, ships and vehicles within the defense industry.

    OSS solutions address the entire AI workflow, from high-speed data acquisition to deep learning, training and large-scale inference, and have delivered many industry firsts for industrial OEM and government customers.

    As the fastest growing segment of the multi-billion-dollar edge computing market, AI enabled solutions require-and OSS delivers-the highest level of performance in the most challenging environments without compromise.

    OSS products are available directly or through global distributors. For more information, go to www.onestopsystems.com. You can also follow OSS on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    One Stop Systems cautions you that statements in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the Company’s current beliefs and expectations. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by One Stop Systems or its partners that any of our plans or expectations will be achieved, including but not limited to the potential and/or the results participating in the ROTH Conference, any results relating to one-on-one meetings with management, and the expansion of the Company’s offerings and/or relationship with commercial customers and/or investors. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risk and uncertainties inherent in our business, including risks described in our prior press releases and in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    Media Contacts:
    Robert Kalebaugh
    One Stop Systems, Inc.
    Tel (858) 518-6154
    Email contact

    Investor Relations:
    Andrew Berger
    Managing Director
    SM Berger & Company, Inc.
    Tel (216) 464-6400
    Email contact

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU attracted the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences to develop a unified system for forecasting processes in agribusiness

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On June 11, 2025, a delegation from the State University of Management visited the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPb FRC RAS).

    The working tour of the scientific team of the State University of Management continues in Saint Petersburg. Earlier we reported on meetings with the management of the Leningrad Region Committee for Transport and the BGTU “VOENMEKH”.

    The State University of Management was represented at the meeting by Vice-Rector Maria Karelina, Chief Researcher of the Scientific Research Coordination Department Alexey Terentyev (a leading scientist in the field of developing decision-making models under uncertainty), Director of the Engineering Project Management Center Vladimir Filatov, Researcher of the Center Dmitry Rybakov and Junior Researcher of the Reverse Engineering Laboratory Nikita Akinshin.

    Scientists and specialists of the State University of Management visited the Laboratory of Information Technologies in Systems Analysis and Modeling. The laboratory works on the development, research and implementation of methodological, methodological and technological foundations for the automation and intellectualization of processes of complex modeling of complex systems at various stages of their life cycle, and also conducts scientific research in the following areas:

    Integrated modeling of the functioning of complex technical objects (STO); Planning the functioning of STO; Parallel structural and functional synthesis of STO; Data analysis; Development of automated systems for intelligent monitoring and management of the life cycle of STO; Development of digital twins based on information and analytical support.

    During the visit, a joint meeting was held with scientists from the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences – leading researcher Stanislav Mikoni and young scientist of the research center Andrey Zakharov. The parties discussed the development of joint R&D in the field of digital twins, unmanned vehicles and predictive analytics. A special vector of joint work was defined as interaction within the framework of the implementation of a large scientific project by research teams of the State University of Management and the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in order to create a unified system that predicts technological and economic processes in agribusiness.

    The joint meeting of representatives of the State University of Management and the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences took place within the framework of the signed agreement – in May, the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev and the director of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Ronzhin signed an agreement on cooperation in the educational and scientific spheres.

    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 China: 5.8-magnitude quake hits waters off Taiwan: CENC

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

    A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted waters off the Taitung County, Taiwan, at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

    The epicenter was monitored at 23.33 degrees north latitude and 121.72 degrees east longitude. The earthquake struck at a depth of 20 km, the center said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Management consultant who ‘wanted to get as much money as he could’ banned as a director for 11 years after securing two Covid loans

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Management consultant who ‘wanted to get as much money as he could’ banned as a director for 11 years after securing two Covid loans

    Romain McLean, from Brent, exaggerated the turnover of RMC Associates Limited to secure two Bounce Back loans.

    • Romain McLean was the director of RMC Associates Limited, a management consultancy company registered in Wimbledon.  

    • He overstated his company’s turnover twice to secure two loans.  

    • McLean is now disqualified from being a director until 2036. 

    A Brent director who secured two Covid Bounce Back Loans – totalling £80,000 – having twice significantly overstated his company’s turnover has been disqualified for 11 years.  

    Romain McLean was the sole director of RMC Associates Limited, registered at Kingston Road in Wimbledon.  

    The 41-year-old of Pember Road, Brent, applied for a £30,000 Covid Bounce Back loan for his business in May 2020, when it was only entitled to around £12,000. 

    An Insolvency Service investigation found that he had overstated the turnover of his company by more than £100,000 to secure the initial loan. 

    In an interview during the investigation, Mr McLean admitted exaggerating his turnover to secure the loan, stating that he ‘just wanted to get as much money as he could’.     

    He also applied for a second loan at the maximum of £50,000, in July 2020, having falsely stated it was his first and only application and again overstating the turnover of his business by thousands of pounds. 

    Following the Insolvency Service investigation, he signed an undertaking disqualifying him from being a director for 11 years and offered a settlement repayment of £60,000. 

    Insolvency Service Chief Investigator Ann Oliver said:  

    Romain McLean overstated his company’s turnover to claim not one but two Covid Bounce Back loans.  

    He secured money for his company it was not wholly entitled to not once but twice. 

    This lengthy director disqualification demonstrates the seriousness of his actions and serves as a warning to others who seek to wrongfully claim taxpayers’ money.

    McLean did not dispute the undertaking, agreeing to an 11-year director disqualification which began on 30 May 2025. 

    RMC Associates Limited was incorporated in 2008 and was subject to a winding up petition in 2023. 

    The Bounce Back loan scheme helped small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, at a low interest rate, guaranteed by the Government.   

    The loans were made on the condition that they were not to be used for personal purposes, but could be used, for example, to purchase a company asset such as a vehicle, if it would provide an economic benefit to the business. 

    The money lent to a company had to be paid back, over six or 10 years, with payments starting 12 months after the company received the loan. 

    Further information:  

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Strabane Gears Up for a Spectacular Summer Jamm Festival

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Strabane Gears Up for a Spectacular Summer Jamm Festival

    6 June 2025

    Strabane is set to come alive this Saturday, June 7th, as the Summer Jamm Festival transforms the town into a vibrant hub of family fun and local talent. Running from 12pm until late, the festival offers a diverse lineup of attractions and events for all ages.

    The town centre will be bustling with activities including the Kidz Farm petting zoo, dinosaur encounters, urban sports demonstrations, and interactive drumming circles. Castle Place will feature BMX biking, parkour workshops, and graffiti art sessions, while Castle Street hosts the Roar Roar Dinosaurs baby dinosaur petting zoo. Main Street will offer live music, market stalls, and performances by local arts groups such as Class Act, Much Ado Stage School, and Encore PAA. The Alley Theatre will present the FizzWizzPop Magic Show, face painting, and arts and crafts workshops.

    As dusk falls, Strabane’s pubs will come alive with the inaugural Music Trail, featuring performances by local artists across venues including Christy’s Bar, The Railway Bar, Dicey’s Bar, and The Farmers’ Home. Artists such as DJ Ryan Doc, Adam Dolan, The Brambles, and Louis McTeggert will showcase the town’s rich musical heritage. The Music Trail begins at 4pm and offers attendees a unique opportunity to experience Strabane’s diverse musical scene in an intimate setting.

    A highlight of the festival is the Bear Run ’74 Supercar event, featuring a stunning display of luxury vehicles, including the Lamborghini Revuelto, known for its impressive performance. The supercars will be showcased on Railway Street, providing a thrilling spectacle for attendees and raising funds for the Mayor’s chosen charities, PIPS Suicide Prevention Derry and The Castlederg Patient and Comfort Terminally ill fund.

    Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairí McHugh, expressed his excitement for this weekend’s festivities.

    “Summer Jamm has become a cornerstone of our community calendar, bringing together businesses, residents and visitors alike to celebrate the best of Strabane. This year’s festival showcases our town’s creative spirit, local talent, and warm hospitality. It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy a day of fun and for everyone to support our local businesses. It will be one of my first engagements as Mayor and I am really looking forward to getting out and about to meet you all.”

    To facilitate the event, the following roads will be closed to traffic from 7am to 7pm on Saturday, June 7th: Railway Street,Main Street, Castle Street and Castle Place.

    Traffic diversions will be in place with alternative routes signposted. Visitors are advised that streets will be busy with lots of activities taking place in and around the town centre, so motorists should use the town centre car parks or, if possible, travel to the event using public transport. Please note that Canal Street car park will be closed to facilitate Cullen’s Fun Fair. Disabled parking will be available in the car parks at Canal Basin North, Railway Street, Butcher Street, and in Upper and Lower Main Street.

    For more information, please visit  www.derrystrabane.com/summerjamm

    For all updates and detailed schedules, visit the official Summer Jamm website or follow the event on social media.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [MARLOWE PLC – 10 06 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

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

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 MARLOWE PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 10 JUNE 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 NO

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

    Class of relevant security: 50p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 3,112,147 3.9634    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 3,112,147 3.9634    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    50p ORDINARY SALE 2,065 437.65p
    50p ORDINARY SALE 710 440p
    50p ORDINARY SALE 1,480 440.35p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

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

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

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

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

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

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

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

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

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

    NONE

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

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

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 11 JUNE 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

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

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [ALPHA GROUP INTERNATIONAL PLC – 10 06 2025] – (CGAML)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

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

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 ALPHA GROUP INTERNATIONAL PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 10 JUNE 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

    Class of relevant security: 0.2p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 1,436,500 3.3956    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 1,436,500 3.3956    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.2p ORDINARY SALE 33,000 3050p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

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

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

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

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

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

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

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

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

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

    NONE

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

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

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 11 JUNE 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

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

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Beamr to Launch GPU-Accelerated Video Compression Solution for Autonomous Vehicles at NVIDIA GTC Paris

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Beamr’s technology, designed for autonomous vehicles and machine learning workflows, enables up to 50% reduction in video storage without compromising model fidelity or visual quality 

    Herzliya, Israel, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Beamr Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: BMR), a leader in video optimization technology and solutions, today announced it will launch a high-performance, high-quality video compression solution designed for autonomous vehicles at NVIDIA GTC Paris, taking place June 10-12, 2025, as part of Viva Technology 2025, Europe’s biggest startup and tech event.

    In the development of autonomous driving, video is the dominant data type. A single vehicle produces terabytes of video data daily, and training a single autonomous model may require tens to hundreds of petabytes. Beamr’s proprietary technology, with a proven track record in high-efficiency video compression trusted by global media players, now addresses a pressing, costly challenge for autonomous vehicles and machine learning teams: managing video data at scale, including long-term storage and the significant infrastructure investment required.

    Beamr’s Content-Adaptive Bitrate (CABR) technology, built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, reduces real-world autonomous driving and synthetic video file sizes by up to 50%. This is achieved while preserving visual quality and critical visual features essential for training autonomous driving models. By addressing key storage, compute, and bandwidth constraints in AI pipelines, it significantly reduces operational costs.

    Video capturing for autonomous driving models starts with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), recording real-world driving footage ingested into data centers, where video volumes scale rapidly. Yet, real-world data alone is insufficient for training models that must perform reliably across a wide spectrum of scenarios, including rare edge cases. To address this, a vast amount of synthetic video is generated by platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse and NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models, helping to amplify training data.

    “Autonomous vehicle companies are under mounting pressure from rising video storage demands and infrastructure costs,” said Sharon Carmel, Beamr CEO. “Our content-adaptive technology, accelerated by GPUs, delivers highly efficient compression while maintaining visual quality across a variety of scenarios – both for human perception and machine vision, and in both real-world and synthetic video.”

    In recent benchmark testing on raw driving footage using real-time object detection models, Beamr’s CABR achieved compression rates equivalent to the highest-quality compression common in the industry. It maintains high detection accuracy, preserving even fine visual details, demonstrating practically no impact on machine learning performance, while enabling up to 50% savings.

    All GTC Paris attendees interested in Beamr’s solutions for scalable, high-quality video solutions are invited to schedule a meeting with Beamr’s video experts team. For registration, please click the link.

    For more details, please visit http://beamr.com/autonomous

    About Beamr

    Beamr (Nasdaq: BMR) is a world leader in content-adaptive video compression, trusted by top media companies including Netflix and Paramount. Beamr’s perceptual optimization technology (CABR) is backed by 53 patents and a winner of Emmy® Award for Technology and Engineering. The innovative technology reduces video file sizes by up to 50% while preserving quality and enabling AI-powered enhancements.

    Beamr powers efficient video workflows across high-growth markets, such as media and entertainment, user-generated content, machine learning, and autonomous vehicles. Its flexible deployment options include on-premises, private or public cloud, with convenient availability for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) customers.

    For more details, please visit www.beamr.com or the investors’ website www.investors.beamr.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this communication may include, among other things, statements about Beamr’s strategic and business plans, technology, relationships, objectives and expectations for its business, the impact of trends on and interest in its business, intellectual property or product and its future results, operations and financial performance and condition. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, but not limited to, the risks detailed in the Company’s annual report filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025 and in subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Investor Contact:
    investorrelations@beamr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [CRANEWARE PLC – 10 06 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

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

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 CRANEWARE PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 10 JUNE 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

    Class of relevant security: 1p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 1,695,728 4.7889    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 1,695,728 4.7889    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    1p ORDINARY SALE 360 1975p
    1p ORDINARY SALE 370 2010p
    1p ORDINARY SALE 375 2040p
    1p ORDINARY PURCHASE 375 2049p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

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

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

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

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

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

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

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

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

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

    NONE

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

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

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 11 JUNE 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

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

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [GLOBALDATA PLC – 10 06 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

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

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 GLOBALDATA PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 10 JUNE 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

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

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

    Class of relevant security: 0.01p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 11,031,274 1.3677    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 11,031,274 1.3677    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.01p ORDINARY SALE 4,800 171.35p
    0.01p ORDINARY SALE 4,500 171.36p
    0.01p ORDINARY SALE 1,935 174.59p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

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

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

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

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

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

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

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

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

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

    NONE

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

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

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 11 JUNE 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

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

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

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

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Bank One Extends a Facility to the ESATF Trade Fund to Support Regional Trade Finance in Africa

    Bank One (www.BankOne.mu) has extended a USD 5 million facility to ESATF, an African trade fund managed by the ESATAL fund management company, a TDB Group subsidiary, to support trade finance on the continent.

    The facility is designed to support the Fund’s growing loan book. The financing will be deployed to meet the rising demand for trade finance across Africa, a key growth market for both institutions.

    TDB Group and Bank One share a long-standing relationship which was first established with Bank One’s participation in the syndicated loans of TDB Group’s Trade and Development Banking operations. 

    This facility is a new area of collaboration between both institutions, and Bank One’s first direct lending engagement with ESATF. It reflects the institution’s confidence in the Fund as a strong and well-managed trade finance vehicle, with a diversified and de-risked loan portfolio.

    ESATAL Executive Director Umulinga Karangwa said “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Bank One as we extend our trade finance reach across African markets. This latest collaboration builds on the existing relationship with TDB Group and reflects a shared commitment to unlocking capital for businesses that drive regional trade and economic development. As ESATF continues to scale-up, such partnerships are key to deepening our impact and expanding access to much-needed financing across the continent.”

    Bank One CEO, Sunil Ramgobin adds: “Over the past few years, Bank One has joined TDB on two syndicated debt raises, demonstrating our shared mission to promote sustainable, inclusive growth across Africa. This third collaboration—a USD 5 million trade finance facility to ESATF—reinforces our joint ambition to deliver measurable social, environmental and developmental impact. By supporting ESATF’s growing loan book, we respond to rising demand for trade finance across African markets. We stand alongside TDB Group in building a stronger, more resilient Africa and look forward to achieving many more milestones together as we finance progress that truly matters.”

    With USD 300 million in net assets under management as of June 2025, and over 60 investors in its diverse stable, the ESATF trade fund serves as a strong platform for institutional investors looking to support Africa’s growing trade finance sector, and its impact across several sectors, including for SMEs, women and smallholder farmers.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Bank One Limited.

    Media contacts:
    Trade and Development Bank Group:
    Anne-Marie Iskandar
    Senior Communications Officer
    Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
    Anne-Marie.Iskandar@tdbgroup.org

    Zethical PR Agency:
    Kaajal Gungadeen
    Head of PR & Communications
    communication@zethical.com

    Bank One:
    Virginie Couronne
    Senior Communication & Content Specialist
    virginie.appapoulay@bankone.mu

    About TDB Group:
    Established in 1985, the Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) is an African regional multilateral development bank, with a mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration and sustainable development in Africa. TDB Group counts several subsidiaries and strategic business units including Trade and Development Banking, TDB Asset Management (TAM), the Trade and Development Fund (TDF), TDB Captive Insurance Company (TCI), the ESATAL fund management company and TDB Academy.

    About ESATAL fund management company:
    The ESATAL fund management company, a wholly owned TDB Group subsidiary, manages trade finance funds aligned with TDB Group’s commitment to promoting trade-led economic and social development. One of its key initiatives is the ESATF trade fund, a collective investment scheme financing shortto medium-term trade transactions, particularly those involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ESATAL and ESATF are part of TDB Group’s asset management activities which are focused on the design, origination, and growth of stand-alone investment vehicles for a wide range of investors and development partners. Domiciled in Mauritius, ESATAL and ESATF are regulated by the Financial Services Commission as collective investment scheme (CIS) fund manager and CIS expert fund, respectively.

    About Bank One:
    Bank One is a joint venture between CIEL Finance Limited in Mauritius and Kenya-based I&M Group PLC. Bank One provides a wide range of banking products and services to its clients through a geographic footprint spread across the island of Mauritius, comprising 7 branches and a well-distributed ATM network. As the financial landscape in sub-Saharan Africa continues to evolve, Bank One is determined to play an active role in supporting individuals, businesses and communities through continuous innovation and value addition. Bank One has deep development finance institution relationships and long-term funding lines in place with the German Investment Corporation (DEG), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the French Development Agency (Proparco). Bank One has been rated ‘BB-‘ with a Stable Outlook by Fitch Ratings.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Health ministry issues advisory as Delhi sizzles, urges people to stay indoors during peak hours

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that daytime temperatures in Delhi may soar to 45 degrees Celsius, the Health Ministry on Wednesday urged people to stay indoors during peak hours, and stay hydrated.

    The IMD has issued an orange alert for the national capital on Wednesday.

    The IMD has warned that daytime temperatures in Delhi could reach as high as 45 degrees Celsius, with night-time lows hovering around 29 degrees Celsius. The ongoing weather conditions are part of a prolonged heatwave affecting large parts of northwestern India.

    “Extreme heat can be risky. Stay indoors during peak hours, eat lower-calorie food, drink safe fluids, and never leave kids or pets in parked cars,” the Health Ministry, said in a post on social media platform X.

    “Call 108/102 if someone shows signs of heatstroke,” it added.

    In an infographic shared along with the post, the Ministry urged people to avoid getting out in the sun, especially between 12:00 noon and 03:00 pm. It also urged citizens to avoid strenuous activities when outside in the afternoon, cooking during peak summer hours, and to open doors and windows to ventilate the cooking area adequately.

    The Health Ministry advised citizens to avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, and carbonated soft drinks or drinks with large amounts of sugar and importantly not to leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

    Call 108/102 immediately if you find someone with a high body temperature and is either unconscious or confused, the advisory said.

    “The heat is rising, but awareness can save lives! A heatwave isn’t just about soaring temperatures. It’s about knowing the risks, recognising the signs, and protecting each other. Let’s beat the heat together!” said the IMD on X.

    To protect from the heat, the IMD urged citizens to wear lightweight, loose-fitting, and light-coloured clothing. Cover your head using a hat, umbrella, towel, and drink water frequently, it said.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature of the season at 43.8 degrees Celsius, which is 3.6 degrees above the seasonal average, as per IMD data. According to the IMD, very hot weather and heat waves in Delhi will persist until at least June 12.

    Dr. Atul Kakar from the Department of Internal Medicine, at a leading city-based hospital, told IANS that several patients are presenting with heat exhaustion, heat stroke, severe dehydration, gastroenteritis, and jaundice.

    “Exposure to the sun should be the bare minimum. Wear full sleeve clothes, or take an umbrella or cover your head during that period when you are getting exposed to the sun,” Kakar said.

    Take more liquids which may include lassi, lemonade, orange juice, or fruits that contain more water like watermelon and melon,” the doctor told IANS. He also urged people to avoid eating outside.

    (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Eastern Cape government activates disaster teams in response to cold front

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has activated its disaster management teams in response to severe cold front and associated weather conditions that have struck the province since Monday, 9 June 2025.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday, the provincial government confirmed that emergency response teams have been dispatched to various areas and are working around the clock to provide critical support to communities impacted by heavy rainfall, strong winds, and snowfall.

    The South African Weather Service has issued an Orange Alert Level 6, warning of disruptive snowfall in high-lying regions of the province, potential road closures, flooding, and possible power interruptions.

    Several roads have been affected by the heavy rains, including the R61 from Umthatha to Ngcobo and N2 to Kokstad near Emakhaphetshwini outside Umthatha. Damages have also been reported in homes in the OR Tambo, Joe Gqabi, Sarah Baartman Districts and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

    Rescue teams were dispatched to bolster rescue efforts just along the R61 outside Mthatha, where three children were stuck on a tree. The children have since been rescued.

    The provincial government also confirmed that roads such as Wapadsberg Pass, along the R61 between Nxuba and Graaff-Reinet, have been blanketed in snow, prompting a warning to motorists to drive with extreme caution.

    “The provincial government’s primary objective is to safeguard lives and infrastructure during this extreme weather event. Community members are advised to remain alert, monitor official updates, and strictly follow safety directives,” the provincial government said.

    Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, has urged all motorists to exercise extreme caution and avoid non-essential traveling, as well as travelling through flood-prone and mountainous areas.

    He also urged citizens to immediately report hazards, such as downed power lines and road accidents to the nearest authorities.

    “Our disaster teams are on high alert and ready to respond wherever assistance is needed. We urge the public to stay cautious and prioritise safety above all else.

    “Government is fully mobilised, coordinating closely with local municipalities and emergency services to manage the impact of the weather system and support those affected,” Mabuyane said. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Heatwave: Health Ministry issues advisory, asks people to stay indoors during peak hours

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that daytime temperatures in Delhi may soar to 45 degrees Celsius, the Health Ministry on Wednesday urged people to stay indoors during peak hours, and to drink safe fluids.

    The IMD has issued an orange alert for the national capital on Wednesday.

    The IMD has warned that daytime temperatures in Delhi could reach as high as 45 degrees Celsius, with night-time lows hovering around 29 degrees Celsius. The ongoing weather conditions are part of a prolonged heatwave affecting large parts of northwestern India.

    “Extreme heat can be risky. Stay indoors during peak hours, eat lower-calorie food, drink safe fluids, and never leave kids or pets in parked cars,” the Health Ministry, said in a post on social media platform X.

    “Call 108/102 if someone shows signs of heatstroke,” it added.

    In an infographic shared along with the post, the Ministry urged people to avoid getting out in the sun, especially between 12:00 noon and 03:00 pm. It also urged citizens to avoid strenuous activities when outside in the afternoon, cooking during peak summer hours, and to open doors and windows to ventilate the cooking area adequately.

    The Health Ministry advised citizens to avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, and carbonated soft drinks or drinks with large amounts of sugar and importantly not to leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

    Call 108/102 immediately if you find someone with a high body temperature and is either unconscious or confused, the advisory said.

    “The heat is rising, but awareness can save lives! A heatwave isn’t just about soaring temperatures. It’s about knowing the risks, recognising the signs, and protecting each other. Let’s beat the heat together!” said the IMD on X.

    To protect from the heat, the IMD urged citizens to wear lightweight, loose-fitting, and light-coloured clothing. Cover your head using a hat, umbrella, towel, and drink water frequently, it said.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi recorded its highest maximum temperature of the season at 43.8 degrees Celsius, which is 3.6 degrees above the seasonal average, as per IMD data. According to the IMD, very hot weather and heat waves in Delhi will persist until at least June 12.

    Dr. Atul Kakar from the Department of Internal Medicine, at a leading city-based hospital, told IANS that several patients are presenting with heat exhaustion, heat stroke, severe dehydration, gastroenteritis, and jaundice.

    “Exposure to the sun should be the bare minimum. Wear full sleeve clothes, or take an umbrella or cover your head during that period when you are getting exposed to the sun,” Kakar said.

    Take more liquids which may include lassi, lemonade, orange juice, or fruits that contain more water like watermelon and melon,” the doctor told IANS. He also urged people to avoid eating outside.

    (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Update: Statement from Captiva Homes on Horsebridge Hill roadworks 11 June 2025 Update: Statement from Captiva Homes on Horsebridge Hill roadworks

    Source: Aisle of Wight

    Statement from Captiva Homes on Horsebridge Hill roadworks 

    We recognise the roadworks on Horsebridge Hill are continuing to cause disruption and inconvenience to residents and businesses, for which we apologise.  We continue to work with Island Roads, the Council and other stakeholders to ensure this is minimised as much as possible.  We are pleased to report that the works are being delivered in line with the agreed schedule and remain on track to be completed during the week commencing 4 July.  This will facilitate the first Island families moving into their new homes this summer. 

    On site, road widening and kerbing installation has now been completed; traffic signal ducting and the new water main have been installed (the latter will reduce future work for Southern Water in the area).

    Planned works in the week ahead will see base tarmac laid to road and footpaths, installation of ducts and sockets to the northbound carriageway and commencement of entrance works to the Three Oaks development.

    The diversion of northbound traffic from Newport to Cowes saw a 4-minute increase in average journey times last week (2.6.25 to 6.6.25, from 16mins to 20 mins).  This does not tell the full story as the closure of Middle Road for planned utility works last Tuesday and Wednesday evenings plus road traffic accidents in the Newport area caused significant delays.

    Southern Vectis bus services continue to run a full daytime service (between 06.00 – 20.00) from Newport to Cowes and southbound travel from Cowes to Newport continues to flow smoothly throughout the day.

    All businesses in the area remain open with access via the diversion.

    Important changes to the traffic management plans are scheduled in the coming weeks, details below;

    Isle of Wight Festival week

    • All works on Horsebridge Hill will cease and traffic will return to two-way along Horsebridge Hill from 20.00 on Tuesday 17 June to 20.00 on Monday 23 June
    • The current one-way system and diversion will be re-instated from 20.00 on Monday 23 June
    • Traffic from Nicholson Street will have north and southbound access from Monday 23 June

    Two weekend road closures are required to facilitate foul sewer connections and road surfacing;

    • Full closure from 20.00 Friday 27 June to 06.00 Monday 30 June
    • Full closure from 20.00 Friday 4 July to 06.00 Monday 7 July

    During the two weekend closures the current diversion route will operate for north and south bound traffic.  To facilitate the diversion route there will be a clearway order for both sides of Pallance Road for the length, the 3 way temporary lights will remain on the Whitehouse Road/Corf Road junction and there will also be 4 way lights installed on Forest Road/Whitehouse Road junction to make it safer for vehicles emerging from Whitehouse Road.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s auto market posted double-digit growth in January-May 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — China’s auto production and sales volumes showed double-digit growth in the first five months of 2025, indicating robust consumer activity in the world’s second-largest economy.

    The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported on Wednesday that 12.83 million vehicles were produced in the country in January-May 2025, up 12.7 percent year-on-year. Sales volumes, meanwhile, rose 10.9 percent to 12.75 million vehicles.

    The production and sales volumes of new energy vehicles demonstrated impressive growth rates. In five months, 5.7 million of such vehicles were produced and 5.61 million were sold, an increase of 45.2 percent and 44 percent, respectively. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ6: Supply of car parking spaces

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

    Question:

    Regarding the supply of car parking spaces, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) of the following information on parking spaces for various vehicle classes (including private cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles) in Hong Kong from 2022 to 2024: the number of parking spaces, the district distribution, the utilisation rate, the increase or decrease in the number of parking spaces due to redevelopment, new development or other projects, with a tabulated breakdown by type of parking space (e.g. public or temporary car parks, on-street parking spaces); whether it has projected the parking space demand from this year to 2029, and of the currently planned number of parking spaces for various vehicle classes to be built, their locations, the government departments responsible for building them and their expected completion dates;

    (2) whether it has plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the supply of parking spaces for various vehicle classes in the territory and study the further opening of car parks in schools and government premises in various districts in the evenings and on public holidays for public use; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3) whether, on the pretext of not affecting traffic flow and road safety, it will consider increasing the number of free on-street parking spaces, extending the parking hours for night-time parking spaces and installing multi-storey stacked parking systems to improve land use efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:

    President,

    In response to Oral Question 1, the Government has outlined its parking policy and I am not going to repeat it here. We will adopt a multi-pronged strategy to comprehensively increase parking supply, including leveraging technology, fostering stronger collaboration among stakeholders, and prioritising the parking needs of commercial vehicles (CVs).

    Having consulted the Transport Department (TD), a consolidated reply in response to the questions raised by Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu is as follows:

    (1) Over the past three years, the total number of parking spaces in Hong Kong has increased by more than 15 000, bringing the total to over 800 000 (Annex 1). The ratio of parking spaces to registered vehicles has improved, and the number of metered parking spaces has also grown (Annex 2). However, the recovery of some short-term tenancy (STT) car parks has led to a slight decline in CV parking spaces (Annex 3). To address this, we have implemented various measures to enhance CV parking supply. For example, public vehicle parks (PVPs) currently in operation and under construction will provide approximately 460 CV parking spaces, and we have mandated a minimum number of CV parking spaces in suitable STT car parks. The Government continues to collaborate actively with stakeholders to expand parking supply. Between 2022 and 2024, more than 25 000 additional parking spaces were introduced under urban redevelopment projects (Annex 4). Utilisation rates remain consistently high across all types of parking spaces, with metered parking spaces averaging around 90 per cent and trending upward. Among public car parks managed by the TD, utilisation rates range from approximately 80 per cent to 90 per cent, while STT car parks average around 60 per cent.

    When advancing PVP projects, the TD assesses district-level parking demand based on illegal parking occurrences and the availability of facilities near project sites. For example, priority is given to areas with a high concentration of logistics trades for additional CV parking spaces. The TD will also consider conducting studies to forecast medium-to-long-term parking needs.

    The currently operating and under-construction PVPs will provide over 3 200 parking spaces. We are also exploring the adaptive reuse of construction shafts left after the completion of the Central Kowloon Bypass, with plans to convert them into underground multi-storey car parks featuring automated parking systems (APS).

    Over the next two years, the Government will introduce 12 000 additional parking spaces, with at least 500 designated for CVs. The actual quantity will be even higher when accounting for additional CV parking spaces from upcoming STT car parks and private development projects.

    Our priority remains the expansion of CV parking spaces, particularly in areas facing shortages, and we will intensify efforts to promote APS. Through policy initiatives and co-ordinated action with districts, we are confident that Hong Kong’s parking supply will continue to improve. Projected parking space supply estimates beyond 2025 are detailed in Annex 5.

    (2) The standard of parking facilities in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) will be reviewed regularly and revised when necessary to meet future transportation and policy needs. The first batch of subsidised housing planned under the revised HKPSG in 2021 (Note) is scheduled for completion in 2026, providing approximately 4 700 parking spaces across 26 subsidised housing developments. This includes 220 CV parking spaces, as well as the introduction of 33 medium/heavy goods vehicle and 18 coach/bus shared-use loading and unloading bays for night-time CV parking. The TD is closely monitoring the implementation of the revised HKPSG and will review it as needed to ensure it aligns with the latest developments.

    The Government Property Agency has opened around 1 000 parking spaces within the 12 joint-user general office buildings under its management, with some parking spaces available for public use throughout the day. Additionally, public car parks managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department provide more than 2 700 parking spaces for public use. The TD is actively collaborating with the Housing Department to explore the possibility of opening loading/unloading bays in five subsidised housing developments, including Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan for night-time CV parking, given the substantial parking demand from medium and heavy goods vehicles in these areas. Furthermore, the TD is working with the Education Bureau to encourage more schools to make school bus parking spaces available for student service vehicles during non-school hours, specifically to address CV parking needs.

    (3) The TD has been proactively identifying suitable locations across districts to provide additional on-street parking spaces. As of 2024, more than 1 860 on-street night-time parking spaces have been designated. The free parking period for over 600 CV night-time parking spaces has been adjusted to start at 7pm, and future provisions of such spaces will aim to advance the free parking period as much as possible.

    The Government has been implementing APS projects in suitable PVPs and STT car parks, as APS can nearly double the parking capacity within the same space. PVPs currently under construction will provide 1 000 automated parking spaces. Additionally, seven private car parks and three STT car parks are already equipped with APS. The PVPs are located in Tseung Kwan O, San Po Kong, Sham Shui Po, and Ma On Shan, while the STT car parks are in Tsuen Wan, Tai Po, Sham Shui Po, and Yau Ma Tei. Various APS models are being adopted, including puzzle-stacking as proposed in the question, vertical lifting and horizontal sliding, as well as circular shaft lifting systems.

    The widespread adoption of APS in Hong Kong requires private sector involvement from the society. Both the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the TD have published APS implementation guidelines for industry reference. In the future, the TD will actively encourage developers to adopt APS and explore further incentive measures.

    Thank you, President.

    Note: The 2021 he revised HKPSG has increased the number of ancillary parking spaces for PCs in private and subsidised housing developments, the types and numbers of parking spaces for CVs in subsidised housing development, and introduced two types of “shared-use” parking spaces, one of which is to be shared by light goods vehicles and light buses, and the other by medium/heavy goods vehicles and coaches.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –